Article III. On Divination

506. Notion. Divination properly so called⁷⁵⁰ is the foretelling or foreknowledge of future things in an undue manner, that is, through means not instituted by God. Divination is often taken more broadly for the knowledge or declaration of any things whatsoever, not only future but also occult, which cannot be known in a natural manner and have not been revealed by God. Since knowledge of things of this kind is had neither through the natural powers of man, nor through God, nor through good angels or saints (because God does not permit angels and saints to manifest occult things in an undue manner), it remains that all divination is done through the direct or indirect assistance of a demon. Therefore divination in this broad sense can be defined simply: a superstition by which a demon is explicitly, or at least implicitly, invoked in order to know occult things through his assistance.

⁷⁵⁰ Wahrsagerei, soothsaying.

507. Concerning the knowledge of future and occult things, according to the doctrine of the Angelic Doctor,⁷⁵¹ the following things are to be noted. Future things can be known in two ways, namely, in their causes and in themselves. The causes of future things are related in three ways. Some causes produce their effects always and necessarily, for example, the movement of the earth around the sun necessarily produces the diverse seasons of the year. Some causes, however, produce their effects neither necessarily nor always, but nevertheless in the greater number of cases, for example, from a seed a tree is born. Finally, some causes are not determined to producing one effect, but can produce diverse effects, just as, for example, the human will can produce good and evil acts. Therefore, if someone predicts effects from known causes of the first and second kind, he does not commit divination, because he does not predict in an undue manner, but follows the guidance of right reason. But he who from known free and contingent causes attempts to foretell future effects (unless God reveals them) practices divination, because he acts in an undue manner, usurping to himself what belongs to God alone, who knows all contingent future things.

Demons cannot know contingent future things, nor even things altogether occult, and especially the secrets of hearts;⁷⁵² nevertheless, for various reasons, they know far more than men concerning future and other occult things: 1. because the natural intellectual power of angels is much more perfect than the intellect of man. Now this natural intellectual power was not diminished in the demons through sin; 2. because through the experience of so many centuries they know sufficiently perfectly what is accustomed to happen in certain circumstances, even from contingent causes; 3. because, being most powerful and most cunning spirits, they are able, with God's permission, to instigate even free causes to produce certain effects (although not with complete certainty).

All true divination is done with the assistance of a demon, and indeed a) through his express invocation, or, as it is said, with an explicit pact with the demon, namely, when the demon is invoked in set words so that he may be willing to communicate some knowledge, for example, which lot in a lottery is going to have the greatest prize; b) through implicit invocation, when someone, in order to obtain some knowledge, uses inept means which he knows have the power to produce the intended effect neither from their own nature nor from the will of God or of the Church. The demon, however, willingly mingles himself with inept means of this kind, because then man, having abandoned the true worship of God, will gradually fall into pernicious errors.

⁷⁵¹ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 95, a. 1.

⁷⁵² Cf. S. theol. 1, q. 57, aa. 3 and 4.

508. Divisions. Divination is distinguished in two ways, namely, a) divination with express invocation of the devil, and b) divination with implicit invocation of the devil. Each species is subdivided into many parts, which are here enumerated very briefly:

a) There are nine modes of divination with express invocation of the devil:⁷⁵³

1. Praestigium (an apparition of the devil; Teufelserscheinung) is present when the demon himself appears under a sensible sign, as is read in the Gospel concerning the temptation of Christ himself, and in the lives of many saints.

2. Oneiromancy (interpretation of dreams; Traumdeuterei), or divination by dreams, is present when the invoked devil reveals in sleep the things sought. St. Thomas⁷⁵⁴ rightly teaches that there are four causes of dreams, namely, two internal and two external. The first internal cause is animal, namely, a thought or vivid affection had while awake. For it is established by experience that a man often dreams of those things about which he thought insistently before sleep. The second internal cause is corporeal, namely, the internal disposition of the body. Thus, for example, an affection of the heart produces dreams of fear, and an affection of the genital parts produces lustful dreams. The first external cause, and that a corporeal one, is a material impression caused from without during sleep. Thus, for example, one who sleeps in a foul-smelling place suffers wearisome or troublesome dreams. The shining full moon excites certain men to particular dreams (to somnambulism). The other external cause is God or the devil. That God truly sometimes sends dreams is clearly evident from many examples in Sacred Scripture.⁷⁵⁵ That the devil also has the power to cause dreams is evident from the fact that he can excite phantasms in man. For the imagination is a corporeal power upon which the devil can exercise his efficacy. If God sends dreams (which seems to happen rarely in our times), He is accustomed at the same time to provide signs not open to doubt that He Himself is the author of those dreams. Such signs are: a) if the thing perceived in sleep is good, worthy of God, and impelling toward virtue; b) if the soul remains tranquil and inclined toward piety, but not disturbed and obstinate in its own designs. In a doubt whether a dream is from God or not, the legitimate ecclesiastical superior is to be consulted. But if it is certain that the dream was sent by God, the directions received in the dream are diligently to be obeyed. In all other cases, however, whether the dreams proceeded from natural causes or from the devil, it is not lawful to trust dreams; for this would be to wish to know occult things in an undue manner, indeed, in a manner expressly prohibited by God. Already in the Old Testament it was forbidden to observe dreams.⁷⁵⁶ Hence he sins gravely who desires to be taught in sleep by a demon, or, what is much worse, employs certain external signs or a certain position of the body in order to undergo the efficacy of the devil in sleep. In practice all are to be deterred from the observation of dreams, even if someone expressly excludes every diabolical intervention. Those who believe dreams they have had often do not sin gravely, both because of their good faith and because matters of the least importance are involved. Thus, for example, one who does not wish to mount a horse because on the preceding night he dreamed that he would fall from the horse can be admonished concerning his empty fear, but is not to be accused of grave sin.⁷⁵⁷

