Divination

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Divination is the method of obtaining knowledge of the unknown or the future by means of omens. Astrology and oracular utterances may be regarded as branches of divination. The derivation of the word supposes a direct message from the gods to the diviner or augur. It is practiced in all grades of civilization. The methods of divination are many and various, and strangely enough in their variety are confined to no one portion of the globe.

Introduction

Popular Methods of Divination

Other Forms of Divination

  • Alectryomancy (by rooster) - Divination by means of a cock that pecked grain placed on letters of the alphabet. There is a vivid description of this practice in The Ides of March by Thornton Wilder.
  • Aleuromancy (by flour, including fortune cookies) - Divination from flour. Messages enclosed in balls of dough and prophetic of the future. (Note: Divination by fortune cookies is also a form of Stichomancy)
  • Alomancy - Divination by means of salt.
  • Aphatomancy - Divination by observation of objects that appear haphazardly.
  • Armomancy - Divination by observation of the shoulders of a sacrificial animal.
  • Asipidomancy - A little known form of divination practiced in the Indies, as we are told by some travelers. The diviner or sorcerer creates a magic circle, takes up his position therein seated on a shield, and mutters certain conjurations. He becomes entranced and falls into an ecstasy, from which he only emerges to tell things that his client wishes to know, and which the devil has revealed to him.
  • Astragalomancy (by dice; see also Cleromancy) - Divination by means of knucklebones.
  • Astromancy (by celestial bodies, aka Astrology; antiquated term)
  • Astro-Tarot (through an integration of Astrology and Tarot)
  • Augury - a form of divination that observes the behavior of birds. It was extensively cultivated by the Etrurians and Romans. The Romans had an official college of augurs, the members of which were originally three patricians. About 300 B.C. the number of patrician augurs was increased by one, and five plebeian augurs were added. Later the number was again increased to fifteen. The object of augury was not so much to foretell the future as to indicate what line of action should be followed, in any given circumstances, by the nation. The augurs were consulted on all matters of importance, and the position of augur was thus one of great consequence. In what appears to be the oldest method, the augur, arrayed in a special costume, and carrying a staff with which to mark out the visible heavens into houses, proceeded to an elevated piece of ground, where a sacrifice was made and a prayer repeated. Then, gazing towards the sky, he waited until a bird appeared. The point in the heavens where it first made its appearance was carefully noted, also the manner and direction of its flight, and the point where it was lost sight of. From these particulars an augury was derived, but, in order to be of effect, it had to be confirmed by a further one. Auguries were also drawn from the notes of birds, birds being divided by the augurs into two classes: (i) oscines, "those which give omens by their note," and (ii) alites, "those which afford presages by their flight."[1] Another method of augury was performed by the feeding of chickens specially kept for this purpose. This was done just before sunrise by the pullarius or feeder, strict silence being observed. If the birds manifested no desire for their food, the omen was of a most direful nature. On the other hand, if from the greediness of the chickens the grain fell from their beaks and rebounded from the ground, the augury was most favorable. This latter augury was known as tripudium solistimum.
  • Axiomancy (by axes) - Divination by means of a hatchet or a woodcutter's axe. It is by this form of divination that the diviners predicted the ruin of Jerusalem, as is seen from Psalm LXXIII. Francois de la Tour-Blanche, who remarked upon this, does not tell how the diviners made use of the hatchet. We can only suppose that it was by one of the two methods employed in ancient times and still practiced in certain northern countries. The first is as follows: When it is desired to find a treasure, a round agate must be procured, the head of the axe must be made red-hot in the fire, and so placed that its edge may stand perpendicularly in the air. If it remains there, there is no treasure, if it falls, it will roll quickly away. It must, however, be replaced three times, and if it rolls three times toward the same place, there the treasure will be found. If it rolls a different way each time, one must seek about for the treasure. The second method of divination by the axe is for the purpose of detecting robbers. The hatchet is cast on the ground, head-downwards, with the handle rising perpendicular in the air. Those present must dance round it in a ring, till the handle of the axe totters and it falls to the ground. The end of the handle indicates the direction in which the thieves must be sought. It is said by some that if the divination is to succeed, the head of the axe must be stuck in a round pot, but this, as Delancre says, is absurd.
