What don't fortune tellers tell you?

Divination is the process or activity of making predictions about the future based on a sign or phenomenon. Divination has been practiced for millennia, and people have always longed to know what the future holds for us. Different methods are often used to predict the future.

Does the fortune teller know what he is doing?

A fortune teller is a person who makes predictions. They come from a variety of backgrounds, training, and prediction methods. Although fortune telling is not a scientifically proven method of predicting future events, some fortune tellers may appear to be knowledgeable and trustworthy. There are several explanations for this.

The best fortune tellers are often people with strong intuition and analytical thinking skills who understand people, their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and are able to interpret and analyze them. Fortune tellers can provide a sense of understanding and concern for their concerns and can provide clarity and guidance. To be successful in fortune telling, it is important for the fortune teller to be credible. They may use persuasive and emotional language to give the impression that they have special talent and knowledge. Many fortune tellers use general statements in their predictions that can be interpreted and adapted to different situations or people.

Regardless of the fortune teller's method, the basic process is the same: searching for meaning in random patterns and phenomena. People carefully examine the results of fortune telling, trying to make sense of them. The human brain is very good at finding or creating meaning even when there is none, for example in random patterns. This is why people see faces, meaningful shapes, and other familiar motifs in clouds, In Rorschach inkblots and coffee grounds. This phenomenon is called pareidolia.

Most often, people turn to fortune tellers who are willing to cooperate with the fortune teller and seek guidance in various aspects of their lives. They may be willing to believe the fortune teller's words and advice that confirm their existing beliefs or prejudices. In addition, people may remember and focus only on the parts of the predictions that come true, forgetting or ignoring those that do not.

Self-fulfilling prophecies are also known as predictions. This is a phenomenon where people start to act according to a prediction given to them, which in turn affects their behavior and decision-making, which can lead to the prediction coming true. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your beliefs and attitudes and try to create positive and supportive mindsets that help you achieve the desired results.

Pros and cons of divination

Arguments in favor of prediction

• Predictions can provide people with emotional support and confidence about the future, even when there is no scientific basis for believing in the predictions. Knowing or believing that the future has a set direction, or that events are predestined, can help alleviate anxiety and fear about the unknown. 
• Fortune telling can be a tool for self-discovery, helping people understand their own personality, behavioral patterns, and deepest desires. It can provide self-awareness and help people guide their personal development.
• However, fortune telling is mainly for entertainment and sometimes linked to cultural practices.

Counterarguments to prediction

• Divination methods are not scientifically proven ways to predict future events. Predictions are often based on subjective interpretations that have not been scientifically verified or validated.
• Predictions are neither accurate nor reliable. The future is affected by many variables and unexpected events that are difficult to predict. No matter how thorough the prediction, there will always be uncertainty about the future.
• Overreliance on prediction can lead to addiction. When people start to base their decisions and life choices solely on predictions, they can lose their personal responsibility and autonomy.
• Fortune telling is not always the same and based on consistent principles. Different fortune tellers may give different interpretations or conflicting predictions, which can cause confusion and uncertainty.

Although fortune telling can be an interesting way of self-discovery and thought development, its accuracy and scientific reliability are questionable. Fortune telling should be approached critically and consciously and should not be considered absolute truth. It is important to remember that a person's own choices, actions and decisions are very important in shaping their life.

The scientific basis of prediction

Divination involves a variety of methods and approaches, often based on subjective beliefs, intuition, traditions, or cultural practices, but lacking a scientific basis. Thus, divination is not a science-based field, as it does not meet scientific methods and standards that require the use of evidence, repeated experiments, and empirical evidence. Furthermore, there are studies that have found the potential negative effects of divination on humans.

People rely on superstitions – including divination – to cope with feelings of uncertainty, high psychological stress, and low perceived control. This can greatly influence people to make riskier decisions. Xiaoyue et al.'s research "Positive fortune telling enhances men's financial risk taking" The results confirm that predictions promoted greater financial risk tolerance, especially among men and even when people themselves stated that they did not believe the predictions.

Grall-Bronnec et al. in their study "Fortune telling addiction: Unfortunately a serious topic

About a case report” described the possible negative impact of fortune telling on life based on a case study. People's risk factors for developing addictive behavior are individual, and fortune telling can be considered one of the objects of addiction. Especially since fortune telling is also possible by phone and on the Internet, is anonymous, accessible, and available. 

