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Divination Index J-R

This index is to be considered as a rough-guide only, and it is no way definitive. The asterisks point to incomplete or suspect information needing further investigation. Spelling variations are listed with the term and related examples with the definition.

Majority of the terms are compound words with the suffix —(o)mancy from the Greek —manteia meaning prophecy which in turn comes from —mantis meaning prophet.

kephalonomancy

Predicting someone's guilt by burning charcoal on the head of a donkey while reciting the names of suspected criminals. When a crackling sound is heard the guilty person is named.

lampadomancy

In this divination, omens and predictions are read from flame behaviors of torches or oil lamps. If a flame has a single point this sign of good fortune, however if it has two points this means bad luck. A dim flame suggests the individual must postpone any plans for a while and if the flame is bright all things are right. If the flame size is small luck is temporary and should it spark tells of forthcoming news. If the flame has a halo it signals a storm is coming and if it goes out serious trouble or danger is ahead.

lecanomancy
lekanomancy

Lecanomancy divinations use water in containers, often a bowl or basin, but can be natural formations as well like a pool or puddle. Predictions are read from the reflections or physical substances in the water. When substances are added they are often inhomogeneous with the water, like stones, wax, lead or oil. The well-known prophet, Michel de Nostredame is said to have used a bowl of water as one of several methods in making his prophecies. -crystallomancy, hydromancy

libanomancy
libranomancy

This is divination by burning incense. In a communication ritual, while the incense is burning the diviner prays and chants. It is said the smoke carries the prayers to heaven and if the incense is fully consumed the prayers will be answered. In such rituals, choice of incense depends on which deity you pray to or the subject of your prayers. For portent rituals, the scent and smoke reveal visions to the diviner. More than likely in ancient times, the hallucinogenic substances contained in the incense recipes helped these visions.

Limyra

Limyra is a Greek oracle divination using a magic alphabet engraved on stones similar to runes to foretell events. A detailed look into this form divination can be found at the link provided.

lithomancy

Lithomancy uses stones and their colors to form predictions. There are references to oracles by stones in antiquarian sources but none define their earlier practices. One current practice is tossing the stones and interpreting their patterns while using the stone's properties and correspondences. One method is to use 13 stones each being unique mineral type and the same size. The 13 stones will have appointed meaning according to their type for example jasper, obsidian, and topaz. Another method is to inscribe symbols onto a set number of stones, which is often made in an uniformed shape not unlike Runes.

logarithmancy

This method uses logarithms to predict the future. A logarithm is the power to which a base (number) must be raised to produce a given number. If b^p = n, the logarithm of n, with b as the base, is p. Formula expressed as log_b n = p. Not much is known about the original application of this technique towards diving the future.

lychnomancy

A specific candle divination that uses the flames' behavior of three candles set in a triangle. If the flames waver back and forth, it marks a change of circumstance. When flames twist in a spiral fashion, this means beware of secret plotters. The rising and falling flames point to real danger. If one flame is brighter than the others bodes good fortune. A sputtering flame says disappointment soon due. Flames with a bright point at the tip of a wick tells of increasing success, but short-lived if the point fades. For a candle flame to snuff itself out, foretells of severe loss or misfortune.^[1] -lampadomancy

Mala

Mala is a Tibetan bead divination. The person doing the divination prays and chants mantra's particular to the deity he is invoking. Holding the rosary in front of himself, he randomly selects a bead in each hand, making sure to leave enough beads between them. Then with his fingers of each hand he moves towards the center counting three beads at a time until he either has 1, 2 or 3 left in the center. The procedure is repeated three times each having a specific purpose. The outcome of the divination depends on the number of beads left. The remaining beads have special names each with their special meanings; bead one is called "falcon"; two is a "raven" and three is a "snow lion". -Tring ba

margaritomancy

Divination with a pearl often used for determination of guilt. An upside-down vessel or some other container covers the pearl and placed near a fire. Names of suspects are read aloud and when the name of the guilty person is heard the pearl shoots up and hits the bottom of the vase.

metagnomy

Parapsychologists call this clairvoyance, where vision or knowledge is received without the use of the typical five senses. Within divination this information is received in a trance or hypnotic state.

