Gyromancy

Gyromancy

A method of divination in which a person spins around inside or walks the circumference of a circle drawn on the ground, which circumference is marked with letters of an alphabet. The divination is inferred from the position at which the person either stumbles or falls across the circle’s edge, repeating the practice "...till he evolved an intelligible sentence, or till death or madness intervened."cite book | author = Waite, Arthur Edward | title = Occult Sciences: A Compendium of Transcendental Doctrine and Experiment | publisher = Kessinger Publishing | location = | year = | pages = | isbn = 1-56459-369-X | oclc = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-07-01] The dizziness brought on by spinning or circling is intended to introduce randomness or to facilitate an altered state of consciousness. [ [http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/gyromancy.html Mystica Encyclopedia] ]

The word is derived from Medieval Latin, "gyromantia", which is derived from Greek "gyros" (circle) and "manteia" (oracle). [ [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gyromancy Online Etymology Dictionary] ]

References


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  • Gyromancy — Gyr o*man cy (j[i^]r [ o]*m[a^]n s[y^] or j[imac] r[ o] ), n. [Gr. gy^ros ring, circle + mancy: cf. F. gyromancie.] A kind of divination performed by drawing a ring or circle, and walking in or around it. Brande & C. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gyromancy — 1550s, method of divination by walking in a circle till the person falls down from dizziness, the inference being drawn from the place in the circle at which he fell, from M.L. gyromantia, from Gk. gyyros circle (see GYRE (Cf. gyre)) + manteia… …   Etymology dictionary

  • gyromancy — noun a) Divination where people walk on a circle of letters until dizzy, the letters they fall on are significant. Similar to Dervishing. b) Divination by whirling a coin on a circle of letters …   Wiktionary

  • gyromancy — divination by falling from dizziness Divination and Fortune Telling …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • gyromancy — gy·ro·man·cy …   English syllables

  • gyromancy — Divination involving walking in a circle until you fall down …   Grandiloquent dictionary

  • gyromancy — ˈjīrəˌman(t)sē noun ( es) Etymology: probably from Middle French gyromancie, from gyro gyr + mancie mancy : divination in which one walking in or around a circle falls from dizziness and prognosticates from the place of the fall …   Useful english dictionary

  • Astrology — Not to be confused with Astronomy. ‹ The template below (Ast box) is being considered for merging. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. › …   Wikipedia

  • Divination — This article is about divination as a whole. For the numerous varieties of divination, see Methods of divination. For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). This man in Rhumsiki, Cameroon, supposedly tells the future by interpreting the… …   Wikipedia

  • Numerology — is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early… …   Wikipedia

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