Laurie's Complete Fortune Teller - Astrology, Cards, Charms, Dice, Dominoes, Dreams, Gipsy Lore, Mascots, Moles, Numerology, Palmistry, Pictures in the Fire, Tablets of Fate, Teacup Reading

By Diana Hawthorne

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mottelay Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781528764827

Book preview

PART I

ASTROLOGY

CHAPTER I

THE ZODIAC—WHAT IT IS

MOST people have heard of the Zodiac, and many can reel off the names of its Signs—Aries, the Ram; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins; Cancer, the Crab; Leo, the Lion; Virgo, the Virgin; Libra, the Balance; Sagittarius, the Archer; Capricorn, the Goat; Aquarius, the Water Bearer; and Pisces, the Fishes—but not one half of these people have the faintest idea what the Zodiac is, nor how, according to Astrology, it influences the lives of those on earth. Not long ago I heard quite an educated man refer to the Zodiac as a star, while another described Taurus as a Planet.

These statements were absurd. The Zodiac is not a star but certain parts of the Heavens in which stars are fixed, while Taurus is one of the twelve parts into which the Zodiac is divided. To put it plainly, when the Heavens were mapped they were divided into the different Signs of the Zodiac, just as when mapping the earth geographers show it divided into land and sea, both portions being subdivided into different countries and oceans.

Astrology is the oldest science of which we have any knowledge; it is the foundation of every form of divination.

The mapping of the Heavens began in the days when this old Earth of ours was young. The first race of men who made a study of the stars so far as can be known, and who recorded their discoveries, first by word of mouth, later in some form of writing, were the Chaldeans who inhabited what we call Arabia. Those who listen to the wireless must have heard many interesting talks by excavators of ancient cities that have been long buried, and may have listened to accounts of how the remains of Ur, the chief city of the Chaldeans, was brought to light within recent years, not far from the shores of the Red Sea at the spot where, traditionally, Moses led the Israelites across the river bed many, many years after Ur had risen in its first splendour.

Ancient though Ur is, Astrology is older still. Before the Chaldeans built their fortified city as a place of refuge and the seat of Government, they were a nomad race, tending the flocks and herds by which they lived, and while watching the wonders of the night sky these unlettered shepherds began to understand, though faintly, something of the movements of the stars.

Soon they discovered that the stars moved, or seemed to move, not one by one and with comparative rapidity as do the Planets of which I will write later, but slowly and in fixed and certain groups which we call Constellations.

To make my meaning clear, here is a simple way by which you can see that which the Chaldeans watched and noted in the days of old.

Fix an hour in the evening after dark, and at that hour each night for a month or two, stand at exactly the same place, say at your front door, and look at the skies. Take particular notice of the group of stars—not any one particular star, however bright it may be—which appears on your left hand, and fix the pattern formed by those stars firmly on your mind.

When you go to the door at the same time the following night you will find those stars have moved just a fraction towards the right, and the next night they will have moved just a little farther still. By the end of a fortnight approximately, for this is a very rough and unscientific calculation, you will find those stars which were at your extreme left when your observations began, are now straight ahead. At the end of a month or thereabouts they will have reached your extreme right and then will pass out of your sight altogether, their places being taken by other Constellations or groups of stars.

Now that simple experiment of yours is exactly the methods the Chaldeans followed in those far-off days. Presently they realized that after a long interval the same set of stars appeared in exactly the same position on the left hand again. That once grasped, they began to measure off the length of time which elapsed between the appearance of a Constellation on the left hand of the sky and its return after it had disappeared on the right hand. In this calculation they made use of the moon, counting the number of the full moons in the interval. Soon it was discovered that the moons did not keep exact time with the stars, though the variation was slight. Quite roughly thirteen full moons went to make up the period during which any particular Constellation appeared in the Heavens, passed across the face of the sky, disappeared on the right hand and came into sight on the left hand again.

So these men of old came to an understanding of the revolution of the world which passed these various stars in its course round the Sun. Whether the early observers knew the Sun was the centre of our Universe and that the Earth revolved round it, we cannot tell, but most probably they did, though that part of their knowledge was lost later. Certain it is, however, that they discovered it was the Earth that moved, passing the various Constellations in its orbit. To us, as to the Chaldeans, it seems as if the stars move, just as when one is in an express train the posts and hedges seem to fly by us.

