Divination

thumb|upright=1.2|A man in Rhumsiki, Cameroon, attempts to tell the future by interpreting the changes in position of various objects as caused by a freshwater [[crab through the practice of nggàm.]]

thumb|upright=1.25|A fortune-telling|fortune-teller conducting a palm reading, with lines and mounts marked out on the person's left palm thumb|Gold stamped front cover of The Psychonomy of the Hand

Chinese system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment

thumb|Numerorum mysteria (1591), a treatise on numerology by Pietro Bongo and his most influential work in Europe

thumb|upright=1.2|Consulting the Oracle by [[John William Waterhouse, showing eight priestesses in a temple of prophecy]]

thumb|upright=1.2|Illustration portraying a scene from the Bible wherein the Witch of Endor uses a necromantic ritual to conjure the spirit of Samuel at the behest of Saul; from the frontispiece of Sadducismus Triumphatus (1681) by [[Joseph Glanvill.]]

thumb|Examples of omens from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493): natural phenomena and unnatural births. thumb|Manuscript of the mid-nineteenth century, possibly of S'gaw Karen people|Sgaw Karen origin, shows various appearances in the sun, the moon, clouds, etc., and indicates the primarily bad omens these appearances foretell. Explanations in English were added to this manuscript by a nineteenth-century American missionary.

Astrology based on Chinese astronomy

thumb|right|250px|Geomancy tool thumb|Geomantic instrument, Egypt or [[Syria, 1241–42 CE, by Muhammad ibn Khutlukh al Mawsuli. When the dials were turned, random designs of dots would appear, which were then interpreted. British Museum.]] Geomancy, a compound of Greek roots denoting "earth divination", was originally used to mean methods of divination that interpret geographic features, markings on the ground, or the patterns formed by soil, rocks, or sand. Its definition has expanded over time (along with the recognized definition of the suffix -mancy), to include any spiritual, metaphysical,

thumb|Gypsy Fortune-Teller (1841) by Taras Shevchenko

thumb|upright=1.2|The Liver of Piacenza, a bronze diagram of the sheep's liver found near [[Piacenza with Etruscan inscriptions]]

the process of assigning meaning to dreams

thumb|180px|An augur with sacred chicken; he holds a lituus, the curved wand often used as a symbol of augury on Roman coins Augury was the Roman religious practice of observing the behavior of birds to receive omens. When the individual, known as the augur, read these signs, it was referred to as "taking the auspices". "Auspices" () means "looking at birds". Auspex, another word for augur, can be translated to "one who looks at birds". Depending upon the birds, the auspices from the gods could be favorable or unfavorable (auspicious or inauspicious). Sometimes politically motivated augurs wou

zeroth Major Arcana tarot card, symbolising beggining and end, consciusness and impulsivity

set of techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, and mediums

thumb|An example of a tea leaf reading, showing what may be interpreted as a dog and a bird on the side of the cup

thumb|right|300px|A divination tray (Ọpọ́n Ifá) on which cowrie shells rests, as are used for Ifá divination

thumb|upright=1.3|Names given to possible positions of a sheepbone shagai. From top left clockwise: Camel, Horse, Goat, Sheep Shagai (, ), chükö (, ), asyk/ashyk/oshuq (, ; ; ; , ), gachuha (Manchu : ) refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. They may be painted bright colours. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language sourc

Oneiromancy () is a form of divination based upon dreams, and also uses dreams to predict the future. Oneirogen plants may also be used to produce or enhance dream-like states of consciousness. Occasionally, the dreamer feels as if they are transported to another time or place, and this is offered as evidence they are in fact providing divine information upon their return.

right|thumb|Abe no Seimei, a famous is a technique that uses knowledge of astronomy and calendars to divine good fortune in terms of date, time, direction and general personal affairs, originating from the philosophy of the yin-yang and the five elements.

thumb|upright=1.3|Panurge and Pantagruel use a book of Virgil's poems for bibliomancy, in [[The Third Book of Pantagruel]] Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The use of sacred books (especially specific words and verses) for "magical medicine", for removing negative entities, or for divination is widespread in many religions of the world.

thumb|A molybdomancy kit includes a set of shaped lead ingots, to be melted over a candle flame in a spoon. thumb|A piece of molten lead after immersion in cold water

ancient or modern magic performed with runes or runestones

thumb|Hydromancy may interpret the color, ebb and flow, or ripples of perturbed water

thumb|150px|A candle's flame

spirit that advises, through a medium, the state of Tibet

Chinese astrological method

right|thumb|The Crystal Ball (painting)|The Crystal Ball by [[John William Waterhouse (1902, oil on canvas)]]

thumb|180px|An approaching thunderstorm Aeromancy (from Greek ἀήρ aḗr, "air", and manteia, "divination") is divination that is conducted by interpreting atmospheric conditions. Alternate terms include "arologie", "aeriology", and "aërology".

thumb|Etruscan wall painting from Tomba degli Auguri (c. 530 BC) showing two augurs

method for seeing visions achieved through trance induction by means of gazing at a crystal

right|upright=1.2|thumb|Replica Roman astragali right|upright=.8|thumb|Astragali used for gaming in Mongolia

thumb|Alectryomancy foretells a young woman's marriage in Christmastide Divination by Makovsky, c. 1905 Alectryomancy is a form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird, several birds, or most preferably a white rooster or cockerel pecking at grain (such as wheat) that the diviner has scattered on the ground. In ancient Rome, it was the responsibility of the pullarius to feed and keep the birds used. The observer may place grain in the shape of letters and thus discern a divinatory revelation by noting which letters the birds peck at, or the diviner may just interpret the pattern lef

