This book is by Time Life books
As the book starts that the history is full of astonishing predictions. This book is all about them, one way or the other everybody believes in them, everybody has a curiosity to know a little about what their future holds. There have been lots of ways that people see their future through, superstitious it may be but still it has been coming through for generations, future through reading the position of stars (kundli), hand reading, face reading readings through cards (Tarot), Numerology (the study of numbers), Graphology (the study of handwritings) etc etc,
Every age has had its visionaries, people who seem to have a second sight that enables them to see in the future. Even the farmer hoping to gauge the behavior of the weather through the birds is really asking what result tomorrow will bring to his harvest. Many future events are predictable like the sun will rise in the east, we all shall die one day, these are natural patterns but unique patterns are impossible to foresee like what day at what hour one shall die? Which location on the exact will the earthquake hit? Many people have possessed the vision denied to even scientist and scholars they were call “prophets”
This book writes about great prophets and stories which have come along with them for ages and centuries, about its occurrence in different places, the stories of the French, British, Romans, The Greeks and many more. It tells you a lot about different ways of viewing the coming future. An 18th century portrait of Nostradamus by an unknown artist shows what the scholars believe is a telescope, symbolizing his astral preoccupations. The device is an anachronism; astronomers of Nostradamus day had no telescopes. Nostradamus’s enduring influence partly with his uncertainty, for years people have managed to read something meaningful from his verses. This book tells us a lot about great people who had viewed the future long before it came, though they did not claim to be prophets.
There were people who did not have the foresight could read through things, like reading through natural divination. In the modern world reading tea leaves and gazing crystal ball are more familiar methods but there are many more traditional methods like in Capnomancy: reading from the way the rising smoke drifts in the wind, Apantomancy: what happens when animals meet you like the famous superstition that when a black cat cross your way its bad luck; Anthropomancy: reading through the sacrifice. For example in Nepal a Gurang, people in farming can by the shape and color of a birds lungs foretell sickness or good fortune.
As western culture grew such techniques became more formal but in the early years the Greek and the Romans assumed every natural event to be a message from God himself, but there are always flaws as human are bound to make mistakes like in the case of Athenian General Nicias who was seeking to capture Syracuse in sea battle, only to be Opposed and prevented by the city defenders. On the night the Greek ships were to retreat the moon who was supposed to guide them back home was hidden by an eclipse. Since Nicias usual seer had died he took support of a substitute who in turn explained the eclipse to be a message of God and asked to delay the retreat for 27 days or till the next moon cycle, as a result 27000 soldiers were killed and remaining 13000 lives ended in slavery and Nicias himself was killed and his body displayed on city wall.
On the other hand in Rome, the main divination practiced was Augury: Roman religious officials who foretold events by observing and interpreting signs and omens. They practiced divination by the inspection of the liver of animals, the livers pyramid shape projection. A large one was good sign but a split one sign of disruption. It is said that the priest of Julius Caesar had discovered a liver of a sacrificed bull had no processus pyramidal at all and warned his master to watch out for his life, which Caesar ignored and died as a result with 23 dagger wounds inflicted by his close associates.
Sixty miles from the river Niger, is a West African tribe called the Dogon, in these tribes the village fortune tellers read future through cowrie shells in a straw basket.
Actually to believe augurs and old fashioned prophets may no longer play an important role in the society but the beliefs still do. Four leaf clovers still represent good luck.
A vision in the sacred lake of lhamo latso has been said to have guided a Tibetan council to their new spiritual ruler; the 14th Dalai Lama who at that time was only 2 years.
Another one of the technique is known as Tasseography: tea –leaf reading, this art was born in China but today Ireland is said to have the best tea readers.
The amazing knowledge to view future through the swinging of a pendulum or the technique of Gemology: future through reading precious stones, developed by Ursula Markham is a very interesting coverage
Many topics have been given equal importance and detailed information like:
Palm reading – For centuries people have believed about individual destiny previewed on the palm. Palmistry is a vast study of once strengths and weakness in character. The study of the lines, mounts, valleys, markings, shape, and size of hand tells a lot about one self.
Moleoscopy – the study of the moles on once body through their position.
Physiognomy – the prediction of character and fate through analyzing the face ( Face reading)
Phrenology – science of the mind
Gypsy Arts – the famous gypsy fortune tellers, this art generated from India (U would have heard about the Banjare’s)
Graphology – the art of reading a person through their handwriting
Numerology – the study through numbers – the person’s birth chart contains 4 basic numbers, three drawn from the name given at birth and one from the birth date.
Dice – telling the future with dice ( something you shall enjoy the most to read and follow)
The magic of Tarot – Tarot card reading
Friends what I have written here is just a percent about the whole book. I have given a few examples from the book itself coz I personally felt that other examples shall not justify the knowledge and coverage. Visions and prophecies answers a lot of question one has about the techniques which have existed for centuries and the curiosity that it arises.
The book is worth a read, the knowledge, the ways and the stories are intriguing.