For some reason we do not know, the Chaldeans did not divide the Heavens into thirteen portions as we might have expected from their study of the moon. Instead they drew maps or pictures of the stars as they went by, and when the circle was complete—that is when what we call a year had gone—they apportioned the map into twelve parts which they called the Zodiac. The word means A Belt, and it will be seen the Zodiac is literally a belt of those Constellations which surround our Earth as it swings through space.

The Zodiac is an imaginary belt drawn in the map of the Heavens, just as the Equator is an imaginary belt encircling the Earth in our atlases and charts.

Once the Chaldeans had made their first calculations it was comparatively easy for them to count the three hundred and sixty-five days which elapsed before the return of any one Constellation. That was how they came to fix the length of a year, though we know now there are several minutes in excess of each twelve months, which is why we have an extra day in our calendars every four years—Leap Year Day—but as that allowance is rather too generous, we omit the extra day once in each century. The year 1900 was not a Leap Year, nor will 2000 be, but apart from those exceptions, every fourth year sees the extra day inserted, to make up for the over time in each year. That very exact calculation was beyond these early Chaldeans, however. For them it was enough to know that the Sun rose and set three hundred and sixty-five times, that thirteen times the moon waxed and waned, while the circle of the stars was being completed. So the year was fixed, and it was because the Chaldeans divided the Zodiac or belt into twelve parts, that we have twelve months in our calendar, though the dates do not coincide with the ancient reckoning.

The Zodiac divided into twelve parts, and each part given a separate name, the fixed stars, as they were called, were duly classified, so many Constellations or groups to each division of the Zodiac, and these stars never change their patterns or move, excepting as the whole Heavens change. Each remains in its own part of the Zodiac, and this is called a fixed star.

But high in the Heavens, following the course of the Sun these ancient watchers observed also at least five very bright and beautiful luminaries, larger than the stars, giving a steady light. A little further observation showed that these bright objects were independent of the Zodiac, though they might be described as rising from it. These they named the Planets, realizing they were much nearer to the Earth than the stars, and gradually seeing they were indeed part of our own Solar System, bodies which reflected the light of our Sun and swung round him in regular orbits exactly as our Earth is doing.

Of these Planets modern Astronomy identifies at least seven definitely, though it is believed there are more waiting to be discovered. Those which are known beyond dispute have been called Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the orbits of Mercury and Venus lying between the orbit of the Earth and the Sun, those of the other Planets being beyond the Earth and thus farther and farther from the Sun, which is the axle about which they all revolve. The Druids, who were very advanced in their knowledge of the heavenly bodies, took a wheel as their object-lesson. The Sun was the axle, they said, the Planets were the spokes, the outer rim represented the belt of the Zodiac, and that is exactly true.

The Planets known to the Chaldeans, those to be observed by the naked eye without the aid of a telescope, were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, all glowing and beautiful objects to be observed in our own Heavens, though Mercury, being very near the Sun, is a difficult object to distinguish, except at certain periods when he may be discerned just about sunset.

Centuries past, the shepherds of Chaldea built their great City of Ur, and the race grew greater in learning, power and wisdom. Their knowledge of the Heavens increased through generations of study, their fame spread far and wide, and about four thousand years before the beginning of our era (the date is believed to have been 3773 B.C.), Cheops the Great, then ruling in Egypt, dispatched an embassy to the wise men of Ur, asking that they would send teachers to instruct him in the wonders of Astrology. In response, a party of learned men set forth, and traditionally the patriarch Abraham was with them. That is not proved, but certainly Abraham dwelt for a period at Ur the city of the Chaldees, and he was a contemporary of Cheops.

The great king listened to the Chaldeans and became a convert to their teachings. They had advanced very far from the knowledge of the shepherds who counted the number of moons that made up the year, and now, having traced the influence of the heavenly bodies on human life, they had become skilled in calculations and the casting of horoscopes.

