The Almanac

Plain-language guides to the world's fortune-telling traditions, written by an editor who separates what a tradition claims from what the evidence shows. Every guide starts from a real question.

6Guides
What is a birth chart, and what can it actually tell you?AstrologyWhat is a birth chart, and what can it actually tell you?A birth chart is a map of the sky at the moment of birth. Here is how it is built, what each part means, and where its honest limits are.How do you read a tarot spread without fooling yourself?TarotHow do you read a tarot spread without fooling yourself?A spread is a layout of cards where each position asks a question. Here is how spreads work, how to read one honestly, and how to avoid reading your hopes into the cards.How does numerology calculate a life-path number?NumerologyHow does numerology calculate a life-path number?The life-path number is numerology's headline idea. Here is the exact calculation, what the numbers are said to mean, and where the practice comes from.How do you cast and read the I Ching?I ChingHow do you cast and read the I Ching?The I Ching answers a question with one of sixty-four hexagrams. Here is how to cast one with coins, how changing lines work, and why it reads change rather than fate.What are the lines on your palm said to mean?PalmistryWhat are the lines on your palm said to mean?Palmistry reads the hand as a map. Here are the three main lines, what each tradition attaches to them, and why a hand is a snapshot and not a sentence.Do dream symbols have fixed meanings?DreamsDo dream symbols have fixed meanings?Dream dictionaries promise a fixed key, yet the same symbol means opposite things across cultures. Here is a more honest way to read a dream.