Cartomancy
Indians are usually very superstitious people. I don't know of very many families who wouldn't have a family priest or who haven't at some point of time consulted one. At times of marriage the birth charts of the bride and groom are studied to 'calculate' their compatibility!! Most would be wearing some precious stone or the other to rectify some problem that they'd be facing. It is not only the rich who indulge in these superstitions, it is prevalent in all strata of the society. While the 'pundits' would ask the rich to wear a sapphire, emerald or diamond of a certain carat weight in a gold ring on a particular finger to change their fortunes, the not so affluent would be be asked to wear a pearl (a cheap synthetic one) in a silver band (to calm anger) or a ring made out of the metal of a horseshoe (for luck and prosperity). 'Problems' like being stuck in your career, not finding a match for marriage, or not being able to conceive a male child can also be solved by donating some stuff ranging from food items to precious metals to the 'pundits' or the poor in charity. Others may take recourse in 'tantriks' or 'shamans' who indulge in a form of black magic and usually venerate Goddess Kali or Shiva.
I have always been very cynical of all this and never been interested in all the crap that the pundits keep telling my mum whenever she visits one of the crooks. She went in a pundit overdrive mode with regards to my sister's marriage not coming through and has been a convert ever since. I think its usually uncertainty of the future or adversity that pushes people towards all this brain wash. But then as one of my closest friend always says "To each his own".
A friend of mine has taken a complete 360 degree turn and of late has been insanely into pundits and stuff. He has been concerned about the strife and problems in my life and my strained relationship with my parents with regards to certain decisions I have taken. He has tried to do a couple of things to get me back to my senses. Made my mum talk to some pundit and asked her to perform some stupid rites like throwing some food stuff like lentils and wheat into a moving body of water like a river. I have been fighting him and mum ever since and tried to put some sense into their brains.
Today he called me home saying that he was having some people over and would like me to be there too. I went to see him and he took me hostage and said he was going to take me to a career counselor. I wasn't excited about the idea but it was much better than seeing a pundit so agreed reluctantly cursing him all the way.
We reached the counselor's home and were asked to wait as she was busy with another client. In the waiting area a woman asked us if I believed in the her (the counselor). I told her that it was my first time and that was taken hostage by my friend. During the conversation I realized that she wasn't a career counselor but a Cartomancer. I once again started to curse my friend but then thought what harm could it do anyways. It would be a nice form of entertainment if nothing else.
When my turn came I walked into the room and the lady looked at me and said 'Are you sure you want to do this?'
"Hmm.. now how did she know that I was taken a hostage?" I said a hesitant yes and sat down. She then asked me if I had traveled often of late. That too was accurate to a great extent. I have never traveled as much as I did in the last year and a half. She asked me to shuffle the deck of card with my right hand put them in the table cut them into 2 heaps with the left hand and place one over the other with my right hand and arrange them in a semi circle.
I was asked to choose 13 cards at first and then a few more which she arranged something like the deck for Solitaire on the computer screen. All the time she kept making observations about the past which were eerily accurate that she started to scare me. She asked me to pull out a few more cards and then she went to predict about the future. All of it started to strangle the cynic inside me. The predictions were mostly the things that I wanted to hear to validate my decisions and calm my nerves.
One thing she said was that I should rule out a relationship for the next two years and even if I tried it would be a complete disaster and that I should instead focus on my career. Hmm.. that would save me a ton of tears and pain. Seems like there is no love on the cards for me anytime soon. Life and career should look up for me after the next 3 months and it was predicted that I would have a lot of money in the career that I choose for myself. Hmm.. lots of money and no love!!! Well who said life would ever be easy. There is a very famous couplet in Urdu, it goes like
I have always been very cynical of all this and never been interested in all the crap that the pundits keep telling my mum whenever she visits one of the crooks. She went in a pundit overdrive mode with regards to my sister's marriage not coming through and has been a convert ever since. I think its usually uncertainty of the future or adversity that pushes people towards all this brain wash. But then as one of my closest friend always says "To each his own".
A friend of mine has taken a complete 360 degree turn and of late has been insanely into pundits and stuff. He has been concerned about the strife and problems in my life and my strained relationship with my parents with regards to certain decisions I have taken. He has tried to do a couple of things to get me back to my senses. Made my mum talk to some pundit and asked her to perform some stupid rites like throwing some food stuff like lentils and wheat into a moving body of water like a river. I have been fighting him and mum ever since and tried to put some sense into their brains.
Today he called me home saying that he was having some people over and would like me to be there too. I went to see him and he took me hostage and said he was going to take me to a career counselor. I wasn't excited about the idea but it was much better than seeing a pundit so agreed reluctantly cursing him all the way.
We reached the counselor's home and were asked to wait as she was busy with another client. In the waiting area a woman asked us if I believed in the her (the counselor). I told her that it was my first time and that was taken hostage by my friend. During the conversation I realized that she wasn't a career counselor but a Cartomancer. I once again started to curse my friend but then thought what harm could it do anyways. It would be a nice form of entertainment if nothing else.
When my turn came I walked into the room and the lady looked at me and said 'Are you sure you want to do this?'
"Hmm.. now how did she know that I was taken a hostage?" I said a hesitant yes and sat down. She then asked me if I had traveled often of late. That too was accurate to a great extent. I have never traveled as much as I did in the last year and a half. She asked me to shuffle the deck of card with my right hand put them in the table cut them into 2 heaps with the left hand and place one over the other with my right hand and arrange them in a semi circle.
I was asked to choose 13 cards at first and then a few more which she arranged something like the deck for Solitaire on the computer screen. All the time she kept making observations about the past which were eerily accurate that she started to scare me. She asked me to pull out a few more cards and then she went to predict about the future. All of it started to strangle the cynic inside me. The predictions were mostly the things that I wanted to hear to validate my decisions and calm my nerves.
One thing she said was that I should rule out a relationship for the next two years and even if I tried it would be a complete disaster and that I should instead focus on my career. Hmm.. that would save me a ton of tears and pain. Seems like there is no love on the cards for me anytime soon. Life and career should look up for me after the next 3 months and it was predicted that I would have a lot of money in the career that I choose for myself. Hmm.. lots of money and no love!!! Well who said life would ever be easy. There is a very famous couplet in Urdu, it goes like
"Har kisi ko mukamal jehan nahin milta
Kisi ko zameen to kisi ko aasman nahin milta"
Kisi ko zameen to kisi ko aasman nahin milta"
Roughly translated it would mean
"No one ever gets a complete universe
some keep looking for land and others crave for the sky"
some keep looking for land and others crave for the sky"
I don't know if it makes any sense but my translating skills are rather limited and I am no good at poetry either. After the prediction she asked me to shuffle the cards once again while making a wish. And then she pulled out a few cards from the heap and arranged them in a pattern counting them in her mind. She said that the cards were good and indicated that my wish would come true!!! Now I can't tell you what I wished for as that is considered a bad omen in India. But I can give you a hint. It wouldn't come to shape for the next 2 years atleast!!!
Photo Credits: Mikhail Vrubel, Naomi
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