Bibliomancy Exchange ~ Liralen & le_charior & Cat*

[Cat*]

Hi le_charior,

Here's my reading for you. I'm using "Wild Ducks Flying Backwards" by Tom Robbins.
ETA: The quotes were all picked by opening the book at a random page and selecting a text passage by pointing to somewhere on the page (both without looking).

Originally Posted by le_charior

I have no real focus, so a general is perfect for me!

1. Something to think about

"She turns from him, smiles to herself and places her hands over her womb. 'And he not so worthless.'" (p. 172)
This seems short and to the point: The imperfections are exactly what makes the results of your creativity so valuable. Turn away from the person who tells you otherwise.

2. Something to do

"You'll never really see them
and there's nothing left behind
to identify them in the labs
of DNA." (p. 146)
"Give up" seems like a pretty harsh message without context. So what is the context here? The desire to identify, to pinpoint, to prove something that isn't provable by natural science. Could this relate to spiritual questions or your tarot reading or something? At any rate, this is more about not doing something than it is about doing it. Stop looking for the "why?" and "where from?" and focus on the result.

3. Something to love (or embrace)

"[...] trees that look like 50s haircuts, their foliage organically barbered into Sha Na Na flattops [...]" (p. 53)
I'd say you are called to embrace something weird and wonderful. Something retro, something from the past or reminiscient of the past. You are also called to embrace unusual connections (like comparing the look of naturally grown trees to human-made haircuts), things that may not fit together very well on first sight, but which actually have the potential to combine in a surprising and altogether delightful way.

I get the impression that this reading could be related to a creative and/or spiritual project (both used in the widest sense of the word). But maybe it's about something else entirely!

Either way, I hope it's useful to you!

[Liralen]

Hi Cat*,

Here's my reading for you, focusing on your relationship.

1. Something to think about
From "Womb Wisdom" by Padma and Anaiya Aon Prakasha

In this journey we find that the black river can ignite, reveal, transform, and inspire us. In the past this dark river was condemned for its power to enflame women into free expression and embodiment of their sexual power. Many witches were burned for knowing and consciously using this power to create with, and many more women were hung during the Inquisitions for embodying this power.

An interesting quote, and it makes me think that you would like to take your relationship to a deeper and more meaningful level. It's easy in relationships (in longer ones, that is) to stick to the normal, everyday routine that feels safe and comfortable. Perhaps there are things that you don't usually discuss with your partner because you know it will upset them or you are afraid they won't understand you. But your relationship could really benefit from exploring areas that are out of the ordinary.

2. Something to do
From "Romancing the Ordinary" by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Another marvelous example of the spiritual use of magic is how the Old Testament’s Esther saved the Israelites by bewitching a despot intent on killing the Jewish people. One of the secret incantations or spells Esther used was a “glamour” that made her so beautiful in the king’s eyes he could not bring himself to harm her or her people.

It's interesting that witchcraft or magic comes up again in this quote, even though neither book is explicitly written on that subject. I wonder if you and your partner might benefit from exploring a spiritual path together, perhaps witchcraft or Wicca, perhaps something else.
On a more mundane level, this quote might also mean that it could be a good idea to do something special with your partner, the way one does in the beginning of a relationship, and dress up for the occasion so both of you feel appreciated and "wooed", for want of a better word. Again, I'm assuming this is a relationship that has gone on for a while.

3. Something to love
From "The Ink Dark Moon", Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu

In this world
love has no color –
yet how deeply
my body
is stained by yours.

This is a very beautiful poem, and it makes me think you have a deep connection with your partner and often you understand each other without having to use words, which is really something to cherish.

I hope this reading makes sense to you, Cat*!

[Liralen]

Hi le_charior, thank you for your reading, it does make sense to me.

I'll give you proper feedback tomorrow!

[le_charior]

Originally Posted by Cat*

Hi le_charior,

Here's my reading for you. I'm using "Wild Ducks Flying Backwards" by Tom Robbins.
ETA: The quotes were all picked by opening the book at a random page and selecting a text passage by pointing to somewhere on the page (both without looking).


1. Something to think about

"She turns from him, smiles to herself and places her hands over her womb. 'And he not so worthless.'" (p. 172)
This seems short and to the point: The imperfections are exactly what makes the results of your creativity so valuable. Turn away from the person who tells you otherwise.

This could be work related - I am working as a freelance publicist (my traditional field) and graphic designer (still quite recent). I think this means that I should trust my own creative work as a graphic designer more. The person to turn away from in this case is the part in me that doesn't believe in it, the little voice in my head...
Thinking about it twice it could really also relate to my development as a tarot ready. I am still in the tarot closet, so to say, and don't read for actual people I know... Maybe I should think about that. In both cases it's about trusting my creativity or intuition more, which makes a lot of sense! Nicely put, to accept the imperfections because they are part of the creative process!

