In this symposium, we are exploring the varieties of divinatory practice. These techniques are a way to envi-
sion, predict and understand the individual’s life from the perspective of the sacred world. Whether cast as
mere funfair fortune-telling or as the most earnest augury, if religion refers to the bonding between humans
and Gods, divination, like prayer, ought to have been ever at its heart. Still, especially in the here and now, the
urge for direct experiences and personal understandings of the world became dominant. Consequently, divi-
nation now is a staple in the repertoire of spiritual expressions of individual seekers and New Religious Move-
ments.
Ultimately aiming to understand the functions and processes that ground these contemporary manifestations
in their socio-cultural contexts, we will employ a comparative approach to divination. Each speaker contrib-
utes a complementary disciplinary take on the phenomenon: Léon van Gulik offers an introduction and a cul-
tural psychological perspective; as an insider, Hella de Jong has a hands-on approach with a demonstration;
Renske Janssen comes in from classical history; Wouter van Beek has an anthropological angle; while Jesper
Sørensen entertains a cognitivistically tinged religious studies outlook.
