The Little Writer That Could

Well, much to my surprise I kept up the blogging schedule I set myself last week. Yeah, Friday’s post was a little late, but I did manage to get it done so I get credit for that.

That being said I spent way too much time trying to decide what my next non-fiction series should be (and then doing research on it), and looking at prompts and finding new ones. I mean WAY too much time. I think it might be time to reinstate the jar of prompts, and the rule is that can only pick one a week. Which also means I’ll have to settle on my new prompt Saturday night so I can post it Sundays.

I did create my own version of the kanban board, but didn’t really have time to do more than stuck it up on my wall and stick three headings on it – to do, in progress, and finished. I spent a lot of time making a master list when I really should have just been writing things on the stick notes and sticking them to the board.

While I can take pride in setting a goal and reaching it this past week, the proof will be in the pudding – can I keep it up? I guess we’ll see.

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Wordage Report

Editing – none
You know, if I had a ‘To Be Edited’ box and a ‘Finished’ box on either side of my desk, my desk would probably tip right over. The sheer volume of ‘stuff’ that needs to be edited is daunting, but I need to suck it up and get to it.

Wandering Wizards – 0 words
I know how this book ends. I know how to get there. But there seems to be a connection problem between my brain and my fingers. I’m seriously tempted to skip ahead and then work my way backwards.

Blog Posts
– includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt post.
430 + 518 + 592 = 1540 words total

Weekly Prompt – 596 words
Considering the amount of time I spent looking at/generating prompts, I find it a little ironic that I ended up using a prompt I tried using a few weeks ago. I just typed out the two paragraphs I had written and ran with it. Go figure.

Total Words - 2136 words

New Prompt
One evening in the forest, a boy, an old widow, and a fortune teller find an old man.

Goals For the Week
This is kind of scary because it means I really have to commit myself to getting stuff done. Otherwise I start looking like a poser instead of a writer (which is the way I’m starting to feel). So, goals (in addition to blog posts):
1. New words on Wandering Wizards. Any words. They don’t even have to be good words, just words to move the story forward.
2. New prompt story – and this is just an exercise so I don’t need to agonize over it, I just have to get it written as quickly as possible.
3. Edit - just pick a story at random and start pecking away at it. And hopefully it’ll be so easy I’ll be inspired to edit others.

Wow. It looks like I’ve got a lot on my plate for the week ahead. How about you?

Afterlife Opportunities

She wasn’t happy about it, but she’d been recalled to life for a reason. Janet looked up, blinked, and frowned. Still frowning, she sat up and looked around. This was not where she expected to be. And why was she alone? Where was the necromancer, or at the very least his acolytes? This was totally unacceptable.

This was not what she’d signed up for.

The recruiter for Afterlife Opportunities had assured her of a one year minimum stay in the afterlife before she’d be called back to receive an assignment. It had only been six weeks, at most. She’d barely had time to acclimatize herself to being dead before she felt the tug of the summons back.

“Slipshod business if you ask me,” she muttered, getting up and dusting herself off.

The Awakening Rooms in the brochure had been bright and airy, with billowy white curtains wafting in a gentle breeze and clean white sheets on the beds. This room was dingy and dark, like something you’d find in a third rate hotel. And it smelled.

She’d been told trained professionals would oversee every step of her re-animation, and more trained staff would be available to answer any questions she might have. Afterlife Opportunities employed only the best of necromancers and acolytes.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Obviously that one was a lie too.

Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to brush the graveyard dirt completely from her clothes. The same clothes she’d been buried in, she realized, lips tightening. Where was her pristine Awakening Robe? Where was the luxurious soaker tub filled with scented water to wash away the afterlife?

Janet gave up trying to brush her clothing clean and started for the door.

“Somebody better have a good explanation,” she muttered.

The door opened onto a long hallway dotted with many other doors. It really did seem like she was in some kind of run down hotel. She considered knocking on one of the other doors but decided her best bet would probably be to go down to the lobby. There had to at least be a reception desk down there.

After eyeing the decrepit looking elevator, Janet opted to take the stairs. Fortunately she was only on the third floor, but she grew more and more annoyed with every step she took.

