Page 17 - Kallima Spiritual Centre Newsletter - August / September 2021

Tibet
Westerners have always considered Tibet a far-away place, a land of mystery. In a sense this is quite true. Ancient forms of magic and divination are still accepted there as a part of everyday life. The same can be said for Japan.
Divinatory techniques developed in the past are in common use. Though they may seem alien to our eyes, they've been continuously practiced for untold millennia.
Diviners
Those who practiced divination were collectively known as ‘Mopa’. Anyone could divine, but most ‘mopa’ were reincarnated lamas called ‘Tulkus’. These persons, through repeated incarnations, had achieved great wisdom and continued to use it in the present life. The Dalai Lama is perhaps the most famous ‘tulku’ of our time.
If a person desired to learn divination, she or he could indeed become a ‘mopa’. Most of these were elderly persons, especially women, and some became widely known for the accuracy of their predictions. In fact, people would travel many miles to seek the advice of a highly respected diviner. Some practiced part-time, but some talented individuals often relied on divination and the casting of horoscopes as their only means of support.
As is the case with diviners virtually everywhere, the job lasted only as long as the predictions were accurate. This sometimes led to the ambiguous manner in which ‘mopa’ revealed the future. Symbolism was widely used.
Reasons for Divination
Persons from all walks of life turned to divination to settle various questions including, business, legal, marriages, births, lost objects, the success of new endeavors, sickness, recovery, and the prosperity of the coming harvest.
Tibetans apparently believed that it was the mind that created the responses received during divination. This view is consistent with their concept that all is created within the mind. However, this belief in no way lessened the value of the responses.
Forms of Tibetan Divination
Many techniques produced symbolic responses. Others were far more direct. Most divinatory techniques bear some resemblance to methods used by other cultures. This clearly demonstrates that humans often turn to similar objects (or to natural phenomena) to produce predictions.
Scrying, consisted of gazing into a mirror, the sky,or a lake. Through concentration and chanting, the diviner created images of the future. These images were, at times, actually seen by others, though they were the product of the diviner's mind. In common with Western methods of gazing, the response was usually symbolic.
Tring-Ba consisted of the use of a ‘mala’. This is similar to a rosary, though it has no Christian connotations. Indeed; rosaries were in use hundreds of years prior to their adaptation by the Catholic church. The mala consists of a string of 108 beads. Used in daily spiritual rituals, it was an ideal tool with which to predict the future.
The mala was held between the hands as the diviner who silently asked her or his question. The diviner then randomly changed their grip on the mala. A number of beads remained between the hand, These beads were then ritually counted in a number of ways. One of the commonest of these consisted of counting them off by fours. Beginning at the right, four were counted, then four to the left, and so on. Eventually a number of beads between one and four would be left. This number determined the oracle's response. This procedure was repeated three times.
The possible combinations of numbers obtained during the three repetitions were also read together. Ancient texts list hundreds of these combinations and their meanings for specific questions.
The Fine Art of Divination
Virtually anyone can successfully practice divination. With practice and an acceptance of the underlying theories, we can obtain information concerning the past, present and future.
Divination is a practical art. The techniques, once learnt, require loads of practice.
In the next edition of this newsletter we will go deeper into this subject.
We also have many workshops, circles and courses that can help you get the knowledge to help you with your divination skills.
It is truly a fascinating subject
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