Finding Things Out
The Word "witch" comes from the same Anglo-Saxon root as "wit" and "wise," and in its original
form Wicce or Wicca meant "a knowledgeable person" or "wise man." The knowledge in question
was arcane and generally forbidden by the religious or civil authorities.
Any form of consultation of a witch by a layman was and still is always begun by an occult diagnosis
of the situation inquired about, prior to any action being taken. "Finding things out" is therefore of the
same primary importance to the modern witch as to her Dark Age counterpart. Nowadays there are
many such methods of magical diagnosis extant, ranging from elaborate ceremonial Tarot divinations
to numerological analysis or simple teacup reading. But the true methods of divination as practised by
the traditional witch still remain relatively unknown, and it is with these that I shall be concerning
myself in these pages.
To the aware witch, time is not a continuous ribbon passing under the keys of some celestial
typewriter, but rather a complex field extending into many different directions and dimensions. Given
that view of time, that a man should possess a definite future as concrete as his past and present, albeit
unseen for the most part, will not strike a witch in any way as odd or unrealistic. The whole process of
divination of the future rests on this approach to an understanding of the true nature of time.
Paradoxically, although the future is already "out there," the witch does not feel that her actions are
already doomed to one simple course by rigid predestination. The nearest approach to an explanation
would be to say that each one of us, at every moment of time, confronts a series of different choices in
action. One of these ways we will take, for whatever reasons. That way as well as others is already
"out there."
However, be that as it may, we still have a control over our choice of actions. We can make the
destiny "out there" become a good one or a bad one, depending on our varied talents, opportunities,
and, of course, choices. When a witch talented in the arts of prophecy or divination predicts a destiny
for someone, she will, however, be basing it solely on a reading of the deep mind of her client. She
will be reading the strongest marked "possible future" of her client at that present moment. This does
not mean that there are no other possible futures, but that the one she perceives is the most likely one
from the point of view of the moment of time she is prophesying in. If she is an expert diviner, she
will be reading her client's deep mind at its most profound and basic level, which contains the firmest
"guidelines" to its own future. But even these are still open to choices and different interpretations,
depending on the will and inclination of the person concerned and whether he becomes sufficiently
aware of where his nose is leading him—of his karma, if you will.
At this point it would be germane to mention the subject of curses and blessings inflicted by witches
on people. In view of the preceding, you will see that when you as a witch inflict your will magically
on someone, what in effect you are doing is throwing the weight of your witch power into the balance
of a person's choice of future, and thus guiding his selection in favour of one direction as opposed to a
set of others. This, of course, can be effected only through a contact with his deep mind, the place
where the mysterious choices are made, hence the whole rigmarole of the magical operation.
But remember, and this is an important thing to bear in mind at all times, should your victim or client
prove to be an extremely highly motivated person, with the guidelines to his actions strongly dictated
from a great depth within his deep mind, or if he in fact is a powerful warlock, which is tantamount to
the same thing, then the likelihood of your persuading his deep mind to accept anything other than its
own selected destiny is going to be slim indeed. Not only is any spell you cast going to affect him in
no wise, but the magical current you set in motion by your action will recoil on you as the sender and
probably expend its energy on your own deep mind!
This is the eternal danger in malefic witchcraft, to be hoist on one's own petard; but we shall speak
more of this later in Chapters 5 and 6 which deal solely with the problems of countermagic and
magical attack.
However, to return to our topic of divination, we shall start with one of the first, simple rules of
practical witchcraft:
Before embarking on any magical operation, perform a divination (a) to diagnose the true nature of
the situation, and/or (b) to determine the likelihood of success of the particular magical operation you
have decided to employ. There is no point, and indeed no future, in employing a blast of countermagic
against some imaginary enemy when in fact a relatively simple amulet of beneficence may be all that
is required. We must know what we are at—hence divination.
Now in magic and witchcraft, the operations of divination have always been conducted by means of
contact with a power which is symbolized by the astrological symbol of Mercury. The Greeks called
this power Hermes, the Egyptians Thoth, the Scandinavians Odin, the early Anglo-Saxons Woden.
