Acultomancy (from acutomancy, the type of acultomancy described below, influenced by Latin acūleus, needle) is a form of
divination
Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...
that uses
needles for readings.
Using needles comes from the olden days where
Romani people
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...
used to read people and use needles as their pointers. Readers use seven needles or up to twenty one needles in a somewhat shallow bowl with water in it. Needles may also be dropped onto a flat surface that has been coated with powder or flour. Readers then look for the designs that the needles make in the substance.
Some of the main designs are lines. They may be broken, parallel, vertical, or horizontal in some fashion. The broken line may mean traveling or heading on a new journey. The parallel lines may mean money in the future, either given or taken away. The vertical lines are meant as guided roads to take. The horizontal lines may mean what the fate will be.
There is another type of acultomancy and that is called acutomancy. This practice uses sharp objects or anything that is pointed. Seven are dropped onto a table and the pattern is distinguished and read. Another practice along with this one is Acutomanzia. Acutomanzia employs thirteen pins. Ten must be straight and three are bent at an angle. They are also dropped into flour or powder of some sort to discern patterns.
See also
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Aichmomancy
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Methods of divination
Methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods—some of which had hitherto been unnamed—in Mediev ...
References
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Divination
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