-mancy, -mancer, -mantic, -mantical

(Greek: used as a suffix; divination, prophecy, fortune telling; to interpret signs so “practical” decisions can be made [related to -mania])

It isn't so much the things we don't know that gets us into trouble. It's the things we know that aren't so.

—Artemus Ward (1834-1867)

If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.

—Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991),
Polish-born American journalist, writer.
sideromancy
Divination by observation of the stars or the interpretation of burning straw smoke and the patterns made by the burnt straw on a hot iron.

Sidero- refers to “stars” (Latin) or to “iron” (Greek).

somatomancy
Divination by observing a body.
spasmatomancy
Divination by interpreting spasms or the twitching body of a potential sufferer.
spatalamancy, spatalomancy, spatilomancy
Divination by the observation of animal droppings, feces, or their skins and bones.

There is a “modern” divination, splatomancy, that utilizes the patterns of bird droppings on a car.

spatulamancy, spatulomancy, spealomancy
Divination by observing or examining burned, cracked, or charred animal shoulder blades.
spheromancy
Divination with a crystal ball; that is, the act of staring into a crystal globe (crystal ball) supposedly in order to arouse visual perceptions of the future, etc.

Spheromancy, or crystal gazing, may be used by practitioners; sometimes called "readers" or "seers" for a variety of purposes; including predicting distant or future events, to give character analysis, to tell fortunes, or to help a client make choices about current situations and problems.

sphondulomancy
Divination with spindles.
splanchomancy
Divination in the form of anthropomancy practiced by ancient Etruscans from the study of the entrails of sacrificed victims.
spodomancy
Divination by examining ashes, especially those of a sacrifice.

Also known as tephramancy or tuphramancy, it is a method of divination by means of the cinders, ashes or soot from sacrificial fires. The specific type of spodomancy that used patterns formed in the ashes of burned offerings made to the gods was often called tephromancy.

According to a Middle Ages method, hollow, oblong cinders were known as "coffins", indicating a coming death in the family; oval cinders, called "cradles", were indicative of the advent of a child. Round cinders, called "purses", indicated prosperity, and heart-shaped ones were the sign of a lover.

In Scotland it was said that if a clot of soot fell down the chimney during a wedding breakfast, it was a portent of bad luck for the newlywed couple.

stareomancy
Divination through the observations of the ancient elements of fire, earth, air, and water.
stercomancy
Divination by observing dung or seeds found in dung.
sternomancy
Divination by examining the breastbone.
stichomancy, stoichomancy
Another form of bibliomancy, utilizing a random passage, or line, from a book for divining the future.
stignomancy
Divination by examining the writings or carvings on tree bark.
stoicheomancy
Divination by opening the works of Homer or Virgil and reading orally the first verses seen which are considered prophetic.

Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "divination, diviner; seer, soothsayer, prophecy, prophesy, prophet": augur-; auspic-; fa-, fate; Fates in action; futur-; omen; -phemia; sorc-, sorcery; vati-.

A cross reference of other word family units that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "chance, luck, fate": aleato-; auspic-; cad-; fortu-; serendipity; sorc; temer-; tycho-.