n. (jĭr"ō̍*măn`sy̆ or jī"rō̍-)
[Gr. gy^ros ring, circle + -mancy: cf. F. gyromancie.]
A kind of divination performed by drawing a ring or circle, and walking in or around it. Brande & C.
Gyromancy
| Dictionary: Gyr·o·man·cy |
n. (jĭr"ō̍*măn`sy̆ or jī"rō̍-)
| Occultism & Parapsychology Encyclopedia: Gyromancy |
A form of divination performed by going round continually in a circle, the circumference of which was marked by letters. The presage was drawn from the words formed by the letters on which the inquirers stumbled when they became too giddy to stand. This practice has a curious connection with the familiar technique of psychic circles, in which the sitters place a finger on a glass surrounded by letters of the alphabet, when the glass touches letters in turn to give words or messages.
The object of this routine was simply to exclude the interference of the will and reduce the selection of letters to mere chance. In some species of enchantment, however, the art of turning round was to produce a prophetic delirium. The religious dances, and the rotation of certain devotees on one foot, with their arms stretched out (for example, the (see Dervishes), are of this nature. These cases really indicate a kind of mystical secret.
In the phenomenon known as St. Vitus' Dance, and the movements of the convulsionaries, manifestations of spirit intelligence were quite common. The tendency of the spiritual force is to act spirally, rhythmically, whether in the use of language or of the bodily members.
Sources:
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Occult Sciences. 1891. Reprint, Secaucus, N.J.: University Books, 1974.
| Word Tutor: gyromancy |
IN BRIEF: Divination in which one walking in or around a circle falls from dizziness and prognosticates from the place of the fall.
| Wikipedia: Gyromancy |
Gyromancy is a method of divination in which a person spins around inside or walks the circumference of a circle drawn on the ground, the perimeter of which is marked with the letters of an alphabet. The divination is inferred from the letter at the position where the person either stumbles or falls across the circle’s edge. The person would repeat the practice "...till he evolved an intelligible sentence, or till death or madness intervened."[1] The dizziness brought on by spinning or circling is intended to introduce randomness or to facilitate an altered state of consciousness.[2]
The word is derived from Medieval Latin, gyromantia, which is derived from Greek gyros (circle) and manteia (oracle).[3]
References
- ^ Waite, Arthur Edward. Occult Sciences: A Compendium of Transcendental Doctrine and Experiment. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1-56459-369-X.
- ^ Mystica Encyclopedia
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
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 | Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy Read more |
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