3. Necromancy is divination in which the devil is asked to be willing to raise some dead person who is to answer questions. Modern spiritism (concerning which below in n. 524) is not very dissimilar.

4. Pythonism is present when a demon, through living men possessed by him, manifests occult things, as is read concerning the pythoness at Endor whom Saul approached.⁷⁵⁸

5. Geomancy is divination in which a demon teaches through figures or signs appearing in some terrestrial body,⁷⁵⁹ for example, in wood, iron, or a polished stone. To geomancy are reduced a) an oracle, namely, when a demon, having been consulted, responds through idols; b) turning tables, when a demon gives responses by means of turning tables. Turning tables will be treated specially below in n. 521.

6. Hydromancy is present if a demon teaches through signs in water. Today the so-called crystallomancy not rarely occurs, in which someone beholds unusual figures in crystal or in water.

7. Aeromancy is present if a demon teaches through signs in the air.

8. Pyromancy is present if a demon teaches through signs in fire.

9. Haruspicy is present if a demon teaches through signs appearing in the entrails of animals immolated upon the altars of demons, as happened among the ancient Romans.

⁷⁵³ Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 95, a. 3.

⁷⁵⁴ Cf. ibid., a. 6.

⁷⁵⁵ Gen. 28:13; Judg. 7:13; 1 Kings 3:10; Dan. 2:19; Matt. 1:20 and 2:12.

⁷⁵⁶ Deut. 18:10; Jer. 29:8.

⁷⁵⁷ Cf. Noldin, De praeceptis n. 156.

⁷⁵⁸ 1 Kings 28:7ff.

⁷⁵⁹ Certainly water, air, fire, etc. are also terrestrial bodies, but divination practiced in these things has special names.

509. b) Seven modes of divination with implicit invocation of the devil are customarily given:

1. Judicial astrology,⁷⁶⁰ when someone attempts to know future things from consideration of the position and movement of the stars. To this pertain genethliacs, or those who cast horoscopes.⁷⁶¹ This judicial astrology has nothing in common with scientific astrology or astronomy.

2. Augury, when someone divines from the voices of birds.

3. Auspice, when someone predicts future things from the flight of birds.

4. Omen, when someone from a fortuitous occurrence asserts that certain things are going to happen, for example, from encountering a funeral procession or from the presence of thirteen persons at table.

5. Chiromancy, if someone divines from the lines of the hand, as is often customarily done in our days by gypsies.

6. Physiognomy, if divination is made from the features of the face or of another member of the body.

7. Sortilege, if someone presumes to know future things from signs arbitrarily chosen, for example, from cards, from the casting of dice, from figures in molten lead, etc.

⁷⁶⁰ Sterndeuterei [interpretation of the stars].

⁷⁶¹ Horoskop- oder Nativitätssteller [caster of horoscopes or nativities].

510. On the morality of lots. There are three species of lots:⁷⁶²

1. Divisory lots, which are employed by common consent to discern what is to be allotted to someone, whether it is a possessed thing to be divided, an honor, a dignity, etc. When utility or necessity requires, these lots are entirely lawful and very commonly used. Hence it is lawful to divide an inheritance by lot when another mode of dividing is not so easy; in a time of plague it is lawful to determine by lot which one of the physicians must remain to care for the sick. Even in some civil codes the use of lots for settling controversies is expressly permitted.⁷⁶³ The use of lots in ecclesiastical elections, however, is forbidden.⁷⁶⁴

2. Consultory lots, which are employed to investigate what should be done or omitted in doubtful matters, for example, whether a certain contract of doubtful utility should be made; whether at a fork in the road one should proceed to the right or to the left, etc. Consultory lots are of themselves an unlawful tempting of God, unless they are employed a) from an inspiration of God, as was done in the election of the apostle Matthias; b) from a sufficiently grave cause of necessity or utility, when other ordinary means are lacking.⁷⁶⁵ Prayers to God must then be offered beforehand that He may be willing to direct the lots, according to that saying: "Lots are cast into the lap, but they are disposed by the Lord."⁷⁶⁶

3. Divinatory lots, which are employed to obtain knowledge of an occult thing, are a grave superstition if they are used seriously without a special mandate of God. For lots of this kind can manifest an occult truth neither from their own nature nor from the institution of God. Therefore the manifestation of the truth is expected through the assistance of a demon, who is consequently invoked at least implicitly. If lots are employed from a special inspiration of God, as was done to discover the crime of Achan,⁷⁶⁷ they are entirely lawful, as is evident of itself; but if they are employed from mere jest or some curiosity, without firm faith being placed in the outcome of the lots, they are not indeed gravely sinful, but nevertheless are to be avoided, because they are not a very becoming jest. In canon law sortilege, which is a superstition, has been gravely prohibited.⁷⁶⁸

⁷⁶² Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 95, a. 8, and Billuart, De relig. diss. 7, a. 5, § 5.