  • Belomancy (by arrows) The method of divination by arrows, dates as far back as the age of the Chaldeans. It existed among the Greeks, and still- later among the Arabians. The manner in which the latter practised it is described elsewhere, and they continued its use though forbidden by the Koran. Another method deserves mention. This was to throw a certain number of arrows into the air, and the direction in which the arrow inclined as it fell, pointed out the course to be taken by the inquirer. Divination by arrows is the same in principle as Rhabdomancy.
  • Bibliomancy (by books, especially the Bible; see also Stichomancy) - A method of discovering whether or not a person was innocent of sorcery, by weighing him against the great Bible in the Church. If the person weighed less than the Bible, he was innocent. There are many variants of the term, however. Bibliomancy is sometimes associated with a form of divination that seeks knowledge of the future by randomly selecting passages from a book, usually a sacred text. (See Stichomancy and Libromancy)
  • Botanomancy (by burning plants) - A method of divination by means of burning the branches of vervein and brier, upon which were carved the questions of the practitioner.
  • Capnomancy (by smoke) - Divination by means of wreaths, which consisted in two principal methods. The more important was the smoke o he sacrifices, which augured well if it rose lightly from the altar, and ascended straight to the clouds; but the contrary if it hung about. Another method was to throw a few jasmine or poppy seeds upon burning coals. There was a third practice by breathing the smoke of the sacrificial fire.
  • Cartomancy (by cards, e.g., playing cards, tarot cards, and non-tarot oracle cards; see also Taromancy)
  • Catoptromancy (by mirrors) - is a species of divination by the mirror, which Pausanius describes: "Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple y a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread, till its base touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the pressage of death or recovery, or of a ghastly aspect." Another method of using the mirror was to place it at the back of a boy's or girl's head, whose eyes were bandaged. In Thessaly, the response appeared in characters of blood on the face of the mon, probably represented in the mirror. The Thessalian sorceresses derived their art from the Persians, who always endeavored to plant their religion and mystic rites in the countries they invaded.
  • Causimomancy (by burning) - Divination by fire. It was a good omen when combustible objects cast into the fire don't burn.
  • Ceraunoscopy (by thunder and lightning) Divination practised by the ancients by the examination of the phenomena of the air, thunder, and lightening.
  • Ceromancy, or ceroscopy (by placing melted wax into cold water) Divination by interpretation of melted wax dropped on the floor.
  • Ceroscopy - Divination by wax. The process was as follows. Fine wax was melted in a brass vessel until it became a liquid of uniform consistence. It was then poured slowly into another vessel filled with cold water, in such a way that the wax congealed in tiny discs upon the surface of the water. The magician then interpreted the figures thus presented as he saw fit.
  • Cheiromancy, or palmistry (by palms) where the grooves of the hand are interpreted as signs.
  • Cleromancy (by casting lots or by bones; including divination by use of dice or dominoes; For divination by use of dice, see also Astragalomancy) was practiced by throwing black and white beans, little bones or dice, and perhaps stones: anything, in short, suitable for lots. A method of practicing cleromancy in the streets of Egypt is mentioned under the head of Sortilege, and the same thing was common in Rome. The Thriaen lots, named before, meant indifferently the same thing as cleromancy: it was nothing than dicing, only that the objects used bore particular marks or characters, and were consecrated to Mercury, who was regarded as the patron of this method of divination. For this reason an olive leaf, caled "the lot of Mercury," was generally put in the urn in order to propitiate his favor.
  • Clidomancy, or cleidomancy (by keys) - should be exercised when the sun or moon is in Virgo, the name should be written upon a key, the key should be tied to a Bible, and both should be hung upon the nail of the ring-finger of a virgin, who must thrice softly repeat certain words. According as the key and book turns or is stationary, the name is to be considered right or wrong. Some ancients added the seven Psalms with litanies and sacred prayers, and then more fearful effects were produced upon him, or he lost an eye. Another method of practicing with the Bible and key, is to place the street door key on the fiftieth-psalm, close the volume and fasten it tightly with the garter of a female; it is then suspended to a nail and will turn when the name of the their is mentioned. By a third method, two persons suspend the Bible between them; holding the rig of the key by their two forefingers.
