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Forget your Day-Job. Become a Psychic! 18 January, 2007

Posted by paralleldivergence in Life, My Thoughts, education, psychics.
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There seems to be an overwhelming number of “gifted” individuals on this planet. Just look at the classifieds in the newspaper or the advertising section in the back of virtually any women’s magazine. And for anywhere between $3 and $6 a minute, you can gain telephone access to them or their “team”.

Psychic

MONEY - FUTURE - HAPPINESS - CAREER - LOVE. These words are very meaningful and important to just about everyone on Earth. By focussing on providing ”services” that encompass these five words, psychics have access to a neverending supply of hopeful and often desperate customers in a market that’s riding an enormous wave of paranormal belief. In this totally unregulated market, the potential for making money is almost limitless.

You’ve seen the ads. You’ve seen the TV Shows: Medium, The Ghost Whisperer, Psychic Investigators, Crossing Over, The Dead Zone and several more. The acceptance level has never been higher. So why would you wait to jump on this bandwagon? According to the Psychic Advice website: “The ability to become psychic is within all of us. For you to become a true ‘psychic’ you must first learn to switch your mindset from yourself and onto another person as the center point. Your focus should be centered on the inner workings of that person as it relates to the world they live in. Becoming a psychic reader requires patience and practice.”

You can even get your children involved. According to the School Library Journal, Helaine Becker’s Are You Psychic? The Official Guide for Kidsis a “solid offering for kids interested in honing their paranormal skills”. There’s a lot more credibility in someone who’s been psychic since they were a child.

Or, you could do what most psychics do. Hone your cold-reading skills. If you’ve tried to move that compass needle with just your mind. If you’ve tried to bend that spoon by just softly rubbing it with your hands. If you’ve tried to heal your grandmother’s lung cancer and failed, don’t give up! There’s not much money in doing those things anyway. Just practise this 13 point guide to cold reading. You won’t be disappointed and neither will your friends. And when you’ve amazed them, they’ll tell their friends and bang! There’s your first customers.

But if you want to make some real money, you need to have some real psychic skills and you need to be able to demonstrate them under specific conditions. There must be real psychics out there that know next Monday’s Lotto numbers, or know which three horses will win the Trifecta down at the track. That should be a pretty simple task for anyone who can “see” into the future. It’s strange that you never hear about them.

The other option is if you can prove that you can do telekenesis or telepathy or speak with someone’s dead relatives, then why not go for one of the many Psychic Challenges that are now on offer from various Skeptics societies around the world?

How’s $100,000 sound from the Australian Skeptics? What’s more, if you don’t want to nominate yourself, but one of your satisfied customers decides to and you accept - and you succeed - your customer will receive $20,000! How many customers are there out there that would love to get some of the money back that they outlayed to their psychic?

Or, you could go for the big one. James Randi’s $1 Million Psychic Challenge from the James Randi Educational Foundation. But you’d better be quick. From April 1st, 2007, the challenge will be closed to all but the most famous psychics. In order to participate in Randi’s Challenge, you will have to first have had your special skill highlighted on a TV show, magazine article or book. And from April 1st, Randi will be calling out the big guns - John Edward, Uri Geller, Sylvia Browne and James van Praagh. These high-profile psychics are going to have to put up or shutup. According to Randi, “rather than merely waiting for applicants to present themselves, we will regularly and officially highlight well-known persons in the field and challenge them directly by name. Those challenged will then have a six-month period during which they may respond; during that period the JREF will heavily publicize the fact that such a challenge has been issued, we will issue press releases on the matter, and we will be frequently asking that those challenged make a response”.

Interestingly enough, even though this challenge started in 1964 with a $1,000 prize, no “psychic” has ever passed a preliminary test. None of the other challenges offered by skeptics the world over have ever been won either. Why?

John Edward has flat-out refused Randi’s requests to meet in the past. Browne has twice accepted but reneged. Uri Geller had this fabulous encounter with Randi on the Johnny Carson show way back in the 70’s. This video clip also shows how Randi busted televangelist Peter Popoff’s “divine” powers.

Roll on April Fool’s Day! Personally, I can’t wait!

Brad & Phil #16

Comments»

1. tobeme - 18 January, 2007

PD,
Fun post! I love the guide to doing a cold reading. I will be using this.

