Methods of divination

Methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods—some of which had hitherto been unnamed—in Medieval Latin, very often utilizing the suffix -mantia when the art seemed more mystical and the suffix -scopia when the art seemed more scientific. Names like drimimantia, nigromantia, and horoscopia arose, along with phrenology and physiognomy.
Some forms of divination are much older than the Middle Ages, like haruspication, while others such as coffee-based tasseomancy originated in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The chapter "How Panurge consulteth with Herr Trippa" of Gargantua and Pantagruel, a parody on occult treatises of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, contains a list of over two dozen "mancies", described as "common knowledge".

A

abacomancy : by dust acultomancy : by needles acutomancy → see adromancy → see adryomancy→ see aeromancy : by atmospheric conditions agalmatomancy : by statues aichmomancy : by sharp objects ailuromancy/'aeluromancy → see aiomancy: By artificial intelligencealectormancy/alectromancy : by rooster sacrifice alectryomancy/alectoromancy: by rooster divination → see aleuromancy¹ : by flour; see also alomancy/Halomancy : by salt alphitomancy: by barley alveromancy : by soundsamathomancy → see by sand ambulomancy : by walking amniomancy : by placenta anemoscopy/anemomancy : by wind anthomancy : by flowers anthracomancy : by burning coals anthropomancy : by human sacrifice anthroposcopy : by physical appearance apantomancy : by chance encounters with animals arachnomancy : by spiders archeomancy/archaeomancy : by sacred relics ariolation : by altars arithmancy: assigning numerical value to a word or phrasearmomancy : by one's own shoulders årsgång, archaic form of Swedish divinationaruspicina: study of entrailsaspidomancy : by sitting in a drawn circle or on a shield astragalomancy/astragalamancy → see astragyromancy → see astrapomancy : by lightning astrology/astromancy/ : by celestial bodies. This method was widespread in medieval period, particularly in Mesopotamia.augury → see auramancy : by auras auspicy/auspication → see austromancy → see : by wind avimancy → see axiomancy/axinomancy' : by axes

B

batraquomancy/'batrachomancy : by frogs belomancy/bolomancy : by arrows bibliomancy → see biorhythmic divination: by biorhythmsbletonism/bletonomancy : by water current bolomancy → see bone-throwing: the tossing of pieces of bone or wood, practiced by various culturesbotanomancy : by burning pieces of plants, documented with burning vervain and briar. brizomancy → see brontomancy/brontoscopy : by thunder bumpology' : by bumps on the skin

C

cabala → see canomancy or : by dogs capnomancy : by smoke

* libanomancy : by smoke or ash from incense carromancy : by melting wax cartopedy → see cartomancy → see catoptromancy/'captromancy → see causimancy/causimomancy : by burning cephalomancy → see cephaleonomancy/cephalonomancy: by boiling a donkey's head ceraunoscopy : by thunder and lightning ceromancy/ceroscopy : by dripping wax in water chalcomancy: by striking gongs or copper bowls chaomancy : by aerial visions chartomancy : by things on paper
* cartomancy : by cards
** taromancy/tarotmancy : by tarot
** Parrot astrology: by parrots picking cards
* stichomancy : by books or lines
** aleuromancy² : by fortune cookies
** bibliomancy : by the Bible
** stoicheomancy/stoichomancy: by the Iliad and the Odyssey or the Aeneid cheiromancy/chiromancy→ see cheirognomy/chirognomy → see
' → see choriomancy : by pig bladders chresmomancy : by the ravings of lunatics chronomancy : by apt occasion cineromancy/'ceneromancy → see clamancy : by random shouts and cries heard in crowds, at night, etc. cledonism/cledonomancy : by chance events or overheard words cleidomancy/clidomancy : by keys cleromancy : by casting
* astragalomancy/astragalamancy : by dice
* domino divination: by dominoes
* favomancy : by beans
* Ogham casting: by Ogham letters
* runecasting/runic divinationcometomancy : by comet tails colormancy/coloromancy: by colors conchomancy : by shells cosquinomancy/coscinomancy : by hanging sieves cottabomancy/cottobomancy : by wine in a brass bowl craniognomy or → see the crawling baby: by a baby's crawlingcrithomancy/critomancy : by barley cakes cromnyomancy/cromniomancy : by onion sprouts cryptomancy : by omens cryomancy : by ice crystal ball gazing → see crystal gazing → see crystallomancy → see cubomancy → see cyathomancy : by cups cybermancy : by computer oracles cyclicomancy : by swirling water in a cup cyclomancy' or : by wheels

