The Paper Oracle: A Divination Hack for Foggy Days
Editor’s note: Adapted from my Substack (My Life is a Spell) post.
When You Can’t Get a Clear Answer
Even though I use muscle testing all the time—and trust it completely—I still have moments when I can’t get neutral about a question. I know when I’m getting clean, aligned answers and when I’m not. I can feel when there’s interference, when I’m blocked, or when I need to rephrase the question.
And sometimes, even with all that awareness, I still can’t get clear.
When that happens—and I don’t have someone nearby to test for me—I use this simple little paper method. It’s like a combination of playing jacks and reading tea leaves: playful and magical. It takes you out of your head and puts you into the hands of the universe.
Whether you use muscle testing often or are completely new to it, try this playful way to make a choice.
How to Do It
Write your question down.
Be specific. This matters—if you only hold the question in your mind, your conscious and subconscious might start asking different things. You want to know exactly what question the universe is answering.
Prepare eight small slips of paper, all the same size—about an inch by an inch and a half. Torn is fine; no need for perfection.
Write one of the options on each of the first five slips:The answer you want
The answer you don’t want
Three other possible answers (even far-fetched or “outside contenders”)
Then add the wild cards:
“Something else / other”
“Rephrase the question / wrong question / that’s not the question”
“Not now / not at this time”
Fold them all the same way and place them in your loosely cupped hands.
Before you begin, call in your guides—your angels, ancestors, future self, Gaia, whoever you work with—to support you in getting a clear, aligned answer.Shake them.
Let your mind go blank. Hum or “OM” if you like. Shake for at least thirty seconds, keeping your hands closed so the papers tumble around.Make a small gap near your thumbs—just big enough that one slip could pop out. Keep shaking.
You might need to open the gap a little more if nothing comes. Usually, one or sometimes two slips will work their way free.
That’s your answer.
Modify as Needed
This eight-slip version is a simple starting point, but feel free to adapt it.
The key is to include the wild cards—the “something else,” the “rephrase,” the “not now.” Those are what open the door for new information to come through.
When you’re unclear, it’s often because your mind is looping within the options it already knows. Wild cards give the unknown a way in. They invite surprise, perspective, and clarity from directions you couldn’t see before.
What It Means
If you followed the steps, trust what comes out first. Don’t keep doing it again and again to get the answer you want. Sit with it.
If the paper says “Rephrase the question,” do that. It may be that what you’re really asking isn’t what you wrote down. Be open to discovering what your deeper self—or your guides—want to bring forward.
If it says “Not now,” sit with it. You may need more information that’s still on its way.
If the Answer Isn’t Clear
Sometimes you won’t understand the answer right away—especially if it’s the one you didn’t want. That’s okay. It doesn’t mean you did it wrong; it means you’re still mid-conversation with life.
If you’re confused, it could signal that you don’t yet have all the information. It’s not the time to ask—or at least not to decide.
In that case:
Talk with a trusted intuitive friend or psychic. Let someone else’s perspective open a window you didn’t know was closed.
Hold the question in your heart for three days. Think of it before sleep and upon waking. Watch for answers that arrive sideways—an overheard conversation, a random article, a friend’s passing comment, something in your scroll that makes your body light up. The universe loves to speak through ordinary moments.
Check in with your Human Design authority.
I’m a sacral authority, which means that when I hear the exact right thing, I know it instantly—it’s a full-body yes. When I’m spinning or can’t tell, this paper-slip method gives me something tangible to respond to.
My partner, Ted, is emotional authority, so his clarity comes on a wave. When he feels he needs to “wave on it,” he just tells me that—which is so helpful because I understand what’s happening for him. I can give him space, and if I don’t hear back, I know I can check in later and ask if his wave has completed and if he has an answer yet.
If you’re splenic authority, your intuition whispers in the moment—quick, quiet, and once. Trust the first flicker.
If you’re ego or heart authority, your clarity comes through will and desire—do you really want this, and do you have the energy to follow through?
If you’re self-projected (G-Center) authority, your truth emerges as you speak it aloud—find someone who will simply listen and you’ll hear your knowing come right out of your mouth.
If you’re mental or environmental (Ajna/Throat) authority, you need the right place and people around you; talk things through, notice how your body feels in different settings, and let resonance reveal the answer.
And if you’re lunar authority (Reflectors), give it a full moon cycle. Time itself is your clarity—watch the pattern unfold, and you’ll feel what stays true through all the phases.
Whatever your authority, trust that process. This method meets you where you are, offering a doorway back to your own kind of knowing.
And if you want support in decoding what’s showing up, you can always request a muscle testing consultation with me.
The Magic of It
This practice works because it gets you out of your head and back into your body’s intuition—the same place your muscle testing comes from. It reminds you that you’re always in conversation with life, even when your yes/no feels fuzzy.
When you turn off your mind and let your hands do the asking, the answer often slips right through.
The T.W.I.T.C.H Collective
Want to practice listening to your yes/no with others who get it?
Join The T.W.I.T.C.H Collective, a monthly circle for playful divination, embodied intuition, and deepening into the practice of listening.