This power has generally been connected with the starry sky, the air, storm winds, and also the
crossroads. Indeed in the voodoo pantheon the power of Mercury is often known at Maitre Carrefour
or Master of the Gross-roads. He is the great mediator between the worlds and is also known as
Psychopompos or Guide of Souls. The Saxons knew him by the name "Earendel, the Morning Star."
The witch knows him by the name "Herne."
Before beginning any divination, it is always important for the witch to bring her deep mind into
contact with Mercury; to tune into his waveband if you wish, whether the divination be performed by
means of the relatively rudimentary entities governing the rune sticks, or by questioning a highly
sophisticated entity such as Vassago in a show stone.
There are several methods of doing this, ranging from simply meditating upon one of the classical
magical images of the winged Mercury to the full ceremonial rite of invocation. To my way of
thinking, none of the methods are as aesthetically satisfying or successful as the use of the magical
square of Mercury which, although Cabalistic in its origin, is truly witchy in the manner of its
employment. Here it is:
The Square Of Mercury
8 58 59 5 4 62 63 1
49 15 14 52 53 11 10 56
41 23 22 44 48 19 18 45
32 34 38 29 25 35 39 28
40 26 27 37 36 30 31 33
17 47 46 20 21 43 42 24
9 55 54 12 13 51 50 16
64 2 3 61 60 6 7 57
As a matter of interest, one of the characteristics of magic squares, which is known to most
mathematicians, is that the numbers in each line, vertical or horizontal, add up to the same total. In
this case, 260. Now you may well ask what all this has to dp with Mercury? Well, you can think of
magic squares as being signaling devices, types of psychic telephone numbers to the unseen. The way
of using the Square of Mercury before any divination is this:
Take a blank sheet of white paper, and exorcise it with salt water and a Mercurial incense such as you
will find listed under the heading "Herbs and Incenses." Having done this, draw a square with sixtyfour
compartments as shown above with your pen and ink of art. Now carefully and deliberately
inscribe the numbers in the square as illustrated, in their correct numerical order, 1, 2, 3, 4, onwards,
ending with 64. As you write each number, repeat a short invocation to Mercury of your own
devising, such as "Mercury, be propitious to me," or "Herne, Lord of the Crossroads, Guide of the
Dead," "Earende, the Morning Star" or even a string of his names from various pantheons like,
"Mercury— Hermes—Odin—Thoth." Whichever you prefer.
The only important thing to remember is that the charm should summon up a mental image in your
mind which in some way strikes your fancy and links the work in hand with an idea concerning
Mercury, such as wisdom, speed, starlight, the air, a crossroads at night, or even one of the classical
images of Mercury. It might be as well to consult a book of mythology at this point to acquaint
yourself with some of Mercury's traditional forms and attributes.When you reach the number 64, finish by "sealing" the talisman with the words "So mote it be," and
drawing three crosses in the air with your right forefinger above the paper. (This is a very old method
of sealing, or benediction, which was appropriated by the Christian church from their pagan
forebears.) Now your square of Mercury will be charged and your deep mind fully attuned to the
correct range of vibrations for the divination, which must be performed with the square kept either on
your person or prominently displayed in your place of work.
Once you have made a square, whenever you wish to perform a divination, all that is necessary to do
is to hold the square in your hands, and let your gaze fall upon the numbers one by one in their proper
sequence, repeating your mantram at each number. No sealing is necessary at the end, however; you
may begin the divination immediately. Keep your completed square in a new box or wrapped in a
clean linen or silk cloth, as with your other magical artifacts; you will be constantly using it.
I shall now move on to a simple type of witch divination, which you as a beginner would be well
advised to learn. The operation is known by the name of Casting the Runes.
Divination by rune sticks is one of the most ancient and celebrated witch methods of prognostication
we have. The process dates back certainly to Druidic times and probably before. It is a very good
example of a method of augury, that is, prediction or knowledge gained by signs and omens, as
opposed to that of the inner vision as employed when scrying in a show stone or mirror.
