Bibliomancy

(Revision as of 08:27, 26 Dec 2005)

Bibliomancy is a form of divination using words or lines from books to foretell the future (from the Greek biblion, meaning book; Greek manteia, meaning divination). The book used is often a sacred text, such as the Bible, the Book of the Law, or the Koran, though Homer and Virgil were frequently consulted in pre-Christian times. This divination method is also known as stichomancy, which is divination using lines of text.

Bibliomancy generally involves selecting a page from a book at random, then laying the finger on the page with the eyes closed. This selected line or passage is then interpreted in light of the diviner's situation or question. Some methods of consultation involve the use of a die, coin, stone, or stick to assist in indicating which passage from a book should be interpreted. The I Ching is one well-known example of this type of assisted stichomancy, where coins or yarrow stalks are cast to indicate a hexagram, which corresponds to a passage in the written text.

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I Ching] ars Virgiliniae