>>123470
Did any of the fortunes come true?
>>123472
> cold reading
The old gods are real. The ones who can influence probability and coincidence are currently rising in power (again).
I just use a basic deck of playing cards for gleaning meaning from the old gods. Don't buy into anyone else's system of understanding. Place your own meaning on each card. Respect the old gods, but you can joke with them as if friends – Some are very smart and/or humorous, even the ones who require strict observance to consult are forgiving (lest they have no discourse with those of this realm and lessen their power).
Part of my ritual / habit is to always shuffle the deck and don't look at any of the cards while stowing them away and thanking (or laughing with) the old gods. Shuffle more before next use, and don't use the cards for anything but actual consultation. Don't mindlessly shuffle, do so with the will to know something and the intent to understand.
I will read my cards to someone else, but not interpret the meaning of their confluence. One must come to understanding on their own. In my system cards are drawn in pairs, each pair of cards creates a meaning via their juxtaposition.
Beware of the limitations you impose on the system you devise for discourse via the cards or any other such scrying tool. Seek signs and symbols in other sources such as dice, the time on a clock, the price of a stock, the symbols in a swirl of a gazing pool, etc.
Some would say, "you're just seeing meaning in chaos", but I know this is and isn't true. Chaos is also the unexpected order of digits found in what should be randomness. For instance, some days every time I look at a clock it has repeating digits in the minutes, or some common thematic numerological element. There's a ~1/10 chance of each view randomly being repeating digits. Statistically it is quite provable that I was drawn to view the multiples of 11 that day; I know what the significance of such is.
One ominous day consulting the old gods about something I feared might be lethal. I drew three four 4's from the deck, in 6 draws; 4 being a "fatalistic" or "deadly" number as per eastern numerology. Glancing at the clock, it happened to be 00:44, I had no idea what time it was for several hours, but the gods of coincidence warned me with a confirmation at that moment. Having asked, "What should we do then?" I drew another pair: 4 of fate beneath 2 of fortune. 42, "the answer to life the universe and everything" - it was a joke! But also the 42 negative confessions of Ma'at were applicable (and like 42 in Douglas Adams' book, overly broad).
The old gods must use the "memetic complex" within your own mind to communicate with you. Strengthen it and reduce noise in the signal via repetition. To increase the vocabulary of the spiritual communication protocol search out new meanings to compress via association with symbols which they can easily invoke.
Don't take my word for it. If you are willing to entertain the possibility and respectfully acknowledge the happenstance when it occurs, coincidence may become statistically more prevalent to the point it's illogical to believe there is no conscious force holding your hand.
TL;DR: Yes, exploitative cold readers exists. Should we ignore the aggregate experience of all humanity because we discovered a single liar among them? Do your own magical research.