Necromancy: (from Greek words meaning 'dead' and 'divination'),

A form of divination by communication with the dead, one of the "black arts".

The classic case of necromancy is the witch of Endor, described in the Bible (1 Samuel 28), who summoned the spirit of Samuel in the presence of Saul.

Necromancy can be divided into two main branches: divination by means of ghosts, and divination from corpses, both of which represent related forms of forbidden knowledge.

The second method led to the disinterment of corpses and rifling of graves for the grisly charms which magicians and witches considered necessary for the effective performance of the magical arts. To evoke the dead the magician needed to obtain the help of powerful spirits, both for his own protection and to compel the corpse or ghost to submit to his will.

A spell from ancient Greece calls upon the powers of the mighty Kore, Persephone, Ereshkigal, Adonis, Hermes and Thoth, to bind the dead. According to a ritual described by Seneca, the Roman dramatist, the summoning of the dead involved not only a burnt sacrifice but a blood-drenched altar.

(See also: Necromancy , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Apple A temperate fruit of Europe and Western Asia, appearing in classical, Arabian, and ancient European mythology and folklore as "a means to immortality, an emblem of fruitfulness, an offering or a distraction in suitor contests, a cure, a love charm, a test of chastity, a means of divination, a magic object" (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore); the Greek golden apples of the Hesperides and the Scandinavian apples of Idunn confer immortality; in the Arabian Nights the apple of Prince Ahmed cures every disease. Apples were used for divination in Druidic Britain. (SD).

(See also: Apple   , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

A dictionary of Parapsycology. Please note that words in grey are hyperlinked to a corresponding archive with articles related to that particular topic.

Zulu Sangoma bones: African divination method promoted by the Katush Motivational & Holistic Centre, in South Africa. The method features herbal remedies, and its theory posits instructive ancestral spirits. Sangomas are herbalists traditional or indigenous to South Africa; their duties may include divination.

(See also: Zulu Sangoma bones , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Geomancy: Divination by the earth. A widespread system of divination either by means of designs drawn randomly on the ground with sand, pollen, or other similar powders or by detecting, through calculations and signs, the hidden forces present in the landscape. See also Feng Shui

(See also: Geomancy , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Astrology:

Divination through the correlation of earthly events with celestial patterns.

(See also: Astrology , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Geomancy: A system of divination using the sixteen geomantic figures--patterns of four lines of dots with either one or two dots in each line...in divination, four such patterns are produced by a random process, and then combined with others according to traditional methods to produce a geomantic chart.

(See also: Geomancy , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Oomancy [from Greek oon egg + manteia divination]

The ancient art of divination by eggs was taught to mankind by Orpheus (SD 1:362); and the diviner was able by inspecting the contents of the egg to perceive whatever the bird born from it would have seen, had it ever been born.

The possibility of divination is a logical deduction from the principle of universal correspondences and the interrelation and interpenetration of all parts of the universe. It is therefore only a question of esoteric knowledge and skill. The germ of the future lies concealed in the present, making prediction possible by one whose spiritual faculties have been awakened.

(See also: Oomancy , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Theomancy [from Greek theos god + manteia divination]

Divination by divine inspiration; more commonly, divination by means of oracles, such as at Delphi in ancient Greece.

(See also: Theomancy , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Ouija Board

A board and pointer used for divination and to contact the spirit world. The name is said to come from the French for 'yes', oui, and the German for 'yes', ja - though there are other claims.

The board, which has the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0 to 9, and the words 'yes' and 'no' printed on it, is placed on a table. Participants rest their fingertips lightly on the pointer, a heart-shaped device with three felt-tipped legs. One person poses a question, and the pointer is then supposed to move to answer the question.

Similar board-type instruments were used for divination in ancient China and Greece. In the mid-nineteenth century a similar device, the planchette, came into use in Europe. The modern Ouija board is marketed as a game, originally called 'Ouija Talking Board', and was developed in the late 1890s by an American, William Fuld, who sold the patent to the Parker Brothers game company in 1966.

Ouija boards became popular during and after World War I, when many people were desperate to communicate with friends and loved ones killed in the fighting.