2. Something to do

"You'll never really see them
and there's nothing left behind
to identify them in the labs
of DNA." (p. 146)
"Give up" seems like a pretty harsh message without context. So what is the context here? The desire to identify, to pinpoint, to prove something that isn't provable by natural science. Could this relate to spiritual questions or your tarot reading or something? At any rate, this is more about not doing something than it is about doing it. Stop looking for the "why?" and "where from?" and focus on the result.

That's a mysterious quote and quite beautiful. The labs of DNA... I am following your interpretation that this relates to my tarot reading, or my spiritual development. I am not a very spiritual person, but I started searching for a personal, individual spiritual routine lately, thinking about meditation, religious art, the whole tarot thing... This tells me not to be caught in purely rational thinking, but be open. Great how you got that out of the quite hermetic quote!

3. Something to love (or embrace)

"[...] trees that look like 50s haircuts, their foliage organically barbered into Sha Na Na flattops [...]" (p. 53)
I'd say you are called to embrace something weird and wonderful. Something retro, something from the past or reminiscient of the past. You are also called to embrace unusual connections (like comparing the look of naturally grown trees to human-made haircuts), things that may not fit together very well on first sight, but which actually have the potential to combine in a surprising and altogether delightful way.

I get the impression that this reading could be related to a creative and/or spiritual project (both used in the widest sense of the word). But maybe it's about something else entirely!

Either way, I hope it's useful to you!

Again, I think both are true. Creative project is work again, and spirituality is a different, but related layer. I really like how this quote is really just an image, one part of a phrase, that is a clear advantage of your intuitive method of finding the quotes. I will follow this advice to think outside the box and embrace unusual connections.

Thanks a lot, I really liked this, and it gave me good pointers for my current life situation!

[Liralen]

Originally Posted by le_charior

Ok, here comes my reading!

I used the book "The Runaway Soul" by Harold Brodkey. It is one of the few english language books I have that I actually have not read, and i felt it was good to be free of memories of the plot or story or characters of a book to do the reading. And it is an old, bound, rather battered copy that I bought second hand, which felt appropriate. It does look a bit like a magic book, actually.

To get the quotes I used five pair of colored mini dice. green, red and blue to get the page number. I throw the dice and form pairs by color, from the left to the right (the first dice in the color is the one that counts.) The sums are the first, second and third digits of the page number. Two of a kind (Pasch) counts as 0, as does 10. 11 and 12 count as 1 and 2. Then I throw the black and white dice to get the sentence on the page (here I just add the dice, no extra rules). From the lower to the higher number. In the attached picture this gives Page 397, from sentence 9 to 10. Hope I made this clear... ask if you have questions about the process, please!

Um - what? That's too much for my tired brain to understand, but it seems to work !

Originally Posted by le_charior

How can Liralen develop her or his psychic abilities?

1. Something to think about

Out of context the She of the second part relates to the truth of the first part. I think you can take this advice really very literally: Try not to pay attention to what everybody thinks is the truth, because it won't nourrish your psychic abilities. It is only the truth in italics, maybe everybody's truth but not yours. I don't think it refers so much to a truth that denies psychic abilities here, the rational world view, but more precisely I think you should not accept what other people or books might tell you about how to develop this side of yourself. I have no experience with this field whatsoever, but I imagine that there is a kind of "psychic dogma", how to do these things, which rituals to follow etc.... and you should not pay to much attention to this, but find something that feeds your abilites in your own way.

Hmm, that's interesting. I've read some books about psychic development and the exercises suggested there never really seemed to work for me, so maybe I will have to find my own way. I don't think this will be easy, though. Sometimes I wish for a path that I can follow whole-heartedly.
The quote might refer to the rational world view that denies psychic abilities as well, because I often find it hard to defend my opinion in this matter to people who only believe in scientific proof.

Originally Posted by le_charior

2. Something to do


Talk about being unconventional! If we do everything totally wrong and whore around as much as possible, then the Messiah just will have to hurry! I love the thinking behind it
So - find a detour to develop your abilities. Think outside the general "esoteric" box. Do things that might even be considered inappropriate. "The trends and fashions of snobbery"... Take notes of them, of what is fashionable in the "psychic field" or scene (if such a thing exists...) right now, but don't let the snobs who think they know how you should do things tell you the way.

That's a funny quote and an interesting way of thinking !
I was thinking of taking a course in the psychic field, but since this quote also suggests I will have to do things in my own way, I'm not so sure.
It's also interesting that a religious sect is mentioned - I sometimes feel guilty about even wanting to develop those abilities because most religions are not too happy about doing so. I don't know why this makes me feel guilty, I don't even follow a certain religion and didn't have a particularly religious upbringing, but the feeling of guilt is there.

Originally Posted by le_charior

3. Something to love (or embrace)


How appropriate that the part about what to love is actually a love scene!
Embrace the idea that you know nothing. What you read in books won't help you much, and again, the conventions and general rules are not for you to follow. Let yourself go, with the flow (liquid, but not tears), there is no room for strict ideologies. Do nothing. Maybe this is a key for you - do nothing, in the sense of meditation, Zen, etc... letting your mind come to a halt, empty your head, be an empty recipient more than actively searching and working.

