Directions:
- From the PDF below, print out the Tablet of the Sphinx and its answer table, plus any other Tablet of Fate you wish to consult (remember to print out the answer tables for these tablets as well).
- Say whatever prayer or invocation you normally do before divining. If you prefer to meditate, do so.
- Place the Tablet of the Sphinx on the table. If there is more than one of you involved in this divination, you will have to take turns. If you don’t have a lazy-susan or a turntable (such as an old-fashioned record-player) on which to give the Tablet a ritual spin, someone else in your group is going to have to turn the Tablet around three times for you. Three times is traditional, but it’s no great offense if they do it several times more. If you are performing this divination alone, you are going to have to close your eyes and turn the tablet around several times yourself. The key point is to turn the Tablet enough times so you (the inquirer) don’t have any idea of which way is up. If you’re using some kind of hand-powered turntable, wait until it stops spinning before pointing.
- As with the Arabian Squares, the inquirer will need a pen/pencil/pin/stylus/wand as a pointer. The inquirer should hold their pointer between their thumb and forefinger, aim it directly down at the table and concentrate on their question, while the spinning is going on. The person doing the spinning is responsible for making sure the Table is positioned right under the inquirer’s pointer. When the Tablet is spun and positioned under the pointer, the inquirer brings their pointer down randomly on any number on the Tablet with a pen/pencil/pin/stylus/wand and with eyes closed or blindfolded. Some experts on this method say the inquirer should trace the shape of a circle or a square in the air three times before bringing the pointer down on the Tablet, but I think that rule may be placed in the realm of personal preference. The inquirer then opens their eyes and notes if the pointer landed on the number right-side-up or upside-down from their viewpoint. It makes an important difference when consulting the answer table. If the way the Tablet ended up at the end of the spinning left it unclear whether the answer was the right-side-up or upside-down variety, the inquirer has three choices: 1.) spin the Tablet again and try again 2.) read both answers and use intuition/hunching skills to determine which answer is the correct one or 3.) go with its dominant tendency; if it’s more right-side-up than upside-down, go with the upright meaning, if it’s more upside-down than right-side-up, go with the reversed meaning.
- If the Tablet of the Sphinx has given you the go-ahead to consult the Tablets of Fate, then you may proceed with any Tablet you like, employing the same procedure outlined above with each succeeding Tablet. If some unfortunate in your group has been told no, they can’t consult the Tablets of Fate right now, then perhaps it can be made their duty to spin the tablets. This brings us to one of the drawbacks of this method: a person of malicious intent could spin the Tablet in such a way as to leave the inquirer with only reversed answers or coming at the tablet sideways. This is why a lazy-susan-type spinning rack is a good idea; it keeps the spinning part of the ritual random and neutral.
- Two final caveats. One, if in three attempts, the inquirer’s pointer completely misses the Tablet, then abandon the effort and do not try to consult the Tablets of Fate again for at least 24 hours. Two, if the Tablet of the Sphinx denies you permission to put questions to the other Tablets and you do so anyway, in defiance of the Sphinx Tablet’s instructions, tradition has it the Tablets will not give you true, worthwhile or trustworthy answers.