Psychics

[nevergiveup]

All rightie--this is for fun because it is raining out and I have nothing better to do right now:

Have you ever been to a psychic and had him/her tell you things that they could not have known and did it change your opinion on them?

 

Disclaimer:  I am an atheist yet tend to believe that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.  Went with a friend to a psychic for fun and he said a lot of things to me that were NOT general statements that rang true (he could not have said the same thing to my family or friend and have them be true).  He did not ask a lot of questions fishing for information, he did not know who I was ahead of time, did not know my phone number or last name.  

 

Wanna share?

[Epicurean]

It's called cold reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

 

Penn Jillette's girlfriend did it with minimal training and had people in tears:

[Rosie_0801]

My mother has had positive experiences when her um, highly enthusiastic and persuasive friend hauled her along.

 

I had a palm reader tell me I would have my own school, and that was before I had kids, and here I am. :) She told me I would write a book, and I've had a Tarot reader tell me I'm going to write it when I'm 42. We can have a laugh about that in 7 years.

 

I've had a different Tarot reader tell me my dd will work in some sort of industry big on communication because she's so articulate. Most industries require communication, but if the articulate comment is going to come true, it'll be a fabulous testament to my homeschooling efforts here. We're tackling three different language related learning disabilities so articulate is not the word I'd use at this point in time. I didn't think much of her. She didn't read within the context of the information I provided and that little off topic tidbit about my daughter was plain wrong. Apparently she gets along better with my spirit guides (whoever they might be) than I do. She thinks they're funny and by her description I think they are lazy, insensitive jerks. 

 

I'm not using these services for the purposes of proving them true or false. I use them as thinking tools and to shift my perceptions.

[nevergiveup]

It's called cold reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

 

Penn Jillette's girlfriend did it with minimal training and had people in tears:

This man did not use cold reading techniques that I could tell:  he did not look at me, I purposely monitored my body language, he did not ask many questions nor did he say general things.  He mentioned specific dates and said specific statements:  "you have sisters, one living and one dead" not "you have siblings etc."  I wear no wedding ring yet he talked about my husband.  My friend, also my age, wears no wedding ring and he knew she was divorced.  My sister, who went later, wears no wedding ring and he told her she is having trouble with her 9 year old son (she never said she had kids and she IS having trouble with her 9 year old son).  Specifics like that.

[fruitofthewomb]

It's called cold reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

 

Penn Jillette's girlfriend did it with minimal training and had people in tears:

Thank you for this!

 

I am sure many do it for fun but my I have a family member who 'believes in' the Long Island Medium. Like she is a prophet from God. It's very strange.

[The Girls' Mom]

My mom had a palm reader tell her that both of her children would be famous someday.  Hmmm.  I hope she is wrong because at this rate the only thing my brother would be famous for would be something illegal..lol.  

 

That said, the female members on my mother's side of the family are known for having prophetic dreams.  I mean eerily detailed dreams that come true months or years later.  I actually had a great aunt that had them frequently, but stopped telling them when she dreamed something so bad she didn't want to tell anyone about it.  

My mother had a dream about my step-dad's truck catching on fire, with some very, very specific details that seemed weird at the time.  When it all came true months later, he told her to never, ever tell him about another dream.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

No not me.  My mother swore by one, but I don't buy it. 

 

 

[Closeacademy]

I did with a friend when I was just out of college.  She was right about everything except that I don't live in a warmer place by the water.  I'm still waiting on that one.

[Katy]

I believe in intuition and I've had a few people predict things about my future that are definitely true, but I have never seen that translate to people who make money from claiming to be a psychic.

[Orthodox6]

No harm in having a Christian response to a thread that does not exclude it.  I don't seek out demons, for that is exactly whom "psychics" communicate with.  In fairness, many (most?) "psychics" are ignorant of what actually is happening and wish to be helpful.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I've never been but even as an atheist-leaning-agnostic I am open to the (IMO very slim) possibility that there's more then we know/understand about ourselves and yeah, I think some people are more "in-tuned" with the WOO-WOO side of things.  Does that mean I think Psychics are real?  No, if someone had those abilities they'd either do everything to suppress it or find a way to make some real money. 

[creekland]

No, and I'd be very skeptical of anything like it.

