botanomancy
One of the more primitive divination dates back to the times of druids and priests worshiping the spirits of trees, especially oak. Practiced by great ancient civilizations such as Babylonians, Scythians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs, it served to seek answers and explore the future.
Mention of it is in Old Testament and many other works.
Among many occult methods, botanomancy is treated as one form of pyromancy. Alternative names for botanomancy are: botinomancy and botomancy. Etymology, like most divination methods, comes from Greek, botano (plant or herbs) and manteia (divination).
The main assumption of botanomancy is divination when burning leaves, branches and herbs.
The most commonly used plants:
Botanomancy was largely based on two elements of the plant world:
Verbena – there are about 200 species, mainly occur in North America. Verbena was also used in herbal medicine and was of magical significance. V. litoralis is used in Uruguay to control fertility.
Brier – popular brushwood, plants with prickly or prickly woody stems.
Leaves or sycamore figs – But then more we are already talking about sycomancy.
Divination methods
The most popular method of botanomancy was based on divination from smoke and ash resulting from the burning of branches and leaves. Often this was associated with uncovering a question that was sought for answers on branches and only later burned.
Another form was based on writing words, names or entire sentences on fig leaves that were exposed to the wind. The leaves that were not carried away by the wind were to contain the answer to the previously asked question. This type of divination is also classified as anemoscopy or, above all, as sycomancy.
Medieval England was a place where women blew the seeds of a medical bowl to determine how many years they would have to wait to find love. It was determined by the number of puffs that were needed to release all seeds
During colonial America, women threw apple peels to the ground to determine the first letter of their future husband’s name. This custom is still practiced in some countries during the divination night, e.g. in Poland during St. Andrew’s night.
Another method of botanomancy is kromnomancy based on divination using onions.
Today, the most popular form of botanomancy is to observe plant growth patterns and other features they have. However, currently the best-known divination methods based on plants are as follows:
Fortune-telling by peeling daisy petals. Each petal alternates between yes and no. The last petal will be the answer to the question.
Looking for a four-leaf clover that is supposed to bring happiness.
During the full moon, plant the same flower seeds in several pots and attach to each question the answers on your pages. The plants should be cared for in the same way, and the one that germinates first will contain the answer to the question.
Botanomancy in literature
“The method of divination by burning the branches of verbena and briar, on which the practitioner’s questions were engraved.” – L. Spence Encyc. Occultism, 1920
1939 J. Trachtenberg Jewish Magic 219: “Plants (Botanomancy) were also used:” On Monday evening, after sunset, go to the field and find a leaf- bearing azer , head east and dig a hole, arch, circle this place once, bow east again “and recite the spell which ends with the words:” If my enterprise is to succeed, you must flourish; if not, then you have to fall to the ground. Return in the morning and find out how your venture will end. “
” Through Botanomancy , for the moment I have a few I truly in reserve.” – Urquhart explains Rabelais Gargantua and Pantagruel iii. XXV., 1660