Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

Trelawny: "Would anyone like me to help interpet the shadowy realms within their orb?"
Ron: "I don't need help, it's obvious what this means: there's going to be loads of fog tonight."



What is Divination?

"Very few have the True Sight, the willing to see beyond the mundane and into the miraculous. If you do not have the Talent, there is very little I can do for you..."

First assignment - Give a brief outline of your Starsign and its effects on your life...





((Please include Character name and House))









((Mother Shipton was England's most famous Prophetess!))

K is it a nessary course cuz Li is way above this and it would be too easy.

<<Whats a starsign now?>>

starsigns are like capricorn, aquarius, pisces, aries, taurus, gemini, cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpio, and sagittarius....i think that's all...?

yup

{tiger..have Li in the class.....b/c she should actualy REALLY like this class since she has a talent...but maybe she is bored in it......}

((This is just the first starting class. If you post your year, I can do more challenging assignments later on))

I'm Pisces and well, it doesn't have much effect on my life.. it's just that when you're Pisces the stone 'Amethyst' is your birthstone.. and for the rest it doesn't have much effect.. like I said before

Hmmm.... Is this course necessary, cause i'm a 1st year i don't need to make this course do I?

None of the courses are ESSENTIAL, except Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration ((so far)). They just help you to win more House Points.

Karen, and im a 5th year and my starsign is Capricorn, only problem is it says they HATE fantasies, and i luv them...

Slowly he rested his head on his arms, which were folded on his desk. His face was contorted, and his eyes closed as he tried to access the recesses of his mind, trying to see if he had some kind of psychic power, and gave up as he exhaled.

"I-i-i-i-i-i-i am a Taurus," he exclaimed nervously, "Erm... it affected my life since it has made me stubborn... bull headed. I've grown an affinity to the arts as well, finding more value to it than most...and that's about it...?"

"Oh I'm Ocean Oliver," he said after the few moments of silence," of the house Ravenclaw."

josephine im (character name) tried to make sense of the silvery fog that swirled in the orb in front of her and was just about to make out some sort of animal when she was distracted by the soft stammering beside her. it was from a ravenclaw boy by the name of ocean oliver and his nervousness of speaking about such an unimportant and trivial subject as a starsign made her feel so sorry for him that the next second she found herself hugging him, hoping that he wouldn't feel so nervous. but she was suddenly aware that it was not helping that she stood up and spoke quickly...
"my name is josephine im from the gryffindor house. virgo's are conventional, practical, witty, wise, perfectionist, and careful. being a virgo has affected my life in that i am quite the perfectionist...i think i probabaly ironed my robe 12 times in the two days i had my robe before boarding the hogwarts express *laughs airily* and though i would have enjoyed being in ravenclaw, i must not have been wise or witty enough as virgos are inclined to be...*she slowly started to sit down when another thought struck her*oh! and some interesting facts about virgos are that the ruling planet is mercury, the colours for virgos are green and dark brown and the stone is a sardonyx which comes in many varieties, but the reddish brown is most synonomous with virgos."
once she has shared all the information she knew, josephine swiftly, but gracefully sat down and continued to search for the animal she had caught a glipse of without a second thought of the awkward hug...

"Though i'm Scorpio, it doesn't influences my life a lot, yeah sure i get angry at small things, but i'm not the kind of guy who believes in this kind of thing, also Scorpios are told to be sucessful in most of the things they do but I'm not very good at most of the other classes the only one i'm really good at is Care for Magical Creatures wich is my fave subjects."

"me too!" Karen said to Drake

ok i'll do this course
starsign: Gemini
Meaning: gemini is the twin sign which means you have tow personiltys. One is is your nice engergetic side the other your bossy and uptight side. It has effected me because... well i have tow side. my happy side adn my not so happy. side i change my mood and mind alot and it confuzed others. My birtyhstones include: Pearl, tiger's eye( henas the namelol), crystal, aquamarine, alexandrite and beryl.
Li dumbledore, gryffindor

(i am a taurus...but my character will be a Virgo)

Jasmine turns in her paper to the professor with a very pleasing smile.


The Virgo character is marked by a sharp intellect which is typically used to analyse the natural order. Which I infact happen to be very bright and have strong wits!

Virgos are methodical, oh so precise, and are attracted to only that knowledge that can be applied usefully. In other words don't waste my time with senseless babbling and get to the point.

They will happily share this information with anyone, it confirms their own usefulness in the world, and brings them eagerly out of there shells. I am always eager to help others achieve.

Virgo pursues very high standards born out of realism and a tight grip on their environment, rather than any chase of high ideals.

Caution is a Virgo trait which if used positively will give them a fine sense of discrimination between practical ideas and those to be left in the sky. Virgos will usually develop this skill to improve themselves and their surroundings as they place great pride in tangible achievements. Well I let my conscious be my guide and I make good decisions upon what is presently occuring.

Discriminating, fastidious, analytical, meticulous, modest, precise.

In their urge to label, organise, and precisely understand all things in life, Virgo can become rather obsessed with the whole idea of "order". Anything that upsets this harmony and understanding could expose them to the terrors of the unknown! For Virgos "there is a place for everything, and everything has its place". Virgo will do anything to achieve this state. I will go to the depths and beyond to ensure that I am right, because I don't like to be wrong.

Fussy, self conscious, cynical, hypercritical, finicky, over-conforming, over cautious at times. I am all of these things all because I strive to be TOO perfect. It's hard for me just to relax sometimes, however a good cup of tea always seems to soothe me somehow.


Jasmine Tonks, 7th year, Hufflepuff

5 points to all who posted about their starsign, and TEN to Jasmine for the extremely comprehensive answer!

I will accept no more homework. a new assignment will be set this weekend.

