A system of divination that employs the scattering of pebbles, grains of sand, or seeds on the earth and then the interpretation of their shape and position. The occultist Agrippa later developed a method of making marks on the earth with a stick, (currently the method is also used by making marks on paper with a pencil or pen) and then interpreting them. The interpretation is partly intuitive and partly by means of a system of positions reminiscent of I Chang hexagrams.
The term "Geomancy" is also applied to the Chinese practice of feng-shui (wind and water), and was employed by 19th century writers to translate feng-shui. This Chinese art is concerned with the relationships between human beings and the subtle energies of nature. In classical Chinese sources, the term ti li (land positions) was likewise used, another related term is kan tu (cover and support) which has special reference to the relationships between heaven and earth.
Feng-shui and ti li are concerned with the "dragon lines" or the subtle energies of the earth particularly in relation to the setting of buildings, and the interaction between human life and earth currents. Feng-shui experts would determine the most advantageous locations for roads, bridges, canals, wells and mines in relationship to earth energies. Sites of graves were also an important consideration. Often bodies were not buried until the proper burial site was determined; sometimes bodies were unearthed and reburied.
It seems apparent that the Western form of geomancy originates from feng-shui since the position of pebbles, sand, or seeds has something in common with the acupuncture pressure points on the "body" of nature and its energies. Likewise, the Chinese concepts of subtle earth energies parallel Western concepts of ley lines and dowsing. A.G.H.
In Africa one traditional form of geomancy consists of throwing handfuls of dirt in the air and observing how the dirt falls. It can also involve a mouse as the agent of the earth spirit. Ifá, one of the oldest forms of geomancy, originated in West Africa. In China, the diviner may enter a trance and make markings on the ground that are interpreted by an associate (often a young boy).
In Korea, this tradition was popularized in the ninth century by the Buddhist monk Toson. In Korea, Geomancy takes the form of interpreting the topography of the land to determine future events and or the strength of a dynasty or particular family. Therefore, not only were location and land forms important, but the topography could shift causing disfavor and the need to relocate. The idea is still accepted in many South East Asian societies today, although with reduced force
Geomancy formed part of the required study of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the late 19th century
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/geomancy.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomancy_________________
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:18 pm