Since my
sigil tutorial was so well received I decided to make another guide of sorts about a big part of my practice. I’ve been doing stichomancy for a few months now, so I can’t claim to be an expert, but I will do my best to give you an idea of what I’ve found to work best when divining with books.
Less telling the future, more like asking for advice
Starting off I want to talk a bit about what stichomancy is to me. I know a lot of people view divination as some mystical future-telling, all-knowing craft, and that’s ok. But I have a very different belief. To me I am not predicting the future with my books, but asking them their opinion on the subject. These books sometimes don’t know the future of their own universes, let alone ours. Each book has it’s own personality. Like people, that personality will affect what kind of answers you get and what kind of advice you should ask that book.
The first answer is not always the best answer
But it was the one I felt strongest about, so it should be the right answer, right? Not necessarily. Just because a voice is the loudest, does not mean it’s the truest.
For example, I asked my bookshelf recently for tips to help me get to sleep. My first answer came from White Cat by Holly Black.
“How about this,” says Barron. “Go in the kitchen. Hurl in a bowl.” (Page 194)
I’ll be honest, laughed for a good three minutes after reading that response. I asked again and got a much clearer answer from Peter and the Secret of Rundoon that talked about being stressed over important questions.
Keep a written log of your readings
This is especially helpful for beginners. Being able to go back and look at how you phrased a question or your interpretations of a reading is a great way to learn as you go. I suggest writing down the question or topic you ask your books about, the exact quote of your answer, what book and page the quote is from, and your interpretations of that quote’s meaning. Though what you record about the reading is up to you.
Answers are not always obvious
When I do stichomancy, I close my eyes and guide my finger across the pages until I land at a specific spot. I usually read a page or so before and after that spot to get some context, but sometimes an answer doesn’t need context.
In fact, you’ll find that if you give some answers the context of the surrounding pages you’ll be worrying about a lot more pirate kidnappings and rogue assassins than one really needs to in this day and age.
That being, you will find that the first thing you point to isn’t always the full answer. All I can tell you is to use your discretion. If you find yourself with a dooming prophecy telling of a dismal future take a step back and concentrate on breaking down what parts of that page is the answer and what is background chatter.
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Well, that’s about it for now. Later I will make an actual “how to do a stichomancy reading” but I thought that this would be the best for now.
