Types of Divination
from various sources
Aeromancy -- divination
from the air and sky, particularly concentrating on cloud shapes, comets, and
other phenomena not normally visible in the heavens.
Alchemy-- is the practice
of transmutation of base metals into precious
metals (e.g., gold or silver) with the aid of an esoteric substance called the
Alectryomancy -- is
divination whereby a bird (usually poultry) is allowed to pick corn grains from
a circle of letters. A variation is to recite letters of the alphabet noting
those at which a cock crows.
divination using "fortune cookies"; answers to
are rolled into balls of dough and once baked are chosen at random.
Alomancy-- is divination
by table salt.
Alphitomancy-- by meal,
flour, or bran. Uses special cakes that are digestible by persons with a clear
conscience but are unpleasant to others.
Anthropomancy --is the
long-outlawed means of divination by human sacrifice.
Antinopomancy-- by the
entrails of women and children.
divination through chance meetings with animals (e.g., a black cat), birds, and
other creatures. Mexico City is said to have been founded where Aztec
soothsayers saw an eagle flying from a cactus carrying a live snake.
Arithmancy or Arithmomancy--
is an earlier form of NUMEROLOGY where divination is made through numbers and
the number value of letters.
Astragalomancy-- by dice.
Astrology-- is divination
using celestial bodies: the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
Augary-- is the general
term for the art of divination and is chiefly applied to interpretations of
signs and omens.
divination by the study of the winds.
Axiomancy-- is divination
through the observation of how an saw, ax or hatchet quivers or points when
driven into post.
Belomancy-- is an ancient
form of divination performed by tossing or balancing arrows.
divination by books.
divination from burning tree branches and leaves or herbs.
Capnomancy-- is the study
of smoke rising from a fire.
Cartomancy-- is fortune
telling using cards such as the Tarot.
Catoptromancy-- is an
early form of crystal gazing that utilizes a mirror turned to the moon to catch
Cattabomancy-- by vessels
of brass or other metal.
divination from behavior of objects placed in a fire.
Carromancy -- By melting
*Cephalomancy-- refers to
divination with the skull or head of a donkey or
broiling of an ass's head.
Ceraunoscopy-- seeks to
draw omens from the study of thunder and lightning.
Ceroscopy-- is a form of
fortune telling in which melted was is
into cold water.
Chartomancy-- by writing
Chirognomy-- is the study
of the general hand formation.
Chiromancy-- is divination
from the lines on people's hands.
"clear hearing" of divinatory information. Parapsychologist
generally regard as a form of extrasensory perception.
"clear seeing" of divinatory information. Parapsychologist generally
regard as a form of extrasensory perception.
Cledomancy -- By words
Cleromancy --is divination
by "casting lots", similar to dice but with objects such as pebbles or
Clidomancy or Cleidomancy--
is divination using a dangling key.
divination using a hanging sieve
*Critomancy-- is the study
of barley cakes.
*Crithomancy-- by grain or
divination using onion sprouts.
divination through crystal gazing.
Cyclomancy-- is the
practice of divination from a turning wheel.
Dactylomancy-- is an early
form of Radiesthesia using a dangling ring.
Daphnomancy-- requires one
to listen to laurel branches crackling in an open fire.
divination with the aid of demons.
divination with either oak or mistletoe.
Dowsing or diving rods--
are methods of divination where a forked stick is used to locate water or
*Gastromancy -- By the
sounds of the stomach
*Gastromancy-- is an
ancient form of ventriloquism whereby the voice is lowered to a sepulchral tone
and prophetic utterances are delivered in a trance state.
Geloscopy-- is the
divination from the tone of someone's laughter.
divination by the influence of the stars at birth.
Geomancy-- is the study of
figures on the ground and the influence of the Earth's "currents".
Graphology-- is the
analysis of character through handwriting.
Gyromancy-- is a
divination procedure where a person walks in a circle marked with letters until
they become dizzy and stumble at different points, thus spelling out a prophesy.
Hieromancy or Hierscopy--
is divination by observing object of ancient
Hippomancy-- is a form of
divination from the stamping and neighing of horses.
Horoscopy-- is the
practice of casting of astrological horoscopes.
Hydromancy-- is divination
by water including the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by pebbles
dropped in a pool.
divination using fish.
