There is always some enigma associated with an individual’s future. The uncertainty of what is going to happen in his life in the future, what surprises are in store, or what disappointments he is going to face, make the future very unpredictable. Thus when there is some guidance on this front to give him a small glance at the events that is going to take place in his future, it is always welcome. Fortune tellers precisely do this. With the help of complex calculations, fortune tellers give you a brief account of what future holds for you. Not just future, they can also highlight the events of the past and those of the present. Fortune tellers are available in thousands though one must be aware that not all fortune tellers are genuine. There are many people who pose as fortune tellers and may even mislead you after robbing you of your money. In this article, we first deal with the basic definition of fortune telling. Then we proceed to take a look at the concepts and methods used by fortune tellers to make their predictions. These methods and concepts are discussed extensively, highlighting the important points. Examples too have been given where they were deemed necessary.
Fortune telling traces its existence centuries ago and has been practised by all civilisations. Hindu treatises deal extensively with forms of fortune telling such as astrology and horoscopes. Egyptian civilisations, Mayans and the Incas were all famous for their astrological feats. India had some of the best astrologers in the historic ages and the concept of fortune telling has actually originated from this country. This adds to the mysticism that is generally associated with the country. Before we proceed to discuss the methods of which fortune tellers use to predict the future, some aspects and the technicalities involved in fortune telling are dealt with below.
Fortune telling cannot be discussed without broaching the subject of astrology which forms the core of fortune telling though tarots, Kabala and palmistry are also methods of fortune telling. Fortune tellers usually make the predictions based on two main methods. These methods are called
| • | Astrological Transits |
| • | Astrological Progressions |
Astrological transits deal with the movement of planets. Movement of planets are believed to have an impact on our lives based on the positions they occupy in the horoscopes. Fortune tellers use astrological transits method to determine the effect which the transit of planets will have on our lives Astrological progressions method involves moving ahead in time by a methodical step by step approach known to the fortune teller. This helps him give a brief over view of the events that will impact the life of the individual.
Methods
Common methods used for fortune telling in Europe and the Americas include astromancy, horary astrology, pendulum reading, spirit board reading,tasseography (reading tea leaves in a cup), cartomancy (fortune telling with cards), tarot reading, crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere),lithomancy (reading of stones or gems), and chiromancy (palmistry, reading of the palms). The last three have traditional associations in the popular mind with the Roma and Sinti people (often called "gypsies").
Another form of fortune-telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions.
- Alectromancy: by observation of a rooster pecking at grain
- Astrology: by the movements of celestial bodies.
- Astromancy: by the stars.
- Augury: by the flight of birds.
- Bazi or four pillars: by hour, day, month, and year of birth.
- Bibliomancy: by books; frequently, but not always, religious texts.
- Cartomancy: by playing cards, tarot cards, or oracle cards.
- Ceromancy: by patterns in melting or dripping wax.
- Cheiromancy: by the shape of the hands and lines in the palms.
- Chronomancy: by determination of lucky and unlucky days.
- Clairvoyance: by spiritual vision or inner sight.
- Cold reading: by using visual and aural clues.
- Crystallomancy: by crystal ball also called scrying.
- Extispicy: by the entrails of animals.
- Face Reading: by means of variations in face and head shape.
- Feng shui: by earthen harmony.
- Gastromancy: by stomach-based ventriloquism (historically).
- Geomancy: by markings in the ground, sand, earth, or soil.
- Haruspicy: by the livers of sacrificed animals.
- Horary astrology: the astrology of the time the question was asked.
- Hydromancy: by water.
- I Ching divination: by yarrow stalks or coins and the I Ching.
- Kau cim by means of numbered bamboo sticks shaken from a tube.
- Lithomancy: by stones or gems.
- Necromancy: by the dead, or by spirits or souls of the dead.
- Numerology: by numbers.
- Oneiromancy: by dreams.
- Onomancy: by names.
- Palmistry: by lines and mounds on the hand.
- Paper fortune teller: origami used in fortune-telling games
- Pendulum reading: by the movements of a suspended object.
- Pyromancy: by gazing into fire.
- Rhabdomancy: divination by rods.
- Runecasting or Runic divination: by runes.
- Scrying: by looking at or into reflective objects.
- Spirit board: by planchette or talking board.
- Taromancy: by a form of cartomancy using tarot cards.
- Tasseography or tasseomancy: by tea leaves or coffee grounds.
