Divination Troubleshooting
One of the more difficult aspects of divination, I think, is working out what to do when things don’t work the way they’re supposed to. When you’ve done everything technically right, there’s a chance you still won’t get answers that you can interpret, that make sense, or that are correct. If you have an occasional problem with divination, that’s totally normal — nothing will work 100% of the time. But when it happens consistently, it might be time to do a little troubleshooting.
This post is far from a complete list of possible problems. I’ve spent many years trying (and failing at) different forms of divination, so these are things I’ve personally run into and the things I consider when troubleshooting.
The basic format of this post is the form of problem, a short description of what the problem looks like, possible causes for the problem, and multiple suggested solutions for each cause. These recommendations are fairly general and non-exhaustive. You may find that you need to employ multiple solutions before the problem resolves, and you may find that none of these proposed solutions solve the issue you’re having. Some listed problems are specific to a particular tool, but most are applicable to more than one type.
Sometimes, determining the cause of your issue can be difficult. It can take a good amount of discernment to figure out, so don’t feel discouraged if you can’t fix the problem on the first try!
Unclear Answers
You’ve drawn your cards, cast your charms, selected your runes, and… it makes no sense, or maybe the answers you receive are too vague to be useful.
Cause: Lack of practice or familiarity with the tool
Solutions:
Perform practice readings with the tool
Study the guidebook, if you have one, to determine whether there are additional meanings to glean
Look up potential alternate meanings to the individual cards/runes, or consider another perspective (Three of Swords not always meaning heartbreak, for example)
Ask for a second opinion by taking a picture of the reading and sending it to like-minded practitioners who would be willing to help you interpret
Request a reading from a more seasoned diviner to confirm the information you’re able to glean from your own reading (if you do this, I would suggest letting them know that you’re seeking clarity from a divination you did for yourself)
Cause: No thoughts, head empty (brain fog, sudden blanking, fatigue, etc.)
Solutions:
Set it aside and come back to it later with fresh eyes
Do grounding or energizing exercises before redoing the divination
Take care of your mundane needs (drink water, eat something, sleep, take medicines, go outside/get fresh air, etc.) and then return to it
Ask for a second opinion
Write down what you can understand and return to it later to check your interpretation and/or reinterpret it
Cause: The question was poorly worded, or you’re asking the wrong question
Solutions:
Reword the question
Ask a different question related to the situation
Consider whether the answer given is to another question or another facet of the situation
Ask the tool, spirits, deities, etc. what you should be focusing on, if not the question you’re asking
Ask follow-up questions to clarify specifics
Cause: The tool isn’t suited to the question you’re asking
Solutions:
Try a different tool
Reword the question to suit the tool better
Request a reading from someone else (if you only use one type of tool)
Cause: Stagnant energy is lingering on or around the tool
Solutions:
Cleanse the tool and any containers you keep the tool in
Reshuffle, shake, etc. thoroughly before attempting to divine again
Allow the tool to “rest” so it can “cool off” and lose some of the stuck-on energy
Cause: Missing context or information
Solutions:
Write down what you can understand for now and come back in a few days/weeks to see if it makes more sense
Walk away and come back to it in an hour to see if new details come to mind
Work on phrasing your questions to account for information you don’t actively know
Cause: One single card is standing out, not meshing with the rest of the reading
Solutions:
Let the querent know it’s a confusing card, explain what it typically means, and allow them to offer clarification or possible meanings to it
Decide ahead of time what you will do with cards like this and what they could possibly mean, so that when they come up, you can seamlessly deal with them
Disregard the rogue card entirely
Allow the card to stand on its own, almost like a separate reading within the existing reading; redraw for the position if doing a spread
Consider alternative or unorthodox meanings to the card, especially if it’s in an odd position in a spread:
The card may be referring to another question or situation; if so, set it aside and consider doing a separate divination with that card as a focus
The card may indicate a particular person; determine who it may be and what their impact is on the overall situation
The card may be a message from a spirit, related or unrelated to the situation; set it aside and consider doing a separate divination to see the full message
The card may indicate an unexpected element, upheaval, discomfort, or mismatched priorities; the interpretation largely depends on the card and position
Wrong Answers
You thought you had it, but the divination ended up being completely wrong. One time is normal, but consistently very wrong divinations are less so.