meteoromancy*

An overall term used for atmospheric phenomena divination. Examples include thunder, lightning, meteors, comets, eclipses and shooting stars. According to the Swabians, a cultural region between Germany and Bavaria, a shooting star predicts a year of good fortune, but if you see three in one night, then you are condemned to die. ^[2] -aeromancy

metopomancy
metoposcopy

This is the practice of interpreting a person's character and destiny from lines on their forehead. Like reading palms, you read the lines and wrinkles on the forehead to foretell the destiny. In Metopomancy these lines have associated astrological significance. - physiognomy.

mineramancy*

moleosophy

This method finds out a person's character and health by using the moles on their body. In the Middle Ages moles were a mark of witches and determined their guilt. This particular divination has a special place in medical science. During Greco-Roman, the mole and birthmark's location on body foretold the owner's destiny. Today's medial advice is to check with our doctors if we have mole that changes shape, size and color because it could be cancerous.

molybdomancy

Another form of hydromancy where the diviner uses molten metal normally lead or tin poured into water. The seer then interprets the resulting shapes. -ceroscopy, lecanomancy

monen

Monen is a Kabbalic term for the magic dealing with the foretelling of the future by calculating time comparative to the observation of the heavenly bodies. ^[3] -astrology

moromancy

According to Shipley's Dictionary of Early English, this is a derogatory term that refers to all divinations as foolish. Within the etymology of the word you find Greek moros for dull, foolish and from which we get today's word 'moron'. Perhaps then, there is another interpretation. Moromancy is not foolish divination but rather divination by observing the behavior of fools.

myomancy

Myomancy is predicting omens by watching mice and rats. Throughout history these rodents have been considered bad or evil omens, for example in Isaiah 62:17 where their cries and damage prophesized evil. This is not so surprising since they eat our food and carry diseases. Their negative prophecy held true during the Black Plague.

myrmomancy *

This is divination using ants. For example, when large amounts of ants are seen moving about, it is an indication of a coming storm.

necromancy

Necromancy is the practice of conjuring up the spirits of the dead for divination. In Voodoo, necromancy is practiced in one of two ways either summoning the body (the infamous zombie) or summoning the spirit. A famous story, of spirits revealing truths and foretelling the future, is the "Christmas Carol" with Ebenezer Scrooge.

nephelomancy*

Interpreting clouds and their movements for divination. -aeromancy

nomancy*

Nomancy is the practice of divining a person's destiny from their names, possibly from the letters or graphically representation.

notarikon

This is a Kabbalist divination where words from the Bible are used to interpret the book itself. By combing the first and last letters of acronyms appearing in the Old Testament, new words are formed. The Kabbalists believe God has encoded secret messages in these Biblical acronyms. They believe that "Amen" is the acronym for "Adonai Melekh Namen" meaning "the Lord and faithful King. -gematria, temurah

numerology
numeromancy

Numerology is a popular system that uses numerical interpretation of numbers, dates, and letters to reveal all sorts of information. This is an extensive field of divination with many methods. From the old gematria, which uses the Hebrew alphabet to the modern Chaldean system using numeric representation of personal information. These numeric representations have specific identities like fadic, birth, destiny and life's path. For instance, a fadic number is a single digit number between 1-9 formed by adding up your numerical birth date. Planetary associations much like horoscopes rule fadic numbers. -gematria, temurah

oculomancy

A form of scrying where the diviner gazes into the questioners' eyes and reads the reflections. Perhaps this is not so strange considering the saying-"The eyes are the windows to the soul".

ogham

This is an Irish form of cleromancy. Stick(s) are made from a nut bearing tree onto which Ogham letters are inscribed. The sticks are tossed on a white cloth and the diviner would randomly choose three sticks and read the fortune. An alternative form is to have one stick with four sides on which the four groups of Ogham letters are carved.

oenomancy
oinomancy

This is divination by the study of wine, including their color, their appearance, and their taste. The practice dates from Greco-Roman times, when wine was poured as a libation to the gods, in hope that they would ensure a prosperous future. Drinking to someone's health is a modern survival of such customs. ^[4] An example ritual: the inquirer provides a personal item like a cloth. Depending on the object, it is either boiled or soaked in wine and the wine stains read.

omphalomancy

Omphalomancy comes from the word omphaloskepsis meaning to reflect over ones' belly button. It was an old form of divination practiced on newborn girls to find out the number of children they would have in their future. The number of knots in her umbilical cord determined the number of kids.

