IV. On Divination

What is divination? - Divination is defined as the tacit or express invocation of a demon for knowing hidden things. Tacit or express, because it can be done in a twofold way: either by expressly invoking that help of a demon, and it is called express, or by employing certain means, useless and ineffective of themselves, for imploring the aid of a demon, and it is called tacit. Here it must be noted that it is not required that the demon at some time have made a pact that he would concur with the use of some vain means. For by the very fact that someone knowingly uses means lacking all proportion to the end, he invokes in act the aid of the demon, who is accustomed to mingle himself in these things. S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, aa. 1, 2; L. 5, 6, 8.

Of how many kinds is divination? - Divination is distinguished into several species, but only materially, by reason of the diverse means. The principal species of divination through express invocation of a demon are: 1. Pythonism, when namely a demon, occupying the body of some man or woman and emitting voices from there, discloses hidden things. 2. Vaticination, when a demon uses the work of pseudo-prophets to signify hidden things. 3. Necromancy, when a demon answers through the dead or through those called back to life. 4. Oracle, when a consulted demon, hiding in images, answers. 5. Prestige, when the demon himself strikes the eyes by apparitions. 6. Oneiromancy, when a demon discloses hidden things through dreams. 7. When he foretells hidden things through certain figures or signs which appear in inanimate things, "and indeed if these appear in some terrestrial body, say in wood or iron or polished stone, it is called geomancy; if in water, hydromancy; if in air, aeromancy; if in fire, pyromancy; if in the entrails of animals immolated on the altars of demons, haruspicy." S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, a. 3.

Divination which is made without express invocation of a demon is twofold: one uses the dispositions of certain things; the other uses certain things which are seriously done by men for inquiring into something hidden. To the first pertain: 1. Chiromancy, as it were divination from inspection of the hand. 2. Physiognomy from the lineaments of the face. 3. Haruspicy from the entrails of animals. 4. Augury from the chattering of birds. 5. Auspice from their flight, position, feeding. 6. Astrology from the stars. 7. Geomancy, hydromancy, pyromancy, aeromancy from signs in earth, in water, in fire, in air. 8. Omen from words said without intention. But to the other pertains sortilege, as it were divination from lots, for example by considering what occurs to one opening a book, what one receives from slips secretly deposited, who throws more points of dice, what figure arises from melted lead thrown into water. "Thus therefore it is clear that there is a threefold genus of divination, of which the first is through manifest invocation of demons... the second is through the mere consideration of the disposition or motion of another thing... the third is when we do something so that something hidden may be manifested to us... but under each of these many things are contained." S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, a. 3; L. 6; Struggl 20, 21.

Note: Natural effects must be carefully distinguished from free effects. For the former can often be conjectured, as, for example, from the song and flight of birds or from the aspect of the stars, weather, rain, or serenity of the sky, etc., is conjectured. For experience establishes that a natural connection exists among these things. But one must speak otherwise concerning the latter. A disposition or state of mind sometimes can in some way be conjectured from color of face, or other external signs, although in practice one should generally abstain from such conjectures, on account of the danger of rash judgment. But free acts, whether past or future, can never be known with certainty.

To divination is to be attributed whatever hidden thing is known in another way than through revelation or through natural means; for no other means is given for investigating hidden things. S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, aa. 1, 7; q. 96, a. 2; L. 9, 10.

What kind of sin is divination? - Divination from its genus is mortal, both because it attributes divine honor to a creature, by wishing to know from it things known to God alone, and because society with a demon is a great contempt of God, a betrayal and apostasy from God, since the demon is his perpetual enemy. Hence the Apostle warns: I do not want you to become associates of demons. 1 Cor. 10:20; Deut. 18:10-12. Yet tacit divination can sometimes be excused from mortal sin on account of simplicity and ignorance, or on account of defect of certain faith. S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, aa. 2, 4; L. 7; Suarez, de Relig., tr. 3, l. 2, c. 8, n. 15; Laym. l. 4, tr. 10, c. 3, n. 4; Struggl 19.

You will resolve: He is not free from grave fault who, using means disproportionate for some knowledge, protests that he intends no commerce with the demon; for he acts against his own protestation, and implicitly invokes the demon, since neither God nor an Angel mingles himself with such things.

Those sin gravely who ask soothsayers concerning their fortune or their future life, unless they act from simplicity, jest, or for the sake of curiosity, without giving faith to the sayings. Yet if the soothsayer acts seriously, they can with difficulty be excused from gravely culpable cooperation. Reuter 43; L. 8, 10; S. Th., Quodl. 3, a. 22.

Is it ever permitted to conjecture future things from dreams? - There are four kinds of dreams: 1. Natural, which have their origin from natural causes, for example, occupations or temperament of body. 2. Casual, which arise from the varied concurrence of phantasmal representations. 3. Those which are from God as author. Judg. 7:13; Dan. 2:19; Matt. 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19. 4. Those which have the demon as author. Deut. 18:10. Moreover, from natural dreams it is not superstitious to conjecture the present health of the body, or its future state, or even the manner and discipline of living, because among these there is a true and natural connection. Yet it would be superstitious to conjecture from them future freely contingent things, since these proceed only from the free and changeable will of man. From casual dreams it is superstitious to derive future things, because by the very fact that they are casual they cannot be accommodated for signifying any matter. Ecclus. 34:7. But he would not seem to sin mortally who, on account of a preceding dream, omits or performs an indifferent action; because this seems to proceed rather from a certain simplicity of mind, or excessive timidity, for example if someone should omit a walk because he dreamed that on it he would be treacherously killed on this or that day. Dreams which are certainly or more probably from God we can, indeed we are bound, says S. Alphonsus, n. 9, to believe, since God at times promised that he would speak in this way. Acts 2:17; Num. 12:6.

