With lower than two weeks left for the US presidential elections, the polls are being carefully tracked. At the moment, the 2 candidates — Democrat Kamala Harris, and Republican Donald Trump —are locked in a good contest, with Harris gaining a small lead. On a current go to to the capital metropolis of Washington, D.C., I spoke to some residents and most of the people from my casual analysis pattern imagine that Harris will win. “Kamala comes from a middle-class background and understands the worth of cash. Trump by no means needed to battle a day in his life. Kamala will get us; she’s obtained to win,” says James, a taxi driver who migrated from Ghana to the USA and is an American citizen who will probably be casting his vote for the primary time.
“No one is consuming the canines,” says Sarah with an eye-roll when requested to find out the successful candidate. Sarah, an Asian immigrant, is referring to the disparaging feedback made through the televised presidential debate, the place Trump acknowledged that immigrants had been consuming cats and canines.
A unusual vacationer attraction in D.C — the Barbie Pond — predicts a clear sweep for Harris. This in style pond is an artwork set up that sits inside the yard of a non-public row home. Barbie dolls stick out of the pretend pond (i.e. a small water set up). The dolls have robust opinions, significantly with regard to present affairs, and so they’re not afraid to talk up. A couple of weeks in the past, the pond recreated a Harris rally, with an enormous turnout of brown, white and black Barbie dolls supporting Harris. The dolls carried banners stating, ‘Actually everybody for Harris’ as a result of they imagine that voting for Kamala is a no brainer.
Their Instagram additionally includes a scathing but humorous caption that refers to Trump as ‘the orange muffin manchild’, and ‘strolling speaking dumpster’, amongst many different such adjectives. It was refreshing to see People categorical their opinions with no trace of concern or fear of repercussions.
Hypothesis is rife, as are the various predictions from astrologers, tarot card readers, and crystal ball gazers. Relying upon totally different strategies of divination to foretell the political future, isn’t a brand new phenomenon, as confirmed by historical artefacts on the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Asian Artwork. One such curious object, housed on this in style DC museum, is the bone oracle courting again over 3,000 years, to the Chinese language Shang Dynasty.
Fragments of the prized oracle had been final displayed at this museum in April 2024, as a part of the Anyang: China’s Historical Metropolis of Kings Exhibit (which ran from February 25, 2023–April 28, 2024). The exhibit centered on the wealthy tradition of the late Shang dynasty when the northern Henan province – now known as Anyang – was the capital of the profitable empire.
“The museum collections embody roughly three dozen Chinese language oracle bone fragments, largely scapulae (or shoulder blade) from cattle or oxen, however just a few signify parts of the underside shell (plastron) of turtles,” says Keith Wilson, the curator of Historical Chinese language Artwork on the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Historical Asian Artwork.
Whereas the fragments should not presently on show, you may test them out, anytime and from wherever, within the type of an interactive 3D exhibit on the museum’s webpage, the place the plastron, or turtle shell, is featured. Why shells? “We don’t know why these had been the favoured medium for the oracle in historical China,” admits Wilson.
Apparently, the usage of shells within the divination arts has additionally been seen in India. “The ‘Kavadi Prasnam’, is an historical type of astrology that originated in South India,” says Ramamirtham Gurukkal, an astrologer primarily based in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. (Kavadi in Malayalam refers to cowrie shells). This type of astrology dates again a number of centuries but nonetheless stays in style in Kerala in addition to in Tamil Nadu, the state to which Kamala Harris traces her maternal roots. “Shells had been utilized in historical India as a result of they signify the water factor of nature,” says Gurukkal. He explains that since 71% of the Earth’s floor is water, shells are believed to have the power to attach with refined energies, making them an excellent medium for divination.
The cowrie shells are chosen with nice care. They’re cleaned after which charged by the use of rituals and prayers. A mixture of decoding omens, research of astronomy and mathematical calculations are required to make predictions.
An identical course of was seen within the Shang Dynasty, with regard to the bone oracle. Utmost consideration was paid to the sourcing of shells; the shells had been then cleaned and polished. Subsequent, professional ritualists bore hollows into the again (or underside) of the shell. To make a studying, a sizzling poker was utilized into the hole, inflicting the bone to crack and develop strains that had been seen on the entrance of the shell. The diviner then interpreted the language of the crack, answering a query that the customer had on their thoughts.
“The questions and interpretations of the responses had been steadily recorded on the floor of the bones and shells,” explains Wilson. The queries centred round navy endeavours and the fortunes of the royal household.
The Smithsonian additionally has proof {that a} bone oracle was specifically ready to foretell the success of the wedding between King Wu Ding and Fu Hao. An elaborate ceremony was held and the ritualist interpreted the cracks on the shell as an indication that the ancestors didn’t approve of the alliance. However Princess Fu Hao didn’t agree with the interpretation and provided one other studying of the cracks. She emerged because the Queen.
Using divination is seen even in fashionable American political historical past. The astrological leanings of the Reagan’s have been documented and it has been extensively accepted that Nancy Reagan used the providers of a trusted astrologer to make scheduling selections for the then sitting President.
Leaving astrology behind, my poll-of-sorts continues at one other D.C Museum — the Nationwide Portrait Gallery — which options larger-than-life portraits of former US presidents. Right here, I overheard a stranger who encapsulated the feelings of many citizens, “I wish to see a lady featured amongst these males.” However is it written within the stars? We’ll quickly discover out on fifth November.
