Ed Dames and Secular Apocalypses

Over on Twitter, @farmerjaneusa and I were having this conversation about Ed Dames, and I couldn't answer her there.

This won’t be an exhaustive list of what concerns me about folks like Ed Dames ... just a couple examples. Anyone who wants detail can Google Dames’ record. Before I get into my examples though, I want to say that I think Ed Dames, and some of the other well-known “modern prophets” actually do have an interesting track record and some pretty amazing “hits”. I believe Dames may have some ability in remote viewing, and I have heard positive feedback from students of his classes. But I’m ambivalent about prediction work in general and Ed Dames has a special place in the “toxic” category of psychics whose work I’ve followed.

I categorize “predictions” into the following categories:

“Horoscopes” are purely for entertainment value, imnsho. Yes, I do write horoscopes for my site Astrology.ca. I wanted to do a site where I taught people astrology, and it was all very serious, and when I finally let my business-savvy boss back at TUCOWS talk me into adding horoscopes, it finally started paying for itself, traffic went up by 5000% (not kidding). I do say though on that site that all horoscopes are purely for entertainment value. I want no one to take them seriously – the only reason I still offer them is it brings in enough traffic to pay for itself, and that gives me the ability to promote real astrology.

“Forecasts” can be visions, dreams, astrological or Tarot interpretations that focus on the future and stick mainly to a description of the vision or the energies involved. Forecasts avoid rigid interpretation. Interpretation is left up to the listener, or it is made clear that there can be alternate possibilities for the way a forecast may manifest (See “Forecasting versus Prediction”). I see forecasts as potentially useful, depending on how they are approached, and I have used them in my psychic work.

“Disaster Predictions” and “Apocalypse Predictions” are the two categories that trouble me the most. They seem similar, but the main difference is that a “disaster” prediction only focuses on a given event: an earthquake, terrorist attack, another peccadillo in the life of a troubled celebrity. The argument for making disaster predictions public is that a disaster could possibly be averted or modified in some way if the affected parties were made aware of it. I personally prefer a forecast mindset to the prediction, but I take no issue with disaster predictions in and of themselves. It’s only when there is an endless stream of them, or they seem to carry an agenda that I begin to question them. Apocalypse predictions however, I look at as toxic. Apocalypse predictions end in global disaster, the “end times” or the destruction of civilization. There are sub-sets within apocalypse predictions, the Christian Biblical Apocalypse being the most popular variant, however the Islamic faith also has a strain of Apocalypse prophecy that few in the West are aware of. What I call “Secular Apocalypse” is the variety favored by Ed Dames. He does not to my knowledge have a Biblical or religious tie-in to his “Kill Shot” Apocalypse.

Dames has been predicting his “Kill Shot” Apocalypse since back in the mid 1990s in appearances with Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM and on his web site. As I recall the course of events, he said that this “Kill Shot” would take the form of a gigantic solar flare aimed directly at the earth that would wipe out most if not all life on the planet. His school of remote viewing has (according to Dames) perfected a method of timing such events by looking at events immediately preceding the “main event” and in the case of the “kill shot”, he foresaw a Space Shuttle being forced down by a meteor storm, followed by the massive solar flare.

I actually give Dames credit for a “hit” on the “Kill Shot”. But I believe the “Kill Shot” has already taken place. I recall an appearance with George Noory during a Shuttle mission where the shuttle was brought back early and immediately afterward one of the largest solar flares in history was indeed recorded. I believe, as is often the case with psychic ability, that Dames and his team were affected by his own interpretation of the events they viewed. They “hit” on the Shuttle issues and the solar flare, but missed on it actually hitting the earth. Dames claims to be so certain of this prediction because many of his team see the same events, but he’s failed to account for the possibility that his students are “following the leader” so to speak. It’s a well-known psychic phenomena that sometimes a group of psychics will all be strongly influenced by their perceived leader. They may all get the same vision because it is the one strongly held by Dames.

