Why do people consult astrologers, tarot card readers, psychics and so on? It’s not always about predicting.
The reasons
Broadly speaking, their reasons fall into these categories.
- They need more clarity about a situation and are looking for guidance. They may be struggling with a difficult decision and hoping for clues that will help them determine what to do next.
- They are grieving, but instead of going to a priest or counselor, they come for a psychic reading. They seek comfort and want to glimpse possibilities beyond the limits of everyday experience.
- They want insight into their possible future. They want predictions. They want answers. This is risky because there is no guarantee of accuracy and the answer may not be pleasant. Like it or not, the answer may come in handy depending on how they respond to the advice.
Image, the fortune teller; Albert Anker: 1880 Source: Wikimedia Commons
The prediction problem
Is prediction possible? Of course it is. We all do it every day of our lives without thinking about it. We do not consider it a psychic activity. We are looking forward to’. We expect. We assume. We anticipate. We plan. These are words and activities based on a prediction.
We can all expect with a very high degree of certainty that the sun will rise tomorrow. These types of predictions are simply common sense and based on an extremely high degree of probability based on historical data.
But, as the old joke goes, “nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
Some modern astrologers and tarot readers, including Alejandro Jodorowsky, art film director and co-author of the Jodorowsky-Camoin Tarot de Marseilles deck, declare that psychic prediction is not possible.
“Tarot is a sacred game,” says Mr. Jodorowsky, “you shouldn’t talk about the future. The future is a scam. The tarot is a language that speaks about the present. If you use it to see the future, you become a fraud.”
He is entitled to his opinion and many will agree with that view of things. But this is to simplify the matter.
In every activity in life and in every profession, there will be people who are less competent than others, or worse… insincere, who make promises they cannot keep; the liars, fraudsters and scammers.
Buyer beware. Go by recommendation when choosing your astrologer or psychic reader, but the paranormal prediction is an activity as old as humanity itself.
Asking questions about the future and trying to predict it is simply exploring possibilities.
Some will always be more likely than others. The future is not a lump of stone waiting to fall on our heads. But like a weather warning, if we get a clear enough idea of what’s coming, we can prepare for threats or opportunities. If we can just get a sense of the odds, we can decide whether we want to go through with something or walk away.
But sometimes our hearts don’t agree with our heads. Or our gut feeling does not match our head. This is where a reading can potentially be helpful. This is where astrology etc. is more than just entertainment. This is the point, purpose and value of prediction.
- You look out the window. It’s not snowing, but the sky is a funny color and you decide to put on your warmest coat.
- You see someone coming into the street. They haven’t done anything wrong, but you decide, uh-oh, I don’t like the way this person looks, and get out of the way.
We predict instinctively and take subsequent steps. We do it every day. Astrologers and clairvoyants go one step further. But this is one of those discussions that could go on forever.
Here lies a real problem with paranormal predictions
You asked, you got an answer, but you don’t like it. No, what are you going to do about it? Some people go from reader to reader asking the same question until they get the answer they want.
Or
You ask the question and you really like this answer. Now you can just sit back and wait for it to happen. What if it doesn’t happen? What if the reader did not understand it correctly? How long are you going to wait? What clues will you miss while you wait? What opportunities might pass you by unnoticed?
Either way, you have traded away your initiative and therefore your ability to self-determinate. Now you’re just waiting for something to ‘happen’ to you.
But there is another approach to prediction that works with the principle of free will, and that is psychic prediction.
Predicting is one thing, predicting is another.
Author’s own image
Prediction speaks about the future as if it were a fact. This suggests that we have no free will to change it.
Forecasts through astrology etc. read current conditions and provide an estimate of likely future developments, presenting these in terms of probability or probability.
For example, I use counting spreads to form a quantifiable answer in response to a given question.
Let’s say I decide to use my deck of playing cards. Now let’s say I’ll work with this in the traditional way and count a ‘red’ card (hearts and diamonds) as a ‘yes’ answer. And I count a ‘black’ card (club or spade) as a ‘no’ answer.
I shuffle the deck and then pull out 5 cards, line them up and count how many red cards and how many black cards.
Example question: Who will win this football match?
Real Madrid vs Juventus (June 2017)
Author’s own image
Top row: Real Madrid representative. 4 red cards, 1 black card = 4/5 positive
Bottom row: represents Juventus: 2 red cards, 3 black cards = 2/5 positive
Conclusion: Real Madrid seemed to have a better chance of winning. Unsure. But more likely. 4/5
The score: Real Madrid 4: Juventus 1.
Why not try this yourself?
In summary
Psychic prediction in itself does not deny free will. But if you rely too much on predictions, you deny the principle of free will and can sabotage your options. Having an astrology or psychic reading is a source of additional information and insights, but it is not a substitute for your judgment.
You will need to decide how much you can rely on the accuracy or meaning of the measurement, and how best to make use of it. Does the lecture appeal to you? Does it feel good? Or is this about your own wishful thinking?
Free will, fate and destiny work together
This may seem contradictory, but these concepts are not in conflict with each other.
Your ‘destiny’ represents your greatest potential.
Your destiny is what could be, what you could do, be or have if you follow the signs. This is the road ahead if you stay on track, follow your nose, trust your guts and use common sense in the future.
This seems obvious, but all too often we ignore the signals. Like Little Red Riding Hood, we ignore the warnings, stray from our own instincts and then we might meet The Wolf.
The Wolf is the face of our own self-betrayal. When we fail or refuse to listen to ourselves, the mistakes can be costly. Mistakes are not the problem. Mistakes are inevitable and natural. They can be valuable learning experiences, but if we don’t learn from them, so we keep repeating the same mistakes – that’s a problem.
We explore, reject, sabotage, accept, or realize our destiny as an exercise of our own free will. Fate is another word for luck – those things, good and bad, over which we have no direct control. But it is still a free will choice that determines how we will respond.
I wish you a lot of succes!
