CONCLUSION
The Dutch Fortune Teller’s introduction suggests this oracle should be regarded as useful only for amusement in a group of people, and not to be taken seriously. I can see its entertainment value, as some of the answers are bound to cause heated denials and laughter. If you’re using the Dutch Fortune-Teller in a group that knows you well, they can probably confirm or deny the veracity of the answer you receive.
All divination tools I term ‘Books of Fate’ are the sort of thing good for those rainy afternoons when you’re bored and in need of distraction. A relaxed, unattached state of mind is a good time for seeking answers to some of the deeper, more essential questions in life, because you’re not emotionally invested in the outcome. You can receive a very accurate answer at such times. The Dutch Fortune Teller also doesn’t pull its punches. If you’re in for bad luck, it tells you. If you’re in for good luck, it tells you. I hope all your fortunes from it are good ones.
EXERCISES
- Do as I did, and ask ‘What Fortune may happen unto this Child newly-born?’ from the standpoint of what would the oracle have told your parents after you were born. Record the answer you receive; was it accurate in your case, or no?
- Ask a question about someone you know well. Given what you know of this person, does their fortune accord with what you know about them on that subject, or not?
- Ask another question, this time about your own present or future, record the answer you get, and return to your fortune later. Did it manifest as predicted or not? If it is something into the far-distant future you ask about, does the answer sound like a likely outcome for you or not?
- Given what you’ve seen of the Dutch Fortune Teller, would you use this again, or not? In what circumstances? For example, would you use it only at Renaissance Faires, historical reenactments and the like, or in a small group that might enjoy it?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Booker, John. Ed. The Dutch Fortune Teller: Discovering XXXVI several questions which Old and Young, Married Men and Women, Batchelors and Maids Delight to be Resolved of. 1646, 1705 et al.