A Dictionary
Of
Divination
 
 
The art of divination. The longing for knowledge of what the future will hold is common to all societies and to all peoples; traditions of divination run across culrures, nations and time itself. The desire to know where our footsteps will fall next, the assurance that decisions we have made are the very best, the yearning to know that things will get better, and if they do not, what exactly to do is as common as the desire to eat, to be sheltered and to be loved.
 
Divination is an act of faith, the tools by which we seek the portents of the future are many and varied. Here we presents a dictionary of divination tools.
 
Before attempting to work with these tools there are basic steps one must take to prepare the unconscious. Sound body and mind are fundamental -- the Witch attempting to mix alcohol or drugs with divination ends up with confused messages. Trying to discern meaning through the pain and fog of a hangover is a   self-defeating process -- it is far better to raise psychic power through dance, chanting or meditation.
 
Science is currently speculating on the existence of a fourth dimension, that of time. If theories prove to be right and time, past, present and future, co-exists, there is certainly reason to believe that many can break throuhg the veil between history and the future.
 
Some have natural psyhic ability, others rely on keen intuition and sensitive appraisals of their surroundings, using their knowledge of human nature to make predictions which are used to guide them through life.
 
Unfinished matters from previous incarnations may also be effection your progress in this life: seeing a past-life therapist who specialises in regressions can clear a blockage or help you to understand the nature of your karma.
 
Ultimately, deep self-knowledge will also help you "divine" the future. Then, if you add tools to the brew, you are raising the kind of consciousness necessary to tap into the deep knowledge of the collective unconscious and the pyshic ether.
 
The important element in all this work is your self and your intent. The power to divine the future is within you -- with the aid of the tool most empathetic with your needs, your character, and with which you feel the most affinity, you are on your way to working in one of the oldest magical traditions there is. The Tarot, a roaring fire, the cool waters of a lake can all be as effective as each other.
 
Destiny, in tandem with will, personal choice and reflection will decide how the wheel of fate will turn for you. Discovering your life direction may be as simple as preparing your psyche, then applying any of the methods that are listed here. You merely need to practise, again and again, until the raising of destiny-consciousness becomes second nature.
 
A
 
ASTROLOGY : The art of studying the destiny of an individual according to the placement of the heavenly bodies (planets, moon, sun) at the time of their birth. This allows for intricate analysis of personality as well as ofr long and short term predictions. It also enables the student to predict the compatibility of partners, friends and professionals to the individual. Studied in both the west and the east, astrology is a complex science: far more attuned to specific needs when seriously undertaken than the daily forecasts in newspaper hint at.
 
AREOMANCY : Predicting the weather by the observation of animals and their behaviour. Used regularly in indigenous tribal peoples -- a science which is canny and accurate.
 
AMNIOMANCY : The rare and arcane method of divination by studying the remnants od the mother's placenta over the head of the newborn baby. A omplete caul is said to be a protection against drowning. Rarely used in contemporary culture, it was particularly popular in Victoria England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
 
ANTHROSCOPY : Attributing meanings to facial features to determine the individual's luck for the future -- certain shapes, lines and characteristics having fixed meanings. Popular in the Orient in the 19th century, later used by early anthropologists of the Victorian era -- was used in a sexist and in a racist fashion on many occasions.
 
AUSTROMANCY : Testing the direction of the wind for clues of the future. This works by the attribution of qua;ities to the directions -- a common feature of both arcane and contemporary Witchcraft. Related to the art of weather control.
 
B
 
BELOMANCY : Arrows are used to predict the outcome to an event -- if the arrow hits the mark, the event will be a positive one which will bring good fortune and happiness to the questioner.
 
BIBLIOMANCY : The art of randomly selecting passages or paragraphs from books in order to detect prtents of the future. This seems rare, but think of the recent spate of books where sayings are printed on each page; the reader is then expected to flick through randomly to a page and read the words upon that page in order to determine what to make of their current situation. The Advanced Guide for the Soul is only one of many such books which have become new-age best sellers in recent years.

BOTANOMANCY : A method of divination by which the future is foretold by using plants -- either judging time frames from the life-cycle of the plant, taken it as a good or ill omen, or by using the properties of herbs, oils and flower essences to bring on a pyshic state of awareness.
 

C
 
CAPNOMANCY : The shape of plumes of smoke from ritual fires -- sometimes aided by handfuls of magical herbs being thrown onto the fire.
 
CARTOMANCY : This group contains both those who tell fortunes from ordinary decks of playing cards, which developed from the tarot deck, said to hold the secrets of Druidic, Egyptain, Hebrew and Indain magic. Earliest Tarot packs were Chinese and Koren -- the earliest European packs were recorded in the 13th century. Within the treasures of the Valley of the Kings, cards resembling the Major Arcana were found -- Aleister Crowley believed they were derived from the Egyptian book of magic, the book of Thoth, upon which he based his own deck. There are 22 Major Arcana or major cards, which represent the 22 Mysteries, and 56 Minor Arcana, or suits, which represent earth, air, fire and water, people and material, and spiritual situations we encounter throughout life. According to some tarot scholars, the Major Arcana represent Causes, while the Minor Arcana represents Effects.
 