omphalopsychic

A person who practices omphalopsychic stares at the navel as a way of inducing a hypnotic state in order to obtain a divination.

oneiromancy
oniromancy

In this popular form of divination, dreams are interpreted either to aid in understanding the unconscious or to foretell the future. The psychologist Carl G. Jung thought that dreams were a method by which the collective unconscious talked to us. However, in ancient times it was thought that dreams were portals by which the gods spoke to people. The earliest known dream interpretation book is by the Greek soothsayer Artemidorus Daldianus from 2nd century AD, called the Oneirocritica. Books over dream interpretation continue to be popular because everyone has dreams.

onimancy
onymancy
onycomancy

Earlier references say onimancy is divination by oil or wax, but later books say by fingernails leading to some ambiguity. In the Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, the emphasis is on the oil and not the fingernail. In a Kabbalic divination the oil of olives is placed on the palm or nails of an innocent child. Depending on the divinatory subject the child would either face east for money, south for matters of love, west for theft and south for murder. The child would then recite a Psalms and when finished she would see the answers. -onychomancy

onomancy
onomamancy
onomatomancy

Divination based on the theory there is a link between a person's name and their character and fate. The simplest of the methods is onomantics which looks at what the name means to obtain or assign the person's character, for example Cara means friend. Another method is to look at for vowels in the name. If there is an even amount the person will have problems with his left side and if there is an odd amount the problem is on the right side. -gematria, nomancy, numerology

onychomancy

Divining by means of human fingernails. One-way to do this is to watch and read the shapes formed by the sun reflecting on a young child's oiled fingernail. Another way is to read the markings on a person's nails to predict his or her future much like palmistry. Then there is the medical way. The human fingernail can provide clues to the cause of a person's ill health. Health problems, like lupus, diabetes, scleroderma, kidney and liver disorders, all leave distinctive marks on the nails. -onimancy

oomancy
oomantia
ooscopy
ovomancy

In this divination, eggs are used to predict the future. One method is to break an egg in a glass of water and read the patterns of the egg white. Another way is to read the external markings on outer eggshell. To find out the gender of an expectant mother's child, the mother incubates a chicken egg between her bosoms and when the baby chicken hatches its gender will decide the gender of her child.

ophiomancy

Divination based a snake's behavior and color. For example a coiled snake might mean be patient while one that is ready to strike means act immediately on the circumstances.

orniscopy
orinithomancy

This form of divination is strictly for the birds. In ancient times, birds were important for two reasons. First, they could fly, a godlike characteristic that mankind envied and would eventually come to emulate. Second, birds were physically closer to the gods who lived in the heavens, making them aware of the deities' intentions and thus the perfect messenger. Also, birds were credited with having their own divinatory powers because their behaviors foretold changes in the weather and seasons. ^[5]. -augury

osteomancy

Divination by bones, usually this is done by casting or throwing of bones and their resulting patterns read. Another common practice is sortilege, drawing of lots. -aurispicy astragalomancy

ovomancy

See oomancy.

palmistry

This is a commonplace term for chirognomy. The practice of divination using lines and characteristics of a person's palm to prophesize their future. Even among the ambidextrous there is always one hand a person will use more than the other called the dominant hand. In palmistry the dominant hand divines the present and what is currently important in the inquirers life. It also shows the person's potential. The passive hand, sometimes referred as the birth hand, reveals the individual's background and inherited character traits. Together, the hands tell the story.

papyromancy

It is the practice of studying the characteristic of paper for divination. One technique involves the querent taking a blank piece of paper and crumpling or folding it many times in their hands. Predictions are subsequently made from the paper's creases and lines. Alternatively, the individual can write on the paper before creasing it. What is written varies; it can be questions, a messages or magical sigils. Another method of this divination uses the childhood game of fortune-teller origami. The origami sits over the fortune-teller's fingers whereby 'teller' open and closes the paper construction a certain number of times. This is dependent on the questioner's selection of the choices provided on the outer layer of the origami. Contained with the origami folds are messages to the questions. Because of the simple and limited nature of the design, questions are reduced to a simple yes and no.

