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Q: Psychics and tarot ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   2 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Psychics and tarot
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: qpet-ga
List Price: $40.00
Posted: 17 Feb 2003 09:55 PST
Expires: 19 Mar 2003 09:55 PST
Question ID: 162564
Why are "psychics","fortune tellers" and "tarot card readers" so popular?
What is the psychological perspective? What is their historical popularity?
Are there any evolutionary benefits?

Request for Question Clarification by thx1138-ga on 17 Feb 2003 10:32 PST
Hello qpet and thank you for your question.

Could you please explain what you mean by "Are there any evolutionary benefits?"

Thank you very much.

THX1138

Clarification of Question by qpet-ga on 17 Feb 2003 13:50 PST
An evolutionary benefit, as an example, could be that anxiety of the
unknown is releaved through the "visions" of a "Seer". This would put
people at ease and let them be more productive.( This part of my
question is only an adjunct to the main question)
Answer  
Subject: Re: Psychics and tarot
Answered By: umiat-ga on 17 Feb 2003 16:03 PST
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hello, qpet!

 As always, you lead us into fascinating research. This question was
no exception.


Psychics, Fortune Tellers and Tarot Card Readers
*************************************************


What is a Psychic? (which basically includes all of the above!)

 "A simple definition of psychic is "A person who is either born with
or develops many gifts or talents in the area of ESP, clairvoyance,
communication with the spirit world, abilities to read the human aura
and uses these special skills as a healer or reader" (The New Age A to
Z, p. 120).
 
From "Psychics," by James K. Walker. The Watchman Expositer (1997)
http://www.watchman.org/profile/psychicspro.htm


Historical Popularity:
*********************


"While modern technology such as 900 numbers and the Internet may be
partially responsible for fueling their recent popularity, psychics
and mediums are not new.....the history of psychics may be traced back
thousands of years ago to the seers, shamans, and soothsayers of
ancient pagan religions and occult practices. Yet in North America the
popularity of the psychic arts is something relatively new. What are
the roots of the modern psychic revival in America?

"The genealogy of the modern psychic movement can be found in certain
aspects of the mesmeric and Spiritualist movements. These practices
spread through Europe and America in the early and middle 19th century
after followers of the controversial Austrian doctor, Franz Antoine
Mesmer (1766-1815), reported "thought transference, of clairvoyance
and 'eyeless vision'" in addition to other psychic phenomena in
"mesmerized" subjects." ("Psychical Research," Man, Myth, and Magic,
Vol. 17, p. 2273).

"The popularity of mesmerism and especially its alleged healing
properties, along with the celebrated "rappings" of the Fox sisters of
Hydesville, New York, led directly to the sweeping acceptance of the
Spiritualist movement of the latter half of the 19th century. "It
accustomed the public to the idea that certain especially gifted
persons might, when in a state of trance, exercise clairvoyant and
other paranormal faculties, and even to the idea that some mesmeric
subjects might become aware of, and perhaps communicate with, the
spirits of departed persons. The mesmeric trance developed, by an easy
and natural transition, into the mediumistic trance. . ." (ibid., see
also, "Fox Sisters," Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology,Vol.
1, pp. 345-49). Thus, by the turn of the 20th century, the general
public's perception of psychic manifestation was largely limited to
the infamous Spiritualist churches. These featured necromancy
(communication with the dead) along with an assortment of other
manifestations. Critics and paranormal debunkers like famous
illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini claimed they were little
more than fakery and parlor tricks ("Houdini, Harry," Encyclopedia of
Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, pp. 440-41)."

The Society for Psychical Research was established in 1882 as an
attempt to prove the scientific validity of psychic phenomena.
"Despite their intentions, the controls and tests administered by the
SPR did more to expose fraud than to prove psychic manifestations."

However, the fraud exposed by the SPR did not dissuade the public's
interest in psychic phenomena. The psychic revival in the 20th century
was boosted by Arthur Ford, a minister of the Disciples of Christ, who
"received national prominence in 1967 when he allegedly contacted the
dead son of Bishop James Pike on network television through trance
mediumship ("Ford, Arthur A.," Encyclopedia of Occultism and
Parapsychology, Vol. 1, p. 341)

From "Psychics," by James K. Walker. The Watchman Expositer (1997)
http://www.watchman.org/profile/psychicspro.htm
===


A current loss in popularity?

