💰Coin Divination 2.0💰
I keep coming back to coin divination because I really like it's simplicity. It's a form of divination that's quite portable and effecient. I've been playing with it more to turn it into more of a fully fleshed out divination system, something that could speak to a wider array of topics. Previous posts I've written have talked about how to use it while fully contextualized by a question or series of questions but I wanted it to be capable of being used for general readings or in place of cards in spreads.
In the process, I wrote up a post that makes me sound a bit like the red string guy but I offer it here in case it makes sense to someone who isn't me, someone who can make use of it in their personal practice.
I've gotten several questions over the years from people living in conservative or fundamentalist Christian homes about how to learn divination and I think nothing beats coin divination. Coins are everywhere and no one would really think it's that weird if you have one in your pocket. Artisan coins are becoming a popular EDC item to carry. It's something easy to take with you if you have to leave or find once you get somewhere.
Yes playing card divination is another one of my favorites, but I know some homes are so strict in their rejection of gambling that they ban cards altogether and all the meanings can be tricky to memorize. With this version of coin divination I hoped to create something where the basic meanings could fit on an index card that could be hidden behind a phone or somewhere else fairly safe.
I didn't mix geomantic figures with this system as they didn't fit well with the other moving parts. I think the focus for geomancy is on the figures created rather than the meanings of the coin results itself. Given this it is possible to have two forms of divination - something I recommend every magically operant person know - in a single coin. One could use this coin divination system and geomancy separately (perhaps with a geomancy cheat sheet on the back of the index card.) Magical minimalism meets mass accessibility.
Basically, I think this has real potential, especially for folks who need to travel light or who are living in repressive circumstances.
The Subject Compass
A compass or 8 point figure seems like an obvious choice to divine on but as I looked for one that was rooted in western esoteric traditions, I struggled to find one that was semi-consistent and had areas that were helpful for divination. So I came up with a model loosely inspired by the 4 orienting points of an astrological chart - ASC, IC, DC, MC and combinations of meanings there of.
W - ASC - Self + Health
SW - Family + Resources + Spirituality
S - IC - Internal + Root/Past + Home
SE - Sex + Children + Pets
E - DC - Other + Partnerships
NE - Education + Community + Coworkers
N -MC - External + Aspirations + Journeys
NW - Reputation + Work
To decide the direction, establish some part of the coin as the point. For coins with human or animal faces, this can be the direction the eyes point. For other coins it could simply be the generally agreed upon top of the coin. If a face has none, it may be necessary to file a notch into the coin or mark it in some way permanently. Whichever direction the point most faces, that's the subject being discussed.
Using heads for positive/active and tails for negative/passive and the meanings of these areas, combinations cam point to specific areas. For instance a heads in the East could mean a new or generally positive relationship or friendship. A tails in the S could indicate a new challenge or difficulty at home. This can then steer the question phase or further clarify confusing answers received during it.
Yes/No Questions
The format I use to answer questions is to flip a coin 4 times and use the following results to determine an answer:
4 Heads - 0 Tails - Strong Yes
3 Heads - 1 Tails - Weak Yes
2 Heads - 2 Tails - Neutral/Ask Later
1 Heads - 3 Tails - Weak No
0 Heads - 4 Tails - Strong No
I think this format in particular is great for spirit work since it necessitates something conversational and quick. Cards can actually be a bit of a drag in these situations where quick to the point answers are needed. You can keep it to just this or you can layer in other meanings as you need for your purposes.
The main thing I'm adding here is this: extrapolating from aspects of geomancy, one could also read into the order in which you got your heads and tails for more meaning and specificity. Taking heads as generally positive/active and tails as generally negative/passive, you can see where a given result might be most relevant. This could also be used to further clarify a subject before asking questions.
