Guest Author - Kim DeLeary

Nowadays, we are familiar with several forms of divination. Some of the oracles consulted include tarot cards, I Ching, numerology, runes and palmistry. Despite the fact that scientists remain sceptical of these occult practices, people have continued to consult these different forms of divination since ancient times.

The exact origin of the tarot cards that we are familiar with today is unknown. There are different locations that people think are the original place that these are from including Egypt, France, China, Greece and India. The symbols on the cards are from many different cultures and from different times. The timelessness of the images allows easy interpretation of the cards. There are many books that explain the meanings of the cards. There are also many card designs including the well-known Rider-Waite tarot cards. Cards are laid out in different spreads according to preference. The tarot cards are consulted for questions pertaining to a person�s life, past, present and future.

I Ching is a combination of a book for interpretation and the method of divination that comes from China. It was first discovered about 5000 years ago by the ruler Fu Hsi who, on a tortoise shell, found the eight trigrams from which the sixty-four hexagrams are made. Different marked objects are used for tossing. Stones or coins are commonly tossed that have been marked with the trigrams. The toss is interpreted with the use of the I Ching book. The term I Ching means changes thus another name for the book is the Book of Changes. The I Ching is useful for making decisions or determining the status of a situation.

Numerology uses the letters of the birth date and name to forecast a person's personality, destiny and soul work. The numbers have meaning and symbolize personality traits, qualities, strengths, weaknesses and emotions. It can be determined which part of the life cycle a person is in by using numerology.

Runes are from the northern European alphabets systems that pre-date the Latin that replaced them. The runes have their own symbolic meanings and are tossed or laid out according to preference. Runic alphabets used on runes for divination can be Scandinavian, Danish, Anglo Saxon, Norwegian and Italian. Runes are used to consult about questions about the past, present and future situations and relationships.

Palmistry was practiced in ancient Eastern and Middle Eastern countries. Palmistry or cheiromancy is the practice of looking at a person's palm for the quality and types of lines and marks. These lines, marks, pads, fingers and hand shape can tell about strengths, weaknesses, personality type, past and future events. Because a person's palms are always changing, people will continue to seek answers from palmistry.

These ancient occult practices have continued to be popular throughout the ages. Many people already know which of these divination practices their favorite is. No matter what the scientific experts may say, people will probably continue to consult these oracles just as they always have.


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