What Makes One Form of Divination Better than Another?

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[elaoin]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

[Ocelot]

What makes one form of divination better than another?

I'm not sure that one method is any better than another. I think it's whatever works best for the individual. Tarot, runes, etc, might just be more widely used and publicized.

The method one uses also may depend on the type of person. F'ex, I'm a very visual person so tarot might work better for me than say a pendulum or a ouiji board.

:Edited to remove a double word:

[Pythiana]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

I don't really think that one type of divination is superior to another, rather, different people are more attuned to different types of it.  I, for instance, am more able to get accurate readings using a pendulum than using cards.  It just takes practice with each one to determine which one you feel most comfortable using.

[RandallS]

What makes one form of divination better than another?

I doubt any one form of divination is inherently better than another generally. However, certain forms probably are better for certain things than others.

[elaoin]

I doubt any one form of divination is inherently better than another generally. However, certain forms probably are better for certain things than others.

Might I request an elaboration? This is a sub-thought I had when I was first posting, but then I realized I don't really know what makes one better than another even taking the situation into account. The best I could come up with is that a pendulum would be better for a yes/no question than a tarot, but the ouiji board has a yes/no option too...

[RandallS]

The best I could come up with is that a pendulum would be better for a yes/no question than a tarot, but the ouiji board has a yes/no option too...

An example: Astrology or Numerology is great for finding out about a person but a Tarot reading is often better for analyzing what to do in a situation.

[Jorgath]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

What makes one form better than another?  Who's practicing that form.  I've used tarot, astrology, and an ouiji board before.  Of the three, tarot works best for me, followed by astrology.  The ouiji board was interesting, and I intend to try it again sometime, but I'd rather use it for communication with a spirit than for divination.

[Malkin]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

I think people dislike the ouiji board because of the bad experiences they've had (or sometimes, just the bad experiences they've heard about other people having). As far as I know, with a ouiji board you're inviting any ol' spirit to come along and talk, and you run into the same risks involved with channeling - apparently people have come across a good number of manipulative A-hole spirits who lie to you for their own amusement.

Of course, I once read an article by a woman in Circle Magazine who experienced much the same thing with a pendulum (and a page with the alphabet on it) - she came into contact with an entity who tried to make her believe that she was here to save the world and that she would have to meet him somewhere in Egypt to begin their great mission. (Fortunately, she eventually realized that he was full of crap.) And of course, I've experienced something similar without any kind of divination, just inner work. So I guess that means you just have to be careful no matter what you do.

I suppose people prefer Tarot and Runes because you're asking the tools to reveal something to you, not posing questions to the entire realm of spirits (some of whom happen to be A-holes). But that's just my take on it. 

[Gabrielle9]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

Popular movies probably haven't done the oujia board any favours either (Witchboard anyone?).  I've also heard skeptics argue against both the board and pendulums since they could be dependent on the movement of the user.

I do agree with Malkin about the 'A-hole' spirits that tend to come out of the woodwork when a oujia board is in the room.  I had an experience in high school with one who impersonated a character in a book I was reading at the time and tried to convince my friends and I we were all mages.  *sigh*  If I were a more gullible teenager, who knows where I would've ended up.

My personal preference is to tarot; it's something that seems to be my 'lightening rod' for information.

[Chaliceocean]

Popular movies probably haven't done the oujia board any favours either (Witchboard anyone?).  I've also heard skeptics argue against both the board and pendulums since they could be dependent on the movement of the user.

I do agree with Malkin about the 'A-hole' spirits that tend to come out of the woodwork when a oujia board is in the room.  I had an experience in high school with one who impersonated a character in a book I was reading at the time and tried to convince my friends and I we were all mages.  *sigh*  If I were a more gullible teenager, who knows where I would've ended up.

My personal preference is to tarot; it's something that seems to be my 'lightening rod' for information.

I'd have to say I agree with everyone on this. It depends on the person, what works for them, what they need, etc. Sometimes also within the same divination method, take tarot for one, one tool within that might work better than another.......like one deck seems to resonate more with you thereby working better than a previous deck you had.

Bright Blessings

[Wiccan Warrior]

To be honest, I have put in another post, I have found out that even use fire, water, air, even a leaf blowing can be used for divination. One of my favorite use of divination is holding a crystal and feeling various types of vibrations from it.

[NightRain]

What makes one form of divination better than another?

Absolutely nothing. I think that its just which one you favor the most. Mine are my Tarot, pendulum, and I am still working with my runes but am getting better.

To others it might be a scrying mirror. It's just what calls to you. I know my deck and pendulum did. I bought my deck on vacation (lol) I was just walking by the store and found myself walking towards the shelf where it was sitting.

Now 5 years later, I'm glad that I bought them.

[Underwater Thing]

What makes one form of divination better than another? F'ex, I've seen/heard a lot of disparaging of ouiji boards over the past few years, but tarot decks, runes and pendulums seem to be viewed as not only legitimate, but also superior forms of divination. I'm curious, why is that? Is it because there's more history to them? Or are they just popular? Maybe it's because they're more portable? (It is pretty hard to hide an ouiji board!)

I don't think that anything makes on divination better than the other.  I mean, maybe ouiji boards get a bad rep being now sold by the Parker Bros. But tarot cards are also exploited with all the silly decks they have out there some times.  I mean, I guess it depends on the person.
By the way, I've seen mini ouiji boards.  Parker Brothers used to sell them.

[Seekingwater]

What makes one form of divination better than another?

I just had an experience that relates to this.

After a cleansing and focusing ritual I sat down to consult the tarot.  I made my question clear about my future plans, and used them.  What I got, was unsettling and bazaar.  Even though I made my question clear, there seemed to be confusion, angst, and almost hostility from the cards. 

Confused, I just happened to think of this thread, so I pulled out my runes and cast them.  Not only did they give me a clear answer, they enlightened me on what exactly the issue was that needed to be dealt with.  The runes seemed so exact, that looking back I think the 'issue' that the runes pointed out was causing the angst from the card reading.

Normally, I would not consult both, as it would seem untrusting in myself and the reading.  But I made it clear to myself that the second rune reading was for clarification, and not disregarding the cards answer.

[Morag]

Popular movies probably haven't done the oujia board any favours either (Witchboard anyone?).

I laughed so hard during that film.

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