"Actually, psychics and astrologers seems to have fallen on tough
times
recently, said science writer Gene Emery, who has been following
tabloid
forecasts since 1979 in the still-fruitless quest to find just one
psychic
with predictive ability." 

"The September 11 terrorist attacks graphically illustrated the idea
that
people who claim to have psychic powers are frauds or are deluding
themselves. Witness the fact that nobody predicted the destruction of
the
World Trade Center towers, otherwise thousands of deaths would have
been
averted," said Emery. "Here was an event whose impact resonated around
the
globe, yet it never resonated with the folks who tell you with great
certainty where you misplaced your TV remove control."

From "Tabloid Psychics Fail Again In 2002," by Barry Karr. Committee
for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
(12/31/2002)
http://www.csicop.org/list/listarchive/msg00388.html



====


Popularity of Psychics from a Psychological Perspective:
*******************************************************


 Psychics offer "proof" of their abilities through "alleged
supernatural manifestations." These alleged "miracles" are persuasive
to those people who want to be persuaded. They often claim that their
supernatural abilities come from God, and that their abilities are
consistent with, rather than against Biblical principles.

Read the entire article, "Psychics," by James K. Walker. The Watchman
Expositer (1997) at
http://www.watchman.org/profile/psychicspro.htm


====


 In his book "The Demon-Haunted World," author Carl Sagan pointed out
the willingness of educated people to believe supernatural and
unsubstantiated occurrences. A reviewer of the book wrote the
following:

 "Sagan devotes this book to the debunking of demons. What he is
referring to are pseudoscience and legendary myths that have confused
and fascinated people over the entire span of human existence. He
talks about the existence of aliens; the popularity of psychics; the
existence of crop circles; the act of witchcraft; belief in astrology;
and many more trends in New Age thinking that fly in the face of logic
and reason.

When discussing these phenomena, Sagan seems to be slightly amused,
but also concerned, too, at the human tendency to believe anything we
hear, without ever questioning the source or seeking out proof."

From "It's Better to Light One Candle, than to Curse the Darkness."
Epinions (7/25/01)
http://www.epinions.com/content_33083526788


===

Why do people like to believe? 


"Why ... are psychics so popular with young and old, stupid and
intelligent, ignorant and wise alike?"

"The main reasons for belief in such paranormal powers as clairvoyance
and clairaudience are (1) the perceived accuracy of psychic
predictions and readings; (2) the seemingly uncanny premonitions which
many people have, especially in dreams; and (3) the seemingly
fantastic odds against such premonitions or predictions being correct
by coincidence or chance."

From "Psychic." The Skeptic's Dictionary.
http://skepdic.com/psychic.html


=====

 According to Christian Psychologist, Dr Bruce Narramore:

 "some people want to turn to "prophets" or psychics because they are
looking for a magical answer instead of facing some of the difficult
situations of life and going through them. True growth comes from
increased self-awareness and facing life head-on, rather than trying
to avoid pain or struggles or uncertainty through magical knowledge."

From "Answers From Psychics?" by Dr Bruce Narramore. Gospel.net 
http://www.gospelcom.net/narramore/ins_psychic.htm


====

The First Hook - The Cold Reading


"The initial hook that's used by many of the cult leaders to overwhelm
their victims and to prove their putative abilities, is the cold
reading. A cold reading occurs when the psychic (or "reader") tells a
person whom he or she has never met before facts about that person and
that person's life. These facts are supposedly divined because the
reader is able to sense things about that individual that the rest of
us mere mortals can't sense. Cold readings also occur when a customer
goes into a psychic's parlor to ask for help with a problem. Sometimes
the customer's physical presence isn't even necessary.  You've seen
ads touting the services of psychics who are so sensitive to whatever
it is that the customer is supposed to be emitting, that they can
sense it over thousands of miles through a telephone line, for crying
out loud. (Just dial 1-900-SUCKER)

From "Cold Reading: The Tricks of the Psychics." by William Goldberg,
MSW, BCD
http://www.blgoldberg.com/PSYCHICS.htm 

