How to Make Divining Coins

Sometimes you just need a yes or no answer, and for this, a divining coin can do the job.  People who may benefit from this the most will be children of Eshu/Gate Keeper who know how to ask the right questions.

For a temporary one-time use, you can take just about any coin and run it through Eshu incense smoke, and it’ll do the job for the moment.  To make a permanent coin though, you should go through the whole ceremony.  This ceremony can also be used for divination with multiple coins. Just put them all in at the same time.

Do not do this ceremony while bleeding or menstruating.  You should be wary even if you have gingivitis.  Use some good mouthwash with alcohol or something.

You will need:

…to give offerings to Orunmila/Your deity of divination on the proper day

Then on a Tuesday, you will need:

• one silver or brass coin
• Eshu incense
• very strong purifying incense
• charcoal on which to burn the incense
• a cauldron, preferably consciously dedicated to Ogun/Your deity of Earth and metallurgy
• four live snails (and a way of killing them) and three shots of good liquor, or three shots of liquor for Eshu and four for Ogun

In the Ogun section or Earth quarter of your altar, or on the Ogun area or “bone yard” area of your yard, set up the cauldron, and have everything else handy.

Light the charcoal.

Add a dose of Eshu incense, and call to Eshu.  Then tell him the nature of your request (that he answer questions accurately through the coin) and then add the purifying incense, and put the coin in the cauldron but don’t smother your incense.  Ask for him to carry your request to Ogun as well.  Do not ask for Ogun to show his presence at that moment.

If you chose the animal sacrifice option, put the snails on the ground or on your killing plate, tell Ogun that you give these sacrifices so that he will re-forge the coin into an object for divination, and quickly smash them or cut their heads off.  Be extremely careful not to cut yourself.  At this time, if it doesn’t have obvious heads or tails, determine which side means yes or positive, and which side means no or negative.

Then give three shots of liquor to Eshu.

If you chose the non killing option, give the three shots to Eshu, and then four shots to Ogun.

Take a good handful of the dry earth and put it in the cauldron to bury the charcoal and the coin, or cover the cauldron on your altar.

Quickly close the ceremony by thanking Ogun and Eshu, and move at least 10 paces away from the cauldron for three hours.  It is best not to even watch the cauldron during this time, as the presence of Ogun at work can be very jarring, especially to women. 

After at least three hours, fish the coin out of the soil or ashes, and dust it off as well as possible.  You should even polish it.  You can also shine it up with red palm oil.

Keep the coin in a red and/or black bag, and treat it very well.  It can set in the Eshu space on your altar when it isn’t in your wallet or purse.

On the first Tuesday of every month, you should feed your coin some alcohol.  Pour a shot while letting the excess run into your Ogun place or cauldron.