SIKIDY
What is Sikidy?
Sikidy is a traditional form of divination passed down in Madagascar. Tree seeds are arranged to form sequences of odd and even counts, and the combination of figures derived through calculation is read to determine destiny and fortune. It is classified in the same family as Western and Arabic sand divination.
Overview
- System
- Omen Reading (reads from figures derived from arrangements of seeds)
- Origin
- Madagascar
- What You Need
- Tree seeds (several dozen)
- Best For
- Life direction and work
- Time Frame
- About 90 days to a year
Origins & History
Sikidy is a traditional form of divination passed down among the Malagasy people of Madagascar, said to have formed under the influence of sand divination brought by Arab traders during the medieval period. It is a divination system involving algebraic operations, in which a diviner (mpisikidy) arranges seeds to derive a sequence of figures.
Tree seeds are randomly divided out to determine whether the remaining count is odd or even, and the resulting combinations are compiled into a chart called a toetry. This method of judgment is based on the same underlying idea as Western geomancy and Ilm al-Raml, and it is still practiced in Madagascar today to answer a wide range of everyday questions, including the cause of an illness, the timing of a journey, compatibility, and the whereabouts of a lost object.
How It Works
- 01Decide on a single question you want to ask.
- 02Repeat the operation of randomly dividing out seeds several times.
- 03Determine whether the number of seeds set aside each time is odd or even.
- 04Arrange the results into the form of the toetry chart.
- 05Read the combination shown on the chart in light of the question asked.
What It Reveals
Sikidy is well suited to exploring life direction, decisions at work, and the cause of everyday troubles. Because it works through a systematic process that builds up the chart step by step, reading it well requires a skilled diviner, and it is not a form of divination one can easily use alone.
Related Methods
References
- Wikipedia: Sikidy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikidy)