OTRSS/GO!/Predict2

Divination Techniques - general

"John Collins... following a classification scheme conceived by H.J. Rose, has listed ten basic varieties of divination techniques:

DREAMS, probably the most prevalent form of divination, with the dream's meaning either obvious or requiring analysis.

PRESENTIMENTS, a more personal type of divination in which an individual develops a feeling, or presentiment, about something.

BODY ACTIONS, such as sneezing, twitching, and hiccupping, which may be interpreted as predictions of rainfall, good or bad luck, drought, or some other particular event.

ORDEALS, painful and often life-threatening tests that a person suspected of guilt may be forced to undergo, such as dipping a hand into hot oil, swallowing poison, or having a red-hot knife pressed against some part of the body...

POSSESSION by spirits, enabling the diviner better to reveal the future by discovering hidden knowledge.

NECROMANCY, similar to possession, a technique of seeking 'signs' from spirits of the dead, or perhaps by close observations of a corpse.

ANIMAL TYPES, a form of divination in which knowledge is derived either from the observation of living animals or from the inspection of the entrails of dead animals.

MECHANICAL TYPES, a form of divination (the most comprehensive category of all) that involves seeking answers by manipulating an innumerable number of objects (for example, a sandal flipped in the air may be interpreted as meaning yes if it lands on its sole, no if on the straps).

NATURE TYPES, in which answers are determined by looking for signs in nature (for example, a particular pattern of mushrooms in the ground, the way leaves tumble from a tree, astrological signs such as the position of the stars and moon).

MISCELLANEOUS DIVINATION, a large category including divination techniques that do not fit into the previous types (for example, death always strikes in threes)."

From MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT AND RELIGION: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural, ed. by Arthur C. Lehmann and James E. Myers, 1985

I personally prefer the Collins/Rose type 4, ORDEALS, for divination. Thus you may ask me, "Will I live a long and happy life?" and I'll throw a knife at you and if it sinks into your heart, the answer is, "No".
Ric "what would Torquemada do?" Carter

