Divination in ashes and wax, the foggy future and the dubious present

In ancient times, when it was not only the Internet, but even the phone, it was necessary to receive information in very unusual ways. For example, the well-known Giuseppe Balsamo, Count Cagliostro, widely practiced hydromancy at his famous sessions (guessing on a balloon filled with water). According to the testimony of contemporaries, this wandering magician decorated the hall for his performances with a gloomy solemnity. Black silk, gold brocade, candles in heavy candelabra, crucifix on the wall, cabbalistic symbols, skulls, vessels with various liquids. In the center of the composition was a crystal ball with clear water. After the incantations that Cagliostro mumbled allegedly in Arabic, the water in the balloon became cloudy. His wife Giuseppe Balsamo gazed intently into the sphere and told what she saw inside. For greater persuasiveness, the balloon was illuminated from the inside. Anyone could see in it both the figures of people, and prophetic inscriptions. True, the townspeople, poorly acquainted with physics, mistook the usual process of translating images through a slide projector for mysticism. Interest skillfully supported and soothsayer Lorentz (in the world, Mrs. Balsamo). Attractive appearance, artistic abilities and personal impressions, acquired in travel across Europe, allowed this lady to keep the attention of the audience. I must say that Count Cagliostro himself has made a good fortune, satisfying the idle curiosity of naive simpletons. True, like most great predictors, he failed to foresee even his own destiny and ended his life in confinement, in the fortress of St. Lion.

Unfortunately, the number of people willing to profit from other people's curiosity and superstition has not decreased. Even the imagination of Count Cagliostro fades before modern predictors and magicians. Take at least such a trick as the appearance on paper coffins and crosses. By the way, it was based on all known fortune-telling on the ashes. In front of the client, the fortune teller pours a powder on a blank sheet of paper, most often just ash, then shakes it off and a clear outline of the coffin or grave cross appears before the amazed man's eyes. The reason for this, of course, is the sticky composition to which the particles adhere. But an impressionable visitor, while others do not go to fortunetellers, is already frightened and ready to part with a tidy sum, in order to remove the spoiling.

By the way, guessing on ash, wax, resin and other plastic materials is just a Klondike for all sorts of scammers posing as predictors. After all, you need to interpret strange spots in them with strange outlines. In addition, only the predictor himself can know about the meaning of this or that bljamba. That's where there is room for imagination. Tell me more horrors and suggest destiny to correct. Of course, it's not free.

I must say that guessing on the ashes of almost every one of us is familiar. After all, this is the simplest and most affordable Christmas fortune-telling. In addition, it looks impressive enough. It's a pity, the predictions here depend solely on the mood of the fortune-teller. A person's good mood will certainly see something pleasant for himself. A pessimistically-minded comrade will easily see something threatening in any figure. As you can see, divination by ashes is more fun than prediction. The same can be said about fortune-telling on wax or coffee grounds. However, there was once such a fortune-teller - Madame Lenorman. So she could tell anyone about this woman and her husband on this coffee grounds. True, evil tongues claimed that Madame used the services of spies. And the cities at that time were not so great.

From the point of view of fortune-telling practices and the science of psychology, it is very curious that Arab fortune-telling on points in the sand. Its essence boils down to the fact that the guesser should connect arbitrary points with each other. The resulting image will be the answer to the question asked. The truthfulness of the testimony of such fortune telling can be very high, because in the process the intuition of a person takes a direct part. By the way, guessing by points formed the basis of psychoanalysis based on fractal drawings.

Undoubtedly, unusual fortune-telling, funny predictions and other fun can entertain you and your friends. It is possible, at some point in life you will want to turn to fortune-telling seriously. But modern madam Lenorman and Count Cagliostro try to avoid the long way. Nothing but material damage, in this case, you do not wait.