Divination Protocol
Our Guild finds this protocol to be extremely useful, and we’ve taught it to multiple people who aren’t even part of the Northern Tradition. It can be adapted to any animistic/polytheistic worldview. Doing it every time before divining helps to focus, and eventually if you do it long enough, just beginning the prayers or song or chant will bring you into a space where you are open to the messages coming through.
While the structure of this protocol is the same for everyone in our Guild, the way we do it is different for each person. Some write spoken prayers for each part. Some of us sing a song that takes in all eight parts, or multiple songs. At least one uses multiple cloths, unfolded one at a time, with the words embroidered upon them. One young woman in another tradition who had severe learning disorders that interfered with her ability to remember words made a cloth with eight patchwork pieces, so that she could look at each one in turn and say a silent, spontaneous prayer. Decide what is going to work for you, with all eight steps.
1) Cleansing the Space. Words asking that this space be clean and clear, that all messages might come through. It’s very useful to have a dedicated cloth that you spread out at this time, on which to do your work. Some people sprinkle salt water, some sweep the cloth symbolically with a tiny broom, some just blow on it.
2 Asking for a blessing from a Gate-Opening Deity. In the Northern Tradition, we have two: Heimdall and Mordgud. Appeal to the one who seems closer to you. (Every tradition has its gate-opening deity; one Pagan woman we taught this to uses Ganesha in this spot.) We do this because Gate-Opening Gods not only open the “doors” to your signal further than you can, They can guard that Gate so that nothing dangerous to you comes through it, into your head.)
3) Asking for a blessing from a deity who has agreed to aid you in this work. There are many Gods who can aid with your divination—telling you when you’re messing up, advising you on how to be clearer and cleaner, etc. In the Northern Tradition, Vor (one of the Handmaidens of Frigga) is a specialist in divining. Frigga herself, it is said, knows much about the future. Odin and Freya are both patrons of seidr/spae. Hela, as Death, is wise and far-seeing. There are probably others—ask formally and see who shows up to help you. (If you’re not Northern Tradition, ask deities in cosmologies you work with.) Then ask for their blessing when you do this protocol.
4) Ask for the blessing of the diviners who have walked this road before you. They strove and experimented so that we have these techniques. If you are a diviner, you are part of that great lineage.
5) Ask for the blessing of the Ancestors. Honor our Dead who lived and died, invented great things and made terrible mistakes, and left us their legacies, so that the human race might still be here.
6) Bless the person who is asking. Even if that’s you.
7) Bless the tools you are using. Runes, Tarot, shagai, I Ching—whatever they are, those spirits work hard for you.
8) Formally and ritually ask for clarity. You don’t want your inner baggage getting in the way of the interpretations; you want to be as clean and objective as possible. Ask for this.
Try this protocol - you’d be surprised how much it will help! Good luck in piercing the veil of hidden knowledge.
Here's Raven Kaldera's Divination Protocol Song, as an example.
Here's Susannah Ravenswing's Divination Protocol, as another example.