The interesting part of this is how many people are so desperate to find something out about themselves that they can use to try to shape their future. The sad part is that they know everything they need to know already. There is no reason to try to tune into a psychic.

2. paralleldivergence - 19 January, 2007

Thanks tobeme! As I said, the marketplace for psychics is almost limitless. The terrible tale of Shawn Hornbeck has really shown psychics in a new light - have a read: http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2007/01/hornbeck_browne.html

3. Cassie - 19 January, 2007

“But if you want to make some real money, you need to have some real psychic skills and you need to be able to demonstrate them under specific conditions. There must be real psychics out there that know next Monday’s Lotto numbers, or know which three horses will win the Trifecta down at the track. That should be a pretty simple task for anyone who can “see” into the future. It’s strange that you never hear about them.”

Clearly such a challenge was created by an idiot who is incapable of understanding the laws of physics. Psychic’s predictions are not repeatable and are unpredictable predictions, otherwise they would have been already described by equations. They are like events with probability 0 - they happen all the time, but we realize it only after they have happened.

4. hawk - 24 January, 2007

Test Me! Ive been comunicating with those that have crossed all my life as well as doing healings for yrs Im fed up as well with the controversy over what those of us with real abilities do. So I accept the challenge youve made send me an aplication. Just a humble non profile REAL psychic.

5. knightofswords - 3 February, 2007

My intuition told me I needed to get out the Tarot cards. The cards referred me to the I Ching. The I Ching told me to look within myself. Back to square one, I guess.

6. john wells - 19 March, 2007

Sylvia Brown is in “the business” for her own fame, a poor motive. While, yes, I do make some of my living from giving readings, the motivation is genuinelly philanthropic. People will listen to a reader when they won’t listen to a doctor, lawyer, or minister. It’s sad, but very true. That simple fact provides an enormous oportunity to be of service to others.
Note, you will never convince anyone but a moron that you are psychic using the 13 steps. There are alot of morons in the world.

7. paralleldivergence - 20 March, 2007

Thanks John for your comment. Certainly some would argue that John Edward’s form of psychic advice is harmless, i.e. offering positive closure on a subject that may therwise have been depressing them. But another could argue that providing this type of closure will not assist them when their next loved one “passes over”. Instead, a professional grief counselor may have provided them with the tools, knowledge and skills to better manage their feelings and emotions, without the use of chicanery.

8. Amber - 26 April, 2007

I really don’t agree that the psychic ability is in all of us. Either you have it or you don’t. I work as a psychic and believe me when I tell you, there are loads of hustlers out there.

9. paralleldivergence - 26 April, 2007

Thanks Amber, you didn’t really say whether you actually have a psychic ability…

10. charese - 19 October, 2007

will i ever beome a movie star.will i ever be a psychic

11. Rob - 10 December, 2007

Cassie, things with probability of 0 don’t happen. They can’t. If something with a probability of 0 does happen, that means that it’s not actually 0, but somebody decided to round it off to 0 for all practical purposes. It doesn’t mean that incredibly unlikely things can’t happen and still be scientifically understandable.

The probability that, as a human, I will get wing cancer, is 0.

12. porsha - 19 April, 2008

Well i am a psychic and i am looking for a job on how to become a phone psychic.

13. paralleldivergence - 20 April, 2008

Don’t look for a job Porsha, just go and create one for yourself. Sign up with the phone company for a premium phone number, place an ad in the back pages of any popular women’s magazine (why are those ads not in men’s magazines?) and wait for the phone to ring. Teach yourself how to keep the sucke… umm-client on the phone to provide them with the quality service that they need. “Madame Porsha” - sounds good. I see bright things for you in the future.

14. Carrie A - 11 May, 2008

There are truly some gifted people out there - trouble is they over-promise and things go to their head too often. Blindly having someone make your decisions for you is dangerous. Our future is subject to our individual decisions, not what someone says it is or will be. Guidance, perspective, and confirmation should be the goal - not looking for someone to tell you what to do or what decision to make. I am a “conduit” for information, which comes with a great deal of responsibility and should not be taken lightly. It’s a shame more people don’t remember that fact.
A few bad apples often make it difficult for so many who are truly gifted.
Lying to people who trust you to provide honest info - repulsive and inexcusable.

15. paralleldivergence - 12 May, 2008

Hi Carrie, when you say there are some “gifted” people out there, what tangible, testable gifts do they actually have? What is it you can do that others can’t?

