OCCULTISM—FORTUNE TELLING
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
—II Tim. 4:3
3950 95% Fake
Kurt Koch, after 30 years’ study of the evils of occultism, concluded that “possibly 95% of all fortune-telling, or even more, can be regarded as a matter of fraud, fake and the making of money.” The last 5% would then depend on extrasensory powers.
But whether fortune-telling comes via fraudulent people or through demon-possessed mediums, by virtue of its suggestive character, it should be avoided at all times.
3951 Mother Kills Son
A woman enters a police station and confessed that she had shot and killed her son. She did it because an astrologer predicted her ill son will never regain mental health. To save her son from a horrible future, she killed him. The woman was arrested, but the astrologer went free.
3952 She Was Conditioned To Die
A minister told me about the following counseling experience he had. He was called to see a member of his congregation who was sick. The woman told him that she would die within a few days. This had been prophesied by a fortune-teller. The minister attempted to disillusion her. He promised to stay with her on the day in question if she wanted him to. The doctor could find nothing physically wrong with the woman. The minister visited the woman several times endeavoring to be of some encouragement to her. The day came and nothing happened. She was all right.
—Kurt Koch
3953 Prophesy By Chicken
The early Romans developed a strange kind of “prophesy by chicken.” Hens were put in a cage with food. If they ate greedily, it was a good omen. But if they ignored their meal or showed only a little interest, it was an unfavorable sign.
As in the case of Israel, however, this method of determining the future was open to abuse, and on occasions the chicken were starved beforehand to get the desired prediction. But even this didn’t always work, and during the first Punic War, one frustrated consul threw his hens into the ocean, declaring, “Let them drink if they won’t eat.”
—M. R. De Haan II
3954 Alectromancy
Alectromancy is the art of divination by a rock. Draw a circle, and write in succession round it the letters of the alphabet, on each of which lay a grain of corn. Then put a cock in the centre of the circle, and watch what grains he eats. The letters will prognosticate the answer. Libanius and Jamblicus thus discovered who was to succeed the emperor Valens. The cock ate the grains over the letters t, h, e, o, d—Theod(orus).
—E. Cobham Brewer
3955 Superstitious Signs
There is the widespread belief that certain signs herald particular events. For example: an itching nose means something new, a cat washing over its ears means a visitor, a dog eating grass is a sign of rain, the ace and queen of spades signify death, a knife sticking in the floor means disaster, a ringing in the ears means either bad news or someone is talking about one, and so we could go on.
Birdcalls also have certain meanings attached to them. Hence the barn owl’s cry means death, the cuckoo’s call means a wish fulfilled, the green woodpecker’s cry is a sign of rain, etc. Also a raven on the roof heralds bad luck, killing a plover means losing a lover, and as we have said, seeing a magpie implies coming sorrow.
3956 On Dreams
It is unlucky to recount a dream before breakfast; and dreams themselves have many interpretations attached to them. To dream of a flood heralds misfortune; to dream of owls means an accident is coming; to dream of breaking ice means one will soon be moving, etc. Amongst the flood of occult literature there are many so-called Egyptian dream books which go into the interpretation of all kinds of dreams.
—Selected
3957 What Is Eye-Diagnosis?
A furious battle is being fought today on the subject of eye-diagnosis. Eye-diagnosticians assert that they can see what a person is suffering from merely through looking at the irises. They divide the right iris into sectors and the left iris into rings claiming that each organ of the body is localized within these areas, and so implying that every type of illness can be recognized through characteristic changes produced by it in the iris fibers.
First of all, though, we must point out that there are about ten different systems of eye-diagnosis. It must also be mentioned that in the medical field it is recognized that certain diseases do have a visible effect on the iris, as for example certain forms of rheumatism. Moreover, the eye’s general appearance can supply one with a certain amount of useful information when diagnosing an illness. However, apart from these few factors, medical specialists dismiss the idea of eye-diagnosis.
—Kurt Koch
3958 Tomb Of Eve Gives Advice
The Tomb of Eve in a cemetery near Jedda, Arabia, was visited annually by thousands of Mohammedans who, after dropping a coin in a slot, asked and received Eve’s advice—through a speaking tube. When this alleged mausoleum was ordered destroyed in 1927, the woman who had run the racket from an underground room retired with a fortune.
3959 “One More Question, Please”
The crystal-gazer collected $25 for a reading and told the visitor: “This entitles you to ask me two questions.”
“Isn’t that a lot of money for only two questions?” the startled visitor asked.
“Yes, madam, it is,” answered the fortune-teller gravely. “And now, what is your second question?”
3960 Roosevelt’s Fortune Teller
“The only dependable fortune teller I have known,” said Theodore Roosevelt, “is the life insurance man. He tells you what is going to happen, and it does.”
See also: Curiosity ; Fear ; Hopelessness.