Cause: Lack of practice or familiarity with the tool
Solutions:
Perform practice readings, either with actual questions, hypothetical scenarios, or no prompt at all to work on weaving meanings together and identifying messages/symbolism
Ask others if you can practice your divination with them to get more practical experience
Study the guidebook (if there is one) or other guides and articles on the tool to determine whether you missed a meaning, theme, or detail that would have made the reading more accurate
Study how you asked the question, performed the divination, and interpreted the output to see what may have gone wrong, if anything
Cause: The tool you’re using isn’t suited to you
Solutions:
Try a different type of tool
If using tarot or oracle cards, try a deck with different imagery
If using tarot, try a deck based on a different system (Thoth vs. Rider-Waite-Smith, for example)
Cause: You’ve asked the same question too many times in a short period, and now the readings are so muddied nothing is accurate
Solutions:
Take a break from divining on the question or topic
Consider the answers you’ve already gotten and determine which is the likeliest to be true (or untrue)
Ask a different question
Cause: Misleading or incorrect phrasing and information from the querent
Solutions:
Clarify the situation with the querent
Before beginning the divination, let the querent know that they need to be honest with you or results may not be correct
Rephrase the question or prompt to be more honest about the situation
Cause: Blockages or disruption between you and the divination target
Solutions:
Ask the querent to temporarily allow you through their protections
Cast a spell to break through the barrier/blockage before trying the divination again (note that if the barrier is a purposeful protection against prying eyes, there may be consequences to busting through)
Request spirit assistance with breaking through the blockage
Ground yourself and clear away any blockages or reluctance within yourself to see and understand the truth
Accept that the target person doesn’t want you divining about them
Cause: The question was poorly worded for the tool you’re using
Solutions:
Try a different tool better suited to the type of question you’re asking (pendulums for yes/no, magpie oracle for general life readings, tarot for advice, etc.)
Reword the question to suit the tool
Practice asking better divination questions overall (proper wording, understanding the tool’s capabilities, etc.)
Conflicting Answers
When you do separate readings on the same topic and get different answers, it can be confusing! Which one do you believe? Which will actually come true?
Cause: You’ve asked the same question too many times
Solutions:
Take a break from divining on the topic or question
Consider the answers you’ve already gotten and determine which is the likeliest to be true (or untrue)
Ask something else, either relating to the situation or not
Cause: Circumstances have changed radically since you last divined on the situation
Solutions:
Divine on what’s changed and how it’s caused the shift
If the change is undesirable, ask how you can get back on track to the future you want
Compare the readings to see if you can determine the links between them
Cause: The future is mutable, and there are separate, very different possibilities branching out around the situation
Solutions:
Divine about the causes of each outcome already gathered to see what’s causing the vast difference in readings
If there are many people involved, do smaller, more specific divinations to determine their impact on the future
Accept that you may not get to know the future perfectly
Ask instead how you can attain the future you actually want, rather than what may happen
Always Exhausted Afterwards
After doing divination, you feel absolutely drained of energy. Whether that’s physical, emotional, or spiritual energy, when it happens often, it can be discouraging and make you want to never do divination again!
Cause: Your energy is depleting naturally
Solutions:
Do smaller divinations
Only perform one divination in a single sitting, rather than attempting several back to back
Request assistance from spirits to boost your own energy or borrow theirs for the reading
Eat a nourishing meal beforehand and have a snack afterwards
Cause: The querent, tool, spirits, etc., involved are draining your energy
Solutions:
Bolster your area’s protections with a focus on keeping your energy to yourself
Wear something like a veil or other protective clothing, jewelry, or accessories during the divination to prevent the drain
Do a grounding exercise beforehand to center your focus and keep your energy to yourself
Pause the divination if you start feeling yourself draining to refresh and protect your energy
If working with spirits which are draining you as part of a deal (whether spoken or unspoken), make a physical offering instead of an energetic one
Practice energy work to learn how to better contain your energy so that it isn’t as free for the taking
Cause: You didn’t have the energy to begin with, but divined anyways
Solutions:
Request a reading from a trusted source
Seek ways to boost your energy before beginning
Take care of your mundane needs before performing divination (eat something, drink water, take a nap, get some fresh air)
Spirits Aren’t Coming Through or Assisting
You’ve invited spirits to the table, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve got a hand in the divination results you’re getting.
Cause: You haven’t made an offering equivalent in value to what you’re asking for
Solutions:
Set out an offering before starting if you haven’t already
Determine what the spirits might want other that what you’ve already offered
Offer something more personalized to the particular spirit
Make a sacrifice, rather than a simple offering (give up the last cookie, lay a piece of meaningful jewelry on their altar, etc.)
Cause: The spirits think you aren’t ready to know the answers you’re looking for
Solutions:
Seek answers from another source
Wait a while and try again later
Ask a different question
Cause: The spirits you’re trying to contact aren’t immediately available/answering
Solutions:
Call on the spirits before you start divining and let them know what you’re doing and why
Perform the divination at their sacred space, if possible
If working in an animist sense, “wake up” or “activate” your deck’s spirit in some way before beginning (knocking, speaking to it, etc.)
