[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M]
[N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

--A--

Aeromancy is divination conducted by interpreting atmospheric conditions.

The Age of Aquarius is a time period in astrology.

Akashic Record is the library of all events and responses concerning Human Consciousness in all realities.

Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine, astrology, mysticism, and religion. Two intertwined goals sought by many alchemists were the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold; and the universal panacea, a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Alchemy can be regarded as the precursor of the modern science of chemistry prior to the formulation of the scientific method.

Alectryomancy is a form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird or several birds pecking at grain that the diviner has scattered on the ground. The observer may place grain in the shape of letters and thus discern a divinatory revelation by noting which letters the birds peck at, or the diviner may just interpret the pattern left by the birds' pecking in randomly scattered grain.

Aleuromancy refers to forms of divination involving flour.

Alomancy also called Adromancy, ydromancie, idromancie, and halomancy, is an ancient form of divination. Similar to many other forms of divination, the diviner casts salt 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 as it evaporates in the bowl. The exact interpretations are unknown, but it probably follows a similar method to aleuromancy.

Alphitomancy is a form of divination involving barley cakes or loaves of barley bread.

All Hallows Eve (Halloween or Hallowe'en) is a holiday on the night of October 31 that is celebrated in much of the Western world, nowhere more enthusiastically than in the US, although most Western countries recognise it as an official date. The eve is that before All Saints' Day, November 1? hence its alternative name: All Saints' Eve or All Hallows' Eve. In Catholic tradition All Saints' Day is a time of holy obligation. If this day, originally simply honoring all the departed faithful, now also helps the faithful to recall to mind the reality of Hell, it is only through its association with Hallowe'en.

All Souls Day (Commemoratio omnium fidelium defunctorum) is the day set apart in the Roman Catholic Church for the commemoration of the faithful departed. The feast falls on the 2nd of November; or on the 3rd if the 2nd is a Sunday or a festival of the first class.

An amulet (from Latin amuletum, meaning A means of protection) consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner. Potential amulets include: gems or simple stones, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants, animals, gestures, etc.; even words said in certain occasions -- for example: vade retro, Satanas -- (Latin, "go back, Satan"), to repel evil or bad luck.

Anemoscopy (divination by wind)

An angel is a spiritual being which assists and serves God or the gods in many religious traditions. The word originated from the Latin angelus, itself derived from the Greek αγγελος, ?ggelos, meaning ?messenger? (written "gg" is spoken "ng" in Greek). The closest Hebrew word for angel is מלאך, mal'ach, also meaning messenger.

Animism is the belief that personalized, supernatural beings (or souls) inhabit ordinary objects and govern their existence.

Anthropomancy (from Greek anthropos, 'man', and manteia, 'divination') is a method of divination by the entrails of dead or dying men or women, through sacrifice. This practice was sometimes also called Splanchomancy (divination by examining the entrails of sacrificial victims).

In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist is a person or other entity that is the embodiment of evil, and utterly opposed to truth. The name "Antichrist" is mentioned only in the New Testament epistles of John the Evangelist; but many Christians identify this Antichrist with the Beast, who appears in the Book of Revelation. The Antichrist is variously understood as being a consummately evil system of government or leader, the incarnation of Satan, a son of Satan, or a human being under the liege of Satan. The English word, Antichrist, is anglicized from the Greek, and literally means instead of Christ.

Apantomancy (divination by seeing animals)

An apparition is an appearance to a human of a ghost, phantom, or other supernatural being such as God or Satan, or an appearance of a living person not physically present by supernatural means. In loose speech, most people take the word apparition to mean simply a ghost.

Astragalomancy (divination by dice)

An astral body is a form in which a person is believed to be able to travel out of their physical body.

The astral plane, also called the astral world and astral universe, is a plane of existence according to various philosophies and belief systems.

Astral projection is an out of body experience (OOBE) technique, sometimes associated with the occult and the New Age movement, where it is said that the "astral body", or "double", which some believe to be one of several co-incident "bodies" in each person, is able to move free of the physical body. During astral projections, sometimes the traveler reports being attached to his/her physical body by a silver umbilical cord.

Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον + λόγος) is any of several traditions or systems that believe knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is useful in understanding, interpreting and organizing knowledge about reality and human existence on earth. All are based on the relative positions and movement of various real and construed celestial bodies, chiefly the Sun, Moon, planets, and lunar nodes as seen at the time and place of the birth or other event being studied.

An Aura is an optical effect wherein gas or dust surrounding an object luminesces or reflects light from the object.

Austromancy (divination by wind and clouds)

Automatic writing (also known as free writing) is the process of writing without thinking, usually with the intent of removing conscious barriers and inhibitions in the writer. Its use began in the Spiritualism movement, but it was later adopted both as a creative and a psychotheraputic tool.

In Hinduism, an Avatar is defined as the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word "Avatara" which means "descent" and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of the god Vishnu the preserver. To this day Hindus believe in the divine Avatars Krishna and Rama.

