The History of Divination
Divination, or seeking insights from supernatural sources, has been practiced worldwide since ancient times through several methods. Despite religious persecution and scientific questioning, many forms of divination have survived through the centuries. They remain popular as tools for determining the future, and as spiritual resources.
Crystal Ball
The crystal ball is thought to date back to the Druids of ancient Britain, around 2,000 B.C. Crystal balls were in popular use during the Middle Ages when they were made of beryl, a naturally translucent stone. No less a personage than Dr. John Dee (1527 to 1608), a scientist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I of England, consulted a crystal ball. Divination by a crystal ball is also called scrying. Scryers are said to concentrate on the crystal ball to induce hypnotic states, which in turn produce visions for interpretation.
Tarot Cards
Tarot fortune telling cards date back to the late 18th century. They are an offshoot of the original card game of tarocco (similar to bridge), which is thought to have originated in 15th century Italy. The basis for tarot fortune telling cards can be traced to between 1783 and 1787, when a French diviner named Alliette produced a set of tarot cards called "Tarots d'Etteilla," setting out the meaning of each symbol. In tarot divining, what matters is how the 78 cards in the deck fall in relation to one another, and whether any of them is upside down.
Ouija Board
The ancient Egyptians apparently used an early form of the ouija board, a circular table with symbols, over which a ring on a thread spelt out answers. An 1854 London patent for a "talking board" reflected the growing interest in the occult and spiritualism during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1889, William and Isaac Fuld of Baltimore began selling ouija boards in the United States. In 1913, a St. Louis housewife named Pearl Curran allegedly received ouija board communications from a "Patience Worth" that resulted in the publication of poetry, plays and novels. After World War I, sales apparently were fueled by those wanting to communicate with relatives killed in the war. Around 1960, Parker Brothers bought the rights to the Fuld ouija board.
Fortune Sticks
Chinese fortune sticks called "tsim" are popular divination tools at Hong Kong's Wongtaisin Temple, established in 1921. Visitors go there specifically to pose questions to Wongtaisin. They shake a tall, round container of numbered fortune sticks until one falls out. They exchange the stick for a corresponding piece of numbered paper, then take it to one of the soothsayers at the temple for interpretation.
Birds
Alectryomancy is a form of divination whereby a diviner sprinkles grain on the ground, which birds peck, leaving a pattern that is interpreted by the diviner. In Hong Kong, bird divination of the past took a different route, whereby numbered sticks would be placed before a trained bird that would select one at random. The number on that stick would correspond with a specific fortune.
Tags: crystal ball, date back, fortune sticks, fortune telling, fortune telling cards