Regardless, Dames must now insist that the event which has past is not the “real” “kill shot”, and that it is soon to come in the future. The “Kill Shot” web site continues to say “within ten years”, a very long predictive cycle that keeps getting pushed forward as it fails to materialize. That’s tremendously important for Dames, who makes a good deal of money selling “survival” CDs. In the meantime, the people who take this prediction seriously continue to live in fear of something that has already passed harmlessly.

Why I would call that toxic and irresponsible should be obvious. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, then you know that to focus on a negative, fearful event is to give energy to it and to risk creating it. While I think the momentum of thought is on the side of those of us who trust in the continued health of our solar system, I think it’s unhealthy to promote such an idea. First off, if it were to actually happen, there is absolutely nothing anyone could do to prevent it. It’s healthier to let people live out their lives without that burden of fear. I think it’s also unhealthy on an individual level. What kind of lives do people have when they live in this kind of fear? What kind of lives do they give their children? As a child of a parent steeped in fearful Biblical prophecy I can testify that it can have a profoundly stunting effect on a child’s psyche. Why strive for a better life when you are convinced you are going to die horribly anyway?

Not long ago, Dames predicted that Steven Fossett would be found in a specific location and as I recall that broadcast, he told Noory that if Fossett wasn’t within a certain radius, it wouldn’t be a hit. The searchers were covering a huge area, and (again if I recall correctly) that very evening that he was on Coast, they had found Fossett’s ID card. Dames’ location was considerably outside that radius and he stated quite emphatically that Fossett would not be found near the documents, and that if that did happen, he would count it as a “miss”. The next day though, some bones later confirmed to be Fossett's were indeed found near the documents. That night, Noory had Dames back on ... and while I listened with incredulity Dames claimed it as a “hit” and Noory verbally patted him on the back for his incredible powers. This last visit to Coast (what little of it I could bring myself to listen to), Noory again used this event as one of Ed Dames “major hits”! I’m flabbergasted by this revision of history. It’s almost as bad as what Sylvia Browne pulled on the Coast show, yet Noory is letting Dames get away with it. Then there is the history of his legal and PR problems with PSITech. I love Coast, but Noory is doing a lot of damage to his own credibility when he not only doesn’t question claims like this, he becomes a cheerleader for them.

As an intuitive myself, I believe in the power of what Dames calls “Remote Viewing”. It’s nothing new, it’s been done for centuries, and it can be effective to a certain degree. I also think notoriety for this ability can be abused for profit, political or religious gain. I think the true power lies in the now, not in the future or the past.

I also believe there will be disasters and challenges in our future, that’s part of life. No matter how good their disaster predictions, the big-name famous psychics cannot tell you or me individually who will be effected and who will not. So their predictions are interesting, entertaining and irrelevant. It makes sense to be informed and prepared for disaster no matter where you live (if you only store water you are ahead of 90% of people out there). Before you give any psychic prediction credibility, make sure to look at their overall record. Have a look at the skeptic sites. If our media interviewers won’t challenge the self-proclaimed prophets who appear on their shows, it’s up to you to do your own homework before you decide who and what to believe.

Vision of Terrorist Attack in China

Last night I had a lot of interesting dreams ... one thing stood out. I had a highly realistic vision in the middle of one dream that the Chinese Olympic Stadium was in flames. It was absolutely horrific, and I felt a lot like 9-11 deja vu with it. Hundreds of people if not thousands were hurt and killed. The entire stadium was burning like a torch.

I don't know if this is a vision of the future or a symbolic reflection of something else. It could be a metaphor of some kind for the earthquake they recently experienced, but the details were quite specific.

I have a profound feeling of foreboding for future events in China right now, in particular for the Olympic Games. Normally I do not post "predictions" on my blog, because I don't get many visions of this type, and I tend to stay focused on the now. This particular image though was very strong and I wanted to make a public record of it. This is one vision I certainly hope does not come to pass.