Axiomancy (divination by axes)

--B--

Beelzebub (more accurately Ba?al Zeb?b or Ba?al Zəb?b), appears as the name of a god worshipped in the Philistine city of Ekron. It is later the name of a demon/devil, often interchanged with Beelzebul. Either form may appear as an alternate name for Satan or the Devil or may appear as the name of a lesser devil.

The banshee in Irish mythology is derived from the Gaelic bean-sidhe (Mod. Ir. "bean s?"), meaning "spirit woman". They are remnants of the Tuatha de Danaan. Traditionally some Irish families had a banshee associated with them, and the banshee might make an appearance before a death in the family. The banshee is particularly well known for a mournful cry or wail by which this death is heralded. She is invariably dressed in white, with long fair hair which she brushes with a silver comb.

Belomancy (divination by arrows)

Bibliomancy is a form of divination that seeks to know the future by randomly selecting a passage from a book, frequently a sacred text.

In Christian tradition Black Mass is the name given to a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the Sabbath, which was a parody of the Christian Mass. Its main objective was the profanation of the host, although there is no agreement among authors on how were hosts obtained of profaned; the most common idea is that they were profaned by means of some ritual related to sexual practices. Authors also disagree on which rites were performed during the ceremony.

In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva is a being that, while not yet fully enlightened, is actively striving toward that goal. Conventionally, the term is applied to hypothetical beings with a high degree of enlightenment and power. Bodhisattva literally means "enlightenment being" in Sanskrit.

Botanomancy, divination by burning plants

Buddha (Sanskrit: बुद्ध lit. Awakened One, Enlightened One, from the Sanskrit: "Budh", to awaken) can refer to the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, or to anyone who has attained the same depth and quality of enlightenment.

--C--

Capnomancy(divination by smoke)

Cartomancy is a form of fortune telling -- divination -- using a deck of cards. This has been practised since playing cards came into use (first in Italy in the 14th century), but some practitioners claim ancient Egyptian origins derived from wisdom originating from the Egyptian scribe-god Thoth. A deck of regular playing cards (i.e. hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) may be used for this purpose. However this usage is frowned upon by many people who believe that one should not use divination cards for playing. As a result there are many decks designed specifically for use by cartomancers -- the best known are Tarot decks which are specifically designed for cartomancy. Whichever cards are used, there are specific layouts designed to tell different things -- from one card to about thirty.

Causinomancy, divination by burning (non-specific as to the object burned)

Cephalomancy is a form of divination using a goat or donkey's head. Cephalomancy technically means "head divination" and therefore applies to any sort of divination using a skull or head.

Ceraunoscopy, divination by the interpretation of thunder and lightning.

Ceromancy (Ceroscopy; divination by placing melted wax into cold water)

In the New Age movement, channeling is the claimed receipt of information or commands by a person functioning as a medium or channel for an unknown or divine source, much as a radio receives a signal from a transmitter. Although the term was coined in the 20th century, the concept is quite old and widespread.

Chaomancy (divination by aerial visions)

A cherub (Hebrew כרוב; plural cherubim, כרובים) is an angelic creature mentioned several times in the Tanakh, or Old Testament, and in the Book of Revelation.

Chiromancy or cheiromancy, also known as palmistry or palm-reading consists of the practice (or pseudoscience) of evaluating a person's character or future life by "reading" the palm of that person's hand. (The Greek components of the word "cheiromancy" carry implications of "hand-divination".) Various "lines" ("life line", "heart line", etc) and "mounts" (bumps) purportedly suggest interpretations by their relative sizes and intersections.

Clairaudience (divination by psychic hearing)

Clairvoyance is defined as a form of extra-sensory perception that it is claimed allows a person to perceive distant objects, persons, or events, including "seeing" through opaque objects and the detection of types of energy not normally perceptible to humans (i.e. radio waves). Typically, such perception is reported in visual terms, but may also include auditory impressions (sometimes called clairaudience) or kinesthetic impressions.

Cleromancy, sortilege, casting lots or casting bones is a form of divination in which stuff is thrown randomly on the ground, and the resulting patterns or forms are interpreted to tell the future.

Clidomancy (or Cleidomancy) divination by keys.

Cometomancy (divination by comet tails)

Coscinomancy (divination by hanging sieves)

Critomancy (divination by barley cakes)

Cromniomancy (divination by onion sprouts)

A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular) is another word for road junction, where two or more roads meet (there are three or more arms).

A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions.

Crystallomancy (divination by crystals or other reflecting objects)

In its most basic meaning, a curse is a prayer asking that a god or similar spirit brings misfortune to someone; an imprecation or execration, the opposite of a blessing. It is also the effective implementation of the god's wrath against the victim of the curse. Other sorts of curses are imposed by magic or witchcraft, such as the evil eye or by the use of voodoo dolls.

