The Book of Divination

by Ann Fiery

What does the future hold in store for you? What secrets lie hidden in your stars (or in your cup of tea)? Since ancient times, humankind has sought to divine the future, devising myriad ways to decipherand even controlthe mysterious workings of fate. The details of these fortunetelling practices have been kept closely guarded through the ages. Now they are revealed in one comprehensive illustrated volume. The Book of Divination leads readers on a fascinating exploration of the great divinatory practices of the Western worldfrom astrology and tarot to haruspicy (not advised for the this is divination by the reading of animal entrails). With wry humor and explanations clearer than a crystal ball, author Ann Fiery recounts the remarkable histories of these various occult systems and explains how each method is used. Brimming with fabulous illustrations from ancient texts and little-known art collections, The Book of Divination illuminates the essential secrets of these esoteric practices for the modern-day seeker.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Divination

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 1999

About the author

Also known as Annie Barrows

Reviews

[Claudia Loureiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone new to divination or merely curious about it or wanting a very brief history this is the book for you. The book cover is impressive just like the hard cover of the book. This is a great look at divinatory arts you've heard of and some you have probably never heard of. Areas touched on include: Astrology, Numerology, Runes, Tasseomancy, Oneiromancy,Haruspicy, Tarot, Chiromancy, Geomancy, Phrenology, Metoposcopy and a few others. Overall it is very interesting and wonderful to read.

[mac !! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and enjoyed the historical aspects of the book. Really enjoyed the types of divination that were used centuries ago but wish it went into them a little more. Chapters seemed unbalanced and favored more than others. But overall a good book to have on hand for reference!! Favorite chapters include the astrology one, of course, because this is the first time i’ve been able to understand the basic parts of degree theory. Numerology is really, really cool and I liked the explanations and easily laid out instructions. Divination with FOREHEAD WRINKLES??? Lastly love an author that recommends books for further reading, lots of mentions of Freud tho im eyeing that.. Anyways i annotated the f out of this in one sitting in 3 hours, no regrets.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Fiery is funny: "Spells are often easier to deploy that talismans, because they are primarily verbal. For instance, it's a snap to make the victim of your choice rip off all his clothes and dance wildly. All you need to do is write ... in bat's blood and ... and ... and then sit back and watch the show" (141). See? Really funny. Tongue in cheek and yet she doesn't demean her topic and she is pretty exhaustive, from what I've read so far. I will continue to read this book piecemeal and use it as a reference.

[lynne fireheart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. Meant to read-read, ended up skimming it instead. This overview of divination is really not worth a read: if you want to know details of various methods of divination, might be better to get a specialised book.

[Lorna Rutherford]

Awesome. I refer to it often.