Many moons ago, The Hermit would carry around a small burlap satchel filled with his favorite trinkets. He would draw out trinkets and follow their symbolism to hear the universe speaking. These trinkets were acquired from his old forest home long after he left this world.
We call this intuitive practice of drawing from a collection of small items, Micromancy. Micromancy is divination through the use of small objects, whether drawing the items individually or casting several onto a surface. The Hermit's Bag contains 12 intentionally selected trinkets for you to begin your micromancy journey. There are a total of 30 different symbols that you can collect and use to divine within this series. Every Hermit's Bag contains a unique assortment of trinkets and each symbol in the collection has variations for how it appears meaning no two bags are alike. The Hermit's bag includes a small pamphlet with definitions for each of the symbols inside.
Below is a list of symbols you might find in your bag. Some symbols have more layers of meaning than what is listed below such as the Rune. If you draw a rune you can take it to represent the broader theme of ancestral knowledge or use the significance of the specific rune you received to incorporate in your reading.
Let's do a sample reading with a Hermit's Bag. I grabbed 12 trinkets and tossed them on our Casting Cloth to determine the placement of each trinket. We have Keyhole in the past which is symbolic of the unknown. We have Mushroom, Clock and Sun in the present. Mushroom is about unity and synthesis, Clock is about time passing and Sun is about prosperity. In the above position we have Bottle, about longing and Shell about Home. Below we have Eye, about vision, Coin, about abundance and Book about wisdom. And then in the future we have Sword about pain, Button about mending, and Key about success.
So if we look at the bigger picture we can infer a lot about the present moment and the future but nearly nothing about the past and what may have brought us to this moment. In the present we are met with a moment of prosperity through a connection that has likely developed over a long time. Above, or what is on the mind, is a feeling of emptiness at home, or a desire for more, perhaps with this person who has been nearby for quite some time. Below we have the subconscious desires which seem to be about tapping into the self and the abundance of wisdom we already have acquired. Perhaps this connection is something that has developed from a shared love of a particular subject. Finally in the future we have pain and mending and success. So it seems that we are speaking about someone who has been unsure of themselves in the past which has led them down a path of longing for a deeper connection. We are reminded that we already have much of the wisdom we seek and that it just needs to be tapped into. Perhaps maintaining a closeness with this person will connect the key to the keyhole and open up a doorway to new understanding and self-love.
