Divination Space Station: Awo Robert Ogbe Di

Last updated on: October 3, 2013 at 5:30 am By Lilith Dorsey

Yoruba Divination board, photo by Cliff1066TM

Just in time for October 4th, the traditional feast day for Orunmila or Orula,the Orisha of divination, the latest installment of our divination series. We are honored to present an interview with Awo Robert Ogbe Di.

When did you start divining? With what method?

Wow, it’s been a while! I got a tarot deck as a gift when I was a kid, maybe 14, and I played around with it until I figured out how to read with it, though it took a long time to put down the book because I was always worried I would “do it wrong”. I know better now. After that, I did a little work with a lot of different systems.

What method do you use most often now?

As a babalawo, I divine with the tools of my religion. Mostly with the divining chain (ekuele), but also with coconut (obi) and at major ceremonies with the sacred palm nuts (ikin). Once I passed to Ifa, I stopped using other methods of divination. When you are a priest of the Orisha of Divination, you have sort of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to divination methods… there really isn’t any need to go outside for anything.

How important is the question?

In my opinion, the question is 50% of what determines the quality of any divination, either for yourself or for someone else. The other 50% is split between intention (25%) and skill of the diviner (25%). I will address each of these briefly.

The question is key because it’s what is being asked. This sounds obvious, even redundant, but it is by far the number one problem that people have when they are trying to either read for themselves or get a reading with someone else. So often I see clients who are either embarrassed to ask something, or who are just unclear in their thinking. Just like with computing, garbage in, garbage out – you have to ask a clear question to get a clear answer. Another issue that comes up a lot is asking the wrong question. For example, someone comes asking “will I be able to buy a car?” Well, hold on, why do you need a car? What is the purpose? To get to work, to get your groceries, to drive your mom to the doctor, to make a road trip? Many people show up with a predefined narrative already set in their minds of how things are “supposed” to play out… these people will never be happy no matter what they are told, because they are not open to any alternative ideas of how things could manifest. That openness to change and willingness to be creative in solutions is the key, not only to divination, but to any form of contentment in life.

Intention is next in importance, because even the most perfectly phrased question cannot produce a clear answer if it is not the question the person’s heart is asking. If someone comes and asks “will I get the job at XYZ Corp?” when all their mind’s attention and energy is focused completely on the man or woman they met the night before, or their sick family member, or even what they are going to fix for dinner, their reading will be either muddy or completely misleading. Ideally, the person will be totally focused and present in the moment of divination; this gives the most clarity. This is why many professional diviners will keep you sitting for a bit when you arrive, rather than jumping into the divination – they want to give you a chance to catch up with yourself and focus on where you are, instead of taking all the stress of travel and the day into the reading with you.

I have to put the skill of the diviner in the list because divination is one of the “knack” skills, like creative writing, painting, music, sports, and so forth. Some people are naturally more skilled than others. Very few people can’t make anything work; very few people have the natural ability to pick up a divination tool and just start giving good readings right off the bat. Divination is a skill like anything else, and as time goes by, the diviner will learn more and more about the tools that s/he is using. Practice is key. Even the most naturally skilled person is only able to divine reliably if they have been practicing and using their tools for long enough to learn them. If someone is choosing a diviner to visit, find someone who has been working with their tools for at least a few years, and someone who has a good reputation for producing consistent results. It’s easy to find someone to tell you what you want to hear, but it’s a little more challenging to find someone who tells you what will really happen.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

For most people, pendulum dowsing is the easiest and most reliable method. This type of yes/no work is pretty fundamental and there aren’t many people who can’t make it work with a little bit of practice.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

*laughing* Quite a bit… how much space do I have?

Seriously, though, the main advice is practice. Do it over and over until you are completely familiar with the process; it is almost impossible for the intuition to provide any insight when you are still completely focused on trying to remember what step or steps need to be done next. Once you have the process down, then you will start noticing that stray intuitions start popping in. At first, this can be pretty random, and it helps to have other people to work with who will give you reliable feedback. “Yes, that is relevant” and “no that is not relevant” are a lot more valuable in the long run than the person who says “Wowwww, so truuuuuuee….” every time you open your mouth.

Secondly, as the Romans would say “festina lente”, or ‘hurry, slowly’. Don’t leap into divination to get immediate answers for your life’s major problems. Anything that you are deeply emotionally invested in should probably be investigated by a neutral third party. Daily readings for yourself will teach you what the indications mean (cards, astrological configurations, etc.) much more than sitting down once a month. Make the divination system a part of your life; identify life events and things you see in daily life as representations of the energies of the cards/stars/runes/whatever you use. For example, if you see an older woman looking sour and pensive, think “ah, Queen of Swords”; if a friend describes a love triangle, try to imagine how that situation would be described by the cards in a reading. This type of engagement with the images and symbols will dramatically speed up your learning process and encourage your intuition to chime in more quickly and reliably. It is also usual that your readings for other people will be more accurate sooner than the readings for yourself, so if you find that your readings for others are spot on but your readings for yourself aren’t quite there yet, don’t give up! Keep at it, and slowly you will come to realize that your readings are becoming startlingly accurate.

