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Omens and Divinations
For aeons people have tried to predict the future, whether for themselves or for others, and so many methods have been employed that it will never be possible to give a complete A to Z of the subject.
Of course, many of these methods would be highly illegal today. Anthropomancy, for example, involves a human sacrifice in the process of divining, quite rightly this method has long been outlawed and I can easily predict the future of anyone who tried to use it today ... and I don't need a crystal ball for that.
It will take a while to build the components of this lens as it will be done alphabetically - thank goodness Squidoo will enable me to slot in any I may miss on the first run through the alphabet.
I came across a very good salt cleansing 'cure' on this lens.
The A to Z of Fortune Telling by Katherine Carington Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 UK: Scotland License.
Based on a work at www.squidoo.com.
Contents at a Glance
Aeromancy
From cloud shapes to comets, all signs in the sky are considered in this form of divination.There are several famous examples of specific incidents throughout history of the use of aeromancy, indeed, the three wise men could be said to have used this method when following the star 2000 years ago.
So when you're lying on the grass just staring at the clouds going past, you can always claim to be engaged in a spot of aeromancy.
Alectryomancy
There are two methods for this form of divination.1. Lay out a circle of letters and scatter grain around the inner edge of this circle (you shouldn't do this in your sitting room) then introduce your hen (a black one in old methods) or other bird and note where in the circle the grain is picked from.
The idea is that the hen will pick grain from in front of letters which then, noted down, form the prophecy.
On wet days, when you would be ill-advised to go scattering grain, there is another form of this divination you can perform ... if you happen to have a cockerel somewhere to hand.
Simply recite the letters of the alphabet and note down those at which the cock crows.
In theory, either method will give you answers.
Astragyromancy
Dice bearing letters and numbers were used in this form of divination and it may be regarded as the origin of the modern methods of divination through dice rolling.
Again, this is a method which should produce letters etc to make up words or phrases but, clearly, there is also every chance of getting gobbledegook ... haven't we all had experience of selecting scrabble letters and trying to make words out of Z W J X V R Q ???
Perhaps with the divination you keep going until you can make some word or another, perhaps in years gone by the magician, seer or witch would have said that random letters would mean the failure of a venture ... or perhaps that you must come back again tomorrow and bring another rabbit for the pot too please.
Again, this is a method which should produce letters etc to make up words or phrases but, clearly, there is also every chance of getting gobbledegook ... haven't we all had experience of selecting scrabble letters and trying to make words out of Z W J X V R Q ???
Perhaps with the divination you keep going until you can make some word or another, perhaps in years gone by the magician, seer or witch would have said that random letters would mean the failure of a venture ... or perhaps that you must come back again tomorrow and bring another rabbit for the pot too please.
Bibliomancy
This is a form of divination using books.
There are several ways in which you can use books in fortune telling. One of the most common is simply to frame your question in your mind before going to the bookshelf, selecting a random volume of any kind and opening at a random page.
You may decide before opening the book whether you will take your answer from the right or left page, you may decide you will start reading at the third paragraph, you may choose that only every tenth word will be relevant to you.
There are many variants of this form.
This method is probably as old as books are and possibly as old as the written word, but obviously in a slightly different form.
There are several ways in which you can use books in fortune telling. One of the most common is simply to frame your question in your mind before going to the bookshelf, selecting a random volume of any kind and opening at a random page.
You may decide before opening the book whether you will take your answer from the right or left page, you may decide you will start reading at the third paragraph, you may choose that only every tenth word will be relevant to you.
There are many variants of this form.
This method is probably as old as books are and possibly as old as the written word, but obviously in a slightly different form.
Capnomancy
Capnomancy involves the study of smoke rising from a chimney, fireplace or fire. Omens are read from the forms the smoke takes.
This can be viewed in a similar vein to aeromancy.
This can be viewed in a similar vein to aeromancy.
Cartomancy
Cartomancy is the general heading for any kind of divination using cards.Most will be familiar with the Tarot in this respect but an ordinary deck of playing cards may also be used in fortune telling and, not only in modern times, there are numerous decks produced of lesser numbers of cards (around 40 in a deck being about usual) referred to as 'oracle' or just 'fortune telling' decks.
Cartomancy is a vast subject.
Ceroscopy
This involves melting wax which is then poured into a dish or container of cold water.
The resulting shapes, forms and bubbles are then interpreted by the reader.
This is an interesting method of divination which seems to me to require similar skills in the operator to those of the tea-leaf reader.
