divination is an international term for a form of oracle: by means of a particular technique the diviner receives information from a transcendental sphere, which humans are normally unable to access. the information is tangible and can be used to reach decisions that subsequently are put into action by the client. since the otherworldly sphere has unity of time and space divination is a powerful way of finding access to distant locations and other time periods. the information received through it is of special value since it is not subjected to emotional or material considerations. it may even reveal hidden constraints and forces that guide our behaviour without us being aware of it.
persons who have acquired the technique or were initiated by a ritual perform divination. the client on the other hand is a person who wants to solve a problem or seeks answers to questions.
this may include a process of healing in which according to ralph metzner three separate periods of time are integrated:
a client will experience the presence with greater clarity; his or her attentiveness is enhanced.
past is (pre)determined. the past is remembered. remembering means that important aspects of the past are integrated in present attentiveness. In this way the past turns into the present and may thereby bring an open issue to a conclusion. misunderstood memory without this integration does damage in the long run. whereas without a conscious process of remembering a person suffers troubles.
the future presents options. one can imagine different possibilities or different visions. therefore it is clear that anticipating the future is not simply predicting what could happen. seeking a vision of what could be should include an active process of coaching. it requires also some determination to pursue what has been envisaged. in this sense the future is integrated into the present and helps to prevent personal conflict when dreams and hopes are ignored.
it is in this way that divination works with the past, the present and the future. divination certainly does not remove the process of decision-making nor does it simply predict the future. its predictions are visions or potential reality. one can take up the envisaged opportunity or decline it.