 

I do believe some people are super good at reading cues though - very, very good.

 

And I've had dreams come true.  I've also had dreams not come true.

[fraidycat]

All rightie--this is for fun because it is raining out and I have nothing better to do right now:

Have you ever been to a psychic and had him/her tell you things that they could not have known and did it change your opinion on them?

 

Disclaimer: I am an atheist yet tend to believe that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Went with a friend to a psychic for fun and he said a lot of things to me that were NOT general statements that rang true (he could not have said the same thing to my family or friend and have them be true). He did not ask a lot of questions fishing for information, he did not know who I was ahead of time, did not know my phone number or last name.

 

Wanna share?

Yes, I've seen a "real deal" psychic. There is no way she could know the stuff she knew.

 

Did it change my opinion? Nope. I am wary of many/most psychic claims, but being slightly "intuitive" myself and having family members with "uncanny abilities", I've grown up accepting that some of it just is what it is.

[Aura]

No harm in having a Christian response to a thread that does not exclude it.  I don't seek out demons, for that is exactly whom "psychics" communicate with.  In fairness, many (most?) "psychics" are ignorant of what actually is happening. 

 

I suppose that it's understood, but having an IMO or "I believe" would help to make this less offensive.

 

But this: In fairness, many (most?) "psychics" are ignorant of what actually is happening. Is just plain offensive, and there's really not much way around it. I don't believe you intend it to be, but it is extremely so. The best way I can think of expressing this: you're basically telling someone, "You're an idiot." Whether or not you believe a person is, it's usually not productive to tell someone she's an idiot. It's certainly not compassionate or kind, no matter how it's phrased.

[Aura]

I believe there exists psychics as well as those who are naturally intuitive and those who develop enhanced intuition. I am EXTREMELY skeptical of anyone who would charge money for these "skills."

[Tap]

My sister used to be paid to do "intuitive counseling" which is a new way of saying that she worked like a psychic.

 

She used to do readings for me for fun, and while she would get some things right, she would also get a lot wrong.  

A few major things she got wrong were that:

--our husbands would end up working together, they never did. (the reading was 20 years ago)

--DD8 was going to go home to her bio-mom....bio-mom signed dd over to us permanently the same year and has been in jail so many times that if dh and I both died, dd would go into foster care instead of going back to her...so that was a bust.

--that an undiagnosed health issue I had, was not a big deal and was going away.  it didn't go away, and was permanent, life changing diagnosis.

--that my mom would die before or shortly after my dad....dad passed 14 years ago, she is still here.  

 

My mom is a big believer in things that are metaphysical, and she thinks my sister is full of bs  LOL 

 

Most of what she got right, were so vague that you couldn't really prove/disprove them.  Like..... "K (my daughter who died inutero) is still with you and watching over you, she is your guardian angel"  or "your x-boyfriend still thinks about you and at sometime in you life, you will see him again."  

 

Since she was my sister, she already knows many details, so her saying I would have 2 daughters and a son (all already born at the time)....didn't really mean anything.  

 

She really, honestly, and truely believed that her information was from God and had scriptures to show that certain people were given the gift of prophecy.  She always opened her sessions with a prayer and often had a bible on the table.   I no longer associate with this sister, so I don't know if she is still doing readings or not.  

 

There was one time that I took a road trip with her and her mentor when I was about 28 yo.  They both insisted for a large portion of the trip, that I also have the 'gift' and needed to start doing readings.  I absolutely do not have any inclination that way and I think that is when I shifted my thinking from 'well maybe her abilities could possibly be true' to 'it is all bunk and just a game'.    She still did a few more readings after that but I didn't pay any attention to them outside of it being a guessing game.  

 

 

[Mergath]

I suppose that it's understood, but having an IMO or "I believe" would help to make this less offensive.

 

But this: In fairness, many (most?) "psychics" are ignorant of what actually is happening. Is just plain offensive, and there's really not much way around it. I don't believe you intend it to be, but it is extremely so. The best way I can think of expressing this: you're basically telling someone, "You're an idiot." Whether or not you believe a person is, it's usually not productive to tell someone she's an idiot. It's certainly not compassionate or kind, no matter how it's phrased.

