Geomancy

The divination system of geomancy is not about ley lines or Feng Shui. It is a system used in Middle Eastern and European countries for hundreds of years. Geomancy has been used by common man and noble, rich and poor. It's a system that requires nothing more complicated than sand and yet has good depth and meaning.

Methods

The traditional method is to take a stick and make marks in the dirt or sand. A geomancer would likely have made a small tray to hold sand so that his work could be done indoors. The geomancer would make four lines in the sand, each line made up of a series of random marks. If a line contained an odd number of marks, the geomantic figure would contain a single dot for that line. If the line contained an even number of marks, the figure would contain two dots for that line. Each figure contains four rows, each of one or two dots. The rows are created from top to bottom, the rows each corresponding to an element. Row 1 = Fire, row 2 = Air, row 3 = Water, row 5 = Earth, for example:

Fire	· ·
Air	·
Water	·
Earth	· ·

Other ways to create the lines and figures are to make lines on paper using pen or pencil or to toss a coin once for each line. You can also paint four wooden coins, color-coded by element to determine the line, with one dot on one side and two dots on the other.

Usually, four figures (16 lines) are created by the geomancer, combined with other figures generated by the four original figures, and placed in one or more charts to aid in the divination. The four figures are referred to as the Four Mothers.

Figures

Figure	Name, Keyword	Meaning
· · · · · · ·	Rubeus (red) Passion	Passion, fierceness, violence and vice. Good in all that is evil and evil in all that is good.
· · · · · · ·	Albus (white) Peace	Peace, wisdom, purity. A favorable figure, but weak. Good for beginnings and profit.
· · · · · ·	Fortuna Major (Greater Fortune) Power	Great good fortune, especially in beginnings. A figure of power and success, favorable in any conflict or contest
· · · · · ·	Fortuna Minor (Lesser Fortune) Swiftness	Favorable for anything that is to be done quickly. A figure of change and instability.
· · · · · ·	Conjunctio (Conjunction) Interaction	Combination of forces, for good or ill, and recovery of things lost. A neutral figure, depending on the circumstances.
· · · · · ·	Carcer (prison) Isolation	Solidity, restriction, delay, binding, imprisonment. Generally unfavorable but favorable for questions involving stability or security.
· · · · · · · ·	Populus (people) Stability	Multitude, a gathering of people. A neutral figure, favorable with favorable figures, unfavorable with unfavorable figures.
· · · ·	Via (Way) Change	Change. Alternation between good and ill fortune. Favorable for journeys, but unfavorable for most other questions.
· · · · ·	Caput Draconis (Head of the Dragon) Beginning	Favorable for beginnings or profit. Otherwise, favorable with favorable figures, unfavorable with unfavorable figures.
· · · · ·	Cauda Draconis (Tail of the Dragon) Ending	Unfavorable in most questions but good for endings and losses. Brings good with evil and evil with good.
· · · · ·	Puer (boy) Strife	Rashness, violence, energy, destructiveness. Generally unfavorable except in matters of love and war.
· · · · ·	Puella (girl) Harmony	Harmony and happiness, a favorable figure in most questions, but fickle.
· · · · · ·	Amissio (loss) Loss	Favorable for love in situations where loss is desired, but very unfavorable for gain. It often represents something outside one's grasp.
· · · · · ·	Acquitio (gain) Gain	Success, profit, gain, something within one's grasp. Favorable in all financial matters.
· · · · · · ·	Tristitia (sorrow) Sorrow	Sorrow, suffering, illness, and pain. Unfavorable except in questions dealing with building and the Earth.
· · · · · · ·	Laetitia (joy) Joy	Happiness and health. Favorable in almost all questions

Charts
There are two charts associated with geomancy. The first, known as the Shield chart, derives additional figures from the four generated by drawing the lines. The second, known as the House chart, uses houses similar to those in astrology and is filled in by the figures from the first chart.
To generate the Four Daughter figures from the Four Mother figures, take the first line of each Mother to create the first Daughter, the second line of each to create the second Daughter and so on. Here's an example:

1^st Mother	2^nd Mother	3^rd Mother	4^th Mother
·	· ·	·	· ·
· ·	·	· ·	· ·
· ·	· ·	· ·	· ·
· ·	·	·	· ·

1^st Daughter	2^nd Daughter	3^rd Daughter	4^th Daughter
·	· ·	· ·	· ·
· ·	·	· ·	·
·	· ·	· ·	·
· ·	· ·	· ·	· ·

To generate the Four Nieces, we combine the Mother and Daughter figures in pairs. Two figures whose lines produce an even number of marks create two dots in the new figure, and an odd number of marks creates a single dot in the new figure. The 1^st and 2^nd Mothers create the 1^st Niece, the 3^rd and 4^th Mothers create the 2^nd Niece, the 1^st and 2^nd Daughters create the 3^rd Niece and the 3^rd and 4^th Daughters create the 4^th Niece.

1^st Niece	2^nd Niece	3^rd Niece	4^th Niece
·	·	·	· ·
·	· ·	·	·
· ·	· ·	·	·
·	·	· ·	· ·

The two Witnesses are created from the Nieces, using the same method. The Right Witness is created from the 1^st and 2^nd Nieces and the Left Witness is created from the 3^rd and 4^th Nieces.

Right Witness	Left Witness
· ·	·
·	· ·
· ·	· ·
· ·	· ·

And finally, the Judge is generated by the two Witnesses, using the same method.

Judge

· ·

You would then look at your final result (the Judge) back in the description of the figures to get the information you are looking for.

A lot more information on the figures and how to use these charts, especially the house chart, is available in the resources listed below. Note that the Underhill book puts a Wiccan spin on the names and interpretations of the figures.

The Witch's Book of Divination by Callia Underhill
Earth Divination: Earth Magic by John Michael Greer