Basically the rune sticks consist of four flat slats of fruit-wood—apple, pear, cherry, plum, hazel,
rowan, or any other wood if you cannot obtain these. But they must be wood. They should be about
five inches in length by about a quarter to a half inch in width. Finish off the rough edges and make
the rods smooth and comfortable to the touch. Sprinkle them with salt and water and fumigate with a
Mercurial incense within a properly cast circle. Now, using your brush and paint of art, make a large
and obvious dot on one side of each of them, centrally located. When the paint has dried, turn the rods
over and make two large dots on the other side of them, spaced so that the gaps between the dots
themselves and the ends of the rod are all equal, in fact, so that the rods are marked into three equal
segments by two dots.
These are your rune sticks. You should carry them about with you for a period of time before you use
them to charge them with your magnetism, or witch power.
Now the method of their employment is this:
Provide yourself with some pieces of clean paper, your pen and ink of art, a good supply of Mercurial
incense, your square of Mercury, a flat-surfaced table, your thurible and your cup of salt and water.
Lock all the doors and means of access to your place of working, and if there is any chance of being
overlooked through a window, make sure the drapes are drawn. Then purify the chamber with fire and
water as you were taught in an earlier chapter, using your Mercurial incense.
Begin with the square of Mercury ritual to tune your deep mind to the correct level. At this point,
write out your question on the paper provided with the pen of art. Then take the rune sticks in your
right hand and cast them so they tumble away from you in parallel formation on the table. Say as you
do so:
In thy name Herne
Lord of the Crossroads,
I take up the runes;
From a word to a word
let me be led to a word
from a deed to another deed.
Throw the rods three more times in the same manner, repeating the spell, and note down all the
figures formed by the rods on your paper underneath the question beginning at the right-hand comer
and going left. Right to left, remember.
Now take the top dot or dots from the first (right) figure, note them down on the right-hand side
underneath; then take the top dots or dot of the second figure to the left and note them down under
your new set. The top dots or dot of the third figure to the left and those of the fourth complete the
third and fourth line of your new figure. In effect, you will have skimmed off the top layer of dots of
your four figures and made a new figure from them. Now do the same with your second, third, and
bottom levels of dots belonging to your four primary figures (or mothers, as they are known). This
will give you four new figures (known as daughters).
Now write out the eight figures again side by side, right to left beginning with the first mother and
ending with the last daughter. We will now compose our last four figures, the Resultants. These are
produced by adding the dots laterally of the first and second figures, the third to the fourth, the fifth to
the sixth and so on across the eight.
Now the method of adding the dots is thus:
If the total number of dots is an odd number, you note down a single dot. On the other hand if the total
number is an even one, we note down two dots. By this process the four resultants are manufactured,
which along with the mothers and daughters, make twelve figures in all.
Now to the four resultants, you apply the same process again, laterally adding the dots of the ninth and
tenth figures, then the eleventh and twelfth. This produces the two witnesses, figures 13 and 14, which
are likewise added laterally to produce the judge, figure 15. Figure 15 is then added laterally to the
first mother to produce the reconciler, figure 16.
This process appears vastly complicated on the surface, but in point of fact is extremely easy once you
get the hang of the binary addition, which is, in fact, what the process is based on. After a minimal
amount of practice you will be able to set up a chart in no time at all.
Now as to the interpretation of the figures:
Basically, the two witnesses symbolize either two main factors bearing upon the problem or a choice
of two possible courses of action. The judge, being a synthesis of the whole, indicates the nature of
the problem itself, and the reconciler indicates the nature of what will be the final long-term outcome.
Now according to the way your question has been phrased, so will the answer be capable of
interpretation. So it pays to be very specific about your question in the first place.
There are some modern witches who like to place the first twelve figures within the houses of a
horoscope chart. For some people it can work quite well. I myself have never found it to be
particularly satisfactory, however.
