Geomancy was adopted into Europe and was considered one of the highest arts of divination and magic alongside astrology. So along with astrology, talismanic magic, and alchemy, geomancy came to Europe in the 7th and 8th Century via Arab sages who may have learned it from their North African counterparts. Through cultural intermingling, Arabic geomancy became highly popular in Medieval and Renaissance Europe at a time when Western traditions of magic were heavily influenced by the introduction of various magical strands from Middle Eastern cultures. What all these forms of divination share in common is an elegantly straight-forward system based on the mystical combination of binary markings. It is believed to have originated from Arabic sages who preserved the art, and Persians and Indians also lay claim to it, but its actual origins may be North African, for its ties to African forms of divination like obi and dillogun oracles, throwing the bones, and reading other natural curios are undeniable. Traditionally performed out of doors in the dirt or sand, rather than at an altar, this form of geomancy is among the oldest living divination systems in the world. No matter how many marks the client makes in each row, the results are interpreted according to a binary system, which results in the creation of one or more of 16 possible geomantic figures, which are then built up into charts, which are interpreted by the diviner in answer to the client's question. In Middle Eastern and European cultures, the term geomancy refers to an oracle based on the creation and interpretation of characters formed from a combination of marks or dots drawn by the client.

A geomantic chart of the twelve houses, drawn according to the form used for drawing horoscopes in medieval and renaissance astrology

Geomancy reading