Ancestry Magazine

Tarot cards. Crystal balls. Psychics. Fortune cookies. Whether you’re a believer or not, you can’t deny that mortals have spent thousands of years trying to unlock the mysteries of the supernatural and change their fates by divining the future.

( ca. 2000 BC )
You have probably heard that Druids were pagan tree worshippers. What you might not know is that they are actually the religious leaders of Celtic tribes who practice the ancient art of scrying. Using mirrors, polished crystals, or even bowls of water, the Druids could peer into the past or foresee the future.

( 750 BC )
Vapors emanate from a crevice in the earth. A priestess hunches over the mist in a trance, muttering unintelligibly. In ancient Greece, this is your psychic hotline. Kings and peasants alike come from distant lands to consult the spirit of Apollo at the oracle of Delphi. Many a war was started— or avoided—based on the priestess’s say-so.

( 400 BC )
Did your doctor read your palm during your last yearly checkup? No? Maybe she should have. Greek physician Hippocrates (otherwise known as the “father of medicine”) is known to use palmistry to help diagnosis his patients.

( ca. 200 )
Almost 2,000 years before Freud proposes that dreams are simply wish fulfillment, Greek diviner Artemidorus writes his own book on dream interpretation, Oneirocritica.

( 1500s )
Instead of your regular cup of joe, why not try a cup of Turkish coffee? You can have your morning boost and your fortune told at the same time. The Chinese have been reading tea leaves for centuries. And when the Turks discover coffee they adapt the leftover grounds for the same purpose. After sipping the coffee, the cup is tipped over and the symbols are studied. See a bird? A bit of good news might be on the way.

( 1555 )
Nostradamus publishes the first edition of his Les Propheties. Royal families across Europe summon the soothsayer to read their horoscopes. Inspired seer? Heretic? Vague prognosticator? You decide.

( 1807 )
The Empress Josephine of France consults Mademoiselle Lenormand, a fortune-teller and card reader, who predicts that Napoleon will divorce her—which he does, two years later.

( 1850 )
A trio of sisters—Kate, Leah, and Margaret Fox—cause a sensation in New York with their ability to communicate with the dead. Years later, one sister confesses that the knocking sounds thought to be spirits were actually the girls cracking the joints in their toes.

( 1987 )
Who’s in charge? When Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign an arms treaty in 1987, the date and time of the event is determined by Nancy Reagan’s astrologer, Joan Quigley.

( 2008 )
When New Year’s arrives, who doesn’t want to know what the coming year holds? At Shinto shrines across Japan, you can pick an omikuji and find out. An omikuji is a folded paper fortune that contains specific degrees of luck, from great blessings to unfortunate calamities. Good fortunes go home with you. Bad fortunes can be tied to a nearby post or tree—leaving your bad luck for the gods to deal with.