The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gyromancy \Gyr"o*man`cy\ (j[i^]r"[-o]*m[a^]n`s[y^] or
j[imac]"r[-o]-), n. [Gr. gy^ros ring, circle + -mancy: cf. F.
gyromancie.]
A kind of divination performed by drawing a ring or circle,
and walking in or around it.
--Brande & C.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1550s, method of divination by walking in a circle till the person falls down from dizziness, the inference being drawn from the place in the circle at which he fell, from Medieval Latin gyromantia, from Greek gyyros "circle" (see gyre) + manteia "divination, oracle" (see -mancy).
Wiktionary
n. 1 divination where people walk on a circle of letters until dizzy, the letters they fall on are significant. Similar to Whirling Dervishes. 2 divination by whirling a coin on a circle of letters.
Wikipedia
Gyromancy is a method of divination in which a person spins around inside or walks the circumference of a circle drawn on the ground, the perimeter of which is marked with the letters of an alphabet. The divination is inferred from the letter at the position where the person either stumbles or falls across the circle’s edge. The person would repeat the practice "...till he evolved an intelligible sentence, or till death or madness intervened." The dizziness brought on by spinning or circling is intended to introduce randomness or to facilitate an altered state of consciousness.
The word is derived from Medieval Latin, gyromantia, which is derived from Greek gyros (circle) and manteia (oracle).
Usage examples of "gyromancy".
Even amidst its impending collapse, however, Mei-Ling could see that this Fool incarnation, this self-representation for humans and from human stuff by the Allesseh, was attempting a sort of Gyromancy, a spinning out of time and fate that was already beyond control.