Methods of Divination Masterpost
Because the witchcraft world don’t stop with tarot and pendulums. And some of us need inspiration.
This is just a basic list, not a manual to how use each method. If you want to know it deeply, Saint Google can help you. Is neither a FULL list. There are hundred of hundreds of methods since each society make their own ways to do it.
There is also just mentions of some closed practices, is mostly a “Open Practice” post, and the closed ones are there just as example and because is there already and I’m too lazy to edit.
Some of them are noted if they are Closed Practices, if they are Not Safe (Dangerous), or if they are not friendly to new witches. Extremely dangerous, explicit and kinda illegal ones are not here.
Remember: Anything can used to divination.
Remember 2: Not all the divinations are made to give you a ton of info about the future. Things like guess how bad will be the weather, seeing how the ants behave, is divination.
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Aabacomancy: Based on the interpretation of the patterns in dust, dirt, silt, sand, or the ashes of the recently deceased.
Acultomancy: Uses needles for readings, which comes from old Romani people. Readers use seven needles or up to twenty one needles in a somewhat shallow bowl with water in it. Closed Practice (Romanians). Between them: Acutomancy (By use sharp objects or anything that is pointed) and Acutomanzia (It employs thirteen pins)
Aeromancy: By interpreting atmospheric conditions. Uses cloud formations, wind currents and cosmological events such as comets. Between them: Austromancy (By wind), Ceraunoscopy (By observing thunder and lightning), Chaomancy (By aerial vision), Meteormancy (By meteors and shooting stars), Nephomancy (Cloud divination), Cometomancy (By comet tails), Astrapomancy (By lightning), Brontomancy (By thunder).
Agalmatomancy: By using statues.
Aichmomancy: Uses sharp pointed objects to show patterns to read. Readers use pins, knives, forks, nails, and handmade pieces of wood sharpened to a point.
Aleuromancy: By use of flour.
Alomancy: By casts salt crystals into the air and interprets the patterns as it falls to the ground or travels through the air.
Alphitomancy: Involving barley cakes or loaves of barley bread.
Alveromancy: By sounds like the sound of the waves, the wind that blows, the echo in the mountains and even birds whistling or singing.
Ambulomancy: By walking, usually in circles.
Amniomancy: The future life of a child is predicted from the caul covering their head at birth.
Anthomancy: By flowers.
Anthracomancy: By burning coals.
Anthroposcopy: By physical appearance.
Apantomancy: Using articles at hand, animals or things that present themselves by chance.
Arachnomancy: By spiders.
Archeomancy: By sacred relics.
Ariolation: By altars.
Arithmancy: By assigning numerical value to a word or phrase. Based on the Kabbalah. Closed Practice (Judaism)
Armomancy: By one's own shoulders.
Aspidomancy: Based on the interpretation of patterns on a shield
Astrology: Discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the movements and relative positions of celestial objects.
Auramancy: By looking at auras.
Axiomancy: Method using an axe, hatchet, or a saw.
Batraquomancy: By frogs.
Belomancy: By arrows.
Biorhythmic divination: By rhythmic cycles with periods of exactly 23, 28 and 33 days.
Bletonism: By water current.
Bone-throwing: Tossing of pieces of bone or wood practiced by various cultures.
Botanomancy: By burning branches of trees or herbs. Closed Practice (Druids)
Bumpology: By bumps on the skin.
Canomancy: By dogs.
Capnomancy: By looking at the movements of the smoke after a fire has been made.
Carromancy: By melting wax.
Cephaleonomancy: Ancient divination which used a skull.
Cèzì: Fortune-telling based on written words. Closed Practice (Chinese)
Chalcomancy: By striking gongs or copper bowls.
Chartomancy: By things on paper. Between them are Cartomancy (Using a deck of playing cards), Tarotmancy (By tarot), Aleuromancy (By fortune cookies), Bibliomancy (By using books), Stoicheomancy (By the Iliad and the Odyssey or the Aeneid).
Chresmomancy: By the ravings of lunatics.
Chronomancy: Divination of the best time to do something, the determination of lucky and unlucky days. Open Practice (European). Closed Practice (Chinese).
Clamancy: By random shouts and cries heard in crowds, at night, etc. Open Practice (European). Closed Practice (Persian/Iran- Fāl-gūsh)
Cledonism: Based on chance events or encounters, such as words occasionally uttered.
Cleidomancy: By keys.
Cleromancy: Casting of lots, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but that are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God. Between them are: Astragalomancy (Uses dice specially marked with letters or numbers. Closed Practice: Africa. Buddhism), Domino divination (By dominoes), Favomancy (Involves throwing beans on the ground. Open Practice: Latin. Closed Practice: Muslim - Bacanje Graha), Ogham casting (By Ogham letters. Closed Practice: Irish), Runic divination (By runes)
Colormancy: By colors.
Conchomancy: By shells.
Cosquinomancy: Utilising a sieve and shears.
Cottabomancy: By wine in a brass bowl.
Crithomancy: By the study of barley cakes in hope of drawing omens from them. Closed Practice (Native Americans, Peru, Egypt).