  • Coscinomancy (by hanging sieves) - is practiced with a sieve, and a pair of tongs or shears, which are supported upon the thumb nails of two persons, who look one upon the other, or the nails of the middle finger may be used. Potter, in his Greek Antiquities, says: "It was generally used to discover thieves, or others suspected of any crime, in this manner: they tied a thread to the sieve by which it was upheld, or else placed a pair of shears, which they held up by two fingers, then prayed to the gods to direct and assist them; after that they repeated the names of the persons under suspicion, and he, at whose name the sieve whirled round or moved, was thought guilty." In the Athenian Oracle it is called: "the trick of the sieve and scissors, the coskiomancy of the ancients, as old as Theocritus." It was used to discover love secrets as well as unknown persons.
  • Critomancy (by barley cakes) - Divination by means of observing viands and cakes. The paste of cakes which are offered in sacrifice, is closely examined, and from the flour which is spread upon them, omens are drawn.
  • Crystallomancy/Scrying (by crystals or other reflecting objects) - A mode of divination practiced from very early times with the aid of a crystal globe, a pool of water, a mirror, or indeed any transparent object. Divinations by means of water, ink, and such substances are also known by the name of hydromancy (q.v.). Crystal gazing may be a very simple or a very elaborate performance, according to the period in which it was practiced, but in every case the object is to induce in the clairvoyant a form of hypnosis, so that he may see visions in the crystal.
  • Dactylomancy - A term covering various forms of divination practiced with the aid of rings. One method resembles the table-rapping once used in spiritualism. A round table is inscribed with the letters of the alphabet, and a ring suspended above it. The ring, it is said, will indicate certain letters, which go to make up the message required. It was used, according to Ammianus Marcellinus, to find Valen's successor, and the name Theodosius was correctly indicated. Solemn services of a religious character accompanied this mode of divination. Another form of dactylomancy of which there is no detailed account, was practiced with rings of gold, silver, copper, iron, or lead, which were placed on the finger-nails in certain conjunctions of the planets. A wedding ing is, however, most in favor for purposes of this sort. Another way is to suspend the ring with a glass tumbler, or just outside of it so, that the ring on being swung may easily touch the glass. As with table-rapping, a code for an affirmative, twice for a negative answer, and so on. Suspend above a sovereign, the ring will indicate the person from whose head hair has been taken, or, if requested, another other member of the company.
  • Daphnomancy (by burning laurel wreaths) - Divination by means of the laurel. A branch is thrown in the fire, if it crackles in burning it is a happy sign, but if it burns without doing so, te prognostication is false.
  • Demonomancy (by demons) - Divination by means of demons. This divination takes place by the oracles they make, or by the answers they give to those who evoke them.
  • Eromanty - On of six kinds of divination practiced among the Persians by means of air. They enveloped their heads in a napkin and exposed to the air a vase filled with water, over which they mutter in a low voice the objects of their desires. If the surface of the air shows bubbles it is regarded as a happy prognostication.
  • Extispicy - (from the exta of sacrificed animals) so named from exta and spicere, to view, consider was applied to the inspection of entrails chiefly. The officers were Extispices or Aruspices, and one of the instruments they used was called by the same name as the craft, an extispicium. The Erturians were the first and also the most learned, who practiced extispicy, and Romulus is said to have chosen his first Aruspices from among them. The art was also practiced throughout Greece, where it had a consecrated priesthood cnfined to two families. The Roman Aruspices had four distinct duties, to examine the victims before they were opened, to examine the entrails, to observe the flame as the sacrifice was burnt, and also to examine the meat and drink-offering which accomplished it. It was a fatal sign when the heart was wanting, and this is said to have been the case with two oxen that were immolated on the day when Caesar was killed. If the priest let the entrails fall, or there was more bloodiness than usual, or if they were livid in color, it was understood to be a portent of instant disaster.
  • Gastromancy or divination from the belly, is now generally explained by ventriloquism, the voice in both cases sounding low and hollow, as if issuing from the ground. Another method of practicing ancient gastromancy connects it with crystal seeing, as vessels of glass, round, and full of clear water, were used, which were placed before several lighted candles. In this case, a young boy or girl was generally the seer, and the demon was summoned in a low voice by the magician. Replies were then obtained from the magical appearances seen in the illuminated glass vessels.
  • Geomancy (by earth), includes Feng Shui divination.
