These fortune telling
tables date back to four hundred years ago
Numerology and Oracles; the
Tablets of Fate
by Keith Abbott
Closing your eyes, you reach
down and spin the little booklet around on the table before you,
taking care not to tear it; the paper won't take rough handling.
Finally stopping, you straighten it out before you. Stretching out
your right arm, and letting your wrist hang loose, you point
downward with your index finger, curling your other fingers back out
of the way. Finally, eyes still closed, your lower your stiffened
arm till your finger touches the paper; and opening your eyes you
look at the small chart of jumbled numbers to see what you've
chosen.
===> History of the Tablets
The "Tablets of Fate" are an
oracle first produced as chap-books in the late 17th century.
Chap-books were among the first examples of printed works for the
common people. Made up in large quantities and printed on the
cheapest grade of rag paper, these little 4 x 6 inch pamphlets were
the dime novels of their day. They were sold in shops and stalls in
the city markets, and then bought and resold by peddlers to the
villages and hamlets of Europe.
These peddlers would carry
small cheap goods they could buy and resell from their packs as they
traveled. In the vernacular of the day they were called chap-men,
buyers and sellers of cheapened goods. Hence, the booklets they sold
acquired the name chap-books.
The thing to remember is
that the "Tablets of Fate" were among the first writings commonly
available. Wither they are a true oracle, or just a parlor game,
their history is as old as playing cards.
===> Methodology
The idea behind the oracle
is simple. Each "Tablet" represents a different category of
questions that will fall into a common group of answers. A tablet is
created, consisting of 16 numbers jumbled in an odd arrangement in
roughly equal areas of the page. They can be in a square (Tablet of
Venus), a circle (Tablet of the Moon), or a diamond shape (Tablet of
Jupiter) so long as the area that encloses each number is roughly
equal on the page. Then a table of Responses is prepared covering a
range of possible answers. The "Tablets of Fate" call for 32
responses, 16 numbers with both an upright and a reversed meaning.
You would seek your answer
by placing the chart with the "Tablet" in front of you and turning
it randomly to set it's direction, upright or reversed. Then you'd
use your finger, a small stick, or a pencil held in your hand to
randomly pick your answer.
===> Known Tablets of Fate
The following Tablets can be
found in several sources under different names.
Tablet of the Sphinx ==
Usually consulted first to determine if the time is right to ask
your question. If you receive a favorable answer in the Tablet of
the Sphinx, you would go on to the next tablet.
Tablet of the Moon (Spell of
the New Moon) == The Moon guards the Home; use it ask about issues
concerning home, relatives, and friends.
Tablet of Mercury (The
Magnetic Horseshoe) == Mercury is Lord of the Crossroads; use this
tablet for issues concerning journeys and travels.
Tablet of Venus (Cupid's
Scroll) == Venus is the goddess of Love, use it for issues of the
heart.
Tablet of Mars (The Symbolic
Swastika) == use this table when your question concerns Work,
Business, or Money.
** (The Lucky Bell) == Used
for issues concerning a Letter (or in modern terms an email)
Tablet of the Sun (Spell of
the Rising Sun) == Used when the issue concerns Time.
** (The Seal of Solomon) ==
Issues concerning a Large Building (Temple, Office Building,
Hospital, etc.) or someone connected to such a place.
Tablet of Jupiter (The
Scales of Fate) == Used when your issues concern Justice, worries,
doubts, or problems with the Law.
===> Modern Printings of the
Oracle
The most complete version of
the "Tablets of Fate" that I've found were printed in "The Complete
Fortune Teller" by Diana Hawthorne (Blue Ribbon Books, Inc., New
York, 1940), and in an English printing of the same book "Laurie's
Complete Fortune Teller" by Diana Hawthorn (W and G Foyle, Ltd,
London. 1946). A copy of the English edition was recently put up for
sale on E- bay and still shows up in the search engines. These are
obviously out of print at this time.
A more modern version can be
found in (2) books: "Little Giant Encyclopedia of Lucky Numbers" by
The Diagram Group (Sterling Publishing 2001), and "Little Giant
Encyclopedia of Fortune Telling" by The Diagram Group (Sterling
Publishing 1999). These are both still in print, and can be found in
your local bookstore. Sadly, two of the "Tablets of Fate" were
dropped from the recent Sterling Publishing printings.
You can also find a Web page
calculator with all of the "Tablets" from the 1940 edition with a
little bit of searching. I highly recommend the experience; it sure
beats using a magic 8-ball.
About the author: Keith
Abbott is the developer and owner of 'Numerology 4 You' where you
can use his free Numerology Oracle, and have your questions answered
by the 'Tablets of Fate'. Order your own Numerology chart today at
http://www.numerology4you.com/
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