Back to the Future: Why We Keep Reaching for our Magic 8 Ball.

Shake, shake. “Outcome unclear.” Shake again. “Does not look good.” Keep shaking...

For those of us old enough to remember the Magic 8 Ball, it was the original oracle. A mysterious black sphere that promised answers to life’s biggest questions: Does my high school crush like me? Will I make the team? Is the new No Doubt album coming out soon?

When I think about predictive work, I’m often reminded of that little toy. Not because prediction is frivolous or unhelpful, but because it perfectly captures something deeply human: our desire for certainty. We keep shaking, hoping that if we ask the question one more time, we’ll finally get the answer we want.

As an astrologer, tarot reader, and lifelong student of spiritual tools, I’ve been just as guilty of this as anyone else.

In fact, having access to more tools simply gives me more ways to ask the same question.

Maybe the tarot will tell me. Maybe astrology will clarify it. Maybe an oracle deck will confirm it. Somewhere in all of those symbols, surely I’ll find the answer that finally gives me certainty and maybe even a little control over the future.

Of course, that’s not how any of this works.

One of the very first articles I published here on Modern Mysticisms was The Dangers and Delights of Future-Tripping: An Astrologer’s Dilemma. In it, I explored the temptation to become so focused on what might happen that we lose sight of what’s happening right now. I wrote about treating predictive tools like a weather forecast: valuable for understanding the climate ahead, but never a guarantee of exactly how events will unfold.

As someone who works with clients and offers predictive readings, I've come to appreciate that prediction is rarely just about the future. More often, it's about finding perspective during seasons of uncertainty. And if I'm being honest, I'm no different. Whenever I reach for my cards or pull up my transits, it's worth asking myself what I'm really hoping to find.

To be clear, I still believe prediction has tremendous value. Understanding the energetic “weather forecast” ahead can help us prepare, reflect, and move through life with greater awareness. Knowing that a season may ask for patience, courage, or flexibility can be incredibly empowering.

But as my own practice has grown, I’ve noticed something shifting.

More and more, I’m drawn to using astrology, tarot, and other esoteric tools not to answer the question, "What will happen?" but rather, Who am I being asked to become?

Instead of asking, Will this opportunity work out? I find myself asking, How do I want to show up if it does, and if it doesn’t?

Instead of asking, What’s coming next? I ask, What energy am I being invited to embody this week?

It’s a subtle shift, but it’s changed the way I relate to these tools entirely.

The future will always remain uncertain. Maybe that’s not a flaw in the system. Maybe it’s an invitation to spend a little less time shaking the Magic 8 Ball, and a little more time becoming the person who can meet whatever outcome eventually appears.