Cyclomancy
Cyclomancy is the art of divination by revolving objects such as turning/spinning a wheel.
Etymology
From Greek kyklos, a circle.
History
Dating from time immemorial, cyclomancy has its modern counterparts in the jury wheel, from which listed names are drawn to determine the members of a jury panel; and the so-called wheel of fortune, seen at county fairs, which stops on prize-winning numbers. In both cases, the decision of the wheel is automatically fulfilled, so it is not surprising that many people believe that questions concerning their future can be answered by a similar means.
Methods
In some traditions, a wheel or top is spun on a surface marked with letters or symbols, and those which fall closest to the device's pointer are consulted. In other traditions, any suitable object may be spun and its direction may be used to obtain a simple yes/no answer or directional indicator. For example an object with a distinguishing feature may be spun between two diverging paths or disparate objects, and the one which is closest to the feature is chosen. The party game Spin the Bottle is loosely based on this concept, and it is likely that the roulette wheel as we know it today was derived from this ancient method of divination..
