I have used divination since I was in my early twenties. I tried it…and was amazed at the guidance that came to me by “chance”. My first divination tool was to throw coins for the I Ching. This ancient system quickly became my confidant and guide. After I was called to shamanize at the age of 26, I had many more questions to ask of my wise friend. I needed to change my life, and Spirit was nudging me strongly to do so, yet I was nervous and unsure. I was nervous about making changes, such as leaving the town where I grew up and following a strange path called “shamanism”. I was unsure that following such hunches was utterly the wrong move. However, my patient and wise teacher, the I Ching, always gave me its opinion, it never told me what to do. I made decision after decision, inching my way away from fear, and into the land of trust.
Over the years I have offered intuitive divination readings to hundreds of people, and I still consult one deck or system or another regularly. I also use divination systems (including messages written by those in the group, then dispersed by ‘chance’) in my shamanic workshops, and they always prove helpful. Over the years I have learned by experience that divination is in anything, not just cards or coins designed to be such a tool. A song on the radio, a book falling off the shelf, tv commercials, synchronicity of two or more meaningful things/experiences, rocks or clouds all can, and do, bring us messages when we need it.
So now, the crux of my story today… A year and a half ago I was blessed to be able to live in an adobe house in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tucson. The only “negative” was that the house was on one side of my little street, and the train tracks running through town was on the other. I had never lived by a train, and had no idea if it would drive me nuts. I realized quickly that it did not interrupt my sleep at all (number 1 important!), and so my partner and I stayed. Do not get me wrong…the train is a formidable presence. One can’t talk on the phone or continue to watch a movie while it goes by, especially when it approaches the crossing and the conductor honks the horn at his discretion (as is happening at this very moment), right in front of my house. All hours, any time, day and night, the dragon rolls by. No stopping it. Such is life by the train.
There is another aspect of train living that I discovered right away…I call it Train Divination. They come at an interval that I cannot predict, and I started to notice my thought and/or feeling just before I hear the crossing gate go down (with a ding ding ding), and then that horn. It is a fascinating exclamation point for my thoughts, feelings and actions. As I decided to tell this story in my blog, of course I immediately heard an oncoming train’s horn confirm my great idea. J
Last night, I co-hosted a gathering in a park just a few blocks from my house, and still on the train tracks. Two of us began drumming for our shamanic journey. I found that my mind was thinking of something that was/is important to me, yet I judged it as a ‘distraction’ from what I was ‘supposed to be pondering’ in this journey. The thought would not let me go. After a while of drumming and feeling distracted, I noticed a train coming. “Ok” I thought to myself, “when that train blows it’s whistle, that is the end of my distraction. I will focus on the subject at hand!” The train went by, and approached the crossing that I know so well, yet I did not hear its horn. In my mind it was the quietest train I had ever encountered. It totally took me by surprise, and I laughed inside. So much for my ultimatum for myself. Then I had the thought “What if what I was thinking about was not a distraction? What if this is where my mind is supposed to be right now, making this decision and thinking about this subject?” My mind immediately calmed and I felt so much better. I continued to drum and felt grateful. Train divination.
The best moments with divination is when something happens that is totally unexpected. These are the moments that confirm the validity of the process in a way that can not be denied or discounted. “I would not have thought of that” is a humbling realization when a clear and important message flies into our sphere from any form of divination. Trains included.
At the end of the month my partner and I will be leaving this house by the train. I will always look back fondly to my time being so strongly guided by this unique form of Divination Training. If you want to explore your inner worlds with the shamanic journey, go to the downloads page.