Since one of today’s photographs includes a fortune-teller’s visitor’s book, I thought I’d write a short list of methods by which we have sought reassurance about the misty unknown. Short? It turns out there are hundreds, possibly thousands of different kinds.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised there are so many, after all, we as a species suffer a lot from insecurity. But also, that the means are so wide ranging tells us a lot about our collective histories and who would have done the telling. The majority use things easily to hand for anyone living in a small agricultural community, some tell of streets or encampments, many use our own bodies. The tools of gambling figure heavily of course; all betting is based on predicting future outcomes. One method in particular I was startled by because of how we now use the word.

It’s also worth noting that, in this sprit of using the everyday, and also embracing technological developments, the field of mystical foretelling continues to expand. For instance: “Shufflemancy: 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” (1). I haven’t included this in the list below because the word makes my toes curl (though I bet there’s a form of fortune telling based on toe curling too) not because its a neologism, I like inventing words too, but because it’s so clumsy. Doubtless there are many other recent innovations.

And if you look outside Europe towards Africa, India, China, the indigenous populations of Australia and the Americas, there are many more, both ancient and modern, not only as variations or alternatives but also completely different kinds. Anyway, here is an edited list of well-established methods, limited to those occurring within European traditions:

Abacomancy: by dust
Acultomancy / acutomancy: using needles
Aeromancy: by atmospheric conditions
Agalmatomancy: by statues
Ailuromancy: by watching cats’ movements
Alectryomancy/alectoromancy: by watching a rooster gather corn kernels
Aleuromancy: by flour
Amathomancy: by sand
Ambulomancy: by walking
Anthropomancy: using human entrails
Apantomancy: by chance encounters with animals (alt: using objects at hand)
Arachnomancy: by spiders
Armomancy: by one’s own shoulders
Aruspicina: the study of entrails
Augury: by bird flight formations
Auspicy/auspication by birds (also theriomancy, avimancy, orniscopy)
Batraquomancy/batrachomancy: by frogs
Canomancy: by dogs
Catoptromancy: by examining mirrors placed underwater
Cephaleonomancy/cephalonomancy: by boiling a donkey’s head
Cartomancy: using cards
Choriomancy: by pig’s bladders
Chresmomancy: by the ravings of lunatics
Chronomancy: by apt occasion / by means of time
Clamancy: by random shouts and cries heard in crowds, at night, etc.
Coscinomancy: using a sieve and a pair of shears
Cromnyomancy: using onions
Drimimancy/drymimancy: by bodily fluids
Enthusiasm: speeches by those supposed to be possessed by a divine spirit
Entomomancy/entomancy: by insects
Favomancy: using beans
Gastromancy: by the rumblings of the stomach and guts
Geloscopy: by laughter
Gyromancy: by dizziness
Hagiomancy: by saints
Hepatoscopy/hepatomancy: by liver
Hieromancy/hieroscopy: by studying sacrifices’ entrails
Hippomancy: by horse behavior
Hyomancy: by wild hogs
Ichnomancy: by footprints
Ichthyomancy: by fish behavior (alt: by inspecting fish entrails)
Macromancy: by large objects
Margaritomancy: by bouncing pearls
Mazomancy: by nursing
Micromancy: by small objects
Moromancy: by foolishness
Myomancy: by rodent behavior
Myrmomancy: by ant behavior
Natimancy: by buttocks (also rumpology)
Nephomancy: by clouds
Ololygmancy: by the howling of dogs
Omoplatoscopy: by observing cracks in burning scapulae
Omphalomancy: from the knots in the umbilical cord
Oneiromancy: by dreams
Oromancy: by mountains
Pessomancy: using pebbles (also thrioboly)
Pilimancy: by observing the patterns produced by a collection of human hair.
Podomancy/pedomancy: by the soles of one’s feet
Ptarmoscopy/ptarmoscopie: the interpretation of sneezes
Retromancy: by looking over one’s shoulder
Rhapsodomancy: by poetry
Scarpomancy: by old shoes
Scatomancy / scatoscopy / spatilomancy: by examining excrement
Sciomancy: by shadows
Skatharomancy: by beetle tracks
Somatomancy: by the human form
Spasmatomancy: by convulsions
Stolisomancy: by observing how one dresses
Symbolomancy: by things found on the road
Thumomancy: by means of one’s own soul
Transataumancy: by things accidentally seen or heard
Tyromancy/tiromancy: by cheese
Urticariaomancy: by itches
Xenomancy: using strangers
Xylomancy: by examining wood found in one’s path
Zoomancy: by observing animals

Notes:
(1) Wikipedia

References:
http://phrontistery.info/divine.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods_of_divination