Psychic abilities...could they be real?

[aicirt]

But you can’t deny that that is extremely different compared to someone calling a psychic and the psychic knowing what would happen.

It is different because it happened to the Holy Family. Anna is stated to be a prophetess but no reference is made to any other predictions she made. Anna must have been making predictions for others in the area otherwise she would not have been known as a prophetess.

I believe people are given gifts. I think most of us, especially mothers, have a developed sense. Others are more profound just like any other gift…some can play a piano with music and others can sit down and do it by ear with no help. Different quality of the same gift.

 

[kbwall]

And what do we do with this guy? Buy him a new delorean?

Yes. He can’t use his money from the future, and all Deloreans secretly have a time machine built into them. Most people don’t know this because people rarely get up to the max speed of 88 mph.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

Yes. He can’t use his money from the future, and all Deloreans secretly have a time machine built into them. Most people don’t know this because people rarely get up to the max speed of 88 mph.

And the fact that I don’t think anyone has tried to put uranium in their gas tank yet… Maybe we could get a grant for this so we could try it and win the science fair!

 

[westerly]

It’s funny that I just saw this post, in that I had an odd experience at confession about 2 months ago, last time I was at home (I’m a professional mariner, and at sea right now). We had a visiting priest at my church who is blind, and he held face-to-face confessions for people who are intimidated by them- being blind and all, this is an interesting idea. At any rate, when he greets me, he explains that he’s completely blind, and asks to hold my hands for a second after I sit. No BS, he asks me out the blue why I am still holding onto my anger at God over my father’s death, and if it was truly his death that bothered me, or his long illness beforehand, despite his being a person of deep and unquestioning faith. Made my hair stand up on end. I asked him if I was being cold read, and he just said that he put voice to his impressions, nothing more, but operating intuitively sometimes helped him draw out people who need to truly examine their conscience in order to make a better confession. I left the room feeling about 10lbs lighter after confession, which is probably the first time since the first time that I walked out feeling the way that confession is supposed to make us feel.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

It’s funny that I just saw this post, in that I had an odd experience at confession about 2 months ago, last time I was at home (I’m a professional mariner, and at sea right now). We had a visiting priest at my church who is blind, and he held face-to-face confessions for people who are intimidated by them- being blind and all, this is an interesting idea. At any rate, when he greets me, he explains that he’s completely blind, and asks to hold my hands for a second after I sit. No BS, he asks me out the blue why I am still holding onto my anger at God over my father’s death, and if it was truly his death that bothered me, or his long illness beforehand, despite his being a person of deep and unquestioning faith. Made my hair stand up on end. I asked him if I was being cold read, and he just said that he put voice to his impressions, nothing more, but operating intuitively sometimes helped him draw out people who need to truly examine their conscience in order to make a better confession. I left the room feeling about 10lbs lighter after confession, which is probably the first time since the first time that I walked out feeling the way that confession is supposed to make us feel.

Yeah, their are plenty of ways you can find out information from people without even talking to them. Take Milton Erikson for example: He could tell that someone was pregnant before they knew, or he could figure out people’s problems by just observing them. Look him up. He was a therapist and devoted his life to this. He was a really cool guy.
Now, I know a lot of these observation tricks myself, but not being able to see would really suck. That would limit me to about 5% of what I know. But noting how a priest and a therapist can sometimes be very similar professions, it makes sense to me how he would be very able to do this. But the thought of doing it without my eyes is really challenging.

PS: In a Byzantine confession, you are always face to face with the priest.

 

[Julia_Mae]

I love that quote. Makes sense, though: If you receive a vision, you are probably terrified (I know I would be). If you made up a vision, you would probably feel happy and proud that you made it up and people believed it. Then… terror? Could that terror be the fear of God? Something else? The terror of the never-ending fear that you would be found as a fraud?

I’ve had visions. You might think you’d feel terror, but you don’t, because nothing from God is terrifying. He’s kind of funny sometimes, actually. I don’t think there’s something special about me and these visions, I just think having a high degree of psychism, His message for me emerged in that form.

Having once practiced as a psychic, I guarantee you that one never feels “happy and proud.” You just feel humbled and amazed at the power of God.