Glynis McCants, the Numbers Lady, On C2C

I always enjoy listening to Glynis McCants, the Numbers Lady, when she comes on Coast to Coast. She's so positive and upbeat, it's easy to listen to her. No doom and gloom, like so many of George's other "predictive" guests. Of all the numerologists I have listened to, or whose work I have read, I like her the best, because she makes things sound so simple and straightforward, but when you listen to her, there is actually a lot of detail in the readings she offers. She doesn't pull any punches though, you can count on her to say what she thinks, what she's sure about, and what she's not so sure about. And her style is more one of forecasting rather than prediction, which I respect. I've studied numerology for a few years, but listening to her, I wonder if I will every grasp it as clearly. One day I want a reading from this lady.

According to Glynis McCants:

2008 is a "1" year. Clearing your space for new beginnings. The year of winning, competition, ambition, goal setting and high energy. Much focus on global warming. This will not be a peaceful time.

Bush, a 6, went into personal year of 5. Feels toxic, out of control, do things they regret. Britney Spears has the same number, and imploded under her 5 year. Bush may be overly impulsive and agressive, and that is highly dangerous in a year 1.

In the election at this point in time, she cannot predict clear winners, but claims she has predicted the past 5 elections accurately once the nominations are finalized.

Clintons are very tight, intellectual relationship, he would enjoy being "first man". Both are in a personal year one, a team effort. In Hillary's case, a 3 life path, 8 day birth, appears cold and aloof. It's a personal one year, the interview where she nearly came to tears was a turning point. She's in the race for her life though, it won't be easy for her. McCants picks Clinton as the winner on the Democratic side, she'd like to see her with Obama.

Edwards is a 7 life path. This is a personal 8 year, learning the hard way. Learning the hard way. He could lose a lot of money.

Obama is a 2 life path in a 4 year year. It's all about learning as he goes. Cycle 4 is not compatible with a 1, but works with his life path.

Guiliani is a 6 life path. Does well in a crisis. He is in a cycle of 7, could come off as pompous.

Huckabee, 7 born on a 6 day, may come across as confused and unsure.

McCain was born on a 2 day, life path 2, and personal year 2, this is his year. He has a 1 attitude, he knows how to win. McCain is the strongest Republican pick, but the Republican field is more chaotic than the Democrats. She can see Guiliani and McCain if the field doesn't change, but this was not a firm prediction.

Romney 3 day, 9 lifepath, good communicator, his cycle of 7 is toxic.

Thompson 7 in a personal year of 1, it could get stronger for him, but maybe not the winner.

Duncan Hunter, don't count him out. He is a double 4, knows what he's talking about.

Ron Paul can take votes from others, with several ones in his chart. He could go third party if he does not win. He will find a way to make others support him.

2012 is a whole year 5, a time of new beginnings. She does not foresee disaster.

McCants' book, "Glynis Has Your Number" is well-written, entertaining and easy to read. It's one of the better books for the new student of numerology. I started out with Eileen Connolly's epic tome, The Connolly Book of Numbers, which I have read more times than I can count, and I am still trying to figure out in places. By contrast, "Glynis Has Your Number" is far more up to date. She has simplified and structured a numerological system that almost anyone can come to master.

I don't get it

I don't get it. I'm sorry, how can you call "more fires" a prediction? That's like saying "another earthquake in California" that shows nothing but she's paying attention to history. And when she was on Coast making these predictions didn't she say fires in California AND the midwest? I don't recall huge fires in Michigan.

I want to be blown away...tell me when the next earthquake will hit in Maine. When will fires sweep across the everglades? I want to know when there will be a shark attack on the coast of Lake Erie. Tell me something unexpected and I will admit psychic ability.

From Comments, Anonymous

I don't recall Evelyn Paglini's exact words. The gist of it was "much worse than usual", and much of the reporting was along the line of "worst fires in history" ... so I'm willing to give her a hit on that one. I don't see that it is necessary for her to get every prediction correct to be given credit for the ones she does get right. You're right a couple of them seem obvious. They weren't all obvious, nor were all the details necessarily obvious. You didn't seem to take notice of her hit on the stock market correction ... or some of the other big misses.