 

:iagree:  I am the farthest thing from a psychic, but the women in my family (and only the women, oddly) always seem to know when something is wrong.  Like, any time that my dd has been seriously sick, my mom calls within the day because she had a bad feeling.  I'm the same way.  I wake up with a horrible sense of worry about someone and find out something awful is going on when I call.  Apparently it's demons.  :001_rolleyes:

 

I suppose it's the same demons that cause my epilepsy.  I mean, if you're going to believe the Bible when it says that psychics get their "powers" from demons, you have to believe it when it says that seizures are caused by demons too, right?

[Ipsey]

All rightie--this is for fun because it is raining out and I have nothing better to do right now:

Have you ever been to a psychic and had him/her tell you things that they could not have known and did it change your opinion on them?

 

Disclaimer:  I am an atheist yet tend to believe that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.  Went with a friend to a psychic for fun and he said a lot of things to me that were NOT general statements that rang true (he could not have said the same thing to my family or friend and have them be true).  He did not ask a lot of questions fishing for information, he did not know who I was ahead of time, did not know my phone number or last name.  

 

Wanna share?

 

I'm confused about your connection of atheist with believing that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

 

The Law of the Conservation of Energy is a fact, as far as I know. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/energy-can-neither-be-created-nor-destroyed       It's completely unrelated to being atheist or believing in deities or not--and separate from belief in psychics.

 

Perhaps I'm missing something here. I'm pretty poor in my theoretical physics. :)  Can anyone explain it to me?

 

Apparently, I'm also pretty poor at making a hyperlink.  Sorry!

[Tap]

:iagree:  I am the farthest thing from a psychic, but the women in my family (and only the women, oddly) always seem to know when something is wrong.  Like, any time that my dd has been seriously sick, my mom calls within the day because she had a bad feeling.  I'm the same way.  I wake up with a horrible sense of worry about someone and find out something awful is going on when I call.  Apparently it's demons.  :001_rolleyes:

 

I suppose it's the same demons that cause my epilepsy.  I mean, if you're going to believe the Bible when it says that psychics get their "powers" from demons, you have to believe it when it says that seizures are caused by demons too, right?

We have this in our family also.  it seems like we are connected across a greater distance.  The feeling we get is akin to the feeling when you walk into a house and know there is someone there with you, or that the house is empty.  You don't have to see the person to know they are there.  Or is you see someone and you can 'feel' the anger or stress pouring off them.  If you put the two sensations together, that is what our family feels.  

 

It is quite eerie, but also nice to know that you can connect and offer support sometimes without the person having to ask. There have been times that I have sent money or dropped off a meal, with just a note of "was thinking of you and had a feeling you could use this".  Later I would usually find out what was really going on, that it was desperately needed and very appreciated. I don't have this connection with everyone, just a few.  But others in my family have connection with different people, so it isn't like we all just know that my brother is usually in a desperate situation and could use help on just about any day.  It is random, and the feelings aren't just about people who are destitute. 

[SeaConquest]

Yes, I believe there are both genuine psychics and mediums (media?). I also believe that there are many cold readings happening. I have had experience with both types. For example, one psychic that I met knew the exact date and place where I met my husband, and also knew that he would become my husband (We met at 4am at a bar in Vegas, he lived in Montreal at the time and barely spoke English -- not super likely to be anything more than a booty call). He also knew the exact location of uncommon objects in my home, and very specific details about my relationship with a girlfriend that would be impossible to guess.

 

This particular psychic was so good, he used to call me at (seemingly) random times to give me (free) guidance because he felt our connection so strongly (he said that I was easy to read). One time that stands out in my mind was when my husband and I were dating. My ex-BF came over, ended up staying the night, and I was thinking of getting back together with him. A few hours after my ex left, while I was heavily weighing the options, the phone rang. It was the psychic. I hadn't spoken to him in months, but he knew exactly the emotions I was feeling, and counseled me not to get back with my ex, and to move forward with my now husband. I didn't tell the psychic anything about what was happening. He literally called me out of the blue and warned me not to get back together with my ex. Stuff like that. My mother and some other friends went to see him and were completely floored after their readings.

 

I spent a lot of time trying to cold read people in airports, when I used to travel for a living, and I just don't see how he could have known with specificity the things he knew.

 

ETA: My mom is also a twin, and has some spooky twin stories. One time, my mother had this terrible dream that my aunt was on fire. She was so upset about it that she immediately called her sister. The telephone woke up my aunt, who had fallen asleep with a cigarette. The bed had caught on fire from the cigarette. They have other examples.

  

[nevergiveup]

No harm in having a Christian response to a thread that does not exclude it.  I don't seek out demons, for that is exactly whom "psychics" communicate with.  In fairness, many (most?) "psychics" are ignorant of what actually is happening. 

Well, I believe the man I went to is a Reverend....

[nevergiveup]

I believe there exists psychics as well as those who are naturally intuitive and those who develop enhanced intuition. I am EXTREMELY skeptical of anyone who would charge money for these "skills."

Yeah--he charges only $25 so I don't think he is getting rich.  Unlike one my sister went to who charged $150!  But, interestingly enough, she said many of the same things this man did.....

[nevergiveup]

I'm confused about your connection of atheist with believing that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

 

 

 

No connection--I am just explaining who I am.  I know we are electrical beings and that energy must go somewhere...

[Tanaqui]

If there is anybody in the world who can genuinely read minds or predict the future or anything of the sort, they are eligible to win thousands and thousands of dollars from various organizations who have offered a bounty to anybody who can prove this under rigorous, double-blind testing.

 

So far, nobody has stepped forward to claim this easy money, which makes me think that's because nobody can claim that money because none of them can really do these things.

[pehp]

I have no comment on psychics because I would not ever go to one, for personal reasons. But I do believe in Something because I have intuition and prophetic dreams.  Once I woke from a deep sleep gripped by absolute terror and knowing I had to pray for my sister (who I thought was at home, at her apartment, in bed).  My anxiety was enormous.  I prayed desperately in bed for a few minutes, debating calling her (and decided I didn't want to wake her up, b/c I was probably just being weird) and then suddenly felt total peace and went back to sleep without a worry.

 

An hour later she called from a police station.  She had been nearly date-raped by an acquaintance.  I had no idea she was out with him.  It had happened an hour earlier-- at the exact moment I woke up with the urgent feeling that I had to pray.  She had managed to fight him off, get out of the parked car, run along the street at 2 am and then some guys picked her up and took her to the police station b/c they could tell she was panicked. She was covered in bruises on her arms.   Horrifying.  I had chills when I realized how everything had happened.  

 

I've had weird visitations that don't make sense.  One night I dreamed that I was outside our home looking in and I saw a man, standing still like statue, at my son's window, standing in my son's room. I suddenly realized I had to go get my son b/c he'd be scared of that man.  Then at that moment I woke up, and my son was walking into our room. He'd 'seen a mannequin' man standing in his room.  Of course it was not a real person, and the only man in our house was snoring in the bed next to me.

 

In college and in my 20s I was often awakened by voices and visitors.  I don't know how else to describe it.  It was strange. They don't bother me anymore.  

 

My husband and I have had the exact same dream on two occasions.  The dreams were at totally different times in our lives and about two totally different things.  That was very bizarre.

 

I have had specific dreams about something happening in a very particular, exact way and then it does. (And I mean random things, not quotidian things that one would expect to occur.) 

 

My stepmother has had an out-of-body experience. I have not had that!  But she's a trustworthy, scientifically-minded woman and Not a Liar so it was interesting to hear her experience.

 

And I could go on! So, I do think a psychic can channel knowledge somehow because there is definitely something beyond what we see and experience here but for personal (religious) reasons I would not seek one out. Intuition and inter-connectedness are fascinating topics. It is all very mysterious. If I had not experienced these things myself I would not believe in them, period.  I have always had a skeptical streak (I studied philosophy and the law....b/c they appealed to my critical-thinking side!). 

 

Mysteries!

 

 

 

 

[Tanaqui]

 

No connection--I am just explaining who I am.  I know we are electrical beings and that energy must go somewhere...

 

It does. It gets converted into various other types of energy, such as heat which dissipates into the atmosphere.

 

[Reefgazer]

Yup.  Went with a friend more than 20 years ago for entertainment and a good laugh.  Well, I did laugh because she told me so many odd, off the wall, and unlikely stuff that I laughed all the way home.  Then watched many of her off the wall and unlikely predictions happen over the ensuing few years.  AS in, she told me someone I knew would have trouble selling a boat.  That was the funniest one because I lived inland at the time and thought that no one I knew had a boat.  Came home to find a bass boat in my landlord's yard because the had acquired it from a former son in law and were having trouble selling it where it had been stored.  Psychic also told me she saw me marrying someone in uniform, maybe a police officer/  Two months later I met my DH and were married a few years after that.  He was a Navy officer at the time.   Weird.......

 

ETA:  The only info she asked for at the beginning of the session was my birthdate and if I was married or single (I was single at the time).

[LaxMom]

All rightie--this is for fun because it is raining out and I have nothing better to do right now:

Have you ever been to a psychic and had him/her tell you things that they could not have known and did it change your opinion on them?

 

Disclaimer: I am an atheist yet tend to believe that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Went with a friend to a psychic for fun and he said a lot of things to me that were NOT general statements that rang true (he could not have said the same thing to my family or friend and have them be true). He did not ask a lot of questions fishing for information, he did not know who I was ahead of time, did not know my phone number or last name.

 

Wanna share?

I had my palm read once when my oldest daughter was young. Maybe 3? I was divorced and not planning to ever remarry and one child was plenty. He told me he saw three... no... four children for me. I laughed in his face.

 

Guess what? Four children. Including a set of surprise twins. Weird.

[Rosie_0801]

I've never met a demon. But I don't suppose I'm qualified to identify them.

[foxbridgeacademy]

So, are the demons speaking to all people who claim to be psychics or just a few?  Also, are they telling the psychics the real future or are they just really good guessers?  I would think they would keep telling as much of the true future as possible so that the "victim" keeps coming back, but then wouldn't that go against their nature?

 

 I'm going to visit my dad this weekend and he's a very well read and intelligent hardcore Christian, should be a fun conversation. 

 

 

ETA-clarification

[nevergiveup]

I also believe what the Bible says about psychics. I believe psychics are dealing with demons.

I don't know much about demons--but the man I went to is a Reverend.

What would be the demons' motivations--what would they have to gain by having Rev Jim tell me about a family reunion or my son not liking his job?

[nevergiveup]

Pehp--the friend who went with me is a lot like you.  In my opinion, I am the least spiritual or connected person that you would meet, so I find the whole subject interesting (I am open-minded, though!).

That is one reason I wanted to hear others' experiences and beliefs.

 

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'll jump in on this.  As a person of faith I too assumed it was entirely a demon thing, and in fact that is something the Bible describes as happening and condemns.  I really didn't know about cold-reading, and somehow these articles and things seem to keep popping up when I'm looking for other stuff.  I guess we're all a little curious what's going on.   :lol:   

 

So anyways, here's a page of articles on Caputo that put her into more perspective.  http://illuminutti.com/tag/long-island-medium/

 

And then here's a youtube video, about 27 minutes, with someone attempting the Randi million dollar challenge.  

 

[kewb]

I believe there are true psychics.

 

I believe the people profiting from claiming to be psychics are frauds.

[lailasmum]

I don't believe it. I think there are real fraudsters out there who are actively preying on vulnerable people by claiming to be psychic and making a lot of money out of it. They are masters of reading body language, and much as people think they are hiding their body language that's a nearly impossible thing to do.

 

I think there are also those who are themselves vulnerable and really believe they are psychic, like an ex close friend of mine who claimed to gain this skill later in life. She had been through a lot and it gave her comfort. I still don't think she was psychic.

[sunflowerlady]

So, where exactly does the Bible say psychics are hearing from demons? In my years in church and Bible reading, I did hear of that viewpoint, but do not recall reading it in the Bible.

[Aura]

The Bible doesn't say that all psychics are demons. There are a couple of examples where someone who claimed to be a psychic (or soothsayer) also contained a demon. But to use those examples as a way to say that *all* are that way is faulty logic.

 

The Bible does say that sorcerers are evil...but do a word study on that and you might come to very different conclusions about what the Bible refers to when it says sorcerer.

 

And after studying what Jesus taught, I believe true psychics are probably closer in tune to God than most other people.

 

I also believe that in the Bible, particularly the New Testament, demons usually refer to a sickness or some type of mental or physical health problem...not usually evil counterparts to angels, though those type of demons exist, too.

