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| back to dowsing/divination | What is Geomancy? Geomancy is a form of Divination. The term geo, is derived from the ancient Greek goddess of the Earth, Gaia; mancy means to divine/divination. The literal meaning of the term Geomancy is, "Divination by means of signs derived from the Earth as by the figure assumed by a handful of earth thrown upon a surface. Hence usually divination by means of lines or figures formed."1 Or, "Divination from the configuration of a handful of earth or random dots."2 These definitions originate from the earliest known practices of Geomancy. Contemporary Geomantic practices, although also forms of divination, differ from their original context, so that now the term Geomancy incorporates any Earth-centred form of divination including dowsing and Feng Shui. In fact, another definition
from the Oxford Dictionary declares, "Geomancy - the art of placing or
arranging buildings or other sites auspiciously."
Chinese
Feng Shui Masters often call themselves Geomancers for this reason.
In
modern times, Geomancy encompasses a large field of study which attempts to
understand the Earth’s energies, ancient cities, aliens, ghosts and other
strange phenomena…..All of which have causal explanations in terms of
Geomantic energies.
In
the latter part of the twentieth century Geomancy underwent a revival and has
been spurred on by the thousands of scientific experiments and proven findings
to support Geomantic theory. So
much so, that now there exists a plethora of terms and practices related to
Geomancy, coined by the many doyens of the trade, making it difficult for the
newcomer to discern, at times, what energy the Geomancer is necessarily
referring to. Until such time as there is a standard ‘code of terminology’ related to Geomancy, we will have to be satisfied with knowing that these telluric (of the Earth) energies do indeed exist and there are various ways of locating and ‘curing’ them (where necessary). Therefore Geomancy, in its many forms, concentrates on divination of the Earth. However, in order to fully comprehend what Geomancy means, it is essential to understand the concept of Divination..... 1. University of Melbourne Faculty of English 2. The New Oxford Dictionary of English (CD 2000) Excerpt from Geomancy: Discover the Unseen Energy World a Manual and Workbook on practical Geomancy © 2000 Jodi Brunner | |||