The lobby was as run down as the rest of the place, but at least there were people.

“Excuse me,” Janet said trying to get the attention of a bellhop. “I wonder if—”

“Lemme guess,” the bellhop said wearily. “You got questions. Well lady, I don’t got any answers, I just work here. You want to ask questions, you gotta go to the desk.”

Janet looked toward where he was pointing and saw the rather long line snaking away from the reception desk. With a sigh of resignation, she went over and queued up. It was the slowest moving line in the history of lines, but at last Janet reached the desk.

“Do you work for Afterlife Opportunities?” Janet as the young man seated at the desk. Then she went on before he could answer, “I’d like to lodge a formal complaint.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said, not looking sorry at all. “I only do the checking in and checking out. If you want to lodge a complaint you have to go over to that line over there.”

Janet looked to where he pointed. The line was easily three times longer than the one she’d just been in.

“Just kill me now,” she muttered.

“I believe that’s already been done. Next.”

Astrology – Introduction

Did you read your horoscope today? Chances are, even if you didn’t you at least know what sign of the zodiac you were born under. Astrology seems like the logical thing to follow my series on divination. After all, what better way to tell your fortune than through the stars?

Astrology has been around since 3,000 B.C. when ancient star-gazers studied the heavens and realized the stars followed a cycle every year. The Babylonians realized it took 12 lunar cycles (months) for the sun to return to its original position. They then assigned names to the 12 constellations that were linked to the progression of the seasons.

With their newly created astrological charts, they were able to predict the recurrence of the seasons. This enabled them to create an agricultural calendar that predicted the dates for the sowing of crops and harvesting,

Astrology was introduced to the Greeks early in the 4th century B.C. Later it was embraced by the Romans (the Roman names for the signs of the zodiac are still used today) and the Arabs. Now it has spread throughout the entire world.

The signs of the zodiac are as follows:

Aries, the Ram - March 21 to April 20, ruler of the head
Taurus, the Bull - April 21 to May 20, ruler of the neck and throat
Gemini, the Twins - May 21 to June 20, ruler of the arms
Cancer, the Crab - June 21 to July 22, ruler of the breast
Leo, the Lion - July 23 to August 22, ruler of the heart
Virgo, the Virgin - August 23 to September 22, ruler of the stomach
Libra, the Scales - September 23 to October 22, ruler of the kidneys
Scorpio, the Scorpion - October 23 to November 22, ruler of the pelvis
Sagittarius, the Archer - November 23 to December 21, ruler of the thighs
Capricon, the Seagoat - December 22 to January 19, ruler of the knees
Aquarius, the Waterbearer - January 20 to February 19, ruler of the legs
Pisces, the Fish - February 20 to March 20, ruler of the feet

Some interesting Zodiac facts:

The term zodiac derives from Latin zōdiacus, which comes from the Greek zōdiakos kuklos, meaning circle of animals.

Astrology is considered to be both a science and an art. It has scientific status because it requires mathematics and an understanding of Astronomy, and art because interpretation is necessary to bring the different aspects together.

Interest in astrology waned with the rise of Christianity, but became popular again when Nostradamus published his book of prophecies in 1555.

Those born under the signs of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius tend to be extroverts, while those born under the signs of Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces tend to be introverts.

At one time astrology and astronomy were considered part of the same science, however while astronomy went on to become one of the hard sciences, astrology is often thought to be a pseudo-science.

More than one third of all Americans believe in astrology.

Astrologers claim that the moon has the same effect on humans as it does on the ocean. If the moon can affect the huge tides it cannot fail to affect the human body, which consists of 75 per cent water.

The zodiac cycle starts with Aries because March 21 is the spring equinox.

Adolf Hitler is thought to have used an Astrologer throughout the Second World War.

Join me here next week to explore the first sign of the zodiac, Aries.

Writers Tears

In my little corner of Canada things are slowly starting to re-open, but I seem to be more closed off than ever. If there’s a reason for it then it’s doing a pretty good job of eluding me. The writing still isn’t coming and there doesn’t seem to be a reason for that, either.

It occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that it’s June (yeah, I know, brilliant deduction) and that means the year is half over.

Seriously?

On a whim I pulled out some of my old writing journals to have a look at my progress over the last several years, and what I saw wasn’t good. Naturally there have been ups and downs, but gradually the downs started out-numbering the ups until pretty much all I’m seeing are the downs.

Occasional prompt stories aside, this hasn’t been much of a year, creatively speaking. Despite my plan of my fortune-telling series being a repeat of a non-fiction series I did ten years ago, I found myself up-dating and in most cases re-writing the posts, especially the wrap-up. But while it was definitely “writing” I don’t really consider it “creative” writing. Just the facts, ma’am.

And I realized I never did set any goals for 2020, other than “write more,” which I haven’t been doing. So then I thought maybe I should set some goals, but that involves making lists and the problem with making lists is that I forget to check them.

AND THEN I happened to see a blog post by author Patti O'Shea where she was talking about something called a kanban board. Being unfamiliar with this term, I looked it up and discovered it’s a project management tool that (to me) looks like a list, only on a board instead of just a piece of paper.

So I’m looking at it and I’m thinking this would be so much better than a list. I could use a piece of bristol board and stick it up on the wall of my office and use stick notes to keep track of everything I want/need to do, and maybe shame myself into doing some of it. AND, as an added bonus, it would give me an excuse to buy more stick notes.

We’ll just have to wait and see if it works or not (doesn’t it seem like I say that a lot?). One way or another, I want to feel worthy when I crack open that bottle of Writers Tears. :-D

P.S.

Also, I think I might be due for a schedule change. I'd still like to do my progress updates on Sunday, but for now I think I keep it strictly to that – a progress report, no prompt stories. I’m going to move my non-fiction posts to Wednesday, making it a Wildcard Wednesday instead. And my prompt stories (if I do any) will move to Friday for a Fiction Friday thing.

At least if you’re looking for something specific you know which day to check back. Or you can just “like” my page on Facebook because I usually post links there.

Fortune Telling - Part XII

It’s been a lot of fun (and a lot of work) but all good things must come to an end. Today is the last post this series, with the final 13 weird and wonderful ways people used to, and in some cases still do, try and predict the future.

Geomancy focuses on interpreting lines and dots made by tossing handfuls of dirt, rocks, or sand on the ground. It was most popular in Europe and Africa during the Middle Ages, and during the Renaissance it was considered one of the seven “forbidden arts.”

Gyromancy is one of those forms of divination where the answers need to be spelled out. A circle of letters is inscribed on the ground and the diviner walks around it until they’re too dizzy to keep going. The letters they stumble against or the direction they fall is supposed to spell out a message. Another way of doing this is to make the circle large enough for someone to spin around inside it until they’re dizzy, and whatever letters they stumble against produce the message. It was believed the dizziness would make the selections random and help create an altered state of consciousness.

Hydromancy, another obvious one, uses water to divine the future. Early man would interpret the patterns created by the flowing motion of a calm body of water. Sometimes, they believed, a spirit would appear within the water to bring a telepathic message. During initiation ceremonies a disciple would spend hours gazing into a sacred pool or a large urn filled with water, hoping to receive a message from the gods.

Leconomancy, is closely related to hydromancy, but in this case it involves interpreting the patterns and ripples causes by stones dropped into water. Most commonly precious or consecrated stones were used, and the water was contained in a special bowl or basin. Often a layer of oil covered the surface of the water and if the oil separated from the water it determined the final outcome. The sound the stones made when dropped in the water could also be interpreted.

Omphilomancy is also known as navel gazing. There are two methods to this form of divination. The first is the interpretation of the navel itself. Those with navels that incline inward are most often introverted and tend to live longer, while a protruding navel indicates an extrovert, someone who is optimistic and light-hearted. The second method concerns the umbilical cord itself, which was considered a spiritual link to the spirit dimension. The number of knots in the umbilical cord of a newborn baby indicate how many additional brothers or sisters they can expect.

