​​​Divination as Spiritual Unveiling 

The great 13th century Sufi master, Ibn Arabi taught that the entire universe is a symbolic “book” filled with signs expressing divine realities. And that reading these signs is a kind of divination—not to predict the future, but to apprehend the deeper truth behind appearances. He called this revelation, unveiling or kashf—the pure heart receiving divine knowledge directly, bypassing rational analysis. 

 

Decades ago, my Sufi teacher, Fazal Inayat-Khan, introduced us to this form of divination as the “oracular function”. He encouraged us to see that through the practice of responsive intuitive insight, visions, dreams, coincidences and even seemingly ordinary objects and events could be useful sources of deeper knowledge. His approach highlighted the limitations of our sensorial and  cognitive abilities. Our senses register only a relatively small spectrum of stimuli—we cannot see ultraviolet or infrared light, nor hear beyond certain frequencies without external devices. And we cannot readily form ideas or discover patterns outside our range of knowledge. 

 

Yet the world beyond the reach of our senses is vast and can dramatically affect us. Covid became detectable only after you tested positive or started coughing, for example. Similarly, the operative implications of quantum mechanics are not comprehensible to a mind whose only reality is Newtonian physics. This means that all of us are living and working, to some degree, “in the dark”.  

 

One solution to this dilemma is to  employ tools such as microscopes and telescopes. Our phones are devices we use in this way. The planet is enveloped in a cloak of active microwaves generated by more than 9 billion cellular devices but without a cellphone we are completely unaware of them. But microwaves are just one narrow range in a field of vibrations we call electromagnetic radiation. How do we detect the latent currents in multiple vibrational fields beyond our perceptions and intellect? 

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For millennia one of the primary answers has been an oracle or divination system of some kind. In the ancient world the oracular function was often embodied in a person—the Oracle of Delphi in Greece was routinely consulted about military campaigns or issues of governance. Until the 17th century, astrology was a respected way to perceive otherwise undetectable influences. In China the use of oracle bones for divination eventually became codified as the I Ching—a work of enormous cultural significance. Dream interpretation among Sufis and other mystics has served an oracular function, for centuries; not necessarily for prediction but to make the present more intelligible.  

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In contemporary societies, many of us explore our hidden influences through psychoanalysis, journaling, dreamwork and other means. Recognizing that there is more going on than is immediately apparent, we turn to therapists, counsellors and life coaches to help us see and navigate our subtle—sometimes unconscious—dynamics. 

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What comprises an oracle?

Like a radio receiver or a Wi-Fi connection, a divination system should provide a way to tune into and decode waveforms which would otherwise remain undetectable. In this sense, even a compass could be seen as a simple divination system: enabling the detection of magnetic waves we can neither see nor hear. But a divination system that serves the oracular function should enable us to reach into (and beyond) the personal unconscious, to the current energies, influences and cycles shaping our lives. 

We are all affected, sometimes significantly, by influences we may not be consciously aware of. Such things as the barometric pressure, the mood of people around us, the rhythms of life outside our front door, can shape our everyday experience without our being fully aware of them. These are just a few we can name but surely there are undetectable energies which we have no names for. 

To do this, a divination system should provide a way to bring latent waveforms or vibrations into awareness. In casting the I Ching, coins or yarrow sticks are used to reveal numerological patterns. The resulting hexagrams are symbolic expressions of state changes affecting life situations. Each reading reflects cosmic principles: yin/yang, movement/rest, inner/outer, etc. 

And a divination system must provide a framework of symbolic interpretation through which we might discern and engage those energies. In the cartomancy of the Tarot, archetypes, expressed in mediaeval imagery, reveal hidden potentials in a meaningful way. For example the High Priestess and the Empress represent evolutionary female powers not necessarily religious or political roles. These potentials are always there, even if not best expressed today in the symbolism of 15th century Italy where the Tarot originated.    

The Arabi Oracle (with a deep bow to The Great Master) is such a system—a divination deck with a numerological matrix and interpretive framework based on elements of Sufi psychology and mysticism.  

You can read more about the inner workings of The Arabi Oracle here.

You can read more about the symbolism of the cards here.

You can read more about how to use The Arabi Oracle here.

You can draw a reading here