Idolomancy --By idols
Lampadomancy-- by candles,
lights, torches and lamps.
Lecanomancy-- by a basin
*Libanomancy-- is the
study of incense and its smoke.
Lithomancy-- by stones.
Macharomancy, by knives or
Margaritomancy-- is the
procedure of using bouncing pearls.
Metagnomy-- is the
divination using "visions" received in a trance state.
divination from meteors.
Metoposcopy-- is the
reading of character using the lines if the forehead.
Moleoscopy-- is the study
of moles and indicators of a person's character and future indications.
mystic inferences from the hissing of molten lead.
Myomancy-- is the study of
the prophetic meaning of behavior of rats and mice.
Numerology-- is the
numerical interpretation of numbers, dates, and the number value of letters.
Oculomancy-- is divination
from a person's eye.
Oinomancy-- is divination
Omphilomancy, by the
*Oneiromancy-- is the
interpretation of dreams and their prophetic nature.
*Oniromancy -- By dreams
*Onomancy-- is the study
of the meaning of names.
*Onomantics-- is the
application of Onomancy applied to personal names, particularly in the sense of
Onychomancy -- is the
study of fingernails.
Oomantia and Ooscopy-- is
the method of divination by eggs.
Ophiomancy-- is divination
Orniscopy and Orinthomancy--
is the study of omens associated with birds, particularly birds in flight.
Ovomancy-- is another type
of egg divination.
Palmistry-- is the broad
field of divination and interpretation of the lines and structure of the hand.
itself with spring water and bubbling fountains and the omens contained therein.
Phrenology--is the long
practiced study of head formations.
Phyllorhodomancy-- is a
means of divination whereby one slaps a rose petal against the hand and judges
the favorability of the omen by the loudness of the sound.
Physiognomy-- is the study
of character analysis through physical features.
Podomancy - By the feet
Precognition-- in an inner
knowledge or sense of future events.
Psychography-- is a form
of mysterious writing having a divinatory nature.
Psychomancy-- by men's
souls, affections, wills, religious or moral dispositions.
Psychometry-- is the
faculty of gaining impressions from a physical object and its history.
Pyromancy and Pyroscopy--
are forms of divination by fire or flame, often assisted by substances thrown
onto the flames.
Radiesthesia-- is the
general term for divination using a device such as a divining rod or pendulum.
Other forms include "table tipping" which was practiced at the White
House in the 19th century, the Ouija board, automatic writing (or superconscious
writing), and scrying.
divination using a stick or wand. These methods were forerunners of the divining
Rhapsodomancy-- is a means
of divination using a book of poetry whereby
the book is opened at random and a passage read.
Roadomancy-- by stars.
*Sciomancy--- by shadows.
*Sciomancy-- is divination
using a spirit guide, a method generally employed by channelers.
Scrying-- is a general
term for divination using a crystal, mirrors, bowls of water, ink, or flames to
Sideromancy-- is the
burning of straws with a hot iron, the resulting figures having divinatory
Sortilege-- is the casting
of lots and the assessment of omens indicated.
Spatalamancy -- By skins,
bones or excrement
Spodomancy-- is divination
using cinders or soot.
Stareomancy--- or divining
by the elements.
Sternomancy-- from the
breast to the belly.
Stichomancy-- is another
form of throwing open a book and selecting a random passage for the purpose of
Stolisomancy-- draws omens
from the way people dress.
*Sycomancy-- is performed
by writing messages on tree leaves; the slower they dry, the more favorable the
omen. A modern variation is to write on slips of paper (always including one
blank) and rolling them up. They are then held in a strainer over a boiling pot;
the first to unroll will be answered.
*Sycomancy -- By figs
Tasseography-- is the
reading of tea leaves that remain in a tea cup once the beverage has been drunk.
divination by ashes obtained from the burning of tree bark.
Theomancy-- pretending to
divine by the revelation of the Spirit and by the Scriptures or Word of God.
Theriomancy-- by beasts
*Tiromancy-- is a type of
divination using cheese.
*Tyromancy -- By the
coagulation of cheese
Xylomancy-- is divination
from pieces of wood, either from their shape when collected or their appearance
some info from: The Kinds
of Divination-John Gaule, Mysmantia (1652).