Oneiromancy relies on dreams to predict the future. Despite being dismissed by the scientific community as being nothing more than superstition, dream interpretation has a well documented history, and is even featured in the Bible. Many cultures believed in the importance of dreams and dreams were shared with the entire community. They were believed to be signs predicting such things as success in hunting, healing the sick or wounded, and even foretelling upcoming events. The details of dreams – colors, smells, tastes, sights – bring messages of great significance. They are believed to do everything from healing past traumas to solving life’s problems.

Oomancy uses eggs for divining the future. Eggs symbolize life, fertility, prosperity, new beginnings, and protection. The most common way of predicting the future with an egg was to separate the white from the yolk and then drop the egg white into boiling water, interpreting the shapes as the egg cooked. Another method was to read the shell of the egg – size, color, and texture. A third method was to hard boil the egg and write the name of a god or goddess on one end, and the goal a person wished to achieve on the other. The egg was then rolled down a slope and the answer was in the direction the egg was pointing and whichever end faced up. To make predictions about a child still in the womb, an uncooked egg was rubbed on the pregnant woman’s belly and then cracked into a saucer. The number of yolks the egg contained indicated the number of children the woman was carrying. If the yolk contained a spot of blood it was thought to be a sign indicating a miscarriage or complication.

Ornithomancy logically follows oomancy as it uses our feathered friends for divination. Methods include interpreting their flight patterns, the sounds they make, the number of them, and the way they settle on the ground. Also, the different types of birds have their own meanings. There is, in fact, so much information about using birds as a method of divination, I feel remiss not doing a separate post about them. This being the last post of my series it’s too late to add it now, but if you’re interested in learning more about it, Magical Musings has a very comprehensive article.

Rumpology is just what it sounds like, divination reading the rump. Apparently this was practiced in ancient Babylon, India, Greece, and Rome and was performed by reading the lines, crevices, dimples, warts, moles, and folds of a person’s buttocks. A muscular, apple shaped bottom indicates someone who is creative, charismatic, and dynamic while a pear shaped one suggests someone more down to earth. And a round bottom is a sign of someone who’s open, happy, and optimistic while a flat bottom suggests someone who is vain, negative, and sad.

Scrying is done by focusing on a shiny object until a vision appears. Most of you are familiar with the fortune-teller’s crystal ball, but mirrors, polished metal, and water or oil have also been used. Early scryers simply gazed into a quiet pool of water and waited for a vision. The Egyptians used bowls of ink, blood, or some other dark liquid. Glass fishing floats have been used by those unable to afford a crystal ball. And it’s said the goddess Hathor carried a shield that could reflect the truth, and from which the first magical mirror was created.

Theomancy is divination by divine oracles, such the oracle at Delphi in ancient Greece. Oracles were believed to be portals through which the gods were able to speak to man. The most popular, and oldest, way to do this is through a séance, or channeling spirits.

Urimancy is divination using urine. Yes, that’s right, urine. This is done by interpreting its color, taste, flow patterns, or by the images formed when it hits the ground or in a swirling bowl. You can also read the bubbles that form when urinating into a pot. In the beginning it was used as a diagnostic tool, but over the years it became not only a way to predict a person’s health, but also their future.

Xylomancy dates back to biblical times and is a form of divination using wood. Omens are read from the position of small pieces of wood found in your path, or the pattern made by fallen tree limbs, branches, or twigs. Sometimes interpretations were taken from the arrangements of logs in the fireplace and the way in which they burned.

Be sure to come back next week to see the next series I come up with.

Fortune Telling - Part XI

We’re almost at the end of this series. I've had a lot of fun researching the various methods of fortune telling, and I've saved the best – or maybe I should say the strangest - ones for last. And there turned out to be so many weird and unusual ways people used to, and in some cases still do, try to predict the future that I’m having to post this in two parts – alphabetically of course.

What you will not find in my list are Runes, Palmistry, Tarot, or I Ching. While I’m familiar with all four of these – I’ve written my own book about Runes and I once read Tarot cards – they’re all way too complicated to be limited to a single blog post.

