Looking for evidence of "psychic gifts"

I have been studying the abilities of the mind and soul such as psychic abilities for quite a while now. I meditate and have done much of what I see in videos and read here on ATS when it comes to meditation and opening of the "3rd" eye.

I have yet to achieve this. I often get frustrated, but have always had a sense within me that there is more to this world than we can see with our physical scenes. I have strong empathic abilities and am still in the process of learning to control these abilities (though sometimes I feel it is a curse, lol)

That being said, I would love to be able to expand my abilities beyond that.

My thing is, I have seen these videos heard the stories and feel that many of these people are genuine, however I have yet to ever see any proof that they actually do have a "special ability" beyond what our physical body sees.(other than the empathic ability which many have to some extent.)

Take psychics who claim to see in the future, is there any proof of someone actually doing this accurately? (not Edward Casey either thinking more current here)

Or people who can astro project themselves. Once again is there any proof of this.

How about finding objects

Basically I am looking for anything here, as I would like to extend my own abilities and have practiced and meditated on it many times, yet have been unable to achieve my goal. Now thinking about it, I haven't really ever seen true evidence of anyone actually achieving or having an ability outside of natural empathy. I have believed that my empath ability is just the starting point to something greater, but I am beginning to lose faith here.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank You

Little Wolf

NOTE: I am looking for genuine help here, not someone out to tell everyone that believes in "special abilities" that they are all wrong and it doesn't exist.

reply to post by tw0330

That being said, I would love to be able to expand my abilities beyond that.

these gifts are other-directed by the spirit, that influences you. i recommend to get to know your spirit first, because sometimes this spirit can bring bad luck and act wicked.

Originally posted by icepack
reply to post by tw0330

 

That being said, I would love to be able to expand my abilities beyond that.

these gifts are other-directed by the spirit, that influences you. i recommend to get to know your spirit first, because sometimes this spirit can bring bad luck and act wicked.

This I have been also in tune with, and believe my spirit to be old but gentle.

I think it's towards the end of this interview, but I seem to recall this professor talking about doing double and triple blind tests on a bunch of purported psychics where many of them did in fact demonstrate extra-normal abilities.

www.theparacast.com...

Out of curiosity I've tried out a handful of psychics/mediums. A couple of them genuinely knew things that weren't possible for them to know and left me scratching my head, others were pretty much crap and a waste of money.

Is there more to the world than our concrete jungles and animated square boxes with screens? Probably. Are all those monks in the mountains spending their entire lives being brain-dead dullards without cable TV, or are they doing something else? If there is something to the topic of meditation and all the esoteric subjects that spring from it, it may not be a McDonalds fast-food type of endeavor otherwise everyone would be doing it.

Now if you're on the Dawkins train of thought and think that our consciousness is basically an illusion of our sensory input then there's not really any reason to delve further, nor would you be expected to credit anything that can't be replicated and measured.

There's tons of books out there on the topic of meditation, inner realms, and the like. No clue at all which ones are accurate and which ones aren't.

In my meditative experience it has seemed that effort defeats itself. Trying to make something happen has never yielded any interesting results. Your mind isn't truly quiet if your talking voice in your head is ruminating over how to do something. Stop trying so hard, turn off the talking voice (actually harder than it sounds), practice regularly, and be patient IMO.

reply to post by tw0330

old and gentle is fine. i wouldn't change anything to get more.

Originally posted by tw0330

Once again is there any proof of this.

"Proof" is an elusive concept. Don't shoot for it. Just shoot for evidence and personal experiences of psi.

It turns out that psychic ability is a feature of consciousness. Even the consciousness of skeptics. It's just that, in a skeptic, the psychic functioning is underneath the threshold of conscious awareness...so that the narrow-minded skeptic can continue their blissful ignorance.

"What the thinker thinks, the prover proves" -Robert Anton Wilson

It turns out that the unconscious psychic ability of skeptics actually works to preserve the flawed materialistic/ scientistic worldview. That means it works to weaken the evidence...marginalize it...

