I'm not sure how I feel about this...

[sportsmom]

My MIL just stopped by a little while ago and told me about something, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Let me preface this by saying that I love my MIL, even with all her quirks, and believe me, she has quite a few.

She stopped by to drop something off for the oldest child and said "M, I need to speak to you for a minute, please." OK, no prob, I figure it has something to do with the upcoming holidays or birthday, so we step outside out of earshot. She turns to me and says "I need to tell you something between you and me and I don't want ou to get mad at me." Oooook, that's a little odd, but I tell her to go ahead.

Turns out, she went to see a psychic (I'm not debating anyone's beliefs one way or another) and while she was "conversing" with her mother and sister, the psychic said "Oh, E's here."

E is my daddy, and according to the psychic his message for MIL was "tell M I love her."

I'm not sure how I feel about this for a few reasons. I'm not sure how I feel about psychics as a whole. I'm sure there is more to the world than what we can see, and I'm sure there are people that "see" other than most of us see, I'm just not sure what or how much they see and I'm sure, that like everything else, there are good ones and ones who will take advantage of you. I'm not sure how long she has been seeing a psychic, but I don't want to ask because I don't want to offend her. I also don't want to see her taken in by a scam artist. She has an open heart and has been taken in before by an ex-husband whom no one liked and who was an alcoholic and ended up taking quite a bit of money from her. I'm also a little upset because somehow, my daddy has been brought into this and I'm pretty darn sure he would not have been a party to a "psychic reading" when he was alive.

Does anyone have any experience with anything like this or how would you guys feel about this?

[Giggle Goose]

I'm also a little upset because somehow, my daddy has been brought into this and I'm pretty darn sure he would not have been a party to a "psychic reading" when he was alive.

Does anyone have any experience with anything like this or how would you guys feel about this?

I'm a little bit sketched out my psychics in general; because I saw one once just for fun and she said that there was someone with an initial "M" that would become a significant love in my life very soon. I was 16 then, and every guy I've dated since then, excluding the one I'm with now, has had a first initial of "J." :rolleyes:

But my grandfather passed away when I was 15; and we were extremely close. Like your daddy, he never believed in all that psychic "mumbo jumbo," as he called it. My grandmother is a little bit on the crazy side and says she sees him sometimes; and my dad (his son) finds pennies in odd places that he claims are from his dad. I see it as a comforting kind of thing. Don't take it too literal. But just know that whatever your daddy believed while he was living, if there is something after death, I believe he would do anything possible to watch over everybody and let you all know he's OK.

-Giggle Goose, who is far too sentimental for her own good. :love:

[Amethyst Hunter]

My general feeling on psychics is that 99% of them are crap. They're trained how to 'read' people and tailor the 'results' just enough so that they seem plausible to the person in question. They'll say things that are overall generic (i.e., "X wants you to know that s/he loves you" or "You're going through some major stress at this time"), but just detailed enough so that the person's sense of wanting to believe will kick in and they'll think they're part of a genuine experience. In short, most of those psychics you see in ads or on TV? Are experienced cons who know how to sell people what they want to hear.

*Are* there actual, honest-to-God psychics in the world? Possibly. My take on that is that if there are, they'd much rather keep to themselves, and don't usually seek others out or make a big show of their skills - probably for fear of being labeled as freaks or being exploited in damaging ways by hostile people.

Most people, I think, probably share some of this POV, which may be why your MIL was hesitant in telling you - she may have been afraid of being seen as "one of THOSE fools" that consults psychics and horoscopes for every single little facet of their lives. If this was just a one-time-only deal, I wouldn't worry too much about it - a lot of people may visit a psychic or a fortune-teller just out of curiosity.

However, if it turns into a serious habit - i.e., MIL starts spending large or frequent amounts of money on a psychic's services, or starts acting like she feels pressured in any way to spend money, that's when I'd worry.

To give you a little example of what I mean, take myself: I read my horoscope for free in the papers or online, but not on a regular basis, nor do I feel like I have to adhere to every single piece of 'advice' it gives. I just like to see how close it matches whatever thoughts I'm having at the time. Sometimes it's spot-on, more often than not it's way off base, especially when it tries to go more in-depth in regards to particular areas like career or romance.

Basically, it's something you have to take with a grain of salt, and if you have to pay money for it, it's probably not going to do you much good in the long run.

[Pedersen]

Well, for the record, I read Tarot cards. Haven't done so in a while, but I can. And, somehow, what I read is right. The times I've been wrong? I chose to ignore what was there in front of me, and instead forced the view that I wanted on them.