====

Believing What You Want to Hear:

"On a few occasions, I've had clients tell me of wondrous things that
psychics told them about themselves and that they even have audio
tapes of these miraculous sessions. When I ask if I may listen to
those tapes, they readily give them to me. The funny thing is, the
things that my clients said they heard - the pronouncements that
proved the psychic's ability -just aren't there! Everything the
psychic told them was something that my clients had told the psychic
and that the psychic was repeating back to them in a somewhat
different context, with a slight twist, and with a lot of drama and
hoopla. My clients half-remembered things that were said, forgot other
things that were said, or even constructed dialogue that never took
place, all of which proved to them that this seemingly kind, gentle,
concerned psychic had extrasensory powers."

"It's an interesting component of the human condition that we want so
much to believe that someone can help us to make sense out of an often
senseless world, to gain control over that which is beyond our
control, and to give us certainty in the face of the unknown and
unknowable.  Recognizing these facts, and realizing that we're all
subject to the same wishes and needs, it behooves us to be
particularly vigilant about believing that which we most desperately
want to believe, especially when that belief flies in the face of
logic and the laws of science."

From "Cold Reading: The Tricks of the Psychics." by William Goldberg,
MSW, BCD
http://www.blgoldberg.com/PSYCHICS.htm 

====

The Customer Fills in the Blanks and Bingo!.....The Psychic Hits the
Target!

"Ray Hyman, a psychologist who has written about this topic, points
out that all forms of communication are incomplete, and that the
recipient of every form of communication becomes a creative
problem-solver, looking for meaning in the communication. Hyman
explains that, "the task is not unlike that of trying to make sense of
a work of art, a poem, or, for that matter, a sentence. The work of
art, the poem, or the sentence serves as a blueprint or plan from
which we can construct a meaningful experience by bringing to bear our
own past experiences and memories." The psychic's customer fills in
the blanks, ignores contradictory messages and emphasizes statements
that are meaningful while discarding or de-emphasizing statements that
don't fit. The process is completed when the customer, in time,
forgets all the contradictory "misses" and remembers only the "hits."

From "Cold Reading: The Tricks of the Psychics." by William Goldberg,
MSW, BCD
http://www.blgoldberg.com/PSYCHICS.htm 


=======


Possible "Evolutionary" Benefits - Comfort in times of uncertainty?
*******************************************************************

Though psychics are ridiculed by many, others do in fact turn to them
for emotional healing and help in troubled times.

"The psychic industry is booming as more and more Australians turn to
the spiritual and "other-worldly" to find some certainty in an
ever-changing world.

And while there are plenty of strangers in our magazines and
newspapers willing to give that intimate friendly advice that most
people seek, it’s tarot cards that most people pay to have read.

Angela Idas runs a New Age shop called Charmed Insight and you’ll now
find a shop like hers in most major shopping districts.

Angela says a lot more people have an open mind these days, and she
says her customers walk out of her shop with new hope.

Broadcaster Suzie Yates was a skeptic until she actually saw a
psychic.

"I’d lost a son. My little son had died when he was ten days old, and
I hadn’t told anyone," Suzie says. "I certainly hadn’t told my
listeners, and no-one knew, but not only did Margaret [the psychic she
visited] pick it up and his name and how he died, she told me many
things that really helped me get over it and recover."

From "Psychics: are you a believer?" by Brady Halls. A Current Affair
(3/19/2002)
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/stories/894.asp


====


The following transcript is taken from an interview on the Correx
website, titled
"Superstition: Is there a science to superstition?" (1997) at 
http://www.abc.net.au/science/correx/archives/superstition.htm

(Trevor) Well, I'm looking at the reasons why people have
superstitious beliefs, and basically that entails doing some
experiments and some surveys on why people have various beliefs
ranging from believing in UFOs to ESP and so on.

(PAUL) And what are you finding?

(Trevor) Well what I'm looking at is one specific factor which
contributes to belief and that is uncertainty. So when people are
faced with uncertainties in their life are they are more likely to
turn to these beliefs?

In one experiment, for instance, I present people with cards and they
are uncertain about the probability of being correct in a task, and I
see to whether they're likely to resort to a psychic option when
they're uncertain to fill in that gap of knowledge.

