Divination

Divination is the practice of ascertaining information by supernatural means. If a distinction is to be made with 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. Divination is often dismissed by skeptics as being mere superstition. However, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of divination. Divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in virtually all religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day.

Scientific research and methods have made it possible to predict future events with some success, e.g., eclipses, weather forecasts and volcanic eruptions. However, this is not divination. Strictly speaking, divination assumes the influence of some supernatural force or fate, whereas scientific predictions are made from an essentially mechanical, impersonal world-view and rely on empirical laws of nature. So, as an operational definition, divination would be all methods of prognostication that have not been shown to be effective using scientific research.

Beyond mere explanations for anecdoctal evidence, there are many serious theories of how divination might work. One such theory is rooted in the nature of the unconscious mind, a theory which has some empirical scientific basis. Based on this theory, divination is the process by which messages from the unconscious mind are decoded. The belief in a supernatural agency or occult force as the source of these messages is what distinguishes this theory from a scientific explanation.

The Romans in classical times were great practisers of divination. One method of Etruscan origin was practised by special haruspices, who examined the internal organs of animal sacrificial victims, with special attention to the liver; from this they deduced the will of the gods to whom the sacrifice was made.

Popular methods of divination have included:

• Aeromancy[?] (divination by clouds)
• Alectryomancy[?] (divination by rooster)
• Aleuromancy[?] (divination by flour), including fortune cookies
• Alomancy[?] (divination by salt)
• Alphitomancy[?] (divination by cakes)
• Anthropomancy[?] (divination by human sacrifice)
• Apantomancy[?] (divination by seeing animals)
• Astraglomancy[?] (divination by dice)
• Astrology (divination by stars)
• Austromancy[?] (divination by winds)
• Axiomancy[?] (divination by axes)
• Belomancy[?] (divination by arrows)
• Bibliomancy[?] (divination by books)
• Botanomancy[?] (divination by burning plants)
• Capnomancy[?] (divination by smoke)
• Cartomancy (divination by cards), using ordinary playing cards or a special set of tarot cards. This has been practised since playing cards came into use (first in Italy in the 14th century), but some practitioners claim ancient Egyptian origins derived from wisdom originating from the Egyptian scribe-god Thoth.
• Captopromancy[?] (divination by mirrors)
• Causimomancy[?] (divination by burning)
• Cephalomancy[?] (divination by skulls)
• Ceraunoscopy[?] (divination by thunder and lightning)
• Ceromancy[?] (Ceroscopy; divination by placing melted was into cold water)
• Crystallomancy (divination by crystals); other reflecting objects have been used for this purpose too.
• Cheiromancy (or Palmistry; divination by palms) where the markings of the hand are interpreted as signs.
• Chirognomy[?] (divination by hands)
• Clairaudience[?] (divination by psychic hearing)
• Cleromancy[?] (divination by casting lots)
• Clidomancy[?] (or Cleidomancy; divination by keys)
• Coscinomancy[?] (divination by hanging sieves)
• Critomancy[?] (divination by barley cakes)
• Cromniomancy[?] (divination by onion sprouts)
• Cyclomancy[?] (divination by wheels)
• Daphnomancy[?] (divination by burning laurel wreaths)
• Demonomancy[?] (divination by demons)
• Empyromancy[?] (divination by burning)
• Geomancy (divination by earth), also includes Feng Shui

• Geloscopy[?] (divination by laughter)
• Graphology (divination by handwriting)
• Gyromancy[?] (divination by dizziness)
• Hepatoscopy (also haruspication; divination by liver)
• Hippomancy[?] (divination by horses)
• Hydromancy[?] (divination by water)
• Icthyomancy[?] (divination by fish)
• Lampadomancy[?] (divination by light)
• Lecanomancy[?] (divination by a basin of water)
• Libanomancy[?] (divination by incense)
• Lithomancy[?] (divination by precious stones)
• Margaritomancy[?] (divination by bouncing pearls)
• Metagnomy[?] (divination by visions)
• Meteoromancy[?] (divination by meteors)
• Metoposcopy[?] (divination by foreheads)
• Moleosophy[?] (divination by blemishes)
• Myomancy[?] (divination by rodent behavior)
• Numerology (divination by numbers)
• Oculomancy[?] (divination by eyes)
• Oinomancy[?] (divination by wine)
• Omphalomancy[?] (divination by umbilical chords)
• Oneiromancy[?] (divination by dreams)
• Onomancy[?] (divination by names)
• Onychomancy[?] (divination by fingernails)
• Oomantia[?] (or Ooscopy, Ovomancy; divination by eggs)
• Ophiomancy[?] (divination by snakes)
• Orniscopy[?] (or Ornithomancy; divination by birds of flight)
• Pegomancy[?] (divination by spring water)
• Phrenology (divination by the shape of one's head)
• Phyllorhodomancy[?] (divination by rose petals)
• Pyromancy[?] (or Pyroscopy; divination by fire)
• Rhabdomancy[?] (divination by rod or stick)
• Rhapsodomancy[?] (divination by poetry)
• Sciomancy[?] (divination by spirits)
• Sideromancy[?] (divination by burning of straw)
• Spodomancy[?] (divination by ash)
• Stichomancy[?] (divination by books)
• Stolisomancy[?] (divination by clothing)
• Tasseography[?] (divination by tea leaves)
• Tephramancy[?] (divination by bark ashes)
• Tiromancy[?] (divination by cheese)
• Xylomancy[?] (divination by burning wood)

One of the most popular methods of divination worldwide today is astrology, which is practised in many ways according to different traditions. It is regarded as a pseudo-science by most people with a scientific background.

Related articles

• Anthropology of religion
• Bone divination[?]
• Dream Interpretation[?]
• Futurology
• I Ching
• Runecasting
• Scrying[?]
• Tarot

External links

• Theory of Divination (http://maroney.org/Essays/Theory_of_Divination)