Those who have read Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness will know that divination is a topic of interest to me. The Sixth Key of my book contains a detailed overview of the divination system I’ve devised. Said system is a hybrid of tarot and runes, but also has several features distinct from either of those systems.

I’ve wanted for some time to elaborate on certain details of this system. It made sense, though, to wait until my book had been out long enough for others to develop an interest. I’m feeling said time has come, or at least, is close enough for blogging on this topic to be productive. So in this entry, I’ll be setting down some ideas for specific angles I’d like to explore going forward.

Introduction

This entry will serve as a basis for an upcoming series. A couple previous entries of mine have operated similarly. One introduced a series discussing empathy as a Satanic virtue. Another introduced a series discussing various nuances of baneful magick. (Kind of a ironic combination of topics, now that I think of it… ;))

As with the baneful magick series, I may not actually go on to realize all of the ideas I list below. I also might not wind up exploring them in the order listed here. That should not stop this entry from still serving as a hub linking to related posts, though. And it’s useful in the meantime for organizing my thoughts. I’m also thinking that if ideas listed here spark interest in the audience, that may provoke discussion that helps develop my ideas on these topics all the more.

About the Tenebrous runic-tarot

For those who may haven’t yet read my book, it’s useful to first summarize some basics of my divination system.

What does Tenebrous divination have in common with tarot? It entails a similar number of omens, with similar meanings, arranged in a similar structure thus:

• My equivalent of the major arcana are called archetypes. There are 28 of these in my system. 22 are closely analogous to the traditional tarot; titles and small nuances of meaning may differ, but central meanings and order are little-changed. 6 are creations of my own that I have inserted into certain parts of the traditional sequence. The intent is to capture aspects of the LHP seeker’s journey that I find inadequately represented by the default trumps.
• My equivalent of the minor arcana are called tropes. These are divided into four suits, which I call kingdoms. Each consists of numbered omens 1-10, which I call phases, and four court-card equivalents, which I call incarnations. Thus in my system, pages are called muses, knights are heroes, queens are witches, and kings are sorcerers. The meanings of all of these omens are broadly-speaking similar to the traditional minor arcana. As with the archetypes, though, nuances differ.

What does the Tenebrous divination system have in common with runes? That all of the above are represented via combinations of glyphs and numbers. Any practitioner can thus make their own set by acquiring wooden tokens etc. and marking them with the appropriate symbols. There is also an equivalence between the symbols used to represent the archetypes and certain Norse-Germanic runes.

On one hand then, those familiar with runes or tarot should find this system accessible. On the other, though, it also contains complexities that set it apart from said systems and warrant further elaboration.

Runes vs. archetypes in the Tenebrous runic-tarot

As just mentioned, the symbols my system uses to represent its major-arcana equivalents are based on Norse-Germanic runes. They are not identical to those runes, as I have incorporated other influences into designing the archetype sigils. What these influences are, and why I decided to integrate them, is itself probably worthy of a whole post.

Nonetheless, I think it’s fair to say runes were a central element, rather than a peripheral one, in my conception. It therefore makes sense to explore the question of how tarot omens and runic omens are reconciled in my system. Why this rune and this card combined to make this archetype? What remains familiar and what deviates from expectations of what the omen means as a result?

This question has recently become of much keener interest to me because of an interesting coincidence that’s cropped up: I found out when I presented my book to my favorite black metal band, Uada, that someone in that band had written a book about the Thursian current, and upon reading said book, I’ve discovered that reflection on the meanings of runes figures quite prominently in it. Chasing hunches regarding the direction to take my spirituality, based on coincidences involving Uada, has served me well thus-far. I am also increasingly finding that my most spiritually-aligned friends in real life are Heathens.

I therefore find myself highly-motivated to pursue this particular rabbit-hole. I’d anticipate too that the insights I derive thereby may be of interest to people I’m in regular contact with. It would then be a positive thing for us to be able to inform one another’s spirituality via related discussions.

Suits vs. kingdoms in the Tenebrous runic-tarot

One area where my system noticeably differs from traditional tarot is the elemental assignments of the kingdoms (suits).  Typically in tarot, one finds the following:

• Suit of Coins = Earth = material concerns
• Suit of Cups = Water = relationships with others
• Suit of Swords = Air = difficulties
• Suit of Wands = Fire = higher callings

Vs. in my system, the elemental assignment is as follows:

• Kingdom of Attainment = Fire = material concerns
• Kingdom of Communion = Air = relationships with others
• Kingdom of Strife = Earth = difficulties
• Kingdom of Innovation = Water = higher callings

Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness does explain, albeit briefly, why I have introduced these differences. Re: fire and air, I anticipate the sinister-path-walker having a warmer relationship with ambition and a more divisive experience of navigating interpersonal matters than the average person. And re: earth and water, Tenebrous philosophy defines flesh as that which must contend with limitation in the earthly world, vs. spirit overflows such boundaries in its aspirations toward self-evolution.

