Methods of Divination

## Aeromancy:

divination y interpreting the air, sky, and atmospheric conditions, particularly concentrating on cloud shapes, comets, and other phenomena not normally visible in the heavens.

## Astrology:

is divination using celestial bodies,such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars, in order to determine the likelihood of future events.

## Ailuromancy:

(also known as felidomancy) uses the behaviour of felines, such as the cats' movements or jumps to predict future events (especially the weather).

## Bibliomancy:

is divination that seeks to know the future by randomly selecting a passage from a book, frequently a sacred text.

## Cartomancy:

is fortune telling by using cards, e.g., playing cards, tarot cards (Taromancy) , and non-tarot oracle cards.

## Chiromancy/Cheiromancy:

foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palmistry, palm-reading, chirology or hand analysis.

## Crystallomancy/Crystal Gazing:

Divination by using crystals or other reflecting objects Crystal gazing is a form of divination or scrying achieved through trance induction by means of gazing at a crystal or other reflecting object. Also known as crystallomancy, gastromancy, spheromancy and a form of Scrying.

## Dactylomancy:

divination that uses a Ring suspended like a pendulum in order to find the answer to a specific question.

## Dowsing or Divining Rods:

divination where a forked stick(or other non-scientific apparatus) is used to locate water or.hidden water wells, buried metals, precious minerals and gemstones, or other objects as well as currents of earth radiation. Sometimes called doodlebugging, divining or water witching.

## Geomancy :

that interprets markings on the ground, or how handfuls of soil, dirt or sand land when someone tosses them. The Arabic tradition consists of sketching sixteen random lines of dots in sand. (includes Feng Shui divination.)

Graphology divination by handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing character. Also known as Handwriting Analysis.

I Ching divination Ancient Chinese divination using the I Ching. Some diviners rely on an accompanying I Ching manual, also a form of Bibliomancy/Stichomancy.

## Numerology:

divination through numbers. The personality of an individual as well as future events can be determined using the numerical interpretation of numbers, dates, and the number value of letters.

## Oculomancy :

is a form of scrying where the diviner gazes into the questioners' eyes and reads the reflections.

## Oneiromancy:

divination that is based upon dreams. Dream interpretation uses dreams to predict the future.

## Onomancy:

(also Onomamancy or Onomatomancy) divination based on a subject's given name, usually following practices of Gematria.

## Ouija board divination:

A Ouija Board is an alphabet board with a pointer used for various forms of divination and/or spirit contact, and is sometimes used to gain insight into future events.

## Podomancy :

(also known as solistry) is a divination by examining the lines of soles. Similar to palmistry, where the divination is based on the person's palm shape and lines, podomancy is based on the belief that person's feet represent the symbol of that person's soul.

## Palmistry :

divination (also known as Chiromancy,cheiromancy, palm-reading, chirology or hand analysis) that interprets the character of an individual and fortune telling by using the lines,structures and patterns of the palm, but can take into consideration the entire hand.

## Phrenology:

(by the shape of one's head) Divination by studying the shape of ones head, and by reading bumps and fissures in the skull, in order to gain insight into the personality traits of a person.

## Pyromancy, or pyroscopy:)

is the art of divination by means of fire. The diviner observes flames, from a sacrificial fire, a candle, or another source of flame, and interprets the shapes that he or she sees within them. Pyromancy was one of the earlier forms of divination.

## Runecasting / Runic divination:

divination based on interpretation of the ideograms contained within the Proto-Germanic Elder Futhark and other Runic systems.

## Scatomancy:

divination by the examination of feces, especially animal droppings.

## Sciomancy:

is divination using a spirit guide, a method generally employed by chanelers. This branch of divination is concerned with the evocation of astral reflections to ascertain future events.

## Scrying:

(Crystallomancy/Crystal Gazing) :is a general term for divination using a crystal, mirrors, bowls of water, ink, or flames to induce visions.

## Sternomancy:

divination practice involving reading the markings or bumps on the chest or breast bone, or the area from the breast to the belly.

## Taromancy:

is the art of divination through the use of Tarot cards. Also known considered to be Cartomancy.

## Tasseography:

(also known as tasseomancy or tassology) divination that interprets patterns in tea leaves (coffee grounds and wine sediments as well) that remain in a cup once the beverage has been drunk.