Somehow, I even read that a woman was in the midst of a painful divorce, her daughter upset by the whole thing, etc. I'd never met this woman before the time I did that reading.

It actually kinda creeps me out that it works. But, for me, it does. I also don't charge money. And I don't do readings for third parties (i.e.: Mom can't ask me to do a reading on the kid, only the kid can ask for the reading).

I've seen some strange things. I want to believe that psychic ability is real. But I have a very hard time doing so. If it is real, then it's possible that MIL found a real psychic, and you got a real message.

Ask yourself this: Is that a message your father would have wanted you to have? If so, does it matter if it was real or faked? You got a message that your father would have wanted you to get, and that might very well help you deal with a tough time down the road.

So, in the end, does it matter if it was faked?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, as someone who has actually worked as a fortuneteller, I have a very dim view of those who prey on people's emotions in order to scam them. I don't know what's is going on between this particular seer and your MIL.

However, the sentiment expressed here, while obvious, is harmless enough in the context it was given. And while I am not personally psychic (just very, very intuitive when I'm "on"), and pretty cynical of those who claim to be, that doesn't mean I dont' discount completely out of hand the possibility that this woman might have been telling the truth.

I've just seen too many things for me to close my mind completely. That's all I'll say here.

Be wary, but know that yeah, E probably loved, and still loves, M very much. And where's the harm is giving the benefit of the doubt on that? :)

[CancelMyService]

So, in the end, does it matter if it was faked?



If its all for fun, no. If money is being charged then the most emphatic yes possible.

My dad died of cancer going on 7 years ago, and ever since then my mom (who was always sort of into the psychic stuff) is a big time believer now. If Sylvia Browne is going to be on TV, she'll set her alarm to make sure not to miss it. Now my mom doesn't have the disposable income to drop the kind of coin the "professionals" charge for a reading so I don't get on her too much about it, but it does bother me that they basically take money from people who either had a recent loss or for whatever reason aren't completely over a past one. There's just something that just seems so wrong about taking money from people just to tell them what they want to hear.

Not to mention it's so obvious, once you understand how cold reading works, how they get the miraculous answers they come up with. I've been told by people that I can read minds, and all I do is just pay attention to nonverbal cues. I've never claimed to have any powers other than just being more observant than most when having a conversation. Also vocal tone and inflection tells me a lot too. It drives my managers batty because I don't push sales on every call like they want, because I can honestly tell if someone is going to be open to it or not within the first 15-30 seconds. I end up with good sales numbers so they can't say anything to me about it, and I can't really explain to them how I do it without sounding like a nut.

So basically I'm of the opinion that if there is such a thing as real psychics (and I'm not discounting the possibilty) they aren't out hawking personal consultations for hundreds of dollars.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Hey, CancelMyService, you sound like you'd be a good "dukkerer" ;) I suppose I should mention that I am NOT one of these people who charge tons of money to lie to you and try to scam more money out of you. I don't do that.

I work for tips or gifts. You choose what you want to give me, if anything. People come to me and want to talk about their problems. I've often said, there ain't much difference between a fortuneteller, a bartender, and a shrink. They come to me, tell me all about themselves and their problems. I try to help them come to some sort of terms about it. The funny part about all this is that they usually have their answer, they just have to find a way to get at it in their heads. They usually do all the real work.

Some of it is smoke and mirrors, sure. But I genuinely want to help people, and I think sometimes I actually manage to. I am NOT one of these oportunistic scammers. Believe me, I'm not getting rich doing this. ;)

[blas]

I want to believe that there are other dimentions and that paranormal activity in itself does truly exist and is not our imaginations. I want to believe that here is a way for the dead to speak to the living. I want to believe there are mediums who can connect the two.

[powerboy]

Paranormal activity is real.


Ghosts: They are like a record. They are doing the same thing as a they were doing, when they were alive. i.e. walking across a hallway

Spirits: They are interactive. They actually want or need something accomplished, so they can finally leave earth. Or they do not know they are dead. Or they have an important message

Poltergeist: German for Noisy Ghost that is generally centered around an individual (usually an person going through puberty. Many researchers believe that the cause of the poltergeist is actually latent telekinetic rather than an actual spirit..



I am a seer. My abilities happens here and there. I am trying to actually get it to come to me easier

A woman in my ghost hunting group, is also a psychic.

Most psychics are scam artists, they just tell want that person wants to hear. The real ones, will basically tell you how it is

[Gravekeeper]

99% are crap. The remaining 1% won't charge you if they tell you something but nor will they really advertise they have such abilities. I can vouch that the latter 1% do exist but honestly don't really want to elaborate on a public forum about how I know this. Suffice it to say I have scared the living bejesus out of two friends over the source of my life thus far by passing along such "messages" before. But said messages were very specific things that only the receiver would know. They were complete "wtf?" to me.

