# Smoke reading Source: https://spiritfold.com.au/Smoke_reading Published by the Australian Spiritual Alliance on Spiritfold, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. [](https://spiritfold.com.au/index.php?title=File:Smoke_Incense_AB.jpg&filetimestamp=20261014131930&)Incense smoke. Photo: Andrzej Barabasz (Chepry), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons **Smoke reading**, known by its old name **capnomancy**, is divination by watching smoke.[1] The word joins the Greek words for smoke (*kapnos*) and divination (*manteia*), and the third edition of the *Encyclopaedia Britannica* (1797) described it as a practice of the ancients in their sacrifices.[2] A related form, **libanomancy**, is divination by incense and prayers: incense was thrown on a fire, its smoke was said to carry the prayers to heaven, and if the incense burned away the prayers would be answered.[3] ## Description ### Reading the smoke of a sacrifice The *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology* describes two main ancient methods. In the more important one, the diviner watched the smoke of a sacrifice: it was a good sign if the smoke rose lightly from the altar and went straight up towards the clouds, and a bad sign if it hung about. In the other, a few jasmine or poppy seeds were thrown on burning coals and the smoke they gave off was observed. The same entry mentions a third method, in which the smoke of the sacrificial fire was breathed in.[1] The 1797 *Britannica* gives the same general rule: thin, light smoke rising straight up was a good omen, and the reverse a bad one.[2] ### Incense smoke in ancient Babylonia Divination with incense is also known from ancient Mesopotamia. Assyriologists study a group of Old Babylonian texts on libanomancy,[4] and a Hebrew University database of early Akkadian literature glosses the Akkadian word *muššakkum* as incense used for libanomancy.[5] ## Scope ### What it includes - Reading the rise and movement of smoke from a sacrifice or a fire for signs[1][2] - Reading the smoke of seeds thrown on hot coals[1] - Divination with incense thrown on a fire (libanomancy)[3] ### What it is not - It is not smudging. Smudging is a cultural ceremony of many Indigenous peoples in which sacred medicines such as sweetgrass, cedar, sage and tobacco are burned with prayer, for spiritual, cleansing and practical purposes (see [Smudging](https://spiritfold.com.au/Smudging)).[6] ## Traditions and lineage The written sources place smoke reading among the divination practices of the ancient world. The *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology* calls it a form of divination "in ancient times" and draws on Arthur Edward Waite's *The Occult Sciences* (1891).[1] In Mesopotamia, incense divination is known from Old Babylonian texts (see above).[4][5] By the late eighteenth century capnomancy had its own short entry in the *Encyclopaedia Britannica*, which described it as a practice of the ancients.[2] ## Context ### Within Spiritualism Spiritfold has found no published source linking smoke reading with Spiritualism. ### In Australian Spiritualism Spiritfold has found no published source linking smoke reading with Spiritualism in Australia. ### A Spiritualist perspective Smoke reading belongs to the old family of divination, the reading of signs, and the sources above tie it to ancient sacrifice and incense rites rather than to Spiritualism. A Spiritualist would regard it with respect as a practice from the ancient world, and would not present a reading of smoke as a message from spirit. Anyone who does practise it carries two responsibilities. One is honesty: an omen is an interpretation, offered for what it is worth, never a prediction to frighten anyone. The other is the flame itself. Lit incense and candles need the same care in a reading room as anywhere else, and the fire safety advice below applies to every reader. ## Safety and good practice ### Fire safety Smoke reading means working with an open flame or smouldering incense. South Australia's Metropolitan Fire Service points out that a candle is an open flame that can easily set nearby things alight, and that candles, lamps and similar sources account for more than 40 preventable fire deaths in Australian homes each year.[7] Its advice for incense sticks includes:[7] - use a sturdy, heat-resistant tray so that falling ash cannot reach anything that burns[7] - keep burning incense out of draughts and away from curtains and blinds[7] - don't leave incense burning while you are asleep or out of the house[7] - keep burning incense away from children and pets.[7] For candles, Fire and Rescue NSW says many house fires it attends each year are caused by candles left unattended. It advises never leaving candles unattended, keeping them on a secure base away from curtains, open windows and flammable liquids, putting them out on leaving the room and before bed, and keeping matches and lighters out of children's reach.