Alomancy, also called adromancy, ydromancie, idromancie, and halomancy, is an ancient 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 ...

. Similar to many other forms of divination, the diviner casts

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

crystals into the air and interprets the patterns as it falls to the ground or travels through the air. The diviner can also interpret patterns formed from the residue of a salt

solution Solution may refer to: * Solution (chemistry), a mixture where one substance is dissolved in another * Solution (equation), in mathematics ** Numerical solution, in numerical analysis, approximate solutions within specified error bounds * Soluti ...

as it evaporates in the bowl. The exact interpretations are unknown, but it probably follows a similar method to

aleuromancy Aleuromancy is the use of flour for divination. The word comes from the Greek ''aleuron'', meaning flour, and ''manteia'', meaning divination. Description Divination with flour is attested in cuneiform tablets from the 2nd millennium BCE. Flo ...

. Salt itself is often intertwined with

luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

and some of this ancient tradition can be seen in the

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

s, such as perceived misfortune when the salt cellar is overturned and the custom of throwing salt over the left shoulder for good luck. One form of alomancy consists of the casting of salt into a fire, which is considered a type of

pyromancy Pyromancy (from Greek ''pyr,'' “fire,” and ''manteia,'' “divination”) is the art of divination by means of fire. ...

References

Divination {{occult-stub