fortune tellers/psychics
- Thread starter scati
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I knew someone who worked as a clairvoyant.
They gave it up, as they couldn't see any future in it.
Well for starters it would open up a whole can of worms. The damage caused by smoking and gambling has been proven and is acknowledged, whereby quite a number of people do put their faith in fortune tellers. You would have to prove without any doubt that all their practices are false and that as a result people lives have been affected (negatively). Many posters here chastise the use of fortune tellers and having faith in a religion, but I find it hard to get passed the fact that there are still so many mysteries in the world and science hasn't answered them all, so I for one would allow for the fact that not everything is cut and dried and there could be things out there that are beyond our comprehension.
James Randi has some very interesting things to say about these charlatans:
www.randi.org
Basically, as ClubMan says: it's a scam.
Might as well believe in the "Flying spaghetti monster":
http://www.venganza.org/
www.randi.org
Basically, as ClubMan says: it's a scam.
Might as well believe in the "Flying spaghetti monster":
http://www.venganza.org/
I don't think that Brendan likes sectarian comments on AAM, we pastafarians have every right to celebrate his noodliness without this kind of snide abuse.
truthseeker
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I read Tarot Cards for friends. I absolutely do not believe that Im telling their future. But they like to believe what they hear. Some of them write down what I read and come back to me months later saying 'you see this meant that and that bit was about the time that I did whatever'. I point out to them that the meanings they assign could be applied to other things in life if they waited long enough or examined enough minute details.
My friends enjoy it - I dont mind doing it, its a harmless laugh. But I can see how easy it would be to absolutely fool (and take money from) a large number of people. And there is a positive feedback loop because I say 'this means you received a sum of money recently' and the response is 'YES YES, I won a fiver on a scratch card!!' hence if I were gullible Id believe that I was indeed the 'CHOSEN ONE' able to read fortunes!!!
The poster who made the comment that perhaps its like mass for some people - I totally agree, its a blind faith.
My friends enjoy it - I dont mind doing it, its a harmless laugh. But I can see how easy it would be to absolutely fool (and take money from) a large number of people. And there is a positive feedback loop because I say 'this means you received a sum of money recently' and the response is 'YES YES, I won a fiver on a scratch card!!' hence if I were gullible Id believe that I was indeed the 'CHOSEN ONE' able to read fortunes!!!
The poster who made the comment that perhaps its like mass for some people - I totally agree, its a blind faith.
I go to Joe Gough on a regular basis but not for readings or fortune tellings, he does other treatments aswell and he is truly gifted person in other holistic treatments that he does.
But I do have 2 friends and my sister who went to him for readings. They said that while some things he said were very specific to them he didn't tell them anything that they don't already know themselves, so therefore whats the point.
I don't believe in fortune telling and I've been to many of them over the years, from palm reading to crystal balls to tarot cards. Nothing any of them said ever stuck out in my mind.
What I would highly recommend is Astrology. I went to a guy 2 years ago and have just made an appointment to go back. let me know if you want his details and I'll PM them to you or I can let you know details on what other treatments Joe Gough offers that might be better for you.
I do not think its a good idea to visit someone like this if you are having problems. The only possible outcome is you being relieved of cash.
Fortune tellers are at best entertainers in the same way that magicians such as Paul Daniels are entertainers. At worst, they are scammers who take advantage of vulnerable people with a view to relieving them of cash.
If you've had problems, organisations such as the Samaratans or a support group related to your problem may be a better bet.
Whatever about needing them giving up looking for them is a bad thing in my opinion. It breeds ignorance, laziness and fatalism.
What sort of "holistic" treatments? Are they clinically tested/validated?
As csirl said...
Personally I disagree with most legislation designed to protect grown adults from their own stupidity, greed, gullibility etc. Obviously minors are a different matter and I never made reference to any of the sorts of things that you mention above so I'm not sure what prompted you to go off on that tangential rant. Ultimately I believe that grown adults should be allowed to do whatever they choose as long as it does not harm the person or property of other non consenting individuals. It may harm themselves but that is their choice. However I realise that we live in a society that does not generally hold the same views as me so I accept the laws that have been enacted that may circumscribe such freedoms and work to change those that I feel are objectionable.
truthseeker
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Astrology is another unproven discipline, and again works on much the same principle of assigning 'meanings' to signs read and applying these meanings to events in a persons life.