[8] The Metropolitan Fire Service adds that a child should never be left alone, or sleep, in a room with a lit candle.[7] Outdoors, a total fire ban may be declared on some days, and its rules must be followed; in New South Wales the Rural Fire Service sets each day's fire danger ratings and bans the afternoon before.[9] ### Paid readings Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection advises people to be very cautious if a psychic or clairvoyant says they are in danger, unlucky or cursed, because the solution offered is likely to be a scam. Anyone paying for a reading should know the total cost and exactly what they will receive, and ask about any conditions or hidden costs.[10] ## Common questions ### What is capnomancy? It is the old name for divination by smoke, from the Greek words for smoke and divination.[2] A related practice using incense and prayers is called libanomancy.[3] ### How was smoke read? In the ancient method described in the *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*, smoke from a sacrifice that rose lightly and straight up was a good sign, while smoke that lingered was a bad one.[1] Another method watched the smoke of jasmine or poppy seeds thrown on hot coals.[1] ### Is smoke reading the same as smudging? No. Smudging is an Indigenous cultural ceremony in which sacred medicines are burned with prayer, including for cleansing, rather than a way of reading signs in the smoke.[6] ### Is it safe to burn incense indoors? Fire services treat incense as a fire risk to be managed. The Metropolitan Fire Service advises a heat-resistant tray, no draughts or curtains nearby, never leaving it burning while asleep or out, and keeping it away from children and pets.[7] ## Related modalities - [Psychic reading](https://spiritfold.com.au/Psychic_reading) - [Smudging](https://spiritfold.com.au/Smudging) - [Runes](https://spiritfold.com.au/Runes) - [Tarot](https://spiritfold.com.au/Tarot) - [Palmistry](https://spiritfold.com.au/Palmistry) - [Astrology](https://spiritfold.com.au/Astrology) ## References 1. ["Capnomancy"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/capnomancy). *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*. Gale. Reproduced on Encyclopedia.com (accessed 14 October 2026). 2. "Capnomancy". *Encyclopaedia Britannica*, 3rd edition, vol. 4 (1797). Transcribed from the National Library of Scotland digitisation at [Encyclopaedia Britannica Historical Editions](https://jimclifford.ca/early_encyclopedia_britannica/articles/1797/eb_3rd_1797_005246.html) (accessed 14 October 2026). 3. ["Libanomancy"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/libanomancy). *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*. Gale. Reproduced on Encyclopedia.com (accessed 14 October 2026). 4. Cingolo, Maria Stella. "Some Remarks about the Old Babylonian Libanomancy Texts". In *Divination as Science* (2016), pp. 93–105. Bibliographic record in [Keilschriftbibliographie (KeiBi)](https://keibi.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/KEI00129049/Details?lng=en), University of Tübingen (accessed 14 October 2026). 5. Streck, M. P. and N. Wasserman (directors). ["muššakkum"](https://seal.huji.ac.il/taxonomy/term/5996). *Sources of Early Akkadian Literature*. Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; last updated 7 October 2026 (accessed 14 October 2026). 6. Robinson, Amanda. ["Smudging"](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/smudging). *The Canadian Encyclopedia*. Historica Canada. Published 4 May 2018 (accessed 14 October 2026). 7. South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service. ["Candles"](https://mfs.sa.gov.au/community-safety/safety-and-education/fact-sheets/candles2) (fact sheet; no date shown; accessed 14 October 2026). 8. Fire and Rescue NSW. ["Candle safety"](https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9015) (no date shown; accessed 14 October 2026). 9. NSW Rural Fire Service. ["Fire Danger Ratings and Total Fire Bans"](https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans) (no date shown; accessed 14 October 2026). 10. Chopping, Lanie (Commissioner for Consumer Protection). ["Commissioner's blog: Beware the misfortune tellers"](https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/commissioners-blog-beware-the-misfortune-tellers). Consumer Protection, Government of Western Australia. First published 27 August 2020; last updated 14 August 2024 (accessed 14 October 2026). ## Further reading - ["Capnomancy"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/capnomancy). *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*. Gale. - Fire and Rescue NSW. ["Candle safety"](https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9015). - South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service. ["Candles"](https://mfs.sa.gov.au/community-safety/safety-and-education/fact-sheets/candles2). Fact sheet.