It’s all too common to see depictions of Pagans and witches with crystal balls or tarot cards. It’s a fairly popular belief that all Pagans practice some form of divination, but it’s not true.

Divination is the art of using some sort of tool to see into the future. One may divine to find answers about a situation, to get guidance, or to know what will happen to themselves or another. Popular forms of divination include cartomancy (reading tarot cards), crystal gazing, scrying and palmistry, although there are countless others.

It’s safe to say that the majority of Pagans do use some sort of divination practice either regularly, or on occasion. Tarot reading and pendulum dowsing are among the most popular methods. However, this is not something that all Pagans do. There are traditions that give little or no attention to divination, while others make it an important part of regular practice.

Divination can be a useful tool, and many Pagans will find themselves drawn to some form of it sooner or later. It’s not something that all of them rely on or use though.

*Disclaimer: I no longer practice Paganism, but I’ve left these Pagan Myths articles active because I believe they’re still valuable in helping people to understand Paganism and reduce negative stereotypes.*

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter