Astrology, tarot, palm reading, runes, oracle cards, tea leaves, numerology: the methods that have been developed in order to give man a glimpse into his future are almost countless. Fortune telling has existed long before the chronicling of time, finding its origins in ancient civilizations. Every society has developed some sort of means to read the future, and while the practice is typically looked down upon in the West, it's still remains very common in Eastern countries. For as long as humans desire to know their fate, so will divination exist. Read on to find out more about the many different fortune-telling methods.

While the origin of the Tarot is not well-known, they have developed into perhaps the most popular method for divination. The deck is made up of 78 cards, 21 of which are referred to as the major arcana and the remaining 52, which are known as the minor arcana. Although they were originally used in 15th century Europe for entertainment purposes, they are now almost exclusively used for divinatory purposes in English-speaking countries.

The true Tarot is symbolism; it speaks no other language and offers no other signs. - Arthur E. Waite

There are now hundreds, if not thousands, of tarot decks available on the market, the most popular being Rider Waite and Thoth. In order to use the tarot for fortune telling, one must know the meanings of each of the 78 cards.

Another popular method for divination, palmistry -- also known as palm reading, chirology, chiromancy or cheiromancy -- is the art of reading one's future or character by studying the lines on one's palm. Palm reading can be traced back to Indian Astrology, the Hindu sage Valmiki believed to be the author of a palmistry text over 5000 years old. It is believed that the lines of the hand, as well as the palm's fleshiness, size and make-up, can predict one's lifespan, quality of life, intelligence, creativity, destiny, personality traits, and a number of other details. While palmistry is typically considered to be a pseudoscience, certain manifestations can appear in the hands which signify health problems.

Runes are based upon the runic alphabet, a set of characters that were originally used for the purpose of writing in Germanic languages before the introduction of the Latin alphabet. Runes were also used in divinatory practices approximately 1000 years ago. Runes have a bit of an unfortunate history, having been adopted during the Hitler regime as a symbol for the Nazism.

Runes, rather than used for the purpose of telling the future, are instead meant to inform the querent about the situation facing them, as well as how to weather through their current path. The sigils are perhaps best used for introspection rather than ask a means to help inform one of one's future.

Never has there been a board game so feared as the Ouija board. Also known as a spirit board or a talking board, the Ouija board is used both in the effort to find answers to the future, as well as to communicate with the now departed.

While the origin of talking boards is often disputed, it can be definitely traced back to the mid 1800s, when the use of talking boards began in the United States as part of the Modern Spiritualist Movement. The Ouija itself was originally invented by Elijah Bond and Charless Kennard, who patented the board near the end of the 19th century. The origin of the name itself is unknown, although the most common theory is that it comes from the French "oui" and the German "ja", both meaning "yes".

Despite its rather mundane beginnings, many see the Ouija board as being surrounded with an air of mysticism or even evil. There are a number of paranormal researchers and religious followers who believe the Ouija opens the door to possession. On the other hand, there are a number of mediums and spiritualists who use the Ouija board to contact spirits and answer life's most important questions.

Bibliomancy uses books in order to divine truths. The most popular texts to use are those of sacred or religious origin, such as the Bible or the Quran. The querent asks a question and then takes the sacred tome, allows it to fall open to a random page, and then, with their eyes closed, the querent selects a passage which is meant to be the answer to their query.

Cybermancy is the modern version of bibliomancy; the querent, rather than using a book as guidance, instead surfs to a random webpage in search of answers.

Perhaps the most classic method of reading the future, the crystal ball is the most prominent symbolic representation of fortune telling. Oracles, in replace of a crystal ball, can also use a mirror or a body of water -- typically, a scrying pool -- to see the future.

The practice of scrying can be traced back as early as the Druids in 2000 B.C. Fortune tellers are believed to predict the future based upon the images or reflections that appear to them in the crystal.