I dont think that there is anything wrong in someone drawing comfort or faith from these things, but I do think that its possible that a person could be drawn into making (or not making) important decisions based on false belief - although often decisions are made based on nothing more than gut feeling anyway so perhaps its not a relevant point?
I understand that searching for answers has led to great achievements, progress etc, but the constant search seems to mean that many of us myself included often don't take the time to actually appreciate how amazing things are around us. I know it sounds like I'm smoking a doobie right now but I don't know how to express this opinion without sounding a little 'far out dude'.
Unless these things are tried or you have personally gone yourself for Astrology or any other kind of treatment I can't understand how you can class it as BS!!
An opinion without backup or experience behind it is invalid in my mind.
and as Truthseeker said if people are going because they are looking for answers, or are in grief, or depressed and this is their outlet and they coming away feeling better than that is their perogative.
As I said I went an astrologer and I am going back, I've also recommended him to other people who were amazed at what he told them.
Its nothing to do with zodiac signs and their meanings at all, it is far more indepth and logical than reading your horoscopes in th newspaper, maybe poster should a bit more research before replying to these posts and be a bit more open minded.
To post a comment like this is BS when someone is sharing information is just highly rude and if you don't have anything more constructive than that to say then simply say nothing.
An opinion without backup or experience behind it is invalid in my mind.
and as Truthseeker said if people are going because they are looking for answers, or are in grief, or depressed and this is their outlet and they coming away feeling better than that is their perogative.
As I said I went an astrologer and I am going back, I've also recommended him to other people who were amazed at what he told them.
Its nothing to do with zodiac signs and their meanings at all, it is far more indepth and logical than reading your horoscopes in th newspaper, maybe poster should a bit more research before replying to these posts and be a bit more open minded.
To post a comment like this is BS when someone is sharing information is just highly rude and if you don't have anything more constructive than that to say then simply say nothing.
truthseeker
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far out dude - i hear where youre coming from!!! its good to sit back and appreciate the good stuff thats in the here and now, and ALSO to question and search for answers!!!!
I think some people who want answers want them so badly that its too easy for them to be taken in by fortune tellers and their false belief is so strong that it can leave them wide open to hurt when something they expect and have set their hopes on doesnt happen. In that situation a person is not going to be capable of looking around and appreciating whats good in the here and now.
truthseeker
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Actually Ive studied astrology to some degree and have a large number of textbooks on the subject - it IS an interesting concept. But weirdly it was my study of it that robbed me of my belief in it!! I used to be a believer to some extent, but once I understood how it worked and learned the fundamentals of the discipline I stopped believing. That is not to say that I am right though - its just my personal experience.
It was the same for Tarot cards, an interest and belief in my teens led me to investigate it for myself and upon investigation I found that I was no longer a believer.
I dont have any problem with what people draw comfort or feel better from. For some its a cup of tea and a hug, for others its a Tarot reading or a birth chart, who cares so long as the person feels better.
I would only caution against not putting all the eggs in one basket as it were and making decisions that could be potentially life changing based on information given by a fortune teller or astrologer - but by all means, enjoy the experience!!
I read Tarot Cards for friends too & like you I don't believe I'm telling them what their future holds, it's just a bit of fun.
In the past i used to do it at parties or dinner parties but I refuse to now. People I didn't know would come to me & spill their guts, in the course of the reading i might repeat back something that i'd been told. The person would say "that's amazing, how did you know that"!! When I'd say "You just told me" they would still think I had some special powers.
Also it wqas mainly people with problems who would want a reading. i was always amazed that they were prepared to put credence into anything told to them by a stranger over their Family /friends /own instinct.
truthseeker
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batty - its possible you ARE me as my experiences are exactly the same as yours in this regard - its amazing how much people say then refuse to believe they just said it!!! Again it just shows that people reinforce their own belief by only seeing what they want to see.
The Derren Brown phenomna is very similiar, at this point people believe that because its Derren Brown he WILL be able to read their minds, thus putting Derren in a strong position from the outset.