THE ORNITHOMANCY RITUAL-VERSION ONE

Now that we’ve covered the rules for divining from bird behavior, it’s time to go over the preparation before divining. You may or may not have an actual tent you can set up for this, but I understand why Roman augurs sat in one; it eliminates distractions coming from behind or to the side of the augur. The augur could focus on the divining field uninterrupted. The tent entrance served as a picture-frame of sorts, framing the field-of-play. Roman augurs also had a specific garment they wore for bird-divining. I speculate this was probably to help get themselves into the proper mind-set for the task, as well as telling the Spirits ‘I’m going into divining-mode here’.

Thanks to modern fashion, you could condense the tent and special-garment requirement into one hoodie, hooded-windbreaker, cloak, or even hat which you wear specifically for bird divination. A hoodie or hooded-windbreaker that’ll stand an inch or two beyond your face is best.

You can acquire or make yourself an augural staff for this purpose if you want, but there’s no need to go to that trouble. A pen, pencil, that wand you purchased during your visit to ‘The Wonderful World of Harry Potter’ at Universal Studios in Florida, or even just a necklace with a religious or spiritual pendant of significance to you on it, will do the trick. Just so long as you have something to mark-out the divining area. If you’re in a pinch, doing in on the spur-of-the-moment, or prefer to travel light, your finger will do.

I recommend having something to take notes with, because there may be multiple instances of bird-activity in the divining field within your set period of time. A small pad of paper and a pen, or your smart-phone, tablet, or lap-top will do. If you want to expend the memory-space in your device, you could set it up to record the divining area for the whole session. Or, you could be a Druid about this, and simply observe and commit what you see to memory. Yes, you will run the risk of being mistaken for a bird-watcher and approached by same for shop-talk, but try to incorporate a request into your opening invocation that you not be disturbed during the ritual.

So assuming you’ve got your location chosen and comfortable seating set up, close your eyes and clear your mind for a minute. Go into strict observer-mode. Then raising your arm and, starting to draw the boundaries of your divining field, say out loud something like the following:

(God/Goddess/Ancestors/Nature Spirits/Angels/My Own Higher Self), as I inscribe this field on land and sky, I ask that in the (quarter-hour/half-hour/hour) to come, You grant me clear and unerring signs in answer to my question(s). I want to know (fill in the blank with your question,) and I ask that you keep all others away while I observe. Optional: As a token of my sincerity in this, I make this offering to you (pour a libation on the ground, or offer a pinch of loose-tobacco).

Then sit down and do nothing but observe for the time-period you specified. If there is no notable activity by birds in your divining field within that time period, then either they don’t wish to answer your questions right now, or you should use another divining method. Tip: if you want to be traditional about this, and perhaps ensure a greater likelihood of an answer, invoke a Sky God in your opening prayer, since birds are considered Their animals.

When your divining session is over, thank Whomever you invoked for Their guidance in this divination session, then mentally erase the divining field, returning it to its natural state. It’s up to you if you want to declare out loud, ‘the birds approve’ or ‘the birds disapprove.’

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