1.03.2008
What is Coming in 2008?
A traditional pastime in many cultures is to perform divinations and make predictions for the coming year. One of the more famous groups releasing predictions for 2008 is a consortium of (predominately Cuban) Santeria priests.
"Priests offering New Year's prophecies from Cuba's Afro-Cuban religion on Wednesday gave few hints on the future of convalescing leader Fidel Castro and instead warned about dangerous climate change and epidemics ... This year's batch came after a meeting of more than 1,000 priests, including babalawos visiting from Venezuela, Peru and Italy."
While most journalists wanted to hear about Castro, the babalawos seem far more concerned about environmental issues, war, and global warming.
"More violent robberies and wars are on the way in 2008, along with dangerous forest fires, and this may be the year global warming unleashes worldwide catastrophe. But with hard work and moral discipline, the planet's people just might turn things around ... In their forecast released Wednesday, the priests warned "Cuba and the world" of heightened danger from forest fires, "violent robberies" and "serious climate irregularities." But there is still time to seize the moral high ground, reduce violence and slow climate change, Priest Lazaro Cuesta told a news conference. "There is still hope because there are still possibilities," he said."
Santeria priests aren't the only ones making press for 2008 predictions, some local papers are hitting up psychics for clues to what the future holds.
"But ask local psychics Pernel Dove and Flash Silvermoon what the capricious future holds, and, without a heartbeat of hesitation, they'll answer ... According to Dove's annual predictions, Hilary Clinton will "without a doubt" be elected president ... According to Silvermoon, Osama bin Laden will finally be found and the Bush family will get caught in a "communication oriented" scandal during the first week of March ... Dove predicted at least two hurricane landfalls in the United States."
But you should be careful with predictions, because they can always come back to haunt you.
"In 2001, Nikki had forecast that two planes would crash into the World Trade Center. She had also predicted Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwins demise. She, however, wrongly predicted in 2007 that an explosion would rock Rockefeller Center, Fidel Castro would die, and the United States would invade Cuba. Her predictions that a terrorist would attack Air Force One, and that Leonardo DiCaprio would be kidnapped, also did not come true."
Have you done divinations for the new year? What predictions are you willing to make for 2008? Leave a comment with your hunches, guesses, and certainties, but be careful, you may see your predictions (wrong or right) revisited come 2009!
ADDENDUM: Full text of the Ifa Reading for 2008.
Labels: 2008, Cuba, Paganism, predictions, psychics, Santeria