To believe diabolical dreams is mortal, unless ignorance or simplicity excuses, since it is to found truth upon a lie, and to enter into society with a demon. In this sense Scripture says: You shall not practice augury, nor observe dreams. Lev. 19:26. But whether a dream is from God or from a demon is difficult and dangerous to define. Struggl 24; L. 9; S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, a. 6.

Note: The general rule for discerning whether dreams come from a demon is: if they impel to evil, or if one experiences himself disturbed and less prompt for good. But otherwise, if the dream impels to good, or one feels himself readier for it; nevertheless one must always proceed with humility and fear, since the devil often transforms himself into an angel of light. Struggl 25; L. 9.

Is astrology ever permitted? - Astrology is of two kinds, natural and judiciary. By the first, natural effects are predicted, some certain, others probable; by the second, freely contingent effects are foretold from consideration of the position and motion of the stars. Now natural astrology is licit, as is clear. But judiciary astrology is altogether illicit and superstitious, because heavenly bodies can do absolutely nothing upon man's free will. L. 10; S. Th. 2. 2, q. 95, a. 5. Those who, by judiciary astrology either by themselves or through others, have inquired concerning the state of the Christian republic are to be understood, from the Warnings for the Jubilee, as those who have inquired by the said Astrology concerning the life or death of the Roman Pontiff; their censures the Constitution Apostolicae Sedis preserved intact. Leo XIII, Const. Singulares, Kal. Nov. 1899; S. Penit., 20 Feb. 1900; E. M.

Is the use of lots ever licit? - Some lots are divisory, others consultory, others divinatory. Divisory lots, which are employed for settling disputes, etc., with both parties consenting, are licit, since they contain nothing superstitious, but are as it were a certain species of contract; and they are also approved in Scripture by these words: The lot suppresses contradictions. Prov. 18:18; 16:33. Except, by positive law, all elections to ecclesiastical prelacies and benefices, which ought to be made by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; this also holds concerning disputes about the same benefices. C. Ecclesia 3, de Sortil. Yet the doctors more probably judge that only this is forbidden, so that if the lot is used, the elections are illicit but valid. The reason is that nowhere are they declared invalid, if one election of a Prelate having jurisdiction is excepted. C. Quia propter, de Elect. Cf. Schmalz., l. 5, p. 2, t. 21, n. 38 seqq. Secular offices also are to be distributed not by lot, but according to the aptitude of persons; although among several equally apt and worthy persons, one can act by lot. Thus also, if several have deserved death, and it is not expedient that all be punished, it can be determined by lot who among them is to be killed. C. A. 835, 841; C. B. 659, 752; John 10:24.

Consultory lots, by which inquiry is made what should be done in this or that matter, are generally illicit, because they contain temptation of God and danger of diabolical fraud. Generally, for sometimes they are licit: when they are done by divine instinct or command, as happened in the election of Matthias, Acts 1:26; when necessity and honorableness of the cause require it, for example an urgent necessity of salvation, and no more apt mode of overcoming the doubt appears, provided they are done with prayer having first been made, with due reverence, and judgment is expected from God alone, and divine things are not turned to earthly affairs, etc. Divinatory lots, by which through the throwing of dice the knowledge of a hidden or future thing is inquired into, and this is sortilege, are in no way permitted, since neither from their own nature, nor from that of other things, nor from the institution of God or of the Church, does that casting of lots have any force for the aforesaid effects. Yet if God himself should impel one to cast a lot, which should scarcely ever be thought, then it will be licit, just as it was licit for Joshua when he used it to investigate the hidden crime committed by Achan. Josh. 7:14. "Moreover, if someone were to ask from God through lots the manifestation of hidden truth, such sortilege would not be superstitious, but a temptation of God, or another sin of irreligiosity, as Laymann teaches with Sanchez, n. 9." Struggl 26; L. 10, 11; S. Th., Quodl. 12, a. 35; 2. 2, q. 95, a. 8.

Is the use of the divining rod licit? - This rod, whose first mention, they say, was made in the fifteenth century, is from hazel and is forked. They use it for finding treasures, veins of waters, shifted boundaries of fields, thieves, murderers, etc. There are not lacking those who defend its use as natural; but deservedly this is commonly denied. For intention alone can contribute nothing to physical motion. Moreover the rod is moved according to the mind of the bearer, so that if he seeks metals, not water, the rod is not moved if it finds water, and conversely. Add that it remains unmoved in the hands of him who protests that he wills nothing superstitious, as examples prove. Yet it must not be denied that it can also happen naturally that some rod is moved toward one part rather than another; and thus it can serve for detecting waters or metals, namely by force of natural attraction, as is clear concerning the magnet. But then this happens constantly, and independently from the intention of the one using it, and never in matters moral, or insofar as they are moral, to be investigated, for example thieves. Hos. 4:12; L. 8; Albit., de Inconst. in Fide, c. 32, n. 26.