## Less Common Forms of Divination

### Alectryomancy :

(also called alectoromancy or alectromancy) 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 and interprets such.

### Aleuromancy :

is the use of flour for 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. Modern fortune cookies are a variant on these forms of divination.

### Alomancy :

also called Adromancy, aydromancie, idromancie, and halomancy,is an ancient form of divination that uses table salt or salt crystals.

### Alphitomancy :

is a form of divination involving barley cakes or loaves of barley bread, sometimes by using special cakes that are digestible by persons with a clear conscience but are unpleasant to others.

### Anthropomancy :

long-outlawed means of divination that used the entrails of dead or dying men or women, often virgin female children, through sacrifice. This practice was sometimes also called splanchomancy.

### Apantomancy :

divination through chance meetings with animals (e.g., a black cat), birds, and other creatures. Or ometimes just articles at hand or things that present themselves by chance.

### Arithmancy or Arithmomancy :

is an earlier form of Numerology where divination is made through numbers and the number value of letters.

### Astragalomancy, also known as astragyromancy :

is a form of divination that uses dice especially marked with letters and numbers. The faces of the dice bear numbers and letters.

### Augury:

It is the general term for the art of divination that is chiefly applied to interpretations of signs and omens. This is a Divination that ranks a set of given possibilities. It can be qualitative (such as shapes, proximities, etc.): for example, dowsing (a form of rhabdomancy) developed from this type of divination.

### Austromancy :

prediction of events, from observation of the winds.

### Axiomancy :

divination through the observation of how an ax or hatchet quivers or points when driven into post.

### Belomancy, also bolomancy :

an ancient form of divination performed by tossing or balancing arrows.

### Botanomancy :

Divination by buring of leaves, herbs and tree branches.

### Capnomancy (also known as Libanomancy) :

divination by interpreting the movement of smoke rising from a fire, especially smoke from sacrificial offerings

### Catoptromancy :

also known as captromancy or enoptromancy, is divination using a mirror. It is also an early form of crystal gazing that utilizes a mirror turned to the moon to catch moonbeams.

### Causimomancy:

divination from behavior of objects placed in a fire. Related to empyromancy and pyromancy.

### Cephalomancy :

form of divination using a goat or donkey's head. Cephalomancy technically means "head divination" and therefore applies to any sort of divination using a skull or head.

### Ceraunoscopy:

Divination by interpreting thunder and lightning. A form of aeromancy.

### Ceroscopy or Ceromancy :

fortune telling in which melted was is poured into cold water interpreted

### Chirognomy:

study of mounts in chiromancy, the occult art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm of the hand.

### Cleromancy :

divination using sortition, casting of lots, or casting bones,(sometimes pebbles or sea shells.) in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but that are believed to reveal the will of God or other supernatural entities.

### Clidomancy/Cleidomancy:

Divination by use of a suspended key as a pendulum. A form of radiesthesia.

### Coscinomancy :

form of divination utilising a sieve and shears used in ancient Greece, medieval and early modern Europe to determine the guilty party in a criminal offense, find answers to questions, etc.

### Critomancy:

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 on them, omens are drawn.

### Cromniomancy :

is divination by onions. It is usually done by interpreting their sprouting behaviour, after some kind of ritual to state the topic of the divination.

### Cyclomancy :

form of divination in which an object (sometimes a wheel) is spun and its final resting direction is consulted..n some traditions, a wheel or top is spun on a surface marked with letters or symbols, and those which fall closest to the device's pointer are consulted.

### Daphnomancy :

Divination by laurel branches or trees, leaves etc. It requires one to listen to laurel branches crackling in an open fire.

### Demonomancy:

Divination using the aid of demons to reveal information.

### Dendromancy :

divination that uses either oak or mistletoe.

### Extispicy :

Uses anomalies in animal entrails to predict divine future events. Organs inspected can include the liver, intestines, lungs, or other major organs. The animal used for extispicy must often be ritually pure and slaughtered in a special ceremony.

### Gastromancy:

Ancient divination whereby ones voice was lowered to a sepulchral tone and prophetic utterances are delivered in a trance state. This method is now speculated to have been an ancient form of ventriloquism

### Geloscopy :

divination that interprets the tone and manner of someone's laughter.

### Genethlialogy: :

Divination by the means of calculating someone's future from the position and influence of the stars at birth.(Astrology)

### Gyromancy :

divination procedure where a person walks in a circle marked with letters until they become dizzy and stumble at different points, thus spelling out a prophesy.

