Emily Chan
These days, crystals, tarot cards, and ouija boards are the divination tools that people have come to expect when it comes to seeing what the future may hold. The market for these trinkets is booming across all age groups. But in the past, these weren’t available for people to use, so in order to predict their futures, they turned to common household items.
Believe it or not, some of the most valuable mystical objects can be found around the kitchen. From apples to tea leaves, there are countless food products that were transformed into divinatory tools. These fortune-telling methods have been practiced for centuries. Here are some foods that were staples of the magical arts and how to use them to predict the future.
Eggs
The use of eggs to predict the future is called oomancy or ovomancy. Oomancy dates all the way back to ancient Greece. The most well-known method of oomancy is linked to the Salem Witch Trials. During the hysteria of that time period, ministers would warn against using a “Venus glass.”
When people wanted to know about unborn children or unfound spouses, they would simply fill a glass with warm water and drop an egg white in. As the egg white solidifies, the shapes that it forms will provide a picture of your spouse’s identity. If the egg white looks like a horse, your spouse might be a farmer. If it resembles a boat, your spouse could be a fisherman.
Cabbages
To kick off the festivities, people used to steal cabbage the night before Halloween. It was all part of the Halloween prank. This practice stems from the Scottish tradition of “kaling,” which involves heading to a field of kale at midnight, putting on blindfolds, and yanking up the first bunch of leaves you come across. Afterward, you would closely inspect the stalk for clues about your future romantic partner.
If you were a woman who pulled a stalk that was tall, straight, and strong, that indicates that your husband would probably have the same qualities. A kale stalk with withered leaves and a lot of dirt attached to the roots implied that you would marry a wealthy, frail old man.
Nuts
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