read the runes

(British formal)

to try to guess what is going to happen in the future by examining what is happening now

Usage notes: Runes are letters of an ancient alphabet with secret or magic meaning.

He was the first Eastern European leader to read the runes and make political changes to stay in power.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Jamin	-	Biblical
Gyles	JIELZ, JIE-əlz	English (Rare)
Audra (1)	-	Lithuanian
Eckehard	E-ke-hahrt	German
Olivia	ə-LIV-ee-ə (English), o-LEE-vyah (Italian, Spanish), o-LEE-vee-ah (German), O-lee-vee-ah (Finnish)	English, Italian, Spanish, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Francine	[fra:n'si:n]