corvidwitch: In this budding age of technology, it’s no surprise that a younger generation of

corvidwitch:In this budding age of technology, it’s no surprise that a younger generation of witches is turning to a new form of divination: an exciting and interesting practice dubbed ‘shufflemancy’.Shufflemancy - the use of a music player, usually an mp3 player or an iPod, to divine the future, optimal course of action, or the state of the world. This is done by setting the iPod to shuffle, skipping forward a certain number of times, and listening to the song (or songs) played and determining their meaning.Usually technological forms of divination are frowned upon by older members of the pagan community, but in this case, shufflemancy is gaining ground. Not as flashy or as impersonal as divination applications that simply be downloaded onto a phone, shufflemancy is as accurate or as vague as the diviner wants it to be. What makes shufflemancy so great? Why are people drawn to it as a form of divination?Much like a tarot deck speaks to its user, a device full of music speaks to them in similar ways. The difference is that more time is put into creating the answers given from a device used for shufflemancy. Sometimes users can feel a disconnect from their tarot decks, as they did not create the cards, and thus, did not create their meaning. However, this is not the case for this form of divination. Every song on the device is there because it spoke to the diviner on some level of their personality, from the deep recesses of their inner feelings touched by songs like ‘Take me to Church’ to feelings of happiness found while listening to songs like ‘It takes Two’. Diviners don’t have to worry about pulling something that doesn’t speak to them, because a device used for shufflemancy can be tailored to serve their needs. Shufflemancy also has the unique ability to have as many (or as few) answers as the diviner wants, whereas tarot decks have a set number. There’s no specific, set way to practice shufflemancy- it’s something you do on your own, and it’s completely self guided. Any diviner who tries to sell it as a prescribed, specific method is wrong, and should not be policing people’s practice. There is no ‘standard’ way to do it, but here are some tips to help some first time diviners.Tailor your device to your needs. It’s your music, don’t be afraid to take songs off or add them on as you see fit. If you feel soundtracks or background music speaks to you better than music with lyrics, that’s fine. Use that. Same goes for if you’re comfortable with Panic! at the Disco or AC/DC. It doesn’t have to be all Enya and Misty Mountains. also, don’t be afraid to just use a playlist if you have music on your device you don’t want to have for answers. Loading up a playlist with anything from 7 to 7000 songs is your choice, and nobody can judge you for it.Choose songs that have meaning to you. This doesn’t mean every song has to be deep and soulful. By all means, add happy, upbeat, and crazy songs to your shufflemancy playlist. But it’ll be frustrating for you if you keep trying to divine and come up with songs that you don’t even like on your list. It’s much easier for you (and for your practice!) if you stick to songs you know and love. If you’re having a hard time picking songs, just close your eyes and listen to the song you can’t decide on, and think on whether it has meaning to you, however small. If so? Good! Use it. If not? Maybe choose something else. You can always come back to it later.Choose whatever skip count feels right to you. One of the interesting things about shufflemancy is that most diviners ‘skip’ a number of songs so their playlist is randomized. Don’t feel like you have to stick with the standard ‘special’ numbers, like 3, 7, or 9. If those numbers feel right to you, feel free to use them! But don’t feel like numbers like 5, 14, or even 22 are bad skip counts. And don’t feel like you have to keep using the same skip count each time. Be as consistent or inconsistent as you want to be. The same goes for how many songs you listen to. If one isn’t enough, don’t feel like you can’t listen to more. It’s a good idea to meditate when you shufflemancy. Focus is true for any form of divination. It’s a good idea to focus on your cards when you do tarot, or focus on the pendulum when you use that too! It’s hard to connect with your device and the music on it when you’re rushed, or in a hurry, so sometimes it’s a good idea to sit somewhere comfortable and quiet, get into a position you can stay in for a while, and just sit back and listen. Meditation doesn’t always have to be at home though- some people like to shufflemancy while they’re driving, cooking, or cleaning! These tasks are easy to tune out while you listen to music (although, I don’t condone tuning out while you drive, obviously!) and in a busy day, it’s hard for some diviners to set time aside to practice.In short, the best way to practice shufflemancy is the way that feels right to you! This is a new and exciting form of divination that’s accessible to a young generation of witches, and will likely only gain traction as times goes on. Don’t feel like this form of divination is ‘lesser’ or ‘not as witchy’ as other forms. It’s just as legitimate, just as meaningful, and just as ‘pagan’ as anything else.Happy divining!For more posts on divining and other forms of witchcraft, please follow my blog here on tumblr! My asks are always open! -- source link
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