Acutomancy is a form of divination using sharp or pointed objects, such as needles. A number of these objects (usually seven) are allowed to fall onto a table or some other flat surface. Then the pattern they make is read. Closely related to this is Acutomanzia, which uses thirteen pins, ten straight and three bent. They are shaken in the hand and dropped onto a surface sprinkled with powder. The patterns the pins make in the powder, as well as their position, are then read.

Ailuromancy is the art of foretelling future events by observing the movements of cats, especially the way they jump and where they land. It’s also a way to predict the weather. If a cat turns its tail towards the fire, it means a change of weather, particularly rain or hard frost is coming. If a cat curls up with its forehead touching the ground it means that stormy weather is on its way.

Alectryomancy uses one or more birds, most preferably a white rooster or cockerel) pecking at grain (such as wheat) that has been scattered on the ground. When the birds have finished, the diviner will then interpret the patterns left on the ground. In another version, a circle is made, marked with the alphabet around its edges and a piece of grain is placed at each letter. A bird is tethered to the center of the circle and the letters under the grain it pecks are written down. As the grain is eaten, it’s replaced so that letters can be repeated. The series of letters written down will contain a message.

Aleuromancy is very similar to fortune cookies. The ancient Greeks would write out sentences on slips of paper and then bake them inside balls of flour. They’d mix the balls nine times and pass them out to anyone wishing their fortune to be told. Another way of doing this was to slosh out a mixture of flour and water from a bowl, interpreting the patterns of the residue. Sometimes flour was simply poured out in small piles and the shapes and orientation were interpreted.

Axinomancy is just what it sounds like, divination using an axe. One way of doing this involved throwing an axe into the ground or swinging it into a tree and interpreting the direction of the handle or the quivering of the blade. You could also place an agate on a red-hot axe – this will determine if someone is guilty of a crime. Or you could simply interpret the shapes and colours on the axe-head after it’s been heated up.

Belomancy was used by the Babylonians, Greeks, Arabs, and Scythians. Fletched arrows were used for this form of divination. In one method, three arrows are used. A question is asked and two possible answers are tied to two of the arrows, but the third arrow is left blank. The arrow that flies the furthest holds the answer. If the blank one goes the furthest the question cannot be resolved at this time. If you’re a lost traveler you might simply toss and arrow into the air and let the direction it points upon landing show the way.

Bibliomancy is divination by using a book, often a bible. It’s best to choose a book you believe to hold the truth. Rest it on its spine and let if fall open. Close your eyes and point to a random passage. This will hold the answer you seek. Some believers prefer to choose a random book from a library for this, while others believe that you should only use a book that has fallen down from a shelf.

Catoptromancy is form of divination that uses a mirror which is turned to the moon to catch the lunar rays. Supposedly, the answers looked for will appear as characters of blood on the face of the moon, reflected in the mirror. It could also be used to predict the prognosis of someone who was ill. A mirror was hung by a thread over a pool or fountain. As incense was burnt and prayers recited, the mirror was slowly lowered until the base barely touched the water. If the person’s reflection in the mirror was healthy looking, they’d make a full recovery. If the image was unhealthy looking then death was sure to follow.

Cattabomancy is similar to scrying in that in involves gazing into an object to divine the future. In this case it’s a vessel made of metal, usually brass because brass is believed to repel demons or evil spirits. Ink, oil, perfumed water, or some other liquid is poured into the vessel. Prayers or incantations are recited as the diviner stares without blinking into the liquid until they enter a trancelike state where they will receive the answers they seek. Or you could simply place a brass plate on a consecrated altar at midnight. The diviner asks the question needing to be answered and at dawn the answer will be written in dew upon the plate.

Cephalomancy means “head divination” so technically it could apply to any kind of divination using a head or skull. In this case it was used to determine the innocence or guilt of a criminal. An ass’s head was boiled or baked, then lighted carbon was poured over it. The names of the accused were called out and if the skull crackled or the jaw moved, it meant the accused was guilty as charged.

Ceraunomancy is the observation of lightning as a form of divination. If the bolt came from the east it was considered favorable, from the west it was considered discouraging, and from the north the omens were ominous. Bolts from the northwest meant that extremely bad news was on its way. In the Middle Ages it was believed thunder and lightning in winter could be a portent of war, the sign of an impending flood, or the death of someone of importance.