From the way you talk, I don't think you'd settle for "something unexpected" ... you want everything to be something unexpected, and they all have to be hits before you'll admit psychic ability. Well that isn't what is being claimed by predictive psychics, not even close. It doesn't work that way. They all admit a range of error. None of them claim to be omniscient. Clearly that is not the case, or there would be no argument, would there?

If physicians and psychiatrists were judged the way certain skeptics want to judge psychics, we would have no medical profession. We sure as heck wouldn't have any pharmaceuticals (whether that might be a good idea or not, given the abominable tragedies in that business of late, must be argued elsewhere). We don't expect 100% efficacy and accuracy from the medical sciences. Why do some expect that level of exactitude from media psychics, whose work is arguably far less critical to our well being?

I've made my own position on these predictions clear ... they are for entertainment only, nobody should take them seriously. In fact, I started tracking them from the perspective as a truly skeptical observer. I'm told the word skeptic comes from Greek skeptikos "look about, consider, observe". I noticed that the media darlings of the psychic world didn't have anyone truly tracking their predictions. And they were far more negative and apocalyptic than I felt was either likely to be accurate, or ultimately healthy. So I decided to have a closer look at them. It's fun, entertaining, and hopefully people read past them to what really matters here. I hope people will have another look at what lies behind the predictions of their favorite psychics. That doesn't mean I don't think they each have some measure of talent. I just want to see where it shakes out, and it makes interesting reading.

When I look at the future, I'm forecasting, not predicting. I make it clear that subsequent events can (and often do) alter outcomes. That's the point of looking forward. Can I go to a better position than I might have reached if I hadn't stopped and had that forecast? What can I change? So like most working psychics (as opposed to some of the media darlings), I'm not in it to "blow you away" (though I have occasionally been known to do that). If you were one of my clients, that would be your job! You're supposed to blow me away. You're the one who does the hard work of bringing your potential into the world. All I can see is your potential. I can't always see if you will have the stones to bring it about, or exactly how you'll get there.

One thing I think we can agree on. I don't believe it is healthy to spend too much time dwelling on what might happen in the future. It's definitely not healthy to believe that the future is set in stone. If we carry any spark of personal responsibility, we have to believe that our actions can change the path of destiny. The here and now is what really matters most.

Predictions Worth Remembering - Coast To Coast Annual "Professional Psychic Prediction" Show

George Noory took a vacation this week, and the irrepressible Ian Punnett took over his annual Professional Psychic Prediction show. I love Ian's sense of humor and his fearlessness in questioning his guests. He says he was taking notes too (hey Ian, you can borrow mine if you want). None of the following predictions are verbatim. I wasn't transcribing, rather, I tried to get the general gist of what they meant, rather than the exact words. Overall, they mostly offered a lot of doom and gloom this year, very few bright spots. For those of you who missed it, here are some "highlights" from the pros:

Gerald Celente – Trends Research Institute

We are in a recession now. An economic 911 is in play, big major companies are going to collapse. He doesn’t know the bank, business, or spark it will be, but he knows it is going to happen. This greed and corruption is being seeped out of the system, it will be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs. Tax revolt will start on the local level. The biggest field he see growing are "conservation engineers". To save, conserve, not waste, producing alternative energy products. Small is big. Giants will topple. More local development in self-sustaining communities. Micro farms, clean local food. Heal yourself healthcare, self responsibility.

George Ure

Catastrophic collapse of the dollar is not just possible, but likely. Corporate layoffs, slowdown in commercial real estate, a global meltdown of paper assets. A natural disaster will occur in the winter or spring, along the magnitude of Karina. Wind-related disasters, an out of season hurricane. There may be calls for early elections – secrets revealed in January. A couple well-placed insiders or candidates may pull out of positions or the elections. In late March, female leader will come out of South or Central America. Cities will be a mess. September, people will have some optimism that corporations can be changed. Have food, water, self-sufficiency. Power outages in October. A global coastal event in 2009. Glaciers fall into ocean causing flooding.