The resulting shapes, forms and bubbles are then interpreted by the reader.
This is an interesting method of divination which seems to me to require similar skills in the operator to those of the tea-leaf reader.
Chiromancy
Fortune telling by means of reading the lines in the subject's hand, also known as Palmistry.There is also Chirognomy which studies the general form of the subject's hand. These are closely realated forms of fortune telling.
Geomancy
Geomancy originally involved dust patterns and lines traced on the ground but is now more commonly practiced using a pencil to make dots on paper.
Interpretation is governed by the meanings of predefined accepted designs.
An extension to Geomancy would be interpretation of doodles, which can give considerable insight into the life of the doodler.
Interpretation is governed by the meanings of predefined accepted designs.
An extension to Geomancy would be interpretation of doodles, which can give considerable insight into the life of the doodler.
Hydromancy
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This is a general term for fortune telling by water.Colour, movement of the water, ripples from small stones dropped in the water, all manner of aspects of the water and its behaviour were studied for indications.
In times gone by, there would have been considerably more variation in the natural make up of the water which would have given far more substance to observe and interpret.
Lithomancy
Lithomancy uses precious and semi-precious stones of various colours which are cast in a similar way to rune stones but are interpreted according to the light reflecting from them, the omen being gleaned from the colour of the brightest reflecting stone.
Numerology
This is an ancient method which is not so much a matter of prediction as of assessing the meanings of names etc.
By reducing the alphabet to numbers and adding those numbers together to produce a single digit, a name can be interpreted according to the indications given by the resulting number.
Dates, of course, can be similarly reduced to a single digit: for example, 8.28.08 becomes 8+2+8+8=26, 2+6=8, therefore the numerical value of today's date is 8. Now you would consult the indications of the number 8 to assess what kind of day it might be ... in theory.
By reducing the alphabet to numbers and adding those numbers together to produce a single digit, a name can be interpreted according to the indications given by the resulting number.
Dates, of course, can be similarly reduced to a single digit: for example, 8.28.08 becomes 8+2+8+8=26, 2+6=8, therefore the numerical value of today's date is 8. Now you would consult the indications of the number 8 to assess what kind of day it might be ... in theory.
Olinomancy
I like the sound of this one, apparently wine is used in this form of divination.Sadly, the divination is from the dregs left behind so we absolutely have to drink that wine before performing the divination ... I think I can see the future of this method :-)
Oneiromancy
Oneiromancy is the interpretation of dreams.
Dreams can be absolutely fascinating. Sometimes it seems the mind is at play when we are sleeping and actually, during sleep, the mind is far from inactive.
Apparently random scenes and feelings in dreams are more often than not the 'filing system' sorting itself out as you doze. The subconcious mind 'sees' connections we are conciously unaware of and can predict the logical outcomes of events around us but has a bizarre way of communicating these predictions to us.
The best form of oneiromancy is your own personal interpretation of your own dreams.
Try keeping a dream diary for a few months. You may not think you dream at night but I guarantee you do. By keeping the diary at the side of your bed, writing in it every morning the dreams you remember, you will begin to see correlations between some of those dreams and events which occur later.
Prophetic dreams tend to stand out from the rest, often seeming more 'real' than other dreams.
There are, of course, numerous books on the meanings of dreams, these can be helpful but your dreams are very personal to you.
Dreams can be absolutely fascinating. Sometimes it seems the mind is at play when we are sleeping and actually, during sleep, the mind is far from inactive.
Apparently random scenes and feelings in dreams are more often than not the 'filing system' sorting itself out as you doze. The subconcious mind 'sees' connections we are conciously unaware of and can predict the logical outcomes of events around us but has a bizarre way of communicating these predictions to us.
The best form of oneiromancy is your own personal interpretation of your own dreams.
Try keeping a dream diary for a few months. You may not think you dream at night but I guarantee you do. By keeping the diary at the side of your bed, writing in it every morning the dreams you remember, you will begin to see correlations between some of those dreams and events which occur later.
Prophetic dreams tend to stand out from the rest, often seeming more 'real' than other dreams.
There are, of course, numerous books on the meanings of dreams, these can be helpful but your dreams are very personal to you.
Ornithomancy (Orniscopy)
This is a method of prediction from omens gathered by studying the flight of birds.A little like the superstition regarding a black cat crossing your path, left to right being a good omen, right to left supposedly being a negative omen.
In truth, you can apply this type of omen seeking to almost any creatures which you might randomly meet. The colour, size and direction of the animal could all be taken into account - why not make up your own personal omen seeking method of divination?
