In ancient times, when there was not only the Internet, but even the telephone, information had to be obtained in very unusual ways. For example, the well-known Giuseppe Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro, widely practiced hydromancy in his famous sessions (divination on a ball filled with water). According to contemporaries, this wandering magician adorned the hall for his performances with grim solemnity. Black silk, golden brocade, candles in heavy candelabra, crucifix on the wall, Kabbalistic symbols, skulls, vessels with various liquids. In the center of the composition rose a crystal ball with clear water. After the spells that Cagliostro muttered supposedly in Arabic, the water in the ball became cloudy. Giuseppe Balsamo's wife gazed intently into the depths of the sphere and talked about what she sees inside. For greater conviction, the ball was highlighted from the inside. Anyone could see in it both the figures of people and the prophetic inscriptions. True, the citizens, new to physics, mistook the usual process of transmitting images through a slide projector for mysticism. The prophetess of Lorenz (in the world, Mrs. Balsamo) skillfully supported the interest. Attractive appearance, artistic abilities and personal impressions gained while traveling in Europe, allowed this lady to keep the attention of the audience. I must say that Count Cagliostro himself made a good fortune, satisfying the idle curiosity of naive simpletons. True, like most of the great foretellers, he failed to foresee even his own fate and ended his life in prison, in the fortress of St. Leo.
Unfortunately, the number of people who want to profit from someone else's curiosity and superstition has not decreased today. Even the imagination of Count Cagliostro fades before modern forecasters and magicians. Let’s take such a trick as the appearance on paper of coffins and crosses. By the way, it was based on the well-known fortune-telling on ashes. In front of the client’s eyes, the fortuneteller pours powder onto a clean sheet of paper, most often ashes, then shakes it off and the contours of the coffin or grave cross appear before the eyes of an amazed person. The reason for this is, of course, the adhesive composition to which the particles adhere. But the impressionable visitor, while others do not go to fortune-tellers, is already scared and ready to part with a tidy sum in order to remove damage from himself.
By the way, fortune telling on ashes, wax, tar and other plastic materials is just a klondike for all kinds of scammers posing as predictors. After all, they need to be understood in obscure spots with strange outlines. In addition, only the predictor himself can know about the significance of this or that blam. That's where there is room for imagination. Tell more horrors and suggest fate to correct. Of course, not for free.
I must say that fortune telling on the ashes is familiar to almost all of us. After all, this is the simplest and most affordable Christmas fortune-telling. In addition, it looks quite spectacular. The only pity is that the predictions here depend solely on the mood of the fortuneteller. A person is in a good mood - he will certainly see something pleasant for himself. A pessimistic companion will easily see anything threatening in any figure. As you can see, fortune telling on the ashes is more of an entertainment than a prediction. The same can be said about divination by wax or coffee grounds. However, there was once such a fortuneteller - Madame Lenormand. So, she could tell everyone about this and about her spouse about this very thick coffee lady. True, evil tongues claimed that Madame used the services of spies. And the cities at that time were not so great.
From the point of view of fortunetelling practices and the science of psychology, Arabian fortune telling by points in the sand is very curious. Its essence boils down to the fact that a fortuneteller must connect arbitrary points to each other. The picture obtained as a result will be the answer to the question asked. The veracity of the testimony of such a fortune-telling can be very high, because the intuition of a person is directly involved in the process. By the way, divination by points formed the basis of psychoanalysis based on fractal patterns.
No doubt, unusual fortune-telling, funny predictions and other fun can entertain you and your friends. It is possible that at some point in life you will want to turn to fortune-telling in earnest. But try to get around modern Madame Lenormand and the Counts of Cagliostro on a long journey. Nothing but material damage, in this case you are not waiting.