Across many traditions, tobacco plays a special spiritual role and this extends even to folk magic. We utilize tobacco in Southern Conjure as an offering to the spirits around us, we put it to use in various types of mojo hands and we even use it to give life to or feed objects that we have created. There are many other uses for it within this tradition, of course, but these are the most prevalent ways that we make use of this sacred plant.
And in my espiritismo cruzado practice, I make use of tobacco even more heavily than what I normally do in Southern Conjure, by far. If you’ve ever been to a misa espiritual where a lot of spirits are coming down, I don’t even have to say anything else because you already know that room is about to get a little smoky! Again, many spirits absolutely love tobacco. They love smoking it, healing with it, cleansing things with it, and so forth.
Recently, I was talking with one of my Godbrothers who is also an espiritista, about the many uses of tobacco in spiritism. This conversation really started because I had someone ask me about cigar divination or the act of interpreting a burning cigar to receive messages from the spirits. And while I know how to do this, I don’t really do it very frequently and not very much outside of a misa. My Godbrother, on the other hand, absolutely loves this method of reading. So, we got to talking.
While we are focused on primarily mediumship within espiritismo, most of us do still practice various forms of divination and reading cigars is definitely something we do in espiritismo. However, I rarely see or hear of anyone doing it much anymore and it tends to be the elder espiritistas that have kept this way of receiving messages alive. I sat there and picked his brain for a while about how this is done and what signs we can look for while burning a cigar. We went back and forth for the next hour or so on this topic.
So, I figured I might as well put this information to great use and share it right here on my blog. What you will find in this blog post is directions for how to perform a spiritual reading with a cigar. Of course, it can get considerably deeper and more complex than what I am about to teach you but this should get you started, at the very least.
When you perform a spiritual reading with a cigar, you analyze the smoke, ash, the way it burns, the way it pulls and, if possible, you should couple all of this with a healthy does mediumship and intuition.
How to Perform a Spiritual Reading with a Cigar
When you want to read a cigar, you first need to get a good quality cigar. I don’t mean in terms of price, what I mean is that this isn’t something you do with the cheapest and most stale cigarillo you can find at the gas station. Remember, divination is a conversation with the spirits and as such, regardless of the method you will be using, it should always be treated as a sacred art. So while you shouldn’t go out and buy the most expensive cigars you can find, they should be something you would be happy to give to as a gift, for instance. Aside from this aspect, dried out, really “bottom of the barrel” type of cigars just do not burn the same as fresh, good quality cigar, so this can actually affect the reading on a physical level.
Once you’ve got your cigar, before you light it, open with prayers. For this, you can simply speak from the heart or utilize more formal prayers if you have some that you prefer. Either way, you will ask for guidance from the good and helpful spirits around you and ask that the negative or heavier spirits around you be removed from the area before you begin. Ask that God allow communication between you and your spirits to be clear and direct. There are even some prayers from other traditions that are specifically used for this purpose but if you are just getting started, it is best to keep things a little more simplified.
With your prayers done, you will now light the cigar and begin to smoke it. As you do so, you concentrate on the questions you need answers to. You can think about them, whisper them or even speak them out loud, this is completely up to you.
While you are smoking the cigar, pay attention to how the smoke moves, how the cigar is burning, what it tastes or smells like and many other small details. Everything in this smoking session can be interpreted. But it is important to keep in mind that not every sign here may be relevant to your question and this is where intuition and even some mediumship skills will come in really handy. If any of these signs happens while smoking and it stands out to you more than the rest, that is a sign you should take note of and take as a form of communication.
Sit for as long as you would like or until you feel the session is over. Once done, give thanks to the spirit of the tobacco for facilitating this communication and then you will allow the cigar to burn itself out completely. When it has gone out, you thank the spirit of the tobacco as well as your own spirits. Now, take the rest of the cigar, split it open and dump the remaining tobacco outside the front door of your home or toss it into the wind in all four directions.
Interpreting the Signs
The following signs are the most common that you will encounter during a cigar divination and I have listed here what each of them mean. Please keep in mind that this can actually get rather complex as you begin to stack signs on top of each other. If you need any help interpreting a stack of signs that you’ve received during a cigar divination session, please feel free to reach out to me here.
Smoke Signs
● Clear, straight smoke usually indicates a clear path ahead or spirits moving with ease.
● Heavy, thick smoke often appears to show that there is spiritual congestion present, emotional heaviness, blockages, and/or work that needs to be done to handle the situation asked about.
● Smoke blowing back toward you means that spirits are trying to communicate with you, when this happens, say “luz” (means light) and welcome them to speak up.
● Smoke drifting toward the person that you are reading for means that the spirits are focused on the client and they need them to pay very close attention to what they communicate next.
● Smoke splitting in two directions shows divided influences or paths. Depending on the situation, this can indicate many different things. It could be something positive like saying “the person has choices available” but it could also mean “things are too divided or directionless and a choice needs to be made”… amongst many other possibilities that are highly dependent on the specific client and all the other things they are dealing with.
Burn Patterns
● An even burn means that there is balance, alignment and really no strong interference in the situation.
● If one side burns faster than the other it is showing that there is an imbalance somewhere.
● If the cigar keeps going out this is a sign of strong and immediate resistance and blockages. The client needs to be cleaned as soon as possible. You can do this on the spot in whatever way you prefer but they should also be advised to observe a routine cleansing schedule.
● If the tobacco leaf wrap breaks or cracks this is simply spiritual pressure, but depending on the situation, it could also be indicative of emotional instability.
● Runs along the wrap (also called canoeing) means there is uneven spiritual development and interference happening. The client is out of balance. Depending on the situation, they may need to be advised against spiritual extremes and doing spiritual things they don’t fully understand. This could also signal a spiritual calling or responsibility not being maintained or observed.
Reading the ashes
● Strong, long ash that doesn’t fall off easily indicates the person has strong spiritual protection surrounding them.
● If some of the ash falls off suddenly it could mean a few things. It could symbolize a sudden change, spiritual interference, or even a confirmed message from the spirits.
● If the ash looks all twisted up, this is showing you that there are complications or various types of entanglements in the clients life that need to be resolved.
● Ashes can form shapes such as faces, symbols, animals, letters, etc… All of these can be messages the spirits are trying to deliver. When this happens, place more emphasis on mediumship to understand that message.
● If you have very dark ash appearing, there is a heavy energy present.
● If the ashes are very light or purely white it is an indication that there are elevated spirits nearby
(note: many espiritistas actually let the ash grow long specifically so it can be interpreted.)
Taste and draw of the cigar
● If you get a bitter taste suddenly it means that there is a negative influence present.
● If a sweet taste suddenly appears it is a sign of spiritual approval or a positive presence.
● If the smoke becomes harsh, take this as a warning. This can also indicate the person is facing crossed conditions.
● If the cigar splits while you are smoking it this could be telling of conflict, instability, or some sort of deception around the subject being looked into or questioned about.
● If it is hard to draw, this means that there are some blockages, stubbornness, or outright closed roads.
● A smooth draw indicates open communication or a clear path forward.