Reviews
from Friends of The Besom 

Divination for Beginners by Scott Cunningham 
Reviewed By Mike Gleason, May 13, 2003

Divination for Beginners by Scott Cunningham © 2003 Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 0-7387-0384-2 paperback 199 pages + Appendices, Glossary and
Bibliography $9.95 (U.S.) Release date June 2003

***

This book, scheduled for release next month is the latest offering from the
estate of Scott Cunningham, best known for his works on herbalism and Wicca.
It is one in a series of introductory-style books, designed to give a
broad overview of a topic and provide a starting point for further
investigations.

Although I have heard many complaints about the proliferation of "101" books
lately, I have to say that I feel this is a good thing. It has become
easier, in the past decade, to find introductory volumes on many topics. If
many readers (and authors for that matter), never seem to progress beyond
this level, that is a personal short-coming.

It is far too easy to assume that divination is most symbolized by the
"1-900" psychic hotlines. Scott used this book, one of the last he worked
on before leaving this level of existence, to show the many varieties of
forecasting available to all of us.

Scott gives a very broad overview of the sources of divinatory systems and
the ways to utilize these systems before moving on to actual techniques and
interpretations.

I disagree with his assertion that, when using ancient methods which
traditionally required specific rituals in preparation, these rituals may be
foregone today. When ritual preparations were required, it should still be
required, in my opinion.

He discusses the dangers and advantages of using divination, and tells what
to look for.

Each of the more common forms of divination receives an adequate
explanation, although those which require more extensive learning leave a
lot to be desired. But, that should be expected in an introductory book.

Scott makes it clear that divination is neither magick, nor the result of
some psychic gift. It is learnable, and useable, by anyone willing to put
in the time and effort to learn the techniques.

One of the appendices lists over 75 different forms of divination, which
gives a feel for the breadth of this book. Of course, it isn't possible to
go into great depth for all of these. Still, there is enough detail given
to give one a start towards finding a method which will work for them.

His bibliography runs to nine pages and covers wide range of topics. It
contains some hard to find items, and is heavy on folklore and
superstitions, which is to be expected in this field, as many divinatory
methods have been preserved in these areas.

This is an excellent introductory book, by an excellent author. Looking for
a readable overview of the subject of divination? This is the book to start
with.