 

[Julia_Mae]

It’s funny that I just saw this post, in that I had an odd experience at confession about 2 months ago, last time I was at home (I’m a professional mariner, and at sea right now). We had a visiting priest at my church who is blind, and he held face-to-face confessions for people who are intimidated by them- being blind and all, this is an interesting idea. At any rate, when he greets me, he explains that he’s completely blind, and asks to hold my hands for a second after I sit. No BS, he asks me out the blue why I am still holding onto my anger at God over my father’s death, and if it was truly his death that bothered me, or his long illness beforehand, despite his being a person of deep and unquestioning faith. Made my hair stand up on end. I asked him if I was being cold read, and he just said that he put voice to his impressions, nothing more, but operating intuitively sometimes helped him draw out people who need to truly examine their conscience in order to make a better confession. I left the room feeling about 10lbs lighter after confession, which is probably the first time since the first time that I walked out feeling the way that confession is supposed to make us feel.

Sounds a lot like Padre Pio. Hey, you don’t actually live in Westerly, do you? I’d like to find this priest!

 

[Delaine75]

I used to believe in these things, too, when I’d watch them on television (Sylvia Browne was awesome in my little teenage mind!). Then I began to realize that if they were truly psychic, they wouldn’t have to ask these questions! They could just go up to a person and begin giving them whatever message they needed to give them. These so-called psychics sure do ask a lot of questions and the participants don’t even realize how much information they are secretly giving away to these people. Of course, the responses by the psychics to questions people ask them are usually so broad and generalized that they could fit pretty much anyone!

I believe that if God gives this gift to someone, it is for a reason, and it isn’t to go on television or wherever and charge someone to tell them something. So I definitely don’t believe in the television/commercial psychics.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

I’ve had visions. You might think you’d feel terror, but you don’t, because nothing from God is terrifying. He’s kind of funny sometimes, actually. I don’t think there’s something special about me and these visions, I just think having a high degree of psychism, His message for me emerged in that form.

Having once practiced as a psychic, I guarantee you that one never feels “happy and proud.” You just feel humbled and amazed at the power of God.

If nothing from God is terrifying, then why was Mary told to not be afraid? Why are we told to love and fear God?

You once practiced as a psychic? What does that mean? How is what you did different from what the other pyschics did? How were you able to get said visions? Were they voluntary or not?

Sorry, but I have a ton of questions to ask you.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

I used to believe in these things, too, when I’d watch them on television (Sylvia Browne was awesome in my little teenage mind!). Then I began to realize that if they were truly psychic, they wouldn’t have to ask these questions! They could just go up to a person and begin giving them whatever message they needed to give them. These so-called psychics sure do ask a lot of questions and the participants don’t even realize how much information they are secretly giving away to these people. Of course, the responses by the psychics to questions people ask them are usually so broad and generalized that they could fit pretty much anyone!

I believe that if God gives this gift to someone, it is for a reason, and it isn’t to go on television or wherever and charge someone to tell them something. So I definitely don’t believe in the television/commercial psychics.

I wish I could say that psychics could do this, but they can’t to my knowledge. For example, St. Teresa of Avila randomly had visions. She never called upon them or even asked for them; they just happened.
That being said, I am highly skeptical of anyone who calls themselves pyschics, the only exception being people like St. Teresa.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Sounds a lot like Padre Pio.

For sure.

 

[jesuspsr]

I read about a guy name Edgar Casey, were he would lay down and sleep and he would get visions, and his wife would write them down.
He was a lot different then your normal psychic’s. I’m just saying different, not that I believe in them.

 

[Julia_Mae]

If nothing from God is terrifying, then why was Mary told to not be afraid? Why are we told to love and fear God?

Here are the meanings from Strong’s, I think, for the Greek word:

1. to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away)
   a) to put to flight, to flee
   b) to fear, be afraid
2. to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm
   a) of those startled by strange sights or occurrences
   b) of those struck with amazement
3. to fear, be afraid of one
4. to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm)
   c)** to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience**

Here’s the passage from Luke 1:

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”m
29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Mary is not afraid, she is troubled. The angel is saying, “Don’t worry about it!” “Fear” in English doesn’t mean a negative emotion all the time. An older useage common when the KJV was first translated is “I fear I won’t make it in time for dinner.” It’s concern, rather than “being frightened.”

