Geomancy Options

Just out of curiosity, how many people use geomancy as a form of divination. I see lots of posts on tarot, skrying, ouija, and other forms of divination but geomancy is sortof the red headed stepchild of divination methods. Why is that? From what I can tell geomancy includes the energies of a specific place in the reading. In the Cicero's book "Creating Magical Tools" there is a blueprint for a geomancy box and geomancy wand. How many people think that such items would be useful? What is everyone's method for crreating the dots and dashes?

This post has been edited by Arcangle90: May 29 2006, 11:09 AM

I think runes are classed as geomancy in divination..unless of course you are talking about summonng earthquakes etc..but i wouldent know anything about that *returns to the shadows*

*comes back* Well you can use a large sea shell to divine and read sand. Just hold the orcaina to your ear and keep listening until you reach the divination state or as some might say gnosis..and the sound of the ocean will turn to voices..voila (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Hope ive been of service.

This post has been edited by Mobius: Apr 30 2008, 08:33 PM

This thread prompted me to look into Occidental Geomancy for the first time. I got Crowley's Liber XCVI (Gaias: A Handbook of Geomancy) and began to study it. I am by no means an expert but I'll give a basic idea of what I have learned so far.

You will need three pieces of paper and a pencil.

The instructions say to make 16 sets of random marks on new paper that has been previously inscribed with a Pentacle bearing the seal of the Intelligence responsible for the sort of question you have. Since Crowley does not provide the traditional sigils of these spirits (they are easily found elsewhere) but does provide Geomantic figures for them, I figure these are just as well for the purpose.

The instruction says to make the Pentacle in the correct elemental formula (the order of drawing the lines, as in the Pentagram rituals), and suggests that if you make it within a circle to make the circle first. He does not specify whether this means a fully-drawn Magic Circle or just a plain circle on the paper, although most of the other sources on geomancy I've seen using his scheme have you just draw a circle and then draw a star in it. I believe Crowley intended the Magic Circle and Invoking ritual, but this is only my own interpretation.

Afterward you make the dots or dashes. Special "malkuth-colored" boxes like Regardie and Skinner describe seem a bit much for this sort of thing since the advantage of Geomancy over Tarot or Runes is that you do not need to carry any sort of occult tools to perform a divination with it.

I found that it is easy enough to fold the paper four times and unfold it again, making 16 convenient sections on the sheet. his keeps the paper free from extraneous markings before the actual divination. The Pentacle can be drawn on the outside of the folded sheet. Again this is just my take on the matter.

You are supposed to make the sixteen sections of random dots while concentrating on your question.

On the second sheet of paper, the Shield, you arrange the four "mother" symbols from the sections of dots, so that the first four make the first "mother" and the second four make the next. If there is an even number of dots you put down two dots on the "mother" line, and odd numbers get one dot.

From these you make four "daughters" by counting the number of dots going horizontally over all four "mothers" lined up with the first on the right. Arrange the daughters proceding further to the left.

Beneath these figures you count the number of dots in the horizontal rows for the first two mothers, then the second two, then the first two daughters, then the second two. These are made into four figures called "nephews" from right to left below the female figures.

Below the right-hand nephews, do the same as for the nephews and make a "right witness" figure, and again for the "left witness" figure, and finally use these to make a "judge" at the bottom.

On the next page, arrange the four mothers, four daughters, and four nephews into the Astrological houses, beginning with the first mother as the ascendant. By adding all the dots together and divinding by twelve, the remainder will show the "part of fortune" which is the resources available to the querent immediately for use.

Unless you understand the basic concepts of Astrology, interpretations will be dififcult. There is a full chart in Liber XCVI for the interpretations of the Witnesses and the Judge figures, which affect the general interpretation for the chart of Houses. if you know the Tarot, it is a good start to read the Geomantic figure corresponding to the Court card as playing its role in the Houses. The strength of the figure's influence is determined by whether it is in its own sign, in its element, in its opposed sign, etc.. and the general activity represented by the figure in that sign will be determined by the figures trine, square, and sextile to its position.