When Cheops built the Great Pyramid that remains in the desert to-day, a monument of his majesty and power, it was planned by the Chaldeans in accordance with his horoscope. It was not only built as a tomb in which his body was to rest, but also as an observatory where his Astrologers might watch the Heavens and work out the calculations that would reveal his future. Of course telescopes and other astronomical instruments familiar to us were unknown, but in the Great Pyramid of Cheops is a long passage sloping at a certain angle, so arranged as to point exactly to the Pole Star, the basis of all other calculations, and apart from that the dimensions of the Pyramid and its position are all in accordance with a regular plan based on astrological knowledge.

That Pyramid of Cheops remains to-day, the greatest and most mystic monument the world has known. Probably you have heard that to-day there is in existence an important sect, numbering ministers of religion, noblemen and scientists amongst its ranks, which teaches that the passage into the heart of the Pyramid contains on its walls secret writings, from which the story of all the chief events the world has known may be gathered. The Great War was foretold, they say, on these stones that were laid six thousand years ago.

As that is not a branch of Astrology I have studied, I can give no opinion on it, but it is beyond reasonable doubt that the Great Pyramid and its fellows are mystically marvellous, still holding secrets which one day may be given to the light.

Close to that of Cheops are two other Pyramids, both built by other Egyptian monarchs—one by a woman—and all were laid out with astrological exactitude as was the first. All are built in triangles, and the triangle is a part of a cross which is the Sign of the Unknown. And unknown remains the full secrets contained within these mighty masses of brick and stone where the wisdom of those long past ages was gathered. They are monuments to Astrology, raised by the great kings who listened to the teachings of the sages of the East who had crossed the sea for their enlightenment.

CHAPTER II

THE SIGNS AND THEIR PLANETS

AS I have explained already, the Zodiac is a belt of fixed stars divided into twelve divisions or Signs, which the Earth passes in turn on its way round the Sun, taking a year, or rather more than three hundred and sixty-five days to make the entire circuit. On the other hand the Planets are heavenly bodies belonging to the same system as our Earth—our Earth is one of the Planets—each following practically the same course round the Sun, though each has its own orbit or path.

In their regular course it follows that some or more of the other Planets must be in the particular Sign at the same time as the Sun, and by an exact calculation of the orbits Astrologers discovered when these times would be, and assigned certain Planets to each Sign. In casting a horoscope the planetary influence is the most important study of all. The Planet influences the Sign as it influences the children born under it, and to the power of the Planet is ascribed the mascots, harmonious colours, important days and numbers.

In this chapter I shall deal separately with the various Signs and their Rulers, as the Planets are called, and have something to say as to the characteristics conferred, but it must be remembered that in casting an exact horoscope many other matters have to be considered beside the position of the Sun at noon on the day of birth. Of horoscopes I am writing in a later chapter, but here I am giving the characters of those who are true to the type of any Sign. These vary because of many influences, notably that of the Sign which happens to be rising above the horizon at the moment of birth, but though these other influences may modify or strengthen, they never absolutely contradict, so what I am writing here may be taken as a nucleus for more exact and elaborate calculations later on when the student is more advanced.

The Signs are subdivided into four, named after the four elements of whose characteristics they partake—Earth, Air, Fire and Water—and as we study the Signs and their influence on those born under them, we shall see how closely this connection with the elements is followed.

The Earth Signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn; those of Air, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius; of Fire, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius; and of Water, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The astrological year does not begin on January ist, but on March 21st, nor do the Signs coincide with our months. The calendar in use to-day is modem as such things go, and to give birthday influences according to the months is apt to be misleading.

THE SIGN OF ARIES, THE RAM

Ruling Planet, Mars

Number, 1; Colour, Red; Day, Tuesday; Jewels, Diamond, Bloodstone, and in a secondary degree the Ruby, Garnet or any red stone; Metals, Iron and Steel.

Approximately, the Sun is in this Sign at noon every day from March 21st to April 20th, but it must be noted that the times given here for the duration of each Sign cannot be exact, as they vary from year to year. This slight inconsistency makes our Leap Years necessary to restore the balance, as, roughly speaking, one day is gained in every four years by the earth in its journey round the Sun. The difference in the dates of the Signs is never more than a few hours, and reference to any good almanac for the current year will give the exact periods.

In all early religions the ram was accepted as the symbol of sacrifice, and from sacrifice spring blessings, as the harvest follows the sowing of the seed. Thus it was natural the ram should be chosen to represent the first month of the ancient year, the Ram of Sacrifice from whose blood the blessings of the harvest was to come.