Chalcomancy is a form of divination that was used by Tibetan monks to divine the past, present, and future. They do this by listening to the sounds and tones made by striking a bowl or chalice with a mallet designed for this purpose. Usually the bowl is made of brass or copper, but other metals have been used as well.

Cleidomancy uses keys to divine the future. To determine a person’s guilt, the key is inserted into the bible which is then sealed shut and suspended. The names of the accused were spoken out loud and if the bible turned at the mention of a name, that person was guilty. The key could also be used like a pendulum. In this case the key is suspended over a circle inscribed with letters and numbers and the question asked. The message is then spelled out by the movement of the key. It could also be suspended from a thread held between the thumb and forefinger and lowered into a glass jar. A question is asked and the key is supposed to knock against the glass – one knock for yes, two for no. And if you’re looking to learn the sex of a baby, hold a key in one of your two clenched fists behind your back. Bring them forward and allow the pregnant woman to touch one of the fists. If she chooses the one holding the key, the child will be a girl.

Come back next week to see the rest of my list.

The Collector's Hoard

Okay, are you really that surprised that once again I have nothing to report? I mean seriously. But unlike last Sunday, at least I've got a prompt story for you today. Once again it's a first line prompt and I freely admit I was influenced by television for this one. At first I was going to make it a creepy serial killer thing where he turns his victims into dolls (Criminal Minds), but I figured that would be too obvious. So instead I made use of all those hours spent watching Hoarders.

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As a child, he’d been told dolls were for girls. Henry didn’t really believe this, but he came to realize it didn’t matter what he believed, it was what his father believed that mattered. It was a lesson that did not come easily though.

The first time he asked for a doll he was five. Naturally he didn’t understand why his father got angry at the request. Nor did he understand why the logic of “then I want to be a girl” was met with a spanking.

It was about a year later, after he’d started school, that the subject of dolls came up again. Apparently dolls weren’t just for girls, at school boys were allowed to play with them too. But Henry was a bright boy and knew better than to say anything about it to his father. Instead he traded his red dump truck to the little girl next door for her second hand baby doll.

When the doll was eventually discovered hidden in the back of his closet, Henry was not just yelled at but slapped across the face when he dared to protest it being taken away. His mother had gotten yelled at this time too, for raising a pansy-assed wimp. The doll had been torn limb from limb and tossed into the trash.

The next time, his father found the rag doll he’d made himself. It wasn’t much of a doll, but Henry had been proud of the painstaking work – gathering the scraps, learning to sew by watching his mother’s quilting group. This time his father built a fire in the fireplace and made him throw the doll into the flames. He had to stay watching the fire until there was nothing left of the doll but ash.

“You’re lucky I didn’t make you eat the damned thing to teach you a lesson,” his father growled when Henry couldn’t hold back a sniffle.

Which is exactly what he did when he found Henry’s paper doll family between the pages of one of his school books. Fortunately they weren’t large paper dolls, and Henry just sicked them up again later that night. But this time, much to his father’s satisfaction and his mother’s relief, Henry appeared to have learned the lesson.

By the time he finished middle school, it seemed he'd forgotten his desire for a doll, and thanks to an adequate showing on the high school football team, his father no longer harbored worries about him being a sissy-pants.

As soon as Henry graduated high school he got a job at the city chemical plant and moved out of his parents house into a studio apartment. At last he felt like a real man who could do as he pleased. The first thing he bought himself was a doll. But not just any doll, a porcelain “fairy” doll with blond ringlets, blue eyes, and gossamer wings. He placed her on the bookcase opposite the door so she was the first thing he saw when he came into the apartment.

Over time she was joined by many others – Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy, Barbies and Big Sisters, apple-headed dolls and rag dolls. Henry gained a reputation amongst the thrift stores and pawn shops as a collector, and these establishments would often set aside dolls for him. Of course he bought them all. Soon there was very little space in his apartment that wasn’t covered in dolls.

The years passed and Henry was content, working in the factory so he could afford more dolls, enjoying his dolls when he wasn’t working. If space was becoming tight in his tiny apartment, well, really, he lived alone. How much space did he really need?

Just as Henry was contemplating cutting back on his collecting so he could afford a bigger place to live, salvation and tragedy came at the same time. His parents died in a fiery car crash, leaving him the mortgage-free family home.

Without rent to worry about, Henry was able to indulge in dolls he previous had to pass over. He went to yard sales and rummage sales, but eschewed the internet as too impersonal a source for his beloved dolls.

Time passed, his doll collection grew. Most of them stayed safely sealed in their boxes, only the favourites made it to the special, custom made display case in the living room. Several more graced the bookcases lining the hallways, narrowing the space so it was all but impassable. And still Henry bought dolls. They filled his furniture, his closets. his basement. They narrowed his living space but still he bought more dolls.

The day of the earth quake, communication grids were overwhelmed with family and friends checking up on each other, making sure each other were safe. Henry had no friends. He was quiet and kept to himself at work – his co-workers thought he was an odd duck, but he was a good worker.

It took several days before it registered he hadn’t been into work recently, and two more days of calls to his house being unanswered before anyone thought to contact the police. When the police forced the door open an avalanche of dolls greeted them. It took days for them clear a path through the house, although by the time they did the smell alone told them Henry’s fate. They found him buried in his dolls, trapped under the custom made display case that held his favorites.

Fortune Telling - Part X

If you've ever enjoyed the beauty of a bonfire on a still night, you’ll understand the human fascination with fire and the belief that it can somehow predict the future. Pyromancy probably originated when man made the first burnt offerings to the gods. The ancient seers would study the flames as the sacrifices were made and interpret what they saw.

The most basic form of pyromancy is when the diviner observes flames and interprets the shapes that he or she sees within them. A number of different pictures may appear but one should stand out from the rest as being particularly significant. If no image is seen, then the pyromancy is abandoned and a new fire lit in 24 hours. However, if one shape stands out clearly then this is considered to be important and is interpreted as the vision for the future.

It’s a good omen if the flame is strong and burns quickly or if it’s smokeless, transparent, and doesn’t crackle. It’s also good if it’s bright and pure, has a pyramid shape, and burns until there’s nothing left but ashes. If you see the shape of a windmill or fountain it indicates a change for the better is coming.

It’s a bad omen if the flame is difficult to kindle and it’s slow to burn. It’s also not good if the flame is divided and doesn’t ascend in a straight line but swirls around or turns sideways or downwards. It’s also not a good sign if it crackles a lot or is black, casting up smoke and sparks. And it’s really not good if it’s extinguished by wind, rain, or some kind of accident.

Besides using a sacrificial fire, the ancients also watched the flames of torches, and even threw powdered pitch into a fire – it was a good omen if it caught quickly. The flame of a torch was considered good if it formed a single point, bad if it divided into two, and really good if it had three points. A bent flame indicated a healthy person was going to become ill and an ill person was likely to die.

The Druids practiced a form of pyromancy called botanomancy, in which they divined the future by burning herbs or branches of trees. Often the question they were asking was carved on the branches before they were burned, and omens were drawn from the smoke and ashes as well. Similar to this was sycomancy, which was limited to fig leaves. Names and questions were written on the leaves which were then exposed to the wind. The leaves that remained contained the answers.

A little less fiery is the art of sideromancy, a form of pyromancy which involves burning straw with a hot iron. An odd number of straws are cast onto a red hot iron and the straws, their movements, the smoke, and any resulting flames are interpreted. Another method was to press the hot iron onto the straw until it was burned away and the remaining shapes were interpreted.

Where there’s fire there’s smoke, and divination by smoke is known as capnomancy. If the smoke is thin and light and rises straight up into the air, it’s a good omen. Everything else, however, is a bad omen. And if the smoke touches the ground it’s a sign that swift action needs to be taken to avoid catastrophe. Of course the smoke the ancients interpreted came from burning animal or human sacrifices on an altar, so you might not want to try this at home.