CHESMAYNE

poor butterfly

Oracle of Delphi

01 Socrates was hailed as ‘The wisest man in the world’ by the oracle at Delphi and was later charged with disseminating knowledge, searching into things under the earth and above the heaven and teaching all this to others.   He spent his last days discussing the immortality of the soul with friends.   His objective was to determine by ceaseless questioning, what was really true.   He committed judically sanctioned suicide by drinking hemlock.  Oracle: a holy place where inquirers could obtain responses to their questions about the future.   These have included Delphi, Didyma, Claros, Dodona and Ephyre.  

02 Egypt: the crocodile was thought of as an oracle and were embalmed when they died.   ‘Leach’ and ‘Fried’.  

03 Many ancient civilizations set great store in oracles, signs and omens.   These were read from the entrails of animals, the flight of birds, the weather and practically every manifestation of the natural world.   In Ancient Greece ‘Kottavos’ involved throwing a cup of wine into a metal bowl and interpreting the shape of the splash and sediment.   This survives today as tea-reading.   Good luck symbols associated with tea reading include: 

01 Star (general good fortune).   02 Anchor (success in business).   03 Bouquet (a happy marriage).   04 Clover (prosperity).   05 Crescent Moon (Romance).   06 Bridge (happy journey).   07 Dots (money/windfall).  08 Dashes (new project).   09 Circles (end of some matter).   10 Straight lines (determination).   11 Way Lines (difficult time).   12 Triangle (unexpected luck).   13 Cross (problems).   14 Square (restriction/letter).   15 Clouds (disappointment).   16 Serpent (slander).   17 Dagger (be careful).   18 Pistol (disaster/danger).   19 Rat (deception).   19 Owl (avoid the new) etc.

In countries where coffee is drunk the patterns formed by coffee grounds are used instead ie, Turkish coffee practitioners in the Middle East. 

04 Oracles of Nostradamus, etc.