Divination
The attempt to learn what is hidden or to come by reading signs, drawing lots or consulting spirits.
Also: divining, mantic arts, fortune-telling
Divination is found in almost every society. Methods range from casting lots and reading entrails to astrology, tarot, the I Ching, Ifa, geomancy and dream interpretation. Anthropologists such as Evans-Pritchard, who studied Azande poison oracles, observed that diviners are often used to settle disputes and decide a course of action, not simply to learn the future. Scholars have also noted that divination can work as a means of reaching a decision when the evidence is unclear, giving a sense of authority to a choice. Some religions condemn it, others make it central. Sceptics argue that apparent hits come from flexible reading and chance.