 

So....rabbit trail here...and this is just my theory: Remember the story in the New Testament when the psychic woman who had a demon followed the apostles around making fun of them? They cast out the demon and she no longer prophesied about them. Then her handlers got really mad because they couldn't make money off her. When the apostles "cast out the demon," they actually healed her. But the illness allowed her access to that part of her mind, so when they healed her, they cut off that short-cut.

[Tanaqui]

I don't believe it. I think there are real fraudsters out there who are actively preying on vulnerable people by claiming to be psychic and making a lot of money out of it. They are masters of reading body language, and much as people think they are hiding their body language that's a nearly impossible thing to do.

 

I think there are also those who are themselves vulnerable and really believe they are psychic, like an ex close friend of mine who claimed to gain this skill later in life. She had been through a lot and it gave her comfort. I still don't think she was psychic.

 

Also, there's a real confirmation bias. When it comes to specifics, people tend to remember the odd things they get right - "Wow, they said I'd get money from an uncle, and now I got cash from the government, good ol' Uncle Sam" or "They did say I'd have three kids, and here I am with three kids!" - and forget all the things that they got wrong. And they don't even realize that a lot of times these psychics are giving information that could apply to anybody - "You're a kind and loving person, you work hard but sometimes struggle, you worry about things you can't change, you have had troubles in your marriage but you're trying to overcome them...."

 

So you have the vague information that feels right because 99% of the population will agree with it, and you've got a few big winners... well, if you say enough, sooner or later something you predict is bound to come true.

[nevergiveup]

Also, there's a real confirmation bias. When it comes to specifics, people tend to remember the odd things they get right - "Wow, they said I'd get money from an uncle, and now I got cash from the government, good ol' Uncle Sam" or "They did say I'd have three kids, and here I am with three kids!" - and forget all the things that they got wrong. And they don't even realize that a lot of times these psychics are giving information that could apply to anybody - "You're a kind and loving person, you work hard but sometimes struggle, you worry about things you can't change, you have had troubles in your marriage but you're trying to overcome them...."

 

So you have the vague information that feels right because 99% of the population will agree with it, and you've got a few big winners... well, if you say enough, sooner or later something you predict is bound to come true.

I thought this too until he said very specific things and dates--365 days in a year and he picks exact dates that certain things were going on.  Trust me--most of my life there isn't much going on.  He didn't say things like, "I see you have siblings"..he specifically said I had a sister who had died.  He just started talking--he didn't ask questions.  He told my friend she has two jobs--she does, and this is something that definitely does not apply to me.  He knew my sister has a nine year old son without asking her (he stated it)--she is 50 so statistically, one would guess that any children she has would be older.

Plus, he rarely looked at me while he was talking so his observance of my body language was limited.  And, he can do phone readings (which neither I nor my other friends have had done so can't verify any "accuracy.")

[Tanaqui]

Then I want to know why this guy hasn't collected any of the bounties out and available to people who can prove this gift. He could donate it all to charity, and think of the boon to science! There are plenty of organizations offering a thousand here, ten thousand there, even, as stated, a million to a genuine psychic. Everybody could use a million dollars.

 

I have a couple of ideas. The first is that, without an accurate transcript, you've forgotten all the specific things he said that were dead wrong and possibly have inflated the accuracy of things he said that were more or less right. The second is that he really did have inside information - he had a confederate around to encourage you to talk before your session, perhaps, somebody who you wouldn't realize was associated with him, or maybe just somebody listening in on you and your friend and sister chattering away while waiting to be seen. Both these things can be true, in fact.

 

[Susan in TN]

MIL's sister went to a tribal "medicine man" who told her that her sister (MIL) should not have surgery because she would die from the anesthesia. Sister claimed she had not said anything about MIL. It took MIL 3 years to get over that after her sister told her and finally had her hip surgery. Still alive.

 

I personally believe that we all give off many clues as to what is going on in our lives, and some people are very, very good at reading those clues. And some things just happen the way you can logically expect. However, I won't entirely rule out the workings of the "spirit world". In general, I do not believe that God intends for us to know our personal futures, and I am grateful for that. I don't care if or how a person could tell me facts about my family or my past. Side shows are not interesting to me and it has no bearing on how I will live my life.

