Apantomancy
Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Portal". Template:Short description Apantomancy is a form of divination using articles at hand or things that present themselves by chance.[1] The diviner works him/herself into a state of trance until an object or event is perceived and a divination worked out. This form of divination was used in ancient Rome by the augurs.[2] There is no set of standard interpretations in apantomancy, with the interpretations of events depending on the background of the seer.[2]
A branch of apantomancy places special significance on chance meetings of animals.[3][2] The superstition regarding black cats crossing your path comes from this form of divination.[1] Other common superstitions based on apantomancy are the belief that seeing a buzzard is an omen of death.[4]