Divination Techniques

by Craig Shrives

List of Divination Techniques

Divination is the practice of revealing a hidden truth. Divination techniques are ways to uncover the hidden significance of something, determine the cause of an event, or foretell the future. Divination techniques can employ supernatural, natural, or psychological means.

Common Divination Techniques

Here are 23 divination techniques that have been used worldwide throughout the ages:

• Anthroposcopy. Judging someone's character by how they look
• Belomancy. Prediction using arrows of a bow
• Bletonism. Finding subterraneous water (water divining)
• Capnomancy. Studying the passage of smoke
• Augury. Studying the behaviour of birds
• Pyromancy. Divination by studying fire or flames
• Leconomancy. Interpreting oil poured on, or items dropped in, water
• Haruspicy. Studying the entrails of animals
• Sciomancy. Examination of shadows or ghosts
• Spodomancy. Examination of ashes
• Osteomancy. Studying bones
• Arithmancy. Analysis of numbers
• Bibliomancy. Interpretation of texts (often biblical)
• Gyromancy. Spinning, becoming dizzy and falling outside a lettered circle
• Pegomancy. Looking at fountains and springs
• Sortilege. Randomly drawing lots
• Lampadomancy. Observations of lights or candles
• Geloscopy. Interpretation of laughter
• Sideromancy. Burning straw on hot iron
• Pessomancy. Analysis of pebbles

Critical Thinking Test

Are you good at spotting the biases, fallacies, and other cognitive effects? Can you spot when statistics have been manipulated? Can you read body language? Well, let's see! Show Instructions

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