The fad for fortune-telling and divination, using crystal balls, tarot cards, and palmistry, enjoyed a major resurgence in the 19th century, particularly in the context of the Spiritualist movement. This fad was driven by a Victorian culture that was both deeply religious and intensely curious about the unknown, seeking comfort and guidance through mystical practices. This obsession with divination was a form of entertainment, a search for meaning, and a challenge to the dominance of rationality.

This fascination with fortune-telling and the occult directly influenced the themes and symbols of the Decadent and Symbolist poets, who often explored the mysterious, the magical, and the irrational. The imagery of the crystal ball, the tarot card, and the prophecy became a rich source of metaphor for poets seeking to convey a sense of fate, inevitability, and hidden knowledge. This tradition carried over into the poetry of W.B. Yeats and other modernist writers.