{"id":10663,"date":"2015-01-01T01:10:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T06:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=11051"},"modified":"2014-12-31T18:14:21","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T23:14:21","slug":"seeing-the-signs-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2015\/01\/01\/seeing-the-signs-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Molybdomancy:\u00a0The art of Divining with Metal and Water<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I have to admit, this is a new one on me.\u00a0 A half an hour before this very moment \u2013 as I sit here at my dining room desk, eating a Yuletide cookie and sipping a cup of Constant Comment Tea \u2013 I had never heard of Molybdomancy.\u00a0 Not that I pretend to know everything about divination \u2013 I know very little, really.\u00a0 I am just a novice in the subject.\u00a0 Every day I learn something new.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I was thinking of end of the year rituals \u2013 the New Year\u2019s resolutions that are common here in the States \u2013 customs such as eating a grape for each stroke of the clock at midnight; kissing another person so as not to be lonely in the new year; wearing a certain color of underwear to ensure good luck; and so on.\u00a0\u00a0 Molybdomancy is popular in the Nordic countries, especially Finland, but also Germany and Norway.\u00a0 It is beginning to become better known here in the United States, partly because of an influx of Russian immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Molybdomancy is the melting of metal, usually lead, then pouring it into water and observing what shape it takes and determining the future accordingly.\u00a0 Occultopedia.com writes that the practice originated in Ancient Greece and was used in the Middle Ages to cure sickness and for medical prognosis.\u00a0 Also that witch hunters used molybdomancy to determine if individuals had been victims of bewitchment.\u00a0 Not only did they observe the shapes of the molten lead, they also listened to the \u201cnoises and hisses\u201d of the hot metal when it was dropped into the cold water, since omens were apparent in sounds as well as shapes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Finland and Germany today, as well as parts of Russia, it is a common New Year tradition to melt some kind of metal on the stove and pour it into cold water and observe the shape it makes.\u00a0 There are kits you can buy for this purpose.\u00a0 Here\u2019s one I found on Amazon.UK:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Horror-Shop-Molybdomancy-Kit\/dp\/B008UQF03I<\/a>.\u00a0 And here\u2019s an app for your phone! \u00a0http:\/\/www.appato.com\/jung-von-matt-neckar-gmbh\/bleigie-en\/<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Isn\u2019t technology wonderful?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, if you want to try this at home and you don\u2019t want to melt any metal or you just don\u2019t have any on hand, use a candle instead.\u00a0 On the blog, \u201cArt of divination,\u201d Cassandra Eason advises using a light or pure white candle and letting the wax drip into a bowl of cold water.\u00a0 \u201cAs you let the wax fall, think of any New Year Resolution you have made and ask what the New Year will bring,\u201d she writes.\u00a0 Take note of the shapes that appear and perhaps two or three of them will predict your future.\u00a0 \u201cFor example, a boat or plane might suggest that you would have to travel far to achieve your ambition, a baby that there may be an unexpected arrival in the family that may change your plans. Trust the first image or words that may come into your mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever your New Year\u2019s rituals are, every day is a new day and each day can bring a need to see the future.\u00a0 So try Molybdomancy, either with metal or with wax!\u00a0 I know I\u2019m going to.\u00a0 And have a very prosperous and happy 2015!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Eason, Cassandra.\u00a0 \u201cArt of divination.\u201d http:\/\/artofdivination.blogspot.com\/2014\/03\/new-years-divination.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

M.V.G.\u00a0 \u201cMolybdomancy\u201d http:\/\/www.occultopedia.com\/m\/molybdomancy.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USA Today.\u00a0 \u201cNew Year\u2019s Traditions Explained.\u201d http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation-now\/2013\/12\/26\/new-years-traditions\/4205141\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Molybdomancy:\u00a0The art of Divining with Metal and Water   I have to admit, this is a new one on me.\u00a0 A half an hour before this very moment \u2013 as I sit here at my dining room desk, eating a Yuletide cookie and sipping a cup of Constant Comment Tea \u2013 I had never heard of Molybdomancy.\u00a0 Not that I pretend to know everything about divination \u2013 I know very little, really.\u00a0 I am just a novice in the subject.\u00a0 Every day I learn something new. \u00a0 I was thinking of end of the year rituals \u2013 the New Year\u2019s resolutions that are common here in the States \u2013 customs such as eating a grape for each stroke of the clock at midnight; kissing another person so as not to be lonely in the new year; wearing a certain color of underwear to ensure good luck; and so on.\u00a0\u00a0 Molybdomancy is popular in the Nordic countries, especially Finland, but also Germany and Norway.\u00a0 It is beginning to become better known here in the United States, partly because of an influx of Russian immigrants. \u00a0 Molybdomancy is the melting of metal, usually lead, then pouring it into water and observing what shape it takes and determining the future accordingly.\u00a0 Occultopedia.com writes that the practice originated in Ancient Greece and was used in the Middle Ages to cure sickness and for medical prognosis.\u00a0 Also that witch hunters used molybdomancy to determine if individuals had been victims of bewitchment.\u00a0 Not only did they observe the shapes of the molten lead, they also listened to the \u201cnoises and hisses\u201d of the hot metal when it was dropped into the cold water, since omens were apparent in sounds as well as shapes.\u00a0 \u00a0 In Finland and Germany today, as well as parts of Russia, it is a common New Year tradition to melt some kind of metal on the stove and pour it into cold water and observe the shape it makes.\u00a0 There are kits you can buy for this purpose.\u00a0 Here\u2019s one I found on Amazon.UK:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Horror-Shop-Molybdomancy-Kit\/dp\/B008UQF03I.\u00a0 And here\u2019s an app for your phone! \u00a0http:\/\/www.appato.com\/jung-von-matt-neckar-gmbh\/bleigie-en\/\u00a0\u00a0 Isn\u2019t technology wonderful?\u00a0 \u00a0 However, if you want to try this at home and you don\u2019t want to melt any metal or you just don\u2019t have any on hand, use a candle instead.\u00a0 On the blog, \u201cArt of divination,\u201d Cassandra Eason advises using a light or pure white candle and letting the wax drip into a bowl of cold water.\u00a0 \u201cAs you let the wax fall, think of any New Year Resolution you have made and ask what the New Year will bring,\u201d she writes.\u00a0 Take note of the shapes that appear and perhaps two or three of them will predict your future.\u00a0 \u201cFor example, a boat or plane might suggest that you would have to travel far to achieve your ambition, a baby that there may be an unexpected arrival in the family that may change your plans. Trust the first image or words that may come into your mind.\u201d \u00a0 Whatever your New Year\u2019s rituals are, every day is a new day and each day can bring a need to see the future.\u00a0 So try Molybdomancy, either with metal or with wax!\u00a0 I know I\u2019m going to.\u00a0 And have a very prosperous and happy 2015!\u00a0   Works Cited Eason, Cassandra.\u00a0 \u201cArt of divination.\u201d http:\/\/artofdivination.blogspot.com\/2014\/03\/new-years-divination.html. M.V.G.\u00a0 \u201cMolybdomancy\u201d http:\/\/www.occultopedia.com\/m\/molybdomancy.htm. USA Today.\u00a0 \u201cNew Year\u2019s Traditions Explained.\u201d http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation-now\/2013\/12\/26\/new-years-traditions\/4205141\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10663\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}