Divination

From Arabian Paganism
Revision as of 00:48, 2 August 2022 by WahbAllat (talk | contribs) (Created page with "The Ancient Arabs had a developed astrology and foretold the future by the stars. Astrology is also found in pre-Islamic poetry. The poet Ta’abbata Sharran felt that he was guided by the Milky Way galaxy. Abīd ibn al-’Abras mentioned “the Pleiades bringing evil fortune and good”: And there shall surely come after me generations unnumbered, That shall pasture the precipices of Aikah and Ladud And the Sun shall rise, and the night shall eclipse it, And the Plei...")
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The Ancient Arabs had a developed astrology and foretold the future by the stars. Astrology is also found in pre-Islamic poetry. The poet Ta’abbata Sharran felt that he was guided by the Milky Way galaxy. Abīd ibn al-’Abras mentioned “the Pleiades bringing evil fortune and good”:

And there shall surely come after me generations unnumbered, That shall pasture the precipices of Aikah and Ladud

And the Sun shall rise, and the night shall eclipse it, And the Pleiades shall circle bringing evil fortune and good

Another way of foretelling the future was through the ecstatic experiences practiced by kāhins. Ibn Hishām tells us of a famous kāhin in Yemen: "The people assembled at the foot of the mountain. The kāhin himself was on the alp. As soon as the sun raised he went down the descent and reclining to his bow continued to stay having turned his face toward the rising sun. After standing a time he began jumping..."

We don't know much about the kāhins but the story as a whole, with the mountain, jumping, and the use of a bow, suggests that this was some sort of ecstatic experience or mystical ascension. But this topic needs more comprehensive study. There's also the issue of the scarcity of direct evidence of the spiritual life of pre-Islamic Arabian society. Because of this, I encourage modern practitioners to allow themselves to be more eclectic and synchronistic when it comes to divination and find inspiration in traditions that are better preserved.

Sources

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