Main article: Divination

The art of divination is generally employed for the purpose of obtaining information that can guide the adept in his Great Work.  The underlying theory states that there exists intelligences (either  outside of or inside the mind of the diviner) that can offer accurate  information within certain limits using a language of symbols. Normally,  divination within Magick is not the same as fortune telling,  which is more interested in predicting future events. Rather,  divination tends to be more about discovering information about the  nature and condition of things that can help the magician gain insight  and to make better decisions.

There are literally hundreds of different divinatory techniques in the world. However, Western occult practice mostly includes the use of astrology (calculating the influence of heavenly bodies), bibliomancy (reading random passages from a book, such as Liber Legis or the I Ching), tarot (a deck of 78 cards, each with symbolic meaning, usually laid out in a meaningful pattern), and geomancy (a method of making random marks on paper or in earth that results in a combination of sixteen patterns).

It is an accepted truism within Magick that divination is  imperfect. As Crowley writes, "In estimating the ultimate value of a  divinatory judgment, one must allow for more than the numerous sources  of error inherent in the process itself. The judgment can do no more  than the facts presented to it warrant. It is naturally impossible in  most cases to make sure that some important factor has not been omitted  [...] One must not assume that the oracle is omniscient."[18]