D

dactyliomancy : by finger rings dactylomancy : by means of finger movements daphnomancy : by burning laurel wreaths demonomancy : by demons dendromancy : by trees, especially oaks, yews, or mistletoe deuteroscopy : by second glance or double take dianomancy : by delivery, esp. by the randomly-generated words found on Whole Foods grocery bags to identify orders dictiomancy : by randomly opening a dictionary divining → see djubed→ see : by animal horoscope domino divination → see dowsing : by a divining rod dracomancy : by dragons dream interpretationdream questions: by dreamingdririmancy/'driromancy : by dripping blood . Compare hemotomancy.drimimancy/drymimancy' : by bodily fluids

E

electromancy: by lightning and electricity eleomancy/'elaeomancy: by oil emonomancy → see empirimancy: by experiment/experienceempyromancy : by burning encromancy: by oil ink stains enochian chess: by playing a four·handed variant of the gameenoptromancy → see enthusiasm: speeches by those supposed to be possessed by a divine spiritentomomancy/entomancy: by insects eromancy : by water vessels exposed to air — cf. aeromancyextispicy/extispication' : by the remains of sacrificed animals

F

favomancy → see felidomancy → see floriography/'floromancy : by flowers' feelings fractomancy : by fractals fructomancy/fructimancy: by fruit Futomani' is the Shinto tradition of divining from the shoulder blade bone of a sacred deer.

G

galvanoscopy : by galvanism gastromancy¹ → see gastromancy² : by guttural sounds geomancy : by earth geloscopy : by laughter gematria: by the Hebrew alphabet genethlialogy: by birth dates grammomancy : by writing individual letters graphology : by studying handwriting graptomancy → see gyromancy : by dizziness

H

hagiomancy: by saints halomancy → see : by bones or diceharuspicy/'haruspication → see hematomancy/haematomancy : by blood hepatoscopy/hepatomancy : by liver hieromancy/hieroscopy : by studying sacrifices' entrails hippomancy → see horoscopy : aspect of the Stars at nativity hydatomancy: by rainwater hydromancy/hydroscopy → see hyomancy: by wild hogs hypnomancy' : by sleep

I

I Ching divination: by yarrow stalks or coinsichnomancy : by footprints ichthyomancy → see iconomancy : by icons idolomancy : by idols idromancy → see ifá: geomancy patterns generated with palm nuts, opele, cowrie shells, etc. that refer to Ifa divination texts; a collection of Odu Ifa versesiridology: by eye color isopsephy: by numbers and letters

J

: Vedic system of astrology

K

kabbalah/'qabalah/cabala: by the Kabbalah ': by bamboo

': by rice gruelkephalonomancy → see keraunomancy → see knissomancy : by incense kypomancy' → see

L

labiomancy : by lips lampadomancy : by flame lecanomancy/'lecanoscopy : by a basin of water letnomancy: by secrets libanomancy → see and literomancy : by a letter in a written language lithomancy : by gems or stones logarithmancy : by logarithms logomancy : by words lots: divination through chance, or the drawing or tossing of lotslunamancy → see lychnomancy' : by candles

M

macharomancy: by swords or knives macromancy : by large objects maculomancy : by spots on the skin mahjong divination: by Mahjong tilesmargaritomancy : by bouncing pearls mathemancy : by mathematics mazomancy : by nursing meconomancy : by sleeping megapolisomancy: by large cities meilomancy: by molesmetagnomy or : by magic meteormancy : by meteors meteoromancy : by thunder and lightning metoposcopy/'metopomancy : by the lines of the forehead micromancy : by small objects moleosophy or : by blemishes molybdomancy : by molten metal moromancy : by foolishness myomancy → see myrmomancy' → see

N

narcomancy : by sleep natimancy → see necromancy¹ : by speaking to the dead, by corpses necyomancy : by summoning damned souls nephomancy : by clouds nigromancy : by black magic nomancy or → see notarikon/'netrikon: by initials nggàm → see numerology : by numbers numismatomancy': by coins

O

oculomancy : by eyes odontomancy : by teeth oenomancy/'oinomancy : by wine ololygmancy : by the howling of dogs omoplatoscopy → see omphalomancy : by navels oneiromancy/oneiroscopy : by dreams onimancy → see onomancy/onomomancy/nomancy : by letters in a name onomomancy → see onychomancy/onymancy/onimancy : by finger· and toenails onymancy → see oomancy/ooscopy : by eggs ophidiomancy/ophiomancy → see ophthalmomancy → see organoscopy → see orniscopy/ornithomancy → see oromancy: by mountains oryctomancy: by minerals ossomancy → see osteomancy: by bones Ouija/Ouije: by ouija board ouranomancy → see ovomancy' → see

