By Małgorzata Kaczorowska
21 July 2004

Horoscopes, astrology, natural medicines, dreams and dream books-these are commonly associated with fortune-telling. Everyone, at least once in their life, has sought out what the future holds.

Today, magicians from the past have been replaced by fortune-tellers. "Everybody goes to fortune tellers," says Joanna, a fortune-teller herself. Even celebrities and politicians consult Tarot cards. They are frequently the most faithful clients. "I often have meetings reserved a month in advance," says fortune-teller Tomasz. "I can't reveal my clients' names, but some top politicians visit me regularly. They want to know what they should avoid in the coming weeks and how to proceed to realize their plans and ideas. They sometimes visit fortune-tellers as often as several times a month, particularly before elections or other important events."

A glass ball, Tarot cards, palm reading and stars constitute only a some of the sources of knowledge used by fortune-tellers. How does one become a fortune-teller? First of all, you have to be able to use Tarot cards and read fortunes from the stars and people's palms. It is also helpful if you are not unfamiliar with esoterics-secret knowledge available to only the chosen few insiders. Esoterics propagates a different view of reality, popularizes spiritual development, touches upon topics which science cannot find proper evidence for and therefore rejects. It is usually surrounded by mystery, ancient messages and mystics endowed with supernatural powers. Its assumptions are not verifiable empirically.

One feature shared by all kinds of fortune-telling is the inherent element of magic, practices based on the belief that it is possible to control the external world and the supernatural by means of charms, gestures and other activities known as magical rituals.

Stars and numbers
Two fields of esoteric knowledge are necessary for fortune-telling. Astrology is based on the observation of stars perceived as an illustration of the horoscope. The date of birth is thus of major significance, since the placement of the stars on the day of birth determines a Zodiac sign. It is said to have an influence on one's whole life.

Proper fortune telling also requires numerology-a indispensable element of astrology. The two domains complete each other and intertwine, constituting inherent elements of fortune-telling. Numerology reads the fortune from numbers, based on the conviction that the number associated with a given object (a house, licence plate or telephone number) is inseparably connected with its fate. This is a faith in magical numbers, according to which some numbers are lucky and others unlucky.

However, numerology deals not only with numbers, but also with names. Subsequent numbers are associated with particular writing symbols. Instead of letters from the alphabet, we are left with rows of numbers which can be assigned a magical meaning. The value of the numbers in a given word is added repeatedly until a single magical number is found.

Numerologists do not seem to care that the connection between letters and numbers is purely incidental or that the same word results in a different magical number in different languages or alphabets.

More and more fortune-tellers provide their services over the telephone or online.

In the palm of the hand
Palmistry makes use of a unique terminology whose origins can be traced to astrology. In the course of time, palm reading evolved into a carefully worked-out system of specific, typical and unchangeable signs which to a large extent characterize each person and their personality. According to palmistry experts, everone's character is faithfully depicted on their palm, which constitutes a part of a greater whole. The lines, heights, signs and figures, their shape and intensity, should be examined only in mutual interrelation, as they are all elements of a single unified picture.

The papers
Gwiazdy (Stars), Wróżka (Fortune Teller) and Czwarty Wymiar (The Fourth Dimension) are only a few of the Polish press titles devoted solely to fortune-telling, magic, astrology and paranormal phenomena. They offer a rich source of knowledge for every horoscope reader and anyone looking for hints about how to live in accordance with the stars. These periodicals also feature complex advice varying from exceptionally detailed horoscopes to hints for every day, natural medicine advice and special menus and information on healthy food.

Today horoscopes can be found practically everywhere. They have become so popular that nearly every women's magazine features columns with predictions and warnings for the coming days.

Fakers
Fortune-telling and magic form not only a specific philosophy of life, but also a huge industry. Although press titles are issued in fairly small circulation, the demand for fortune-telling is enormous. This is demonstrated by the crowds at every Esoterics and Astrology Fair.

One should, however, be careful when choosing someone to read our fortune or provide advice. Pseudo-fortune-tellers dressed up like Gypsies can sometimes make an impression on inexperienced clients, but they certainly know nothing about esoterics or professional fortune-telling advice.


Pick a Card...
Tarot is an allegorical-philosophical theory based on 78 representations usually featured on a deck of cards similar to ordinary playing cards. Tarot cards in their present form come from the 15th century. The oldest preserved Tarot decks date back to around 1450. Two decks are the most famous: the Viscontis' Tarot made for Filippo Maria Visconti of the duke family in Milan; and the cards of the Visconti-Sforza family, made by someone called Bombo.

Around that time, the number of cards in a deck and the basic symbols were specified, as were relations between cards and their division into groups. In the 18th century, Tarot was embraced by fortune-tellers, occultists and movements which defined themselves as esoteric. Around the same time, many searched for Tarot's associations with Jewish kaballah and the Tree of Life. For example, particular cards were assigned consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

A contemporary Tarot deck contains 78 cards in two basic groups called:
- Major Arcana-22 cards;
- Minor Arcana-56 cards.
French and English occultists at the turn of the 20th century had the strongest influence on today's structure and interpretation of the Tarot. Their studies were founded on the esoteric system of the cabala. Most cards designed in the 20th century rely on cabalistic notions in their structure, symbolism and interpretation. Leading and typical examples are the decks Rider-Waite Tarot by Arthur Edward Wait, with images by Pamela Colman Smith, and Toth Tarot by Aleister Crowley. In the 19th century, an association called Golden Dawn was established in Great Britain, which employed a system of esoteric expertise-a synthesis of cabala, Tarot and astrology. Part of a meditation system related to the cabalistic Tree of Life was the contemplation of Tarot cards as the highest and the most perfect kind of cognition.


It's in the Numbers
In many cultures, digits and numbers are assigned symbols:
1 unity in the sense of loneliness or reunion, creation of an inseparable whole. In some religions, one is associated with the unity of God (Judaism, Christianity and Islam; in Hinduism, Brahman-God creator-is a unity as well).
2 perceived as a pair, that is, two elements that make one. It is thus a symbol of marriage. It also symbolizes the duality of the world (good/evil) and two elements which complement each other and are thus contradictory. The number can be related to the Chinese sign showing the interdependence of the yin-yang forces and perfect harmony that results from the combination of the two.
3 in many religions, three is a digit which denotes divinity, holiness and perfection, for example, the Christian Trinity or the divine trinity in Hinduism.
4 it can symbolize the four corners of the world, the four elements and earth in general (and thus fertility).
6 six is associated with Satan, but it can also stand for luck, as this is the highest number of points on traditional playing dice.
7 in Judaism and Christianity, seven is regarded as a symbol of infinity and thus God. The seventh day of the week (Saturday or Sunday) is a day devoted to God.
9 in Chinese civilization the number is regarded as having extraordinary power, origins of this meaning can be found in The Book of Changes, The Book of Rituals and others.
10 this number is important in the Bible-the Ten Commandments.
12 stands for order: 12 months, 12 Zodiac signs (also in the Chinese Zodiac), 12 knights of the Round Table; in the Bible: 12 apostles and 12 tribes of Israel.
13 today regarded as a sign bad luck, which apparently originated from Christianity and the fact that 13 people took part in the Last Supper (when Jesus said he would be betrayed by one of the participants).
40 this number occurs frequently in the Bible. The Jews' wandered in the desert for 40 years, the reigns of David and Solomon were also 40 years long; Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for 40 days, as did Jesus in the desert. The number thus symbolizes completion.

Moreover, numbers in Hebrew (1-10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 300 and 400) are attributed to consecutive letters of the alphabet.

send to a friend	print article