Well, let’s start at the beginning. Was it the chicken or the egg that came first? And what does “mancy” have to do with it?
Mancy come from the word-forming element of Greek origin meaning “divination by means of,” from Old French -mancie, from Late Latin -mantia, from Greek manteia “oracle, divination,” from mantis “one who divines, a seer, prophet.
Hence the suffix “Mancy” means – To Divine.
Some examples that you may know or heard of are:-
Tasseomancy – which is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments. It’s amazing to do and gives you a fabulous reason to have a huge collection of different teas! (And who doesn’t love a nice cuppa!)
Chiromancy – which is divination by examination of the hand. So in other words palmistry. In Medieval times, those hunting witches using chiromancy looked for pigmentation spots on the hands, which signaled a pact with the Devil. I have had my palm read a few times and thankfully no pigmentation spots!
Lithomancy – which is divination with stones. So if you have a set of runes that are carved into crystals, or beach rocks, that’s what you’re doing.
Oneiromancy – which is where you use your dreams, the symbols and messages that come through to understand what is happening around you.
Cartomancy – divining the future with cards, whether they be oracle or tarot. In the 18th century, young women would apparently use cartomancy to learn the details of their own nuptials—including whom their future husband would be.
The cart in cartomancy of course means “card,” and as the modern phrase tells us, if it’s in the cards, it’s inevitable.
There are so many various divination tools available to us at any moment, you just have to know how to read them.
For goodness sake, there is one called Spatulamancy. What do you think that one is?
Spatulamancy – is divination by means of an animal’s shoulder blade, Spatulamancy involves examining the shoulder blade of an animal that has been cooked over a fire. Although we think of the word spatula as referring to a kitchen implement, the Late Latin word it comes from means both “shoulder blade” and “spoon.” (This is one I have no desire to try at all!)
But let’s get back to talking about Oomancy.
Oomancy is the divination by means of eggs. Yup, I said eggs. Now I know you may be rolling your eyes, but stay with me.
Eggs have been associated with spring and the birth of new life since long before Easter.
In fact, in many mythologies, the egg is the primordial symbol.
More than one mythology has explained the creation of the universe by saying that either it or the god who created it hatched out of an egg. (Where the egg came from originally is perhaps the first “chicken or egg” question.)
Perhaps because of these stories of everything coming from a primal egg, eggs have been used as fertility magic in many cultures. German farmers used to smear eggs on their plough blades to ensure a good crop.
In France in the 1600s, it was the custom for a bride to break an egg when she first entered her marital home to ensure lots of children. And the Ainu women of Japan would collect eggs from wild bird nests and mix them with the seed to be planted in the fields.
Eggs have been used for divination by being broken into water. The shape the white takes in the water is used to predict the future. And believe me, there are books on all the symbols you will see.
However, my favourite Egg Divination method for Spring Equinox or Easter is the amazing Egg Rolling Divination. It is so much fun, you can do it with your kids, on your own, with friends.
So come on over and give it a try. Post pictures if it is your first Oomancy experience!
And let’s be honest. Who doesn’t like playing with eggs! (Think about egg on spoon races, decorating for Easter, or if you were a rebellious teen – egging someone’s house!)
Enjoy