THE CAPRICIOUS, ACTIVELY EVASIVE, UNSUSTAINABLE NATURE OF PSI: A SUMMARY AND HYPOTHESES

ABSTRACT

Many parapsychological writers have suggested that psi may be capricious or actively evasive. The evidence for this includes the unpredictable, significant reversal of direction for psi effects, the loss of intended psi effects while unintended secondary or internal effects occur, and the pervasive declines in effect for participants, experimenters, and lines of research. Also, attempts to apply psi typically result in a few very impressive cases among a much larger number of unsuccessful results.

The term unsustainable is applicable because psi is sometimes impressive and reliable, but then becomes actively evasive. One of the most testable models for this property is that psi effects occur against a background of supporting and opposing motivation and psi influence due to the extreme polarization of attitudes toward psi in the population. These attitudes may have genetic and gender associated components. Another possible explanation is that the primary function of psi is to induce a sense of mystery and wonder. Other possible functions of psi also need to be investigated. For example, psi could contribute to evolution by briefly influencing random processes to enhance diversity, without specifically guiding evolution or having sustained effects. Some type of higher consciousness may influence or control psi effects.

Get rid of the pathetic farce that is the 'skeptic movement' and maybe "proof" would be forthcoming.

Originally posted by tw0330
however I have yet to ever see any proof that they actually do have a "special ability" beyond what our physical body sees.(other than the empathic ability which many have to some extent.)

The reason you have found no proof is there is no proof of these abilities to be found.

Take psychics who claim to see in the future, is there any proof of someone actually doing this accurately?

No, every time they are tested they fail.

Or people who can astro project themselves. Once again is there any proof of this.

lots of claims, no proof.

How about finding objects

Lots of guessing or vague announcements, no actual proof

Now thinking about it, I haven't really ever seen true evidence of anyone actually achieving or having an ability outside of natural empathy.

Very true, as such evidence does not exist.

A lot of claims are made by "psychics" and the like, but upon proper investigation they are just claims.

I believe there are things we can do to strengthen our natural senses like meditating, prayer and fasting. The Native American use of vision quests, sweat lodge, and mystical plants is another track that requires a deep understanding.Then there are the spiritual gifts spoken of in the Bible that are a gifts from God.
New International Version (©1984)
"to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues." They are gifts given for the sole purpose of helping others.
I believe that gifts should never be used for personal gain. There are a lot of people seeking psychic gifts for the wrong reason. I believe if they are used for the wrong reason they become perverted and will eventually harm the perpetrator. If you are an empath then let your empathy lead you for the sole purpose of helping others.

reply to post by BlueMule


Lol
your reply predicts the claims of the post beneath yours

evidence?

reply to post by tw0330

He by whom It is not thought out, has the thought of It; he by whom It is thought out, knows It not. It is unknown to the discernment of those who discern of It, by those who seek not to discern of It, It is discerned. - Kena Upanishad.

Originally posted by DerepentLEstranger
reply to post by BlueMule

 

Lol
your reply predicts the claims of the post beneath yours

evidence?

Ta-da!

Originally posted by BlueMule
It turns out that the unconscious psychic ability of skeptics actually works to preserve the flawed materialistic/ scientistic worldview.

So this is why all "psychic" claims all fail when properly investigated, the overwhelming "psychic" power of the sceptic stops the weak "psychic" power of the believer.

I knew that stupid claim would be made as I am the stronger "psychic"!

I love when people denounce skepticism while remaining skeptical of evidence contrary to their beliefs. Most religious propensities display this ugly quality.

In fact there is no evidence of psy abilities outside of the claims of others. And although it would be cool to have such abilities, what we are actually witness to is a form of self-hypnosis. Most proponents of psy fail to mention this.

Luckily you're free to believe what you want whether there is evidence or not. If the idea of having special abilites appeals to your emotions but not your reason, you can do as most do and push your reason aside and sacrifice it in favour of the claims of others.

Originally posted by hellobruce

Originally posted by BlueMule
It turns out that the unconscious psychic ability of skeptics actually works to preserve the flawed materialistic/ scientistic worldview.

So this is why all "psychic" claims all fail when properly investigated, the overwhelming "psychic" power of the sceptic stops the weak "psychic" power of the believer.