(PAUL) When do they choose a psychic?

(Trevor) Well, they're more likely to turn to a psychic when a
probability of being correct is low, and this is a completely chance
task, so they don't have control over any knowledge or anything like,
they might contribute to helping them perform these tasks, and that
reflects what's happening in the real world too. You find that people
might turn to psychics when they have problems in their lives, that
they're uncertain about financial or need to have answers about loved
ones or find romance or money problems. People are more likely to turn
to these psychics or astrologers for answers under those
circumstances.

(PAUL) Superstitious beliefs are found around the world in every
culture. Do they all have this function of providing comfort in
uncertain times?

(Trevor) Some research done by the anthropologist Bronislaw
Malinowski. When he was studying the Trobiand islanders, when they had
activities which they could be very certain about like fishing in the
inner lagoon where there was no threat to their lives, there was no
danger, there was no superstitious or magical rituals in that. However
when they were fishing in the open sea where there was perhaps concern
that they may not come back alive, there was a lot more magical
ritual.

And so the idea is that magical ritual, or superstitious beliefs fill
in the gap when knowledge falls short. You see this happening with
other things too, like, people might be more likely to turn to
alternative medicines, that sort of thing, when their orthodox
medicine can't give them the answers that they want.
(PAUL) So, what's Trevor's last word on superstition?

(Trevor) Well, I think there's one important thing to note about
superstitious beliefs, and that is that people generally think that
the people who hold these beliefs are completely irrational or have
low intelligence, or they're not quite there (they're mad or
something) - and I don't think that's the case at all. The research
certainly doesn't show that. What it does show is that these beliefs
are quite widespread, they're normal sort of beliefs that people have.
They're certainly not reflected in psychopathology or anything like
that, and I think that that's an important point to maintain that
these beliefs are reflective of your average person.

(PAUL) So it's quite normal to be superstitious?

(Trevor) Yes, that's right, yeah.


===========================================================================


 I hope I have covered all the components of your question.  Let me
know if I can be of further help, or if the links fail to work!

umiat-ga

Google Search Strategy
popularity of psychics
psychics
why people turn to psychics

Request for Answer Clarification by qpet-ga on 17 Feb 2003 16:52 PST
Hi umiat,
Some good stuff, but a little short on the historical part. I would
like to have more information on the use and popularity of seers in
the past.(oracle of delphi, nostradamus and others)Was there use of
psychics during war times?
During economic depression?
As far as popularity today, how many people seek advice from psychics?
what are the most asked questions?
See if you can strech this a bit further.
Thank you for now.
qpet

Clarification of Answer by umiat-ga on 18 Feb 2003 19:00 PST
Hi, qpet!

Thank you for you clarification. I'm sorry I was a bit slow getting
back to you but I had to be away from the computer all day.

Here are the extras you asked for! I'm sorry I could find nothing
concerning psychic use during the Depression, and no hard numbers for
overall seekers of psychic advice. However, I hope the extra
information I have compiled provides you with some adequate
references.
 

Famous seers throughout History
*******************************

The Oracles of Delphi in early Greece:

 The Greeks, unlike so many others, had no sacred writing from which
to garner guidance or prophecy. Most religious sermons dealt with
sacrifices, and at best, the religious thrust centered on determining
religious law. Thus, the Greeks turned to "Oracles" for prophecy and
guidance.

"But at a number of temples throughout the Greek world there were
oracles to which the inquirer, whether a private individual or a
state, could bring a question and receive an answer which was supposed
to express the will of the gods. These temples were mostly, though not
all, dedicated to Apollo, whose cult had spread from Asia Minor to the
metropolitan Greece."

"Oracles played a crucial role throughout Greek history. Many
important choices made by prominent Greeks came from the advice of
oracles."

"The age of the oracles dates from around 700 B.C. to about 300 A.D."

From "Ancient Greek Oracles."
http://www.ancientgr.com/archaeonia/religion/oracles.htm

=== 

 "These oracles, or "the eyes and the ears of the gods" were sought
out by Kings, rulers, generals and the populace for information. The
kind of information that would give one the "inside track" or the
expanded view of a particular situation. The Oracles themselves, were
supported completely by the culture in terms of food, housing etc.

