Overview of Divination Methods, Part 1
Now that we’ve covered the basics of Divination, we’re going to explore the various branches and methods of Divination that you’ll study in the next few years. Each week, I’ll offer a brief summary of a few Divination methods. You are not expected to know everything about each method this year – rather, these lessons will provide an overview so that you can decide which topics you’ll study more in depth over the next few years. You will be allowed to look back at these lessons during the exam.
Chiromancy
Also known as Palmistry, Chiromancy is the art of divining by reading a person’s palm. In Chiromancy, a person’s personality, traits, emotions, and fate are represented by parts of the hand. A palm reader can discover much about a person by studying his or her hand. Chiromancy can be performed on oneself or on another person and is most often performed on a person’s dominant hand.
Palm readers observe the shape of a person’s hand/palm, the lines of the palm, and the mounts or bumps on a person’s palm. Some palm readers also look at the size of a person’s hand, their fingers and knuckles, and the temperature or feeling of their hand for more information.
To learn more about Chiromancy, you may peruse chapters 3-5 in your course textbook, Symbology for Seers. This is not required at this time, though.
Tasseomancy
Also known as Tasseography, this form of divination involves studying tea leaves to make predictions about the future. To start, the reader brews tea using loose leaves. Of course, a shallow, wide teacup is best to allow the leaves to spread out and form a shape. After drinking the tea, the reader shakes the cup around so that the leaves settle. Each reader has his/her own method of shaking the cup; some will move the leaves around until it feels ready, some will swirl the cup three times, some will flip the cup upside down and back, etc.
The reader looks to the tea leaves for shapes and symbols to interpret. The images that appear represent ideas; for example, a dog might represent loyalty, while a cat represents sneakiness. Sometimes, you’ll notice multiple smaller images, in which case the reader should interpret each image individually, starting at the handle and rotating clockwise.
A list of common symbols that may appear in tea leaf reading is included in your course textbook, Symbology for Seers, in chapter 1. You may choose to read this chapter in order to learn more, but this is not required for this lesson.
Homework
Please answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your responses must be in your own words.
1. Which hand is typically read in Chiromancy? 5 points
2. What are some of the characteristics of a person’s hand/palm that can be studied? 5 points
3. Describe the steps a reader would take to prepare for tea leaf reading. 5 points
4. If a cup contains multiple images, how should the reader interpret the images? 5 points
Divination 