Considering the potential negative impact of fortune telling on a person's life and the fact that it is not a scientifically proven method, it is recommended to find a more effective and supportive alternative.

Common prediction methods

There are many different methods of prediction, and among them you can find both modern and traditional prediction techniques and practices. In addition to individual predictions, New Year's predictions and a review of last year's predictions are very popular. For example, at the beginning of this year, many analyzed the fulfillment of predictions for 2022. We will describe the most well-known prediction methods.

• Divination with fortune telling and playing cards

Divination is possible with both regular playing cards and cards specially designed for divination. Tarot cards are the most well-known divination cards. In divination with tarot cards, interpretation is usually based on the random appearance and arrangement of the cards.

• Astrology or divination by celestial bodies

Astrologers make assumptions about a person's character, their strengths and areas for development, susceptibility to diseases and possible dangers in life based on the position of the planets. Astrology is often used to predict the future. We have also written about this in our blog before. about horoscopes, their reliability and impact on people's lives.

• Palmistry

Palmistry involves examining the shape, length, depth, and position of the lines on each finger, palm, and back of the hand. For example, the fortune teller examines the heart line, head line, life line, fate line, and other lines on the hand.

• Fortune telling with runes

Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet. The fortune teller interprets the message of the chosen rune and tries to find an answer to the question or topic about which he or she was making a prediction.

• Numerology

Numerology attempts to obtain information or make predictions by analyzing the spelling of names or numerical parameters.

• Fortune telling based on dreams

There are people who believe that dreams can give a premonition of upcoming events, and they try to find interpretations and explanations for their dreams. We have covered this in our previous blog post the topic of dream interpretation.

• Fortune telling on coffee grounds

After drinking the coffee, the coffee grounds in the cup are examined. Each symbol or pattern in the coffee grounds is assigned a specific meaning according to the tradition of fortune telling on a cup of coffee or the fortune teller's personal interpretation.

Prediction alternatives

Although there are many people who are interested in predictions and follow the New Year's predictions with interest or turn to a fortune teller themselves in Tallinn or elsewhere, looking for contacts of foreign or Estonian fortune tellers in the newspaper, the Internet, social media or on the recommendation of an acquaintance. There are many alternatives to fortune telling that can help people guide their unknown future. 

• By tracking trends, it is possible to analyze past trends and the assumption of their continuation in the future. For example, if we notice that a certain phenomenon has increased over time, we can assume that this growth will continue in the future.
• Statistical methods can use mathematical algorithms to analyze past data, identify patterns, and predict future events. 
• Expert opinions are based on the subjective judgments or experiences of experts in the field under study. For example, when predicting the future of the economy, economic experts may make their own predictions.
• Future-oriented research is carried out in certain fields, especially in science and technology.

If a person is interested in fortune telling from a personal life perspective, there are also more effective and efficient alternatives to fortune telling, which, among other things, help reduce uncertainty and tension regarding what is happening in life.

• Self-analysis and focus on personal development, i.e. taking proactive steps towards self-improvement, developing skills, knowledge and personal qualities that can lead to personal and professional growth and the fulfillment of goals and desires.
• Counseling provides support and guidance for emotional healing and personal growth. The goal is to relieve stress and better understand your feelings and behaviors. Healthy Living Center services These include psychological counseling, couple and family therapy, individual psychotherapy, and spiritual care.
• CoachingIt helps you identify values, goals, and priorities, and create a plan to achieve your desired outcomes. This can include identifying obstacles, developing strategies to overcome them, and creating accountability for moving toward your goals.
• Faith and religion can help relieve anxiety, depression, and stress, and religious activities such as prayer and meditation can help focus on positive thoughts and increase self-esteem. People often feel a supportive support system in their lives and understand greater meaning in their lives.

Summary

Fortune telling, whether it be fortune telling with cards, calling a fortune teller, or the like, is not the best way to deal with uncertainty, nor is it a scientifically proven way to predict the future. The accuracy of predictions can be largely subjective, and the future is always uncertain. Fortune tellers may be confident in their abilities, but this does not always guarantee accurate predictions. It is therefore important to approach predictions with an open, critical, and realistic mind and not to take them as absolute truths.