A Abacomancy: by patterns of dust Aelomancy (divination by arrows) Aeromancy, Chaomancy: by appearances in the air Aichmomancy: by any old pointed object at all Ailuromancy: by cats or felines (where they land when they jump) Alectryomancy, Alectoromancy: by a cock picking up grains Aleuromancy, Alphitomancy: by meal, flour or bran (dropping wheatcakes in water and interpreting the result) Alomancy, Halomancy: by patterns of thrown salt Amathomancy by patterns in dust Amniomancy: by membranes covering newborns' heads Anagramology: by rearranging letters in a name to find other words Anthracomancy: by the patterns of burning coals Anthropomancy: by the entrails of men (interpreting the organs of newly sacrificed humans); or Anthroposcopy, Physiognomy: by the features Antinopomancy: by the entrails of women & children Arithmancy: by numbers Armomancy: by palpating shoulders Aspidomancy: by channeling Satan himself Astragyromancy, Cubomancy: by alphanumeric dice (see Cleromancy) Astrology, Astromancy, Horoscopy, Roadomancy: by stars & planets Augury, Apantomancy: by omens & portents Austromancy: by winds Automatic Writing: channel literate spirits (see OUIJA) Axinomancy, Axiomancy: by heated or thrown axe (quivering!), or saws, or a hatchet balanced on a bar B Bath-kol: a heavenly voice proclaims divine will Belomancy, Bolomancy: by arrows with incised marks or words Bibliomancy: by the Bible Biorhythms: by bodily cycles Bletonism: by currents Botanomancy: by herbs Bronchiomancy (divination by studying the lungs of sacrificed white llamas) C Capnomancy: by smoke from the altar Carromancy: by the melting of wax Cartomancy [divination by cards or charts] Catoptromancy, Crystallomancy (using mirrors or lenses) Catoptromancy, Enoptromancy: by turning a mirror to the moon or hanging it over water Catoxtromancy: by looking glasses Cattabomancy: by vessels of brass or other metal Causimomancy, Causinomancy: by burning slowly Ceraunoscopy: by thunder & lightning Ceromancy, Ceroscopy: by dropping melted wax into water Chartomancy: by writing in papers Chiromancy, Chirosophy: by the hands Chrystallomancy: by glasses Clacking by 'clacking' two stones together Clairaudience by hearing the inaudible Clairvoyance (Precognition, Retrocognition), Second Sight: by visualization Cledonomancy: by random events & remarks Cleidomancy, Clidomancy (divination by interpreting the movements of a key suspended by a thread from the nail of the third finger on a young virgin's hand while one of the Psalms was recited) Cleromancy: by dice, or drawing lots Collimancy: by neck wrinkles Coscinomancy, Coskiomancy: by a balanced sieve (and shears?) Crithomancy: by grain or corn - by dough of cakes Cromniomancy: by the color, smell, direction and form of onion sprouts Crystallomancy, Crystalomancy, Crystal Gazing: see Scrying, Spheromancy Cyclomancy: by spinning a wheel D Dacryomancy: by the tears Dactyliomancy: by a suspended ring Dactylomancy: by finger rings Daphnomancy (divination using the laurel branch: how did it crackle when burned?) Demonomancy: by the suggestion of evil demons or devils Dendromancy: by oak & mistletoe E Eromanty: by bubbles in water Extispicy, Hieromancy: by the entrails of animals sacrificed F Forficomancy: by suspended shears Fractomancy (interpreting the structures of fractal geometric patterns) Feng Shui: by arranging stuff G Gastromancy: by the sound of or signs upon the belly - or ventriloquism Geloscopy: by the mode of laughing Gematria: by alphanumeric patterns Genethliacs: by the stars at birth Graphology, Graphomancy: handwriting analysis Geomancy: by earth - or dots made at random on paper Gyromancy: by rounds or circles (divination by walking around a circle of letters until dizzy and one falls down on the letters or in the direction to take) H Hakata see Sortilege Haruspicy, Aruspicy, Hieromancy, Hieroscopy (inspecting the entrails of slaughtered animals) Hepatoscopy, Hepatomancy (divination by examining the liver of sacrificed animals) Hippomancy by the nervous neighing of horses Hydromancy (divination by examining what certain things do in water or when taken out of water, such as coffee grounds or tea leaves); Hydatoscopy (if rainwater is used); Pegomancy (if spring-water is used) I Iatromathematics, Astromedicine: applying astrology to medicine I-Ching: by hexagrams Ichthyomancy: by the entrails of fishes sacrificed Idolomancy: by idols, images, figures K Kabbalah: by mystic scribbling Kephalonomancy, Cephalonomancy (burning carbon on the head of an ass while reciting the names of suspected criminals; if you're guilty, a crackling sound will be heard when your name is spoken) Kylixomancy by a bowl of water L Lampadomancy, Lychnomancy: by candle & lamp flames Lecanomancy: by a basin of water (dropping precious stones into water and listening for whistles) Leconomancy by the shape taken by oil poured on water Libranomancy, Livanomancy, Knissomancy: by (smoke from) burning of Frankincense Lithomancy: by precious stones Logarithmancy: by logarithms Lunomancy: by moonlight shadows on the face after silver dust is spread on the diviner's hands and the subject's face M Macharomancy, Machaeromancy: by