Almost anything can be an oracle. As a child, you may have pulled petals off a daisy to find out if the person you had a crush on loved you in return. Every time you flip a coin before making a decision, you're consulting an oracle. Some people randomly open a favorite book or religious text and consider the first passage they read to be inspired guidance.

Although some forms of divination may seem too simple or too strange to be dependable, remember that the oracle device is merely an aid to help you bypass your limited left-brain logic and access a wealth of knowledge that exists elsewhere. In fact, you are probably exposed to oracular incidents every day without ever realizing it.

Here's an example. A woman had gotten lost while driving late at night. Without a map and unable to spot any familiar landmarks, she became panicky. Suddenly a truck pulled in front of her, and she noticed the name of the supermarket chain “Safeway” painted on the trailer. She took this as a sign, and when the truck turned off the road a few miles later, she followed it. Soon she found herself on a street she recognized and was able to safely navigate her way home.

Many people might discount this incident, or others like it, as a mere coincidence. But once you start paying attention to such events, however small or subtle, you'll begin to notice that something or someone seems to be communicating with you. That's what divination is all about: receiving guidance from a source other than ordinary intellect, often through another vehicle.

Scrying

The term scrying means seeing intuitive images in a glossy surface. Crystal balls and magic mirrors aren't the only tools for scrying although they're the ones that turn up most often in fairy tales and myths. You can gaze into any reflective surface — even bathtub water or the hood of a well-waxed automobile — and watch the future unfold before you. Of course, the shiny surface doesn't contain the images you view, anymore than a movie screen does. Instead, what you see is your own thoughts, which you've projected there.

The most famous scryer was Nostradamus. The great psychic sat for hours at a time, staring into a bowl of water as visions of the future appeared before him. The notorious and often baffling quatrains he wrote to explain his visions supposedly predict events well beyond the twenty-first century.

To scry, relax your mind as you gaze into a glossy surface. Allow impressions to bubble up from your subconscious. A genuine crystal ball works well because it contains all sorts of natural irregularities, foggy wisps, and reflective planes that help trigger the imagination. Some people prefer to gaze into a candle flame or smoke rising from a fire. Others watch the changing shapes of clouds as they drift by. Whatever device you choose, the important thing is to keep an open mind. Don't doubt yourself or try to analyze what you see too closely. Just observe the images that present themselves to you. Write down your feelings as well as any visions you receive; they may mean something later on, even if you don't understand them right away.

Hand Analysis

Most people think the palm is the only part of the hand that can be read, but the fingers and back of the hand offer a wealth of information, too. In fact, everything about your hand — the skin's color and texture, the shape of the fingernails, the spaces between the fingers — provides insight into your temperament, character, and strengths and weaknesses, as well as your past and future.

The “other” hand (the one you don't ordinarily write with) shows your inherent traits and potential. Some hand readers say it also contains information about your past lifetimes. Your dominant hand reveals how you've developed your abilities. It also bears witness to important experiences in this lifetime.

The fingers are one of the most significant factors in hand analysis. Each finger is linked with a planet and the god who, according to the ancients, resided there. Hand analysts believe the finger embodies the qualities associated with that planet and god. The little finger, for instance, is called the Mercury finger; it represents your communication abilities as well as your thinking processes, which are Mercury's province. Long, graceful fingers denote a sensitive, creative, intuitive individual. Short, stubby fingers with square nails are the mark of a practical, down-to-earth person. Flexible fingers show you are adaptable and receptive; stiff fingers suggest you tend to be rigid and don't make changes easily.

Most palms contain at least three major lines: the head line, the heart line, and the life line. Generally speaking, long, deep, unbroken lines indicate that the life areas associated with them are active and well developed. Faint lines show a lack of energy or involvement in the related area. Chained or broken lines describe disturbances or confusion. Contrary to popular belief, a long life line doesn't necessarily mean you'll live to be a hundred, but it does suggest you'll enjoy a rich, full life. Events that occur in the course of your life will register as distinctive marks on the related lines. A head injury, for example, will show up on your head line; a divorce will produce a mark on your heart line.

The mounds and valleys on the palm also tell stories. A fleshy, firm mound indicates energy is being channeled into the areas of life that correspond to that mound. A flat or flabby mound shows a lack of vitality or enthusiasm. For instance, if your mound of the moon (the bottom quarter of your palm, opposite the thumb, between your wrist and little finger) is well developed, it's likely that you possess a keen intuition and strong emotions.

Your hands continue to change throughout your life, and not only because of age, injuries, or general wear-and-tear. You can chronicle your life by photographing or photocopying your hands every few years and comparing the differences.