Hydromancy

Hydromancy (Ancient Greek ὑδρομαντεία, water-divination,[1] from ὕδωρ, water,[1] and μαντεία, divination[1]) is a method of divination by means of water, including the color, ebb and flow, or ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool.

The first method described depicts a ring hanging by a string that is dipped into a vessel of water which was shaken.

[4] In a fifth method of hydromancy, mysterious words are pronounced over a glass of water, and then observations are made of its spontaneous ebullience.

[5] Another method (and possibly the simplest) is via "scrying" (the entering into a trance as stimulated by staring at water in a bowl or some running form).

In Renaissance magic, hydromancy was classified as one of the seven "forbidden arts", along with necromancy, geomancy, aeromancy, pyromancy, chiromancy (palmistry), and spatulamancy (scapulimancy).