Cleidomancy
System of divination using a suspended door key. It was to
be performed when the sun or moon was in Virgo. The name
of the individual being investigated was written upon a key tied
to a Bible, and both were hung upon the nail of the ring finger
of a virgin, who softly repeated certain words three times.
Depending on whether the key and Bible turned or were stationary,
the person in question was considered to be innocent
or guilty. Some ancient diviners added the seven psalms with
litanies and sacred prayers, and then more fearful effects were
Clarke, Arthur C. Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology 5th Ed.
302
produced upon the guilty, for not only were the key and the
Bible supposed to turn, but the impression of the key was to be
made the person or he lost an eye.
Another method was to place the key on the Fiftieth Psalm,
close the Bible, and fasten it tightly with a womans garter. It
was then suspended to a nail that was said to turn when the
name of a suspected thief was mentioned. In a third method,
two persons suspended the Bible between them, holding the
ring of the key by their two forefingers. (See also bibliomancy)
Sources:
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Occult Sciences. 1891. Reprint, Secaucus,
N.J.: University Books, 1974.
