Fortune Teller's Handbook

by Sasha Fenton

Book by Fenton, Sasha

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2003

About the author

I’m an author, speaker and publisher. My husband, Jan Budkowski, and I run two publishing companies:
Stellium Ltd (www.stelliumpub.com) for fiction, digital and self-publishing services, and
Zambezi Publishing Ltd (www.zampub.com) for Mind, Body & Spirit titles.

I became a professional astrologer, palmist and Tarot card reader in 1974, but I tailed off my consultancy business when my writing took off. I’ve written 136 books, mainly on mind, body & spirit subjects, with total sales of around 7 million copies, and translations of some titles into twelve languages. Like an addict, I still write, most recently a trio of time travel, action romance novels – the Tudorland series (Sophie’s Inheritance, Lucy’s Dilemma and Emily’s Mistake), a gentle spell book (Spells in Focus) for our publishing company, and In Focus: Astrology for Quarto.com

I’ve taught, broadcast and lectured all over the world, and written for many magazines and newspapers. One of my favourite features was a detailed Chinese Astrology column in Prediction magazine, starting with the January 2012 issue, until the magazine sadly closed a year later. I’ve been interested in Chinese Astrology for some time, and I concentrate on making it more accessible to our western minds.

As a past President of the British Astrological and Psychic Society (BAPS), past Chair for the Advisory Panel on Astrological Education and past member of the Executive Council of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, I like to think I have contributed to the writing and mind, body & spirit communities in the UK.

More recently, Jan and I created MBS Professionals Ltd, a unique, international accreditation/certification home for Mind, Body & Spirit professionals. (www.mbsprofessionals.com)

Although I still love to write, Jan and I now spend more time in running our MB&S publishing business (Zambezi Publishing Ltd), and in our brief spare time, a spot of fly fishing in the beautiful South West of England is a great way to relax...

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This covered a lot of divination tools, but it was written horribly. I found several grammatical and spelling errors. Also, it's very generic -- which could be good for someone who is just looking for a list or overview, but if you actually want to learn techniques I would try something else.

[Barry Huddleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Sasha Fenton has put together an entertaining and interesting read. I have spent weeks playing around with the various divination techniques. There is some crossover with Fenton's previous book "Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Tarot" but I highly recommend getting both.

Divination, with coins, Tarot cards, and itches (yes I said itches), can entertain you and your friends for hours. This is a book to share with others --- believe me. Tea leaf floating in your tea? --- Oh, that means money.

As with her other book, "Fortune Teller's Handbook" is a "must-have" for your home esoteric library. I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Hampton Roads Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Tara Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with this. She gave a brief overview of 20 different fortune telling methods. Some she said were old and no longer really believed. Others she said worked for her/others.

[Electric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know you could read domino's.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received this book free in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Further Disclosure: I only requested it as a joke.

I find myself in a position to eat crow. While I am still a total skeptic, and you are not going to see me either going to a fortune teller or becoming one, the book is actually not half bad. Each of the twenty entries gives the reader an overview of one technique of fortune telling, like an encyclopedia might do. The entries are interesting and the tone is light. You won't become the world's leading expert on any of the techniques by reading this book but you will finish having been entertained and (unless you actually ARE the world's leading expert) better informed then when you started.

For entertainment value, don't miss the chapters on itches and moles. I have seen a much longer book on phrenology but this book has as clear an explanation of it as I have seen. For me the chapter on fortune telling by dice was the most interesting. Anyone who is really interested in tarot or astrology will say that those chapters give readers only a superficial overview but they are certainly adequate to help someone determine if it worth pursuing either of those subjects in depth or to allow you to fake it in a little tent at the church carnival. (Which makes me laugh, remembering that Sister Gerada Joseph read my palm back in the day.)

I do, however, have one nit that needs picking: the list called Further Reading should have been labeled A List of the Publisher's Other Books."