Another interesting thought. I've tried to approach my psychic development in the way you usually would when learning something new, with exercises and so on. But it's true that the times I really did have a psychic experiences, they came very naturally and were always a result of totally letting go.

Originally Posted by le_charior

***
I hope this made any sense to you. I think the three quotes had a certain coherence. I must admit that, since I have no experience whatsoever with psychic abilities, I am not sure if my very cliché idea of it didn't hinder the reading a little... please be super honest and open on your feedback, I can take it and I want to learn!

Thanks that i could read for you, I enjoyed it!

I didn't think your ideas were cliché, and I found the reading very helpful, so thank you very much !

[Cat*]

Hi Liralen,

Sorry for the long silence, but I didn't have much focused AT time the last week.

Originally Posted by Liralen

Here's my reading for you, focusing on your relationship.

1. Something to think about
From "Womb Wisdom" by Padma and Anaiya Aon Prakasha

In this journey we find that the black river can ignite, reveal, transform, and inspire us. In the past this dark river was condemned for its power to enflame women into free expression and embodiment of their sexual power. Many witches were burned for knowing and consciously using this power to create with, and many more women were hung during the Inquisitions for embodying this power.

An interesting quote, and it makes me think that you would like to take your relationship to a deeper and more meaningful level. It's easy in relationships (in longer ones, that is) to stick to the normal, everyday routine that feels safe and comfortable. Perhaps there are things that you don't usually discuss with your partner because you know it will upset them or you are afraid they won't understand you. But your relationship could really benefit from exploring areas that are out of the ordinary.

Interesting quote! There was a recent event that I feared might harm our relationship (which has indeed already been a long one), but it seems it actually ended up doing us good. I see that in the "black river" bit. (And yes, sexuality and intimacy have indeed been an issue for a while, but right now things look hopeful.)
I'm also getting the hint about exploring the more "dangerous" areas. It is indeed something I need to think about more! Thanks for the nudge.

2. Something to do
From "Romancing the Ordinary" by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Another marvelous example of the spiritual use of magic is how the Old Testament’s Esther saved the Israelites by bewitching a despot intent on killing the Jewish people. One of the secret incantations or spells Esther used was a “glamour” that made her so beautiful in the king’s eyes he could not bring himself to harm her or her people.

It's interesting that witchcraft or magic comes up again in this quote, even though neither book is explicitly written on that subject. I wonder if you and your partner might benefit from exploring a spiritual path together, perhaps witchcraft or Wicca, perhaps something else.

Yeah, I also took note of the repeated appearance of witchcraft/magic!
I wish there was a spiritual path we would both actively share, but it seems it's always just one of us who is actively doing spiritual stuff (for quite a while it's been me).
But maybe this is a message for me to involve a spiritual element for myself (the mention of "glamour" makes me think of this). Not in the sense of a "love spell," mind you, and maybe not even a spell as such (I only do them every couple of years). But there's something that I can't quite grasp right now. Maybe I need to do some more thinking (see the previous quote) before I understand what exactly it is that I'm supposed to do.

On a more mundane level, this quote might also mean that it could be a good idea to do something special with your partner, the way one does in the beginning of a relationship, and dress up for the occasion so both of you feel appreciated and "wooed", for want of a better word. Again, I'm assuming this is a relationship that has gone on for a while.

Yes, the relationship has been going for 7+ years now, so you're spot-on with this.
I understand what you mean. I know it sounds like such a cliché but doing something special might indeed be what is called for (and dressing up a bit to get the visual appreciation going some more can occasionally be its own kind of "magic" already).

3. Something to love
From "The Ink Dark Moon", Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu

In this world
love has no color –
yet how deeply
my body
is stained by yours.

This is a very beautiful poem, and it makes me think you have a deep connection with your partner and often you understand each other without having to use words, which is really something to cherish.

Yes, we do have a very deep connection and understand a lot about each other without having to talk about it. And yes, that's definitely something to cherish.

To me, the quote has another meaning as well. The "no color" speaks to the invisibility of a lot of what unites us in everyday life and the mainstream world (my Beloved is transgendered, and we both identify as queer but probably look rather straight to mainstream eyes). My body is indeed "stained" by my Beloved's in the sense that how his body is seen has an effect of how my body is seen. I'm not sure if this makes any sense to you, but the quote really touches on something fundamental to our relationship.
In the past months, I've often tended to see this as a burden, a "stain" I had to bear, but now that I think of it, it's also a blessing. It might be good to increase my awareness of the gratitude I feel for having exactly this person in my life and at my side.

I hope this reading makes sense to you, Cat*!

It does! I have no idea what I initially expected, but it wasn't quite this. So I've been surprised with some very valuable insights and things to further ponder.
Thank you for reading for me!

[Liralen]

Hi Cat*, thank you for your feedback, especially regarding the poem. The sentence "how deeply my body is stained by yours" did seem significant, but also puzzling, so your feedback has been really helpful !