Don't trust anyone that treats it like an exchange of goods and services, imo. If they have an advertising budget they're full of shiat, basically.

With perhaps the exception of fortune reading such as Tarot or other divining. Thats a bit different since a real Tarot reader isn't going to try and pass along messages from the dead or anything. I wouldn't mind being charged ( reasonably ) for that. But then again I'd never go to a Tarot reader. I have a deck myself somewhere if I really wanted a reading. ;p

I say don't worry about it. Take it as a pleasant ( whether its real or not, I'm voting not ) and move on. If she keeps passing on bulletins from beyond, THEN worry about it.

[Gravekeeper]

Many researchers believe that the cause of the poltergeist is actually latent telekinetic rather than an actual spirit.

This theory is about right and its honestly around the same for "ghosts", imo. Its like an afterimage or imprint. Hence why it repeats and stays in a general area. Also hence why it also tends to occur in older buildings or in areas that are privy to particularly strong emotional attachments of some sort.

Most people are aware of that kind of thing on some subconscious level. Even if its just a creepy feeling they get being in a place like that.


I am a seer. My abilities happens here and there. I am trying to actually get it to come to me easier


I'll be bluntly stark with you: Be *extremely* careful what you wish for. Not to sound bizarrely cryptic or anything but the more you notice it, the more it notices you. If your dead set on going after it, just remember just because you see it or hear it doesn't mean its the gospel of truth or anything. "Spirits" aren't any more honest or dishonest then any other group of "people". Have your grains of salt ready.

For everyone else reading the thread, don't worry about it at all. Unless you open the door, it'll stay outside. =p

Also, despite some popular belief, its not like dead people just hang out here or anything.

[Seshat]

I agree in general with what everyone here has said: the majority of genuine psychics that I know keep it quiet. Some of the rest will occasionally do simple readings at craft fairs or the like.

I believe there is something out there, but since I can't figure out any way to do a disprovable test, I treat everything to do with 'psychic' abilities and the 'supernatural' as a hypothesis, yet to be tested.

If your mother-in-law is comforted, spends no more than she can comfortably afford, and her grief is healing, then it's harmless. Otherwise, talk to the rest of her family about whether you should intervene and how.

[Gravekeeper]

I agree in general with what everyone here has said: the majority of genuine psychics that I know keep it quiet. Some of the rest will occasionally do simple readings at craft fairs or the like.

I believe there is something out there, but since I can't figure out any way to do a disprovable test, I treat everything to do with 'psychic' abilities and the 'supernatural' as a hypothesis, yet to be tested.


Yep. Its an extremely hard thing to prove and I wouldn't even try nor do I have any real desire too. Its been proven to me and thats good enough for me. There are too many conflicts with the topic ranging from straight up skepticism to possible conflicts with different religious beliefs. I highly doubt it'll ever be truly proven as fact since someone somewhere would always have some reason to deny it. But at the same time it will never be proven as fiction either.

Which, imo, is exactly where it should stay. Its there for those that have a need to know its there and not there for those that have a need to not know. If that makes any sense. But thats how this world works: Different strokes for different folks.

[sportsmom]

Thanks guys. I just felt a little awkward that she was bringing me in on the secret that she went to a psychic and didn't want her kids to know. I guess if it's a one-off thing then it's not a big deal, but if she starts going more often, I am not going to want to keep that from my hubby and his brother and sister.

I was also upset because somehow my daddy got brought into it when she was supposed to be there "talking" to her sister and mother.

BTW, these are not new loses, her sister's been gone over 30 years and her mother about 25, I think. Also, I call her my MIL, but she is actually hubby's aunt. She raised him from the time he was about 5 and his brother was 6. The deceased sister is her twin and the boys' biological mom.

I guess I feel better about it now that I've slept on it. I was just a little skeeved because it came out of left field, and I was sort of missing Daddy anyway because he would have been 70 two weeks ago.

We all knew she had some different ideas (she's big on numbers, reincarnation and other things), I just didn't know she had actually gone to see anyone. I think something may have been "triggered" because we just had a family get together and MIL and her younger brother had a big conversation about our middle dd and how much she looks and acts like her biological grandmother (MIL and twin were fraternal, not identical twins and look nothing alike. I'm not even sure anyone would peg them as sisters if they didn't know). MIL tends to grab onto things and "hold" them for a long time. I'm guessing that something was said, she obsessed and ended up needing to "talk it out."

