There are many forms of fortune telling. The “Big Three” are astrology, tarot/oracle cards and numerology. Also known are palmistry, I-Ching, channeling and mediumship.
However, this article will explore and briefly describe unusual forms of fortune telling that you may find interesting to discover and investigate.
They will be arranged alphabetically, and the list is surprisingly long, even if it is not exhaustive. Therefore, it will be presented in a series of articles.
What is Divination?
The dictionary definition of the word divination is: “the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” In contemporary times, divination has expanded into spiritual insight about the self and circumstances, with less emphasis on predicting the future.
The techniques and tools below show the many ways in which fortune telling can be practiced, whether you are trying to see into the future or into your own soul.
Haruspice
Haruspicy is a very old form of divination that involves analyzing the entrails (mainly livers) of sacrificial animals (mainly goats, sheep and chickens). While the practice has not completely disappeared from the world, it was widely practiced in ancient Western cultures, including the Roman, Greek, and Babylonian.
This form of divination is one of the few that has been scientifically studied, evidenced by: Harvard project known as the Prediction Projectwhich ran from 2017 to 2020.
Jiaobei/Poe
Poe is a form of divination that uses wooden pieces carved into the shape of crescent moons, with one flat side and one rounded side. Usually two of the pieces are cast to answer yes/no questions.
If one piece has the flat side up and one has the rounded side up, the answer is “yes”. If both blocks are round side up, the answer is “no”.
If both blocks are flat side up, then the answer is “the gods are laughing at you” because 1) it’s clearly no, 2) it’s clearly yes, or 3) the question is unclear.
If one of the pieces somehow ends up on the point and stays put (which depends on the type of surface you are casting on, such as dirt or sand), the answer cannot be given at this point and you must ask the question once. later on.
Ka Cim
Kau Cim is popular in Buddhist and Taoist temples. The divination method uses small sticks that are kept in a round cylinder. The questioner asks a question, then takes the cylinder and tilts it until a stick falls out. Each stick has markings that bring the fortune.
You can try one online version of this method.
Libanomancy
Libanomie is divination using frankincense smoke and ashes. You complete the divination by asking the genie a question, lighting an incense stick, then interpreting the movement of the smoke and the fall of the ashes to determine the answer.
Here you will find example interpretations that are explained workshop pdf by Jenna Mortensen.
Lithomancy
Lithomancy is divination with the help of stones. Tumbled stones are often used in modern practice and there is even a recent book, with an introductory video explaining the method, involving 16 stones: 10 representing the astrological points, starting with the Sun and ending with Pluto, and 6 representing personal points. stones (life, magic, love, devotion, place and luck).
Nephomancy
Nephomancy is a divination method that involves interpreting shapes and colors in clouds, as well as their position in the sky and movement through the sky.
If you look at the sky and see a shape that resembles a boat or ship, you may want to consider a trip across a lake or ocean. Given your circumstances, you may receive something or someone by boat or ship.
You can also “actively” do the process by thinking about a question or situation and then “looking to the clouds” for insights or answers.
Oneiromancy (dream divination)
According to the Oxford Dictionary, oneiromancy is the interpretation of dreams to predict the future. Dream interpretation is a common psychological practice, but the “use” of dreams to predict the future or engage in spiritual work takes the practice of interpretation into the realm of divination.
In ancient and modern times, certain drugs can and have been used to enter the dream state with an intention. This would also be a form of oneiromancy. Often one of a shaman’s key roles is to perform oneiromancy and help individuals understand the potential spiritual and psychic meaning of their dreams.
Ouija
Ouija is a divination technique that uses a talking board or spirit board. Made famous for the “party game” of the Ouija board, first produced in 1890 by Elijah Bond; the board has numbers and letters on a board.
A planchette, a small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic, features a movable indicator that directs users to specific letters and numbers to get answers to a question.
The process functions much in the same way as automatic writing. The user places his or her hand or hands on the planchette, relaxes and enters a meditative state, then “allows” the planchette to move until it stops, noting the letter or number. Movements continue until a complete message is received.
Pyromancy
Pyromancy is divination using fire. As a broad category, it has sub-categories such as xylomancy (burning wood), libanomancy (reading the smoke and ashes of incense), and carromancy (candle divination). Additional forms (wiki) include:
- Alomancy, divination by salt, one kind of which involves pouring salt into a fire
- Botanomancy, divination by burning plants
- Capnomancy, divination through smoke; light thin smoke rising straight up was a good omen; otherwise bad.
- Causality, divination by burning (specific to the burned object)
- Daphnomancy (also Empyromancy), divination by burning bay leaves
- Osteomancy, divination using bones, one type of which involves heating to cause cracks
- Plasromancy, divination using turtle plastrons; in China this was done by heating wells carved into them.
- Scapulimancy, divination by shoulder blade; in Asia and North America this was done pyromantically.
- Side romance, divination by burning straw with an iron.
Fire is also one of the best tools for meditation. You can stare into a flame until you can reach an altered state. Once in the altered state, you can ask questions and seek answers from the mind.
Shout
Scrying is usually done by looking into a reflective surface until you reach a meditative state that gives you access to spiritual knowledge. Before mirrors were widely available, pools of water in bowls were the easiest way to see. Crystal balls are probably the best known scrying instrument. Any surface that reflects light rather than absorbs it can be used for scrying.
Tasseomancy (reading tea leaves)
Tasseomancy, also known as Tea Leaf Reading, is one of the best-known forms of fortune telling thanks to its recurring appearances in popular culture, especially TV shows and movies.
The most common way to take a reading is to visit a reader, or “sitter,” and have him or her serve tea containing the loose leaves.
You come up with your question or problem, drink the tea and then hand the cup to the reader who will interpret your message based on the shapes and position of the leaves on the bottom of the cup.
If you go to Amazon and type “Tea Leaf Reading” you get over 2000 results
Xylomania
Xylomania is a form of divination that involves burning wood. You can enter a scrying state as you watch the flames burn and see if the message you need appears as you stare at the flames.
Traditionally you let the fire burn out and see what the scorch marks on the burnt wood look like. Burning a Christmas log is probably the best known version of this practice; Once it has flamed out, the color and shape of the log can be used to predict the coming year.
If you enjoyed reading about these unusual forms of fortune telling, be sure to check out the preceding articles, which feature more unique methods of fortune telling that were once practiced, are making a comeback, or may resonate with you if you are a want to become a practitioner. of one of these lesser-known arts.
