1.

Palmistry (Chiromancy)

 What It Is: The practice of interpreting the lines, shapes, and mounts on the palms to
gain insights into a person's character and predict future events.
 Origins: Known to date back to ancient India and China, but it became popular in
ancient Greece and Rome.
 Key Aspects: The heart line, head line, and life line on the palm are the most commonly
analyzed, as well as the mounts of different planets.

2. Physiognomy

 What It Is: The study of a person's character or personality based on their outward
appearance, particularly the face.
 Origins: Ancient Greece and China; Aristotle and Shakespeare both referenced
physiognomy.
 Key Aspects: Shapes of the eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as the overall facial structure,
were believed to give clues to one’s nature and fate.

3. Ceromancy

 What It Is: Divination through the use of wax. Typically, melted wax is dripped into
water, and the resulting shapes are interpreted.
 Origins: Practiced by ancient Greeks and Romans and later in medieval Europe.
 Key Aspects: Shapes formed by the wax are interpreted for omens and messages, often
symbolizing specific events or guidance.

4. Tasseography (Tea Leaf Reading)

 What It Is: The practice of interpreting the patterns left by tea leaves or coffee grounds
in a cup.
 Origins: Thought to have originated in the Middle East and became popular in Europe
in the 17th century.
 Key Aspects: The tea cup’s rim and the shapes formed by the leaves are interpreted,
often with symbols relating to aspects of life like love, travel, or career.

5. Cartomancy

 What It Is: Divination using playing cards or tarot cards to provide insights into the
future.
 Origins: It has roots in China with the invention of playing cards in the 9th century, but
cartomancy became widely practiced in Europe in the 17th century.
 Key Aspects: Tarot and playing cards can be used in various spreads (layouts) to
interpret past, present, and future events.
Occupations of Future-Tellers

1. Fortune Teller

 What They Do: People who claim to predict the future through various divination
methods like palmistry, astrology, and tarot.
 Traits: Often seen as spiritual guides, they use their skills to offer predictions and advice.

2. Oracle

 What They Do: An oracle is often a person (or a medium) who delivers messages from
deities, spirits, or supernatural forces.
 Origins: Ancient Greece had the Oracle of Delphi, who was believed to communicate
the will of Apollo.
 Traits: Known for cryptic and poetic responses, oracles would interpret divine messages
that affected major decisions, like going to war or making political choices.

3. Soothsayer

 What They Do: A soothsayer is a person who predicts the future, often in a more general
or prophetic way.
 Origins: Soothsaying can be traced back to ancient Rome and Greece.
 Traits: Soothsayers typically interpreted omens, dreams, and signs to predict future
events, and their predictions were often sought for guidance in times of uncertainty.

4. Shaman

 What They Do: Shamans act as intermediaries between humans and the spiritual world,
offering healing and guidance through rituals, visions, and spirit journeys.
 Origins: Shamans are found in Indigenous cultures around the world, including in
Siberia, Africa, and the Americas.
 Traits: Shamans enter altered states of consciousness (often through drumming, dancing,
or plant medicine) to gain visions that provide answers, guidance, or healing.

5. Witch

 What They Do: A witch may use a variety of magical practices, including spell-casting,
herbalism, and divination, to influence the future.
 Origins: Witches have been recorded in European and African traditions, and the
concept of witches spans many ancient cultures.
 Traits: Often associated with folk magic and herbal healing, witches may also practice
divination, such as reading runes or scrying.

6. Clairvoyant
  What They Do: A clairvoyant claims the ability to gain information about an object,
person, location, or event through extrasensory perception (ESP).
 Origins: Clairvoyance is a concept found in spiritualist movements, particularly in the
19th century.
 Traits: Clairvoyants are often consulted for insight into future events or for contact with
deceased loved ones. They may "see" visions, often through their "third eye."

Divination Systems

1. Ifá

 What It Is: A system of divination used by the Yoruba people of West Africa, often
involving the casting of cowrie shells to receive wisdom from the deities.
 Origins: Ancient African spiritual traditions.
 Key Aspects: Ifá diviners, known as Babalawos, interpret the patterns of the shells or
other objects to provide guidance.

2. Jyotish (Vedic Astrology)

 What It Is: A traditional Hindu system of astrology that is based on the positions of
celestial bodies at the time of birth.
 Origins: India, deeply rooted in Vedic philosophy.
 Key Aspects: Jyotish charts help predict life events, relationships, and karma. It
incorporates dasha (planetary periods) and nakshatras (lunar constellations).

3. I Ching (Book of Changes)

 What It Is: An ancient Chinese system of divination that uses hexagrams to provide
insight into life situations.
 Origins: Ancient China (~1000 BCE).
 Key Aspects: The I Ching can be consulted using coins or yarrow sticks, and it helps the
seeker understand the flow of change in their lives.

4. Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny)

 What It Is: A form of Chinese astrology that examines a person’s birth year, month, day,
and time to understand their life path and destiny.
 Origins: Ancient Chinese astrology.
 Key Aspects: It includes the five elements and the yin-yang balance to interpret one's
future.

5. Jiaobei (Moon Blocks)

  What It Is: A form of divination used in Chinese folk religion. Wooden blocks are
thrown to get answers to questions.
 Origins: China.
 Key Aspects: The way the blocks land determines the answer, which is then interpreted
by a practitioner.

6. Omikuji

 What It Is: Japanese paper fortune slips given at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples.
 Origins: Japan.
 Key Aspects: Omikuji offers predictions, and people can either receive good or bad
fortune. Bad fortune can be "tied up" at the shrine to dispel it.

7. Ouija Board

 What It Is: A board used to communicate with spirits. Participants place their hands on
a planchette that moves to different letters and words.
 Origins: Popularized in the late 19th century as a "spiritualist" tool.
 Key Aspects: Often used in séances to summon spirits or gain insights from the beyond.

8. Crystal Ball

 What It Is: A sphere, usually made of crystal, used in scrying (gazing) to see visions of
the future.
 Origins: The practice of crystal gazing dates back to ancient civilizations like the Celts,
Egyptians, and Romans.
 Key Aspects: The clairvoyant gazes into the crystal to see images or symbols that offer
insight into the past, present, or future.

Modern Fortune-Telling

1. Fortune Cookies

 What They Are: Cookies served with a slip of "fortune" in Chinese-American

restaurants, providing vague or philosophical advice.
 Origins: Though associated with Chinese cuisine, fortune cookies were invented in
California in the early 20th century.
 Key Aspects: The fortunes are often vague but fun and typically provide a lighthearted
prediction or message.

2. Horoscopes

 What They Are: Daily, weekly, or monthly predictions based on the positions of the
planets and stars at the time of a person’s birth.
 Origins: Babylon (~1900 BCE).
 Key Aspects: Astrology has various branches, such as Western, Vedic, and Chinese
astrology, each offering different ways to predict life events.