Cyclomancy (divination by wheels)

--D--

Daphnomancy (divination by burning laurel wreaths)

The Dead Sea scrolls are a collection of about 850 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, which have been discovered between 1947 and 1956 at eleven caves near Qumran, a fortress northwest of the Dead Sea in Israel (in historical times part of Judea). They were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, sometime between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. The texts are important as being practically the only Jewish Biblical documents from that period, and because of what they can tell about the political and religious context .

The term d?j? vu (French: "already seen", also called promnesia) describes the experience of feeling that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously. The term was created by a French psychic researcher, Emile Boirac (1851-1917) in his book L' Avenir des Sciences Psychiques. The experience of d?j? vu is usually accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity, and also a sense of "eerieness" or "strangeness". The "previous" experience is most frequently attributed to a dream, although in some cases there is a firm sense that the experience "genuinely happened" in the past.

A demon is a supernatural evil or malicious spirit, capable of possessing a human being. The Greek word daemon, δαίμονες or δαιμόνια was used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek originals of the New Testament. The medieval and neo-medieval conception of "demon" has derived without a break from the ambient popular culture of Late Antiquity.

Demonomancy (divination by demons)

Demonology is the systematic study of demons.

The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. This entity is commonly referred to by a variety of other names, including Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles and Beelzebub. In classic demonology, however, each of these alternate names refers to a specific supernatural entity, and there is significant disagreement as to whether any of these specific entities is actually evil. The word devil is derived from the Greek word diabolos ("to slander"), and the term devil can refer to a greater demon in the hierarchy of Hell. At the same time, the term devil is also derived from the same Indo-European root word for deva, which roughly translates as "angel."

Dowsing is a controversial method of divination which dowsers say empowers them to find water, metals and hidden objects by carrying some form of stick and watching its motion while walking over a piece of land. However repeated tests under controlled conditions have failed to provide suport for this claim.

A dybbuk, in European Jewish folklore, is a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. The word "dybbuk" is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning "attatchment"; the dyybuk attatches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits it, and must be exorcised by a prescribed religious rite. According to belief, a soul which has not been able to fulfill its function in its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in the form of a dybbuk.

--E--

An entity is something that has a distinct, separate, existence, though it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.

Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP, refers to the purported occurrence of alleged "spirit voices" that are said to manifest themselves on audio recordings.

Empyromancy (divination by burning)

The word esoteric generally relates to that which is known only by a restricted number of people.

Exorcism is the practice of evicting or destroying evil spiritual entities which are supposed to have "possessed" (taken control of) a person, a building, etc.. See both daemon and demon. The concept is very ancient and is still part of the belief system of many religions.

Extispicy (divination from the exta of sacrificed animals)

Extra-sensory perception, or ESP, is the supposed ability to acquire information by some means other than the normal human senses, such as the traditional five senses of taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing, or any of the other senses well known to science (balance, proprioception, etc).

--F--

A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with wings. This word is derived from the name of a place where they were said to live: Faerie, and fairies are sometimes called fairy-folk. The myth appears commonplace across many diverse cultures and traditions. They have many names and many forms.

Faith healing is the use of solely 'spiritual' means in treating disease, sometimes accompanied with the refusal of modern medical techniques. The term is usually used by some Christians who believe God heals people through the "laying on of hands". Faith healing has not scientifically been proven effective, although its practitioners often cite much anecdotal evidence of cases where it has been successful. Doctors often ascribe any success to the placebo effect or to spontaneous remission: some people will heal with or without treatment, and it is generally natural to credit the most recent treatment for the cure (this form of reasoning is called post hoc ergo propter hoc).

In Christian mythology, a fallen angel is an angel exiled or banished from Heaven after not obeying God's mandate or rebelling against Him. After the First War in Heaven, many angels were expelled from it, therefore becoming fallen angels.

--G--

Gabriel (גבריאל, Standard Hebrew Gavriʾel, Tiberian Hebrew Gaḇr?ʾēl) appears first in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. He is an archangel who serves as a messenger from God. The name Gabriel can mean "man of God", "God has shown himself mighty", or "Hero of God."

Gaia is a Greek and Roman goddess, also known as the Earth Mother.

Geloscopy (divination by laughter)

Geomancy (divination by earth)

Ghosts are the supposed apparitions of the dead.

A gnome is a mythical creature. In certain traditions and certain kinds of magickal practice, gnomes are elemental spirits of the element of earth. In other traditions, they are simply small, mischievous sprites or goblins. According to some traditions, their king is called Gob.

Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D.

A goblin is an evil or mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured, elf-like phantom.

God is a name given in English to the one supreme being, especially but not exclusively, in the beliefs of the three major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as Hinduism (Brahman), Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. When used as a proper noun, "God" is typically capitalised. The (lowercase) words "god" and "goddess" are derivative common nouns, used to refer to one of the supernatural beings within some religious systems, such as the Greek and Roman deities. (See the list of deities for a list from various religions.)