From "Notes On the History of Psychism," by Dr. Geri DeStafano-Webre.
Global Psychics Inc.
http://www.globalpsychics.com/lp/Company/philosophy.htm

===

Nostradamus:

 Born in France in 1503, Nostradamus believed he was descended from
one of the ten lost tribes of Israel which was purported to have
prophetic gifts.
From "The Millenium, Part 2." Ascent Foundation
http://www.ascentfoundation.org/spirituality/millennium2.htm

 His prophecies were called "Centuries," because they were normally
predicted in groups of one-hundred. The prophecies predicted events
starting in 1560 through to the end of the world.

 Nostradamus' most famous prophecies include "foreseeing the Great
Fire of London, the French Revolution and the flight of Louis XVI,
aerial warfare, communism, nuclear warfare, the rise and fall of
Hitler, Watergate, and the AIDS epidemic."

From "Famous Psychics." Psychics and Arts of Divination.
http://bridgetotheparanormal.freeservers.com/VISIONS.html

===

Edgar Cayce:

 Cayce was known as the "Sleeping Prophet" because he made his
predictions while in a trance and apparently had no recollection of
his prophecies upon awakening. Born in 1877, his prophecies centered
on future events apocalyptic visions.

 "More than 14,000 readings were transcribed up to his death in 1945
and are now stored at Virginia Beach, Virginia at the Association for
Research and Enlightenment, Founded by Cayce in 1934."

 Cayce claimed credit for foreseeing the 1929 Wall Street Crash. He
saw "apocalyptical scenes of natural upheaval around the year 2000,"
earthquakes that "would shatter the western part of the United States,
cause massive flooding in Japan, and change the geography of Europe."
He predicted that "the lost continent of Atlantis would rise from the
floor of the ocean."

 "In 1936. Cayce saw himself reborn in the year 2100, flying across
North America at fantastic speed and exploring a devastated New York
City."

From "Famous Psychics." Psychics and Arts of Divination.
http://bridgetotheparanormal.freeservers.com/VISIONS.html

===

Leonore Piper:

 "Perhaps the greatest American medium ever. One of the most
spectacular and outstanding mental mediums who ever lived. No one, not
even the most hardened closed minded skeptic after investigating her
mediumship ever suggested fraud. She was able to convert the greatest
materialist, closed minded skeptic this world has ever seen - Richard
Hodgson. Because of her brilliant accurate information, Hodgson, who
was contracted to by the British Society for Psychical Research
engaged private detectives to follow her, to report on whom she met
outside her home, to intercept her mail, to invite negative 'dummy'
sitters unknown to anyone to her sittings - and to do everything
possible to prove that this highly gifted brilliant American was not
genuine. All failed and she remains today the greatest American mental
medium who triumphed over great."

Read "Psychics Hall of Fame," by Victor Zammit
http://www.victorzammit.com/hall/
 

For a history of Spiritualism and well know psychics from 1744-2000,
refer to:

"History of Spiritualism." Psychics and Mediums Network.
http://www.psychics-mediums.com/spiritualism/history_of_spiritualism.htm


Psychic Advisors During Wartime
*******************************

 "During World War II, a psychic named Tudor Pole was an adviser to
Winston Churchill. (Turning to psychics and astrologers as well as
others skilled at alchemical arts has never been an uncommon practice
among world leaders.) Tudor suggested to Churchill that he urge the
British people to hold Britain in their thoughts every evening at 9:00
P.M. for one minute. This became known as the "silent minute." Whether
this collective effort helped protect Britain from invasion will never
be known. All we know is that the island was never conquered. And
incidentally, after the war, papers were found in Nazi records noting
that Britain had a "secret weapon" connected to Big Ben, but they were
never able to identify the nature of that weapon."

From "A Message From Caroline Myss." Global Psychics, Inc.
http://www.globalpsychics.com/lp/Prophecy/911/messages.htm


Use of Remote Viewing to gather Intelligence
********************************************

 The U.S. Government had an interest in the paranormal, especially
during the Cold War. The Stanford Research Institute, in Palo Alto,
Calif. was one facility involved in extensive research into
parapsychology.

