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Alectromancy
(page 2)
A kind of Alectromancy, believed to have
originated in Africa, was also practiced upon the crowing of the cock, and
the periods at which it was heard. Another method was to recite the letters
of the alphabet, making note of those at which the cock crowed.
On yet another method, closely related to
Lithomancy,
a 'cock stone', or 'Alectoria', was used. These stones, purportedly found in
a roosters gizzard, or maw, were supposed to be white as a crystal. The
Romans
called them gemma, literally "cock's gem." These stones were also
believed to be imputed with magical powers.
The Roman army also practiced a kind of Alectromancy, by consulting the
'sacred' chickens that were carried along on their military campaigns. If,
before a battle, the chickens ate the food so greedily that some of it fell
from their beaks, it was considered an excellent
omen. But if they
did not care about the feed, it was necessary to be cautious in any
strategic decision.
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Ouija Board: Glow-in-the-Dark
The famous Ouija
board it's been consulted for many years. How it works is still a mystery! Ask any questions you want. Ouija will answer. Glow-in-the-dark makes this game a must-have for sleep overs!
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An habitually recounted story about Alectromancy tells
that, on the eve of a major sea battle ―
Battle of Drepanum, 249 BC ― with
the
Carthaginians,
Claudius Pulcher, a head-strong
Roman naval commander, chose to ignore a rather pointed
omen. The 'sacred'
chickens on his ship stopped eating. "Throw the damn chickens into the sea!"
he shouted. "If they won't eat, let them drink!" The Roman sailors followed
their leader's bidding and were badly beaten by the Carthaginians.
Another often remembered story involving
Alectromancy is the one about the Roman emperor
Valens, who wanted to know the
name of his successor. Using the cock and circle of letters method, the
previously mentioned philosopher and
magician
Iamblicus tried to discover the name of the person who should succeed Valens
in the empire. But the bird always picked the same 4 letters, spelling out
the word THEO. According to the popular stories of the time, Valens
proceeded to execute all that were named Theodorus, Theodotus and Theodectes,
on the grounds that they would rob him of his kingship. Had he been a little
more careful with his divination, or extermination, he might have been more
successful, for he was eventually succeeded by
Theodosius. On any rate, Valens,
apparently not happy with the ambiguous results of the prognostication,
ultimately began a campaign to stamp out oracles,
soothsayers,
astrologers,
and even philosophers, since their trend was to favor practitioners of the
mystic arts. It is said that the unfortunate Iamblicus, to avoid the effects
of the emperor's resentment, took a draught of poison.
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See
Divination,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies.
Sources: (1)
Dunwich, Gerina,
A Wiccan's Guide to Prophecy
and Divination, Carol Publishing Group; (2) Norman,
Bailey,
Universal Etymological
Dictionary; (3) Johnstone, Jane, and Pilkington, Maya (editors),
The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Fortune Telling,
Sterling; (4) Smedley, Edward,
The Occult Sciences,
Kessinger Publishing; (5)
Spence, Lewis,
An Encyclopedia of Occultism,
Carol Publishing Group; (6)
Dictionary of the Occult,
Caxton Publishing; (7) Pickover, Clifford A.,
Dreaming the Future: The
Fantastic Story of Prediction, Prometheus Books.
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