need some opinions

LegacyUser

hi all,

just really wanted some opinions, do any of you believe in fortune tellers, mediums etc??
I went to a couple over the years, more so because my friends were going and thought it maybe fun...anyway I listened to what they said, and forgot about it some time later, I always felt it was a sham, and they never got me etc...while other that went loved them.
Anyway the other night, I was out on a job and I met this women, and before I left, she made a comment that I had a lot of hurt etc, I thought she was strange anyway, but I just said ah who doesnt, then she said she used to tell fortunes, and read cards etc, and would love to do mine, just a quick reading, so I let her..anyway the thing is she was very good, and got everything pretty much bang on...kind of scary, and has me thinking ever since..
So my question is, do you think people do have the ability to see things, past, present or future, or is it all just guessing???

Victor

I'm not sure if this is really a PI.

While some people are good at reading other people, nobody can really tell the future or stuff like that.

desolate sun

OP I have been to dozens of fortune tellers/mediums/psychics and speaking personally I have come to the conclusion that some are charlatans, some are chancers and some are quite good but none have been 100% correct.

Yes some have been spot on with past or with some incident in the future but I have never met anyone that was foolproof.
Take it with a pinch of salt OP. While I think some genuinely have some kind of 'gift', it is hit and miss.

Denerick

OP; For all you know she had a mate who knew you well and filled her in on the details. it still amazes me that otherwise intelligent people still see these charlatans. Its all well and good if its for a little bit of fun, but some people, honestly!

fungun

my view is that typically these people have some general stuff that is almost always true and then they are often very good at reading what you are telling them without realising it. They hint at something and then depending on your initial reaction to it either go further with it or not.
That way they can end up giving you what seems like a really good read, but its not really!

robby^5

I dont see the personal issue here but no there is no magic involved.

They'll use a technique called Cold Reading, none of these people know anything about your future. There is absolutely nothing to gain here, but then again there's also no harm in going. As you said, it's a bit of fun.

liah

Watch some Derren Brown as well as Penn & Teller's series "Bullsh!t".

AngryBadger

OP we all view ourselves as being totally unique, and in certain senses this is completely valid, however in a some cultural and psychological senses people are all remarkably similar. In relation to pain/suffering/etc we all develop coping mechanisms, many of which involve not sequestering certain experiences away at the back of our minds until we're ready to address them, which for many people is never.

Now if you accept that most people will have comparmentalised certain negative experiences, the next step is knowing what those experiences are and finding a way to tap into them. Since we're all biologically very similar (in the sense that most of us have the same basic biological drives, eat, sleep, ****), then it's not too difficult to highlight a few common problems areas for most people such as the loss of loved ones, a bad relationship, or the lack of a relationship, a lack of career progression etc.

Let's say you narrow it down to the three areas of family, love, and career, it's not that difficult to see which one of these applies to a given person. Let's say you meet someone who is lacking in confidence, it's not unreasonable to assume this person is single, and this can easily be confirmed, if there's no wedding band then they may be involved but it's not "official" so to speak. If they don't make any reference to a significant other in casual conversation, then there probably isn't one, and so on and so on.

Now on their own any one of these things would be insufficient to make any educated guess about someone's life, but an astute observer will be able to identify multiple "tags" in a persons behavior, which will enable them to make a relatively informed guess as to that persons state of mind. Couple this with the fact that very often we really want to believe that the person we're talking to has a unique spiritual understanding of what makes us tick, and you've got the perfect recipe for psychic powers.

So I personally don't believe in psychics, but as long as you're not going to base any major life decisions on what they're telling you I don't see the harm in people indulging their own beliefs. Similarly if this person said something that you genuinely feel may apply to you, well then take that and use it.

Unless of course she outlined in specific detail the next partner you're going to have, in which case she was looking for a payday

Zen65

realornot wrote: »

So my question is, do you think people do have the ability to see things, past, present or future, or is it all just guessing???

Your present is written all over your face, and it's typed in large bold print on your clothes, your words, and your body language.

Nobody has the ability to see into the future, but several can extrapolate from the past to guess with reasonable accuracy what is likely to happen in the future. In fact, several million people can do this. With a bit of research and practice, this skill can be sharpened to be able to appear quite knowledgeable about somebody's future.

Don't waste your time any money believing any of this stuff. That said, I've gone a few times just for the amusement factor.


Be at peace,

Z

JonathanAnon

I've just started reading a book about cold reading by an English guy called Ian Rowland....The Full Facts Of Cold Readin... He points out all the techniques used by these "psychics" use to build rapport with you, build your confidence in them, and then give you a whole load of generic information that applies to 99% of the population...called the rainbow ruse.... expect things like "you are normally quite a shy person, but sometimes you can be the centre of attention".. i.e. saying you are introvert and then negating it by saying that you are extrovert... which means... nothing..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xswt8B8-UTM

This video is by Derren Brown and demonstrates a few of the basic techniques that "psychics" employ.

So in short, if you are prepared to waste your money on a bit of fun, knock yourself out...

princess-lala

Ive seen two, one was BS the other was amazing.

Told me things nobody could have known and called me names my ex who had passed away called me!

