Invocation
When divining, it is best to recite an invocation out loud before you begin, or while shuffling or stirring-up the divination tool of your choice. In general, your invocation should have four parts: 1.) an appeal to Whomever you wish to influence the answer, even if you’re an atheist and all you’re consulting is that part of your mind which has all the answers 2.) ask Them to speak to you through the tool/method you are using 3.) tell Them the matter or issue you are asking about and 4.) tell Them what part of the deck, cluster or pile you’ll be drawing your answer from, if that is information relevant to the divination tool you are using, so They arrange things correctly. I like to finish the invocation with another appeal that They speak to me through this device right now, so actually, that’s five parts. For example, my favorite invocation is as follows:
“Gods, Ancestors, Nature Spirits, my own Higher Self,
Speak to me through these (cards/tiles/dice/whathaveyou).
And of the (cards/tiles/dice/whathaveyou) I shuffle/consult now,
Show me what I most need to know about (fill in the blank with your question).
I will take the (top three cards from the middle pile/tile from the center of the cluster) for my answer.
Gods, Ancestors, Nature Spirits, my own Higher Self,
Speak to me now.”
You may be in situations where you can’t say an invocation aloud, so in those cases, its fine if you do it silently, but words spoken out loud have more power, and you eliminate the guesswork for Whomever you’re asking to influence the reading. Speaking the invocation out loud insures everybody is on the same page and knows what is expected of them. At the end of the reading, remember to thank Whomever you invoked, whether the answer is positive or negative in your eyes. They just did you a solid favor and manners matter, even in divination. After all, you may want Them to come back to influence a future reading, and you don’t want to get a reputation for being an ingrate.