Fortune telling goes way back further than the romani gypsy image that we sometimes refer to as a “fortune teller” today. In fact, evidence indicates that fortune telling in one form or another was practiced in ancient Egypt, China, Chaldea (modern day Southern Iraq) and Babylon (an ancient town from over 4,000 years ago, ruins of which are located in modern day Iraq), as long ago as 4,000 bce.
In ancient egypt, Oneiromancy (from the two Greek words Greek όνειροϛ oneiros, dream and μαντεία manteia, prophecy), meaning prophetic dream, was relied upon to predict the future. Ancient egyptians also believed dreams were like oracles, bringing messages from the gods. It is known that they used to “incubate”, or induce dreams to gain even more information. The dreamer may feel as though they’re being transported to another time or place, providing divine information upon their return.
In ancient Mayan culture (between 900bc and 900ad), astrology and mathematics were used to make predictions of the future. For example, the Mayans were the ones who predicted the world would end in 2012 (which of course turned out to be untrue luckily!)
In 1555, french astrologer Nostradamus, known for his book “Les Prophéties”, a collection of prophetic poems written in 1555, made some chilling predictions which have turned out to be true, including the French revolution, the development of the atomic bomb and even the 911 terrorist attacks.
In China, fortune telling was, and still remains, an important aspect of society in divining the future. During the Ming Dynasty (from 1368 to 1644), we see evidence of fortune tellers in literary works. Fortune tellers would travel on foot, walking street by street carrying signs showing people their offerings, or set up booths at temples and at city entrances.
In modern day China, fortune tellers are a respected part of social and business culture - they take on the role equivalent to business consultant or psychotherapist in Western society.
One of the oldest, most recognised fortune tellers is Marie Anne Lenormand, who in 1786, at 14 years old, ran away from the convent school where she was raised to go to Paris, learning the art of cartomancy (fortune telling using a desk of cards). Here she worked for 40 years as a fortune teller, advising Napoleon’s wife and other important figures of the time.
In more modern times, over the last few centuries, we often associate fortune telling with romani gypsies. It is widely believed that Roma women are some of the most outstanding fortune tellers. The history of romani gypsies as fortune tellers is thought to have formed from the fact that as a community, they’ve never associated themselves with a particular national identity or homeland, meaning they’ve often been displaced in society. Modern day female romani psychics can often be found in large cities, most commonly in the USA, operating from street level parlors.
In today’s world, the term “fortune telling” refers to any act of divination, or predicting of someone’s future, that one may perform using tarot cards, a crystal ball, through palmistry, and many other forms and tools.
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