divination

Art of ascertaining future events or eliciting other hidden knowledge by supernatural or nonrational means. Divination played a large part in the ancient civilizations of the Egyptians, Greeks (see oracle), Romans, and Chinese (using the I Ching), and is still practised throughout the world.

Divination generally involves the intuitive interpretation of the mechanical operations of chance or natural law, although dreams, often specially induced, have also been interpreted to tell the future.

Forms of divination have included omens drawn from the behaviour of birds and animals; examination of the entrails of sacrificed animals; random opening of such books as the Bible; fortune-telling by cards (especially tarot cards) and palmistry; dowsing; oracular trance-speaking; automatic writing; and necromancy, or the supposed raising of the spirits of the dead.