Class IV. Divination (Yellow)
The Wizard’s power has come first of all from observation. Much magical lore is built on the
fundamental belief that, if we can understand the flow of the energies of the Earth and how these
energies work in harmony, we can gain enormous insight and power. Observing, among other
things, the patterns of the weather, the migration patterns of birds and the behavior of people
around him, has gained the Wizard—in the eyes of those focused only on the reality of day-to-day
survival—the uncanny “magical” ability of being able to see into the future. In fact, the Wizard
has often been doing little more than paying very close attention to the present.
—Anton & Mina Adams (The World of Wizards, p. 6)Most systems begin with a random distribution of
elements, and then attempt to make some magickal
sense out of them by finding patterns or matching
them against a key. Here are brief descriptions of some
of the more popular ones:Aleuromancy (ah-LURE-oh-MAN-see) (bread)—Divi-
nation by selecting pieces of bread into which pre-
viously-written statements have been baked, as in
fortune cookies.
Arithmancy (AIR-ith-MAN-see) (numerology)—Divi-
nation by numbers, in which words and numbers
are reduced to a single digit with an assigned mys-
tic meaning.
Bibliomancy (BIB-lee-oh-MAN-see) (book)—Divina-
tion by opening a sacred book at random and read-
ing what’s on the page.
Cartomancy (KAR-toe-MAN-see) (card reading)—
Divination by cards, particularly the Tarot. But there
are other decks of divination cards as well, and
even standard playing cards can be used.
Catoptromancy (ka-TOP-troe-MAN-see) (mirror gaz-
ing)—Divination by moonlight reflected in a mir-
ror or water to see images and visions.
Chiromancy (KY-roe-MAN-see) (palmistry)— Divin-
ing a person’s fortune by examining their hands
and the lines on the palms.
Cleromancy (KLARE-oh-MAN-see) (rune casting)—
Divination by tossing markers, upon which sym-
bolic letters have been inscribed.
Geomancy (JEE-oh-MAN-see) (Earth)—Divination by
tossing sticks or bones on the ground and inter-
preting the patterns formed.
Horoscopy (HORE-oh-SCAH-pee) (astrology)—Divi-
nation by the stars and planets, commonly done
by casting a horoscope (“observation of the hour”).
I Ching (EE-JING) (Book of Changes)—A Chinese
system of divination by casting sticks or coins to
obtain any of 64 Trigrams (3-line figures), each
with assigned meanings recorded in the book.
Oneiromancy (o-NY-roe-MAN-see) (dreams)—Divi-
nation by noting the elements of a dream and com-
paring them to an index.
Pyromancy (PY-roe-MAN-see) (fire reading)—Divi-
nation by the appearances of flames after throw-
ing in certain powders.- Introduction: Seeing the Future
VERYTHING YOU DO IS DIVINELY
Ordained.
Yes, this is true, a Great Truth.
You are part of the Universal
Mind, and everything you do is
part of its workings. It is also true
that everything you do is accord-
ing to your independent will. It is
important to balance these truths. To believe every-
thing you do is the Divine Will without questioning or
thinking for yourself is to go down a very dangerous
road. Our planet is littered with ruins left behind by
those who were sure the Divine Power was on their side
no matter what they did, no matter how cruel or de-
ranged. Any spiritual path can be twisted beyond rec-
ognition by fanatics, so be careful about becoming one.
The healthy Wizard always questions and double
checks what is truly in accordance with both the Di-
vine and the individual will. You will always need to be
on the lookout for your own mistakes, ready to turn out
to be wrong about something. Consult with trusted
people and do divination, even when you are sure of
your course and think you know all you need to. You
can be sure the Elders contributing to this Grimoire con-
tinue to question their actions and beliefs, even after
they have become accomplished Adepts.
Divination, or “far-seeing,” is the art of foretell-
ing or predicting the future or discovering things that
are lost, hidden, or secret. Although not all seers were
Wizards, all Wizards are expected to be seers. Many
ancient peoples were completely obsessed with divi-
nation and would hardly make a move without con-
sulting diviners, seers, oracles, or prophets. Unusual
occurrences, such as disturbing dreams and omens,
were also given divinatory meanings—this is where
we get our word ominous. Over the ages, seers have
devised many techniques of divination—the mantic
arts (from mantis, meaning “diviner”).Lesson 2. The Mantic Arts
Hundreds of different divination systems have been
invented over the ages—and even given Latin names.Corrected pages 3rd printing.2.p65 27 6/10/2004, 4:02 PM