As in every case, the naming of the Sign indicates the characters of those bom under it. A ram is the leader of a flock, he is a fighter, and will fling himself against any obstacle, no matter how impenetrable it may be. He has the goat-like ability to leap to high places, whence he looks down on those who have not the courage or agility to follow him.

Those born under the Sign share these characteristics. They seldom make good when working for others, being impatient of control, but if left to themselves generally will then succeed. Many explorers and soldiers were bom at this time of year. Just as a ram will rush into battle without counting the cost, so Aries people will enter into disputes without considering the consequences. Hating injustice, they are ready to fight for the weak and oppressed, as a ram will fight for his ewes and lambs.

All the children of Aries bom in the forenoon will be more fortunate than those born later in the day.

The Planet of Aries

Mars, the Ruler of Aries, is the Planet next to our own in the Solar System, but farther from the Sun. When in the sky it is easily identified by its red colour, and being a Planet, does not twinkle as do the stars, shining with a steadfast light. Astronomers tell us it is a little smaller than our Earth which it closely resembles. White at each of its Poles show it has Arctic and Antarctic zones, as has our Earth, while elsewhere the colour, as seen through a telescope changes at regular intervals in a manner that suggests the breaking out of leaf and bud as summer approaches, and their falling with the coming of autumn. With so much in common with our Earth, there is little doubt Mars is inhabited by a race of beings not very different from ourselves, and though this has to do with Astronomy and not with Astrology at all, it is a point to be remembered, because the ancient students came to exactly the same conclusion as the modem scientists. If they were right in one particular, why not in others?

Long ago this red Planet was named Mars in honour of the god of War, but always the ancients taught in parables, therefore their legends must not be taken literally. Probably they did not believe the god and the Planet were the same, but they discovered that the influences astir in human beings which might be attributed to the power of Mars were at their strongest when the red Planet was in the sky. We tell the time by the hands of a clock, but that does not mean the clocks make the time. That is fixed by the Sun, and the clock only shows where the Sun is at any given minute. May not the presence of any particular Planet coincide with a phase of the Unknown in which special influences are astir?

That is my own belief, but for the sake of simplicity I shall write in the usual terms, and seem to take it for granted that the Planets are the givers of all influences, but what I have just written holds good throughout.

As the god of War, Mars at his best stands for love of country, for courage and endurance, for readiness to risk all in the righting of a wrong. But in common with all Planets—I might write in common with everything of which we have knowledge—he has his bad side as well. When he is ill aspected he gives boastfulness; so strong a desire to shine in the eyes of others that he is not particular about telling the truth, and often a streak of great cruelty.

The boastful liar, the braggart, the sadist, are under the influence of Mars at his worst, and what should be lofty courage degenerates into bad temper.

The Colour of Aries

The people born under this Sign will find red, the colour of Mars, harmonious to them. They will work best in rooms where red predominates, and always should have some touch of red in their dress—the word is elastic in this connection, and includes any shade from pink to deep crimson. All colours set up certain vibrations which are helpful to some, antagonistic to others. Try the experiment. Surround yourselves with the colour of your birth date, whatever it may be, and see if your health and spirits are not improved. Also you may be perfectly sure that the birth date colour is the one which suits you best.

Most of the Signs take their numbers from their Ruling Planet, but Aries is the exception. The number of Mars is 9, and to Aries 1 is given because it is the first of the Signs, the beginning of the year.

The Jewels of Aries

The gems are the Diamond and Bloodstone, with the Ruby and Garnet as secondary mascots, since all red stones belong to Mars. It is the Planet which gives the numbers, days, colours and jewels, though for the sake of convenience they are spoken of as belonging to the Sign.

The Bloodstone is the special mascot of the soldier, and the ancients credited it with power to stop bleeding if it were applied to any wound. In some parts of India the same idea holds good to-day. Again modern science has confirmed the old teaching, for an oxide prepared from the stone is used in medicine in cases of excessive hæmorrhage.

