Illustrated Encyclopedia of Divination

I am ordering a second copy of this book after not being able to resist repeatedly highlighting passages in my girlfriend's copy. I come to this topic from both a Christian background and intellectual skepticism. But in the past fifteen years I have been exposed to and come to see the value of several forms of oracle and divination as tools for tapping into the subconscious as well as whatever one chooses to believe about the unseen energies and spirits possibly involved. I have often experienced remarkable outcomes and guidance from Runes, I Ching, and various forms of Tarot Cards, and have come to trust and value my own gifts of intuition. It was exciting to see what I have experienced with "divination" and oracle tools so well summed up and explained. This is an attractively laid-out, beautifully illustrated book that is impressively distinct from many coffee-table type overview "encyclopedias" on various subjects for actually having something useful and insightful to say. So many of these type of books are rushed into print to take advantage of popular (and superficial) interest in a given subject and are mostly cheap eye candy with shallow content and often misinformation. What impressed me most about this book is the author's knowledgeable and balanced presentation. He is not dismissive of religion, but he is forthright about how religion and mainstream culture have repressed alternative realities and methods throughout history. This book is not full of gushy New-Age-speak. It does not concentrate on fortune-telling, the acknowledged association and stereotype of "divination", but demystifies the "spooky" stuff (seances, witchdoctors) and shows how the various forms are simply tools for accessing and utilizing the wisdom of Mystery.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in learning about the origin and methodology of contemporary divination practices. The book is big, beautiful (complete with pictures and diagrams), easy to read and understand, and perfect for anyone's library.Highly recommended.