BELOMANCY
What is Belomancy?
Belomancy is an ancient form of lot divination that used multiple arrows to obtain an answer. It appears in records from pre-Islamic Arabia and among the Scythians of Central Eurasia, but it was banned after the establishment of Islamic law and is no longer practiced today.
Overview
- System
- Omen Reading (a historical omen-reading practice, symbolically reenacted with random draws)
- Origin
- Ancient Arabia and Scythia
- What You Need
- Inscribed arrows (formerly used; now a symbolic random draw)
- Best For
- Either-or decisions, timing
- Time Frame
- History, the past (no longer practiced today)
Origins & History
Belomancy is an ancient form of lot divination that used multiple arrows to obtain an answer. In pre-Islamic Arabia, records describe a practice of placing arrows inscribed with markings for “yes,” “no,” or fortune into a container and drawing one, and references to arrow-based divination also appear in records of the Scythians, nomads of Central Eurasia.
After the establishment of Islamic law, this kind of arrow-based lot divination was explicitly banned as an idolatrous custom and ceased to be practiced publicly. Today it is known only as a historical record conveying the religious culture of ancient Arabia.
How It Works
- 01Decide on a single question you want to ask.
- 02Draw one arrow from a random selection modeled on multiple arrows (traditionally inscribed with markings for “yes” or “no”).
- 03Check the historical explanation associated with the arrow drawn.
- 04Receive it as a symbolic suggestion, in remembrance of the ancient practice.
What It Reveals
This is well suited as a way to learn about the cultural background of lot divination in ancient Arabia and among the Scythians. Because it was a practice banned and discontinued after the establishment of Islamic law, it cannot be used as a definitive, practical decision-making tool today.
Related Methods
References
- Wikipedia: Belomancy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belomancy)