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Fate or Fortune: The Art and Folklore of Divination
Praise
Icy Sedgwick's Fate or Fortune is an absolute must have for practitioners and students of the esoteric, or anyone interested in the rich and multifaceted history of divination. Divinatory practices are so much more than just tarot cards and fortune telling, and Sedgwick digs deep into the folklore of these practices with a scholar's eye and a storyteller's heart. From tasseomancy to death omens, prophetic dreams to hurling cabbages at your husband-to-be, Sedgwick brings warmth, humor, and sensitivity to the question that has endured for human beings across millennia: what will happen in the future, and how can we better understand our role in this strange, chaotic universe?
—Celeste Mott, Writer and Witch
In Fate or Fortune, Sedgwick expertly takes on the many different methods of divination found among folk practitioners, from cards to coffins(!) to weather omens (like the famed “red sky at night” rhyme). This is a grounded, thoughtful, and thorough introduction to a plethora of methods and a signpost to further exploration. Where else will you learn which bird would be the best to see on Valentine’s Day if you were looking for a well-heeled mate (the Goldfinch is where the big money’s at)? For the folk diviner, Fate or Fortune is a must-have compendium to include on your shelf.
—Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic
It is a glorious day for the world of folklore with the release of a new title by Icy Sedgwick. Fate or Fortune is the usual perfect blend of meticulously researched detail and Icy's wry sense of humour, making this a book to be enjoyed cover to cover as well as an invaluable reference source. Covering the many and various forms of divination from the well-known cards and tea-leaves to more obscure weather and death prediction and all points in between, Icy compares the magical working of each with the important aspects of personal belief, superstition and tradition you would expect from a respected folklorist. This adds richness to a volume which offers so much more than a simple examination of the practicalities of the topic. I predict a good future for this book; I saw it in my tea leaves.
—Mark Norman, host of The FolklorePodcast and author of Devon’s Forgotten Witches and Dark Folklore
