Our Obsession with Glimpsing the Future

        Humans have always been fascinated by their future. This fascination is particularly evident in our tendency for divination, the supernatural and occult practices used to uncover hidden knowledge and, most importantly, to glimpse our destinies.

        If we look at all the forms of divination in A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult like extispicy, hepatomancy, libanomancy, hydromancy, tasseomancy, belomancy, geomancy, cleromancy, onomancy, etc, the list goes on, then it is glaringly obvious how obsessed humankind is with divining the future. There are what feels like infinite ways in which humans try to control what is to come that have developed independently in almost all regions and cultures of the world.

        While I wouldn't consider myself a firm believer in the occult, I, like many others, have dabbled in various forms of fortune-telling. From having my palm read by my sister, or having a friend give me a tarot reading in a time of romantic tumult, I've experienced that irresistible pull towards unraveling the future. I believe this draw to learn our fate stems from a few core human desires.

        Okay, so here’s my theory. Firstly, knowing the future, even in a vague or symbolic sense, empowers us to attempt to change it. In a personal example, I predict that breast cancer could be in my future based on family medical history, leading me to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle to potentially mitigate my own risk. (Yes, that future prediction came from science, not the occult, but I don’t think that it damages my theory!) A horoscope saying you will encounter major relationship conflicts could lead you to have hard conversations with your partner and reevaluate your shared values and goals.

        Secondly, seeking knowledge of the future can offer a sense of peace and control in a world inherently filled with uncertainty. By consulting psychics or contemporary cunning folk, we feel like we are taking control of our lives and it gives us a sense of agency. This is why people check their horoscopes, which provide a roadmap for the day or week ahead. The very act of seeking this guidance, regardless of its accuracy, offers a sense of solace and stability in a chaotic world. When I asked my friend who’d learned to read tarot about my romantic relationship at the time, it came from my need for control in a situation where I felt frustrated, powerless, and didn’t know what to do. While the exact details aren’t important, I’ll share her conclusion. She basically told me that my partner and I weren’t supporting each other well, and that things between us would get worse before they got better, but in the end I would be living my best life drinking wine with my girl friends. Over a year later, looking back, she was right. In the moment though, that reading brought me sadness for the turmoil ahead, but also comfort in knowing it would be alright in the end. It gave me some mental peace and what felt like guidelines for how the future might go.

        And the third prong of my theory is that perhaps our obsession with the future isn't entirely about the future itself, but rather about our unique place within it. When a fortune teller focuses their attention on you or shuffles tarot cards just for you, it creates a feeling of specialness. We become important in the grand scope of the universe, with a unique destiny. This personalized attention, combined with the allure of hidden knowledge, can be incredibly seductive. It feeds our innate desire to feel unique and significant in the grand tapestry of existence.

        Ultimately, our relationship with the future is multifaceted. Regardless of whether I’m right or not, we still seek answers in the lines of our palms or the alignment of the stars. People in all cultures and times are universally determined to know their destinies.