The Word "witch" comes from the same Anglo-Saxon root as "wit" and "wise," and in its original
form Wicce or Wicca meant "a knowledgeable person" or "wise man." The knowledge in question
was arcane and generally forbidden by the religious or civil authorities.
Any form of consultation of a witch by a layman was and still is always begun by an occult diagnosis
of the situation inquired about, prior to any action being taken. "Finding things out" is therefore of the
same primary importance to the modern witch as to her Dark Age counterpart. Nowadays there are
many such methods of magical diagnosis extant, ranging from elaborate ceremonial Tarot divinations
to numerological analysis or simple teacup reading. But the true methods of divination as practised by
the traditional witch still remain relatively unknown, and it is with these that I shall be concerning
myself in these pages.
To the aware witch, time is not a continuous ribbon passing under the keys of some celestial
typewriter, but rather a complex field extending into many different directions and dimensions. Given
that view of time, that a man should possess a definite future as concrete as his past and present, albeit
unseen for the most part, will not strike a witch in any way as odd or unrealistic. The whole process of
divination of the future rests on this approach to an understanding of the true nature of time.
Paradoxically, although the future is already "out there," the witch does not feel that her actions are
already doomed to one simple course by rigid predestination. The nearest approach to an explanation
would be to say that each one of us, at every moment of time, confronts a series of different choices in
action. One of these ways we will take, for whatever reasons. That way as well as others is already
"out there."
However, be that as it may, we still have a control over our choice of actions. We can make the
destiny "out there" become a good one or a bad one, depending on our varied talents, opportunities,
and, of course, choices. When a witch talented in the arts of prophecy or divination predicts a destiny
for someone, she will, however, be basing it solely on a reading of the deep mind of her client. She
will be reading the strongest marked "possible future" of her client at that present moment. This does
not mean that there are no other possible futures, but that the one she perceives is the most likely one
from the point of view of the moment of time she is prophesying in. If she is an expert diviner, she
will be reading her client's deep mind at its most profound and basic level, which contains the firmest
"guidelines" to its own future. But even these are still open to choices and different interpretations,
depending on the will and inclination of the person concerned and whether he becomes sufficiently
aware of where his nose is leading him—of his karma, if you will.
At this point it would be germane to mention the subject of curses and blessings inflicted by witches
on people. In view of the preceding, you will see that when you as a witch inflict your will magically
on someone, what in effect you are doing is throwing the weight of your witch power into the balance
of a person's choice of future, and thus guiding his selection in favour of one direction as opposed to a
set of others. This, of course, can be effected only through a contact with his deep mind, the place
where the mysterious choices are made, hence the whole rigmarole of the magical operation.
But remember, and this is an important thing to bear in mind at all times, should your victim or client
prove to be an extremely highly motivated person, with the guidelines to his actions strongly dictated
from a great depth within his deep mind, or if he in fact is a powerful warlock, which is tantamount to
the same thing, then the likelihood of your persuading his deep mind to accept anything other than its
own selected destiny is going to be slim indeed. Not only is any spell you cast going to affect him in
no wise, but the magical current you set in motion by your action will recoil on you as the sender and
probably expend its energy on your own deep mind!
This is the eternal danger in malefic witchcraft, to be hoist on one's own petard; but we shall speak
more of this later in Chapters 5 and 6 which deal solely with the problems of countermagic and
magical attack.
However, to return to our topic of divination, we shall start with one of the first, simple rules of
practical witchcraft:
Before embarking on any magical operation, perform a divination (a) to diagnose the true nature of
the situation, and/or (b) to determine the likelihood of success of the particular magical operation you
have decided to employ. There is no point, and indeed no future, in employing a blast of countermagic
against some imaginary enemy when in fact a relatively simple amulet of beneficence may be all that
is required. We must know what we are at—hence divination.
Now in magic and witchcraft, the operations of divination have always been conducted by means of
contact with a power which is symbolized by the astrological symbol of Mercury. The Greeks called
this power Hermes, the Egyptians Thoth, the Scandinavians Odin, the early Anglo-Saxons Woden.
