Notions of Neomancy

Marilyn Monroe had one, as famously does Cindy Crawford, you may even have one yourself. It is, of course, a melanocytic nevus, better known as a mole (that is the small brown mark on the skin, not the cute underground mammal).  If you do have a mole (and almost everyone does), it might surprise you to learn that they have been used in divination - a practise called neomancy. According to neomancy (which was at its most popular during the 17^th and 18^th centuries), the position of moles on a person’s body can foretell their future. A mole on the right shoulder was considered very fortunate, and foretold happiness, but a mole on the left shoulder of a man suggested he would be belligerent, whereas on a woman it meant she would marry many times. A lucky marriage was likely for folks who had a mole on their right hip, and if a woman had a mole on her right breast, she could expect to catch the attention of a great man, but a man similarly marked would be a slave to his passions. A mole on the right side of the stomach or on the back, was a sign of suggested prestige and wealth, as was a mole on the bottom. If a person had a mole under their right thigh, they could be expected to be industrious. Despite the fact a good psychic can use almost anything to connect to a person’s possible future, neomancy seems to have fallen from favour. Perhaps it’s a bit too up close and personal for our society.