Not really a big believer but that guy was amazing

MJ23

Dont do it. My ex, years ago went to one, told her all this stuff that hadnt even happened yet, about me going off with her friend and other random bullshít. Anyway, she lived the next 6 months according to what the fortune teller had told her, it was painful, having to explain about things i hadnt even done. Terrible experience.
Non of the things ever came true either. I dont know who was worse, the fortune teller, or my silly ex for believing things that had never even happened.
Crazy stuff altogether.

LegacyUser

Hi Guys, thanks for all the opinions and advise. I am sorry this isnt a PI as such, wasnt sure where to ask....
I actually have several pi going on at the moment, involving my ex, and current friend etc...
and I agree with most of you about how they can pull things from your head. Just to remind you, I was actually doing this womens spray tan in her house, and it was when I was leaving she said it to me, and asked me could she do a reading on me. And she doesnt do it anymore, and doesnt do it for money. It was just she got several things bang on, and like I said I went to a couple before (dragged along with friends lol) and thought they were crap, and a waste of time and money, and one in particular told me terrible things, she said my partner had cheated on me etc, even though I didnt believe it, it can play on your mind.
Anyway thx again, maybe she just got lucky!!!!

QuiteInterestin

I think it's like those ads on TV for tarot lines etc say, "For entertainment purposes only".

Some people are very good at reading others and from a short conversation can work out exact details from a persons past (ever watch The Mentalist?). I think people fall into a trap then of thinking that if he/she is spot on about stuff that happened in my past, well then they must be right about what they say will happen in my future and fully believe what the fortune teller says.

If you do go to one, just take it as a bit of fun and don't let it influence your future decisions. By letting it influence your decisions these predictions can become 'self fulfilling' i.e. a fortune teller telling you you're going to split up with your boyfriend, so you go home and start looking for faults in him/the relationship which eventually leads to arguments that lead to ye splitting up. So the fortune teller was right but would it have ever happened if you hadn't heard the fortune tellers prediction?

LegacyUser

Went to one a few years ago and after reading up on how they do it never again. They are very very good at reading people, the way they dress, look, speak and then they use cold reading techniques and once they get some kind of reaction from you they run with it.

Went to one and everything they said about me was true but they picked up on it from my body language. I was a young one going in so they were able to say things that a typical young person would eventually end up doing - travel, go to college, marriage and kids were all there for me. Even told me what i should do in college - i should be in a caring profession (well that narrowed things down a bit) but never could tell me exactly what i should do. Though i am getting into nursing now.
Obviously if i was a student, i wouldn't be able to afford to see one so they guessed i was working, they were right. They knew from my body language i was a quiet and reserved person, so probably guessed i dont get out much so where else can i meet men? Work! So they said the guy i fancy in work also likes me. I made a complete fool of myself with him.

They were right in telling me the type of person i am but useless at reading the future. And as for the past, i think we all know someone close to us that has passed on?

JonathanAnon

she said my partner had cheated on me

I think everybody has had a ex that cheated on them really. She may have also picked up a tone of dissent from you when talking about relationships/exs.

Psychics cannot read the future.... Keith Barry has offered any psychic 10 grand if they pass his "psychic test". He has learned the techniques they use, and that if they take his test he can prove that they use simple cold reading i.e. that there is nothing spiritual or miraculous about their readings.

If you are looking for answers or advice, and you intend visiting a psychic for help in those terms, then I would recommend that you dont go... You may end up trying to live your life to fit the plan of somebody who knows NOTHING about you, bar what they have gleaned during the reading. And that doesnt seem like a good plan, does it?

HavingCrack

Would this not be more suited to the Paranormal forum maybe??? You might get better responses.

LegacyUser

Would it be wrong to go to one to try and figure out what career to choose? I am just thinking that if they are good at reading you then maybe they could suggest what you would enjoy, like the way they told one poster that she would be in a 'caring profession'
Or is this just a ludicrous idea!

LegacyUser

Hi,op here,

I just wanted to say again, that I was not going to anyone for a reading, it just happened, I was doing an unrelated job, and this women, asked me could she do a reading on me...and like I said she was bang on in her reading about family, partner and friends.

Anyway I dont think it would be a good idea to go to a fortune teller for career advise, I think you would be better off going to a career advisor, who can go through your skills, and goals and put a plan of action for you in place...I am not saying you shouldnt go to one, that is a personal choice...but I wouldnt plan my further around what a stranger tells you...the fact that you would be going to one, would suggest you are confused about your career path, so they will make suggestions to you, and you will start thinking that what they advise as a career will be the career for you, which is not neccessarily true. That is just my opinion.

what do you think wrote: »

Would it be wrong to go to one to try and figure out what career to choose? I am just thinking that if they are good at reading you then maybe they could suggest what you would enjoy, like the way they told one poster that she would be in a 'caring profession'
Or is this just a ludicrous idea!

piby

I don't believe in them at all but I've done a few for the craic over the years and they've never told me anything other than vague assumptions that could apply to anyone or can be interpreted in too many ways.

There was one guy once who was really accurate about some really specific things and I honestly don't know how he did it but it hasn't changed my real opinion that they're pretty much all quacks!

The bigger thing which I never understood is, even if they could acccurately read the future, why would people even bother? Isn't part of the fun of life not knowing what's around the corner!