POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS OF ALECTRYOMANCY
- A couple thousand years ago, even a hundred or so years ago, everybody lived within range of a chicken, so this was easy to practice then. It’s not as easy today, unless you’re prepared to be innovative.
- I’ve seen it pointed-out that the seer could, to some degree, control which letters the chicken selected by the way they set (and re-set) the bird in the middle of the circle. The bird could’ve been gotten to pay attention to only certain letters in the circle, and either ignored or not made aware of others. Be aware if this possibility, and remain mindful of how you place the chicken in the circle.
- This isn’t a divination method for the impatient. You’re dependent on an animal lower down the food chain, with a smaller, often-wandering brain, to do your divining for you. This is why praying and setting the intention strongly before starting is so important. On the other hand, the bird’s inferior brain is one reason why it made for such a good divination tool. Devoid of an ego or the capability for higher thought, it was believed the Gods/Spirits could more easily speak through a chicken than a human being.
- Another danger is straining the animal’s patience. Keep the animal on the job too long, and it could attack you as soon as you placed it in the center of the circle for the 100th time, trash-talking you in chicken language as it headed for the barnyard. The diviner had to be sensitive to the animal’s mood in order to know when enough was enough.