Divination

Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by interpreting signs, symbols, or events believed to reveal hidden information. It has appeared in many cultures and historical periods as a way to guide decisions, forecast outcomes, or obtain advice from spiritual or cosmological sources.

Practitioners have employed a wide range of methods, from cleromancy (casting lots) and augury (interpreting birds) to haruspicy (examining entrails). Other techniques rely on symbolic systems such as astrology, tarot, runes, the I Ching, or numerology; bibliomancy uses sacred texts; scrying seeks information in reflective surfaces; and dream or trance work seeks revelations through visions.

Divination has played roles in religious ritual, political decision making, and everyday life, and its significance varies by culture. It appears in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, medieval and early modern Europe, imperial China and India, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and beyond. Some traditions distinguish divination from prophecy, treating the former as the interpretation of signs rather than direct messages from deities, while others integrate both practices.

In contemporary contexts, divination persists in religious and spiritual communities, in new age and popular entertainment, or as a cultural artifact studied by anthropologists and historians. Scholarly assessments view divination as a set of culturally learned techniques for managing uncertainty, negotiating social boundaries, and making collective decisions, rather than as a verifiable source of knowledge.