CATAPTROMANCY : Using mirrors to promote a trance-like state, in order to see deep within the soul of the viewer: visions of the future may then be produced. Mirrors are often believed to have magical powers, and are often used in spells and rituals to prmote an altered state of mind. Generally speaking, any reflective surface may be used for this method.
 
CEROMANCY : Studying the shapes formed when molten wax is dropped into cool water -- much the same as determining the future by the shape of tea leaves or of coffee grounds left in a pot.
 
CLAIRVOYANCE : Second sight -- being able to have a clear image, as a film or scene being played out in the mind of the Witch, in which events of the future are revealed to the seer. Literally means "clear view".
 
CHEIROMANCY : Using the hands -- the laying on to promote visions, or by assessing the size, shape and qualities of the hands; similar in this to palmistry, or "reading hands".
 
CLAIRAUDIENCE : Hearing voices which speak of coming events, or literally listening in to the future -- being something of a human radio, picking up the energy field of what has been destined.
 
CLEDOMANCY : Attributing significance to off-the-cut comments or to seemingly meaningless events. Accidential insight -- sometimes not knowing why one knows that something is meaningful. Not dissimilar to "Freudian slips".
 
 D
 
DOWSING : Divining rods are used to locate bodies of water; and sometimes are used over objects meaningful to the individual to assess the outcome of the future.
 
DREAMS : Dreams have long been held to contain fragments of our futures, and thousands of books and years of study have been devoted to attempting to understand and develop a  universally coherent dictionary of symbology for dreams. It is my opinion that we are our dreams best interpreters -- for it is within our subconscious that the key to unlock the hidden meanings of our dreams lie. To rely too closely on rote interpretations could send us in meaningless or random directions that take us only a very little way down the path of understanding.
 
Nevertheless there are common symbologies -- water representing the emotions, for instance. Dream interpreters recommend the keeping of a dream diary to get intimate with the subterranean currents of your psyche, leading to a greater understanding of the self and therefore of the outcome of the situations the querent finds themselves within.
 
G
 
GYROMANCY : The raising of clairvoyant energy by whirling till one loses their balance -- for instance, the Sufi dervishes use such whirling in their religious ceremonies.
 
H
 
HARUSPICY : reading portents amidst the guts of dead animal -- common in ritual sacrifices of the ancient world.
 
I
 
I CHING : The revered Cinese art of divination, which is also a complete philosophical system which takes a lifetime (or lifetimes) to truely master. Based on the principles of Yin and Yang (the masculine feminine principles, passive and active), Yang is represented by a sort straight line, Ying by a broken, short line. A combination of lines in various combinations (eight trigrams ans 64 hexagrams) form the Book of Changes
which contains the meanings of all combinations.
 
The I Ching can be different to master, so turning to one of the many scholarly translations will promote understanding.
 
L
 
LAMPODOMANCY : The divination of a flame from a torch or a candle or a fire will point the seeker in their future direction.
 
M
 
MOLEOSOPHY : Moles on the body -- their site, colour and size dictate the meaning. Used infamously, and inaccurately, by the witch-hunters during the burning times.
 
N
 
 NECROMANCY : Messages from the souls  of the departed -- Ouija boards are commonly used for this. Reached fever pitch during the spiritualist movement, led by Madame Blavastky.
 
O
 
 ONEIROMANCY : See "Dreams"
 
ONOMANCY : By using the letters of a person's name -- one of Linda Goodman's astrology texts' makes great use of this method.
 
OPHIOMANCY : Using the behaviour of serpents.
 
P
 
 PALMISTRY : The palms of the hands are lined -- the art of palm reading relies on the Witch knowing the way in which to decode the meaning of each hand. The left indicates the individual's potential: the skills, qualities and stumbling blocks fate has dealt them; the right indicates the lessons being learned and the way in which the person is using their talents and being held back by their personal challenges. Fingers, the palm, the lines upon it, the hands' size, colour and temperature are all linked in an intricate dance of meaning.
 
PHRENOLOGY : The shape of a person's head -- reading lumps and bumps.
 
PSYCHOMETRY : With this method, one uses an item belonging to the person you wish to know more about, or the querent delivers an item to the diviner so that they can forecast the future on their behalf. Usually a piece of jewellery (not antique) is used, preferably one that is worn by the person at all times, soaking up their aura, in which the seeds of the future are already sown.
 
Some diviner's get in touch with the querent's guides via the jewellery: these guides then offer information to questions put to them. Others simply deliver the messages they receive when handling an object. These may be received in the form of visions, voices or even sensations, depending on the particular talents of the seer.
 
PYROMANCY : Seeing shapes and visions within fire.
 
R
 
RHABDOMANCY : Using a magical wand.
 
S
 
SCATOSCOPY : The examination of dung.
 
SCRYING : Using a crystal to divine destiny -- the traditional Crystal Ball of the gypsies.
 
T
 
 THEOMANCY : By oracles, or people posessed by the God or Goddess. Typical of ancient cultures are oracles like the Delphic Oracle, or Cassandra, whose warnings of catastrophe went unheeded.
 
X
 
 XYLOMANCY : The tossing of magical sticks, and assessing the patterns in which they fall.
 
Z
 
ZOOMANCY : The habits of animals reveal to some the future path for human beings.
 
 
 
   
 
  
 
 
 
 
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