Divination In the Kitchen: Fortune Telling with Household Items

In the kitchens of yore, even the simplest items could be used for magickal practice.

There are certain divination tools that everyone has come to expect in the arsenal of an intuitive: crystal balls, Tarot cards, Ouija boards.

But in former times, when any kind of metaphysical work was considered “witchcraft” or “demonic work” and could get you burned or beheaded, it wasn’t safe to keep such obvious paraphernalia around!

So simpler objects — a pack of ordinary cards, kitchen gear, even parchment and quill — were turned into magical and divinatory objects. After all, who could object to household utensils?

Today, those methods are just as useful, and can be a lot of fun as you work on your psychic development.

Here are some to try — and remember, if YOU can think up one on your own, there is nothing that says it won’t work!

Crystal and stone pendulums are lovely — but a needle and thread can serve the same purpose.

The Needle Pendulum

Pendulums are very popular tools: a weight (which can be stone, crystal, wood, or metal) hangs suspended from a chain or string.

The hand holding it by the end of the chain does not move, but the pendulum swings in certain directions which indicate yes, no, or not sure.

Centuries ago, witches and diviners used a simple needle and thread, with the needle serving as the pendulum.

So can you!

While there are certain “traditional” movements for yes/no/not sure, everyone’s energy is different. It’s best to establish your own versions by asking “Show me yes” “Show me no” and seeing which way it goes.

This can even change from session to session, so it’s not a bad idea to do the directional establishment for the day.

You can ask straightforward yes or no questions (“Will I get my car loan approved?”).

Additionally, if it’s a timing question (“when will our house sell?”) you can simply recite the months in order, and watch for the pendulum to give you a yes.

Or you can hold it over a calendar and move it from month to month to see where the yes resides.

And an old midwife’s method of telling the sex of a child was done the same way: held over the pregnant woman’s stomach, a movement back and forth meant a boy, while a circle meant a girl.

This is a wonderful and inexpensive way to decide if working with a pendulum is for you.

A bowl of water can show the visions you seek.

Scrying With Mirrors or Bowls of Water

You don’t need a crystal ball to look into the future. A mirror or bowl of water can serve just as well.

With either tool, the trick is to unfocus your eyes, and bring yourself to a very calm, almost hypnotic state. Measured breathing exercises, soothing music and incense can help with all of this.

Ask the question in your mind and then stare at the surface of the water, or the mirror, NOT trying to form images, but simply observing.

You will start to see symbols and pictures that can give you an idea of what’s ahead.

A good scrying bowl has a plain, preferably dark interior. Just fill the bowl with clear water and you have your tool. Make sure that the bowl is on a sturdy and unmoving surface; ripples in the water will break the vision.

Buying an inexpensive mirror and doing a little DIY at home can create an elegant scrying surface.

If you’re feeling craft-y, then making your own scrying mirror can be an afternoon of pleasant contemplative work.

Purchase an inexpensive picture frame (the plainer the frame the better) with clear glass (8 x 10 is probably a good size).

Remove the glass from the frame and give it a good cleaning with soap and water or glass cleaner, making sure that any marks from the adhesive price sticker are gone!

Handle carefully so finger oils don’t mar the clean surface.

Then, take a spray can of black paint and spray the glass. It’s important to build up thin layers and let each one dry well in between (that’s why this is a full afternoon of work). Once the paint is dry, check to make sure it is completely covered. A sheet or two of dark backing paper between the frame and the glass ensures you have an unmarred scrying surface.

When you put the mirror back together, you have a perfect tool for divination.

Oh, and that saying about breaking a mirror means seven years of bad luck? Here’s the remedy: smash the broken pieces even smaller; that drains out the curse.

Silverware has been an under-the-radar tool for divination for centuries.

Silverware Fortunes

Silverware has been a divinatory tool for centuries. It’s something most everyone has, the different kinds of silverware have different meanings, and they can be pulled out at a moment’s notice.

Dropped silverware has specific meanings. Drop a knife? Two possibilities: a man may come for an unexpected visit, or there’s an argument in the offing. A dropped fork means a woman visitor, and a dropped spoon means a child.

Never cross knives, say the wise ones; it brings an argument or bad luck.

If you can’t make a decision, write all your choices in a circle. Use a knife in the middle and spin it. Where does it land? There’s your answer.

Got a white-handled knife? Tradition holds that you can tell a future spouse with it.

Spin the knife; if the handle comes to rest pointing at you then that means your future spouse will be fair. If the handle points at anyone else, your future spouse will be dark-skinned.

(Of course, I remind you that we all have more than one choice in a partner as we go through life; this is here for historical interest.)

Food Fortunes

Even cookbooks can have a hint about your future!

This one requires a little bit of work. Got a question? Pull out a cookbook at random and flip to a recipe. What’s the main ingredient? Every food we eat has a special divinatory meaning. Eggs symbolize fertility and abundance. Long noodles in China signify a long life. Rice means marital happiness and joy. Fish herald good fortune in all things — and so on.

Flour can be as visual as tea or coffee grounds.

The foods themselves can be used for prophecy as well. Like coffee and tea reading, reading flour (aleuromancy) is done by mixing a slurry of flour and water in a bowl. Pour it out, and interpret the patterns left in the bowl. Or you can use the simper Egyptian style, which consisted of simply pouring flour out in small heaps and interpreting the shapes and orientation of the flour puddles.

Apples have long been used in romance predictions.

Oh, and that apple you’re peeling? Don’t just toss it; peel the fruit until the skin breaks. Toss the skin onto the counter and see what letter forms in the peel. The letter you see in the peel is the first letter of your true love’s name — or so said the old grannies.

So next time you’re thinking that you need to pull out your Tarot cards, think outside the deck — look in your house to see if there is something that holds your future in a completely different way.