The aim of the divination was to know the mind of heaven and the ancestors, and the spirits of nature, in order to understand and control future events. The form has changed today (diviners now more often use the famous Book of Changes and cast their horoscopes with dried yarrow stalks), but divination is still a very important part of Chinese life, and fortune-tellers are a respected part of social and business life, performing the function of psychotherapists for people in personal doubt or distress, and even helping with business decisions.
