Divination Dictionary

Divination Dictionary In the following script you will find a complete listing for each type of divination.. and yes, there's more than just Tarot, runes, scrying and Ouija. Some forms of divination you may find particularly disturbing, as I know I have. Please be aware that methods, such as Anthropomancy are no longer being used, have been outlawed for thousands of years or both and are NOT supported by the Wiccan or any other Pagan community.
As for the dictionary itself, I've had to go through several books before I finally got them all, but if I missed any or made critical errors, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated!

****WORK IN PROGRESS! PLEASE BE PATIENT:)****

DIVINATION A-Z

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ

A
ABACOMANCY- The art and practice of divination by reading omens in patterns of dust.

AEROMANCY- The art and practice of divination by the air, the winds, and various atmospheric phenomena (spectral formations, comets, the shapes of clouds, etc).     Aeromancy, in the most exact sense of the word, covers mostly the art and practice of divination by the current of air; however, in medieval times, divinationby nearly any phenomenon of the heavens became classified under the title of aeromancy. In modern times, it continues to be used for weather forecasting, among other things.

ALECTRYOMANCY- A form of divination involving a rooster or a black hen. A circle, which is divided into 26 equal pie-shaped parts, is drawn on the ground. Each part of the circle represents a different letter of the alphabet and contains a wheat seed or grain of corn. After the appropriate prayers and magickal incantations are recited, the rooster/hen(often with claws cut off or tied together) is placed in the center of the circle and allowed to eat. The letter from each part of the circle where it picks up a seed or grain is recorded and then used to spell out a divinatory message.
    It's said that this works best when the Moon is in Aries or Leo. Another version consists of reciting the letters of the alphabet at dawn and writing down the ones which are said at the same time the rooster crows ar heard. This method is popular throughout Africa, where it is believed this form of divination originated.

ALEUROMANCY- Quite like that of a fortune cookie, this form of divination consists of baking messages inside special cakes or cookies and then selecting one at random, opening it to reveal your fortune.
    The origin of this practice can be traced back to China where it was performed for both men and women of great nobility. To gain a better understanding of what the future held in store, the diviner would choose from an assortment of special tea cakes in which tiny essays based on philosophical tenet were baked. Upon breaking open a tea cake, the message contained within would be revealed and interpreted.
    In Europe, aleuromancy is responsible for the old custom of baking a silver coin inside a cake. According to tradition, whoever receives the cake with the coin inside will either be blessed with an abundance of good luck for the remainder of the year, or have one secret wish granted.
    In ancient Greece, small pieces of paper containing various messages were rolled in small balls of flour, mixed up 9 times and then given to whoever wanted to know their destiny. This form of aleuromancy was ruled by the god Apollo. This practice continues currently in the form of fortune cookies.

ALOMANCY- Divination practices by interpreting the symbolic patterns made by the sprinkling of sald. Another method calls for the salt to be cast into a fire, then interpreting whatever omens may appear in the flames. The old and well-known superstition that spilling salt brings bad luck and a pinch sprinkled over the left shoulder averts misfortune, more than likely stems from alomancy, which is also known as "halomancy".

ALPHITOMANCY- This form of divination is used to identify a guilty person by using a leaf of barley or a special barley cake that can be ingested only by persons who are innocent. If a man/woman accused of a crime falls ill in ANY way (even if the stomach rumbles) after swallowing a bite of the cake, it is an indication of guilt. This is also known as critomancy, and is similar to crithomancy (divination by grain or corn).

AMNIOMANCY- This form of divination is done by observing the caul on a child's head when it is born. Ancient Romans believed that when a child was born this way it was an omen of phenomenally good fortune. In certain parts of the world, it was believed that a person born with a caul natural possessed second sight, could never be bewitched, and would never die by drowning. This is quite popular in Victorian England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.

ANTHROPOMANCY- An ancient and extremely gruesome form of divination by means of interpreting the intestines of sacrificed children and women (I don't know about you but I'm already sick to my stomach), much in the same fashion as haruspicy.
    This horrible method of divination was believed to have been practiced regularly by the Emperor Julian the Apostate, and was at one time encouraged by the oracle at Delphi. However, by the 16th century B.C.E, the custom of human sacrifice had become "rare and repellent to the conscience" in the Greek world and was eventually outlawed entirely.

APANTOMANCY- This method of divination is done by drawing omens from chance meetings with animals or birds.

ARITHMANCY- (arithmomancy)Devised by the 6th century philosopher, Pythagoras, this form of divination is done by the interpretation of numbers and letter values.

ARMOMANCY- (scapulomancy) Divination by a interpretting a sacrificed animal's shoulder bone.

ART OF LITTLE DOTS- This is a relatively new form of divination. It's done so by holding a pen or pencil in your writing hand, clearing your mind of all distractions, closing your eyes, and then taping the pencil or pen down repeatedly on a blank sheet of white paper. You continue this until you have tapped one hundred times. Then open your eyes, meditate on the dots until you find a pattern and then continue until you are able to interpret it.

ASPIDOMANCY- The diviner sits upon a disc while reciting occult formulas or spells within a magickal circle. It is there he/she is open to visions and/or communication with the gods.

ASTRAGALOMANCY- Divination by the use of dice. First you need to make a list of possible answers from 4 to 24. Then you ask a question and then throw the dice. Add the total number of the dice and write it down. Then you match the number with the numbered answer according to the list.

