Types of Fortune Telling
The secrets held by the future have long fascinated people around the world, and since the beginning of time mankind has longed to unlock those mysteries. While some believe that the future is already written and others believe that it is always in motion, dependent on our actions, there have always been attempts to look ahead to see what lies before us--for good or for bad.
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Tarot
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The tarot is a deck of 78 cards that are dealt in a pattern before the person wishing to have their fortune told. The cards are then interpreted using a combination of their standardized meaning, the position in which they are dealt and an interpretation of how they fit into the subject's life.
Pyromancy
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Pyromancy is the art of reading the future in fire. This includes not just interpreting the shape of ordinary flames, but also looking for patterns in the smoke of the fire and in heated objects (such as bones and the shells of animals). This creates heat fractures that are then read. Often, the fire comes from a specific source, such as laurel leaves.
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Tasseography
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The reading of tea leaves, tasseography is a form of fortune telling that became popular in the Orient. The subject is often asked to drink the tea, swirl the leaves and then the pattern created is interpreted.
Crystal gazing
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Crystal gazing uses a glass or crystal implement. The diviner looks into the crystal and sees visions of the future.
Oinomancy
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Oinomancy was popular in Greek culture, and was the act of telling the future by examining patterns made by wine. This could be done either by looking at spilled wine or examining the sediment at the bottom of a bottle.
Numerology
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Numerology is the study of numbers and the impact those numbers have on living beings. A person's name or birthday is assigned a numerological value, and it is thought that this number gives significant clues as to what lies ahead for the person it is associated with.
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References
- Photo Credit The Chariot; Rider-Waite tarot deck