Cromnyomancy: By interpreting their sprouting behaviour of onions. Open Practice (Europe). Closed Practice (Egypt, Asia).
Cryptomancy: By omens.
Cryomancy: By ice.
Cyathomancy: By cups.
Cybermancy: By computer oracles.
Cyclicomancy: By swirling water in a cup.
Cyclomancy: Based on spinning an object and deriving predictions or conclusions from the object's final resting direction.
Dactyliomancy: By finger rings.
Dactylomancy: By means of finger movements.
Demonomancy: By demons. Not Beginner Friendly.
Dendromancy: By trees, especially oaks, yews, or mistletoe.
Deuteroscopy: By second glance or double take.
Dictiomancy: By randomly opening a dictionary.
Dōbutsu Uranai: Zoological fortune-telling based on an animal horoscope. Closed Practice (Japan)
Dowsing: Attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil or gravesites by using a dowsing rod.
Dracomancy: By dragons.
Dream Questions: a person attains a prophetic state while dreaming, receiving a divine answer to a question meditated on before sleep. Open Practice (Europe). Closed Practice (Judaism)
Electromancy: By electricity.
Eleomancy: By oil.
Empirimancy: By experiment/experience.
Encromancy: By oil ink stains.
Enochian Chess: By playing a four·handed variant of the game.
Enthusiasm: Speeches by those supposed to be possessed by a divine spirit.
Entomomancy: By insects.
Eromancy: By water vessels exposed to air.
Feng Shui: Use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. Closed Practice (Chinese)
Floriography: Cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers.
Fractomancy: By fractals.
Fructomancy: By fruit.
Balvanoscopy: By galvanism.
Gastromancy: By guttural sounds.
Geomancy: Divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand. Closed Practice (Arabic, Egypt, African)
Geloscopy: By laughter.
Gematria: By assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. Closed Practice (Jewish)
Genethlialogy: By birth dates.
Grammomancy: By writing individual letters.
Graphology: The analysis of handwriting with attempt to determine someone's personality traits.
Gyromancy: By dizziness.
Hagiomancy: By saints.
Hematomancy: By blood.
Horoscopy: Aspect of the stars at nativity.
Hydatomancy: By rainwater.
Hyomancy: By wild hogs. Not Safe.
Hypnomancy: By sleep.
I Ching: Form of cleromancy applied to the I Ching. Closed Practice (Chinese)
Ichnomancy: Divination of a person's qualities or character by means of footprints or other such human-made tracks.
Iconomancy: By icons.
Idolomancy: By idols.
Ifá: Geomancy patterns generated with palm nuts, opele, cowrie shells, etc, that refer to Ifa divination texts. Closed Practice (Yoruba)
Iridology: By eye color.
Isopsephy: By adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. Related to gematria. Closed Practice (Hebrew).
Jiǎgǔ: Divination using pieces of ox scapula and turtle plastron. Closed Practice (Chinese)
Jyotish: By the Vedic system of astrology. Closed Practice (Hindu).
Kabbalah: By the Kabbalah. Closed Practice (Hebrew)
Kau Cim: Fortune telling practice using a sacred oracle lot. Closed Practice (China).
Kayu Ura: Divination ritual using rice or bean gruel. Closed Practice (Japanese- Shinto).
Knissomancy: By incense.
Labiomancy: By lips.
Lampadomancy: By using a single oil lamp or a torch flame. Closed Practice (Egypt).
Lecanomancy: By a basin of water.
Letnomancy: By secrets.
Libanomancy: through observing and interpreting burning incense smoke, but which may include the way incense ash falls as well.
Lithomancy: By using stones or the reflected light from the stones.
Logarithmancy: By logarithms.
Logomancy: By words.
Lots: Divination through chance, or the drawing or tossing of lots.
Lychnomancy: By candles.
Macharomancy: By interpreting knives, daggers or swords.
Macromancy: By large objects.
Maculomancy: By spots on the skin.
Mahjong divination: By using Mahjong tiles. Closed Practice (Chinese).
Margaritomancy: By bouncing pearls.
Mathemancy: By mathematics.
Mazomancy: By nursing.
Meconomancy: By sleeping.
Megapolisomancy: By large cities.
Meilomancy: By moles.
Metoposcopy: Predicts personality, character, and destiny, based on the pattern of lines on the subject's forehead.
Micromancy: By small objects.
Moleosophy: Based upon the observation and interpretation of bodily marks.
Molybdomancy: By molten metal. Not Safe.
Moromancy: By foolishness.
Narcomancy: By sleep.
Necromancy: By speaking to the dead, by corpses. Not Beginner Friendly.
Necyomancy: By summoning damned souls. Not Beginner Friendly.
Nigromancy: By the use of baneful magic. Not Beginner Friendly.
Notarikon: Method of deriving a word, by using each of its initial or final letters. Closed Practice (Judaism)
Numerology: By the relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events.
Numismatomancy: By coins.
Oculomancy: Form of scrying where the diviner gazes into the questioners' eyes and reads the reflections.