Nonetheless, a more in-depth reflection on the implications of changing the elemental associations could be interesting to undertake. The omens of each kingdom do maintain their tarot-familiar meanings, e.g. 4 Communion evokes weariness, 5 Communion regret, etc. But when one considers such interpretations whilst attaching the omen to a different element, what exactly changes? This strikes me as a potentially-fruitful question to do a bit more of a deep-dive into.

The visions of the Tenebrous runic-tarot

An important part of the appeal of tarot is its visual element. While I have lost that by using symbols rather than cards, that doesn’t mean it’s wholly absent from my system.

What does this visual component of the Tenebrous runic-tarot consist in? There is a vision – i.e., a visualization – associated with each of the archetypes. Said visualization takes inspiration from the associated major-arcana equivalent, plus the imagery of two minor-arcana equivalents.

The rationale for said association – e.g. why I’ve grouped, say, Nithrul (Death), 6 Strife and Hero of Strife together – is a topic more complex than I’d like to get into in the current entry. The end result, though, is that my system is capable of capturing 84 omens within 28 visions. It’s just that you shift which part of the vision you focus on depending on which omen you are contemplating. In the example I just gave, for instance, where the vision entails a warrior charging recklessly at a vortex, Death is represented by the vortex and Hero of Strife by the warrior. Tarot’s rich symbolism is thereby preserved via the diviner’s imagination.

In the course of writing about this part of the divination system, I had to make some judgment calls. For a given vision, what is definitive of it, an element that any practitioner doing the visualization should incorporate? Vs. are there elements that I personally saw that, being idiosyncratic to me, I should not include in Nine Keys’ description of the visions?

Relatedly, I’d be interested to discuss some specific experiences I’ve had with meditations on “entering into” these visions. Many Niner-adjacent folks I’ve crossed paths with have done path-workings with their own tarot. Setting down my experiences might then create a foundation for comparing to theirs and gaining insights thereby.

The Perils of the Tenebrous runic-tarot

An aspect of my divination system that is, as far as I know, unique, are the Perils. The concept entails each archetype/vision being associated with a particular aspect of existence that humans cope dysfunctionally with. For example, Nithrul (Death, as per previous section’s example) is connected to a meditation upon one’s own inevitable death.

Such Perils are presented as additional dimensions of the omens for the diviner to reflect upon. In my own experience, sometimes they are relevant during readings, and sometimes not; with experience, one develops intuition re: which it is. However, they can also be used simply for personal reflection – a more in-depth version of what one is seeing in how some more rationalist forms of Satanism are sometimes using their own tarot-card-deck-equivalents these days. I strongly feel that it is pretentious for the more esoterically-minded to be dismissive of such practices. “Draw an omen and reflect on the associated Peril” is an exercise I’ve thus intended to yield useful insights both for the secular Satanist and the esoteric one.

This being the least familiar aspect of my system makes it seem like good fodder for blog entries. Doing so could also give me opportunities to illustrate how my spirituality informs my conception of human nature, politics, etc. I am feeling much bolder about such topics these days than when I first got on social media as Othaos. I’m thus seeing an opportunity here to widen my comfort zone, whilst doing my part to provoke thought in others.

Fine-tuning one’s distinction between omens in the Tenebrous runic-tarot

Finally, I’d like to spend some posts exploring how omens that sound superficially-similar to beginner-diviners are nonetheless distinct. A couple angles I envision on this include:

• Focusing on the archetypes in my system that have no major arcana equivalents. If someone were to argue that these are unnecessary duplications of existing tarot cards’ omens, what is my response? I do feel it’s important to have one, in order to help refine others’ understandings of my system.
• Doing cross-comparisons of specific phases or incarnations. What do the 1’s of Attainment, Communion, Strife, and Innovation have in common, vs. how are they nonetheless distinct? Looking at a single kingdom’s incarnations, what do these personalties share vs. what do they differ with regard to?

Obviously, this kind of thing could produce a very large number of entries. Like, if I did one entry for every possible thing that fulfills the descriptions I just mentioned, I believe that’s something like 24 posts?? Seems kind of fun as a long-term project for that very reason, though!

Concluding thoughts

Similarly to other series I’ve done on this blog, I don’t intend divination to be a constant topic going forward. At most, I’m envisioning alternating posts. And of course, if other things I want to talk about come up, it could wind up sparser than that. Very early days yet on this whole idea, so we’ll have to see how that goes.

Has anyone in the audience experimented at all with the Tenebrous runic-tarot? Or any enthusiasts of other systems who’d be interested to hear me explore some particular comparison between my system and others you’re more familiar with? Let me know in the comments.