16. Carrie A - 12 May, 2008

Here is an example I hope helps to explain: We as human beings can pretty much all run. Some of hate to run, and some of us dont mind running but choose not to, and some of us love to run. The one who loves to run, can run like the wind, finding the natural rhythm the body falls into for heightened performance, etc. and make it look so effortless - the one whose desires and natural abilities come together is often refered to as “gifted”. When I say gifted, I am not excluding anyone per say. But I do believe there are those who are naturally inclined and atuned to certain things that others have to work at a bit harder.

17. paralleldivergence - 13 May, 2008

Thanks Carrie. I assume your special gift is not “running”, but you’ve given me no clue as to what it actually is.

18. Carrie A - 13 May, 2008

Actually, if you’ll read my previous post, I specifically state “I am a “conduit” for information, which comes with a great deal of responsibility and should not be taken lightly.” But to be more direct, I am someone who provides intuitive information to others.

Too many honest people who have a heart burdened with helping others are being lumped into a category based on others who share their profession, but go about it with little to no integrity.

Caution is understood and expected, but a little bit of an open mind and receptiveness to the possibility that not every one is out to scam someone would be a good start. Not everything that cannot easily be explained is a hoax or a scam.

Respectfully,
Carrie A

19. Keen: Simplicity : Talented? - 13 May, 2008

[...] Here is link to the actual post to date from http://paralleldivergence.com/2007/01/18/forget-your-day-job-become-a-psychic/#comment-10248 [...]

20. paralleldivergence - 14 May, 2008

Hi Carrie. A “conduit” is used to link one location to another to allow what’s inside to go from one place to another. You say you are the conduit for “information” to a person who needs that information, meaning they are the destination, but you don’t say “what” the other end is? What/who is the origin of the information?

I assume if it can work over a telephone line, it can also work over the internet?

21. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

I am not an advocate for witchcraft, or any hocus pocus BS that people try to attribute this information to. I believe we are all energetically connected together because we share the connection to our creator, God. Because we all share an energetic connection, I believe that is the primary source of the information.

Thoughts are also generated by energy, which is transmitted as well.

I cannot pretend to know how it all works, only to have what I believe to be a general understanding of how it could be possible. I don’t think everyone who claims to be, is genuinely a conduit for information. As I stated previously, I believe that this come swith a tremendous amount of responsbility.

I’ll further explain where I stand in my next blog post.

22. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

My apologies - here is the corrected link:

http://www.keen.com/CommunityServer/UserBlogs/Carrie_A/Simplicity/default.aspx

23. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

The “Psychic Debate” - copied from the Keen link listed above:

The “Psychic” Debate
I am often asked about how it is that we who claim to have access to information actually obtain that information. I realize, on this topic, my views are different than many and not nearly as “left-field” as some, but it is what I believe. If you are one of the people who reads this and find that my views differ from yours, then that’s how it will have to be. I intend no disrespect to anyone, and you have a right to disagree with me. So, here is my truth, in answer to the questions most often asked about how I seem to have access to information about other people.

First of all, I don’t like the word “psychic” because it seems to imply something mysterious or hoodoo-voodoo about things. I view myself as a conduit for information – information that is not mine, but that I can access and pass along to another person. No disrespect to those who are fine with that title - but myself, I prefer not to use it because of the things people typically associate with the label.

So to the question about the source of the information…

I believe we all share a common connection through our creator, God. Because we share that common connection, we all share a pool of information. Now to pretend that I completely know and understand all of this would be a lie. But I believe that we are all connected together and that those who truly have the ability to tune into this information consciously are those who are to help guide others and facilitate their growth as a person. The spirit has needs, which are usually overridden by the flesh. But we ARE spiritual beings. We are simply housed in a physical body.

To me, this is not about hocus-pocus, voodoo, witchcraft, or anything else normally associated with the word “psychic”. I don’t believe in foretelling people’s future, only helping them to see the potential outcomes based on their current choices. We all have free will to choose, and if we don’t like how things are going, we simply need to make different choices.

