Numerology and Oracles: The Tablets of Fate

[samuel hicks]

Closing your eyes, you reach down and spin the little booklet around
on the table before you, taking care not to tear it; the paper won't
take rough handling. Finally stopping, you straighten it out before
you. Stretching out your right arm, and letting your wrist hang loose,
you point downward with your index finger, curling your other fingers
back out of the way. Finally, eyes still closed, your lower your
stiffened arm till your finger touches the paper; and opening your
eyes you look at the small chart of jumbled numbers to see what you've
chosen.
===> History of the Tablets
The "Tablets of Fate" are an oracle first produced as chap-books in
the late 17th century. Chap-books were among the first examples of
printed works for the common people. Made up in large quantities and
printed on the cheapest grade of rag paper, these little 4 x 6 inch
pamphlets were the dime novels of their day. They were sold in shops
and stalls in the city markets, and then bought and resold by peddlers
to the villages and hamlets of Europe.
These peddlers would carry small cheap goods they could buy and resell
from their packs as they traveled. In the vernacular of the day they
were called chap-men, buyers and sellers of cheapened goods. Hence,
the booklets they sold acquired the name chap-books.
The thing to remember is that the "Tablets of Fate" were among the
first writings commonly available. Wither they are a true oracle, or
just a parlor game, their history is as old as playing cards.
===> Methodology
The idea behind the oracle is simple. Each "Tablet" represents a
different category of questions that will fall into a common group of
answers. A tablet is created, consisting of 16 numbers jumbled in an
odd arrangement in roughly equal areas of the page. They can be in a
square (Tablet of Venus), a circle (Tablet of the Moon), or a diamond
shape (Tablet of Jupiter) so long as the area that encloses each
number is roughly equal on the page. Then a table of Responses is
prepared covering a range of possible answers. The "Tablets of Fate"
call for 32 responses, 16 numbers with both an upright and a reversed
meaning.
You would seek your answer by placing the chart with the "Tablet" in
front of you and turning it randomly to set it's direction, upright or
reversed. Then you'd use your finger, a small stick, or a pencil held
in your hand to randomly pick your answer.
===> Known Tablets of Fate
The following Tablets can be found in several sources under different
names.
Tablet of the Sphinx == Usually consulted first to determine if the
time is right to ask your question. If you receive a favorable answer
in the Tablet of the Sphinx, you would go on to the next tablet.
Tablet of the Moon (Spell of the New Moon) == The Moon guards the
Home; use it ask about issues concerning home, relatives, and friends.
Tablet of Mercury (The Magnetic Horseshoe) == Mercury is Lord of the
Crossroads; use this tablet for issues concerning journeys and
travels.
Tablet of Venus (Cupid's Scroll) == Venus is the goddess of Love, use
it for issues of the heart.
Tablet of Mars (The Symbolic Swastika) == use this table when your
question concerns Work, Business, or Money.
** (The Lucky Bell) == Used for issues concerning a Letter (or in
modern terms an email)
Tablet of the Sun (Spell of the Rising Sun) == Used when the issue
concerns Time.
** (The Seal of Solomon) == Issues concerning a Large Building
(Temple, Office Building, Hospital, etc.) or someone connected to such
a place.
Tablet of Jupiter (The Scales of Fate) == Used when your issues
concern Justice, worries, doubts, or problems with the Law.
===> Modern Printings of the Oracle
The most complete version of the "Tablets of Fate" that I've found
were printed in "The Complete Fortune Teller" by Diana Hawthorne (Blue
Ribbon Books, Inc., New York, 1940), and in an English printing of the
same book "Laurie's Complete Fortune Teller" by Diana Hawthorn (W and
G Foyle, Ltd, London. 1946). A copy of the English edition was
recently put up for sale on E-bay and still shows up in the search
engines. These are obviously out of print at this time.
A more modern version can be found in (2) books: "Little Giant
Encyclopedia of Lucky Numbers" by The Diagram Group (Sterling
Publishing 2001), and "Little Giant Encyclopedia of Fortune Telling"
by The Diagram Group (Sterling Publishing 1999). These are both still
in print, and can be found in your local bookstore. Sadly, two of the
"Tablets of Fate" were dropped from the recent Sterling Publishing
printings.
You can also find a Web page calculator with all of the "Tablets" from
the 1940 edition with a little bit of searching. I highly recommend
the experience; it sure beats using a magic 8-
ball.
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