⁷⁶³ Cf. German Civil Code, §§ 659, 752; Austrian Civil Code, §§ 835, 841; Swiss Civil Code, art. 611.

⁷⁶⁴ c. 3, X 5, 21; cf. St. Thomas, Opusc. (XXV), De sortibus c. 5.

⁷⁶⁵ Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 95, a. 8.

⁷⁶⁶ Prov. 16:33.

⁷⁶⁷ Josh. 7:12.

⁷⁶⁸ Cf. c. 7, C. 26, q. 5; likewise ibid., cc. 8, 9, and 10; cf. also the constitution Coeli et terrae of Sixtus V, issued in 1586, in which not only sortilege but also other modes of superstition are gravely prohibited. Cf. Code of Canon Law, c. 2325.

511. Scholion. On ordeals and the use of the divining rod. To sortileges are also reduced the so-called ordeals, or vulgar purgation, and the use of the divining rod. Ordeals were often employed in the times of the Middle Ages. Already St. Thomas taught that they were unlawful, and several Supreme Pontiffs condemned them, for example, Nicholas I,⁷⁶⁹ Innocent III,⁷⁷⁰ and Honorius III.⁷⁷¹ Some men nevertheless used them from an erroneous conscience, or perhaps from a special impulse of the Holy Ghost. Ordeals were customarily performed in many ways, but especially through the judgment of red-hot iron or boiling water, concerning which St. Thomas⁷⁷² says: "A judgment of this kind is rendered unlawful both because it is ordered to judging occult things, which are reserved to divine judgment, and because a judgment of this kind has not been sanctioned by divine authority." And in truth such judgments equally contain an unlawful tempting of God, from whom a miracle is expected, and a sinful superstition.

A divining rod⁷⁷³ is a rod customarily cut from hazel or willow wood and employed for finding hidden things. Authors commonly teach that the use of such a divining rod is lawful for seeking water or metals, provided that a protestation is made against every diabolical efficacy. The reason is that the rod's inclination toward water or metals can be explained with sufficient probability from magnetic and electrical forces; hence even upright men sometimes use a divining rod for this effect. But if that rod is employed to find lost things of any kind, this is then unlawful, because no natural cause has the power to produce such effects.

⁷⁶⁹ c. 22, C. 2, q. 5.

⁷⁷⁰ c. 9, X 3, 50.

⁷⁷¹ c. 3, X 5, 35.

⁷⁷² L.c., ad 3.

⁷⁷³ Wünschelrute, Zauberrute, die aus Haselnuss oder Weide geschnitten wird; baguette de coudrier [divining rod, magic rod, which is cut from hazel or willow; hazel rod].

512. Moral malice. 1. Divination which is done with express invocation of a demon is a mortal sin in its whole genus.

The reason is that:

a) through it divine worship is rendered to the devil;

b) in this manner there is a most manifest commerce with the bitter enemy of God;

c) there easily arises a danger of apostasy and of other grave sins, indeed, even of eternal damnation; for just as association with angels is a certain beginning of eternal life, so commerce with the devil is a certain beginning of eternal damnation.

2. Divination through implicit invocation of a demon is indeed a mortal sin from its genus, because it is a certain commerce with the devil; nevertheless, it becomes a venial sin: a) from the ignorance and simplicity of the agent; b) from the jest and levity with which it is performed; c) from the fact that firm faith is not placed in those vain signs.

Therefore the faithful are indeed to be earnestly admonished not to approach diviners practicing chiromancy, sortilege, etc., but they are not so readily to be condemned as having committed a grave sin.⁷⁷⁴

⁷⁷⁴ Divination by cards (Kartenschlagen) can also be reduced to divinatory sortilege.

513. The specific malice of divination. Theologians indeed commonly teach that all diverse divinations, whether they are done by an explicit or implicit pact with the devil, are not distinguished specifically in the moral genus, because all are reduced to the worship of a false divinity; nevertheless, for two reasons it must be declared in confession whether the divination was done through an explicit pact with the devil or not: 1. because thus the confessor can judge more easily whether the sin committed was grave or not; for divination with an explicit pact with the devil is always a mortal sin, as has been said; 2. because with divination through the express invocation of the devil very many other sins are customarily joined, for example, blasphemy, sacrilege, abuse of sacred things, etc.