Dune Illumination for Divination

In Frank Herbert’s Dune, Arrakis (colloquially, Dune) is the harsh desert planet and sole locale where mélange (“the spice”), the most valuable commodity in the known universe, is produced. The spice is a developmental byproduct of the dominant (and probably invasive) animal species – sandworms. Adult sandworms resemble colossal annelids with lamprey-like mouths. Outsiders view them as deadly pests, but Arrakian natives (Fremen) regard them as divine.

Throughout Dune, the spice is described as having cinnamon-like qualities (e.g., reddish-brown color, cinnamon scented…) although it is much more complex (e.g., fluorescing blue, never tasting the same way twice…). When consumed it extends human lifespan, increases physical energy, and enhances perception. In key characters it unlocks precognitive abilities. Here, we will harness the Arrakian planetary force for divination purposes.

Materials

You will need cinnamon incense, an incense burner, matches, and a small bowl of water. Participants will also need the divination tools of their choice. Playing Dune-related music (such as Zimmer’s DUNE: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is optional.

Preparation

Preparing a list of questions to answer via divination beforehand is preferable but is not required.

Statement of Intent

It is our will to access the Arrakian planetary force.

Procedure

Light the cinnamon incense. Participants should face Canopus (α Carinae), the star Arrakis orbits in the Dune universe,¹ if it is visible. Otherwise, face south.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and center yourselves. Turn your attention towards the incense. Observe the incense smoke with all five of your senses, as well as astrally. Feel its arid heat, smell it, and taste it. Does it emanate a sound? To traverse the Arrakian desert undetected, Fremen walk without rhythm to imitate the natural movement of the shifting sands.

Visualize a reddish-brown light emanating down from the southern heavens, passing through the incense smoke and enveloping you. As you continue breathing, your body slowly fills with this Arrakian light. Place your open palms towards Arrakis, as if to greet it. Say:

Arrakis, Dune, cradle of power,
we beseech you in this fateful hour.
Rugged and relentless, hot and dry,
we implore you, Desert Planet, open our eyes!
Beneath First and Second Moons
with consciousness raised,
we immerse in your essence
to foresee future days!
We evoke you, Shai-Hulud,
fearsome and sublime,
through the spice grant us prescience
to accurately divine!

Close your eyes and continue inhaling the Arrakian light enveloping you, until it fills your entire body. When completely filled, the light’s periphery fluoresces blue. As your eyes and the ritual space finally fluoresce blue, take note of any prescient visions or insights into deep time you receive.

Open your eyes and begin stomping your feet on the ground in a rhythmic pattern. In the Dune universe, rhythmic thumping attracts adult sandworms. As participants collectively thump in unison, begin chanting YA! YA! YAWM! (Fremen language: Now, hear this!²) to the rhythm of the stomps. Participants will eventually sense the presence of Shai-Hulud, the divine manifestation of the adult sandworm. Upon sensing Shai-Hulud, individuals should cease thumping and begin erratically hopping around like muad’dib (the kangaroo mouse) instead. The likeness of muad’dib, who is adept at desert survival, appears in the albedo pattern of Arrakis’ Second Moon.³

When originally performed, the center of the room had a table and chairs on a large area rug. We pretended the area rug was a rock outcrop, so after sensing Shai-Hulud participants could erratically hop over to a chair and sit down. Those with limited mobility sat while thumping an object (e.g., a cane) off of the area rug and then “hopped” it around in an erratic pattern for a few minutes.

When all participants have sensed Shai-Hulud, cease hopping and proceed with divinations in whatever manner you see fit. An efficient method to perform group divination entails one member reading a question aloud from a prepared list, and then everyone performing individual divinations to answer the posed question. After everyone has obtained an answer, each member shares a one-sentence summary. Then, have a free-form discussion about major variables and archetypal influences impacting the outcome. Often times the same broad trends will appear, even across different divination systems! After a consensus answer has been reached, continue by having another member read the next question aloud.

Before posing your divinatory questions, feel free to collectively divine answers to a few test questions beforehand. Test questions should be stated as literally and as plainly as possible and have a definite outcome that will manifest fairly quickly. It is also preferable that participants lack any investment in the test question outcomes. Example test questions that have yielded decent results are:

• Will the Phoenix Suns win their basketball game this Friday?
• When we eat at Barrio Queen later today, which of the following house specials will we collectively hear another customer order first: carnitas, carne asada, or chile verde?
• I’m going to perform a coin toss in two minutes… Will the result be heads or tails?

Regarding the coin toss, I typically hold the coin in my hand and then pose the question to the group. Each participant divines the result, writes their answer on a sheet of paper, and places the paper face down. When two minutes is up, I toss the coin and show the result. We all count to three and reveal our papers in unison. When we correctly divine the answers to the test questions, we are that much more confident in our answers to the other questions!

Banishing

Banish by sprinkling water within and around the ritual area. In the Dune universe, water is toxic to adult sandworms. Pour the remainder of the water on the incense to extinguish it. Collectively say, BI-LA KAIFA! (Fremen language: Nothing further need be explained – akin to the Hebrew ʾAmen⁴).

References

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Originally Published: March 10, 2025