I have been aware of my ability/talent/gift (whatever you want to call it) since I was a child, my first clear memory being at the age of five. I was raised by a Pentecostal preacher in the Bible Belt of Texas, and I had a grandfather who was also a Pentecostal preacher. Although I was raised to believe in biblical prophecy and the miracles of Christ (and I do believe), it’s not like I grew up with people who think this stuff is genuine or acceptable in terms of what most people label as psychic. I’ve struggled all my life to reconcile just how I was to use my abilities to help others and why I had access to information about things I could not do anything about. I remember the dreams I had for two weeks about a small child in a car and the feeling of dread and heat and then, after two weeks, the dreams suddenly stopped. The next evening on the news, I saw a picture of the child I had seen in my dreams, and she had suffocated in a hot car. I was devastated. It was a crossroads for me.

The other significant thing that has impacted me is that I knew about what we now call 9/11 exactly 40 days before it happened. I saw things that now make perfect sense, but at the time could have been interpreted several different ways. I knew it was something big and I knew it was New York, but I couldn’t figure it all out. I contemplated going to the authorities, but what was I going to say…”I had this dream of cars and debris on top of fire trucks, firemen trapped, airplane fuel, and buildings coming down”??? They lock people up for less than that, and who would have listened anyway since we’re all ‘crazy and fake’? A friend of mine who I had been sharing my dreams with, was the first to call me when it happened and said “this is what you dreamed”. I knew the buildings were coming down and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Of course it made sense after it happened, but nothing is ever that simple when you’re trying to interpret the information. It’s like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle when you aren’t sure you have all the pieces and each piece could go several different places.

The other trouble is that people think just because you have this information, that you always know and understand what it means all the time. It is devastating to a degree and difficult to bear when you do not always know the purpose for what information you become aware of. By the same token, there is information that requires discernment, and should be used to help a person without necessarily telling them everything you have been shown. It’s a huge responsibility.

It is for these reasons that I become extremely angry with people who want to play at this, like it’s a school-yard game or act like they know everything about everyone and everything. We weren’t meant to know everything and we should treat what information we do have access to as delicate. You’re dealing with people’s lives and it’s anything but a game.

Maybe I’m just one of those people who you can consider stupid enough to reveal that it isn’t something we can all explain or that we don’t know everything about everything and everyone. But it’s the truth. I don’t believe it comes from any karmic board, any spirit of some famous guru or anything like that, and I believe that anyone who tells you it is should be avoided like the plague. But I do believe that whether or not we can fully explain how it all works, we still have an obligation to use the information wisely and to understand that it comes with tremendous responsibility. My heart aches for anyone who thinks otherwise.

Published Friday, May 16, 2008 10:31 AM by Carrie A

24. paralleldivergence - 17 May, 2008

Hi Carrie. Thanks for sharing this. I’m very impressed by your attitude to your “gift” and your rejection of how most “psychics” ply their trade - even if I struggle to accept that it’s anything but delusion. Certainly, if “visions of the future” (and the near future in your case) appear without context, they can be difficult to interpret, let alone report to authorities. But you’v got a blog, and entries are dated. Why not document your visions as you get them for anyone in th world to see? Then, if/when something does happen that has clear links to one of your visions, you’ve got some real evidence. The more hits the better, and the more people will listen to you if you have consistent and accurate (not general and vague) predictions.
Where is such a blog on the internet? Who (with your skills) is doing this now?

25. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

Post copied from post on Keen:

Parrallel Divergenc:
You make a good point. I guess I never really thought of blogging about things like that. Heck, I don’t think I knew what blogging was in 2001…lol. Really!

But you do make a good point. I imagine someone out there is doing it, although I don’t know of any personally. I will certainly plan to do so myself.

I know people are skeptical. And they should be. There are a lot of opportunity driven people claiming untrue things as with anything else. But there are also genuinely gifted people in this arena who understand the responsibility and the seriousness of it.

I appreciate your openness to at least debate the information and ask questions. It would be great if more people were as receptive.

Respectfully,
Carrie A
Friday, May 16, 2008 6:26 PM by Carrie A

26. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

As a side note, I would think there should be a place where people can post things they think are going to happen, but that won’t panic the general population. For example, in early 2002, I had a strong impression that Chicago was the next intended terrorist target and that a major water problem would be part of the concern, possibly a distraction or means that allowed the plan to be carried out.

Now, nothing has ever come of it and since I don’t know much about Chicago, I can only tell you that other people have given different opinions on what would make Chicago a target.