Parapsychologists regard the Ouija board as a means to tap into the subconscious; critics of its use claim that it is dangerous in that users have no control over repressed material, which may lead to psychological trauma. Most fundamentalist Christians condemn the Ouija board as dangerous tinkering with potentially harmful occult forces and a tool of the Devil.

(See also: Ouija Board , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

rune casting (casting): Mode of divination in which one throws runestones - pebbles bearing glyphs, which typically are characters used by ancient Germanic and Norse peoples. In runic divination (a related method), one may toss matchstick Runes or draw from a bag or hat:

(a)   notepad Runes, folded sheets of scratch pad paper bearing special figures (Runes); or

(b)  tiles from the board game Scrabble.

(See also: Rune casting , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Arithmomancy Interpretation by means of numbers, or divination by means of numbers. The Pythagoreans and Plato used the numerical key in theogony and cosmogony, based on the science of correspondences as prevailing among gods, men, and numbers or numerical quantities. Hence, the numerical key to nature can be used as the basis of various methods of divination for the discovery of truth or error.

(See also: Arithmomancy , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Thummim (Hebrew, Jewish). "Perfections." An ornament on the breastplates of the ancient High Priests of Judaism. Modern Rabbins and Hebraists may well pretend they do not know the joint purposes of the Thummim and the Urim; but the Kabbalists do and likewise the Occultists.

They were the instruments of magic divination and oracular communication -  theurgic and astrological. This is shown in the following well-known facts  -

(1) upon each of the twelve precious stones was engraved the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, each of these "sons" personating one of the signs of the zodiac;

(2) both were oracular images, like the teraphim, and uttered oracles by a voice, and both were agents for hypnotisation and throwing the priests who wore them into an ecstatic condition.

The Urim and Thummim were not original with the Hebrews, but had been borrowed, like most of their other religious rites, from the Egyptians, with whom the mystic scarabeus worn on the breast by the Hierophants, had the same functions. They were thus purely heathen and magical modes of divination ; and when the Jewish "Lord God" was called upon to manifest his presence and speak out his will through the Urim by preliminary incantations, the modus operandi was the same as that used by all the Gentile priests the world over.

(See also: Thummim , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

prophecy: Divination. Act or practice of predicting the future.

(See also: Prophecy , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Omen [from Latin os mouth, as the voice of a god]

As in augury and divination, the laws of correspondences and of the interrelation of all parts of the cosmos imply that it is possible to interpret the invisible and to forecast the future by observing visible signs. The right interpretation of omens demands knowledge and skill, and the subject affords a fertile field for self-deception and quackery. As with astrology, an undue concern with influences tends to subject a person to them; it is advisable to discriminate between what might happen and what must happen.

There was in ancient times a fairly exact and, when properly practiced, accurate science of divination based on omens. Since the kosmos is an organism, an organic whole -- every part intimately interconnected with every other part, so that the smallest atom can affect a star as well as a star affect the smallest atom -- logically whatever happens takes place because of a chain of events; so if one knew enough and were wise enough to interpret what one knew, it would be a fairly simple matter not merely to understand the invisible from the appearances of the visible, but likewise to foretell the future.

(See also: Omen , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

A Christian theological definition of Dowsing according to CARM - The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry:

"

Dowsing

See also: Dowsing , Christianity, Body Mind and Soul

TAROT: (Ta-row)a special deck of cards used for divination; a system of divination claimed to have originated in Egypt in ancient times. These cards are the ancestors of modern playing cards. Traditionally numbering 78 cards, of which 21 make up the Major Arcana & the rest are divided into 4 suits (cups, wands, pentacles, & swords) of Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana or GREATER SECRETS were lost through the efforts of the Christian clergy.

(See also: TAROT , Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Crystal Gazing:

Staring into a reflecting surface (e.g., mirror, glass, crystal, liquid) in order to obtain paranormal information. Also known as scrying.

See also Divination .

(See also: Crystal Gazing , Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Bibliomancy: The act of divination through the use of written text. Originally associated with use of a Bible, the only literature available in many cases, may be applied to any form of text. Often, there is a strong numerology influence present in the divination procedure.

(See also: Bibliomancy , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Anthropomancy:

Divination from human entrails.

(See also: Anthropomancy , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Aeromancy

Divination by the stars

(See also: Aeromancy , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)