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Revision as of 19:03, 18 March 2003 by Netesq (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Divination is the practice of ascertaining information by supernatural means. Divination is often dismissed by skeptics as being mere superstition, and it is just as often conflated with the pseudoscience of fortune-telling. However, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of divination, and divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in virtually all religious practices.
Divination has been practised in many ways all over the world in all cultures in all ages up to the present day. Scientific research and methods have made it possible to predict future events with moderate success, e.g., weather forecasts and volcanic eruptions. However, this is not divination. Strictly speaking, divination assumes the influence of some supernatural force or fate, whereas scientific predictions are made from an essentially mechanical, impersonal world-view and rely on empirical "laws" of nature. So, as an operational definition, divination would be all methods of prognostication that have not been shown to be effective using scientific research.
Beyond mere explanations for anecdoctal evidence, there are many serious theories of how divination might work. One such theory is rooted in the nature of the unconscious mind, a theory which has survived the scrutiny of scientific sceptics. Based on this theory, divination is the process by which messages from the unconscious mind are decoded. The belief in a supernatural agency or occult force as the source of these messages is what distinguishes this theory from a scientific explanation.
The Romans in classical times were great practisers of divination. One method of Etruscan origin was practised by special haruspices, who examined the internal organs of animal sacrificial victims, with special attention to the liver; from this they deduced the will of the gods to whom the sacrifice was made.
These days, popular methods of divination associated with the Roma and Sinti people (often called "gypsies") are:
- Cartomancy (card reading), using ordinary playing cards or a special set of tarot cards. This has been practised since playing cards came into use (first in Italy in the 14th century), but some practitioners claim ancient Egyptian origins derived from wisdom originating from the Egyptian scribe-god Thoth.
- Crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere); other reflecting objects have been used for this purpose too.
- Cheiromancy (palm-reading) where the markings of the hand are interpreted as signs.
One of the most popular methods of divination worldwide today is astrology, which is practised in many ways according to different traditions.
Related articles
- Anthropology of religion
- Bone divination
- Dream Interpretation
- Futurology
- Geomancy
- I Ching
- Numerology
- Runecasting
- Scrying
- Tarot