knives or swords Magic 8 Balls: by gum! Mammomancy, Mastomancy: by reading breasts Margaritomancy (divination by the pearl: if it jumps in the pot when a person is named, then he is the thief!) Meteoromancy: by meteors Metoposcopy (interpreting frontal wrinkles) Moleosophy by moles on the body Molybdomancy (divination by melted lead: interpreting its noises and hisses when dropped into water) Myomancy: by mice Myrmomancy (divination by watching ants eating) N Nagomancy or Necromancy: by inspecting, consulting & divining by, with, or from the (spirits of the) dead Necyomancy: by communing with evil spirits; see Demonomancy Numerology, Arithmancy: by the numbers O Oenomancy, Oinomancy: by the color and peculiarities of wine Ogahm: by ancient Celtic alphabets Omphilomancy: by the navel Oneiromancy, Oniromancy: by dreams Onomancy, Nomancy: by the letters forming the name of the person Onomatomancy: by names Onychomancy (interpreting the reflection of sun rays off fingernails) Ophiomancy: by sibilant snakes Orniscopy, Ornithomancy: by birds Ouija: channel marginally literate spirits Ovomancy, Oomancy, Ooscopy (breaking eggs into a container of water and interpreting the shape of the egg white) P Palmistry, Cheiromancy, Chiromancy: by lines on the hand Papyromancy (divination by folding paper) Pedomancy: by footprints Pegomancy: by fountains Pessomancy: by casting colored or marked pebbles or beans Phallomancy: by reading the phallus Phrenology, Phrenomancy, Cranioscopy: by bumps on the head Pneumancy: by the ease or difficulty of blowing out ceremonial candles Podomancy: by the feet Premonition: by intuition Psephomancy: by pebbles drawn from a heap Psychomancy: by ghosts, souls, affections, wills, dispositions Psychometry: by aura-reading of handled objects Pyromancy: by sacrificial fire R Runes: by ancient Norse-Teutonic alphabets Rhabdomancy (using the divining rod or magic wand) Rhapsodmancy (divination by a line in a sacred book that strikes the eye when the book is opened after the diviner prays, meditates or invokes the help of spirits) S Scapulomancy, Spatulamancy: by roasted shoulder-bones Scatomancy, Spatilomancy, Stercomancy: by shit Sciomancy: by shadows or manes (ghosts) Scrying: by peering into crystals, clouds, water, etc [charged objects] Séance: see Necromancy Selenomancy by the phases of the moon Sideromancy (interpreting straws thrown on a red-hot iron) Skatharomancy (interpreting the tracks of a beetle crawling over the grave of a murder victim) Sortelige: by throwing objects or drawing lots Spatalamancy: by skins, bones, excrements Spheromancy: crystal-ball gazing; see Scrying, Crystallomancy Splanchnomancy (reading cut sections of a goat liver) Spodanomancy, Spodomancy, Tephramancy, Tuphramancy, Cineromancy: by writings or patterns in ashes Stareomancy: divining by the elements, weathers Sternomancy: by the area from the breast to the belly Stichomancy (divination from lines - reading random passages from a book such as the Bible or the I Ching) Stoicheomancy: STICHOMANCY using only the books of Homer and/or Virgil Sycomancy: by figs T Tarot: see Cartomancy Tasseography, Tasseomancy (reading tea leaves) Telaesthesia: "to acquire information about distant events, objects or people through the interpretation of physical disturbances of the body, such as throbbing, twitching, itching or whistling in the ears" Theomancy: pretending to divine by the revelation of the Spirit & by the Scriptures or Word of God - by oracles Theriomancy: by beasts Tyromancy: by the coagulation of cheese U Uranomancy by the appearance of the heavens Urim v'tumim (reading sacred stones attached to the breastplate of the high priest in ancient Judaism) Urimancy, urinomancy: by urine (taste, color, odor, patterns, etc.) Uromancy, ouromancy (divination by reading bubbles made by urinating in a pot) V Vaastu Shastra: applying Indian astrology to architecture Vaticination: by consulting divine source(s) X Xenomancy: by the first stranger Xylomancy: by found wood Z Zoomancy: by the appearance and/or behavior of animals Zygomancy: by weights

SOURCES:

Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology, Robbins, 1959 via Divination — John Gaule, Mysmantia (1652)
The Skeptic's Dictionary — Robert Todd Carroll
Future Imperfect — Michael J. Sheehan, 2001
Roget's Thesaurus — Roget, 1852
Serena's Guide to Divination — Occultopedia.Com

Also see the Divination Resources listing. And maybe the original layout of the above table, showing the sources of the entries, may be of use to you. And see Prophesy-R-Us for help on creating your own divination system. And remember: never patronize a mystic, seer, diviner or prophet who isn't expecting you.

I PREDICTS! The PROPHESY Game
^{(2) Techniques}

CONTENTS

Divination Techniques - general

Divination Methods - specific

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

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ARTICLES

I PREDICTS! The PROPHESY Game (2) Techniques

CONTENTS

Divination Techniques - general

Divination Methods - specific

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

X

Z

ARTICLES

I PREDICTS! The PROPHESY Game
^{(2) Techniques}