P

Pagtatawas by reading melted alumpallomancy: by pendulums palmistry/'palm reading → see papyromancy: by folding paper, especially paper money pedomancy → see pegomancy: by fountains pessomancy: by pebbles pecthimancy/petchimancy: by brushed cloth phallomancy: by swing of the phallus phobomancy: by feelings of fear photomancy: by fields of light phrenology : by the configuration of one's brain phyllomancy: by leaves

* sycomancy: by fig leaves

* tasseography/tasseomancy : by tea leaves or coffee grounds phyllorhodomancy: by rose petals physiognomy/physiognomancy: by faces phytognomy: by the appearance of plants Planchetteplastromancy: by cracks formed by heat on a turtle's plastron pilimancy: by observing the patterns produced by a collection of human hairplumbomancy: by observing shapes molten lead makes when poured in water pneumancy: by blowing podomancy/pedomancy → see poe divination: by throwing stones on the floor, practised at Taoist templesitalic=unset : study of natural phenomenapsephomancy: by lots or ballots pseudomancy: by false means psychognomy: by phrenological psychomancy → see ¹ ptarmoscopy/ptarmoscopie: the interpretation of sneezes pyromancy/pyroscopy': by fire

Q

→ see

R

radiesthesia: by rods, pendulums, or other cylindrical tools retromancy: by looking over one's shoulder rhabdomancy/'rabdomancy: by rods, sticks, or wands rhapsodomancy: by poetry roadomancy: by constellations runecasting' → see

S

scapulimancy/'scapulomancy : by bovine or caprid shoulder blades scarpomancy: by old shoes scatomancy: by excrement schematomancy → see sciomancy¹ : by shadows sciomancy²: by spirits scrying: by gazing

* crystal gazing: by reflective objects
** catoptromancy/captromancy : by mirrors
** gastromancy¹ : by crystal ball
** hydromancy : by water selenomancy: by the moon shadowmancy → see ¹ shufflemancy: by the use of an electronic media player such as an electronic playlist, iPod, or other medium wherein one skips a certain number of songs and the lyrics and/or tune of the song is the answer to the divinatory questionsideromancy: by burning straw with an iron

': by drawing sixteen lines in sand skatharomancy: by beetle tracks slinneanachd/'slinnanacht: by animal shoulder blades solaromancy: by the sun somatomancy: by the human form
* cephalomancy : by skulls
* cheiromancy/chiromancy : by palms
* cheirognomy/chirognomy : by hands
* podomancy/pedomancy : by the soles of one's feet
* schematomancy: by the face sortilege: by the casting of lots, or sortes
* sortes virgilianae: by Vergil's Aeneidspasmatomancy: by convulsions spatilomancy: by animal excrement spatulamancy → see spheromancy → see sphondulomancy: by spindles splanchnomancy → see spodomancy: by soot
* cineromancy/ceneromancy: by the ashes of a specifically sacrificial or ritual fire
* libanomancy : by smoke or ash from incense
* tephramancy/tephromancy: by tree bark ashes, by sacrificial or ritual fire ashes, or human sacrificial victim ashes stareomancy: by the four elements stercomancy: by seeds in bird excrement sternomancy: by ridges on the breastbone stichomancy → see stigonomancy: by burning writing onto bark stoicheomancy/stoichomancy → see stolisomancy: by fashion styramancy: by observing patterns produced by chewing gum, gum wax, or products produced by the L. styraciflua treesycomancy → see symbolomancy': by things found on the road

T

taromancy → see tasseography/'tasseomancy → see technomancy: by technology temurah: → see tephramancy/tephromancy: → see theomancy: foretelling events, prophecy theriomancy : : by animal behavior

* ailuromancy/aeluromancy : by cats
* alectryomancy/alectoromancy : by rooster behavior
* augury: by bird formations
* hippomancy : by horse behavior
* ichthyomancy : by fish behavior
* myomancy : by rodent behavior
* myrmomancy : by ant behavior
* nggàm: by spider or crab behavior
* ophidiomancy/ophiomancy: by snake behavior

* orniscopy/ornithomancy : by bird migration thumomancy : by one's own soul, presage topomancy : by geography and geological formations transataumancy: by things accidentally seen or heardtrochomancy : by wheel ruts turifumy: by shapes in smoke tyromancy/tiromancy' : by cheese

U

umbilicomancy: by umbilical cords umbromancy: by shade uranomancy/'ouranomancy: by the sky uromancy/urimancy: by urine urticariaomancy': by itches

V

videomancy: by films

W

water witching → see wishbone → see

X

xenomancy: by strangers xylomancy: by the shape or texture of wood, or the appearance of burning wood

Y

ydromancy¹ → see ydromancy² → see

Z

zoomancy → see zygomancy: by weights zeteomancy: by seeking out knowledge