I don't know, I'm just confused. I think I would have been better off had she not told me. Now I'm worried about her getting taken in by some fraud.

[Ree]

I do believe that some people have a gift for that type of thing.

I had an internet acquaintance do a reading for me.

I had only just joined the group and had not posted anything beyond the reading request.

What I received back blew me away.

"I see you working hard and trying to do it by yourself. I sense a man in your life, yet you are feeling like the male in your home.
I get you feeling some pain in your back, lower and to the right side, so I think you need to check on something to do with kidneys/bladder.

You also are feeling that you cannot achieve anything better than being a mum... and the angels are saying "Wrong".
Your mind is alert as is your potential. You are being asked to use it.
I sense discord and unease. talk more to your angelic help, because they are there 24/7, and this they love because you are acknowledging them."

The mention of that pain was so exact, and as I said, I hadn't even posted in that group.

There were a few things that I left out, and something about me being attracted to another person, which was way off base, but when I emailed her for clarification and to correct her she said something that blew me away, because it was something I had never shared with another person...not even my own sister.
"The Goddess Damara comes through to ask you to take care of the inner child within you through play and laughter.
You are also a very romantic person, so find romance in many different forms.
You also attract people to you because of the way you are, also I feel you love your husband ONLY because he is a wonderful person, not that deep, soul wrenching, intense type of love."

So, yeah, I do think some people have a gift.
This woman does not charge for her services, and as others have said, if a person has a true gift, they won't charge.

I once worked with a girl who claimed to be psychic.
One of the clerks had a friend commit suicide. It was really tragic.

He was just back from a few days off dealing with the funeral etc., and was sitting on his break.
She came up to him and told him she had been talking to his friend the previous night and he wanted him to know everything was OK.

We were all just dumbfounded at the nerve of her, especially considering she had never shown any of us that she was a very good psychic.

I had lost my rings one time, and she told me where they were, describing things so exactly as being on a wooden shelf.

I went to where she insisted they were and there was no sign of them.
Finally, my husband went to the garbage bin and got the bag from the previous day. He spread a tarp on the floor and we went through it, and that's when I found my rings, all wrapped up in tissue.

When I told her after, she still wouldn't accept that she was wrong, and said she had seen the white tissue, and asked if there was a wooden shelf in the pantry where I kept the garbage. Duh...yes, there was, but she was still way off base because they were in the freakin' garbage bag, and not sitting on the shelf as she described.

Nothing like psychic abilities after the fact.

[powerboy]

I'll be bluntly stark with you: Be *extremely* careful what you wish for. Not to sound bizarrely cryptic or anything but the more you notice it, the more it notices you. If your dead set on going after it, just remember just because you see it or hear it doesn't mean its the gospel of truth or anything. "Spirits" aren't any more honest or dishonest then any other group of "people". Have your grains of salt ready.



Oh I know. I actually want to learn it, so I can help people out. And plus it will help me out, that much more when I am on a paranormal investigation

[Gravekeeper]

Oh I know. I actually want to learn it, so I can help people out. And plus it will help me out, that much more when I am on a paranormal investigation

Therein lay the problem. Its difficult to "help people out" when the source of info you're tapping into isn't 100% reliable. Thats why I kept such things to myself unless I was really being bothered by something. In those rare instances it turned out 100% disturbingly correct.



He was just back from a few days off dealing with the funeral etc., and was sitting on his break.
She came up to him and told him she had been talking to his friend the previous night and he wanted him to know everything was OK.

Oh wow. That's a slapping. Of all the offensive, pretentious things you could say to a person in that situation... o.O

[TheseFightingWords]

Ever see a show called Mind Control?

The had this piece they did with people in 3 places in the world. They grabbed a group of random people , and they were told to draw an outline of their hand on a piece of paper along with a item that was there's that the host wouldn't recognize. Then put them in an envelope, and the host would be back with a reading. The host came back and sure enough the people opened the envelope and like 80% felt the reading was totally them.

At the end they were told to swap readings with the others and read them and try to guess who was who. Turns out all the reading were exactly the same. The host stated that the reading was how psychics read you. They come up with generic things that fit almost everyone.

Doesn't mean I don't believe in some psychic power, but definitely made me reconsider the ones that make money off of it.

[MadMike]

I believe there are people who truly have psychic abilities, but I don't believe that those people who advertise their "services" are them.

Back when I was still with my ex, she was pregnant, and money was really tight, she called one of these scammers. I was furious when she told me. She said she only did it because she was "worried about our money situation." So I said, "So you spent even more money we don't have? Real :censored:ing intelligent!"

