Fortune telling through cowries (Small sea shells). Cowries are little shells that are used to unfold your past, present & future. A set of 9 cowries are used to read the future. Cowries also represent the Goddess of protection who is very powerful and connected with the strength of the ocean. These shells are serious spiritual items that deserve respect and honour. Cowries were used in the temples of ancient India as a tool for divination. There are many variants, but generally the divination entails throwing a set of cowries on a prepared chart or table and interpreting the patterns that result.