Modern Divination

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If you make judgments of someone based on their handwriting, then you are practicing Graphology. Although it still counts as a form of divination (and many consider it a pseudoscience), Graphology has evolved into the science of graph analysis. Gypsy Fortune-Telling Cards Sandstrom, Alan R. "Divination." In David Carrasco (ed). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures.: Oxford University Press, 2001. Like astronomy, geomancy used deduction and computation to uncover significant prophecies as opposed to omens ( ‘ilm al-fa’l), which were process of “reading” visible random events to decipher the invisible realities from which they originated. It was upheld by prophetic tradition and relied almost exclusively on text, specifically the Qur’an (which carried a table for guidance) and poetry, as a development of bibliomancy. [26] The practice culminated in the appearance of the illustrated “Books of Omens” ( Falnama) in the early 16th century, an embodiment of the apocalyptic fears as the end of the millennium in the Islamic calendar approached. [27] Divination | Religion, History & Practices | Britannica". www.britannica.com . Retrieved 2023-10-28.

The swirling shapes made by pouring melted wax into water were used as a divination tool in both ancient and medieval Europe. One common method was to melt the wax in a brass container, and then pour the liquified wax into a vessel full of cold water, after which the diviner would interpret the shapes floating in the water. A related practice, molybdomancy, used the shapes in molten metal, usually lead. One 19th-century Irish book instructs women curious about the trade of their future spouse to take a small lump of lead and put it under their pillow on Midsummer's Eve. The next day they were to heat the lead until boiling, take a pail of water, and pour in the lead—"take it out, and you will find … emblems of his trade; if a ship, he is a sailor, [if] a book, a parson … and so on." 8. Cledonomancy (Divination by Words Overheard) Bailey, Michael David. (2007). Magic and Superstition in Europe. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. pp. 52-53. ISBN 0-7425-3386-7 There are a couple of ways ancient man predicted the future using arrows. One method was to put special arrows in a quiver (arrow bag), ask a question, and then randomly select one, just like you would withdrawing lots. Another method involved shooting arrows into the sky and interpreting how they crossed paths and landed. Technically, one could argue that any spirit communication is Necromancy. Necromancy, therefore, has its roots in Paleolithic times. However, Necromancy is often distinguished from natural mediumship due to its ritualistic nature, so they may or may not be as old as each other. Necromancy is a feature of shamanism. Bailey, Michael David. (2007). Magic and Superstition in Europe. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. pp. 88-89. ISBN 0-7425-3386-7

Other Subject Areas

A comparative study of Greek, Roman, and Mesopotamian forms of divination and their institutions, practitioners, and mechanisms, and a discussion of how and to what extent they helped alleviate anxiety and uncertainty. The power of text held significant weight in the " science of letters" (‘ilm al-huruf), the foundational principle being "God created the world through His speech." [30] The science began with the concept of language, specifically Arabic, as the expression of "the essence of what it signifies." [30] Once the believer understood this, while remaining obedient to God’s will, they could uncover the essence and divine truth of the objects inscribed with Arabic like amulets and talismans through the study of the letters of the Qur’an with alphanumeric computations. [30] Individuals can also assess their own and others' personalities according to physical characteristics. Blood type remains a popular form of divination from physiology. Stemming from Western influences, body reading or ninsou, determines personality traits based on body measurements. The face is the most commonly analyzed feature, with eye size, pupil shape, mouth shape, and eyebrow shape representing the most important traits. An upturned mouth may be cheerful, and a triangle eyebrow may indicate that someone is strong-willed. [47] Brontomancy means divination using thunder. Brontomancy is pretty much a cross between divination using signs (Apantomancy), divination using the weather (Aeromancy), and divination using sound (Cledonism). According to diviners, to hear the sound of thunder is a message of approval from the gods. Capnomancy

Rohsenow, Hill Gates, and David K. Jordan. “Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors: The Folk Religion of a Taiwanese Village.” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 33, no. 3, 1974, p. 478., doi:10.2307/2052956. Belomancy is one form of fortune-telling mentioned in the Bible. The Book of Ezekiel (21:21) mentions Belomancy with Haruspicy and possibly Teraphim. Beerden, Kim. Worlds Full of Signs: Ancient Greek Divination in Context. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 176. Leiden, The Netherlands, and Boston: Brill, 2013. Lithomancy for protection in those moments you intuitively reach for your obsidian, lunar scrying for emotional healing when you’re struggling and feel a pull towards angelite, and bring in crystals to tarot spreads to provide additional clarity in a reading like with selenite. During battle, generals would frequently ask seers at both the campground (a process called the hiera) and at the battlefield (called the sphagia). The hiera entailed the seer slaughtering a sheep and examining its liver for answers regarding a more generic question; the sphagia involved killing a young female goat by slitting its throat and noting the animal's last movements and blood flow. The battlefield sacrifice only occurred when two armies prepared for battle against each other. Neither force would advance until the seer revealed appropriate omens. [ citation needed]

Biblical Studies

In 692 the Quinisext Council, also known as the "Council in Trullo" in the Eastern Orthodox Church, passed canons to eliminate pagan and divination practices. [16] Fortune-telling and other forms of divination were widespread through the Middle Ages. [17] In the constitution of 1572 and public regulations of 1661 of the Electorate of Saxony, capital punishment was used on those predicting the future. [18] Laws forbidding divination practice continue to this day. [19] The Waldensians sect were accused of practicing divination. [20]

Apantomancy is divination using things you come across by chance, usually animals. In general, you would interpret the things you see as being a sign from the spirits, the universe, God, or Goddesses. Miller, Laura (2017). "Japanese Tarot Cards". ASIANetwork Exchange. 24 (1): 1–28. doi: 10.16995/ane.244. Silva, Sonia (2016). "Object and Objectivity in Divination". Material Religion. 12 (4): 507–509. doi: 10.1080/17432200.2016.1227638. ISSN 1743-2200. S2CID 73665747. Graw, Knut (2012). "Divination and Islam: Existential Perspectives in the Study of Ritual and Religious Praxis in Senegal and Gambia". In Schielke, Samuli; Debevec, Liza (eds.). Ordinary Lives and Grand Schemes an Anthropology of Everyday Religion. EASA Series. Vol.18. New York: Berghahn Books.Personality typing as a form of divination has been prevalent in Japan since the 1980s. Various methods exist for divining personality type. Each attempt to reveal glimpses of an individual's destiny, productive and inhibiting traits, future parenting techniques, and compatibility in marriage. Personality type is increasingly important for young Japanese, who consider personality the driving factor of compatibility, given the ongoing marriage drought and birth rate decline in Japan. [47] His heartbeat leapt under her palm; and she was Icarus, unwinding as he held her to his chest. How far would she go until it was too late? Until enough of her had melted off that she could no longer be reshaped?... Just burn me, she thought. Let both our wings be damaged. Divination is a cultural activity that serves multiple purposes and is attested to in a myriad of variations. The history of their manifestations, development, and cross-fertilization in the ancient world is still a work in progress. The first and still most generous introduction is Bouché-Leclercq 1899. For a comparative study of ancient Greek and Near Eastern divination, see Beerden 2013. Cryer 1994 gives a survey of forms of divination attested in Near Eastern sources and in the Hebrew Bible. For the versatility of divination, see Rüpke 2013. Most of the sources for ancient divination are still inaccessible to the nonspecialist. A practical collection of Near Eastern sources can be found in Abusch and Krüger 2008. For a comprehensive study of magic and divination in the Hebrew Bible and in Late Antiquity, see Bohak 2008. If the matter you’re divining on is not too important, then you can scorch a piece of wood with lighter while focusing on your question.