pegomancy

Pegomancy is a method of divination, which uses bodies of water mainly springs and fountains, but others like wells, lakes, pools, and rivers have been documented as well. According to the word's etymology and earlier definitions, the focus of the divination is on bubbling water i.e. fountains and springs. However, in later historical accounts the divination used both placid and moving water. -hydromancy

pessomancy
psephomancy

A form of sortilege divination by drawing or casting specially marked pebbles and stones, and sometimes other small objects like beans. The markings are commonly symbols or colors representing common destiny pathways like health, success, travel, money and so forth. -limyra, runes.

phrenology

This is a divination that uses the contours of head and scalp to find out information about the person's character and personality traits.

phyllorhodomancy

Historically, this is divination by rose leaf or petal. The rose petals are either clapped between the hands or slapped against the side of the hand. The loudness of the sound signaled the success of the outcome. A clear, sharp sound was positive, but a muffled sound was a bad omen. Roses and flowers have always been associated with love. Perhaps this is where we get the practice of pulling flower petals to discover someone's interest. Each petal is pulled while reciting the phase "he loves me, he loves me not...". Your answer is the last verse that corresponds to the last petal pulled.

physiognomy
physiognomancy

This is divination by studying a person's face for character analysis or prophecy.

precognition

Precognition is a psychic power where an individual has knowledge of future events through extrasensory means and is unpremeditated.

Praenestine Lots
Sories Prenestinae

Praenestine Lots or sortes praenestinae was an Italian oracle divination that used pieces of oak inscribed with sayings written in an archaic alphabet. These oak tablets were kept in a special box held within great Oracle of Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste. In this temple, fortunes of firstborn infants were sought from the Roman Goddess of Fate and Luck. To consult the goddess, a young boy would shake the box and select one of its tablets at random. He handed tablet over to the querent typically a parent to divine its meaning. ^[5] -pessomancy

psychography

Psychography is a technique for receiving written messages from transcendental sources, e.g. spirit.

psychomancy

Psychomancy is divination by communicating with spirits. See necromancy.

psychometry

This is the ability to sense circumstances surrounding an object or place. Normally, the psychics hold the object to gain information but they can also get impression from their surroundings. It is not clear how it works. There is one theory that suggests the objects themselves are sentient (animism) and broadcasts information while the psychic just tunes-in. The second theory states that all living-things especially humans radiate auras or energies. These energies are left on objects they have touched, leaving evidence for the psychics.

pyromancy

Pyromancy is an overall term for divining by fire in which the diviner will observe, interpret or scry the flames. The good omen is when the flames are brisk and the fire is healthy and robust. If offerings are made, like kindling, incense, sacrifices and so forth, they must be consumed quickly within the flames. A bad presage is when the flames are dark and the fire is difficult to kindle and offerings do not ignite.

pyroscopy

Divination in which burn marks are read after a fire has burned itself out. To achieve readable burn marks, the surface on which the fire is placed should be pale and fire retardant. -spodomancy

radiesthesia

This is a general term for divining to find an object or person by using a particular pointing tool. The diviner or radiesthesist has sensitivity to certain substances. The tool is used to increase and focus the radiesthesist's sensitivity and can be either a rod or a pendulum. A rod is normally something long and thin like a stick, wand, or arrow while the pendulum is anything small that can be tied at the end of a string. Sometimes, the radiesthesist will combine the two by tying the pendulum on the end of the rod. In both cases the divining device will move when it is over the object to be found. One example is to use a pendulum over a map in hopes of locating a missing person.

rhabdomancy

Overall term used for divination with a rod, stick, and wand, or of similar shape. -belomancy

rhapsodmancy

Rhapsodmancy is a bibliomancy that uses a poetry book. The book is open randomly to a poem or verse to answer the individual's question.

runes

Runic divination is a practice based on a modern interpretation of archaic ideograms belonging to a Germanic group of languages. Much like with any language, these ideographic alphabets were used to communicate and record all sorts of information from graffiti to magical sigils. What little we know about runes comes from secondary sources, namely roman scribes like Tacitus in his work Germania. Therefore, what is practice today has little connection to runic rituals of bygone eras. In the divination, the runes, sometimes called tiles, tablets or counters, are either randomly selected or cast as lots, and then interpreted. According Tacitus runes were made from a bough of a fruit-bearing tree. But, today thanks to technology, they can be made from anything like glass, plastic, stones, ceramic, pewter, or bones.

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Edited: 2011.05.01
© 1999-2011 Hypatia Hyland