"Divination, through which the cause of divine displeasure was ascertained, was mainly of three kinds: augury (divination by flight of birds), haruspicy (divination by examining the entrails of sacrificial animals), and an enigmatic procedure using tokens with symbolic names, arts said to be practiced respectively by the "bird-watcher," the seer, and the "old woman." The omens, as interpreted by these experts, were either favourable or unfavourable and would give a yes or no answer according to the sense of the question put to them. In this way, by a lengthy process of elimination, it was possible to determine the precise offence that required expiation. Haruspicy was a science inherited by the Hittites from the Babylonian seers. The other two methods of divination seem to have been indigenous to Asia Minor."



Please research one of these methods of divination...

The flight of birds

The examination of the entrails of sacrificed animals

Using tokens and symbolic names

Although the process has largely died out nowadays, some wizards and witches still cut open the stomachs of goats and sheep, spilling their insides out. From the positions of the large intestine, small intestine, heart, liver, and stomach, they believe they can tell what is happen. It is the animals wish to help humanity by giving warnings and other omens. For what reason an animal just bee killed would want to help the people that killed it is another question.

Four points to Dale!

Heh, bullshit is fun! .

Shamans are encountere somewhere in south america, living mostly on mountain they cultue the spirits by drawing magical circles on the ground, others pray in a weird fire formation, they believe they see the future when they meditate, trying to predict bad omen or they try to drive bad omens away.

Three points to Drake!

bumping...

Edward winced as he saw how stained his work was. he'd stayed up all night doing it, but it was still apalling.

prophetic divining of the future by observation of natural phenomena--particularly the behaviour of birds and animals and the examination of their entrails and other parts, but also by scrutiny of man-made objects and situations. The term derives from the official Roman augurs, whose constitutional function was not to foretell the future but to discover whether or not the gods approved of a proposed course of action, especially political or military. Two types of divinatory sign, or omen, were recognized: the most important was that deliberately watched for, such as lightning, thunder, flights and cries of birds, or the pecking behaviour of sacred chickens; of less moment was that which occurred casually, such as the unexpected appearance of animals sacred to the gods--the bear (Artemis), wolf (Apollo), eagle (Zeus), serpent (Asclepius), and owl (Minerva), for instance--or such other mundane signs as the accidental spilling of salt, sneezing, stumbling, or the creaking of furniture.

~Edward Cooper, Hufflepuff

Disappointing for a seventh year, Edward. Only five points.

Kai Haider
Slytherin
6th year

There is an anceint form of magic, in which the wizard make a vertically cut on a victims stomach, to spill the internals. Then the wizard sticks his hands into the victims internals and asks a question. Usually you can only receive a yes or no from the question, but sometimes you can receive a name. It is only possible to ask one question before the victim dies. Of course this is outlawed seeing as how you must kill the victim to get any information.

Sonia, fifth year Ravenclaw

Taurus is a zodiacal constellation that contains the Pleiades and Hyades and is represented pictorially by a bull's forequarters. It is the second sign of the zodiac in astrology. The traditional character traits are Patient and reliable:
Warmhearted and loving
Persistent and determined
Placid and security loving
Jealous and possessive
Resentful and inflexible
Self-indulgent and greedy

No other sign in the zodiac is closer to earth then Taurus. The main objective in leading a Taurean life is primarily (though not entirely) to maintain stability and physical concerns. Your inner spiritual sense longs for earthly harmony and wholesomeness. When you fully understand this, and work toward this end, you will no longer need to blindly reassure yourself with external possessions and comforts. A realization that finding this inner peace will cause all of the above mentioned positive things will overtake you and your life will be very full.

Ultimately the Taurean needs to discover their truest, deepest and highest values. When they know what is truly valuable, they are no longer chained to people and to things that have to do with lesser values. The greatest indication of value to a Taurean is beauty, which cannot be owned, only appreciated.

People under the Taurus sign tend to like stability, being attracted, things natural, time to tonder, and comfort and pleasure. They tend to dislike disruption, being pushed too hard, synthetic or "man made" things, being rushed, and being indoors.

I will accept no more homework assignments. I will assess and award points for those already submitted, then set a new assignment for next week...

Submit a ten-line biography of a Seer from any period of history

four points to slytherin!

Ten points!

On December 14, 1503 in St. Remi, France, Michel de Nostredame was born. The first son of Jewish parents, forced by the Inquisition to convert to Catholicism, would become a skilled physician but would gain renown during his lifetime and beyond as a seer of the future.
Growing up he spent much of his time learning languages, math, astronomy, and astrology from his grandfather, Jean. Later he attended the University at Avignon where he studied liberal arts. Afterwards, he graduated from the medical school at the University of Montpellier and began a private practice where he succeeded at treating plague victims in Montpellier and the surrounding areas.
Around 1534 he married and began a family. Tragically, the plague which he had been so successful in treating previously took the lives of his wife and two children. (The names of his wife and children are not known)
Distraught and pursued by the Inquisition, Nostradamus packed his bags and traveled throughout Italy and France for the next six years.
He eventually settled down in the town of Salon, France in 1554 where he married his second wife, Anne Ponsart Gemelle, with whom he raised six children - three boys and three girls.
It was during this time that he began his career as a prophet. In 1555, at the age of 52, he wrote his first collection of Centuries - a set of 100 quatrains. Over the next several years he would complete a total of 10 Centuries.
In 1564 Nostradamus was appointed Royal Physician to King Charles IX.
On July 1, 1566 Nostradamus offered his final prediction to his priest. In response to the priest's farewell of "Until tomorrow," Nostradamus is said to have answered: "You will not find me alive at sunrise."
Nostradamus died that night.

Drake Faydark, 1st year, Ravenclaw

SEVENTEEN POINTS!!

OOC
can it be my own character or her sis who is also a seer?