Oh, the funniest part of the whole thing? The guy told her she was going to give birth to a girl. 50/50 chance, and he blew it. :p

[BookstoreEscapee]

(Note: I haven't read all the posts in this thread ) I don't tend to believe in such things...I've seen John Edward in action (he has done book readings at Store1 several times and I've worked at least 2 of them). I wasn't convinced, though obviously a large number of the hundreds of people there were. :shrug: He throws out vague hints, and someone says, Hey, I knew an initial M...really, who doesn't know someone with the initial M? He picks up on your body language and narrows down the hints until your responses point him to something specific. Basically, he's getting the subject of his reading to tell him what he "sees."

To answer your question, Sportsmom, if this is something she does once in a while/one-time thing, and isn't spending a ton of money on it (or money she can't afford), and it brings her some measure of comfort, I don't see much harm in it. If the only message for you was, Hey, your dad loves you and he's OK, wherever he is, that seems pretty innocuous. I wouldn't make a big deal over it. If she does start spending inordinate amounts of money on it, or starts living her life based on what a psychic says, that's when I would say you and hubby might need to step in and find out if there's something else going on.

[Andara Bledin]

I'll be bluntly stark with you: Be *extremely* careful what you wish for. Not to sound bizarrely cryptic or anything but the more you notice it, the more it notices you. If your dead set on going after it, just remember just because you see it or hear it doesn't mean its the gospel of truth or anything. "Spirits" aren't any more honest or dishonest then any other group of "people". Have your grains of salt ready.

For everyone else reading the thread, don't worry about it at all. Unless you open the door, it'll stay outside. =p

*nods*

If you're even remotely sensitive, start telling ghost stories. *grins*

I do tarot readings, myself. I have 4 different decks, but the Cat People one is the only one I use regularly. It's deliciously blunt. One thing about tarot is that it will tell you nothing that you don't already know. It's mostly just a way of sorting out your thoughts and priorities.

^-.-^

[powerboy]

Thats why I kept such things to myself unless I was really being bothered by something. In those rare instances it turned out 100% disturbingly correct.


That is how I do it now. But I want to be able to open it up more.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I do not claim to pass on anything from the dead. I am a Tarot reader, a tea leaves reader, and occasionally I use a crystal ball. The crystal ball is used when I am more interested in putting on a show. The Tarot I pull out when someone is genuinely looking for some answers. If they see messages from the dead in the cards, that's all them. I don't encourage it or instigate it.

I lay my cards out and very honestly say "You'll have to help me here. You will know what these cards mean in your life far more than I will. I will help you interpret what you see, but you may see meaning I don't."

And they very often end up taking a fresh look at their lives and their problems, and maybe have epiphanies that never occurred to them before.

But I would NEVER prey on their vulnerablity or emotions for personal gain. I would hope karma would squash me like a bug if I ever became that cold.

[Broomjockey]

I'll join the "as long as it doesn't go out of control spending-wise, it's okay" camp.

And as for psychic/readings/etc, I never felt a pull to the tarot, but I do have a rune set that I got which I'd like to learn to do castings with, but can't find anything to tell me forms/meanings, so if anyone knows about rune casting, drop me a pm please?

[Lvl_9_Gazebo]

I've talked about this kind of thing before because if something weird or unsettling is going to happen, chances are excellent that it is going to happen to someone in my family. It also helps that I live in one of the most haunted cities in the nation. I literally do not have the luxury of deciding whether or not I believe in the supernatural, because I have seen too many things and thus I've had the decision made for me.

Are there psychics? Yes there are. In fact, around here -- and it may be different in other less "active" places -- it's more a question of what doesn't exist in some form or fashion than a question of what does exist. You name it -- ghosts, demons, angels, elementals, poltergeists, et cetera and what have you -- someone in my family has experience with it or else I have personal experience with it. I can vividly recall my mother dropping bodily into a chair in a near-faint one night when I was a small child at what turned out to be the moment that my brother was being dragged behind a car thirty miles away. This in addition to the dead relatives that stop in for a chat with her now and then.

Are there charlatans? Yes there are. Many more in fact than the real deal, which gives the real ones a very bad name. All you can do is take the experience for what it was and file it away. It wasn't a warning, a suggestion, or a portent. It was a statement of truth, which you already knew I'm sure. It's just been confirmed again for you. That was nice, so file it away and think of it now and again. But other than that, unless these things are going to make a habit of happening to you (in which case we should compare family trees to see if there's any overlap), it's not all that earth-shattering so it's not worth obsessing over.