Odontomancy: By teeth.
Oenomancy: By examining patterns in wine.
Ololygmancy: By the howling of dogs.
Omphalomancy: Meant to determine how many children a mother may have during her lifetime, based on the belief that the shape of the navel can reveal this information.
Oneiromancy: Based upon dreams to predict the future.
Onomancy: Based on a subject's name.
Onychomancy: By watching the reflection of sunlight on the oiled fingernails, then interpreting the symbols that appear.
Oomancy: By eggs. Open Practice (Europe). Closed Practice (Latinoamerica/ Africa- Hoodoo).
Oromancy: By mountains.
Oryctomancy: By minerals.
Osteomancy: By bones.
Ouija: By the use of a Ouija Board. Not Beginner Friendly.
Pallomancy: By pendulums.
Papyromancy: Through folding paper.
Pegomancy: By fountains.
Pessomancy: By pebbles.
Pecthimancy: By brushed cloth.
Phobomancy: By feelings of fear.
Photomancy: By fields of light.
Phrenology: The measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.
Phyllomancy: By using leaves. Between them are: Sycomancy (By fig leaves), Tasseography (Method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments)
Phyllorhodomancy: By rose petals.
Physiognomy: Practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face.
Phytognomy: By the appearance of plants.
Pilimancy: By observing the patterns produced by a collection of human hair.
Plumbomancy: By observing shapes molten lead makes when poured in water. Not Safe.
Pneumancy: By blowing.
Poe Divination: By throwing wooden pieces on the floor. Closed Practice (Chinese - Taoism).
Psephomancy: By lots or ballots.
Pseudomancy: By false means, such as Peter Answers.
Ptarmoscopy: The interpretation of sneezes.
Pyromancy: By fire. Between them are: Alomancy (Involves casting salt into a fire), Botanomancy (By burning plants), Capnomancy (By smoke), Causinomancy (By burning non-specific objects), Daphnomancy (By burning laurel leaves), Osteomancy (By burning bones), Scapulimancy (By burning scapulae. Closed Practice Asia, Native American), Sideromancy (By burning straw with an iron).
Radiesthesia: By rods, pendulums, or other cylindrical tools.
Retromancy: By looking over one's shoulder.
Rhabdomancy: By rods, sticks, or wands.
Rhapsodomancy: By choosing through some method a specific passage or poem from which to ascertain information.
Roadomancy: By constellations.
Scarpomancy: By old shoes.
Scatomancy: By excrement. Closed Practice (Egypt).
Sciomancy: By shadows or spirits.
Scrying: By looking into a suitable medium in the hope of detecting significant messages or visions. Between them are: Crystal Gazing (Seeing visions by gazing at a crystal or other reflective object), Catoptromancy (Using a mirror), Hydromancy (by means of water, including the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool).
Selenomancy: By the moon.
Seimei Handan: Based on a subject's name. Closed Practice (Japan)
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 question.
Sikidy: By drawing sixteen lines in sand. Closed Practice (Malayo-Polynesian)
Skatharomancy: By beetle tracks.
Solaromancy: By the sun.
Somatomancy: By the human form. Between them are: Cephalomancy (By shape of the skull), Palmistry (Through the study of the palm), Cheirognomy (By hands), Podomancy (By examining the lines the soles of one's feet), Rumpology (By examining crevices, dimples, warts, moles and folds of a person's buttocks), Schematomancy (By the face).
Sortilege: By drawing of lots (sortes) to obtain knowledge of future events.
Sphondulomancy: By spindles.
Spodomancy: By examining cinders, soot, or ashes. Between them are: Cineromancy (By the ashes of a specifically sacrificial or ritual fire), Libanomancy (By smoke or ash from incense), Tephramancy (By tree bark ashes, by sacrificial or ritual fire ashes).
Stareomancy: By the four elements.
Stercomancy: By seeds in bird excrement.
Sternomancy: By ridges on the breastbone.
Stigonomancy: By burning writing onto bark.
Stolisomancy: By fashion.
Styramancy: By observing patterns produced by chewing gum, gum wax, or products produced by the L. styraciflua tree.
Symbolomancy: By things found on the road.
Technomancy: By technology.
The crawling baby: By a baby's crawling.
Theomancy: By foretelling events.
Theriomancy: By animal behavior. Betweem them are: Ailuromancy (Using cats' movements or jumps to predict future events, especially the weather), Alectryomancy (By observing a bird, several birds, or most preferably a white rooster or cockerel pecking at grain), 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. Closed Practice Africa), Ophidiomancy (By snakes behavior), Orniscopy (By bird migration).
Thumomancy: By one's own soul, presage.
Topomancy: By geography and geological formations.
Transataumancy: By things accidentally seen or heard.
Trochomancy: By wheel ruts.
Turifumy: By shapes in smoke.
Tyromancy: By cheese.
Umbromancy: By shade.
Urticariaomancy: By itches.
Videomancy: By films.
Xenomancy: By strangers.
Zygomancy: By weights.

















