Divination

Books, cards and crystals, planets, stars, and stones -
I can smell herbs, incense burning, hot tea;
soft bells are chiming, the room is stuffy
and closes about me like a soft cloud.
The I Ching, Urim and Thummim, and poe -
religious divination is calling;
we communicate with the gods to learn
what the future might bring or steal away.
Horoscopes, sortilege, and sikidy -
each system is different and the same:
determining one's fortune or favor
in society, in labor, or love.
Haruspicy, scrying, and casting lots -
they say the gods help those who help themselves,
so let us help ourselves to the future,
let us learn how to predict what may come.
Palmistry, Ouija, numerology -
peace comes with the knowledge that you have done
all that you can to prepare in advance
whatever is necessary to thrive.

Yet because all other gods become imps
under any One True God, all attempts
to speak to them become necromancy,
demonolatry, black magic, evil.
Such gods only want sorcerers controlled
by the church, not hedge women, not witches,
no illicit family tradition,
nothing outside what priests can understand.
High ceremonial magic is theirs,
makes sense, requires pomp, patriarchy;
low magic, ditch divination are not,
allow madness, feminism, other sins.
So they suffer not the witches to live,
always saying it is for our own good,
the fires will cleanse sins from our spirits,
save us from the worst, the fires of Hell.
I might like to think that in the next life
they will learn what it feels like, the burning,
and that they will never repeat again
such cruelty as they reincarnate.

I read my horoscope this morning with
my coffee and it said that decisions
can be daunting right now, but thankfully
I have a little more time to relax.
I find it difficult to slow down, rest;
I hate waking up, cannot stay asleep,
so perhaps I could learn how to stop and
really smell the roses once in a while.
Another source stated I was ready,
which is good because I do not have time,
contradicting the first astrologer,
which could be somewhat confusing for some.
However, I know that when I look at
a table from one direction and you
look at it from another perspective,
then we must see different shapes, colors.
Interpreting oracles is much the
same, because we are all learning to see
the otherwise invisible with our
sixth sense from multiple odd angles.