Divination has been in use for centuries to gain insight or some knowledge of what is yet to come. The means to do this are vast, from the natural tools found in nature to man-made tarot cards and Ouija boards. These crafts fulfill mankind’s innate desire to foretell future events; a chance glimpse of happy times or impending doom and disaster. Many of the most enduring methods of this ancient practice incorporate the use of natural objects, such as crystals, herbs, the human palm, and astrology. How do these methods work? What knowledge can be gained from reading one’s palm or reading the stars?
Throughout ancient history, stones and crystals have been held in high regard for their magical properties. One of the most common and well known would be the crystal ball; despite its popularity, many individuals have no idea what to do with a crystal ball or what the process of crystal scrying entails. Author/researcher Ellie Crystal breaks down the process, in her article “Scrying-Oracles of Divination.” The article explains that the crystal ball is used as a subject of focus, to help the seer clear their mind of any outside influences. This allows the seer to enter a trance-state; here they seek out any images created by the play of reflected light or physical flaws within the crystal. As the trance continues to deepen, these mundane details give way to symbolic images, and finally, to moving scenes of events yet to pass (Crystalinks.com, para. 1,3). This type of foretelling has been in place for thousands of years and has been used by several different cultures such as the Ancient Greeks and Celtics. Their tools of choice consisted of a vast array of translucent objects such as beryl, black glass and quartz. (Crystals, para...
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Hand, Robert. "On ASTROLOGY, PROPHECY, & RELIGION." Revision 23.2 (2000): 38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.
McCamley, Tre. Palm Decoder. Hauppauge: Barron’s Educational Series, 1999. Print.
Pratt, John P. “The Zodiac Testifies of Christ.” John P. Pratt Web Page. 15 Jun. 2005. http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2005/zodiac.html. Web. 4 Nov. 2010.
Saint-Germain, Jon. Karmic Palmistry. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2003. Print.
St. Clair, Marisa. Sun & Moon Signs: An Astrological Guide to Love, Career, & Destiny. New York: Random House, Inc, 2007. Print.
Valder, Roshan. “Palm Reading Chart.” Buzzle.com Website: Intelligent Life on the Web. 2010. Web. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/palm-reading-chart.html. 4 Nov. 2010.
LaHaye, Tim, and Ed Hindson. The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House Publishers, 2004.
In Dante Alighieri’s poem, The Inferno, Dante uses a system of thinking called the fourfold analysis. The fourfold analysis consists of four thought provoking categories; historical, spiritual, moral/psychological, and political. All four can be found within his twentieth chapter that contains the fortune tellers and the diviners. Using the fourfold analysis we can understand the fortune tellers and diviners and why Dante is so pitiful towards them. Dante knows that they are in Hell for a reason, yet human compassion gets the best of him and Virgil must step in to keep Dante on track because it is not right for Dante to cry tears for the damned.
Bock, Stephen R. Symbols of Revelation. Mustang, OK: Tate Pub. & Enterprises, 2007. Google Library. Google. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Campion, N. "Prophecy, Cosmology And The new Age Movement: The Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief In Astrology".(PhD Thesis, Bath Spa University College 2004)
“The most conspicuous… is probably their practice of obtaining supernatural power in a dream or vision…” (519). The Dionysian cultures believed that they could go on quests to achieve a vision of the future. Today, those quests are no farther than the telephone, advertisements on television, or on your computer screen. Everyday, people are introduced to different experiences where they can “find out their own future”. Societies have always wanted to know their futures. Recently though, the urgency to know one’s own future has increased dramatically. With the technological advances that have taken place in our society, fortune telling has become more apparent. Societies are feeling increasingly out of control of their own lives, and are going to these fortunetellers to feel more self-assured. “On the western plains they believed that when the vision ...
Smith, Huston. World’s Religions: A Guide to our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines divination as, “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.” However, many choose to define it as a scam, without taking into account whether or not divination is actually an example of the supernatural at play. As a result, the practice and belief in divination have varied widely throughout history; in fact, the people who believe/practice it have been called everything from witches and con artists, to gods on earth. Nevertheless, whether or not the science behind divination can be proven, the continuing belief in the ¨unknowns¨ represented by it are alive and well.
Understanding the Bible and other holy texts in relation to human history is a challenging enterprise. Daniel Friedmann, in his third book of religious interpretation, tackles a truly daunting question: Do our holy texts offer solid clues as to when the world as we know it may come to an end? Roadmap to the End of Days contends that through study of scripture and history it is indeed possible to recognize events that will preclude the end of human history and the exact time frame in which our end of days will most likely occur.
There have been many psychological profiles of Zodiac, perhaps because his true identity and motives have never been revealed. Graysmith, the author of the best selling novel Zodiac, also crea...
Zodiac began his legacy on the calm, cool night of December 20th, 1968, when a seventeen year-old named David Faraday was getting ready to take sixteen year-old Betty Lou Jensen on her first date. David arrived at Betty’s house, picked her up, and promptly proceeded to Lake Herman Road, a well known “lovers lane” of the local teenagers. Soon after arrival a car, possibly a blue Valiant, pulled up next to David’s 1961 brown four-door station wagon, and a man got out. “Framed only in a silhouette, the man appeared to be stocky in build and slightly heavy with an eerie sense about him” (Wark, 5). The man requested the teens get out of the car, but they refused. Upon hearing David and Betty’s refusal, the man pulled out a gun, and fired a round into the right rear window, shattering it. He then moved to the front and fired another into the left tire. Stricken with panic, the youths rushed o...
In Tibetan tradition, the word oracle, or kuten, literally interpreted means “the physical basis.” The word oracle is also used to define the spirit which enters into men and women who are acting as a medium between the spiritual and natural realms. Oracles serve as a guide for Tibetans in political decisions, predictions about natural forces, etc. Their decisions help guide internal and external affairs. They most clearly demonstrate their function while in trance. In this mind-altered state prophecies and predictions are made about questions asked. Their answers are taken seriously by Tibetans and high-standing political and religious individuals. The occurrences that take place while in trance cannot all be explained by scientific means and there is some spiritual force acting on the situation.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Things like astrology and fortune telling have been looked upon as fun diversions to pass the time. Amongst these pseudoscience’s, the art of Tarot card reading has the most diverse and mysterious history. There is much confusion that surrounds the origin of these cards, as well as the original purpose of their creation. Perhaps they were perceived and used differently in different parts of the world. Perhaps they were used the exact same way. The art of Tarot card reading should be considered an art as well as an artifact with relevant historical significance rather than just a leisure activity. While Tarot card reading is not as popular as it once was, many people all over the world still carry on the tradition of fortune telling.
Do you expect the world to end? Will humans leave the world to another life form soon? These questions have plagued man since his inception on this planet. Humans have, in every culture, have made predictions of how and when the world will end. We have done this either through religion or just average men or women who say they have the sight to see the future. Do we consider religion false and seers charlatans? We must first look at the worlds myths about the end of the world, or as is called from the Greek, apocalypse. We will examine myths from Christianity, Hindu, Norse and Mayan/Aztec cultures. We will also see if there are any similarities and can they be proven as fact, for prediction of any event is speculative at best.
Welcome back to Divination. Over the past few weeks we have looked into many different ways to unleash your inner eye. Today we shall be looking at an art form that is very close to my own heart. Cartomancy, more commonly known as Tarot is a valuable skill for any Seer to learn. You will see on the table in front of you my own Tarot deck laid out. I must ask that you do not touch, as you may