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Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency.

Divination was a central component of ancient Mesoamerican religious life. Many Aztec gods, including central creator gods, were described as diviners and were closely associated with sorcery. Tezcatlipoca is the patron of sorcerers and practitioners of magic. His name means "smoking mirror," a reference to a device used for divinatory scrying. In the Mayan Popol Vuh, the creator gods Xmucane and Xpiacoc perform divinatory hand casting during the creation of people.

Particular divination methods vary by culture and religion.

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Did you know...

Christ the Redeemer

• ... that "Christ" is the office of Jesus, but not his name?
• ... that Aleister Crowley ghostwrote books by Evangeline Adams?
• ... that Mount Etna was considered a gateway to Hell?
• ... that the demon Barbatos appears in Sagittarius?
• ... that the Eight of Swords indicates physical sex?
• ... that the angel Achaiah helps you be patient?
• ... that Paracelsus inspired the Rosicrucians?
• ... that garnet is the stone of Mars?

This month in history The Vlad Dracula Tarot March - The "A" deck variant of the Rider-Waite Tarot is first published. (1910) 2 March - Famed Egyptologist, Howard Carter, dies. (1939) 5 March - Nicolaus Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published. (1616) 7 March - The University of Paris issues the last in a series of condemnations of heretical philosophical and theological theses. (1277) 8 March - John of God, a Portuguese friar and saint, is born. (1495) 13 March - William Herschel discovers Uranus. (1781) 13 March - L. Ron Hubbard founder of the Church of Scientology is born. (1911) 15 March - The Ides of March - Julius Caesar is assassinated. (44 BC) 15 March - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne, ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty. (1917) 15 March - The Vlad Dracula Tarot is published for the first time as The Tarot of Vlad Dracula. (2020) 16 March - Over 200 Cathars are burned to death after refusing to recant after the Fall of Montségur. (1244) 17 March - The Angel Tarot is first published as The Angel-Evoking Tarot. (2019) 19 March - Occultist and author Damien Echols is sentenced to death. He will later be released from prison. (1994) 20 March - While in Cairo, Aleister Crowley's wife, Rose, received a channeled message from the god Horus, revealing: "the Equinox of the Gods has come." (1904) 22 March - French alchemist and author Nicolas Flamel dies. (1418) 23 March - Tommy Bowman, an 8-year-old boy, disappears while hiking at Devil's Gate Dam. (1957) 29 March - Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers is expelled from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. (1900) 30 March - John Proctor, a farmer hanged for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials, is born. (1632)

Featured image Priests of Anubis were heavily involved in Egypt's embalming workshops. A male priest would have been present during the embalming process to read the spiritual rites while the physical embalming was occurring. Some of these priests (although not all) wore a wooden mask made in the likeness of Anubis when performing these rituals. The mask was worn on top of the head like a hat so the priest's face could be seen from underneath as he read the ritual from a scroll. Because anyone involved in the embalming process was connected spiritually to Anubis, there were many different designations for those who served him. Photographer: Travis McHenry (More Images)

Featured Quote "Sooner or later a person's physical appearance comes to resemble whatever is in their heart." - Damien Echols

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