CONCLUSION
Who was Madame Aubrey? I have no idea. The book included no biographical detail; she could’ve been fictional. For that matter, so could Madame Zadkiel. But whoever designed it I’m guessing was a knowledgeable occultist. This is of course one of those divination methods I classify under my self-coined term ‘chartomancy’ since it is divination by the use of a chart. I like focusing on old divination tools like this on occasion, because they say something about the society from which they came. And they can still speak to us in meaningful ways.
This seems like the sort of divination tool which would be good for casual use, maybe with friends or guests who don’t usually divine, possibly another Fun Party Game. But warning: some of these fortunes are harsh. I’ve got to hand it to occultists of centuries past—when they created divination tools, they didn’t pull their punches. If you’re headed for a cheater, a horrible marriage, an injury in war, a lost court case, or a business failure, this one will say so! But since Madame Aubery’s Oraculum is a lot about love and marriage, and we’re in the season of Beltane, it seems like an appropriate divination tool for the moment. May your fortune from this be a good one, and if it can’t be a good one, may it at least be a timely warning!
EXERCISES
- Consult the chart for yourself, your choice of method. Note the answer you get and come back to it some time later (this may take years). Was it accurate, or did it miss?
- Consult the chart again, only this time, ask about someone you know, someone you’re likely to keep in touch with for years to come. Note the answer you get, then come back to it some time later (again, this may take years). Was it accurate, or did it miss?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Haney, Jesse. Madame Zadkiel’s FortuneTeller & Mirror of Fate. New York: Excelsior Publishing House, 1884. pp. 72-84