Lecture 3 – The Prophecy of Rope and Silver: The Unique History and Symbolism of Tibetan Rope Divination
Divination Tibetan societies employ a wide range of divination practices, from state oracles and astrological calculations to everyday techniques involving dice and rosaries. This lecture explores one such practice: a rare form of rope divination known as ju thig. After examining the ritual procedures and social contexts surrounding Tibetan rope divination, I consider the roles played by diviners within their communities and the kinds of questions brought before them. Finally, I situate ju thig within the broader history and mythology of Tibetan divination, highlighting its complex synthesis of Tibetan, Central Asian, Indian, and Chinese influences.
Bio:
Dr. Alexander K. Smith is a Tibetologist, ethnographer, and filmmaker. He currently serves as the creative director of Ligature Historical, a Frankfurt-based animation studio specializing in historical and cultural documentaries. He holds a PhD in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE–PSL, Paris) and an MA in Tibetan Studies from the University of Oxford. His research focuses on Tibetan divination, ritual practice, and social history, drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Tibetan communities in North India. His scholarly publication include Divination in Exile: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ritual Prognostication in the Tibetan Bon Tradition, published by Brill in 2021.
Caption: Jamgön Ju Mipham Gyatsho (Ju Mipham, 1846–1912), Zhang zhung ju thig. Monastic Library, sMan-ri Monastery, Dolaji, Himachal Pradesh. Photo by Dr. Alexander K. Smith (2014).
Divining the Past, Present, and Future: Oracles, Series 2 – Four Lectures
Join us for Series Two as we journey once again into the histories and mysteries of divination. Delivered by leading scholars in the field
Curated & Hosted by
Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She lives in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesvos.
Attendees will receive a recording of each lecture valid for 4 weeks.
