Modern Divination

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Gulia, Kuldip Singh (2005). Human Ecology of Sikkim – A Case Study of Upper Rangit Basin. Delhi, India: Kalpaz Publications. pp.152–154, 168. ISBN 978-81-7835-325-8. divination, the practice of determining the hidden significance or cause of events, sometimes foretelling the future, by various natural, psychological, and other techniques. Found in all civilizations, both ancient and modern, it is encountered most frequently in contemporary mass society in the form of horoscopes, astrology, crystal gazing, tarot cards, and the Ouija board. Belomancy is one form of fortune-telling mentioned in the Bible. The Book of Ezekiel (21:21) mentions Belomancy with Haruspicy and possibly Teraphim.

Tealeaf reading involves interpreting the shapes of loose tea leaves as they appear in a cup. You can buy special fortune-telling, but you don’t have to; just a regular teacup is fine. However, it is best if you use real tea leaves and not tea from tea bags. Haruspicy is a very ancient form of divination which is thought to originate in ancient Mesopotamia. A compendium of writings from 900-600BC known as The Bārûtu contains instructions on the practice of Haruspicy. The Bārûtu is one of the most significant and earliest known mentions of the method in detail; however, the texts are said to have been based on even earlier writings. Yau, Julianna. (2002). Witchcraft and Magic. In Michael Shermer. The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC-CLIO. pp. 278-282. ISBN 1-57607-654-7Conchomancy is fortune-telling using seashells. Placing a seashell on your ear and analyzing the sound counts as Conchomancy. You can also use seashells in Casting divination.

Like astronomy, geomancy used deduction and computation to uncover significant prophecies as opposed to omens ( ‘ilm al-fa’l), which were process of “reading” visible random events to decipher the invisible realities from which they originated. It was upheld by prophetic tradition and relied almost exclusively on text, specifically the Qur’an (which carried a table for guidance) and poetry, as a development of bibliomancy. [26] The practice culminated in the appearance of the illustrated “Books of Omens” ( Falnama) in the early 16th century, an embodiment of the apocalyptic fears as the end of the millennium in the Islamic calendar approached. [27] Many divinatory methods are still used today, especially in paganism, witchcraft, voodoo, and Santeria. Some forms of prayer might also be considered a divinatory act. Many practitioners today do not feel signs of divination are absolute or fixed, but believe they still have free choices in their future. They believe divination helps them in making better choices. Domino Divination is similar to Dice Divination, but the system involves using regular dominos. Two domino tiles are pulled, and the numbers of each are interpreted. For example, two blank tiles together predict great misfortune, but two sixes together predict happiness, success, and a good family life. DowsingThe types of divination, however, depended on the conditions of external nature, race peculiarities, and historical influences. The future was foretold by the aspect of the heavens ( astrology); by dreams, lots and oracles; or spirits were also invoked to tell the future (necromancy). In early Hebraic culture, teraphim and Urim and Thummim were queried.