Runestones
Runes derive from a very early form of writing and it is no surprise that, in a time when most people were completely illiterate and even unaware of what 'writing' was, the runes themselves were thought to have magical powers.After all, a man skilled in the art could look at these strange twisting marks and they spoke to him. He might even have said "this tells me" or "the writing says" and others would be amazed.
Normally, for divination, the runes are painted or carved on stones, shells, pieces of wood or bone etc. It is easy to make your own set of runes, if you are really stuck for something to paint them onto then you can simply draw them on paper or, even better, card.
Each rune letter has a particular meaning. Ideally you would buy a book which gives some instruction but the rune meanings are probably also available online and so it should really cost you no outlay to start practicing divination with runestones.
Psychography
Psychography may be better known to you as 'automatic writing'.You require no special equipment for this, just a quiet space where you can sit with a pencil and paper.
Empty your mind ... ever easy but there are a number of simple meditations which can help you, perhaps imagine your favourite flower, concentrate on that and let the image overtake you.
Allow your hand to hover with the point of the pencil lightly touching the paper and invite whoever may be present to make use of your hand to communicate.
Psychometry
Psychometry is the name given to the ability to gain information from an object.
Normally seen in psychic detective work, an object personal to the individual being enquired about is held by the psychic (we are all psychic, by the way) and impressions are gained from this object.
More often used in tracing a missing person or similar, this method can be used to assist contact with those who have gone before in order to gain future indications.
Normally seen in psychic detective work, an object personal to the individual being enquired about is held by the psychic (we are all psychic, by the way) and impressions are gained from this object.
More often used in tracing a missing person or similar, this method can be used to assist contact with those who have gone before in order to gain future indications.
Pyromancy / Pyrography
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Divination by fire.Usually various powdered or crystalised substances are thrown onto the flames, the divination being gained by the speed and vigour of their burning.
Probably the origin of those fantastic puffs of smoke in which magicians are supposed to appear or disappear before our very eyes.
Anyone who has sat staring vacantly into a log or coal fire will also know that it is often possible to see surprisning shapes, forms and colours in the flames, smoke and cinders. In the same way as tealeaves may speak to us, these shapes can also be used in divination.
Rhabdomancy
Using a wand or rod to carry out a divination.It is thought that from this developed divining rods with which we are familar through, mainly, dowsing for water courses etc but any form of fortunetelling using a wand or rod can fall under this heading.
Sideromancy
A method of diving the future from the flames, smoke and wisps of ash resulting from the burning of straws on a hot metal plate or iron.
A scaled down version of Pyromancy then ...
A scaled down version of Pyromancy then ...
Tasseography
Tasseography or tea leaf reading, has been practised for many, many years and now incorporates reading of coffee grounds as well.You can buy cups with the areas of the bowl marked for the areas of interest they cover and a huge selection of books is available to help with interpreting the shapes and forms left in the cup.
Tephramancy
Not entirely dissimilar to Sideromancy, Tephramancy is divination from ashes, often the bark of trees is burned to obtain these ashes and presumably some tree bark is better than others.
The bark is burned and the resulting ash is read in a similar way to tea leaves.
The bark is burned and the resulting ash is read in a similar way to tea leaves.
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0ctavias Tarot and Spiritual Lenses
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- Pryzym Pryzym Dec 23, 2009 @ 1:10 pm
- I'm sorry that happened to you vbright105, but with anything, there are some who will take undue advantage.
Great lens, Octavia. A lot of info here. Most of what you have here I've never heard of. Thanx for sharing.
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- Gigglesoup Gigglesoup Apr 9, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
- Fabulous lens - you've really covered a lot of territory here. 5 stars! ...But, you knew I'd say that, right?
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- monarch13 monarch13 Dec 12, 2008 @ 8:43 am
- Wow, great research! 5 stars and rolled right back at ya..
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- 0ctavias0fferings 0ctavias0fferings Oct 5, 2008 @ 4:44 am
- I think the only thing that reader was interested in was her personal fortune. I guarantee there's no curse on your heart and that charlatan should be named and shamed.
It's a very good point to bring up though, folks should know that any good reader will NOT ask for large sums of money.
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- vbright105 vbright105 Oct 4, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
- I've always been interested in Tarot, but I guess, sort of afraid, and skeptical. I went to a reader ONCE, and she said there was a curse on my heart and wanted $300 to remove it! wow, I felt great after that. lol.
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