It was taught that the Diamond is the most powerful of all mascots, but one which has been obtained dishonestly or is connected with any unworthy motive, may be the bringer of a curse. The stories of the great diamonds known to history confirm this. For instance, the Koh-i-Noor was connected with countless crimes through the ages, and so much ill fortune followed it that it was named the stone of ill luck. When it came into the possession of Queen Victoria, a Hindu Seer declared that it would bring trouble only to men, but if a woman owned it she need have no fear. Probably Her Majesty was more free from superstition than most people, but she was impressed by this statement. By her will the giant diamond became a Crown Jewel never to be owned by a king, instead it was to be the property of his consort. Thus it belongs to our Queen Mary for her life, and is worn by her on great occasions. A replica of it is shown amongst the Crown Jewels at the Tower.

As iron is the metal of Mars, the people of Aries will do well in any business connected with that metal, as with machinery, for instance. Also destructive chemicals, such as brimstone and arsenic are his, and work in which they are a part will be fortunate.

Type of Aries People

When true to type, the Aries people are of medium height or over, are thin with long necks, high cheek-bones and wavy hair. They have bushy eyebrows and grey or greyish brown eyes.

They are most liable to diseases of the head and face, such as neuralgia or dental troubles, fevers and affections of the eyes.

Plants and Herbs

The plants and herbs of Mars will benefit those under the influence of the Planet, either as mascots or medicines, but in the latter respect are credited with double power if gathered while Mars is in the ascendant. This holds good in all similar cases. The following are the most important:

All-heal; Anemone; Barberry; Basil; Butcher’s Broom; Celandine; Cresses, but not Water Cress; Crowfoot; Daffodil (yellow); Dog-Grass, which is supposed to grow only where blood has been spilt: Furze; Garlic; Gentian; Hawthorn; Honeysuckle; Hops; Hyssop; Masterwort; Mustard; Nettles; Onion; Pepper; Pine Tree; Raddish; Rhubarb; Rosemary; Samphire; Sarsaparilla; Tarragon; Thistle; Tobacco and Wormwood.

THE SIGN OF TAURUS, THE BULL

Ruling Planet, Venus

Number, 6; Colour, Blue; Day, Friday; Jewels and Metal, Sapphire, Turquoise, Emerald, Coral and Copper.

On leaving the Sign of Aries the Sun enters that of Taurus, the next in order in the belt. In Ancient Egypt the bull was worshipped as the symbol of fecundity, and while the Sun was in the Sign of Taurus, a great festival lasting seven days was held in honour of Osiris, the giver of Life who the people saw represented by the bull. Probably the sacred cattle of the Hindus to-day are a remnant of the same belief.

The Sign is one of Earth, and frequently the characteristics of the lower nature are found in its influences. But the period was considered the most favourable of all for the starting of any great work. The two temples of the Jews were begun when the Sun was in Taurus, and there is every reason to believe the same period saw the laying of the first stones of the Great Pyramid.

As is the case with all other Signs, the name was not bestowed indiscriminately, and thus the Taurus people who are true to type have many of the characteristics of the bull, as those of Aries have of the ram. People born at the beginning of the Sign are patient and plodding, but very difficult to guide or advise. Slow to forget and forgive, they are apt to brood over their wrongs, while obstinacy is their chief fault. Fortunately the influence of Venus softens and modifies many of the faults of the Sign. She is the incarnation of Love, only, unfortunately, she has more than one aspect. When at her highest she gives the beauty of unselfish devotion, of unswerving loyalty, but when afflicted the love she inspires may be the basest passion. Taurus, being an Earth Sign, her lower influence is often exerted there, yet everything depends on the individual horoscope, and it is impossible to lay down general rules that must be followed. It is certain only that in one form or another Venus will make herself felt to those born under Taurus.

To a great extent the influences of the Sign and the Planet contradict each other. While Taurus gives obstinacy, Venus may bestow irresponsibility. In that case a person will not listen to advice, but insists on going his own way to ruin, through frivolity and self-indulgence. Taurus gives business ability, Venus artistic talents. If the aspects are good these influences merge smoothly, and we find the artist endowed with the common sense which enables him to win wealth as well as fame. If the aspect is evil the power to create beauty remains, but nothing of value comes from the gift.

Frequently Taurus people are fond of money, but Venus may change them into spendthrifts. If she is ill aspected, money will be theirs either through work or inheritance, but