  • Gyromancy (by dizziness) Was performed by going round continually in a circle, the circumference of which was marked by letters. The presage was drawn from the words formed by the letters on which the inquirers stumbled when they became too giddy to stand. The object of this curcumcursation was simply to exclude the interference of the will, and reduce the selection of letters to mere chance. In some species of enchantment, however, the act of turning round was to produce a prophetic delirium. The religious dances, and the rotation of certain fanatics on one foot, with their arms stretched out, are of this nature. These cases really indicate a magical secret, of which, however, the deluded victims rarely possessed any knowledge. In the phenomenon of St. Vitus's Dance, and the movements of the convulsionares, manifestations of spiritual intelligence were quite common.
  • Hepatoscopy, or haruspication or hepatomancy (by liver)
  • Hippomancy (by horses) - A method of divination practiced by the ancient Celts, who kept certain white horses in consecrated groves. These were made to walk immediately after the sacred car, and auguries were drawn from their movements. The ancient Germans kept similar steeds in their temples. If on leaving these on the outbreak of hostilities they crossed the threshold with the left forefoot first, the presage was regarded as an evil one, and the war was abandoned.
  • I Ching divination (ancient Chinese divination using I Ching): (However, as performed by some diviners with heavy reliance on an accompanying I Ching manual, this is, in effect, also a form of Bibliomancy/Stichomancy)
  • Icthyomancy (by fish) - Divination by the inspection of the entrails of fish.
  • Lampadomancy (by light) - Divination by means of the flame of a lamp.
  • Lecanomancy (by a basin of water) - Divination by means of dropping precious stones into water and listening to the resultant sound.
  • Libanomancy (by incense) - Divination by means of incense smoke.
  • Libromancy (by book(s); see also: Bibliomancy, Stichomancy)
  • Literomancy (by a letter in a given written language)
  • Lithomancy (by precious stones) A species of divination performed by stones, but in what manner it is difficult to ascertain due to historical obscurities.
  • Margaritomancy (by bouncing pearls) - Divination by pearls. A pearl was covered with a vase, and placed near the fire, and the names of suspected persons pronounced. When the name of the guilty one was uttered the pearl was supposed to bound upwards and pierce the bottom of the vase.
  • Nggàm (by spiders or crabs)
  • Oinomancy (by wine) - Divination by means of wine.
  • Omphalomancy (by umbilical chords) - Divination by the navel.
  • Oneiromancy (by dreams) - The interpretation of dreams. The magicians-of ancient Egypt were skilled in inducing dreams prognos-ticative of the future.
  • Onomancy (by names) - it has been properly said more correctly signifies divination by a donkey, than by a name; and the latter science ought to be termed Onomamancy, or Onomatomancy. The notion that an analogy existed between men's names and their fortunes is supposed to have originated with the Pythagoreans; it furnished some reveries to Plato, and has been the source f small wit in Ausonius, which it may amuse the classical scholar to collate from his epigrams. Two leading rules in the science of Onomancy were first, that an even number of vowels in a man's name signifies something amiss in his left side; an uneven number a similar affection on the right; so that, between the two, perfect sanity was little to be expected. Secondly, of two competitors, that one would prove successful the numeral letters in whose name was summed up exceeded the amount of those in the name of his rival; and this was one of the reasons which enabled Achilles to triumph over Hector.
  • Onychomancy (by fingernails) - Divination by the finger-nails. It is practiced by watching the reflection of the sun in the nails of a boy, and judging the future by the shape of the figures which show themselves on their surface.
  • Oomantia, or ooscopy or ovomancy (by eggs) - Two methods of divination by eggs. Was often as simple as putting eggs on a fire and observing how they broke. An example under the former name is related by Suetonius, who says, that Livia, when slie was anxious to know whether she should be the mother of a boy or girl, kept an egg in her bosom at the proper temperature, until a chick with a beautiful cockscomb came forth. The latter name denotes a method of divining the signs or characters appearing in eggs. The custom ofpasche or paste eggs, which are stained with various colours, and given away at Easter, is well known, and is described at considerable length by Brand. The custom is most religiously observed in Russia, where it is derived from the Greek Church. Gilded or coloured eggs are mutually exchanged both by men and women, who kiss one another, and if any coolness existed previously become good friends again on these occasions. The egg is one of the most ancient and beautiful symbols of the new birth, and has...
  • Ophiomancy (by snakes) - Divination by observation of serpents.
