Editing Divination (section)

==Contemporary divination in Asia==

===India and Nepal===
[[Theyyam]] or "theiyam" in [[Malayalam]] is the process by which a devotee invites a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] god or goddess to use his or her body as a medium or channel and answer other devotees' questions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/videos/news/news-in-videos/devakoothu-the-lone-woman-theyyam-in-north-malabar-1.3468731|title='Devakoothu'; the lone woman Theyyam in North Malabar|website=Mathrubhumi|access-date=2021-11-03|archive-date=2021-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606105354/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/videos/news/news-in-videos/devakoothu-the-lone-woman-theyyam-in-north-malabar-1.3468731|url-status=dead}}</ref> The same is called "arulvaakku" or "arulvaak" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], another south Indian language - [[Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam]] is famous for arulvakku in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{Citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBs9DgAAQBAJ|title=Women's Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition|author=Nanette R. Spina (2017)|date=28 February 2017|page=135|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-1375-8909-5}}</ref> The people in and around [[Mangalore]] in [[Karnataka]] call the same, [[Buta Kola]], "paathri" or "darshin"; in other parts of Karnataka, it is known by various names such as, "prashnaavali", "vaagdaana", "asei", "aashirvachana", and so on.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1987|title=Bhuta Worship in Coastal Karnataka: An Oral Tulu Myth and Festival Ritual of Jumadi|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=17–37}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1992|title=Dhumavati-Bhuta" An Oral Tulu-Text Collected in the 19th Century. Edition, Translation, and Analysis.|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=13–63}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=Fürstliche Fest: Text und Rituale der Tuḷu-Volksreligion an der Westküste Südindiens.|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=1995|location=Wiesbaden|pages=199–201}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=On an Auspicious Day, at Dawn … Studies in Tulu Culture and Oral Literature|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=2009a|location=Wiesbaden}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite book|title="Der Gesang von der Büffelgottheit" in Wenn Masken Tanzen – Rituelles Theater und Bronzekunst aus Südindien edited by Johannes Beltz|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Rietberg Museum|year=2009b|location=Zürich|pages=57–64}}</ref> In [[Nepal]] it is known as, "Devta ka dhaamee" or "[[Jhākri|jhaakri]]".<ref>{{cite book |first=Kuldip Singh |last=Gulia |year=2005 |title=Human Ecology of Sikkim – A Case Study of Upper Rangit Basin |publisher=Kalpaz Publications |place=Delhi, India |isbn=978-81-7835-325-8  |pages=152–154, 168}}</ref>

In English, the closest translation for these is, "[[oracle]]." The [[Dalai Lama]], who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the ''[[Nechung Oracle]]'', which is considered the official state oracle of the government of [[Tibet]]. The Dalai Lama has according to centuries-old custom, consulted the Nechung Oracle during the new year festivities of [[Losar]].<ref>Gyatso, Tenzin (1988). ''Freedom in Exile: the Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.'' Fully revised and updated. Lancaster Place, London, UK: Abacus Books (A Division of Little, Brown and Company UK). {{ISBN|0-349-11111-1}}. p.233</ref>

===Japan===
Although Japan retains a history of traditional and local [[methods of divination]], such as ''[[onmyōdō]]'', contemporary divination in Japan, called ''uranai'', derives from outside sources.{{sfnp|Miller|2014}} Contemporary methods of divination in Japan include both Western and Chinese [[astrology]], [[geomancy]] or [[feng shui]], [[Tarot|tarot cards]], [[I Ching]] (Book of Changes) [[I Ching divination|divination]], and [[physiognomy]] (methods of reading the body to identify traits).{{sfnp|Miller|2014}}

In [[Japan]], divination methods include [[Futomani]] from the [[Shinto]] tradition.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

====Personality types====
Personality typing as a form of divination has been prevalent in Japan since the 1980s. Various methods exist for divining personality type. Each attempt to reveal glimpses of an individual's destiny, productive and inhibiting traits, future parenting techniques, and compatibility in marriage. Personality type is increasingly important for young Japanese, who consider personality the driving factor of compatibility, given the ongoing marriage drought and [[Birthrate decline|birth rate decline]] in Japan.{{sfnp|Miller|1997}}

An import to Japan, [[Chinese zodiac]] signs based on the birth year in 12 year cycles (rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, and boar) are frequently combined with other forms of divination, such as so-called 'celestial types' based on the planets (Saturn, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, or Uranus). Personality can also be divined using cardinal directions, the [[Classical element|four elements]] (water, earth, fire, air), and [[Yin and yang|yin-yang]]. Names can also lend important personality information under name classification which asserts that names bearing certain Japanese vowel sounds (a, i, u, e, o) share common characteristics. [[Numerology]], which utilizes methods of divining 'birth numbers' from significant numbers such as birth date, may also reveal character traits of individuals.{{sfnp|Miller|1997}}

