Author of Coming Back To Life
Divination, A Question of Tools
--by P.M.H. Atwater
--The After-Effects of the Near Death Experience,
Ballantine Books.Every group of people that has ever existed has practiced some form of divination at one time or another. There are almost as many methods as there are people who use them. Many card or board games, gambling, and the throwing of dice are acts of divination, as well fengshi (geomancy), dowsing, tarot, I Ching, Ouija or anything else which depends upon "elements of chance."
The art of divining, if truth be known, is really a simple, childlike way of asking for help or seeking assistance from a higher source. It fulfills a basic human need for "parental" guidance.
Anything can be used for divining "knowledge," from invisible or subtle realms, whether that "realm" be within yourself or existent elsewhere. A stone that is two-sided will do. Just dub one side yes and the other no and toss. Whichever side lands straight up is your answer, like flipping a coin.
The word "divination" suggests contact with divinity, implying by its name that only divine or god-like spirits will respond once invocation is made. This is not necessarily true! When you invoke chance, what you receive is chance! There are no guarantees in the process and no way to for certain what or "who" you may have contacted.
Practicing any form of divination is like opening wide the inner door to your own subconscious mind. Once that door is open, anything can enter.
The ancients knew this, that is why they taught stringent and sometimes complicated techniques for self-protection and clarity of reception, often insisting on apprenticeship with a series of tests or initiations to determine if one was "ready." They wanted divine guidance so they practiced divine reception.
Unfortunately, excessive ambition or a desire to have power over others can cloud the best of plans; hence, many divination rituals wound up as exaggerated excuses to impress or frighten, instead of enlighten.
And today the same is true. All manner of rules and regulations, rituals, ceremonies, costuming, sounds and song have been resurrected--each designed to recreate and re-establish mystique and mystery from past times. This is fun, and it is amusing, like entertainment; but, because of our new found "interest," we too often forget what all the fuss is for.
Preparation is not entertainment nor should it impress anyone. It is simply a practical way to alter your consciousness and "get into the mood;" it is a way to center yourself, to "dust away all life's cobwebs" and savor that which is harmonious, uplifting, positive and spiritual.
Any form of divination will reflect one's inner state of mind, regardless of what that might be, so the more honest and positive your outlook the more direct and accurate your feedback.
Preparation does not have to be complicated. Whatever it takes for you to quiet your mind and shift your focus within an atmosphere of peace and joy will begin the process. Take as long or as short a time as you need. I know people who use candles and incense to set the mood, or who just observe the silence of prayer. Others repeat the "OM" chant or do the yogic breath exercise of A-U-M, verbally intoning each syllable slowly during one continuous out-breath.
Inner cleansing is part of it, where you dissolve or release negative thoughts and feelings, replacing them with a focus of love and light. You do this by deciding to, then actually changing what you think and feel. The more relaxed and at ease you are the better, but remain firm in knowing that God is in charge, that only divine order can prevail, that only the highest and best for all concerned can emerge.
We may see shadows or indications of what might come to be, but everything in life is subject to change. What we "receive" can be confusing. We can jump to conclusions or make invalid assumptions, but sometimes what comes to us is exactly what actually happens. Regardless of the "message" received, you have no right to frighten or "program" anyone!
Warn if you must, but watch your words. Warnings can be helpful, but, all too often they become self-fulfilling prophesies. The more we think about something, especially in fear or anger, the more assuredly we draw it to us. Responsible speech and positive behavior are worth cultivating, if for no other reason than the fact that life will return whatever it is given.
The art of divination is only as valid as our attitudes and feelings about it. Since there is no such thing as a "perfect channel," a good rule-of-thumb is--remain as non-judgmental, impartial and detached as possible. There is no mystery, really, with divination. It is part of "The Inner Journey" and brings with it opportunities to rediscover the integrity of sacredness and validity of spirit.