Paul Guercio – Merlin Project

Edwards and Obama are the two most likely candidates. Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries will go to Edwards and Obama. McCain slowly gaining for last few months. Bloomberg could win it all in a third-party candidacy. Some serious looking into what is actually going on behind the scenes from what has been happening in Washington in the last few years. A lot of hard looking at what is going on politically.

Glynis McCants – Numerology Lady

The political group Bhutto represented will shift forever. Her death will shift the country forever. The truth will be revealed. There will be tremendous feedback from her death. Looking at the US election, she sees a lot of "dirty pool" happening. Those who take the cheap shots won't be the winners. John Edwards could make a verbal mistake that affects his chances. Giuliani does well under crisis because he was a six. The current year is not compatible to his natal numbers. Ron Paul is someone to keep an eye on. He won't be the primary guy, but he could take votes from someone else. Bush is feeling out of control and may do spontaneous things that don’t make sense. This was the year of revealing the truth about the economy. People are playing things closer to the vest. The year of competition. Cycle of 1 moves quickly. The Olympics 8:8:08 ... she is very concerned about the political aspects of the Olympics. It could be terrorism, she can't say what, only that she fears it could be big, there will be some major controversy.

Sean David Morton – Remote Viewer

Everything we are about to do is about our own will, our own regeneration and imagination, and a complete absence of fear. Feels a lot of excitement. What can I do to recreate myself, regain my own personal power? A demand for "real" property, fold, metals, the housing market will remain in the news. Strengthening in the dollar will slowly collapse the stock market. It will bring the movie business back to the US. April – end of the writer's strike, pleasing no one. People will turn their attention to politics, as there will not be much on TV. Fears if Ron Paul gets too successful, he could face physical danger. He does not think Paul will be elected, but he could make it to governor of Texas.

Major Ed Dames "emails it in" ...

Global pandemic and financial system collapse. Gold at $2,000 an ounce.

Mark Lerner – Astrologer and Intuitive

Pluto will cross the life force of the Federal Reserve. The dollar will crumble. People need to invest in gold, silver, commodities, but not the dollar. End of April, beginning of May, there will be something of a gold rush. Gold could double. Secrecy and mystery around Bhutto may never be solved. Olympics will put the number 8 on the map. There could be a calamity during the Olympics. Juno – the rising up of the dispossessed and disenfranchised.

Art Bell Predictions Show, Part One December 31, 2007

Art Bell has once again kicked off his annual prediction show, with ... uhm ... somewhat "predictable" results. The overwhelming bulk of caller predictions were negative at best, downright horrific at worst.

Art doesn't publish caller predictions to my knowledge, though he keeps track of them from year to year. I tried to keep up with last year's predictions but he went through them too quickly. I estimate that only 10% of the predictions from last year panned out, though the ones that did were pretty stunning, like the owner of a baseball team handing over ownership to his sons.

Why so few accurate predictions? Luck of the draw? Very few of the people calling have any psychic experience. Some don't understand the difference between a vision and a wish. Some of the callers seem to be making predictions that they want to see happen, rather than from any real sense of psychic vision. A couple callers seemed to be using the annual event as a sneaky way to promote their businesses or political agendas, all of which is a staple of this event of course.

Why so many negative ones? Yes, negativity "sells", and I sometimes think the Coast audience is drawn to the more scary content.

I did make a list of this year's predictions, but I don't feel comfortable using them all. So I decided to pick a few of my favorites, and if I am able to next year, I'll publish those that come true.

Tornados in the Midwest – big breakout to get weather channel hopping.

Asteroid WD-5 headed for Mars will hit an reveal a pre-civilization as per Richard Hoagland.