Cleromancy is a form of divination, involving sortition (casting of lots), in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice (astragalomancy), but that are sometimes believed to reveal the will of a deity.

type of fortune-telling born in China

Belomancy, also bolomancy, is the ancient art of divination by use of arrows. The word is built upon , and , , 'divination'. Belomancy was anciently practiced at least by Babylonians, Greeks, Arabs and Scythians.

thumb|Sea salt crystals which may be used in 'Alomancy' Alomancy, also called adromancy, ydromancie, idromancie, and halomancy, is an ancient form of divination. Similar to many other forms of divination, the diviner casts salt crystals into the air and interprets the patterns as it falls to the ground or travels through the air.

Coscinomancy is a form of divination utilising a sieve and shears, used in ancient Greece, medieval and early modern Europe and 17th century New England, to determine the guilty party in a criminal offence, find answers to questions, etc.

thumb|Russian folk catoptromancy by Karl Briullov, 1836 Catoptromancy (from Ancient Greek κάτοπτρον katoptron, "mirror," and μαντεία manteia, "divination"), also known as captromancy or enoptromancy, is divination using a mirror.

thumb|upright|Deer scapula, showing bone formation and features

Chinese ancient form of divination

thumb|right|Onomantic table from the Russian version of the Secretum Secretorum Onomancy (or nomancy) is divination based on a subject's name. Onomancy gained popularity in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, but is said to have originated with the Pythagoreans in antiquity. Several methods of analyzing a name are possible, some of which are based on arithmancy or gematria.

Carromancy (from Greek κηρός, 'wax', and μαντεία, 'divination'), otherwise known as ceromancy, is a form of divination involving wax. One of the most common methods of carromancy is to heat wax until molten, then to pour it directly into cold water. The shapes and movements of the wax as it cools and solidifies can then allegedly be read to forecast auguries of the future. Another method more commonly practiced in the contemporary era is studying the burning of an ordinary candle. The movements and erratic actions of the flame are then said to predict the future.

Chinese fortune telling practice

Wikimedia list article

thumb|alt=Kiboku and Futomani|Kiboku and Futomani is a traditional Shinto system of divination. Practitioners attempt to foresee future events by interpreting the pattern of cracks made by heating the shoulder-blade of a stag. The practice is thought to predate the introduction of divination by tortoiseshell, which was imported from China; archaeological evidence suggests it originated as early as the Jōmon period.

thumb|Diagram from Metoposcopia, Samuel Fuchs, 1615 Metoposcopy is a form of divination in which the diviner predicts personality, character, and destiny, based on the pattern of lines on the subject's forehead. It was in use in the classical era, and was widespread in the Middle Ages, reaching its zenith in the 16th and 17th centuries.

thumb|right|A curled up cat with its head touching the ground could, for some, portend storms Ailuromancy or aeluromancy (from ), also known as felidomancy, is a form of theriomancy. It is divination using cats' movements or jumps to predict future events, especially the weather.

thumb|Unsifted wheat flour Aleuromancy is the use of flour for divination. The word comes from the Greek aleuron, meaning flour, and manteia, meaning divination.

divination within the Mesopotamian period

In the Kuba region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the belief in nature spirits, called ngesh or mingeh, is widespread. Ngesh are believed to possess human characteristics, live near water sources in forests or villages, and may be encountered at any time. Community residents know the name of local ngesh and their offspring. Ngesh impose themselves on various human affairs, including the control of harvest and the fertility of women.

various forms of witchcraft and divination mentioned in the Hebrew Bible

shamanism

Anthropomancy (from Greek anthropos (ἄνθρωπος, man) and manteia (μαντεία, divination)) is a method of divination by the entrails of dead or dying men or women through sacrifice. This practice was sometimes also called splanchnomancy. In ancient Etruria and Rome, the usual variety of divination from entrails was haruspicy (performed by a haruspex), in which the sacrifice was an animal.

collection of prophecies

Roman divination method

thumb|upright|According to the 4th century BCE inscription at the base of the Sphinx of Naxos|Sphinx of the Naxians in [[Delphi, the Naxians (inhabitants of Naxos) had "Promanteia".]] thumb|The Naxos Sphinx inscription in Delphi offering Promanteia to the Naxians. Promanteia was the privilege, bestowed upon cities or individuals by the Oracle of Delphi, to ask the Pythia in priority.

Axinomancy is an obscure method of divination using an axe, hatchet, or (rarely) a saw. Most methods involve throwing an axe into the ground, or swinging it into a tree, and interpreting the direction of the handle or the quivering of the blade. A form of this is axiomancy; this is when the quivering of the blade of an axe that has been thrust into a wooden table is interpreted by the diviner.

thumb|right|Burning incense gives off complex patterns of smoke Libanomancy (also known as livanomancy and knissomancy) is a divination primarily through observing and interpreting burning incense smoke, but which may include the way incense ash falls as well. Like most other methods of divination, during libanomancy a specific question must be asked. The incense smoke provides an answer, but the smoke must be interpreted by a diviner.

' (pronounced [ˈoːʂgɔŋ]) is an archaic form of Swedish divination. It is sometimes translated as the year walk or yearly round'.