by Blake Octavian Blair
Most magickal persons learn several methods of divination, and many of us are proficient with at least one. From tarot and oracle cards to pendulums, runes, flickering flames, mirrors, and more, there are numerous ways to divine the information you seek. However, people often forget that they still have means to divine even when they find themselves without their tools. Apantomancy is divination with found items at hand. I’m going to address an even more specific and even more accessible form of apantomancy, the branch that deals with chance sightings of animals in nature.
Many magickal and shamanic folks are of the mind that there is no such thing as chance or coincidence, so the term chance becomes a bit humorous. However, be that as it may, we will use it in the context that you have not mundanely exerted control or arranged what you will be seeing. The shamanic and magickal point of view is that the creatures you see have been sent to you with messages from the Divine—messages that are specific to you and your life. In the shamanic view, everything and all that is, is alive! This viewpoint also holds that all that is, is interconnected. Animals, in fact, are relations to us because we are simply human animals ourselves. Neither the bumblebee, the ant, nor the grizzly bear is a lesser being than a human. In fact, many would argue they are greater and perhaps more noble, in that they help the earth to thrive, participating in ecosystems, life cycles, and, in the case of the bee for example, pollination. Our animal relations live in harmony with nature. Humans, unfortunately, have a track record of destruction resulting from a severe superiority complex and a shortsightedness of our interconnectedness (but that tangent could serve as another article entirely). However, I briefly make this point for you to consider just how equal we are to our non-human relations and how much we have to learn from them on how to walk through life and also upon the planet. Engagement with these thoughts is important as we enter into this work.
Nature in the City
We as humans have a huge diversity of living situations. Some of us live in rural homes, surrounded by large expanses that are undeveloped by humans and filled with trees, wild plants, and wildlife that clearly outnumber the visible presence of humans. Others of us live in urban environments filled with tall buildings, swaths of paved streets and sidewalks, and perhaps a peppering of landscaped areas; and some areas are lucky enough to have beautiful, large, expansive parks and greenways. Fortunately for city dwellers like myself, our communities are not, in fact, devoid of nature. I currently live in a town in the Greater Boston area in Massachusetts. People who are not familiar with the Greater Boston area are unaware that we actually have quite a bit of natural and green space located throughout the area cities and towns. In fact, just a two-minute walk behind my midrise apartment building is a beautiful lake that is home to more than one hundred species of migratory birds. Though the type and amount of wildlife found in the city may differ a bit from more rural areas, it is indeed present. One must not discount creatures like the robin, pigeon, rabbit, squirrel, deer, hawks, owls, ducks, and more. These too are sacred creatures capable of being messengers of the Divine. One person’s rural elk sighting is not more majestic that your urban viewing of a cardinal.
Practicing your skills at animal apantomancy is also a great way to connect deeper with the earth, the cycle of the seasons, and your spirits of place, and to deepen your connection and place within the web of life. Most of us favor one or more of the seasons over others. Some folks adore the heat of summer. Other folks prefer the coolness of fall and even love the snowy landscape of winter. However, balance is sacred and it is worth an attempt to connect to each season, seeing what it has to offer. An easy way to do that, even if it seems indirect, is to engage each season in animal apantomancy in nature. Make time each season to engage in a session of animal apantomancy—consider it a general check-in with the universe for any specific messages it has for you this season. Let’s walk through an easy way to get set up for a session of this natural divination.
Observing Animals
Many prefer actually going outdoors if possible to perform the first observational part of the divination. If you can, head outside and find a comfortable spot where you have a nice vantage point of your surroundings. You can sit directly on the ground to connect as fully as possible with the earth; however, if you need or prefer to bring a blanket, cushion, or portable chair to sit on, that’s perfectly acceptable as well. Don’t let a bit of less-than-sunny weather deter you from heading outdoors. (In the scope of history, it seems a rather modern fad to allow a little chill or a misting of rain in the air to completely drive us indoors.) I implore you to be in nature if at all possible: nature’s various states are part of life’s sacred experiences. If you cannot make it outside for any reason, however, you can also successfully perform the apantomancy from a seat indoors with a good window view of the outdoor landscape. Also bring along a journal or notebook and a reliable pen. Optional items include a favorite crystal, perhaps for clarity, and smudging supplies if you wish.
Once you are settled in your viewing spot, if you want to smudge, this is the time. Now, make a prayer to the universe, God and Goddess, Spirit, or however you wish to address the Divine, and ask it to present the messages to you that you most need to hear and apply to your life at this time. Then sit quietly and remain present for ten or fifteen minutes. Do not attempt to close your eyes or zone out in any sense; remain mentally present and observe your surroundings in a relaxed state. Take note of the wildlife you observe or even if any particular plant life sticks out very prominently to you and makes itself known. (While I’ll often refer to this method as animal apantomancy, please do include beings from all branches of nature. Plant spirits have powerful messages for us, as do stones, clouds, bodies of water, etc.) Sit with your observations. Let your intuition and the spirits that came to you tell you what their meanings are and what they have to say to you. At the end of your observation period, make a prayer thanking the spirits and the Divine for the messages. Finish up journaling any notes about your observations. Then let the messages and meanings continue to digest over time. Make more notes and journal as necessary.
