#casting lots

thank you so much for the ask! and my apologies for how long it took, i was mulling this question over for quite some time.

deputies are traditionally chosen by the leader, as in canon warriors, but there are more factors they tend to take into consideration:

the leader's own age, & how many lives they have left

the temperament of each candidate (a given)

the age of each candidate

their relationship to each candidate

each clan has its own biases within these considerations; for example, spireclan tends to look down on leader-deputy mated pairs, as they believe deputies should be chosen on merit first and foremost, and that kind of partnership indicates, to them, clouded judgment on the leader's part. spireclan once went for several moons without a deputy when the only suitable candidate was the leader's partner, as all other cats in the clan were too young, too old, or hadn't had an apprentice.

reefclan leadership tends to conduct long vetting processes when it's obvious another deputy will soon be necessary, whether that be because the current leader is not long for this world, or because the current deputy is soon to retire. the most tumultuous times in reefclan come about when a leader or deputy dies suddenly with no cat lined up as replacement; if a cat in reefclan is being considered for the deputy position, the whole clan will know.

frostclan is the only clan that relies on the stars to help them choose deputies. their theurges will search for omens and signs when the time is right, and convey anything they find to frostclan leadership for interpretation and debate.

The "Santa Muerte Draw," my signature form of "casting lots" to receive a read. No questions are allowed. Three random icons are poured from a bag and interpreted. Up to five can be used.

First, there is the Amethyst heart.

Second, is the Santa Muerte coin.

Third, is the image of Santa Muerte.

Fourth, is the Thunderstone.

Fifth, is the Key.

Sixth, is the Ancestral Skull.

Seventh, is the Hand of Fate.

Eighth, is the Bone.

Ninth, is the Lechuza (Owl).

Each of these has their own symbology, actually my own, because I created this reading. Its quite successful at my shop. Its a fun but also serious piece of advice especially for visual ppl. Santa comes up VERY often during this reading - the little icon represents her real presence! Seems like she pops up almost every time. Lol! She ain't afraid to.

I would give my interpretations here, but I think most of these are pretty self-explanatory. Maybe not the Thunderstone because not everyone has seen or heard of them. A thunderstone is a prehistoric hand axe, stone tool, or fossil which was later used as an amulet to protect a person or a building.

The name derives from the ancient belief that the object was found at a place where lightning had struck. When the Thunderstone is in a reading, it means danger, accidents, or possible harm. If combined with other lots - the meaning could get better...or worse. Thunderstones are sacred to those who worship Shango or Siete Rayos, Orisha or mpungo, respectively.

The Ancestral Skull could be confusing too. It does mean that your ancestors are talking to you. And quite loudly if either the Hand of Fate or Lechuza are present as well. The Hand of Fate is basically the Wheel of Fortune in the tarot. When ancestors see this, they become activated and get concerned - your future is uncertain! When Lechuza is there - watch it! Ancestors gonna give you a lesson and give you dreams and messages. Often, with both the Hand and Lechuza, the ancestors will want you to set up an altar for them.

So my Santa Draw will be available on my shop again soon. I just renamed my place because I learned that a new Etsy shop costs $29! To hell with that!! My shop is grandfathered in, so no complaints. Though I'm not going to be cheap anymore. My talents deserve higher payment. I work hard and now I'll be working much harder with longer readings for my clients! Readings will require more time but quality will shine through. I'm putting my Santa Muerte Dorada statue on my table and will decorate around her. Readings with her will be done there. My laptop will help because I cannot tell the length of a read on my damn Kindle.

Santa is so happy because I promised her flowers once a month when I pick up my hypertension meds and I delivered on my promise! The flowers are so beautiful, fragrant, and have lasted five days with only two dropped leaves so far! I got her red roses because they are often the only flower available. But there were others. I thought "Should I get red roses?" I heard Santa. Lol. She said: "Yesssss!"

Haha. Down the rabbit hole! Hope you all like the divination!! Make your own set. I just gathered random Santa stuff that was hanging out on altars. Those coins are like $20 now though! Get one!

These are my beliefs. They are not universal. YMWV.

Provide spirits offerings which feed them. This means things that give off spiritual energy, like candles, incense, and especially food.

Spirits have to burn their energy to manipulate your tools. It isn't fair to continuously request spirit communication without giving anything back to them.

This is also why you can get one or two good answers a week but the rest are weird - the spirits are too drained to interact with you. Feed them!

(Are you the one getting super drained? Your own energy is being used to work the divinatory tool. Take more breaks, communicate less often, and spend more time thinking about communication and applying the wisdom and information you received).

Tarot, Lenormand, and Oracle Cards

Yes/no tends to work poorly for most people. Instead ask simple and direct questions like:

How do you feel about our relationship at this time?

What should I do about X situation?

Is there any advice you want to give me at this time?

Avoid very broad questions. "What should I do?" is very broad. You then have to figure out which part of your life the card is referring to. Keep things focused.

Pendulums

Can do yes/no questions, but they can also point towards things for you, such as what area of a room a shrine should be built in, or which spell ingredient is best for your next project.

Every question you ask drains energy from someone/thing. Either your energy, energy stored in your tool, or the spirit's energy.

Avoid playing 20 questions with a pendulum when pulling a single oracle card could answer the question.

Casting Lots

Excellent for questions of closeness and relationships between things (not only you and the spirit; but also the spirit's relationship with certain domains, or their preferences in offerings, etc).

Try these methods:

Choose a small object, such as a coin, button, or allspice berry. Dedicate it to the spirit. (Fill it with energy to make it easier for the spirit to manipulate it!)

Drop the spirit's object in order to see where it falls. For example, if you have multiple plants you want to start studying, write each one down on a piece of paper in a circle, and drop the spirit's object in the middle. See which one it lands closest to.

This technique is helpful to avoid asking a million yes/no questions in a row with a pendulum.

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