DEUT921 Do not practice divination. The term קוסם (koseim) refers to someone who secludes himself and focuses his mind entirely on some matter of the future that he wants to know. By mentally blocking out all matters of the physical world and intentionally concentrating on what he seeks to know, his soul mingles with spiritual forces associated with events that are about to transpire in the near future. Even so, diviners do not attain an accurate and clear picture of what will be. It goes without saying that they are powerless to know anything of the distant future of, for these matters are revealed only to genuine prophets. The perfect Torah forbids divination and the like because these practices lead the unlearned to a false conclusion. When they see that some of what the diviner say comes true, they mistakenly conclude that all that transpires in the world is controlled by stars, planets and other forces of astrology. People who harbor this mistaken notion are almost as those who maintain (Yechezkel 8:12), “The Lord has abandoned the physical world.” If someone seeks information from a diviner, he has not violated this prohibition, but his deed is truly shameful. Why should a Jew turn his thoughts to foolishness? How can he waste his time on it? Hashem has given every human being creativity and superior powers of intelligence. He has revealed to the Jewish nation His Infinite Wisdom as embodied in the Torah, so how can a Jew turn his thoughts to practices such as soothsaying? Rather, as a member of the Chosen People, each Jew should devote his thoughts to proper and devoted service of his Maker and never fear even one word of the soothsayers! Always, a Jew must realize that Hashem is managing the world and anytime He wants He can alter what He has set into motion through the agency of cosmic forces. Hashem has the power to totally deactivate the astrological forces and change what is destined to be, in order to bestow kindness on all who are faithful to Him. As is known, the nation of Israel is not under the sway of any star or mazal, for the Almighty manages all of our affairs directly.