Interpreting Your Observation
It sounds incredibly simple, very free-form, and vague; however, it can be incredibly personal and powerful. This divinatory practice is about what the messages mean to you and not anyone else. You’re the only one qualified to fully interpret the divination. The interaction was between you and the divine messengers—nobody else. A logical and strongly suggested second step to flesh out deeper meaning from the findings of the apantomancy session is to have a ceremonial or ritual session where you specifically meditate on the meanings of the animals you saw or take a shamanic journey for further clarification. Let’s say you saw a flock of Canada geese flying in V formation. You can meditate on how that might apply to your life at this time, or if you are trained in shamanic journeying, you can actually travel into nonordinary reality and ask the spirit of Canada goose directly what it would like to tell you at this time. An important tip to this is to not consult any animal totem dictionaries or references for an extended period of time after your divination. Do your own explorations first. It is not relevant in this method of divination what another person thinks Canada geese mean. It is only relevant what they mean to you and what their message for you is at this time. Their message for you may not be the same as their message for another person. If later on in time you wish to look at a reference or two just to see if there are any commonalities or differences with your interpretations, that is fine. Just realize that differences do not mean errors in your interpretations. This type of divination is not a multiple choice exam where you must choose the correct answer—it is more of an open essay with no right or wrong answer, only your answer.
The layer of this divination that helps you to better connect to the cycle of the seasons and the earth is inherently present throughout the entire process. Animals have different activity patterns and natural behaviors during different times of the year. If you saw a deer nested down and resting in a field in the fall it would have a different meaning in your life than if you saw a herd of deer, complete with fawns, prancing at high speed out of the woods during another season. An important element not to overlook when peeling through the layers of meaning during and after the apantomancy observation is to look at the parallels of the natural behaviors and characteristics of the animal, not just the more esoteric messages it brings to you. Both types of messages are significant. If you witness an animal coming out of its den, what might that be telling you? If you see a bird of prey swoop down and snatch up a meal, does this parallel something currently in your life? Think about how you feel the actions in your life relate—the creature’s message may be holding up a mirror to actions that you yourself are carrying out as well.
Apantomancy and the Sabbats
Many magical practitioners find it challenging to come up with fresh ideas and rites for solo Wheel of the Year sabbat observances. I find that doing an animal apantomancy session for a solo observance and “check-in” as the wheel turns is quite a nice experience. It can be your complete sabbat observance, or perhaps you can do it in addition to other planned activities. I find that the apantomancy session in nature, combined with the shamanic journey to the spirits afterward, is a powerful experience.
New connections to helping spirits can often be formed. You might wish to frame an image or find a statuette of any spirits, animals, or plants that were of specific significance during your experience to put on your altar for a time. This will serve as a tangible reminder of your connection to the spirit and give it a place of honor. Another detail you may wish to add, as a Wheel of the Year project, is to do this divination in the same spot each time. By doing it in the same location, you’ll not only observe the “chance” meetings you’ll have with the local flora and fauna but also watch as the landscape makes its shift, whether dramatic or subtle, from sabbat to sabbat. You might consider taking a snapshot of the landscape at each sitting to log the shift. You can print the photo and tape or paste it into your journal entry for each divination.
Interconnection and Exploration
There is a growing emphasis and movement in Pagandom to try to live more locally and to practice a Paganism that is more relevant to our lives where we live. For example, while many people live where it is blustery, cold, and snowy at Imbolc, many people don’t see a single flake. In fact, their grass may be green, and they might be trekking out in not much more overclothes than a sweater. However, the wheel is still turning, there are still changes in the nature that is local to them, and this nature-branded version of apantomancy will allow you to observe and experience those changes rather than settle on a preconceived notion. Also, by all means, if you are traveling for a holiday to a geographical region different from that of your home, take the opportunity to do a divination session in both your home location before you go and at your holiday destination. It is fascinating how it can deepen your connection with the natural world to stop and take note of the differences of each season in different geographical locations. It is simple and awe inspiring all at once to know that such diverse natural worlds can exist simultaneously. If you are in California and fly to Maine to see relatives for winter holidays, the dichotomy will be quite drastic. If you go from Florida to Arizona, it may or may not be a more subtle experience. Every combination will have its own beautiful uniqueness and add to your opportunities to glean wisdom from the spirits of the natural world.
Perhaps this article has seemed like a rather general guide into this nature-and-animal-based branch of apantomancy without a lot of specific direction. If that is the case, I am glad, as that serves to further honor the wonderful outlet for personalization that this method of divination provides to a practitioner. All you need is yourself as a human animal, one being in the interconnected web of life, and all that is in order to perform this divination. As the seasons change and the Wheel of the Year turns, I hope you, too, will seek out wisdom from all our relations.