First Position - Head - Fire/Plasma - Spiritual
Second Position - Neck/Chest/Arms - Air/Gas - Mental
Third Position - Core/Organs/Groin - Water/Fluid - Emotional
Fourth Position - Legs/Feet - Earth/Solid - Physical
Difference in Points
This is probably my most red string of all the meanings. Basically, when you start given reading you decide what point of the compass your reading most aligns to. We'll call this the heading. Then as you flip the coin, you count the difference between the heading and where the point landed for that toss to get a number. At the end, you add these numbers up to get a numerology number that can also be interpreted using those principles. I honestly find combing through the vast majority of numerology information on the internet a real drag so I just use the numbers from Tarot loosely as my basis:
Beginnings, seeds, new, solitary - start something new, reflect in isolation for a while
Balance, partnership, preparation - make needed preparations, balance or rebalance
Creation, community, education - create something new, learn from your community
Stability, stagnation, temporary - this too shall pass, loosen your grip, give back
Turning point, challenges, woe - be transformed, remember what is truly important
Follow through, past, go, do - take right action, right your prior wrongs, be fair and just
Pause, illusion, tend - wait it out, there's a lie or delusion in the mix, water the garden
Crossroads, journey, binds - Free yourself and journey onwards, make a decision and commit
Luck, manifestation, completion - put a bow on it, cause and effect, mourn it's end
General Reading
With these added layers of meaning, it opens up the possibility for a general reading. One could flip a coin 4 times and note the result and the direction of the point without any question at all. For example:
Heading - W
H - NE - 5
H - S - 2
T - S - 2
H - N - 6
5 + 2 + 2 + 6 = 15 = 1 + 5 = 6
Weak Positive - There's a balance of the external and the internal, there's a doubling of the south so home might be the main focus, maybe there's a weakly positive opportunity to learn at or about your home in a way the furthers your current aspirations in life, the only tail showed up in the third position so maybe what you're learning is has to do with a water problem in your home - either actual water/plumbing or GI related health issues or an emotional issue. Given that the education result is also in the fire or spiritual position, perhaps the subject is spiritually significant or is something you discussed or agreed on with a spirit. With 6 as the number for the reading, this would indicate a need to get started on this education right away.
Other Spreads
You could use this method on spreads designed for other divination systems. It certainly won't work as well as the systems they were originally designed for but it is still workable. 4 tosses per spot would be the most complete but it's also almost too much information to fit in the context of the spread.
I recommend 2 tosses per spot. With some tweaking you can condense some of the meanings I pointed to in the general reading. The first toss would be read on the subject compass. But the second would need to be read on a second compass to add back in the elemental and body readings. You can use the directions that make the most sense to you or use these:
Second Coin Compass
W - Water
S - Fire
E - Earth
N - Air
You could read into the mixed points (SW, SE, etc) if you wanted to add a layer of meaning, or you can just pick the main compass point it is closes to to keep it simple.
Example
Let's look at a simple Past - Present - Future - Advice spread.
Past - Heading: S - [T - NW] [H - E) - 5 + 2 = [7]
Neutral; Reputation + Work, Earth - Physical, Legs/Feet; Pause - Taking a break from work, putting your feet up
Present - Heading: W - [H - S] [H - W] - 2 + 8 = 10 = 1 + 0 = [1]
Positive; Home + Root, Water; New - A renewed connection with someone from the past
Future - Heading: N - [H - S] [T - NE] - 4 + 7 = 11 = 1+1 = [2]
Neutral; Home + Root, Air/Earth - Erosion; Partnership - This connection is likely to erode again for a while
Advice - Heading: NE - [T - SW] [T - W] - 4 + 3 = [7]
Negative; Family + Resources, Water; Wait - Refocus your efforts on your family, don't make any sudden decisions
Summary of the Reading
Overall Number - 7 + 1 + 2 + 7 = 17 = 1 + 7 = 8 - Crossroads, Journey, Binds
Querant's focus was on work but in learning to relax, they've reestablished a connection with someone from their past, perhaps from their hometown. They shouldn't necessarily dive right into it as it's likely to erode. They should protect their resources and not lose sight of their family. Wouldn't lend this new person any money. This friendship might force them to finally make a decision they've been putting off or put them in a bind of some kind.
Conclusion
I'm honestly worried this stuff won't make sense to anyone but me. Fingers crossed this is exactly what someone is looking for and now they don't have to put in the work or at least they've got a basis to build on.
