Casting with Holiday Spirit: A Dickensian Prose Oracle by Leela Williams

Dice have spoken to human curiosity for thousands of years. They’re believed to have evolved from early practices involving knucklebones used in games of chance and divination. The oldest known dice, found in the Burnt City in Iran, date back to around 3000 B.C.E. Divining through randomness has a long and fascinating lineage, from the oracle bones of ancient China during the late Shang dynasty to palm-sized books of fortunes tucked into pockets across Renaissance Europe.

One such book was The Dutch Fortune Teller, a popular volume in seventeenth-century England. It promised answers to thirty-six pressing questions “to which old and young, married men and women, bachelors and maids delight to be resolved of”. The concerns were not unlike those a modern psychic might hear today: Will the sick recover? Can a friend be trusted? What might become of this dream or romance? Even questions such as what kind of cattle one ought best to trade hold a certain timelessness — people have always sought guidance, reassurance and a little magic when facing the unknown.

The Dutch Fortune Teller used a system in which the questioner rolled two dice and followed a trail through tables that led to a message in the form of a four-line poem. This kind of prose oracle was common and shares elements with modern oracle decks, where choosing a card leads us to a message in the guidebook.

Dice are easy to carry, quick to consult and can give more insight than a simple coin toss. Like other forms of divination, dice oracles can help us step out of overthinking and let meaning rise through chance. You can make one yourself. All you need are two dice and eleven messages. In the spirit of the season, I’ve created an example using quotes from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

How to Use the Dickensian Dice Oracle

To consult this oracle, begin by forming a question. Keep it simple and heartfelt — anything from What perspective do I need right now? to What do I need to release before the new year? Or is it a good idea to invite the extended family to lunch?

Roll two standard dice. To shape your message, read the quote that corresponds to each individual die as well as the combined total. For instance, if you roll a one and a five, consult quotes one, five and six. When you roll doubles, the message carries extra emphasis because you draw on only two quotes. A double six, for example, guides you to messages six and twelve.

Dickens’ words are rich with emotion, memory, transformation and moral courage. Rather than decoding them literally, let the lines settle and reveal their answer to you. Notice what stirs, what comforts, what challenges or inspires. The wisdom is not in the quote alone but in how it meets the moment you are living. I’ve added a second layer to the oracle by including a short interpretation after each quote to help you step into the meaning. Let the bracketed text guide you if it feels right, or ignore it and follow your own insight — oracles tend to work best when you meet them halfway.

If you find yourself resisting the message, be honest about why. And if you keep rolling until you get the answer you want, that is between you and the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come — but it may be harder to trust what you receive. Instead, identify the answer you hoped for and turn it into a visualisation, affirmation or step you can take to tip events in your favour. You can also ask the oracle what you need to do to make that desired outcome possible.

Above all, enjoy the playfulness of it. Divination through chance has always blended guidance with delight. If Dickens doesn’t resonate with you, create your own holiday oracle using your favourite text — anything with a mix of insight and imagery will do, from classic novels to eighties lyrics. The magic lies in the randomness, the symbolism and the way meaning unfolds when you let it.

Happy divining.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL DICE ORACLE MESSAGES

1: There was first a game of blind man’s buff. Of course, there was. (You don’t need the whole picture, but a vital piece of information is missing. For now, uncertainty is wise.)

2: “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.” (A gentle yes. Lighten the mood, soften the stakes, approach with warmth.)

3: “No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.” (Act now rather than dwelling or delaying.)

4: “What right have you to be dismal? What reason do you have to be morose? You’re rich enough.” (A reality check. Reframe your thinking, look again, reset your attitude.)

5: “I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” (A thoughtful maybe. Reflect before acting, incorporate what you’ve learned.)

6: “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas.” (Keep the vibe light-hearted and uncomplicated. Don’t be pressured into a decision. It’s not yet time.)

7: “You fear the world too much.” (A nudge forward into new territory. Don’t let anxiety make the choice for you.)

8: “Your own feeling tells you that you were not what you are.” (A turning point. Act not from who you were, but to honour who you are and what you want today.

9: “May you be happy in the life you have chosen!” (Your instinct is valid. There’s no need for second guesses. Believe in and decide for yourself.)

10: “Hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been.” (A strong yes. Move boldly in the new direction.)

11: “He found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed of any walk, that anything could give him so much happiness.” (A joyful yes. Follow what lifts your spirit.)

12: “It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men and travel far and wide.” (Take in the bigger picture. Expand, reach out, say yes to the wider world before committing to the familiar.)

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