Graphology (divination by handwriting) Gray Lady-- Is said to be a ghost of a human spirit that has died by the hands of a lover or is waiting for a lover to return.

A guardian angel is a spirit who is believed to protect and to guide a particular person. The concept of tutelary angels and their hierarchy was extensively developed by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, in the 5th c. CE

A guru (गुरु Sanskrit) is a Hindu religious teacher. It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization. Till today in India and among people of Hindu or Sikh persuasion, the title retains its significant hallowed space.

Gyromancy (divination by dizziness)

--H--

The Harmonic Convergence was a loosely-organized new age spiritual event that occurred on 1987, August 17th, when groups of people gathered in various sacred sites and "mystical" places all over the world to usher in a new era, a date based primarily on the Maya calendar, but also on interpretations of European and Asian astrology.

The term Herbalism refers to folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts.

A hex is a magical spell or curse.

Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; Sanātana Dharma, roughly Perennial Faith) is generally considered to be the oldest major world religion still practised today and first among Dharma faiths. Hinduism is characterized by a diverse array of belief systems, practices and scriptures. It has its origin in ancient Vedic culture at least as far back as 2000 BCE. It is the third largest religion with approximately 1.05 billion followers worldwide, 96% of whom live in the Indian subcontinent.

Hippomancy (divination by horses)

In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish or cup which Jesus used at the Last Supper, or alternatively a vessel that caught his blood during his crucifixion, or sometimes both. It was said to have the power to heal all wounds. A theme joined to the Christianised Arthurian mythos relates to the quest for the Holy Grail. The legend may be a combination of genuine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers. Whether graal is Celtic or Old French, it never refers to any cup or bowl but this.

Homeopathy (also spelled hom?opathy or homoeopathy), from the Greek words homoios (similar) and pathos (suffering), is a controversial system of alternative medicine involving the use of remedies without chemically active ingredients. The theory of homeopathy was developed by the Saxon physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755?1843) and first published in 1796.

Hydromancy (divination by water)

Hepatoscopy (also haruspication; divination by liver)

--I--

The I Ching (易經 pinyin y? jīng) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. Alternative romanizations of the name include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King. Translations of its name into English include the "Book of Changes" or more accurately "Classic of Change".

Icthyomancy (divination by fish)

Imp is a term for an imaginary being similar to a fairy, frequently used in folklore.

An incantation is the words spoken during a ritual. such as those in praise of a god, in witchcraft or when casting a spell. It comes from the Latin incantare, meaning 'to utter an incantation', which would be done by an enchanter. Another name for an incantation is mantra.

In medieval legend, an incubus (plural incubi; from Latin incubare, "to lie upon") is a demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially on women in order to have sexual intercourse with them.

--J--

Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people and the first recorded monotheistic faith. The tenets and history of Judaism constitute the historical foundation of many other religions, including Christianity and Islam.

--K--

Kabbalah (קבלה "Reception", Standard Hebrew Qabbala, Tiberian Hebrew Qabbālāh; also written variously as Cabala, Cabalah, Cabbala, Cabbalah, Kabala, Kabalah, Kabbala, Qabala, Qabalah) is a religious philosophical system claiming an insight into divine nature.

The law of Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म), or Kamma (Pali) originated in the Vedic system of religion, otherwise known as Hinduism. As a term, it can at the latest be traced back to the early Upanishads, around 1500 BCE.

Kirlian photography is high voltage contact print photography. The process is named after Semyon Kirlian, who discovered the effect in 1939 following the accidental discovery that if an object on a photographic plate is subjected to a high-voltage electric field, an image is created on the plate. The images resemble a rough outline of the object like a colourful halo. Kirlian (photography, energy, etc.) is sometimes referred to as Kirilian.

Kundalini is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning either coiled up or coiling like a snake; there are a number of other translations usually emphasizing a more serpent nature to the word - 'serpent power' or suchlike.

--L--

Lampadomancy (divination by light)

Lecanomancy (divination by a basin of water)

Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended against gravity, in a stable position, by a force without physical contact. This can be achieved through jets of gas pushing upwards against the object (as in air hockey), or pushing downwards from the object (as in helicopters, VTOL aircraft, and similar to hovercraft). A sphere can be stably levitated in a stream of air without any type of control system, if conditions are right. These are due to Bernoulli's principle.

Libanomancy (divination by incense)

In Catholic theology, limbo describes the temporary status of the souls of good persons who died before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the permanent status of the unbaptised who die in infancy (without having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin).

Lithomancy (divination by precious stones)

Lucifer is a Latin word derived from two words, lux (light; genitive lucis) and ferre (to bear, to bring), meaning light-bearer. Lucifer does not appear in Greek or Roman mythology; it is used by poets to represent the Morning Star at moments when "Venus" would intrude distracting imagery of the goddess. "Lucifer" is Jerome's direct translation in his Vulgate (4th century) of the Septuagint's Greek translation, as heosphoros, "morning star", literally "bringer of the Dawn", of a phrase in Isaiah that originally intended no reference to Satan (see below). In Christianity, Lucifer has become synonymous with Satan, nevertheless.