Sexy Ghosts in the City: Pagan Pride 2013

Last updated on: September 26, 2013 at 9:27 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Ancestor statues , Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam. Photo by Lilith Dorsey.

No doubt about it there is sex in the city, and there are ghosts in the city. Lots of ghosts in this city, my city, New York City. In the Voodoo tradition our ghosts are sexy, they are lusty, they are funny, they are lewd. That’s just the way they are. It probably stems in part from the fact that procreation is life and therefore very precious to those who have passed. All Afro-Caribbean pagan traditions: Voodoo, Vodou, Candomble, Obeah, hold the dead and the ancestors who have gone before in the highest regard. Very often they are given offerings of food, drink, money, tobacco, anything they may have enjoyed in life. There are also some very interesting characteristics that go along with these spirits of the dead. During Voodoo ceremonies when they manifest through possession and overall elan, participants have been known to stick their hands in each others’ pockets, looking for cash or whatever else they can find there. Now for the city part.

This year’s New York city Pagan Pride day, hosted by New York City Pagan Pride Project will return to Washington

Square Park on Sept 28, 2013. Now I am no stranger to this place, as a hippie teenager we sold crappy tye dye shirts there, as an undergrad film student I shot what seems like hours of student footage there, I did tarot readings there, I may even have passed out there once.

Most people don’t know that the ground under Washington Square Park was once a cemetery. For several years it was used as a “potter’s field,” for those less fortunate. The park is also home to the “hanging tree,” said to be the oldest tree in the city. I will be discussing all this, magic and more at my lecture Hoodoo, Voodoo, You Do ! Please stop by, say hello, get a reading, represent!!!

Divination Space Station: Dorothy Morrison

Last updated on: September 17, 2013 at 9:15 am By Lilith Dorsey

Psychic. Fifth Avenue, NYC. Photo by Timothy Krause.

Welcome to the Voodoo Universe’s first installment of the Divination Space Station, our guest interview series on all forms of divining.

Divination: it’s in the cards, the stones, the bones, the future. I have participated in quite a few divination panel discussions or roundtables over my twenty years of involvement in the Pagan community. Several interesting discussions came from these sessions, which were both led and attended by practitioners from all walks of life. On many occassions I had the good fortune of sitting on these panels with Dorothy Morrison, award-winning author, whom I am proud to call my friend. The questions are mine, the answers are all Ms. Morrison.

When did you start divining? With what method?

My mother gave me a Rider-Waite deck for Christmas the year I was 18, and I started right away. But to be perfectly honest, my first attempts were less than fruitful. I simply couldn’t get the cards to “speak” to me, and to say that I was discouraged was an understatement. In fact, I was so aggravated that I tossed the cards on the shelf and vowed that if I ever looked at them again, it would only be to throw them in the trash!

A couple of years later, though, I realized that the problem was neither with me nor the deck; instead, it was a personality conflict between the two of us. [Who knew?! LOL!] I found the Morgan-Greer deck, and readings began to flow immediately. It’s amazing what happens when someone finds a good fit. And today, I can read almost any deck without a problem.

What method do you use most often now?

I still use tarot cards, but I have to admit that they’re more for the querent than they are for me. As I’ve gotten older, I just seem to “know.” I still deal out the cards, but now the messages begin to flow just as soon as they start hitting the table.

How important is the question?

Although a lot of folks would disagree with me, I really don’t think it’s that important; the reason being that sometimes, folks simply aren’t supposed to have all the answers. [If, after all, they knew everything…well…what would be the point in living? ;)] And readings generally only offer information that’s beneficial to the querent at the time – regardless of what he or she thinks they want to know.

Aside from that, readings only tell you what’s likely to occur if you continue your current path – and you can change that path at any point. So, nothing’s cut and dried, or carved in stone. Regardless of the question, the outcome is still your call.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

I shuffle the cards and deal them into a stack, either stopping when I turn up an ace or the 13th card – whichever comes first. I continue in that manner until there are three stacks. Three Aces is a yes. One or two is a maybe. And a complete lack of Aces is a no. It’s a very easy method and is fairly accurate.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

If you’re using Tarot cards, get rid of the accompanying book immediately! Instead, actually look at the characters in the cards you’ve laid out and pay attention to what they’re doing. How are they interacting with the characters in the other cards on the table? Are they looking at each other? Are they turned away? Are they facing forward as if they’re completely indifferent to the others? Just try reading them as if you’re looking at a comic strip storyboard without the benefit of words – and you’ll be amazed at how easily the reading will flow.

For more wit, wisdom and wonderful witchy wickedness, please visit Dorothy Morrison’s websites: