Divination, or Fortune Telling, is the practice of predicting the future, usually of an individual, through mystical or supernatural means and often for commercial gain. There are many methods to predict the future.
Many magical beings are shown to possess some skill at predicting the future, most prominently Oracles, Gypsies and Seers. However, it has been shown that this ability can be taught to others.
Known Methods
Chiromancy
Teresa reads Phoebe's palm after marking it.
Chiromancy, also known as Palmistry or simply Palm Reading, is the art of foretelling the future through the study of the palm. A witch or Gypsy skilled in this art form can read and decipher the lines and creases in a person's hand to discover the person's lifeline, love line, family line and other aspects of their life. This type of fortune telling is shown to still be practiced by Gypsies.[1]
Tasseomancy
Lydia's Tea-Leaf reading.
Tasseomancy is the art of reading or interpreting patterns in tea leaves to predict events in the future. This type of fortune telling is shown to still be practiced by Gypsies. Before Lydia Nicolae was killed, she read the tea leaves of Phoebe and Paige. She told Phoebe she was out of balance and helped Paige read her own leaves, which formed a bad omen.[2]
Crystal Gazing
The standard crystal ball of an Oracle.
Crystal Gazing is the art of looking into a Crystal Ball in order to try to gain insight into future events. This art has been seen practiced by several magical beings, such as Oracles, sorcerers and witches.
P. Russell was the first to use this ability at her cousin's speakeasy.[3] Gideon used it on occasion in order to monitor the Charmed Ones and their activities. Oracles naturally have this ability. The most prominent of these was the Source's Oracle.[4]
Tarot Reading
Paige's tarot reading; she sees love, despair and death.
Tarot Reading is the art of reading cards to gain insight into future events. There are special kinds of cards designed especially for this purpose, known as a tarot cards. Several witches have been shown using these cards.
The first time this was seen was in 1670, when the evil witch, Ruth, used tarot reading to alert Cole that the Charmed Ones had travelled back in time to thwart the plans he had to destroy their family line.[5] Another time, Paige was given a new tarot card set by Phoebe as a gift. She used them to predict the future about Cole and Phoebe's love life, which was uncannily accurate.[6] A gypsy named Inez was also shown using tarot cards in the Cabaret Fantome.[7] Chris Halliwell also once used tarot cards to predict his own future.
Pool Gazing
Kyra pool glazing.
Pool Gazing is the art of looking into a pool of liquid to see future and/or present events. Kyra, a seer with the power of premonition, used a magic pool to show others the future as well as find answers to their questions.[8]
Mirror Gazing
Mirror Gazing is the art of looking into a mirror to see past, present and future events. Alexi, a seer, with the power of premonition used a magic mirror to look and show others past, present and future events.[9] This ability is not to be mistaken for Catoptromancy, which is the ability to spy on others in the present through the use of mirrors.
Potion
Potions can be used for divination if done correctly. Piper Halliwell once used a potion to bring about signs for her question about how to save her husband from his cryogenic state. The potion revealed a Chinese letter (恒) which directed her and Billie Jenkins to a dry cleaning shop in Chinatown.[10]
Personal gain
The Amazing Phoebe.
In late 1998, Phoebe Halliwell got a job as a hotel psychic to earn money for Prue's birthday. As The Amazing Phoebe, she used her premonition power to get the job and later saved an innocent from being hit by a car.
When Piper found out, she scolded Phoebe for using her powers for personal gain. However, Gypsies such as Teresa have made a living out of fortune telling, as did P. Russell in the past. Whether or not using divination for this purpose is personal gain, is never truly established, as none of those practicing it have suffered from negative effects. This is in contrast with true premonitions, which cannot be used for personal gain.
Notes and Trivia
- As Divination is more a practiced skill than an actual magical power, it could be reasoned that most, if not all, beings could learn it. However, as it is dependent on practice, it should not be considered a basic power unless it is practiced on regularly.