--M--

Magic (paranormal) deals with the manipulation of what the practitioner believes to be genuine paranormal phenomena.

Margaritomancy (divination by bouncing pearls)

Meditation usually refers to a state of extreme relaxation and concentration, in which the body is generally at rest and the mind quieted of surface thoughts. Several major religions include ritual meditation; however, meditation itself need not be a religious or spiritual activity. It is widely thought to be of Eastern origin.

A medium (spirituality) is an individual who claims the ability to receive or channel messages from spirits, ghosts, or other discorporate entities.

Metagnomy (divination by visions)

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy, and related to the natural sciences, like physics, psychology and the biology of the brain; and also to mysticism and religious and spiritual subjects. It is notoriously difficult to define, but for purposes of briefly introducing it to nonphilosophers, it can be identified as the study of any of the most fundamental concepts and beliefs about the basic nature of reality, on which many other concepts and beliefs rest -- concepts such as being, existence, universal, property, relation, causation, space, time, event, and many others.

Meteormancy (divination by meteors)

Metoposcopy (divination by foreheads)

Miracle is a term used by adherents of many religions for what they say is an intervention by God in the universe. One must keep in mind that in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and in other faiths people have substantially different definitions of the word miracle. Even within a specific religion there is often more than one usage of the term.

Moleosophy (divination by blemishes)

Monism is the metaphysical position that only one sort of "substance" or "stuff" ultimately exists. Monism is to be distinguished from dualism, which holds that ultimately there are two kinds of substance, and from pluralism, which holds that ultimately there are many kinds of substance.

Myomancy (divination by rodent behavior)

Mysticism is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge.

--N--

Necromancy is divination by raising the spirits of the dead. The word derives from the Greek nekros "dead" and manteia "divination". It has a subsidiary meaning derived from an alternative and archaic form of the word, nigromancy, (from the word niger, "black") in which the magical force of 'dark powers' is gained from or acting upon corpses. One who is a practitioner of necromancy is a necromancer.

Nephomancy (divination by clouds)

In Buddhism, nirvāna (from the Sanskrit -- Pali: Nibbāna -- Chinese: Nie4 Pan2 (nn)), literally "extinction" or "extinguishing", is the culmination of the Buddhist pursuit of liberation. Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha, described Buddhism as a raft which, after floating across a river, will enable the passenger to reach nirvana. Hinduism also uses nirvana as a synonym to its ideas of moksha, and it is spoken of in several Hindu tantric texts as well as the Bhagavad Gita.

Numerology (divination by numbers)

--O--

The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the 'knowledge of the secret' or 'knowledge of the hidden' and often meaning 'knowledge of the supernatural', as opposed to 'knowledge of the visible' or 'knowledge of the measurable', usually refered to as science. The modern term's meaning is often imprecisely translated and used as a term for 'secret knowledge' or 'hidden knowledge', in the sense of meaning 'knowledge meant only for certain people' or 'knowledge that must be kept hidden'. Therefore in the context of this terms contemporary meaning in western societies anything refered to with the term occult is often regarded as superstitious. Today, the term is often known best in the context of occultism.

Oculomancy (divination by eyes)

Oinomancy (divination by wine)

Omphalomancy (divination by umbilical chords)

Oneiromancy (divination by dreams)

Onomancy (divination by names)

Onychomancy (divination by fingernails)

Oomantia (or Ooscopy, Ovomancy; divination by eggs)

Ophiomancy (divination by snakes)

Oracles are human beings who make predictions, or offer insight, based on a (claimed) connection to the Gods. In the ancient world many sites gained a reputation for the dispensing of oracular wisdom: they too became known as "oracles", as did the oracular utterances themselves.

Orniscopy (or Ornithomancy; divination by birds of flight)

Ouija (pronounced wee-juh or wee-jee) refers to the belief that one can receive messages from demons, ghosts, spirits, and other anomalous and/or paranormal entities during a s?ance by the use of a ouija board and planchette ("pointer"). The fingers of the s?ance participants are placed on the planchette, which then moves about a board covered with numbers, letters and symbols, so as to spell out messages.

An out-of-body experience (or OBE, or OOBE) is the subjective perception that one is no longer in one's body, while (generally) being able to perceive it from the outside. It is sometimes associated with near-death experiences, hypnopompic or hypnagogic dreams, mystical trances or occult phenomena, and psychoactive drugs, mainly dissociative hallucinogens such as ketamine, DXM and PCP.

--P--

Chiromancy or cheiromancy, also known as palmistry or palm-reading consists of the practice (or pseudoscience) of evaluating a person's character or future life by "reading" the palm of that person's hand.

Pantheism, simply stated, means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all encompassing God. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence and/or the universe (the sum total of all that is was and shall be) is personified in the theological principle of 'God.'