 "The US Government had lots of contracts with these guys for covert
projects. Like remote-viewing of USSR missile bases, finding lost
planes, all on the level of intelligence gathering. The Russians also
were engaged in an all out effort to develop these abilities. See,
"Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain". So parapsychology was
one avenue or research. Along with that, there was a whole Humanistic
Psychology Movement going on. People exploring the deeper realms of
the mind."

From "Notes On the History of Psychism," by Dr.Geri DeStafano-Webre.
Global Psychics Inc.
http://www.globalpsychics.com/lp/Company/philosophy.htm

===

 "Remote Viewing had its beginnings in 1972 when Dr. Hal Puthoff
conducted an experiment to see if Ingo Swann could mentally affect the
output of a magnometer buried under concrete. Dr. Puthoff circulated
the successful results and within a few days, was contacted by the CIA
who consequently funded over 20 years of psychic research at the
Stanford Research Institute."

"A few years later, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other agencies
went on alert after they learned of Soviet advances and applications
in their Cold War psychic spying efforts against the United States."

"They answered this threat six years later in 1978 when Lt. F. Holmes
'Skip' Atwater, researched and developed an operational Remote Viewing
unit to gather intelligence."

"The RV unit operated in secret until 1995 when it was disbanded."

From "Intuition, Remote Viewing, Consciousness Studies," by Cassandra
'Sandy' Frost.
Religion and Spirituality. Suite 101.com.
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/15389 

===

 Some excerpts concerning remote viewing, the Iranian hostage crisis
and the Gulf war, follow:

 "During the Iranian hostage crisis, the NSC asked the remote viewers
to look at a "target personality." None of the psychics were given any
other information. One viewer, who was reputedly good at viewing
people, was tasked to the matter. He saw a thin, bearded man in a bare
building, surrounded by many other people. The viewer sensed that the
man had nerve damage that immobilized half of his body and that he was
about to take a plane trip within two to three days. The NSC was
impressed by this data, since the "target personality" turned out to
be one of the hostages whom was believed to be suffering from the
early stages of multiple sclerosis. The news about the plane travel
intrigued the agency, which began to prepare for the possibility that
the Iranians were about to let the man go. Two days later, the
Iranians put the hostage on a plane and let him go rather than let him
die in their custody. After his release, the NSC described the data
gathered by the viewer to the former hostage, without revealing its
source. The description was so accurate that the man became angry
because he believed that the NSC had a secret agent among the
terrorists."

 "Although the psychic program was an integrated part of the United
States' effort to win the Cold War and the 1991 Gulf War (though the
military apparently did not use the information gathered by the
clairvoyants in the latter conflict), it only lasted a short while
thereafter. As the government saw fewer and fewer uses for the
psychics, they were slowly disbanded and their funding was
diminished."

"The end of the government program came when it was exposed to the
public, ironically enough, after a Central Intelligence
Agency-sponsored report was issued in 1995 and made the subject of
stories on ABC's Nightline and in the Washington Post. That report
criticized the effectiveness of the program in the 1990s (apparently
ignoring the prior two decades of service) and led to the program's
ultimate demise."

Read more about Remote Viewing, the Military and Intelligence
Gathering at:
"Remote Viewing":"Grill Flame", "Sun Streak" & "Star Gate," by Jack
Friedman
http://www.berkeleypsychic.com/Reader/archive/July98/remote.html

===

Book reference:

 The Psychic Battlefield : A History of the Military-Occult Complex by
W. Adam Mandelbaum:
 "From the time of ancient Egypt to beyond the CIA coverup of the
Stargate Program's realities, this book reveals the history and the
future of the use of psychics by armies and spies. It is the book that
ripped the cover off of the CIA coverup of the true powers of men's
minds! It is the book that unequivocally demonstrates that Mind is the
Final Frontier."
(Available to view at Amazon.com)


Most Frequently Asked Questions
*******************************

What questions do people usually ask a psychic? 

The most popular questions are things about relationships, career or
personal well-being.

Relationship: "Am I in the right relationship?", "Do you see a
marriage?", "Is my wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend cheating?", "Is
it a boy or a girl?"