Cause: Another spirit is interrupting
Solutions:
Ask the intruding spirit to back off (for now or forever, that’s up to you)
Perform a banishing if the spirit is unwelcome and will not leave when asked
Find out what the interrupting spirit wants and either decline or fulfill their request
End the divination and come back to it later on
Pendulum Won’t Swing Consistently
The pendulum swings willy-nilly with little to no rhyme or reason, providing no clear answers.
Cause: The cord, chain, string, or other material isn’t long enough
Solutions:
Replace it with a longer cord, chain, string, etc.
Use a different pendulum
Create your own pendulum using a length of string (or twine, etc.) and a crystal, stone, pendant, coin, or other relatively heavy item
Cause: The pendulum itself isn’t heavy enough, or it’s an uneven shape
Solutions:
Replace the pendulum with a pointed stone, crystal, or piece of glass
Thread other, heavier beads, charms, crystals, stones, etc., onto the pendulum’s cord/chain
Cause: Your source for answers isn’t working with you
Solutions:
If working based on your own intuition, do a grounding exercise and try again
If working with spirits, make an offering or see whether the spirits are present before trying again
Cause: There’s a breeze making it swing
Solutions:
Wait until the wind dies down
Move indoors to try again
Close windows, turn off fans, and turn off air conditioners in the immediate area
Cause: The energy in your area is causing interference
Solutions:
Perform a cleansing of the area to clear out excess energy
Banish any rogue spirits hanging around who are messing with the pendulum on purpose
Perform a ritual to calm the energy around you, like soothing a storm or lulling the wind to sleep for the duration of your divination
Keep Dropping Cards
Dropping your whole deck of cards may be an issue with grip strength, clumsiness, or joint bendiness… or, it may be a sign of an underlying issue or message.
Cause: The deck is too large or cumbersome to hold and shuffle easily
Solutions:
Try another, smaller deck of tarot cards
Try a deck with standard card shapes (round or very large cards are personally super hard to shuffle neatly)
Ignore jumping or dropped cards, and only take cards you consciously draw
Cause: The shuffle itself is difficult
Solutions:
Try another method of shuffling
Practice shuffling with regular playing cards, then with the deck you want to be using (this makes a fun fidget while watching shows)
If all shuffling is difficult, spread out the cards on a flat surface and mix them together before putting them back into a pile and drawing accordingly
Cause: The spirit(s) you’re communicating with don’t want to provide answers right now
Solutions:
Provide an offering or payment for services rendered (especially if you haven’t in a while)
Take a break and try again later
Investigate the root cause of their reluctance and plan accordingly
Never Feels “Right” to Stop Shuffling or to Pull a Card
You’re shuffling. And shuffling. And… shuffling. You’re waiting for a sign to stop and pull cards, and it just never comes.
Cause: Your brain and/or intuitive thinking is exhausted
Solutions:
Take a break from divination and other magical practices
Do a grounding exercise to reconnect with your intuitive thoughts and try again
Replenish your energy by eating something, drinking water, having a nap, and otherwise taking care of your mundane needs before trying again
Cause: You aren’t meant to know the answer to the question you’ve asked
Solutions:
Ask a different, related question to see if you can get answers
Try again in a few days
Try a different divination tool (different tools can provide different answers with varying levels of detail)
Failing troubleshooting, accept that you can’t know everything that’s ahead and simply plan accordingly (magically and mundanely)
Cause: Blockage between you and the target of the question
Solutions:
Cast a spell to break through the barrier/blockage before trying the divination again (note that if the barrier is a purposeful protection against prying eyes, there may be consequences to busting through)
Determine whether there are missing details about the situation that may help break through
Request spirit intervention to get around the blockage
Ground yourself and clear away any blockages or reluctance within yourself to see and understand the truth
Accept that the target person doesn’t want you to divine about them
If the reading is about a situation, a spell of “true seeing” or clarity may help
Cause: The querent isn’t being fully honest about their question (misleading phrasing, leaving out information that would impact the reading)
Solutions:
Clarify the situation with the querent
If divining for yourself, consider all facets of the situation and question before rewording it more clearly and honestly
Talk or journal about the situation before beginning to get as much information as possible
Cause: The spirits you rely on for divination have declined to provide answers
Solutions:
Ask why they aren’t answering
Try again later
Try another divination tool
Use another source for answers, such as the universe on the whole or your own deeper intuitive self
Reword the question to be more specific or general, depending
Cause: Something about the cards or shuffle themselves isn’t right
Solutions:
Try another shuffle/pull method (spread out cards and pull at random, create piles and take the top of each, etc.)