A paradigm shift is the term given for the process and result of a change in paradigm -- usually total revolution in theory or worldview. It was originally a term referring to science but has become more widely applied to other realms of human experience as well.

Paranormal is beyond the normal.

Parapsychology is the study of mental phenomena, whether actual or purported, that are not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science.

Pegomancy (divination by spring water)

A pentagram or pentacle is a five-pointed star. Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia. The Pentagram has magickal associations, and many people who practice pagan faiths wear them. Christians once commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus Christ, but nowadays some Christians associate the symbol with Satanism. However, most who use it are not Satanists.

Anomalous phenomena are phenomena such as telepathy, psychokinesis, ghosts, and other concepts not widely accepted as real by mainstream scientists, some of whom go as far as calling the attempted serious study of them pseudoscience.

Phrenology (divination by the shape of one's head)

Phyllorhodomancy (divination by rose petals)

Physiognomy ( from physics, nature and gnosis, knowledge) is a pseudoscience, based upon the belief that the study and judgement of a person's outer appearance, primarily the face, reflects their character or personality.

A planchette is a triangular board supported by casters which when lightly touched by the fingers is supposed to spell out supernatural messages.

A poltergeist (German for rumbling ghost) is widely believed to be an invisible ghost that interacts with others by moving and influencing inanimate objects. Stories featuring poltergeists typically focus heavily on raps, thumps, knocks, footsteps, and bed-shaking, all without a discernable point of origin. Many stories detail objects being thrown about the room, furniture being moved, and even people being levitated! A few poltergeists have even been known to speak (The Bell Witch, 1817; Gef, the Talking Mongoose, 1931). Most classic modern poltergeist stories originate in England, though the word itself is German.

Spiritual possession refers to the supposed ability of some spirits to inhabit a human body.

Precognition is a form of extra-sensory perception which allows a "percipient" to perceive information about future places or events before they happen (as opposed to merely predicting them based on deductive reasoning and current knowledge). A related term, presentiment is used to refer to information about future events which may not present itself in conscious form but rather in the form of emotions or feelings at the autonomic level. These terms are considered by some to be special cases of the more general term clairvoyance.

Premonition is a vision or warning of future events.

In numerous religions, including Abrahamic religions, Sikhism, and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who speaks for the deity or interprets the deity's will or mind. A prophet usually operates through some means of divination, channeling, or extra-sensory perception, and the prophet's pronouncements in the name of a deity are sometimes called revelation.

Psychic falls into two broad groups. Extra-sensory perception, also known as anomalous cognition, includes telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairalience, clairgustance, and precognition. Anomalous operation includes psychokinesis (in the past referred to as telekinesis), out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, mediumship and reincarnation. The general term "psi phenomena" (or the somewhat older term, "psychic phenomena") covers all of these categories.

Psychic Attack is the transference of negative energy into a person to deliberately harm.

Psychic Photograph are supernatural or preternatural images appearing on a photograph.

Psychoanalysis is the revelation of unconscious relations, in a systematic way through an associative process. The fundamental subject matter of psychoanalysis is the unconscious patterns of life revealed through the analysand's (the patient's) free associations. The analyst's goal is to help liberate the analysand from unexamined or unconscious barriers of transference and resistance, that is, past patterns of relatedness that are no longer serviceable or that inhibit freedom.

Psychokensis (PK) is the movement of objects without the use of physical means, such as using the mind.

Pyromancy (or Pyroscopy; divination by fire)

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Reiki is a technique of complementary or alternative medicine, developed (or rediscovered) during the latter half of the 19th century by Mikao Usui in Japan. It has gained widespread popularity outside Japan, particularly in Europe and the U.S.

Reincarnation, also called metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls, is the rebirth in another body (after physical death), of some critical part of a person's personality or spirit. Its occurrence is a central tenet of Hinduism, Jainism, some African religions, as well as various other religions and philosophies. Most modern Pagans also believe in reincarnation.

The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae ('remains') and there are many pre-Christian instances of some bone or other part of the corpse, or some intimately associated object, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. The preservation of relics is a primitive instinct, and it is associated with shamanism as well as many other developed religious systems besides that of Christianity. Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism and Hinduism. In some denominations of Christianity, a relic is an object of religious veneration, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of a saint. A shrine that houses a relic is called a reliquary.

Religion is commonly defined as the belief in the divine, as dealing with the supernatural, or sacred that results in worship; that worship itself; the institutional or culturally-bound expression of that worship; or some combination of these.

Rhabdomancy (divination by rod or stick)

Rhapsodomancy (divination by poetry)

A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a ritual often include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation, singing, group processions, repetitive dance, manipulation of sacred objects, etc. The general purpose of rituals is to express some fundamental truth or meaning, evoke spiritual, numinous emotional responses from participants, and/or engage a group of people in unified action to strengthen their communal bonds. The word ritual, when used as an adjective, relates to the noun 'rite', as in rite of passage.

