Ways and Means to Predict the Future Quiz

Answer: Hand

Palmistry is the most common name, but other names can be used as chirognomy, chirology, or chiromancy. A very intricate reading form that entails many factors. The whole hand is used not just the palms.

Answer: True

Oriental astrology, especially used in China, is based on animals and a 12-year cycle. The animals are rat, buffalo, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Answer: handwriting

This was used in ancient China and the Roman times. The monks from the Middle Ages also studied it. Carl Jung was very interested in graphology as he concluded that it was a way to study a person's personality and character. Some of the factors in handwriting, which are analysed, are: slant, pressure and spacing.

Answer: Astrology

Astrology involves the effects of the sun, moon, and the eight planets of the solar system upon all aspects of a person. The horoscope or birth chart is a symbolic map showing the potential and characteristics of a person born at a particular time and place.

Answer: face

Aristotle is mostly regarded as the person that devised physiognomy. Pythagoras, Socrates and Hippocrates are also linked to it. The full face is used and as well as the profile. Every aspect is analysed, being the shape, profile, forehead, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and chin.

Answer: Runes

Traditionally the runic symbols were carved or burned onto small oblong pieces of wood, or engraved on copper, bronze or gold disks. The legend that surrounds the rune symbols, meaning and knowledge is that they came from Odin, the one eyed god of wisdom and the protector of heroes. To gain this knowledge, Odin hung from the world tree Yggdrasil (giant ash tree which in Norse methodology supported the universe) for nine days and nights, without food and water.

Answer: Arcana

In a standard tarot pack, there are 78 cards. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits: swords, wands, cups and pentacles (other names can be used, i.e. discs). The Major Arcana is the other 22 cards. The exact origin of the tarot is not conclusive. Some of the places where it is thought to have originated are Egypt, India, and Arabia.

Answer: Yes

Dominoes have been used for centuries. Their use in China for this activity was very popular.

Answer: Forehead

Metoposcopy was founded by an Italian who was Gerolamo or Girolamo Cardano, aka Jerome Cardan (1501-1576). He derived at metoposcopy through astrology and observations of hundreds of faces. In 1570, he was not allowed to publish his work and was imprisoned for heresy.

He is believed to have starved himself to death to prove the validity of metoposcopy. Metoposcopy divides the forehead into seven parallel 'strips' which hold planetary lines that are interpreted.

Answer: Yes

This type of divination falls under necromancy. The ouija board is a recent form of divination. Elijah J Wood in 1891, an American, patented it. Unfortunately, it is often 'played' and regarded as a game or a form of light entertainment, which has placed this tool into a negative light.

Answer: Mobile writing device

A planchette is a small board, etc., that is on castors and raised, which supports a pencil. Planchettes are often used to aid spirit writing in a group situation. Spirit writing can be achieved without this device.

Answer: Phrenology

Dr Franz Gall in Vienna in 1796 was a practicing physician, who announced that his research showed that as a person thinks, it affects the shape of the brain, which in turn, affects the formation of the skull. This results in irregularities in the skull's surface.

These irregularities or 'bumps' are called 'faculties' or 'organs' by phrenologists. Dr Gall and his followers classified 42 separate faculties, each corresponding with a particular facet of the personality.

Answer: Analyse your birth date

Numerology is also known as arithmomancy. It involves the calculation of a person's birth date into numbers. These numbers then are often placed on a grid and analysed. Often a person's name is calculated and incorporated into the chart.

Answer: Biorhythm

Biorhythms help a person to plot their days and activities. They enable a person to predict their 'peak' days when activities can be carried out so they have the greatest chance of success. Critical days can also be seen, so care can thus be taken.

Answer: No

Dream interpretation is known as oneiromancy. Freud is one of the 'modern' day users of dream interpretations. Dreams that do not foretell the future and have no prophetic value include those that: (a) occurring during the early part of the night (b) caused by indigestion or illness (c) have a reasonable outside cause - noise, temperature, sleeping position, etc. (d) caused by a disturbing book, television program, etc. and (e) concerning the events of the previous day. If a person has a normal sleeping pattern it has been found that precognitive dreams usually occur between the hours of 3.00am to 7.00am.

Answer: No

Psychometry involves a person holding an object to help them do a reading. Clairaudience involves 'hearing' but technically, there is no object involvement. However, the two can be used in conjunction.

Answer: Yes

The word scry means to look or see. Therefore, you look or scry into a crystal ball. Scrying can be done using numerous methods, some of these are: still pool of water, bowl or bucket of water, pool of ink, upright glass mirror, disc of brightly polished steel.

Answer: True

The normal pack of 52 playing cards is used. Instead of the divisions in the tarot (swords, pentacles, cups and wands), the normal card division are used, being hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. There is no difference in the quality of reading that can be given to that of the tarot deck.

Answer: China

This is a system of wisdom and prediction that is said to be well over 5,000 years old. I Ching was not introduced to the western World until last century. Yarrow stalks or coins can be used. To make the system far simpler, cards have been introduced.

Answer: Yes

Coffee grounds can be interpreted in the same way as tealeaves, but it has to be ground, unstrained coffee. The meanings of the shapes are virtually identical, but because of the fineness of the grounds, there are a few differences. For example: a triangle means luck, wavy lines a journey, a square means joy and a cross foretells suffering in the future.

Answer: ring

Dowsing is not exclusive to the outdoors in finding water, minerals, etc.; it is often used for prediction. Dowsing comes under radiesthology. A wire coat hanger, if cut properly, is an excellent tool to dowse with outside. In prediction, anything can be used to dowse with, but it should be able to swing freely. Keys and needles are an example.

Answer: Yes

Divination by aleuromancy was common until the 9th century. Aleuromancy involved all the answers to a specific question written on slips of paper. These then were rolled up and baked inside small balls of dough. The querant chose a ball and broke it open to find the answer.

Answer: lead

Molybdomancy uses lead. If wax is used it is ceromancy. In some parts of continental Europe, molybdomancy is still used on New Year's Eve to discover the coming events for the next year. In ceromancy, if an initial is formed, that is the initial of the person who would marry you.

Answer: Fire

Pyromancy is the overall name used for any method that involves fire. Under this name, come other names for the different methods using fire, such as lampadomancy, lychnomancy and lithomancy, to name a few.

Answer: Yes

Using dominoes is a form of sortilege. Ordinary dominoes are used. The use of such was first recorded in China in the 12th century BC.