Alomancy: Divination by Casting Salt for Life Insights |

Centuries old divination

Many places online you can find lengthy lists of divination styles defined by name and meaning, such as alomancy. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as easy to find out exactly how some of these divination methods actually work.

Take for instance ornithomancy, you could search for hours and still never really know how exactly people in the past determined the messages and insights from the flight patterns of birds. You might find a couple of basic examples, but no clear details as to how to learn this skill yourself. Such is the case with so many divination methods that have been passed down for hundreds, even thousands, of years by example or practice, but were never clearly explained in writing.

Divination by Casting Salt

I was thinking about this the other day when I had the urge to try something completely new with my development group. Knowing that many types of divination work in similar ways, I decided to try a little experiment. Without having any directions as to how alomancy (divination by salt) used to work, we thought we’d try it in reverse… simply just do it and see what happens to find out how it works. Technically, alomancy would include tossing a pinch of salt over your shoulder for good luck, or while making a wish, but the idea I had was a little more complex and useful.

When it comes down to it, a symbol is a symbol. Whether it is something based on personal meaning like a certain flower might have special meaning to one person while another person has no real connection to it, or whether it is a standard symbolic interpretation like a door that could represent an opportunity opening or closing…methods that use symbols like this are going to apply across the board. So with that in mind, what we did in fact discover is that it turned out to be similar to tea leaf reading.

Interpretations

Beyond the symbols themselves, the interpretations are much more enhanced if one already had confidence in their psychic senses, because that was the other important factor. Once you see the representations of the salt that has been cast, it’s possible clairvoyant imagery is “masked” over the tops of the salt or that you can receive clairaudient messages. These help fill in the gaps and clarify or connect the whole interpretation together in a more complete way. Those of us that tried it here had great success with it and I’d use it again even just for its simplicity and the textural element of the casting.

How-To

For anyone wishing to try it for themselves….

I’d recommend using a dish of rock salt. The larger pieces lend themselves to more definite shapes and light reflection. If you are reading for yourself, think of your question. Then, take a handful of salt from the dish and drop it onto a flat surface. Use something darker to contrast the white salt is helpful. If you’re reading for someone else, have that person think of their question, as they gather a handful of salt. They should use their sending hand only and pass it to you. While you collect it in your receiving hand only. Then you cast the salt onto the flat surface while thinking to yourself , “What is the answer to (name)’s question?”

You should look for symbols, shapes, numbers and letters. Make your initial observations and interpretation before that person reveals what their question is. Complete your interpretation, but be sure not to “over-interpret,” It’s only salt after all. Not every piece is going to have great significance. Also, be careful of “yes/no” questions. If you ask one, you are likely to get an indication, but there will be “supporting” information to be found in the symbology as well.

Feedback

If you try it, be sure to add a comment so I can hear how it goes. And – if you’re REALLY interested in it – add a comment as to what you first see in the above photo. I’m curious to see if people see a wide variety of things – or something similar. I should note too that there is another variation of alomancy by which salt is cast into a fire, but I’m knee deep in snow – no bonfires here for another couple of months.

Good luck