Rumpology (divination by buttocks)

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In modern Abrahamic religions, Satan is generally viewed as a supernatural entity who is the central embodiment of evil. Satan is also commonly known as the Devil, the "Prince of Darkness," Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, or Lucifer. In the Talmud and some works of Kabbalah Satan is sometimes called Samael ; however most Jewish literature is of the opinion that Samael is a separate angel. In the fields of angelology and demonology these different names sometimes refer to a number of different angels and demons, and there is significant disagreement as to whether any of these entities is actually evil.

Scapulimancy (divination by bovine or caprid scapulae)

Sciomancy (divination by spirits)

Scrying is the occult practice of seeing the past, present, or future in a shining surface such as black glass, a crystal ball, or a bowl of water. Scrying constitutes a form of divination.

A s?ance (SAY-ahnce) is, on its most basic level, an attempt to communicate with the dead. The s?ance, or sitting, is led by a person known as a medium who will usually go into a trance and allow the dead to communicate through him or her. More recently, this has been known as channeling. Other forms of s?ances use Ouija boards and automatic writing. The Spiritualist Church is based around the belief that the dead can impart wisdom through its ministers in the form of channeling and s?ances.

A sect is a small religious group that has branched off of a larger established religion. Sects have many beliefs and practices in common with the religion that they have broken off from, but are differentiated by a number of doctrinal differences. In contrast, a denomination is a large, well established religious group.

Generically, Shaman refers to analogous functions in other cultures, such as the North American hunter-fishermen culture's "medicine man" or the African agricultural's "Witch doctor". Shamans have existed in most parts of the world, and the ancient shamans of Europe are more or less distantly remembered as druids, ba'ale shem and v?lvas, and in fairy tales as wizards and witches. Fairy tales and even the language of everyday life include frequent references to knowledge obtained because "a little bird told me," which is a remnant of the idea that shamans can communicate directly with animals. In the western world many of the roles of shamans have been replaced by (or evolved into those of) priests, scholars and doctors.

Sideromancy (divination by burning of straw)

A sorcerer (from Old French 'sorcier'; fem.: sorceress) is person believed to be able to cast spells, see wizard.

A spectre is a representation of something supernatural or frightening, usually imaginary. Compare with "phantom", "haunt". The term often refers to a ghost. (See also: Sprite (fantasy))

Spell is a magical command or incantation during which period of time a person or object is held captive by a psychic for the benefit of the psychic.

Spiritualism is a religion in which contact with the spirits of the dead through a medium is central. Spiritualism in its modern incarnation started in the mid-nineteenth century in the United States and essentially grew out of Christianity. It is still perceived as largely Christian in its broadest sense (although no one, least of all Spiritualists, would begin to claim that its beliefs were orthodox Christian), but there are people from other traditions and religions who happily take the title "Spiritualist" whose background is anything but Christian. In the UK there are many Spiritual Churches which are non-denominational and welcome anyone from any religion.

Spodomancy (divination by ash)

A sprite is a class of supernatural legendary creatures. Beings commonly associated with sprites include elves, fairies, pixies, and spirits. The word "sprite" is often used synonymously with the similarly ambiguous term "spirit".

Stichomancy (divination by books)

Stigmata (plural of stigma) are wounds that were, according to the Bible, inflicted on Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.

Stolisomancy (divination by clothing)

In medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi; from Latin succubare, "to lie under") is a female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse with them, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death. This legend was an explanation for the phenomena of wet dreams and sleep paralysis. Lilith and the Lilin (Jewish), Lilitu (Sumerian) and Rusalka (Slavic) were succubi.

The Supernatural refers to conscious magical, religious or unknown forces that cannot ordinarily be perceived except through their effects. This word is often used interchangeably with preternatural or paranormal. Unlike natural forces, these putative supernatural forces can not be shown to exist by the scientific method. Claims of supernatural phenomena conflict directly and fundamentally with current scientific understanding.

Superstition is a set of behaviors that may be faith based, or related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain of his or her behaviors. An example is the belief that it is bad luck to wear gold and silver together.

Synergy or synergism, most often is the phenomenon of two or more discrete influences or agents acting in common to create an effect which is greater than the sum of the effects each is able to create independently. Originally a theological term describing the cooperation of human effort with divine will, it has become a common business buzzword in recent years. In the workplace, it has a negative connotation.