[Home'scool]

I think that some people who are fakes use cold reading techniques to tell generalized readings.

 

I also think there are some true readers out there. I have had a few readings and when they say specific names there is really no explanation that I can see.

 

I had a reading once on the phone with a man. Certain things he said just were too specific:

 

- he asked who had the name with the "Milc" in it. I said my daughter was going to the prom with a boy whose last name started with Milc. When I asked if that could be it he said "I see the name Jessie associated with it." Her prom date had a sister named Jessie. How much research would he have to do online to find all that out when they hadn't even gone to prom together yet?

 

- he asked about my stepfather, who passed away, and knew his name was Pat. He said to me "He keeps pointing at his palm. What does that mean?" I couldn't think of anything but finally said that my stepfather had a lot of money so maybe he was referring to that. The psychic said "no, that's not it." Now, if he was fishing don't you think he would say "yes, he is indicating he had money!" Instead he just kept saying no to all my guesses. Then he paused and said "Who is Joe? There is a Joe there with him." Joe was his brother-in-law who also passed away. The pointing to the hand indicated that they worked with their hands together, which they did. My stepfather owned a plumbing business. 

 

There were a lot more instances with specific names and details. No way he could get names from a cold reading, way too much information to find it all out on the internet. So are there fakes? Certainly. But no one can explain to me how this guy knew what he did.

 

[Katy]

The Bible does say that sorcerers are evil...but do a word study on that and you might come to very different conclusions about what the Bible refers to when it says sorcerer.

 

 

Please sum up what your word study of sorcerer revealed.

[unsinkable]

I don't know much about demons--but the man I went to is a Reverend.

What would be the demons' motivations--what would they have to gain by having Rev Jim tell me about a family reunion or my son not liking his job?

If demons exist, why wouldn't they try to influence a Reverend?

[Wheres Toto]

I went to one shortly after my divorce.  It wasn't expensive, I think she asked for a donation or whatever you wanted to pay.  It was interesting but I suppose I still consider myself a skeptic.

 

I wasn't wearing a wedding ring but I used to wear other (celtic knot) rings at the time so there was no uncovered band lines or anything.  I was divorced, had no intention of ever getting married again, had one child, was off and on dating a guy 10 years younger than me, working at a nursing home overnight but getting ready to return to my usual secretarial positions after giving up on school for elementary education.

 

-said I was divorced but would get remarried and end up with 3 children - check

-said I would eventually be an educator of some sort  - check

-said I had ended a relationship with an older man (ex was 7 years older than me) and my next serious relationship would also be with an older man (dh is 13 years older) - check

-said I would have a health scare but everything would turn out okay (had a lumpectomy/biopsy that was benign) - check

 

Those are the highlights that I remember.  It was 11-12 years ago.

 

[SeaConquest]

Also, there's a real confirmation bias. When it comes to specifics, people tend to remember the odd things they get right - "Wow, they said I'd get money from an uncle, and now I got cash from the government, good ol' Uncle Sam" or "They did say I'd have three kids, and here I am with three kids!" - and forget all the things that they got wrong. And they don't even realize that a lot of times these psychics are giving information that could apply to anybody - "You're a kind and loving person, you work hard but sometimes struggle, you worry about things you can't change, you have had troubles in your marriage but you're trying to overcome them...."

 

So you have the vague information that feels right because 99% of the population will agree with it, and you've got a few big winners... well, if you say enough, sooner or later something you predict is bound to come true.

 

I would assume this too, but I don't see how he would know that I met my husband on New Year's Eve in Vegas, that I had a sexual relationship with a girlfriend in law school, or that I have a Matryoshka doll that I got from Russia in a glass case in my condo. Did he tell me other things that haven't turned out to be true? Probably. But, I cannot explain these kinds of specifics with confirmation bias, or the use of an accomplice who happened to overhear a conversation. It also doesn't help to explain the times that he called me at precisely the moment when I needed guidance the most, and offered me his thoughts pro bono.

 

ETA: I will also add that he was a Sikh, and purported to spend a lot of time in India donating some of the money to the poor there. I met him randomly walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. He came up to me and just started telling me things about myself. My (long-time) friend, who was with me, was totally shocked about how much he knew. I don't think she was in cahoots. She also had a reading with him.