Let the pebbles speak!

It’s known that Hermes presides over “minor” forms of divination, namely through pebbles, animal behaviour, and dreams, since Apollo refused to teach Him the oracular ways of Delphi. This remains true today, when modern polytheists use both the traditional methods or create new ones, like this coin oracle by Sannion. Sometime ago, after Mercury first tapped me on the shoulder, I felt the need to use a form of divination that would be both a tribute and a way of keeping in touch with Him. So I ended up creating my own pebble oracle.

They’re not actual rock pebbles, but glass ones. I picked a goldenish colour, because it gives them a certain coin appearance. It has thirteen letters, like M, C, or B (Market, Communication, Banquet), each with a small set of meanings, like money, trade, and profit in the case of M. It also has three symbols, all of them footprints, for key actions: two from a goat, one ahead of the other, expressing movement; two from a dog, side by side, expressing a stationary or guarding situation; and one from a cockerel to signify new cycles and beginnings. This is still experimental, so I may, in time, add new pebbles. I’ll also be taking notes on a small book to keep track of the readings and be aware of any nuances the oracle might have, like less obvious meanings for a particular letter or how many pebbles to draw.

Yesterday, I used it for the first time and it was an uplifting reading. I made offerings to Mercury at His public altar in Belém and then placed the bag with the pebbles on the altar. I took three at random and got G, M, and L. The first is Cattle (Portuguese Gado), which stands for sexuality, fertility, or prosperity, while M you already know. L means Home (Portuguese Lar) and signifies one’s house, property, but also a place of refuge. Taken together, it simply means a good life: prosperous, sexually and financially satisfying, and a placed called home. A good omen on the first Wednesday of the month.