“Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.” (Ex. 7:10, NKJV)
We are currently discussing the spirit of divination, also referred to as the spirit of the python. Let us focus for a moment on the fact that the spirit is presented as a snake. Just as the kundalini is not really a coiled serpent in your lower back, the “serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan” (Rev. 12:9) is not really a snake. It is thus actually very simple – snakes that can physically be seen, are obviously not the devil. Satan only manifested in the snake as it was “more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field” (Gen. 3:1, AB).
Cirlot’s A Dictionary of Symbols provides an excellent definition of the symbolic nature of the snake: “If all symbols are really functions and signs of things imbued with energy, then the serpent or snake is, by analogy, symbolic of energy itself—of force pure and simple; hence its ambivalence and multivalencies. Another reason for its great variety of symbolic meaning derives from the consideration that these meanings may relate either to the serpent as a whole or to any of its major characteristics—for example, to its sinuous movements, its common association with the tree and its formal analogy with the roots and branches of the tree, the way it sheds its skin, its threatening tongue, the undulating pattern of its body, its hiss, its resemblance to a ligament, its method of attacking its victims by coiling itself round them, and so on.”
The snake is thus the symbolic energy which represents the characteristic nature of Evil infiltration. In this light it is then clear how this demonic spiritual energy works through various types of divination. The belief underlying divination is the idea that everything in the universe is somehow connected. Because everything is connected, an event in one area can also provide information about something which is happening in another area. According to this belief the truth about a situation is representative on all levels of observation. A macro-level event can thus provide insight on the micro-level, and vice versa. Divination thus draws from the occult principle of “as above, so below”, which basically means that a macro-level and micro-level situation are equivalents.
Aaron’s action in the Scripture opening this teaching is clearly an exposure of the divination of the Baal prophets and of the “old snake” which is the spiritual energy in all these kinds of divination. This is obviously in order to further his own agenda.
There are a host of these types of divination in which the energy of the snake is at work, too many to name and discuss. We will however briefly list the most important instances, along with a short definition of each:
- AEROMANCY: divination through use of the air, heavens, and atmospheric conditions, especially the use of cloud formations, comets and other visible elements in the air
- ALECTRYOMANCY: divination through a bird pecking at grain scattered in a circle of letters on the ground
- ALEUROMANCY: divination through the use of flour
- ALOMANCY: divination through salt
- ANTHROPOMANCY: divination through human sacrifice
- APANTOMANCY: divination in which the appearance of certain animals (for instance a black cat, or an eagle, or a snake) is seen as a sign
- ASTRAGALOMANCY/ASTRAGYROMANCY: divination through dice on which letters and numbers are printed
- ASTROLOGY: divination through the use of heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon, planets and stars
- AUSTROMANCY: divination through the way the wind blows
- AXINOMANCY: divination through observation of the way the blade of a knife or axe quivers when entering an object
- BELOMANCY: divination through the use of arrows
- BIBLIOMANY: divination through the use of books
- CAPNOMANCY: divination through studying the smoke emanating from a fire
- CARTOMANCY: divination through playing cards or Tarot cards
- CEPHALOMANCY: divination through use of the head or skull of a donkey or goat
- CERAUNOSCOPY: divination through thunder and lightning
- CEROMANCY: divination through dropping hot wax in ice water
- CHIROMANCY/PALM READING: divination through interpreting the lines on a person’s hands
- CLAIRVOYANCE: divination through so-called ‘extrasensory perception’ – the sensing of things, the so-called sixth sense, the sensing of future events, forebodings, etc.
- CLEROMANCY: divination through the casting of lots, or the casting of bones, rocks, shells, and the interpreting thereof
- CLIDOMANCY/CLEIDOMANCY: divination through fastening a ring or key to a thread, its movement indicating marriage partners or the sex of a child
- CRYSTALLOMANCY: divination through crystals
- CYCLOMANCY: divination through the spinning of a wheel
- DOWSING: divination through attempts at locating water without the use of scientific apparatus
- FOREBODING: see CLAIRVOYANCE
- GENETHLIALOGY: divination through the use of the position of the stars at birth
- GEOMANCY: divination through the electrical currents of the earth
- GYROMANCY: divination by a person walking in a circle marked with letters until he is drunk and falling over certain letters, which then spells out a prophecy
- HARUSPICATION: divination through studying the intestines of animals
- HIPPOMANCY: divination based on the hoof-stamping sounds of horses
- HYDROMANCY: divination through water, especially looking at the colour, ebb and flow, or ripples when an object is cast into water
- ICONOMANCY: divination through fish
- LAMPADOMANCY: divination through the use of lights, torches, lanterns or candles
- LIBANOMANCY: divination through interpretion of incense smoke
- LITHOMANCY: divination through use of precious stones of different colours
- MARGARITOMANCY: divinitation through pearls
- METAGNOMY: divination through visions experienced during a trance
- METEORMANCY: divination through meteors
- MOLEOSOPHY: divination through the study of moles on the body, as indications of a person’s character and future
- MOLYBDOMANCY: divination through the mystical interferences obtained through the hissing sound of molten lead
- MYOMANCY: divination through reading the behaviour of rats and mice in prophetic terms
- OCCULOMANCY: divination through the study of the eye (not iridology)
- OINOMANCY: divination through wine
- ONEIROMANCY: divination through the interpretation of dreams (thus all dreams, not only spiritual dreams)
- ONOMANCY: divination through the occult interpretation of names
- ONYCHOMANCY: divination through the use of finger or toe nails
- OPHIOMANCY: divination through snakes
- ORNITHOMANCY: divination through forebodings associated with the flight of birds
- OVOMANCY: divination through eggs, including the basilisk egg
- PEGOMANCY: divination through the interpretation of foreboding of water emanating from fountains
- PHYLLORHODOMANCY: divination through forebodings associated with the sound of a rose petal placed on one hand and slapped with the other
- PSYCHOGRAPHY/AUTOMATIC WRITING: divination through a subconscious writing action
- PYROMANCY: PYROSCOPY: divination through flames or through fire, especially by cating different objects into the fire
- RHAPSODOMANCY: divination through the opening of poetry anthologies and reading random pages
- SCIOMANCY: divination through using a spirit guide
- SCRYING: divination through the use of mirrors, ink etc to induce visions
- SIDEROMANCY: divination through the burning of straws with a hot iron, bringing forth scorched figures with spiritual qualities
- STICHOMANCY: divination through opening a Bible or other book at random, choosing a passage and accepting it as Godly coincidence
- STOLISOMANCY: divination through what people wear
- TABLE TIPPING: divination through table tipping (practised in the White House during the 19th century) and the Ouija board
- TASSEOGRAPHY: divination through reading tea leaves
- TYROMANCY: divination through the use of cheese
The crazy nature of these types of divination (despite their scientific names) speaks for itself; yet there are many that form part of our local traditions. Unknowingly we thus open a door for the spirit of divination. Before we know it the staff in our hand turns into a snake, and plants the demonic energy within us.
- Selah: Repent before the Lord for any involvement with such activities.
- Read: Job 1-13
- Memorise: Job 1:21
- For a more in-depth understanding: Read Doreen Irvine’s boek From Witchcraft to Christ