The meeting of the Virginia Blue Ridge Chapter of Dowsers in Charlottesville was stumped with a seemingly unresolvable question: are tools really necessary in dowsing?
The controversy began as Jim Hoover concluded his talk on "Dowsing for Health" by explaining the positive and negative polarities of crystals and how to use them. A woman in the well-attended meeting took the floor and stated in words no one could refute that it was the individual mind that effected results and not any given "tool." She said plain colored glass or ordinary rocks could successfully substitute for crystals and have the same effect, if so "programmed" by the operator, so why bother with any tool at all?
No one could or would answer her question. There was only silence.
Are crystals just another "New Age Fad?" Are dowsing rods, for that matter, a dowsing fad? Do tools have relevance after physics has clearly shown all existence is directly effected and altered by the mere act of observation alone--by the presence of an "intervening" consciousness?
The question of tools is important, not only because of the implications of quantum physics and the real possibility of mind over matter, but also because of our historical core as humans. Remember, our traditions and our beliefs span tens of thousands of years. At the crux of our definition as "human" is our ability to fashion tools.
To separate human beings from tools is ludicrous! Yet, the time has come when we must do just that!
There is no easy across-the-board answer, for the question is too new; but I would like to give it a try, to share my observations and findings, and in some small way give the woman in Charlottesville and others something to think about.
Here is a brief synopsis:
1. Anything I use to accomplish a given task is a tool. Tools save time and effort--they free me to concentrate more of my potential elsewhere.
2. Tools are valueless if I don't use them properly. This means I must educate myself and develop certain attitudes, methodologies and habits. Changing needs require that I also change--what works best at one time may not be applicable later.
3. Some tools are easier to use that others. It is necessary to experiment, test and retest, to find what works best. That a given tool works for someone else does not mean it will work for me. I appreciate knowing what works for others because that establishes precedence and indicates alternate possibilities; but I do not limit myself to what is know or acceptable by the majority.
4. When working with invisible energies I prefer natural objects simply because they resonate to those energies. I respect The Natural Order these objects represent; they become as assistants and partners to me, adding their own native "intelligence" to mine.
However, the more I learn about tools, the more I realize I do not need them. The more I practice each technique, the more I come to trust and rely on the reaches of my own mind and the incredible vastness and dependability of unseen forces and presences which go beyond anything I can recognize or fathom. The deeper and broader my inquiry, the more unexpectedly precise and appropriate the results. The more I release previous ideas of precedence, the more I discover ways and means beyond the dimensions of space and time. The more open I become, the more all history and probability dissolve.
This line of thought and experience leads me to pure paradox and a sense of truth I find more meaningful than anything I ever learned before. As a dowser it leads me to deviceless dowsing, and deviceless dowsing is not new. It is the oldest form of dowsing there is. Dowsing tools came into use through the trial and error of trying to find a quicker, easier way to accomplish any given task and they are, in essence, a statement of distrust. Individuals who can live without tools are called saints, or master souls, because they have rediscovered complete trust and chose to glorify what I have come to regard as our truly "Natural State".
My goal is to regain my truth of being--to become the "me" which I truly "am." It is a challenge that I joyfully accept, and part of that challenge is to wean myself from dependence on tools. As with any babe or newcomer, weaning may take time.
I welcome the woman in Charlottesville to the wonderful world of paradox. Yes, crystals are incredible and complex and extremely handy, but, no, you don't really need them. Mind over matter is quite real and quite possible. It always has been; but only now, on the fringes of the twenty-first century, do we finally admit what was always known.
I am a life-member of the American Society of Dowsers and I especially value the field trips offered by the Virginia Blue Ridge Chapter where I honor and respect my potential limitless being within the vastness of the All-That-Is spirit of Divinity itself. I still use tools, but I practice deviceless dowsing. I invite you and anyone else so inclined to do the same. It's fun. It's scary sometimes and baffling other times, but it makes sense to me and I am determined!
