Ch. 7: Magic and Divination Flashcards

Key Terms in Magic and Divination

• Sorcerer: A magician specializing in malevolent or antisocial magic.
• Hypotheses: Tentative scientific statements based on experimental data, requiring further study.
• Theory: A well-supported scientific framework backed by consistent data.
• Empirical: Relates to knowledge gained through sensory experience.
• Testable: The capacity to create experiments that assess the validity of conclusions.

Laws of Magic

• Law of Sympathy: Magic based on the perceived connections between entities.
• Law of Similarity: Concept that similar things share properties.
• Law of Contagion: Principle that once connected, entities remain linked even when physical contact ends.

Types of Magic

• Homeopathic Magic: Utilizes the Law of Similarity.
• Imitative Magic: Similar to homeopathic, also based on the Law of Similarity.
• Contagious Magic: Relies on the Law of Contagion, using items previously connected to individuals.
• Image Magic: A form of homeopathic magic involving objects representing living beings.

Rituals and Beliefs

• Increase Rite: Rituals aimed at promoting survival and reproduction of symbolic plants or animals.
• Doctrine of Signatures: Belief that natural forms indicate healing properties.

Definitions in Magic

• Magic: Methods to compel the supernatural.
• Spell: Words spoken during rituals to invoke magical effects.

Divination Techniques

• Divination: Supernatural methods for gaining knowledge about the unknown.
• Inspirational Divination: Involves direct supernatural contact, often through altered consciousness.
• Noninspirational Divination: Performed without supernatural involvement, also known as artificial divination.

Forms of Divination

• Natural Divination: A synonym for inspirational divination.
• Emotive Divination: Another term for inspirational divination.
• Fortuitous Divination: Occurs without conscious effort.
• Deliberate Divination: Intentionally sought methods of divination.

Specific Divination Methods

• Oneiromancy: Divination through dream interpretation.
• Presentiment: A premonition or feeling that something is about to happen.
• Necromancy: Communicating with the dead for divination purposes.
• Ornithomancy: Reading bird flight patterns for divination.
• Apantomancy: Divination through chance encounters with animals.
• Haruspication: Examination of animal entrails to predict outcomes.
• Scapulamancy: Interpreting patterns from cracked and burned shoulder blades.
• Aleuromancy: Fortune-telling using flour, notably in fortune cookies.
• Astrology: The belief that celestial bodies influence human fate and can be read for divinatory purposes.
• Dowsing: Locating water or minerals using a forked stick.
• Graphology: Analyzing handwriting for insights into personality.
• Palmistry: Reading palm lines to forecast an individual's life events.

Explore the concepts of magic, divination, and their scientific counterparts in this set of flashcards. Understand key terms like sorcerer, hypotheses, and theory. Perfect for students looking to bridge the gap between mystical and empirical sciences.