Individuals can also assess their own and others' personalities according to physical characteristics. [[Blood type]] remains a popular form of divination from physiology. Stemming from Western influences, body reading or ''ninsou'', determines personality traits based on body measurements. The face is the most commonly analyzed feature, with eye size, pupil shape, mouth shape, and eyebrow shape representing the most important traits. An upturned mouth may be cheerful, and a triangle eyebrow may indicate that someone is strong-willed.{{sfnp|Miller|1997}}

Methods of assessment in daily life may include self-taken measurements or quizzes. As such, magazines targeted at women in their early-to-mid twenties feature the highest concentration of personality assessment guides. There are approximately 144 different women's magazines, known as ''nihon zashi koukoku kyoukai'', published in Japan aimed at this audience.{{sfnp|Miller|1997}}

====Japanese tarot====
The adaptation of the Western divination method of tarot cards into Japanese culture presents a particularly unique example of contemporary divination as this adaptation mingles with Japan's robust visual culture. Japanese tarot cards are created by professional artists, advertisers, and fans of tarot. One tarot card collector claimed to have accumulated more than 1,500 Japan-made decks of tarot cards.

Japanese tarot cards fall into diverse categories such as:

* Inspiration Tarot ({{Transliteration|ja|reikan tarotto}});
* I-Ching Tarot ({{Transliteration|ja|ekisen tarotto}});
* Spiritual Tarot ({{Transliteration|ja|supirichuaru tarotto}});
* Western Tarot ({{Transliteration|ja|seiyō tarotto}}); and
* Eastern Tarot ({{Transliteration|ja|tōyō tarotto}}).

The images on tarot cards may come from images from Japanese popular culture, such as characters from [[manga]] and [[anime]] including [[Hello Kitty]], or may feature cultural symbols. Tarot cards may adapt the images of Japanese historical figures, such as high priestess [[Himiko]] (170–248CE) or imperial court wizard [[Abe no Seimei]] (921–1005CE). Still others may feature images of cultural displacement, such as English knights, [[pentagram]]s, the Jewish [[Torah]], or invented [[glyph]]s. The introduction of such cards began by the 1930s and reached prominence 1970s. Japanese tarot cards were originally created by men, often based on the [[Rider–Waite Tarot|Rider-Waite-Smith tarot]] published by the Rider Company in London in 1909.{{sfnp|Miller|2017}} Since, the practice of Japanese tarot has become overwhelmingly feminine and intertwined with [[kawaii]] culture. Referring to the cuteness of tarot cards, Japanese model Kuromiya Niina was quoted as saying "because the images are cute, even holding them is enjoyable."{{sfnp|Miller|2011}} While these differences exist, Japanese tarot cards function similarly to their Western counterparts. Cards are shuffled and cut into piles then used to forecast the future, for spiritual reflection, or as a tool for self-understanding.{{sfnp|Miller|2017}}

===Taiwan===
A common act of divination in Taiwan is called the [[Poe divination|Poe]]. “The Poe” translated to English means “moon boards”. It consists of two wood or bamboo blocks cut into the shape of a crescent moon. The one edge is rounded while the other is flat; the two are mirror images. Both crescents are held out in one's palms and while kneeling, they are raised to the forehead level. Once in this position, the blocks are dropped and the future can be understood depending on their landing. If both fall flat side up or both fall rounded side up, that can be taken as a failure of the deity to agree. If the blocks land one rounded and one flat, the deity indicates "Yes", or positive. “Laughing poe” is when rounded sides land down and they rock before coming to a standstill. “Negative poe” is when the flat sides fall downward and abruptly stop; this indicates "No". When there is a positive fall, it is called “Sacred poe”, although the negative falls are not usually taken seriously. As the blocks are being dropped the question is said in a murmur, and if the answer is yes, the blocks are dropped again. To make sure the answer is definitely a yes, the blocks must fall in a “yes” position three times in a row.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
 
A more serious type of divination is the Kiō-á. There is a small wooden chair, and around the sides of the chair are small pieces of wood that can move up and down in their sockets, this causes a clicking sounds when the chair is moved in any way. Two men hold this chair by its legs before an altar, while the incense is being burned, and the [[Shen (Chinese religion)|deity]] is invited to descend onto the chair. It is seen that it is in the chair by an onset of motion. Eventually, the chair crashes onto a table prepared with wood chips and burlap. The characters on the table are then traced and these are said to be written by the deity who possessed the chair, these characters are then interpreted for the devotees.<ref>Rohsenow, Hill Gates, and David K. Jordan. “Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors: The Folk Religion of a Taiwanese Village.” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 33, no. 3, 1974, p. 478., doi:10.2307/2052956.</ref>