May of 08, oil prices will drop back down to $50 a barrel.

Dow will fall below 11,000.

C2C guest Bugs will lead investigators to Big Foot. Art Bell will be in on the arrangements.

Campion and Ramos will be released when the president leaves office.

Gitmo will be handed over to Cuba.

A major train crash will happen in the US.

Air Force One disappears or crashes.

Mount Etna will explode and have an earthquake revealing an old city.

The US and Canada will put forth a currency for the Americas.

I have posted some of my own predictions on the Astrology.ca blog if you are interested. Like many callers, I see expanding war in the Middle East, and I do fear upheaval in Western economies this year.

By the way, if any of you want to register your predictions here, make them on the comments for this blog entry (please don't email them to me though). My rules will be a little like Art's rules. Predictions will have to be short, one prediction only. A line or two at most. No predictions of domestic political assassinations, no predictions containing inflammatory accusations against public figures (I don't want a visit from the Men in Black or Hollywood lawyers any more than Art Bell does). If predictions look too much like wishes, self-promotion, political promotion, bullying or skeptical sarcasm in disguise, they will be trashed. I’m looking only for sincere psychic predictions for the New Year.

I reserve the right to decide to approve or not approve any prediction without giving a reason. All comments to this blog are moderated.

Astrological Predictions from Mark Lerner

I'm afraid I missed parts of Astrologer Mark Lerner's appearance on Coast to Coast last night, but he did say Hillary Clinton "stands out" in his "election night charting".

He pointed out that the Minneapolis bridge tragedy took place just as Pluto was on the horizon. Israel has to be careful in January and February, due to the stationing of Mars.

Jupiter goes direct Monday, and Lerner says that the stationary period could bring big scale tremors.

Mars goes stationary on a critical point in the US chart mid november, and there could be a downturn in the markets because of problems in the housing market. Between now and September 8th, women and artists should take advantage of Venus retrograde to retool our creativity.

He believes that 2012 will bring a massive spiritual transformation.

Dr. Turi - Coast to Coast AM July 07

Dr. Turi made only a brief appearance on Coast to Coast AM this evening, but he did make one specific forecast ... on July 30 he expects a serious surpise, could be a large explosion of some kind. Turi was declared right about last space station prediction by George Noory and Richard C. Hoagland, as they did indeed experience a lot of computer problems in the last mission.

Update: Early July 31, Mount Bulusan explodedin the Philippines. I'm calling this a "hit".

George Ure and "Cliff", Coast to Coast Live July 5, 2007

Last night on Coast to Coast, George Ure and "Cliff" were guests who use a proprietary web bot technology. They study language patterns in Internet discussions to forecast indicators for future events.

I find this process intriguing. Basically the premise is that the Internet forms a reflection of global consciousness. Since the advent of the Internet, I have been forecasting that the Internet is the formative stage of a true global consciousness that may eventually become self-aware. So I am fascinated to see the possibility that this infant consciousness may also be psychic. At the same time, this type of forecasting has the same limits as any form of psychic ability. George and Cliff admit that they tend to focus on negative keywords, as they have the strongest emotional impact. As a result, so most of the forecasts are negative and frightening. They also admit that at times what they pick up has more to do with global fears than actual outcomes. And they admit that sometimes the pattern only becomes clear after the event.

Some of their forecasts:

The US dollar could collapse.

The International Space Station may have to be abandoned.

Millions of people could be scattered in a "diaspora" by a severe weather event around the end of September 2007.

During the first three months of 2008 there could be a pandemic, possibly the bird flu.

In Fall 2007, they see some kind of fungus that will impact crops and human health.

Three earthquakes could occur in California sometime between September to December 2007. A prominent wedding may be disrupted.

They believe that Greenland's glacier will melt, causing a global coastal catastrophe within the next five years. Millions of people will be killed in a huge tidal wave.

