Fortune-telling; psychics and their ilk

I'm wondering what your opinion is on fortune tellers or anyone claiming to be able to read your palm or your cards or whatever. The reason I'm asking is because I would consider myself to be very open-minded and spiritual. I've always believed in fortune telling and tarot cards etc. This was fine until a particular reading instigated the break up of a long-term relationship.

In brief, I've never had my fortune told as I never wanted to know anything about my future. Many of my family and friends have had theirs done and the readings were incredibly accurate. Last year, my then partner had a reading. They were told that they would end up with somebody whose initials were SM. Not my initials. I was quite shocked at that and it stayed in my mind. Every time we rowed it kept popping up into my head and made me feel like we weren't going to be together for much longer. That they weren't meant to be with me. After quite a few months we broke up.

Now, I still love my ex with all my heart and I can't help thinking about how silly the whole thing was. I took the word of a stranger and allowed it to change my life.

What do you all think? Was I being stupid? How could I have ignored it if I believed? Are fortune tellers rubbish? Tarot cards? How seriously should they be taken?

Most importantly, how do I make sure I don't get caught like that again?

Looking forward to hearing your opinions.





Edit: spelling mistakes.

[edit on 4/1/09 by Yossarian]

Okay, all this is just my gut reaction to your story but I have no other basis for saying any of it.

First, I think that it's likely that if this caused a breakup, then the breakup was inevitable. Just something to think about.

Second, my thought on reading that the fortune-teller predicted your ex would end up with someone with the initials "SM" was that it seemed like a rather limited reading of whatever his or her source was. I'm not a fortune-teller, nor have I ever had a "professional" reading done (though I have had friends who did professional tarot readings do free readings for me, and I read the tarot myself). In my limited experience, though, signs usually have some wiggle room.

I don't mean that in the sense of "it's all so vague, you can read anything into it" but in the sense that I might for instance see a person in a partnership role in your life, without knowing right away if it's a marital partner, business partner, etc. So I would wonder if the initials were necessarily literally the person's initials, or if they could be initials of a nick name, career, location, anything associated with the future mate.

Also, I think that we have free will and control over our future, at least in the details if not in the patterns.

If you really think that your insecurity based on this reading was the main cause of your breakup, I would strongly urge you to do what you can to repair the relationship, and to work on trusting that things can work out if you will let them.

If this reading convinced your ex that the relationship was doomed as well, there's probably not much you can do.

Whatever happens, remember that even though in my opinion there is validity in fortune-telling, not all fortune tellers are valid. Maybe you just happened on one who's a fraud

I studied Kabalistic Tarot for almost 13 years. My personal opinion is that most of these "tools" will not show your future persay...more like your potential.

Through all of the readings I have done (I do not practice anymore for this reason) I have found that it almost always lays out what a person already knows (either subconscious or conscious). It is a photo of sorts of the present and can only demonstrate POTENTIALS not definite occurrences.

For the "future" to occur action must be taken in the present. Tarot and various others "tools" can only suggest possible paths.

many readers will read too much into those potential paths and I believe that is extremely negligent.

Tarot should never be used for anything more than an esoteric counseling appointment. To show the person where they are and what options and potentials they have available.

More people need to trust their own intuitions and learn to take an objective look at their own selves.

If a reader tells you a distant future event or situation I'd say BS. They may be adept at readings but may be adding their own "opinions" as to what "should" be done.

Tarot is great for opening ones eyes to some things in life that get overlooked. It's probably a better tool for understanding the past .

I never charged anyone money either. I know some people make their livlihood this way and personally I've always wondered why anyone should pay for information they already know (if they just stop and think).

ALL in all this is IMO.

reply to post by Yossarian


Fortune-telling is bogus. If they could reliably do it, there would be huge institutions full of professional psychics charging top dollar. Instead, they run their operation in a cramped office next to a liquor store.

As for your specific scenario, predicting that a relationship won't last is a safe one, since most relationships end anyway. "SM" could be random initials, or the psychic just looked up the most common names in your area and "Scott Mitchell" is it.

However, since you let it eat away at you, there's two possibilities. One, you're just that gullible/trusting, which is something you'll need to work out on your own. You want to believe that the future can be read. Two, you already had doubts about the relationship and the psychic just amplified them. You said that you were together for several months after the reading, so obviously something else must have happened in that time to cause the break-up.

I will say the tools like the Tarot (which began as a regular playing card deck, nothing mystical about it at all) are useful as long as you don't think of them as magic. A Tarot reading can help you to look at your situation in ways that you might not otherwise. But make sure you realize that this is all coming from your own head, some spirit is magically causing the cards to appear in a certain order.

Thanks for your views on this. It's given me a lot to chew over in many respects. ie, was the relationship already broken and why am I so gullible? Also, that being spiritual doesn't mean that everything has to work that way.

reply to post by Yossarian


Interesting thread. Sorry to hear about your loss.

Just so you know, I'm a confirmed skeptic but with an open mind.
That being said, I've watched a number of TV shows with supposed psychics and I've never seen a real one.

They're entertaining but if you listen closely and notice how they follow a few basic rules, you will see how they PRETEND to be psychic.
Example of Fakes
Uri Geller
Sylvia Browne
John Edward
etc..

My mom used to go to psychics and she would audio tape the sessions. I used to listen to the audio tapes and I was able to pick out each and every time where the psychic was able to obtain information and pretend to give psychic responses.

That being said, I've seen a few very bizarre things which make me think that there may be another sense in some cases.

The psychic that ruined your marriage was 99% likely a complete fraud but good at cold reading and noticed something from her and played on it.

Hopefully this answers your question.

Here's a good link from the Amazing Randi
www.randi.org...

and here's a funny video of some schuck named James Hydrick pretending to be a psychic gung-fu and kung-fu master.
However he's just an @ss master, there's a difference (South Park quote).
The Amazing Randi makes a complete fool out of him. It's amazing, in the 80's anyone with a satin bath robe claimed to be a martial arts master.
www.youtube.com...

Here's James Randi exposing
Uri Gellar
www.youtube.com...

Here's Uri Gellar cheating
www.youtube.com...
www.youtube.com...

Here's a syvia browne oops
www.youtube.com...
Another sylvia oops
www.youtube.com...
And another sylvia oops
www.youtube.com...

I hate fakes and frauds that prey on the vulnerable !!!



[edit on 5-1-2009 by jfj123]

just because something is predicted its not written in stone