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Are you in need of spiritual guidance? Do you want to know the future? Then Bibliomancy, the ancient art of foretelling the future using books, may be for you. Every day we are faced with decision after decision whether it be how to deal with a troublesome person or situation, finding the best way out of a predicament or wanting to know how things will work out in the future. We are all faced from time to time with questions like "What should I do?" or ' What's going to happen?' And it's only natural for us to want to find answers to our questions. Some ask close family or friends for advice, whilst others seek guidance and clarity from professional advisors such as counsellors, psychics or clairvoyants.

Bibliomancy is a divinational practice for seeking spiritual insight by selecting a random passage from a Holy Book. The word bibliomancy is derived from the Greek word 'biblos', which means paper or book, originating from the Phoenician City of that name, which exported paper products. 'Mancy' means divination or prophesy.

Records of using a sacred book for divinational purposes go back as far as three thousand years, when the 'I Ching' was first used to predict the future. Some psychics and mystics believe Bibliomancy to be the Western civilisations answer to the I Ching. However, Jews and Christians have the used the Torah or Bible, whilst Moslems use the Quran (Koran) for divinational purposes. Before the Bible, in pagan times, Homer (sortes Homeric') and Virgil (sortes Virgilian') were similarly used. The French mystic, physician and prophet Nostradormus also made his predictions through the ancient art of Bibliomancy. One interesting and useful aspect of using religious books is the use of numbers that are scattered throughout the works. By deciphering the numerical value in lines of text or passages, you can gain significant meaning using the ancient art of Pythagoran numerology.

Throughout history other forms of literature have been used, for example in similar techniques to Bibliomancy called Rhapsodomancy and Stichomancy. In these two systems, selecting a random passage from the works of Shakespeare, Greek epics, classical poetry or metaphysical books of wisdom such as, the book of Tao or works of the American psychic Edgar Cayce, have been found to be just as effective

Stichomancy uses the same technique as Bibliomancy except any book off the shelf can be used for this purpose. However in the divinitory variation called ' Rhapsodomancy' some psychics specifically refer to it as being performed only with works of poetry, others believe that books of metaphysical significance are necessary.

All that's really required is a book with passages that are meaningful to you. This could be a works of poetry or any other spiritual or literary works. Alternatively use whatever you feel comfortable with. This could also include making up your own collection of meaningful phrases, sayings or short passages. The more pages the better, as the general idea is not to become too familiar with the layout of the pages.

The method used to pick random passage from a book to answer a question is pretty straight forward, and you should begin by first taking two or three breaths and relaxing. The next step is to close your eyes and try to connect yourself with the Universe, your spirit guide or who or whatever you hold in reverence. What you're after is a sense of positive expectation that your question will be answered. Following on from this, think about the question that you would like to ask, this could be spoken out loud, or in your mind. It might also be helpful if you wrote down your question and placed it in front of you. The next step is to take hold of the book with the spine facing your hand, and then randomly select a page. When you feel ready, slide your finger down the page until you feel the urge to stop. Then open your eyes and read the message, line or passage in the book where your finger is pointing, and think about how it relates to your question. An alternative way to get an answer is by placing the book on its spine, with your eyes closed, allow the book to fall open to a random page. Still with your eyes closed place your finger intuitively on the open page and read the passage, sentence or word.

The answer may not be obvious at first, but it will contain within it the right answer for you. If after some serious thought you still don't understand the answer, give it a break and walk away, and carry on with something else. In this way you are allowing your mind and intuition to process the information. When you feel ready take another look at the text. The techniques, like any other does take practice, so don't be put of if you don't get an instant result; you can always try again. The main thing to remember is not to over do it, this is not a party game and it would be best to avoid testing or experimenting for self-gratification or to impress people. Treat the process seriously and with respect and it will serve you well for years to come.