Looking Beyond The Crystal Ball...

(Published on 9 May 2006 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

We have always wanted to know what the future has in store for us. To have an idea of what will happen in a few hours or days is immensely desirable as it lifts the cloud of uncertainty. But gone are the days when one took help from a local soothsayer also known by various names and forms: fortune-teller, oracle, seer, astrologer and clairvoyant. In today’s competitive world there are numerous other options. Though most of the sciences mentioned below have existed for numerous years – it’s only recently that it has become fashionable to take on some of these as a career preference or a hobby.

Reading the Runes
The runic alphabets are the sacred alphabets thought to be magical in nature and containing the secrets of the universe. They have their origin in an old German language, which was used in Northern Europe. Runes have always had a magic, prophetic meaning. Rune masters used them to practice magic on somebody and cure the ill. Runes also had an important role in making prophecies. From the very beginning each of the 24 runes in the alphabet had their own name. The rune masters made their runes by carving them in a rock, wood or leather. If they were consulted about a coming event, they spread the rune stones on the ground. Only the stones which landed with the rune side up were interpreted. The rune-stones just connect you to your intuitive process. Runic alphabets are called Futharks, and are so named because the first six letters of the alphabets spell it out.

Tarot Card Reading
The Tarot is a deck of 78 picture cards that has been used for centuries to reveal hidden truths. Tarot cards have been used since before 1400 to predict the future. They are a system of symbolic images on cards. Tarot is currently also used as tool for reflection on one's personal life, as well as an aid to meditation. The cards are used to connect the user with the collective unconscious in order to get information about a person or situation. The person is asked to focus and draw out cards from a pack. With a basic three card spread, the reader can examine the past, present, and future influences on an event in your life.

Face Reading
The ancient art of face reading has been used since the time of Confucius by Chinese doctors as an aid to diagnose ailments. Close observation of the face gives a deep knowledge of the personality of the patients. The Chinese understood the concept that the face represents the energies, health and fortune of a person and they wished to live in harmony with these, and with the prevailing energies of the five elements, yin and yang, and the seasons. Each face is a map of the past, present and future. The past would be described as our inherited constitution and our early years. The present reflects our health at the time of the reading. This is something we create ourselves. The facial zones affected are related to the internal organs under stress. The future is not predestined in Chinese philosophy. Taking greater care with health can resolve possible future symptoms.

I Ching
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese text used as an oracle to find out the answer to any question. The book consists of 64 hexagrams, which is the number of possible combinations of pairs of six broken or unbroken lines (trigrams). The lines represent the two primal cosmic principles in the universe, yin (the broken lines) and yang (the unbroken lines). The trigrams represent heaven, earth, thunder, water, mountain, wind, fire, and lake. The meanings of the hexagrams were divined many years ago by Chinese philosopher-priests in tune with the tao (path). One may consult the I Ching by flipping numbered coins and adding up the numbers to determine the hexagram. Another method involves dividing up bundles of yarrow stalks.

Numerology
Numbers also help tell you the future. To use numerology, you must first decide what you want to know about. Think of a question. You must not rephrase the question afterwards - that will give you the wrong answer! Numerology is just a tool to help you focus your mind. After the question is asked, the question is decoded. There are two steps: How many words in the question? How many letters in each word? Now the numbers are reduced to a single number. The number is then interpreted. We have two categories of numbers: Odd and even. Odd numbers indicates a negative answer; even numbers indicates a positive answer. The numbers can tell you both the time it will take before the question might be fulfilled, and how good (or bad) the result will be.

Tasseomancy - Tea Leaf Reading
The art of reading tea leaves is referred to as Tasseomancy. This form of foretelling the future is strongly associated with the Gypsies and was practiced in European countries. During a reading the client drinks a cup of tea but leaves a small amount in the bottom of the cup. The person whose leaves are being read should drink the tea. The cup is then turned upside down on a saucer. The tea leaf reader picks up the cup and reads the patterns formed by the tea leaves. Various symbols have certain meanings. Time frames are estimated by the proximity of the leaves to the rim. Leaves closest to the rim represent the immediate future.


Predictions may be right or wrong as they are based on probability. But is it possible to really look into the future? That is debatable. How else can one explain the 16th century Nostradamus’ mysterious quatrains that are claimed to conceal information about future events? Do these writings actually predict the death of great people, rise of tyrants, and natural catastrophes to come? Or are the quatrains ambiguous enough that they can be interpreted to predict any occurrence. On July 1, 1566 Nostradamus offered his final prediction to his priest. In response to the priest's farewell of "Until tomorrow," Nostradamus is said to have answered: "You will not find me alive at sunrise." Nostradamus died that night.

Prediction or coincidence? You decide.