Career: "Will I have more money in the future?", "What direction is my
career headed?", "Will I get the job that I just interviewed for?",
"What is the best days for me to ask for a raise?

Personal: "Is there happiness in my future?", "Will I ever feel
contentment within myself?", "Will my life EVER change?", "Will I ever
feel totally secure?", "Will I ever stop being so worried about
everything?"

I think my favorite question comes when I have just told someone
something that surprises them and they ask, "How did you know that?".
This is a most precious question. ; )

From "Frequent Asked Questions."
http://www.circle-of-light.com/Psychic_Readings/faq.html#h

=====

"Psychic Sally De Besh says the issue of money is very often the
reason why people consult her in the first place."

She says: "There are some executives that come and see me for
financial forecasts and that sort of thing, and that’s not my
background. I don’t have a real understanding of that, but I was able
to give them some predictions of months and what to do and I’ve had
some really good feedback from that."

From "Psychics: are you a believer?" by Brady Halls. A Current Affair
(3/19/2002)
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/stories/894.asp 


How many people seek advice from Psychics?
******************************************

"It is estimated that around 80 percent of psychic clients are women."

From "Psychics: are you a believer?" by Brady Halls. A Current Affair
(3/19/2002)
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/stories/894.asp 

====

 One psychic has served 40,000 clients "over the past 25 years,"
including heads of state, political leaders and numerous celebrities.

 According to Telemedia News & Views, a telecom industry publication,
calls to phone psychics, "were expected to generate as much as $1.4
billion in revenues during 2000."

Read "An Unpredictable Business: Professional psychics face same
challenges as other entrepreneurs," by David Lazarus. San Francisco
Chronicle (3/25/2000)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/03/25/BU106719.DTL


Take care!

umiat-ga

Google Search Strategy
famous seers in history
Oracles of Delphi
psychics AND wartime
use of psychics during war
most asked questions of psychics
how many seek psychic advice?
psychic use during "Great Depression"
"Great Depression AND psychics
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Subject: Re: Psychics and tarot
From: slawek-ga on 17 Feb 2003 10:29 PST
 
Good Day qpet-ga,

Because people tend to be afraid of the uncertain, the psychic's or
fortune teller's "ability" to dispel the unknown makes them very
popular.

Before I explain in detail, please know that I do not believe that the
average psychic has the ability to actually see the future or any
events in it.  There might be a small population that can see the some
events ahead of time, but those people do not tell the future for a
fee, for individuals.  Let's face it, if a psychic could tell the
future, they would be standing in a lottery outlet to purchase a
single 6x49 lotto game and rake it in.

While psychics can not really tell the future, they make certain to
find out from their customer what he or she wants the future to be. If
you take a look at any reading done by a psychic, they ask more
questions that the customer. Having found out about the person a
little through questions and observation (you can tell a lot about a
person by looking at details... my mother for example has a key chain
that says "World's best mom"... She had that key chain for a very long
time, and if a stranger came up to her and asked "how is your son",
she'd probably be a little spooked, and too worried to think about the
logical explanation for the "mysterious knowledge".  Similarly, a
psychic will use these kinds of methods to establish a trust. In the
process, the psychic will find out some of the passions, fears and
wishes of the customer, and tell a future based on those.

The rest is quite simple... in an exercise done in our local
psychology class about psychics, a professor claims that he has
unexplained powers, and that he knows more about each of his students
than they can imagine.  To prove the point, he writes on individual
pieces of paper something about each student, and hands them the piece
of paper. Each student reads only their profile, and is to tell the
professor on how accurate his vision was.  Over half of the class
stated that the prediction is a little spooky, because it's true. 
What the students don't know is that they all have been given exactly
the same description.

Having said that, it's easy to see how a psychic can "help remove
uncertainty" from someone's life. The customer will make the
prediction "fit" into their live, and be back for more because they
want to "find out more about the future".

The basis for psychics, fortune tellers, and tarot card readers are
the same.

Hope this at least get's you started... :)

Regards,
slawek-ga
Subject: Re: Psychics and tarot
From: umiat-ga on 20 Feb 2003 10:35 PST
 
Thank you very much, qpet. Your are always generous in your ratings
and tips, and a real pleasure to work for.

umiat

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