ASTRAGYROMANCY- Another use of dice for divination.

ASTRO-DIVINATION- The use of ones astrological chart to solve problems based on the positioning of the stars, or answer personal questions.

ASTROLOGY-&NBSP; The use of ones astrological chart to fortell ones future. This is based on the which zodiac sign is in which house. It is based on the influence the planets have on our lives and the course of.

ASTROMANCY- Star divination. The ancient name for astrology.

AUGURY- Divintation by interpretting bird songs or flight patterns.

AURAMANCY- The reading of a human or animal's aura.

AUSTROMANCY- Testing the direction of the wind for clues of the future. This works by the attribution of qualities to the directions -- a common feature of both arcane and contemporary Witchcraft. Related to the art of weather control.

AXIOMANCY- Divination by the handle of an axe or hatchet.
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B

BELOMANCY- Arrows marked with occult symbols, names, or inscriptions are cast into quivers, mixed, and then one would be drawn for interpretation. This was practiced by Nebuchadrezzar of the Bible (Ezek. 21:21)

BIBLIOMANCY- (stichomancy) Using a book that is opened at random and interpretting the first words or sentences read. This is also known as "Lots of the Saints" which is the Christianized form.

BOTANOMANCY- Divination by herbs.

BRIZOMANCY- Prophetic inspiration from the goddess, Brizo, of Delos.
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C

CANCELLATION- The popular teen method in which a girl writes out the name of her beloved and then cross out the letters in his name that match her own. Then the "he loves me, loves me not" formula is applied to the remaining letters to find out if he feels the same.

Another form of this is the name of your beloved is written on a sheet of paper, along with yours. EX:

Amber West
Loves
Kevin Lewis
Forever

Then beside this you write the letters T-R-U-E L-O-V-E. EX:
T     L
R    O
U    V
E    E

Then, begining from right to left count the number of letters that correspond to those in the list. Also include the letters from the words "loves" and "forever". Once this is done add the numbers of the lists together as you would a regular math problem (right to left). The solution is predicts how compatable you are with this person and whether your relationship will last.

CAPNOMANCY- Divination done by reading puffs of smoke rising from a fire and by the way that it drifts in the wind. Also special herbs might be thrown in to the fire to aid with the predictions.

CARTOMANCY- Divination by cards. This can be anything from ordinary playing cards, Tarot, or Zenner cards (a deck of 25 consisting of 5 circles, 5 triple wavy lines, 5 squares, 5 stars, and 5 crosses. used to test ESP).

CATOPTROMANCY- (catoxtromancy)The use of a magic mirror or special lens (an early form of scrying)to enduce trance like states to look into the soul of the viewer.

CATTABOMANCY- Divanation by the means of pouring water, ink, oil or some form of liquid into vessels made of brass.

CAUSIMOMANCY- Divination that is done with special objects which are placed in a fire. It was a good omen if the object burned rapidly, and unfavorable if it did not burn at all.

CEPHALOMANCY- (kephalonomancy)This was used by the Lombards and called for a lighted carbon to be poured into the baked head or skull of a goat or an ass. If a crackling sound was heard, it was believed that whomever's name had been called was guilty.

CERAUNOSCOPY- Divination by the interpretation of thunder and lightening.

CEROMANCY- (ceroscopy or carromancy) Divination by reading drops of molten wax as it is dropped into cold water.

CHALCOMANCY- To read the sounds made when copper or brass chalices are struck with mallets.

CHARTOMANCY- Another form of bibliomancy which deals with the interpretations made from literature, musical works, or official papers.

CHEIROMANCY- (can be spelled chiromancy)The practice of palm reading, otherwise known as palmistry, that deals with reading the 7 major lines of the palms and the 7 lesser lines.

CHRESMOMANCY- Reading the sounds or words uttered by a woman or man when in a frenzy or crazed state.

CLEIDOMANCY- The use of a magickal or enchanted key by the same means as a pendulum, that is hung from a string or chain from the third finger of a youthful virgin.

CLEROMANCY- A lot like the divination by dice, but uses small different colored stones to draw omens or divine ones fate.

COSCINOMANCY- A practiced used to discover one's guilt or innocence by using a seive suspended by tongs and supported by the middle fingers of two assistants. The accused is seated in front of the seive and the diviner recites: DIES, MEIS JESCHET, BENEDOEFET DOWIMA, ENITE MAUS The accused name's then said aloud and if at that moment the seive begins to rotate, it is an indication of guilt.

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D

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Don't lead me on like this please!

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And how was your week?

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What kind of person would create a page and not put anything on it?

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I'm trying to keep you amused while I'm working on this page :) Is it working?

I

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Is it true? Is there a monster at the end of this book?

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Sorry, nothing much here either.

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It's not easy being a blank page

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Not done yet :(

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What is it with empty pages?

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Sorry, I got hungry and ate the words in this section.

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Not to worry.. we're still working on the page

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Not done yet :(

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Not done yet :(

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Not done yet :(

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Not done yet :(

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Not done yet :(

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NO ENTRIES FOUND

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XYLOMANCY- To draw omens from twigs, fallen branches, or other pieces wood by their shapes and formations. Also can be the position of a log as it burns in a fire.

ZOOMANCY- To divine by watching the behavior of animals which, oddly enough, includes imaginary creatures.

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