Stichomancy
Also known as Bibliomancy and Libromancy.
Originally a method of divination used to discover if whether or not a person was innocent of sorcery, Stichomancy consisted of weighing the suspect against the great Bible in the local church. If the subject weighed less than the Bible, he or she were considered innocent. Later, Stichomancy became attached to any divinatory use of the Bible.
A popular system of Stichomancy was to open a Bible at random after asking a question. The passage on which ones finger rested was supposed to have special applicability to the question posed.
Eventually the term Stichomancy started being used for divination by books. In this case, just about any book could be used, but a grimoire was the favorite choice. Other books consulted in this way included Greek epics, collections of poetry or prose, and the works of Shakespeare. The name Rhapsodomancy has also been used for this practice, which involved opening the book at random and then interpreting the omens in a prophetic fashion, usually using the first words or sentences read.
In the Middle Ages the use of Virgil's Aeneid for divination was common in Europe and known as the 'sortes Virgilianae'. Popular fallacies of medieval times involving the Bible were also referred to as a form of Stichomancy. Bibles laid on a child's head would induce sleep, reading from the Bible to a pregnant woman would give her a safe delivery, amongst others.
See Rhapsodomancy, Shakespeare, Astrology, Acutomancy, Agalmatomancy, Divination, Coscinomancy, Cleidomancy, Augur, Stoichomancy, Dowsing, Tarot, Heptameron, Demonology, Sortilege, Idolomancy, Demonomancy, Tephramancy, Anemoscopy, Eromancy, Austromancy, Chaomancy, Roadomancy, Capnomancy, Pyromancy, Meteormancy, Ceraunoscopy, Zoomancy, Love Spells -- Use these powerful love spells to help you find and keep your true love, Unbroken Curses, Mystic Gifts and Charms - New Age Gift Shop & Wicca and Pagan Supplies, The Chakra Store, The Tarot Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, Unique Amulets, Talismans, Good Luck Charms, and Love Tokens, Powerful Witch Doctor Spell Kits, Powerful Spells - Cast by Andreika the Witch, Webmasters Make $$$, AzureGreen - Celebrating All Paths to the Divine, ISIS - Tools for Your Soul's Journey, and The Pyramid Collection - Myth, Magick, Fantasy and Romance.
Sources: (1) Morwyn, The Complete Book Of Psychic Arts, Llewellyn Publications; (2) Walker, Charles, The Encyclopedia of the Occult, Random House Value; (3) Dunwich, Gerina, A Wiccan's Guide to Prophecy and Divination, Carol Publishing Group; (4) Spence, Lewis, An Encyclopedia of Occultism, Carol Publishing Group.
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