All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAstrology
A divinatory practice that reads human fate through the positions of celestial bodies.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 3 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite fortuneCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 3 moreRunic magic
The use of ancient Germanic letters for spells, divination, and protectionTradition 路 Protection 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 7 moreNowruz賳賵乇賵夭
A spring equinox festival marking the new year across Persianate culturesTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 2 moreOnomancy
Divination based on the letters, numbers, or written strokes of a person's nameOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 4 moreFortune-telling
A practice of predicting future events or personal details through various methods and tools.Rite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreFolk Orthodoxy薪邪褉芯写薪芯械 锌褉邪胁芯褋谢邪胁懈械
A blend of Eastern Orthodox doctrine and pre-Christian pagan beliefs in Slavic communitiesTradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAncestor worship
Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreNew Thought
A spiritual philosophy linking mental states to physical health and prosperityTradition 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚚馃嚦 ChinaPixiu璨旇矃
A winged lion-like creature from Chinese lore that guards wealth and wards off evil spirits.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaMawsim賲賵爻賲
Annual Maghrebi festival blending Sufi veneration with social and economic gatheringTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesLaw of attraction
A New Thought belief that focused thoughts draw matching experiences into lifeBelief 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pixiu: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Folk Orthodoxy: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Onomancy: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- New Thought: Nyttend, Public domain, source