Catoptromancy
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Catoptromancy (Gk. katoptron, mirror, and manteia, divination), also known as captromancy or enoptromancy, is divination using a mirror.
Pausanias, an ancient Greek traveler, described as follows:
- Before the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its based touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the presage of death or recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect.
Some sources define catoptromancy to refer to divination by predicting events by observing how a poppy flowerbud burns on hot coals.
- http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/c/captromancy_or_enoptromancy.html
- http://www.agnosticwitch.catcara.com/divindex-part1.htm
[edit] Further reading
- Armand Delatte, La catoptromancie grecque et ses dérivés (1932)