Tykhe Dice is an insightful medium I have been working with and exploring since 2010. It began with a need to look at the more complex aspects of life in our time. I have uncertainties like everyone else, issues and questions, I want answers to.
I looked to the past as well as the present for knowledge and guidance.
My background in teaching specializes in affective teaching. In particular those that relate to: self improvement, goal setting, personal assessment and core skill development. I studied FE teaching with Exeter University, England. The core subject/teaching developed by: ManPower Services and UK government programs. Tykhe Dice is a development of established practice and implementation of these principles. It is both fun and helpful. More psychology than magic. However magic is in all things, call it positive thinking, self awareness, intent or focus.
The creation, look, feel and backstory of Tykhe dice draws on many traditions, interpretations and ‘visions’ of the world around us and the cosmos above. Symbols, metaphors, folklore and perception are all at work in our understanding and perception of reality. The board, the dice and the interactions draw on thousands of years of culture and practice. They are a representation of so many things that influence us, and have done throughout our history.
THM 2016
Why Tykhe Tykhe, the most revered of the Greek Goddesses once ruled the hand of fortune; daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus or Hermes. Don’t be surprised you have never heard of Tykhe, she has sadly become cloaked in time. The Romans had an equivalent of Tykhe…she was named ‘Fortuna.’
From our earliest times people have pondered over life, the universe and everything. But importantly, the trials and tribulations of their everyday lives, loves, dreams and future. Dice were offered at the feet of theGoddess Statue and the tradition was rediscovered.
The tradition of using dice goes as far back as recorded time. We look to symbols, metaphors and objects for both insight and inspiration…and we still do. Perhaps more so today than at any other time.
The undeniable fact is how often they are right, for me that is beyond any doubt.
There it is, I can see a pattern, a truth in the methodology. The discipline of focused thoughts; the act of casting a prepared question. What am I looking for, what is important…and what do I really want to happen?
I’m influencing and guiding my own future from the heart and from the self… and it’s an infinitely complex thing.
The ‘cast’ is only a point of focus, not the decision itself. So much is at work with the psyche and also, the hand of luck, timing and the right question.
The Greek Goddess, Tykhe embodied a hand beyond our mortal self an x-factor defined and checked by all the forces of our existence, a flow in the ether. An embodiment of virtues, the balance of spiritual and mortal. A direction with which to see and embark on a path.
Our current thinking
There are influences in the unconscious self; the masculine and feminine aspects of our own personalities: anima and animus in Jung’s thinking.
‘Role out Tykhe Dice’…answers are there. And you can carry them around in your pocket.
Our futures are so varied and the possibilities infinite. So much is being learned but so much has gone before; bringing together tradition and some contemporary ideas into Tykhe Dice.
With the support of others, both directly and indirectly Tykhe Dice has risen from an inspired idea, to become a fascinating insightful medium that suggests it has a long and fruitful future.
Particular thanks are given to Arianllwynog who continues to work with Tykhe Dice and uncover more of its possibilities. His lifetimes studies shaped the book ‘Understanding Tykhe Dice’ it is, and will remain, the base reference for Tykhe Dice.
However, saying that, I quite expect new users will open up new directions, techniques and casting methods. Tykhe Dice has only just emerged from its embryonic shell. It contains many elements of mankind’s wisdom and how it grows and develops will be a constant source of enjoyment, surprise and enlightenment. I hope you decide to explore it too.
(photo: Tyche (English /ˈtaɪki/; from Greek: Τύχη,[1] meaning “luck”; Roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. She is the daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus or Hermes.)