This power has generally been connected with the starry sky, the air, storm winds, and also the
crossroads. Indeed in the voodoo pantheon the power of Mercury is often known at Maitre Carrefour
or Master of the Gross-roads. He is the great mediator between the worlds and is also known as
Psychopompos or Guide of Souls. The Saxons knew him by the name "Earendel, the Morning Star."
The witch knows him by the name "Herne."
Before beginning any divination, it is always important for the witch to bring her deep mind into
contact with Mercury; to tune into his waveband if you wish, whether the divination be performed by
means of the relatively rudimentary entities governing the rune sticks, or by questioning a highly
sophisticated entity such as Vassago in a show stone.
There are several methods of doing this, ranging from simply meditating upon one of the classical
magical images of the winged Mercury to the full ceremonial rite of invocation. To my way of
thinking, none of the methods are as aesthetically satisfying or successful as the use of the magical
square of Mercury which, although Cabalistic in its origin, is truly witchy in the manner of its
employment. Here it is:
The Square Of Mercury
8 58 59 5 4 62 63 1
49 15 14 52 53 11 10 56
41 23 22 44 48 19 18 45
32 34 38 29 25 35 39 28
40 26 27 37 36 30 31 33
17 47 46 20 21 43 42 24
9 55 54 12 13 51 50 16
64 2 3 61 60 6 7 57
As a matter of interest, one of the characteristics of magic squares, which is known to most
mathematicians, is that the numbers in each line, vertical or horizontal, add up to the same total. In
this case, 260. Now you may well ask what all this has to dp with Mercury? Well, you can think of
magic squares as being signaling devices, types of psychic telephone numbers to the unseen. The way
of using the Square of Mercury before any divination is this:
Take a blank sheet of white paper, and exorcise it with salt water and a Mercurial incense such as you
will find listed under the heading "Herbs and Incenses." Having done this, draw a square with sixtyfour
compartments as shown above with your pen and ink of art. Now carefully and deliberately
inscribe the numbers in the square as illustrated, in their correct numerical order, 1, 2, 3, 4, onwards,
ending with 64. As you write each number, repeat a short invocation to Mercury of your own
devising, such as "Mercury, be propitious to me," or "Herne, Lord of the Crossroads, Guide of the
Dead," "Earende, the Morning Star" or even a string of his names from various pantheons like,
"Mercury— Hermes—Odin—Thoth." Whichever you prefer.
The only important thing to remember is that the charm should summon up a mental image in your
mind which in some way strikes your fancy and links the work in hand with an idea concerning
Mercury, such as wisdom, speed, starlight, the air, a crossroads at night, or even one of the classical
images of Mercury. It might be as well to consult a book of mythology at this point to acquaint
yourself with some of Mercury's traditional forms and attributes.When you reach the number 64, finish by "sealing" the talisman with the words "So mote it be," and
drawing three crosses in the air with your right forefinger above the paper. (This is a very old method
of sealing, or benediction, which was appropriated by the Christian church from their pagan
forebears.) Now your square of Mercury will be charged and your deep mind fully attuned to the
correct range of vibrations for the divination, which must be performed with the square kept either on
your person or prominently displayed in your place of work.
Once you have made a square, whenever you wish to perform a divination, all that is necessary to do
is to hold the square in your hands, and let your gaze fall upon the numbers one by one in their proper
sequence, repeating your mantram at each number. No sealing is necessary at the end, however; you
may begin the divination immediately. Keep your completed square in a new box or wrapped in a
clean linen or silk cloth, as with your other magical artifacts; you will be constantly using it.
I shall now move on to a simple type of witch divination, which you as a beginner would be well
advised to learn. The operation is known by the name of Casting the Runes.
Divination by rune sticks is one of the most ancient and celebrated witch methods of prognostication
we have. The process dates back certainly to Druidic times and probably before. It is a very good
example of a method of augury, that is, prediction or knowledge gained by signs and omens, as
opposed to that of the inner vision as employed when scrying in a show stone or mirror.