### Hippomancy:

Divination by observing a horse's pace, stamping and neighing .

### Horoscopy :

the art of casting horoscopes or divinations based upon the relative positions of heavenly bodies, taking into account the position of the sun and stars at the time of a person?s birth. This is usually associated with Astrology.

### Hydromancy :

is the art of crystal gazing by means of water, including the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool.

### Ichthyomancy :

divination using fish, either by interpreting the appearance and behaviour of fish. (A form of augury), or by interpreting the entrails of fish. (A form of aruspicy.)

Lampadomancy also called Lychnomancy: divination using a single oil lamp or a torch flame.

### Lecanomancy :

divination in which a diviner uses stones, oil, or meditation, coupled with a basin of water. Stones are dropped in the basin and the sound of the dropping along with the ripples formed are interpreted.

(also known as livanomancy, livanomancy, knissomancy): divination through observing and interpreting burning incense smoke. Like most other methods of divination, during a livanomancy act a specific question must be asked, to which incense smoke provides an answer, which is then interpreted by a diviner.

### Lithomancy :

divination using rocks, crystals and precious stones of various colors.

### Margaritomancy :

divination with pearls, usually by either casting pearls or studying pearls in oysters

### Metagnomy :

is the divination using "visions" received in a trance state.

### Meteoromancy :

Divination by interpreting meteorological phenomena such as meteors.

### Metoposcopy :

divination in which the diviner predicts personality, character, and destiny, based on the pattern of lines on the subject's forehead.

### Moleosophy :

is the study of moles and indicators of a person's character and future indications.

### Molybdomancy :

divination using molten metal. Typically molten lead or tin is dropped into water and interpretations are based upon the hissing that results.

### Myomancy :

divination by rats or mice and their behavior for prophecy.

### Oinomancy (or oenomancy or ?nomancy):

divination conducted by examining patterns in wine.

### Omphalomancy :

method of determining how many children a mother may have during her lifetime, based on the belief that the shape of the navel can reveal this information. This is most commonly done with newborn infants, by noting the markings on the newborn's navel, or even by counting the number of knots in the umbilical cord.

### Onychomancy or variously onuchomancy, onychomantia, onycomancy, onymancy :

ancient form of divination using fingernails. It consists of watching the reflection of sunlight on the oiled fingernails of an unpolluted boy, then interpreting the symbols that appear.

### Ophiomancy:

Divination by serpents, as by their manner of eating, or by their coils.

### Ornithomancy or Orniscopy :

Divination method and study of omens associated with birds, particularly birds in flight

### Pegomancy:

A branch of hydromancy (divination by water), also associated with crystalomancy (also known as crystal gazing or scrying). Interpretations were made by dropping stones in sacred pools or springs and observing their movements.

### Phyllorhodomancy :

Divination by rose leaves. The ancient Greeks clapped a rose leaf on the hand and judged from the resulting sound the success or failure of their desires.

### Physiognomy :

is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face.

### Psychography :

also known as Automatic Writing and a type of Automatism, in which a person writes spontaneously, apparently without control over what is written,b ut often having a divinatory nature.

### Radiesthesia :

the general term for divination using a device such as a divining rod or pendulum.

### Rhabdomancy :

type of divination by means of any rod, wand, staff, stick, arrow, or the like.These methods were forerunners of the divining rod.

### Rhapsodomancy :

ancient form of divination performed by choosing through some method a specific passage or poem from which to ascertain information.

### Sideromancy :

Divination by burning straws on red-hot iron, and noting the manner of their burning.

### Stichomancy (bibliomancy):

Divination where a book (most often a religious text) is used, and a random passage is selected for the purpose of divination.

### Stolisomancy :

Divination from the manner in which a person dresses.

### Sycomancy:

This form of divination uses fig tree leaves. The diviner's question or proposition is written a fig leaf. If afterwards the leaf dried slowly, then the prophecy is good; but, if the leaf dried quickly, the omen is bad

### Tephramancy :

Divination by the ashes of the altar on which a victim had been consumed in sacrifice.

### Tiromancy :

form of divination that seeks to know the future by examining how curds form during cheesemaking. Also spelled tyromancy.

### Xylomancy :

divination from pieces of wood, either from their shape when collected or their appearance while burning.