Divination for Beginners: Reading the Past, Present & Future

by Scott Cunningham, Patrick Mealey (Narrator)

Anyone can practice divination. You don't need to be psychic, or believe that a higher power controls the cards. Anyone can learn to predict the future using the methods described in this book. Learn how to choose the methods that works best for you, and ask the right questions so you get accurate answers. Discover the secrets of a wide variety of methods, from Tarot cards and the I Ching to crystal gazing, palmistry, and even reading signs and omens in the world around you.

The real value of divination is in planning and prevention. If you like the answers you receive, continue on. If it looks like trouble ahead, adjust your course of action and see how your new plan affects the outcome. In this way you can use divination to fine tune your future and start living the life you've always dreamed of.

Genres: Witchcraft, Wicca, Divination, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism, Occult

Audible Audio

Expected publication January 6, 2026

About the author

Scott Douglas Cunningham was an American writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published; he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.

Reviews

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Cunningham’s “Divination for Beginners: Reading the Past, Present & Future” is an excellent introduction to the art of divination. An exceptionally balanced book, I especially liked his discussion of Cheiro. The one thing that I love about this book is Cunningham’s inclusion of “Appendix 1: A Dictionary of Divinations” because it lists all of the different forms of divination used by humans, many of which the author didn’t describe in the book.

I respect this author not just because he’s a fantastic writer, but also because of his strong ethics and his common sense approach. As someone who was born and still is psychic, I feel like Cunningham mirrors my own beliefs. For example, when he said,

“…Never charge for such work unless you set yourself up as a reader, which certainly isn't recommended, and may cause problems with local officials…”

I know that there are people who do this and do charge money (or worse, for favors); to each his own. But Cunningham understands the dangers involved (unethical, dishonesty, etc.) in doing so. The author is responsible and reliable, providing an annotated bibliography. I absolutely recommend this book.

[Heather Purri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficulty Level: Beginner
It was written for anyone who is spiritual, including non-theistic people. Yet it is as comprehensive as Cunningham's other books.

Pros:
- It's an occult/Pagan classic.
The organization of this book is great considering that it's full of random folk practices. They're sorted into convenient categories like plant divination, crystal divination, and celestial divination.

- Folk magick is covered at length.
One of the reasons Cunningham's works are so important is because they put low magick (folk magick) and high magick (ceremonial magick) on equal footing. On Amazon, some reviewers of this book complained about a supposedly disproportionate focus on folk customs instead of talking more about the more supposedly complex divinations like tarot cards. To me, that's what's great about this book. Cunningham understood that you don't need to memorize Norse hieroglyphics or Chinese hexagrams to do divination. You could just be mindful of nature all around you, and either tap into your intuition or connect with your gods.

Cons:
- No in-text citations.
This book is full of folklore, and I wish I knew what country the lore came from and what year, to put them into more context. There's a bibliography though.

Personal Thoughts:
I didn't think I cared about divination; I was just going to read the book because Cunningham wrote it. I'd never had any success using a crystal ball or a pendulum. However, I do practice what I was calling "folk magick," that this book explained is actually old-fashioned divination, which all too often get completely overlooked. I felt pretty alone in practicing old-timey magick, but this book validated my practices as legitimate and powerful.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Scott Cunningham! This is a quick read that is beneficial to anyone wanting to learn how to do various types of divination. Cool little book.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for the beginner. Goes over a brief summary of how things are used in Divination. I guess I was expecting more. I am a beginner but I would have liked a more in depth guide. But I guess this helps to learn the different ways to do Divination.

[Vanessa Opal]

Very informative, each subject divided for simplicity; very helpful!

[Rebecca Volterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book on divination. Great for Beginners, everyone really.

[Michael P · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book in its own rights but I found it very limiting in a lot of the techniques that other books along this line offer I mainly picked it up because of it being produced by Scott Cunningham and I had so many of his other books that I thought that it would be amiss for me not to have this

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all you're looking for is a general introduction to many divinatory methods across time, this book is for you. If you're looking for more in depth information about more modern methods perhaps look elsewhere.

[Kuroi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno dei migliori libri, letti al momento, sulla pratica divinatoria. Mi ha rapito lo stile di Cunningham e le sue spiegazioni veramente interessanti. Essendo un libro per principianti non si ritiene una fonte di conoscenza, ma allo stesso tempo da molti spunti per andare avanti con eventuali studi.

[elly crisostomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

in general, it’s a pretty regular book. i didn’t like the tarot part at all, not because the lack of information, but because of the description of the cards

[Millie Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good launching off point for anyone curious about the basics. Though, a book published in 1993, there isn't anything in here you can't already research in a quick and affordable Google search.

[W. Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a nice book. I favor the ideas on time, chance, symbolism and what divination can do for us as living thinking social beings trapped in, what the author calls, the illusion of time.

There are too many methods of divining through the ages. For me this is secondary. Different ways of scrying or gazing, and other such methods, reek too much of superstition for me.

I prefer the interaction between observer and observed - the power of attention, attitude and intention. Which, happily, the author debates.

A very quick read indeed. Finished in one day.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It contains lots of information on divination, as well as uses and some history. It also contains information on different types of divination, and how you can practice some of these different types of divination.

Anyone interested in learning divination should get a copy of this book.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent source of information on so many different forms of divination. If you are unsure of which form you wish to try out, I definitely recommend picking up this book!

[Eliseo Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Cunningham is one of my fav. researchers and author...This book is a cute start for anyone interested on the art of Divination...thanx for sharing )o(

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reference. Some interesting ideas: paper divination by boiling rolled paper, the one that unfurls first is the affirmative.