  • Oracle-books divination (e.g., Chinese: I Ching (Book of Changes), Ling Ch'i Ching (Spiritual Chess Classic), I Lin (Forest of Change), T'ai Hsüan Ching (Canon of the Supreme Mystery); African: Ifá; Western: Sabian Symbols): See also Stichomancy/Bibliomancy
  • Orniscopy, or orinthomancy (by birds of flight) is the Greek word for augury, the method of divination by the flight or the song of birds, which, with the Romans, became a part of their national religion, and had a distinct priesthood. For this reason it is treated in a separate article.
  • Ouija board divination - (from the French oui and the German ja: yes), a wooden tripod on rollers which, under the hand of the medium, moves over a polished board and spells -out messages by pointing out letters with its apex. As an invention it is very old. It was in use in the days of Pythagoras, about 540 B.C. According to a French historical account of the philosopher's life, his sect held frequent seances or circles at which "a mystic table, moving on wheels, moved towards signs, which the philosopher and his pupil, Philolaus, interpreted to the audience as being revelations supposedly from the unseen world." An improvement of the original ouija board is the finger-like pointer at the narrow end, and a simplification is the replacement of the wooden board by a piece of alphabetical cardboard. If the pointer and the roll at the apex is replaced by a pencil thrust through a bored hole so as to form the third leg the ouija board is transformed into a planchette. As a rule the ouija board as a method of communication is slow and laborious. But it frequently works with those who fail to get automatic writing with a pencil. Modern boards have the letters of the alphabet, numerals and Yes/No.
  • Phyllorhodomancy (by rose petals) - Divination by rose-leaves. The Greeks clapped a rose-leaf on the hand, and judged from the resulting sound the success or otherwise of their desires.
  • Plastromancy (by cracks formed by heat on a turtle's plastron)
  • Psychomancy Divination by spirits or the art of evoking the dead. See Necromancy.
  • Pyromancy, or pyroscopy (by fire) or divining by fire, has been alluded to in Extispicy. The presage was good when the flame was vigorous and quickly consumed the sacrifice; when it was clear of all smoke, transparent, neither red nor dark in color; when it did not crackle, but burnt silently in a pyramidal form. If it as slow to consume the victim, the presage was evil. Besides the sacrificial fire, the ancients divined by observing the flames of torches, and even by throwing powdered pitch into a fire; if it caught quickly the omen was good.
  • Rhapsodomancy (by poetry) - Divination by means of opening the works of a poet at hazard and reading the verse which first presented itself.
  • Scapulimancy (by bovine or caprid scapulae, i.e. shoulder bones)
  • Speal Bone, Divination By - A form of divination used in Scotland. A speal bone, or blade bone of a shoulder of mutton is used, but details of the method are wanting. A common soldier, accompanying Lord Loudonon his retreat to Skye, told the issue of the battle of Culloden at the very moment it was decided, pretending to have seen the event by looking through the bone.
  • Spodomancy (by ash) - Divination by means of the cinders from sacrificial fires.
  • Stichomancy (by books and/or lines; see also: Bibliomancy, Libromancy)
  • Stoicheomancy - A method of divination which is practiced by opening the works of Homer or Virgil, and reading as oracular statement the verse which presents itself. It is a branch of rhapsodomancy.
  • Stolisomancy (by clothing) - Divination from the manner in which a person dresses himself. Augustus believed that a military revolt was predicted on the morning of its occurence by the fact that his valet had buckled his right sandal to his left foot.
  • Sycomancy - Divination by the leaves of the fig tree. Questions or propositions on which one wished to be enlightened were written on the leaves. If the leaf dried quickly after the appeal to the diviner, it was an evil omen; but a good augury if the leaf dried slowly.
  • Taromancy (by specially designed cards: Tarot; see also Cartomancy)
  • Tasseography (or Tasseomancy) (by tea leaves or by coffee grounds): From French tasse [cup], which in turn derives from Arabic tassa [cup].
  • Tephramancy (by bark ashes) A mode of divination in which use is made of the ashes of the fire which had consumed the victims of a sacrifice.
  • Tiromancy (by cheese) - Divination by means of cheese. It is practiced in diverse ways the details of which are not known.
  • Xylomancy (by burning wood) - Divination by means of wood, practiced particularly in Slavonia. It is the art of reading omens from the position of small pieces of dry wood found in one's path. No less certain presages of future events may be drawn from the arrangement of logs in the fire place, from the manner in which they burn, etc. It is perhaps the survival of this mode of divination which makes the good people say, when a brand is disturbed, that, "they are going to have a visitor."
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