Divination Offering: Ask the Ogham or the Runes

[jprussell]

Doing divination with the Runes was actually the first occult thing I learned to do, and since then I've also picked up the Ogham. I do a daily reading for myself with one or the other, and as needed for specific questions where I'm looking for guidance. But I've never done a reading for someone else, and I think it's time I give that a shot.

So! Do you have a question that some additional information might help? A decision you're contemplating? If so, let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to answer. Fair warning, as I said, this is my first shot at other folks' questions, so I can't guarantee how helpful or accurate I'll be! That being said, I wouldn't be offering this if I didn't think I could help.

In your comment, let me know your question, any details or context you think might be relevant that you're willing to share, and whether you'd like me to consult the Ogham or the Runes. For what it's worth, I tend to go to the Ogham for spiritual or magical questions and the Runes for life-direction or practical questions, but I've used both for all sorts of questions. If you have a simple "yes/no" question, I find that easier with the Runes.

With all that out of the way, fire away!
Thanks everyone, but this offer is now closed! Next time I'm offering readings, I'll post here again.

Comments

[dabilahro]

Hi Jeff! I'd be interested. My question is, should I make my goal relating to generating income once this year from my business idea in 2023 more ambitious?

For background, I am in a PMC type role and over the past 3 years (wonder why), I have gradually made major shifts in myself and worldview part of which includes dabbling in my own divination (Coelbren alphabet), disentangling myself from influences I view as malign, and generally putting myself far more out in the world. During this time, I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do, so decided to just focus on developing discipline.

A few weeks ago my mind clicked and multiple areas seemed to coincide into an idea that I have been gradually developing and executing on with I hope an ambitious but realistic goal for myself with the long term vision of being self-employed. One aspect of my idea which really stuck with me was that I feel it would help bridge communication divides in truly positive ways, while also giving a path to freedom of my time and energy that I don't feel I have ever really had in hindsight.

I suppose this question is more for the Runes too.

Thank you for your help, I won't ask for any refunds ;) Let me know if some other information would be helpful too.

[jprussell]

I think that likely gives me enough to get going on, so I'll do your reading today and post once I have a chance to write it up. Here's how I propose wording it:

"What does dabilahro most need to understand about making his/her 2023 business goal more ambitious than generating income once this year?" with the spread "Setting (context), Work (setting a more ambitious goal), and Outcomes (what is most likely to happen if you do set the more ambitious goal)."

[jprussell]

Alrighty, to do this reading, I opened a sacred space, called upon the Wyrds (Norns) and concentrated on your question while shaking the Runestaves vigorously. I then dropped them in a dice tray, said a prayer to the Gods who help me with divination, and then drew three staves without looking, using the spread "Setting (context), Work (doing the thing you're considering), and Outcome(s) (whatever is most likely to come about if you do what you're thinking about). If I drew the stave right side up, it is "bright," and if I drew it face down it is "murky," which is roughly equivalent to drawing a card reversed in systems like Tarot. In the system of interpretation I use, "murky" means either that the forces represented by the Rune are manifesting in an unhelpful or harmful way, or else that they are somehow "blocked" - not manifesting fully or at all.

Asking - "What does dabilahro most need to understand about making his/her 2023 business goal more ambitious than generating income once this year?"
Draw
Setting: Mannaz (Murky) - "Man"
Work: Othala (Murky) - "Homeland"
Outcome(s): Naudhiz (Murky) - "Need"
Surprise Stave: Sowilo (Murky) - "Sun"

My Take on It
This reading is. . . pretty rough. It strikes me as a warning that the change to your goal you are contemplating might be riskier than you realize. For Setting, I drew Mannaz (Murky), which implies either that you are feeling depressed or hopeless about your situation, or else that you are deliberately blocking things out and not seeing things for how they really are. I would venture to guess that might be what's motivating you to want to take more ambitious action - maybe you find your context intolerable as is. Unfortunately, it seems that setting the more ambitious goal would somehow disrupt proper group functioning - either too much focus on the group and over-controlling it, to a "totalitarian" extent, or else being cut off from properly functioning as a contained, defined group, but one with some amount of interaction outside it's borders. Lastly, the Outcomes of your considered changes would be Naudhiz (Murky), which means some kind of outward "friction" - either being resisted or controlled from the outside, or avoiding that friction by trying to take the easy way.

As I was picking up the Runestaves after the reading, I found I only had 23, so I went looking for the missing one, which had jumped out of the dice tray and out of sight. I've found that when a stave draws attention to itself like this, it often works as an overall commentary on the reading, something to cast a light on everything else. Well, that stave was Sowilo (Murky). Sowilo is the Rune of goals and their successful pursuit, so getting it as a murkstave on this question is, shall we say, concerning. It implies that you are somehow aiming at the wrong thing - maybe you are listening to some bad advice, maybe you are contemplating the wrong means to achieve your ends, or maybe you are mistaken about what you truly want or why.

I'm sorry for what seems like such a downer reading! Given the context in your question, it sounds like the discipline and disentanglement has been getting you to a good place, and I would point out that the question was specifically about making your goal more ambitious, not about the work you're doing itself - perhaps something is coming down the line that will make it hard to even achieve your less ambitious goal, or maybe focusing on making more money too soon would stop you from developing the idea to its full potential.

Please let me know if you have any follow up questions, and if you're willing, I'd very much appreciate hearing whether this struck a chord or felt off, and if so, in what ways.

Cheers,
Jeff

[dabilahro]

Thank you Jeff, I am not discouraged and it was I who asked so no worries!

I am taking this not too negatively whatsoever. When I thought of the question my specific area was in more ambitious targets. Which maybe would be like trying to reach 2 places at once, or planning my next stop before I know what I will find at my first.

For myself currently I don't feel depressed and my ambitious drive was rather to see if I could push myself more or if I may have set the bar too low, which I don't think I did.

I am definitely due to my "PMC" environment in a balancing act of obligations so this is a long term goal I have put myself on and am always mindful that I do not have the luxury at this time of taking a risk so major it risks my existing livelihood.

Of course, I may never see how things really are, but I would say the part which did feel off to me is depressed or hopeless as I feel very far from that. I do anticipate friction as with all risks.

Regardless, I very much appreciate you taking the time and effort to do this for me and would be happy to have you practice more for others if that is something you plan on continuing to offer.

Sometimes too when I do my own divinations I feel a sense of oh no what have I drawn, but I always am reminded of the timeframe or conditions I am asking of. Sometimes it is just a weekend, or a tiny sliver. I tend to stay away from grand questions as they are incomprehensible to me. Here I've really asked, should I up my goal from generating income ONCE this year from my idea, and to be honest, I think that is plenty ambitious and if I surpass it then I will have earned within myself the right to set the next goal and the next, as it should be. Like a ship going from port to port, one at a time.