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Talisman is an amulet sometimes believed to have mystical powers

Taoism or Daoism (Chinese: 道教, py D?oji?o, W-G Tao-chiao) is usually described as an Asian philosophy and religion, although it is also said to be neither but rather an aspect of Chinese wisdom. Translated literally, it means "the Teaching of Tao". In Taoist context, Tao can be understood as a space-time path ? the order in which things happen. As a descriptive term, it can be taken to refer to the actual world in history ? sometimes distinguished as "great Dao" ? or prescriptively, as an order that should unfold ? i.e., the moral way of Confucius or Laozi or Christ, etc. A theme in early Chinese thought is Tian-dao or way of nature (also translated as 'heaven' 'sky' and sometimes 'God'). This would correspond roughly to the order of things according to natural law. Both 'nature's way' and 'great way' can inspire the stereotypical Taoist detachment from moral or normative doctrines. Thus, thought of as the course by which everything comes to be what it is (the "Mother of everything") it seems hard to imagine that we have to select among any accounts of its normative content ? thus it can be seen as an efficient principle of "emptiness" that reliably underlies the operation of the universe.

Tarot (Tar-oh) is a system of symbolism and philosophy consisting of a set of 78 images, normally embodied in a deck of cards similar to a regular set of game-playing cards (see playing card). In the English speaking world, they are most often encountered as a form of cartomancy.

Tasseography (divination by tea leaves)

Psychokinesis (literally "mind-movement") or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally "distant-movement"). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone.

Telepathy (from the Greek τηλε, tele, "distant", and πάθεια, patheia, "feeling", is the supposed ability to communicate information from one mind to another, and is one form of extra-sensory perception or anomalous cognition. This information is generally reported as being "received" in the same form as that from the conventional senses. There have been rare claims of shared of visual hallucinations in folie a deux - shared psychotic disorder. These are beyond the scope of science at this time. The phenomena cannot be produced or reproduced on demand.

Teleportation, or teletransportation, is the process of moving objects (or more likely with present techniques, fundamental particles) from one place to another by encoding information about the object, transmitting the information to another place, such as on a radio signal, and creating a copy of the original object in the new location. The use of teleportation has traditionally been found only in science fiction, but the theory and experimentation of quantum teleportation has been of interest to physicists.

Tephramancy (divination by bark ashes)

The term "third eye" is not used for visualization and memory, only for visions. People with well-developed third eyes are sometimes known as "seers". This concept is often associated with clairvoyance, precognition, and out-of-body experiences.

Tiromancy (divination by cheese)

Torah, תורה is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially Law. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh, i.e. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Trance is an altered state of consciousness. To simulate a trance, one mentalist said that you should slump in your chair and act as though you have drunk a bottle of gin. For more information, see hypnosis and ecstasy.

In philosophy, transcendental experiences are experiences of an exclusively human nature that are other-worldly or beyond the human realm of understanding.

A troll is a member of a fearsome humanoid race from Scandinavian folklore, and its predecessor Norse mythology, as in "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," the well-known Scandinavian folk tale in which a troll living under a bridge torments some billy goats that want to cross. Grendel in the poem Beowulf is a closely similar creature.

--U--

UFO or unidentified flying object, in the original, literal sense means any airborne object whose nature is not readily known. Nowadays, the term is generally used to mean those cases that are believed by some to be the spaceships of extraterrestrial aliens.

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The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin; also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based religious tradition with primary roots among the Fon-Ewe peoples of West Africa, in the country now known as Benin, formerly the Kingdom of Dahomey, where Vodun is today the national religion of more than 7 million people. In addition to the Fon or Dahomeyan tradition which has remained in Africa, there are related traditions that put down roots in the New World during the days of the transatlantic African slave trade.

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Warlocks are, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of Europe's Middle Ages), and were said to ride pitch-forks (six foot two-tined forks, for manoeuvering unbound hay) instead of broomsticks.

A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who changes into a wolf, either by purposefully using magic in some manner or by being placed under a curse. In fictional treatments starting in the 19th century and in popular modern superstition this transformation is said to take place at full moon, either for a few nights every month or permanently. It is said that a werewolf may be killed if shot by a silver bullet.

Wicca is the most popular Neopagan religion, originally founded by the British civil servant Gerald Gardner, probably in the 1930s, although it was first openly revealed in 1951. Since its founding, various related Wiccan traditions have evolved, the original being Gardnerian Wicca, which is the name of the tradition that follows the specific beliefs and practices established by Gerald Gardner.

European Christians in the medieval era, some conservative Christians today, Neopagans and many African religions (past and present) believe that witchcraft is a form of genuine magic which can produce effects that are beyond the natural powers of man. However, the ways they characterize it differ widely.

--X--

Xylomancy (divination by burning wood)

--Y--

In Chinese concept, yin and yang are two opposing elements of the universe. They are not two poles like good and evil, however; they are relative.

Yoga is the primary focus of a Hindu's religious activities. There are several forms and paths of yoga that include meditation, devotional prayer, selfless service to others, and even meditational forms of exercise.

A Yogi is a practitioner of yoga

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The zodiac (from Greek zoon, "animal") is an imaginary belt in the heavens extending approximately 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's apparent path, that includes the apparent paths of the Moon and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Divisions of the zodiac represent, in astronomy: constellations, and in astrology: signs. There is a zodiac in western astrology, a different one in Vedic astrology, and a very different one in Chinese astrology.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.