Divination or fortune telling is the attempt to foretell the future or discover events that do or will affect human beings for good or evil. Most people at one time have practiced divination; it is particularly important in those areas where ignorance is great or where human control over events is weak. The most widespread form of internal power is that of diviners who act while in the state of "possession," often in a state of trance. Shamans, prophets, seers, and mediums may act while in a state of possession. They often hold that their powers come direct to them from a high god, so that they above criticism by ordinary people who lack this direct contact.

Forms of Divination:

• Palmistry - a form of divination which is popular in highly developed countries.
• Astrology and Horoscopy - is a form of divination that is based on the interpretation of natural phenomena and relationship of the heavenly bodies and human analyses.
• Dream interpretation
• Other forms of divination are pattern of earth and stones thrown onto the ground (geomancy), from flames (pyromancy), stones (lithomancy), water (hydromancy), and the casting of dice.
• Some divinatory practices involve the study of various objects associated with animals, such as the cries and behavior of birds and animals.

The human body is most often used for divinatory purposes; it is believed that parts of the body are mystically related to the courses of the heavenly bodies, which ultimately decide human fate. Divination of this kind includes;

• Reading the palm of the hand (cheiromancy)
• Shoulder blades (scapulimancy)
• Distribution of moles on the body (neomancy)
• Lines on the forehead (metoposcopy)
• Lines on the feet (pedomancy)
• Eyes (opthalmoscopy)
• Fingernails (onychomancy)
• Other forms of divination like the shape of skull (phrenology) are concerned with discovering the moral and psychological nature of the individual.