BIBLIOMANCY
Finding wisdom and courage in books
Bibliomancy is a form of divination, using books to answer questions or get advice or insight. The practice of using a book to tell the future is as old as books themselves. It’s probably even older, as Torah scrolls were sometimes used for the purpose. The method is simple: pick a book, most often a bible or a philosophy book, but any kind of book will do. Close your eyes and let the book fall open, then put your finger on a page. Read the word or phrase you’ve selected (you can pry your open your eyes for this part) and, so the belief states, it will give you the answer you seek.
Today, I chose Musonius Rufus. The passage I landed on was this:
“Perhaps someone may say that courage is a virtue appropriate to men only. That is not so. For a woman too of the right sort must have courage and be wholly free of cowardice, so that she will neither be swayed by hardships nor by fear.”
I hope I’m a woman of the right sort!
You sent me down a rabbit hole with this. So thanks for that. The idea that we can consult books for wisdom seems like a good idea all the way around.