A Wisdom Archive on omens

This article is about Omens as divinatory portents. For the 1976 Horror Film, see The Omen. Omens or portents are signs encountered fortuitously that are believed to foretell the future. Their interpretation is a form of divination. The augur and haruspex of ancient Rome were professional readers of omens. The augurs tried to read the future in the flight of birds. The haruspex sought omens in the entrails of sacrificed animals. Other omens are less subject to putting into a system, and are not voluntarily sought. The superstition that if you break a mirror you will suffer seven years ...

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Omen: A sign that foretells events.

 
(See also: Omen, Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary )

Omen: A sudden occurrence that is interpreted as being a sign of good or evil. Often it will be small yet significant like a vase falling over or a cup of water spilling.
 

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

anything that may be interpreted as a sign, positive or negative,
from the universe

 
(See also: Omen, Magic, Shamanism, Pagan Dictionary )

In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. Duryodhana - Birth. When Dhritarashtra's queen Gandhari's pregnancy continues for an unusually long period of time, she beats her womb in frustration, and envy of Kunti, the queen of Pandu who had given birth to the five Pandavas. Due to her actions, a hardened mass of grey-colored flesh emerg ... Including:

• Duryodhana - Birth
• Duryodhana - Omens
• Duryodhana - Development
• Duryodhana - Karna
• Duryodhana - Evil tendencies and schemes
• Duryodhana - Usurping the kingdom
• Duryodhana - The dice plot and Draupadi's humiliation
• Duryodhana - World emperor
• Duryodhana - The Kurukshetra War
• Duryodhana - Gandhari's blessing and the fight with Bhima
• Duryodhana - Death and Heaven
• Duryodhana - Modern assessment
• Duryodhana - In media

Read more here: » Duryodhana: Encyclopedia - Duryodhana

Crithomancy (also known as Critomancy) is a form of divination by the study of barley cakes in hope of drawing omens from them. The paste of cakes which are offered in sacrifice is closely examined, and the sought for answers are drawn from the flour which is spread upon them. The term crithomancy is also used for divination by cereal grains. Category: Divination ...

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Teratology (from the Greek teras (genitive teratos), meaning monster, and logos meaning study) is the medical study of teratogenesis or grossly deformed individuals. Monster is a pejorative term for a grossly deformed individual. Teratology - Understanding Birth Defects and Deformity. Severely deformed humans rarely survive, although there have been some celebrated examples such as Joseph Merrick, known as "The Elephant Man". Some cases, such as conjoined tw ... Including:

• Teratology - Understanding Birth Defects and Deformity

Read more here: » Teratology: Encyclopedia - Teratology

Divination is the practice of ascertaining information from supernatural sources. If a distinction is to be made with fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Divination is often dismissed by skeptics as being mere superstition: in the 2nd century, Lucian devoted a witty essay to the career of a charlatan, Alexander the false prophet, trained by "one of those who advertise enchantments, ... Including:

• Divination - Methods of divination incomplete
• Divination - For further reading
• Divination - Popular
• Divination - Academic

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In the Roman religion, a haruspex was a man trained to practice divination by the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep; and in the interpretation of lightning strikes and other unusual omens. The plural is haruspices. The practice of haruspicy, the name for this kind of divination, was said to have originated among the ancient Etruscans. A bronze sculpture of a liver, complete with the name of regions marked on it assigned to various gods, was discovered in 1877 near Piacenza, in northern Italy, and h ... Including:

• Haruspex - External link:

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Aumakua is a Hawaiian word meaning family or personal god, often a deified ancestor. The 'aumakua frequently manifested him or herself as an animal, such as a shark or an owl. 'Aumakuas were worshipped, often at localities or rocks where they were believed to 'dwell'. The appearance of an animal one regarded as an 'aumakua was often believed to be an omen, to be noted and interpreted for good or ill. There are also many stories of 'aumakuas, in animal form, intervening to save their descendants from harm. It was ...

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An auspice is an omen. In ancient Rome, an auspice was from the gods, as interpreted by an augur. An augur would perform a ceremony (known as "taking the auspices") and would read patterns of birds in the sky. Depending upon the birds, the auspices from the gods could be favorable or unfavorable (auspicious or inauspicious). Sometimes bribed or politically motivated augurs would fabricate unfavorable auspices in order to delay certain state functions, such as elections. In the vocational education sector of Austra

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