People all over the world have been interested to know their future to some degree. The western world has always been mesmerized by the art of fortune telling of the eastern world.
Since time unknown, man has been fascinated and itching to know what lies ahead in his future. It’s as if knowing the future will help him change his present, or prepare him for the time to come. The people of the Chinese culture have been consulting fortune tellers, alchemists, and soothsayers, since time immemorial. They have a strong belief in predestination. There are many methods that help bring fortune and wealth along with prosperity, and get rid of any bad luck. Chinese fortune telling is known as ‘suan ming’ in their astrology. These different methods are related to divination, and there are four major methods that are practiced in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
The fortune tellers during the 2nd century BC, relied on the writings of Li Hsu-chung ― a T’ang Dynasty official. Li Hsu-chung had devised horoscopes that used a combination of five elements, the ‘Ten Heavenly Stems’ and the ‘Twelve Terrestrial Branches’. This system needed the use of six characters, that stood for the year, month, and day of the particular person’s birth. Today, the official government manual of fortune telling contains two volume work of Hsuan tse. It contains the essential formulas, regulations, and methods to be used for deviation. Even today, many people are looking for different ways to help them know their fate. Let’s understand different methods the Chinese use.
The Methods
The following forms of fortune telling, other than the use of birthdates as a method of prediction, are popular among the fortune seekers.
Facial Features Used as Basis of Divination
There is an old belief of the Chinese, that the face of an individual can help predict his future. The history of face reading dates back to ancient China, and the most famous advocates of face readers are Tanju Ju and Xi Jong. They wrote many books on this subject, during the Eastern Chou Dynasty.
The method based on facial features, takes into consideration all the major features of a person’s face. The combination of these features and their relative ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ help determine the destiny of a person. The ten facial types with their own characteristics recognized are: feng, mu, shen, tian, tong, wang, jia, yang, yuan, and you.
Fortune Sticks Predictions
The set of 78 numbered sticks held in a bamboo case, known as Kau Chime or Fortune Sticks, form one of the oldest methods. The container is to be held in both hands and shaken, till one stick rises and falls off. This stick has a number on it, that is used to refer to the ancient texts that interpret the fortune. The text is usually a rhyme or a short poem. It is not the answer to the future, but just an indication of conditions of what may lie ahead. Thus, helping people pull up their socks, and be prepared for anything, that may or may not impact their lives.
Palm Reading
Palm reading has been in use since the Chou dynasty, with a book written by Shi Su Fu. The lines of the palms are used to predict a person’s fortune, attitude, health, character, marriage, children, etc. It is divided into chirognomy, i.e., concentrating on the fingers, and chiromancy, i.e., concentrating on the palm. There are seven groups of palms according to the palmistry. These include the psychic hand, an idealistic person, natural for low, mixed and squarish hand, i.e., a practical person, the spatulate hand is an anxious person, the philosophical hand is the confused being, and the conical hand refers an artistic individual. The palm readers also take into consideration the finger bones, joints, nails, and the elbow.
This art is held very high and is termed as a respectable job in the social and professional fabrics of Chinese culture. Fortune tellers are sought by many people and they play a major role in influencing the major decisions of an individual’s life. It is a debatable subject regarding its authenticity and correctness. It is the individual’s hard work and willpower, that help him in moving the mountains that lay ahead in his future. Faith in God and belief in oneself are the two important aspects of overcoming evil, and bringing good fortune to oneself. These methods can be used to satisfy the inner urge to know the future, but do not let the predictions rule your life.