The bolded meaning is the one I was told is appropriate when we are to “fear God” or be “God-fearing.” We never have to be afraid of God.

You once practiced as a psychic? What does that mean? How is what you did different from what the other pyschics did?

What other psychics? I’m not sure what you are asking, maybe it would be better to PM.

How were you able to get said visions? Were they voluntary or not?

Sorry, I don’t know what “voluntary” means. I certainly wasn’t expecting such a thing to happen. It started when I came into the Church and started doing contemplative prayer. They aren’t, like, Mary didn’t appear to me or anything, they were just personal. After that I got a few what might be called “psychic visions.” I didn’t ask for those, either.

Sorry, but I have a ton of questions to ask you.

You can ask anything you want. I never wanted to ever say, “Hi! I’m psychic!” I worked in science. It sounded stupid to me. I tried to deny it. But sooner or later facts are facts and I hate the whole denial thing. Okay, people will make fun of me. I can’t change that. I can only report my experience.

I know there are fakes out there. But I also studied the issue from the scientific standpoint and know psychism is really just another trait we have. When I was practicing, I was doing mediumship. In my parish this was no problem. When I moved, it became a problem, so I stopped. But I also had to stop my prayer life because the more prayer, the more connections.

I feel very sad about that.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

Sorry, I don’t know what “voluntary” means. I certainly wasn’t expecting such a thing to happen. It started when I came into the Church and started doing contemplative prayer. They aren’t, like, Mary didn’t appear to me or anything, they were just personal. After that I got a few what might be called “psychic visions.” I didn’t ask for those, either.

Thanks for the response about fear. That really helps.

Voluntary pretty much means “at your own will”. Basically, I asked if you could have a vision of anything you wished. But you said you didn’t ask for them, so I guess not. If you could elaborate (if you want) on your experiences, much if not all of this thread will appreciate it.

BTW: The other psychics are the people that are like the ones mentioned in the first post. You said you once “practiced” as a psychic, so I wanted to know if that was what you did.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Voluntary pretty much means “at your own will”. Basically, I asked if you could have a vision of anything you wished.

I firmly believe no one can do that. I’ve really studied this subject a lot and no one can “conjure the dead” or “have a vision.” This is like the wind blowing or something, you don’t know when it will come or… okay, I want to avoid the problem of discussing personal revelations, so, since we are talking just about psychism here, here’s one not religious:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tgXcB3gTa...iY4/s1600/visionintersectionspringfield.JPGIt was about 10:30A.M. when I left the grocery store, I was pretty happy with my early start to the day. As I drove north I got just a bit tense as always when I approached this intersection, which at 10:30 instead of dawn, like this picture, is a pretty busy one. I got this recent photo of it off Google maps, and I see they’ve repaved since I lived there. When I was there the edges of the road were rough and crumbly, and if you left the surface, you were in weeds at the edge of a ditch.

I had a big old 4x4 then, and the road approaches at a very slight angle, so you have to correct a little bit or you end up driving into the opposing lane. It’s a narrow road and that nice line behind which westbound traffic should stop wasn’t there when I lived there, the drivers who wanted to turn right would crowd up pretty much into the intersection. Driving around them, avoiding the oncoming cars, making the adjustment, it was just a place where you had to pay attention.

See that bottom yellow blotch? I was driving about 35mph and that was where I was when the vision started. Everything around me disappeared but the vision, it was a 3-D technicolor experience, just like being the camera in a movie:** I was standing in the front doorway of a friend’s home, looking down at the her husband who was standing next to a suitcase and saying something. There was no sound, I didn’t hear him. He was in front of the car in the drive and I knew he was leaving her.** See that yellow blotch at the top? That’s where I was back in my car driving again. Or maybe a few car lengths further north, but I don’t think it matters. I have no memory at all of negotiating the intersection.

My question was “who was driving the car?” I dunno. I read a few years later that Saint Mary Magdalene diPazzi would be in visions all day and do her sewing and chores. I have all these written down someplace if anyone is interested PM me.

BTW: The other psychics are the people that are like the ones mentioned in the first post. You said you once “practiced” as a psychic, so I wanted to know if that was what you did.

I did mediumship online in a forum that is now defunct and then I did them at home for money. You have to charge some money even if you are rich, IMO, because if not you get all kinds of weirdos. (I know how that sounded!) But like I said, I moved and the new parish was substantially different. I hope in future to have a spiritual director and then I’ll see if I should continue. It happens if I pray, I can’t stop it.

 

[Timothy_Garber]

That sounds like all my dreams and memories. In anything I remember, I never see things in my own eyes, but in any angle. Even when I remember talking to someone today, the whole conversation looks like a picture from behind and a little above me. And the only time there is sound is when I see it from my own eyes.

 

[flameburns623]

I read about a guy name Edgar Casey, were he would lay down and sleep and he would get visions, and his wife would write them down.
He was a lot different then your normal psychic’s. I’m just saying different, not that I believe in them.

Edgar CAYCE (it IS pronounced, “casey” but the spelling is as I just provided it) started as an involuntary psychic but bought into the experiences he was having whole-hog and became an Atlantean and a sort of faith-healer. He did try to reconcile his ideas with a sort of liberal, vague sort of Christianity, as did many in the Divine Science/Religious Science/Unity School of Christianity and similar movements. I had the good fortune to know a nephew of his, a fellow who only vaguely bought into “Uncle Edgar’s” ideas, a mostly-confused soul who epitomises for me how religious flacidity comes of age. Nephew Cayce seemed a permanent seeker with no real way, when I knew him, to ever recognize let alone embrace Truth if he found it.

 

[Doeco]

I have read a little about Edgar Cayce and know that, as stated above, he started having involuntary psychic experiences at a young age. I think one of his first is reported to be falling asleep on his spelling book and memorizing everything in it. He also diagnosed many diseases which he attributed to his psychic ability, and made many predictions which I don’t know enough about to vouch for or against. One neat thing I read about him was that he also read the Bible for each year, in total, that he was alive.

This thread is interesting to me because when I was in my teens I was very interested in psychic phenomena, and still am to a certain degree. I actually attempted to develop my own psychic powers and asked priests about the validity and morality of psychic experience to which I received somewhat varied responses. But what I learned was that I was focusing in achieving psychic abilities more so than perfecting my spiritual life. I fully believe in psychic abilities and that each person can develop them, but they should not be one’s focus. In almost all religions one can find examples of miraculous powers and abilities of very spiritual people, (and sometimes not so spiritual people), but they always are presented with the idea that powers are side effects, sometimes even negative side effects, and not the main purpose of a spiritual life.

Anyway I don’t know if that helps but that is my take.

 

[Angels_Eyes]

I actually attempted to develop my own psychic powers and asked priests about the validity and morality of psychic experience to which I received somewhat varied responses. But what I learned was that I was focusing in achieving psychic abilities more so than perfecting my spiritual life. I fully believe in psychic abilities and that each person can develop them, but they should not be one’s focus.

I found this myself too Doeco. When I was ‘learning’ (if there is such a thing) to become psychic, there was still something missing. I was focused on the wrong thing…the important thing missing was of course God. I feel the spiritual side of things is forgotten a lot, it’s more about finding your confidence, your psychic ‘gift’…ego maybe. This is why I have come back to the church, I just missed God too much!

 

[Angels_Eyes]

But back to the powers of satan he gives you what you want, and then the catch is, He DESTROYS you with it.

This I believe is possible but still struggle with it at the same time. As I use to be into the occult and never had a bad/dangerous thing happen to me or anyone I knew (that they told me at least), I sometimes find it hard to believe that chanting a few words in a spell and lighting some candles could attract anything evil…but then again…I still struggle with being drawn back into that sort of thing. I have been told it is Satan himself trying to guide me away from God . I think this is possible and am always trying to be weary of this sort of thing now.

I still find myself watching ‘Psychic TV’ for a few minutes (channel surfing). My husband asks me why I do, when I don’t believe in it anymore. I tell him, it’s kind of for research, I watch and think what a load of #$@! and now, (unlike years ago) go out of my way to discredit it.

Thank you God, for opening my eyes.