I knew that stupid claim would be made as I am the stronger "psychic"!

edit on 25-11-2012 by hellobruce because: (no reason given)

"Skeptics" (read: pseudo-skeptics) are pathetic ignorant fools.

Pioneering Parapsychologist Gertrude Schmeidler Has Died

I just found out that a parapsychologist colleague of mine, Gertrude Schmeidler, died last month (1912-2009). I say colleague rather than friend, for while we were friendly there was a great age range difference so we never got to know each other well.

Gertrude made one of the most important discoveries ever in parapsychology, one with strong spiritual implications and one which I think none of the spiritual traditions knows about, for while it’s something that can happen in everyday life, it’s pretty much unobservable except under laboratory conditions. She gave many classes of students ESP tests, guessing at concealed cards, but, before giving or scoring the tests, she had students fill out questionnaires that asked, among other things, whether they believed in ESP.

When she analyzed the results separately for the believers – the “sheep” – and the non-believers – the “goats” – she found a small, but significant difference. The sheep got more right than you would expect by chance guessing, they were occasionally using ESP. The goats, on the other hand, got significantly fewer right than you would expect by chance.

Think of it this way. If you were asked to guess red or black with ordinary playing cards, no feedback until you’d done the whole deck, you would average about 50% correct by chance. If you got 100% correct, you don’t need statistics to know that would be astounding. But if you got 0%? Just as astounding!

The sheep thought they could do it, they got “good” scores, they were happy. The goats knew there was no ESP, nothing to get, they got poor scores, they were happy, that “proved” their belief. These were not people who were sophisticated enough about statistics to know that scoring below chance could be significant….

Many other experimenters replicated this effect over the years.

The only way I’ve ever been able to understand it is to think that the goats occasionally used ESP, but on an unconscious level, to know what the next card was and then their unconscious, acting in the service of their conscious belief system, influenced them to call anything but the correct one. The goats used a “miracle” to support their belief that there were no such things as miracles….

Talk about living in samsara, in a state of illusion!

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Fact is, I have this deep unstoppable feeling that there is more. Many have told me that "the Church" is the answer, but I have spent much of my life in church and though many of my beliefs are the same as "the church", many more are not. I have grown tired of the hypocritical voice of the church.

I feel that there is more to it than what we experience with our senses. I feel as if I am trapped inside myself. I can not explain the feeling, but I feel like there is just more. I have spent a lifetime ignoring these feelings, this I can not do any longer, it's a ache within me which seeks to be free.

This is why I believe there is an ability out there, yet at the same time, I see no evidence of actual abilities being performed, which is why I am reaching out.

Originally posted by BlueMule
"Skeptics" (read: pseudo-skeptics) are pathetic ignorant fools.

Wrong again, the ignorant fools are those who think they have "psychic" powers, and those who blindly believe hem.

All proper tests have shown "psychics" are either deluded, or frauds.

But people use and believe "psychics" because they like to blame anyone or anything else for their failure in life. nothing is ever their own fault.

This post www.abovetopsecret.com... perfectly sums up those who believe "psychics" and other fantasies.

Originally posted by tw0330
reply to post by NiNjABackflip

 

Fact is, I have this deep unstoppable feeling that there is more. Many have told me that "the Church" is the answer, but I have spent much of my life in church and though many of my beliefs are the same as "the church", many more are not. I have grown tired of the hypocritical voice of the church.

I feel that there is more to it than what we experience with our senses. I feel as if I am trapped inside myself. I can not explain the feeling, but I feel like there is just more. I have spent a lifetime ignoring these feelings, this I can not do any longer, it's a ache within me which seeks to be free.

This is why I believe there is an ability out there, yet at the same time, I see no evidence of actual abilities being performed, which is why I am reaching out.

Everyone has that feeling, but you should explore it rather than fill in the holes with whatever nonsense these peddlers wish to push on you. Sure, read the blogs and youtube vids they like to post as truth, but don't forget that those writings only pertain to the person who conceived of them. First try to discover what this 'more' is and begin to cultivate it.

My advice would be to engage in philosophy. Learn how to study and express what this 'more' means to you, not what it means to someone else. Only then can you begin to learn from it.