Astrology and Divination

"Is it possible to predict the future?" This is the question that most often comes up when people think of divination. But divination is much more than mere fortune-telling. Divination provides one with insight and guidance. It is a way of contacting the unconscious part of the human mind and accessing psychic abilities. Astrology and Divination offers an overview of the history and forms of divination. It focuses especially on astrology and the Tarot but also looks at dreams, augurs, dice, the I Ching, palmistry, and other oracular methods. It is the perfect introduction to these time-honored methods of guidance and personal reflection.

Throughout history, people have experienced amazing things that they could not fully explain. From encounters with strange creatures to sightings of mysterious flying lights, and from ghostly apparitions to visions of the future, these occurrences have fueled the idea that entities, powers, and dimensions may exist outside the boundaries of the everyday world. Each book in the Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena series examines one area of the paranormal. Designed to inspire readers' imaginations while informing them of the known facts, these books are written by occult experts with firsthand experience in paranormal investigations.

Children's Literature

The "Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena" series for young adults is written from the perspective that, although occult phenomena cannot be explained or proved, they do exist. Starting with a Foreword by "one of the foremost authorities on the paranormal," this volume distinguishes divination from prophecy and insists that, far from predicting the future, practitioners try to connect each person with their inner self or the Higher Self (a term from Carl Jung). "Intuitive Divination" is described as connecting with the divine through dreams, oracles, or prophets like biblical Daniel or the Delphic oracle. (Other ancient oracles were Roman augurs who searched the skies for signs and Babylonians who studied the stars, thus inventing astrology and astronomy.) The author suggests teens can be their own oracles by "scrying" with quartz crystal balls, mirrors, or still water. Modern oracles often look to the human body for signs (e.g., palmistry) or seek significance in numbers. Readers will learn about astrology, the zodiac, and alternate systems like the Chinese zodiac. Place, an artist, is especially interested in the Tarot; he shows and explains colorful Tarot cards, both historical and modern, to give an idea of their symbolism and use in divination. Teens are urged to search for this wisdom through ancient methods like astrology or I Ching, more modern ones like runes and the Tarot, or through the oldest but most available avenue, their own dreams. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft