Related:
Abacomancy,
Abomination,
Acultomancy,
Aeromancy,
Aeternitas,
Aichmomancy,
Ailuromancy,
Alectormancy,
Alectryomancy,
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Alomancy,
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Divination (from Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god"[2], related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a standardized process or ritual.[3] Diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency.[4] Divination can be seen as a systematic method with which to organize what appear to be disjointed, random facets of existence such that they provide insight into a problem at hand. If a distinction is to be made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Particular divination methods vary by culture and religion.
Additional info
Abacomancy
Abacomancy, also known as Amathomancy (from the Greek word "amathos" meaning sand) a form of divination based on the interpretation of the patterns in dust, dirt, silt, sand, or the ashes of the recently deceased. Reading the patterns is believed to give some insight into the future. Readers will the dirt, sand, or ashes on a flat surface and start looking for a pattern that may represent symbols or pictures. They interpret these symbols and pictures to what is going to happen in the future. Some look for certain symbols that are seen over and over.Acultomancy
Acultomancy (from acutomancy, the type of acultomancy described below, influenced by Latin acūleus, needle) is a form of divination that uses needles for readings.Aichmomancy
Aichmomancy (from Greek aikhmē, spearhead and manteia, prophecy) is a form of divination somewhat similar to Acultomancy in that it uses sharp pointed objects to show patterns to read.
Aichmomancy readers use pins, knives, forks, nails, and handmade pieces of wood sharpened to a point. Readers drop sharp pointed objects onto a flat surface, find patterns and interpret them.
In the most ancient form of this divination a spearhead was spun in the sand. Several centuries later, during the Early Middle Ages, divinations with pins became popular in Europe. Readers used seven pins and a table covered with cloth. Pins were thrown over the table, and the patterns were read and interpreted.
The basic patterns and their interpretations:
Ailuromancy
Ailuromancy or aeluromancy (from Greek ailouros), also known as felidomancy, is a form of theriomancy. It is divination using cats' movements or jumps to predict future events, especially the weather.Alectormancy
Alectryomancy (also called alectoromancy or alectromancy, derivation comes from the Greek words alectryon and manteia, which mean rooster and divination respectively) is a form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird, several birds (or most preferably a white rooster or cockerel) pecking at grain (such as wheat) that the diviner has scattered on the ground. It was the responsibility of the pullularius to feed and keep the birds used. The observer may place grain in the shape of letters and thus discern a divinatory revelation by noting which letters the birds peck at, or the diviner may just interpret the pattern left by the birds' pecking in randomly scattered grain.Alectryomancy
Alectryomancy (also called alectoromancy or alectromancy, derivation comes from the Greek words alectryon and manteia, which mean rooster and divination respectively) is a form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird, several birds (or most preferably a white rooster or cockerel) pecking at grain (such as wheat) that the diviner has scattered on the ground. It was the responsibility of the pullularius to feed and keep the birds used. The observer may place grain in the shape of letters and thus discern a divinatory revelation by noting which letters the birds peck at, or the diviner may just interpret the pattern left by the birds' pecking in randomly scattered grain.Aleuromancy
Aleuromancy is the use of flour for divination. The word comes from the Greek aleuron, meaning flour, and manteia, meaning divination. In its original form, slips of paper containing philosophical writings would be baked inside of cakes or cookies, which would then be distributed to those wishing their fortunes to be told. Similarly, the Greeks would bake slips of paper with sentences on them inside of balls of flour, mix the balls nine times, and distribute them. Modern fortune cookies are a variant on these forms of divination. Another form of aleuromancy consisted of interpreting patterns of flour left in a bowl in which a flour and water slurry had been mixed and poured out from. Divination with flour is attested in cuneiform sources from the 2nd millennium B.C.E. Flour was poured out in small heaps and the interpretation was based on the observation of their shapes and orientation.Alomancy
Alomancy (from Greek halo, 'salt', and manteia, divination), also called Adromancy, ydromancie, idromancie, and halomancy, is an ancient form of divination. Similar to many other forms of divination, the diviner casts salt crystals into the air and interprets the patterns as it falls to the ground or travels through the air. The diviner can also interpret patterns formed from the residue of a salt solution as it evaporates in the bowl. The exact interpretations are unknown, but it probably follows a similar method to aleuromancy.Alveromancy
Innumerable methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods — some of which had hitherto been unnamed — in Medieval Latin, very often utilizing the suffix -mantia when the art seemed more mystical (ultimately from Greek mantis, prophet) and the suffix -scopia when the art seemed more scientific (ultimately from Greek skopein, to observe). Names like drimimantia, nigromantia, and horoscopia turned up, along with a slew of other esoteric (and distinctly Medieval) "sciences" such as phrenology and physiognomy.Amathomancy
Innumerable methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods — some of which had hitherto been unnamed — in Medieval Latin, very often utilizing the suffix -mantia when the art seemed more mystical (ultimately from Greek mantis, prophet) and the suffix -scopia when the art seemed more scientific (ultimately from Greek skopein, to observe). Names like drimimantia, nigromantia, and horoscopia turned up, along with a slew of other esoteric (and distinctly Medieval) "sciences" such as phrenology and physiognomy.Ambulomancy
Innumerable methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods — some of which had hitherto been unnamed — in Medieval Latin, very often utilizing the suffix -mantia when the art seemed more mystical (ultimately from Greek mantis, prophet) and the suffix -scopia when the art seemed more scientific (ultimately from Greek skopein, to observe). Names like drimimantia, nigromantia, and horoscopia turned up, along with a slew of other esoteric (and distinctly Medieval) "sciences" such as phrenology and physiognomy.Amniomancy
Innumerable methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods — some of which had hitherto been unnamed — in Medieval Latin, very often utilizing the suffix -mantia when the art seemed more mystical (ultimately from Greek mantis, prophet) and the suffix -scopia when the art seemed more scientific (ultimately from Greek skopein, to observe). Names like drimimantia, nigromantia, and horoscopia turned up, along with a slew of other esoteric (and distinctly Medieval) "sciences" such as phrenology and physiognomy.