Although nothing has happened in Chicago that I know of to date (and no, I am not one to keep up with all the latest happenins), I have never gotten a release or feeling as though that concern was removed, only delayed. This is six years ago and I still believe there is a connection of intention there for some reason.

So here’s your fist “someone posted it”. It’s things like this that we pray to God we are wrong about or that there is something that has been deterred or dismantled to prevent these types of things.

And yes, we take alot of ridicule if we are stupid enough to do what I just did and put it out there for the world to know. But I stand by it, as it’s the only honest thing to do.

27. paralleldivergence - 17 May, 2008

There are plenty of people offering predictions, but there are next to no specifics, just generalities. Where there are specifics, there are no timeframes, so it’s open-ended. Where there are timeframes, they are always wrong - doomsday predictions etc.

If you foresaw 9/11 40 days before the event, and that was the regular timeframe for other predictions, then it would be testable. A vision of something happening in Chicago back in 2002 and it still not happening in 2008 starts getting away from predictions and into the realm of probability. Had you said back in 1998 that an earthquake will someday hit China and will kill 50,000 has a high chance of happening. Massive population, shanty towns, poverty and a history of seismic activity tell us that chances are high. But had you predicted it in March or April that it would happen in May, then that’s something special. Then if you can repeat your accuracy, you’d be famous.

Why are there no such near future, accurate sages on the planet now?

28. Carrie A - 17 May, 2008

Thanks for the great discussion, Parallel Divergence! Feel free to copy the close of our conversation to here so anyone who wants to read it.
Also - I dont think I said it before, but for what it’s worth, myself and most others who are genuine and reputable have no respect for Sylvia Brown as the person she has evolved into since she became famous. I find her tactics rude, brash and down right arrogant.

Please don’t judge the rest by her example.
Namaste,
Carrie A

29. paralleldivergence - 17 May, 2008

The discussion Carrie refers to above is here:

Carrie said: Point well taken, and I wish I could answer that. But please understand that those who become aware of information do not always know the timeframes and specifics together, hence my points earlier about the pieces of the puzzle being hard to put together. Sometimes you know timeframes, other times you don’t.

Timeframes are often the most difficult, although there are times when you know without a doubt because it is relevent to the information in some unchangeable way, like 9/11. That’s different than when it applies to things that can be changed from what they currently have the potential to be, like Chicago. We often do not know the difference right away.

Respectfully, I think you understand why people are so hesitant to put theirself out there. Your expectations are that we know all and nail it to the wall when it is rarely that simple. And yes, I understand that under those circumstances it can make even the most genuine advisor look suspect. But that does not make it any less credible.

PD said: Thanks for the discussion Carrie. I look forward to reading about the amazing information you’ve channeled (conduited) from the future.

30. Jerry - 1 July, 2008

Hey man… I just listened to a podcast over at Steve Pavlina’s about his wife being psychic. Those two are fully convinced. Steve wouldn’t risk his multi-million dollar blog on promoting her unless they really believed it. Me? I have had a couple things that made me believe in something. I’ve stopped blogging at iTalktoGod and I’ve started FarkedLife.com not sure you’ve stopped by yet - I haven’t seen your usual barrage of excellent comments there yet. I’m hoping for them… hahah. Psychic stuff happens occasionally. I don’t doubt that. Now, whether it’s coincidence or something really going on is anyone’s guess. I don’t believe anyone is able to control it at will. I’m reading needle and damage done next. Good to re-find your blog here…

31. paralleldivergence - 1 July, 2008

Hey Jerry! Yes, it’s very funny that Steve, who is very much against religion can be so very much into psychics, mysticism and hocus pocus. Whatever brings the bucks in I suppose.

Yes, I miss the old iTalktoGod posts. At one point I was compiling a set of questions that I was going to post on your site for you to ask him. This was one of them:

“Why do you give us logic and reasoning skills, but then do not want us to apply these skills when it comes to you?”

32. Jerry - 1 July, 2008

Yeah exactly - that’s my whole argument… I am very logical and there isn’t a possibility of faith inside me - it just doesn’t exist. How am I NOT to apply what I know, how I function towards figuring out the truth about a god? Nobody else has the objective truth obviously so - I’d need to come to some conclusion on my own - right? aaahhhh boy. I tired rather quickly of the italktogod blog but the new one might be around for a while. Similar stuff. Wider range of topics. Keep up the good work here - I’ll stop signing in as Jerry here! - Vern