Try a different deck of cards
Try another type of divination tool
Give the deck a cleanse
Look for a way to “wake up” or “activate” the cards
Too Many Jumpers
Even if you read tarot like I do with all jumpers, having a ton of cards leap out at once can be daunting — and even annoying, if it keeps happening consistently.
Cause: Your deck is too large for your hands, or it’s an odd shape (circular, non-standard number of cards, above-average card size, thick card stock)
Solutions:
Try a deck with fewer cards or a more standard shape and paper weight
Create your own deck of cards that fits more securely in your hands
Try a digital deck of cards
Disregard jumping cards completely and only accept cards you’re pulling on purpose
Cause: More possibilities or details about the situation need to be brought to light than expected
Solutions:
Try another spread to accommodate the jumpers
Ditch the spread altogether and read the cards as they fall instead
Treat the jumping cards as amendments or extra information about the card whose position you’re drawing for (for example, if drawing for a “Self” position and you get two jumpers before pulling your card in your usual fashion, the two jumpers modify the Official Card)
Cause: Spirits are interfering with the reading
Solutions:
Cleanse the area or banish the offending spirits if they’re not ones you’ve welcomed into the space
Request that they chill the heck out and not throw any (or as many) jumping cards
Make an offering to quell their mischief
Pay attention to why they’re acting this way; if you’re not sure, ask for their reasons
Applicable to Now, Not Later
Your reading describes your situation as it is right now with perfect clarity, but it doesn’t reveal anything new or give insights into the future.
Cause: Your current talent lies in revealing the present
Solutions:
Practice with readings explicitly about the immediate future
Practice targeting a specific moment in the future, such as a particular future month’s events
Fine-tune your questions to specifically request information you don’t know
Employ spirits or deities to expand your abilities to encompass the future
Try another tool or supplement your reading with another tool
Cause: The question or prompt is too open or general
Solutions:
Ask a more specific, carefully worded question
Ask what you mean, rather than a general question around the situation (“What do I need to know about my relationship with X?” vs. “What do I need to know about my love life?”)
Cause: There will be little to no change in the timeframe you’re asking about
Solutions:
Expand the range of time you’re asking about
Choose a time further in the future (next year instead of next month, for example)
Make an active choice to change the future if you’re dissatisfied with things as they appear to be now
Can’t Get into the “Right Headspace” for Divination
You’ve sat down and have your tools ready, but you just can’t get into the zone.
Cause: Your environment is distracting
Solutions:
Move to a quieter location where you can focus more
Perform a grounding exercise to shut out distractions and focus on your divination
Wear headphones and play music that will help you focus (I suggest unobtrusive music without lyrics, so that it doesn’t impact your interpretations; personally, I use crackly fireside sounds over lo-fi beats)
Cause: Your environment isn’t inspiring you to get into the right headspace
Solutions:
Create a space specifically for performing divination, whether permanent or temporary
Curate an aesthetic for your divination space with candles, crystals, plants, divination cloths, and other things that are meaningful to you
Go for a walk in a place that does inspire you and perform a divination there, if possible (cemeteries, parks, museums, rivers, etc.); if not possible to do divination there, absorb as much of the inspiring energy as you can and carry it back to your divination location
Cause: You don’t have the energy for it right now
Solutions:
Focus on replenishing your energy with food, water, sleep, and other self-care tasks before divining
Request assistance from spirits to boost or borrow energy
Request a divination from someone else
Cause: You just aren’t in the mood for it
Solutions:
Create a ritual that will help you get into your desired headspace for divination (putting on specific accessories, preparing your space, calling on spirits, etc.)
Request a divination from someone else
Walk away and come back to it when you feel more motivated
Scroll through others’ divination posts, watch a video, or listen to a podcast to get inspired to do your own divination
Conclusion
Again, there are countless possible issues and even further countless possible solutions to those issues. In general, walking away for a while, having a rest, practicing asking questions, and becoming more familiar with your tool over time will be the best tools in your belt. And if you can’t find a solution on your own, there’s no shame in crowdsourcing ideas for fixes! Ask your friends, your favorite witchy blogger, your Discord servermates, make a public post for others to comment on, or otherwise reach out. The best ideas often come from conversation.
Feel free to drop questions in the reblogs, replies, or my ask box if you’d like to ask me in particular about your divination troubles! I’m always happy to help out where I can. And if I’ve got no clue, one of my followers or mutuals might have a thought to share!
If you enjoyed this post or my other work, consider tossing a couple dollars in my tip jar! (And check out my commissions for custom spellwork and tarot readings!) Everything goes toward keeping me and my partner afloat on our bills, so it’s very much appreciated!
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