KAMALA / HOME
HAND SCALE / Lots, texts, names & numbers
Geomancy.
A family of divinatory systems using generated figures, often formed from odd and even groups of marks.
LEXICON / LANGUAGE & MEANING
Names in context.
- Geomancy
- Geomancia
A name for several traditions; here it primarily refers to divination through generated dot figures.
- ʿIlm al-raml
- Ciencia de la arena
An Arabic name for the geomantic tradition literally associated with sand.
- Geomantic figure
- Figura geomántica
A figure of single and double marks whose construction and meaning follow a stated geomantic system.
PROVENANCE & INTERPRETATIONA practice,
A practice,
a setting.
The British Museum’s Islamic geomantic instrument documents figures known in the context of ʿilm al-raml. Other traditions use the word geomancy differently; the term alone does not identify a common procedure.
FIELD NOTE / METHOD
Keep a record.
- Name the tradition and define the rule for turning marks into figures.
- Retain the raw marks and the derived chart together.
- Explain the interpretive correspondences with their source.
POTPOURRI / PHOTO GUIDE
What to include.
- Photograph the complete chart with every dot clear.
- Include the raw mark sequence and the source or legend used to derive the figures.
POTPOURRI / PERSONAL INTERPRETATION
Photo instructions & submission ↗Share a photograph or a record.
A photograph, drawing or dated record can be sent privately for a personal reading. Include the procedure and the question.