Basically the rune sticks consist of four flat slats of fruit-wood—apple, pear, cherry, plum, hazel,
rowan, or any other wood if you cannot obtain these. But they must be wood. They should be about
five inches in length by about a quarter to a half inch in width. Finish off the rough edges and make
the rods smooth and comfortable to the touch. Sprinkle them with salt and water and fumigate with a
Mercurial incense within a properly cast circle. Now, using your brush and paint of art, make a large
and obvious dot on one side of each of them, centrally located. When the paint has dried, turn the rods
over and make two large dots on the other side of them, spaced so that the gaps between the dots
themselves and the ends of the rod are all equal, in fact, so that the rods are marked into three equal
segments by two dots.
These are your rune sticks. You should carry them about with you for a period of time before you use
them to charge them with your magnetism, or witch power.
Now the method of their employment is this:
Provide yourself with some pieces of clean paper, your pen and ink of art, a good supply of Mercurial
incense, your square of Mercury, a flat-surfaced table, your thurible and your cup of salt and water.
Lock all the doors and means of access to your place of working, and if there is any chance of being
overlooked through a window, make sure the drapes are drawn. Then purify the chamber with fire and
water as you were taught in an earlier chapter, using your Mercurial incense.
Begin with the square of Mercury ritual to tune your deep mind to the correct level. At this point,
write out your question on the paper provided with the pen of art. Then take the rune sticks in your
right hand and cast them so they tumble away from you in parallel formation on the table. Say as you
do so:
In thy name Herne
Lord of the Crossroads,
I take up the runes;
From a word to a word
let me be led to a word
from a deed to another deed.
Throw the rods three more times in the same manner, repeating the spell, and note down all the
figures formed by the rods on your paper underneath the question beginning at the right-hand comer
and going left. Right to left, remember.
Now take the top dot or dots from the first (right) figure, note them down on the right-hand side
underneath; then take the top dots or dot of the second figure to the left and note them down under
your new set. The top dots or dot of the third figure to the left and those of the fourth complete the
third and fourth line of your new figure. In effect, you will have skimmed off the top layer of dots of
your four figures and made a new figure from them. Now do the same with your second, third, and
bottom levels of dots belonging to your four primary figures (or mothers, as they are known). This
will give you four new figures (known as daughters).
Now write out the eight figures again side by side, right to left beginning with the first mother and
ending with the last daughter. We will now compose our last four figures, the Resultants. These are
produced by adding the dots laterally of the first and second figures, the third to the fourth, the fifth to
the sixth and so on across the eight.
Now the method of adding the dots is thus:
If the total number of dots is an odd number, you note down a single dot. On the other hand if the total
number is an even one, we note down two dots. By this process the four resultants are manufactured,
which along with the mothers and daughters, make twelve figures in all.
Now to the four resultants, you apply the same process again, laterally adding the dots of the ninth and
tenth figures, then the eleventh and twelfth. This produces the two witnesses, figures 13 and 14, which
are likewise added laterally to produce the judge, figure 15. Figure 15 is then added laterally to the
first mother to produce the reconciler, figure 16.
This process appears vastly complicated on the surface, but in point of fact is extremely easy once you
get the hang of the binary addition, which is, in fact, what the process is based on. After a minimal
amount of practice you will be able to set up a chart in no time at all.
Now as to the interpretation of the figures:
Basically, the two witnesses symbolize either two main factors bearing upon the problem or a choice
of two possible courses of action. The judge, being a synthesis of the whole, indicates the nature of
the problem itself, and the reconciler indicates the nature of what will be the final long-term outcome.
Now according to the way your question has been phrased, so will the answer be capable of
interpretation. So it pays to be very specific about your question in the first place.
There are some modern witches who like to place the first twelve figures within the houses of a
horoscope chart. For some people it can work quite well. I myself have never found it to be
particularly satisfactory, however.
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