By Leean Lester
Greetings, one and all! Can you believe it is already November?! I hope you are enjoying the beautiful harvest season, and that the universal spirits are being kind to you and yours. This month, I thought it might be interesting to talk about the world’s many different forms of divination. Here is a list of things that have been used in the art of fortune telling, along with the places and cultures associated with each method:
Aprons = Victorian American Masks = Mayan
Arrows = Korean Needles = Cherokee
Axe = Hebrew and Greek Onions = German
Bamboo sticks = Chinese Popcorn = Navaho
Beans = European Rice = Chinese
Boards = Tanzanian Roses = Greek
Bread = Italian Scarves = Tibetan
Bulls = Celtic Thunder = Egyptian
Cheese = Greek and Roman Tops = Siamese
Coconut = African Twitching = New Zealand
Drums = Siberian Wheel = Asia Minor
Fans = Surinamese Wood = Scandinavian
Horses = German Wreath = German
Still other forms of divination employ lucky charms, egg yolks in water, animal intestines, candle flames, wax drippings, sand, oil, cloud shapes, body omens, slips of paper, water, birds, flowers, apple peels, dominoes, dice, symbols, and dowsing rods.
Some of these divination methods go back to ancient times, while others have developed in more recent time periods. For example, during the Victorian era, it was custom to peel an apple and toss the peel to see what your beloved’s name might be. Another popular Victorian era method was to use the crystal ball.
Some of these divination methods derived from superstitions and customs that have been handed down from generation to generation. While you may prefer to use a Tarot deck than decipher an egg yolk, keep in mind that the methods that appear strange to us may be quite normal to another, just an everyday part of life.
Until next month, many blessings to you and yours from The Palmistry Lady