Oracles Then and Now Do you consult the oracle whenever you want to know something about your destiny? In fact, it is said that oracles are thought to be a source of divine or supernatural wisdom. Specialists use certain objects, tarot cards for instance, to help them in the process of understanding or divining some supernatural, metaphysical insight in one's own life, or in someone else' life. Such objects are the oracles themselves. Experts say that visions of the future, also known as precognition coming from an oracle, is said to be a divine word because they are communicated through a prophetic medium that is the oracle. However, did you know that oracles in the ancient times were people and not objects? Yes, if you trace back human history, you will discover that the most famous oracle was a person, not an object. She was an older divine mystic. The priestess of Apollo's temple at Delphi, the Pythia, was commonly called 'The Oracle at Delphi'. Nevertheless, before we go any farther, you may have to visit a hispanic site (sitio hispano) to help you understand more about oracles. Anyway, what puts the Pythia into a prophetic trance is when she sits on a stool placed over a ground opening or crack from which vapors sprung. A team of priests, who are just around, are the ones responsible in interpreting her vapor-induced often unintelligible prophecies. Theory has it that the vapors rising from the crevices on the rock triggered the Pythia to deliver the oracles in a hysteric state, speaking gibberishly. The priests dutifully translated those as the enigmatic prophecies and are now preserved in Greek literature. Inspired by Apollo, the Pythia was widely recognized for her prophecies. Those who seek her wisdom never doubted her prophecies. If there was a discrepancy between a prophecy and its event, the blame was on the inquirer who had wrongly interpreted the Delphic Oracle, rather than presuming that the Pythia was in error. The Delphic Oracle was founded in the 8th century BC. But it was only about 395 AD when after Emperor Theodosius ordered the cessation of the pagan temples that the Delphic Oracle became the most prestigious and authoritative oracle among the Greeks. Recall the Keanu Reeves 1999 hit movie, 'The Matrix', it featured a human oracle whom Neo (Reeves) consulted for a better understanding of his destiny or life path. It was Morpheus who took him to 'The Oracle'. She reminded Neo though, that it was for him alone to comprehend whatever message was relayed by The Oracle. That idea of using a human oracle was aimed at bringing the Greek and the global understanding of oracles into this very modern world of ours today. For the classical Greeks, the oracle was one of their best-documented religious institutions. Among the many famous authors who mentioned the oracle were Aristotle, Euripedes, Herodotus, Ovid, Pindar, Plato, Sophocles, and a lot more.
With that said, one can only surmise the greatness of oracles. In the modern world today, psychics use objects believed to have a spiritual or supernatural connection. These tools can help you get a clearer interpretation of what psychic messages you are searching for. Oracles are meant to guide you towards your future and aid you in making sound decisions for a better life. You may be surprised to know that there are actually several forms of oracles used by modern psychics. One of them is Numbers through the practice of numerology. Another is Tarot cards that are probably the most widely accepted oracles today. More so, there are other simpler forms of spiritual insight cards used as oracles, but they seem to have limited interpretative capacity. Many psychics also use the runes (las runas), or rune stones which can be availed online. However, there are those who also use live stones, follow the Celtic and Druidic traditions of using objects as tools when seeking for supernatural wisdom.