I am a tad ambivalent about this particular set of forecasts, even though they are heavily disclaimered as "For Entertainment Value Only". These two fellows are selling a newsletter based entirely on fear-based values. I can see the demand for this, it's canny marketing. Fear sells. I just wonder if that is the best use of their talents and technology. I would love to see the same process applied to some positive values as well.

June 13 2007 - Louis Turi with George Noory

Dr. Louis Turi has a lot to teach people about the ancient art of astrology, I’d like to take one of his classes, especially since he holds them in places I am drawn to. He’s an entertaining, lively guest, it always makes for good radio whenever he’s on the Coast to Coast show.

Turi says he has faith in humanity and technology. "God did not create the earth to end up in a miserable way."

"We are not doomed George, we are not," adding that we can shape our future and bring peace, love and respect to the world.

I applaud his positive attitude about the future of the world, especially coming on the Coast to Coast show where so many psychics and seers seems to see nothing but disasters.

The tail and head of dragon are still in Virgo-Pisces axis. Middle East oil continues to be strongly affected by the nodes. With the Dragon moving into the Aquarius-Leo axis at end of year, expect incredible, surprising shocking news, nature has not yet spoken. He mentioned serious tragedies, earthquakes, and tornadoes but offered no specifics on dates or locations.

His strongest forecast this time around was that NASA will be forced to be entirely restructured. He sees devastating events coming at the space agency, including possible deaths of astronauts. When speaking with Richard Hoagland at the end of the show, he says he sees millions of tax dollars wasted, and more computer problems ahead . I find Hoagland’s tortion (sp?) and hyper-dimensional physics as an explanation for astrology an intriguing possibility. I hope the two of them can follow up on it together when they are not under the constraints of a show like Coast.

Turi rattled off a quick list of dates I could not write down quickly enough, though Lex Lonehood will be posting a summary in the usual place on the Coast site (in the past show summaries). He also posts these in his mailing list and web site. His Moon Power Star Guide for the year 2007 is available on the web site.

Turi said June 16 will be the beginning of an ending, a cycle of destructive weather. The same energy that produced Katrina will return. He says to check CNN on that date for earth-change disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. On June 16, the Moon is moving into Cancer. Beginning or ending of important phases of life. France and Italy will make news, the Ring of Fire will become active. Real estate in the US will be turned upside down. [As of June 30, I feel this is a "miss" - there was no major storm to my knowledge in this time frame]

I'll give Turi a hit though for "Famous Death/Dramatic News/Police/FBI/CIA/Mob/Secrets/Scandals/Wake Up Call/Terrorism/Finances/Sex/Serial Killers." - I don't recall him saying this on the show - he may have provided it to Lex after the show. There are definitely news stories right now relating to these themes, some of them quite surprising and unexpected.

The economy, stock market does not look good this year, but gold looks good.

It seemed to me that Turi was trying to focus on explaining his craft while George Noory was looking for more “wowie-zowie” predictions for his prediction-hungry audience (as usual). He did a pretty good job of doing just that. This time around we got to see him in action with questions from callers, impressive, as I know as an astrologer myself it is not easy to quickly whip off readings in such short time frames. He’s blunt, straightforward, and doesn’t hold back what he sees to spare anyone’s feelings.

I do have a couple minor quibbles about Dr. Turi, the primary one being a semantic argument over how he uses the word "predictions" on the one hand to describe his craft … but at the same time he says "I don't predict anything". Actually, I agree with him – what he does, and he does extremely well, is forecast (see my article "Forecasting versus Prediction" for an explanation of the difference between forecasts and predictions). I fear his confusing of this word is doing his credibility a disservice with skeptics who might latch onto an apparent contradiction that he does not intend.

I do subscribe to his mailing list, and highly recommend it. He pulls no punches though – he doesn't have any patience for fools and religion, and he finds them together on not infrequent occasions. Some say they see him as overbearing and egotistical. I see him as blunt and a bit impatient with his critics, but he is as entertaining and informative on the Internet as he is on radio

Dr. Evelyn Paglini Makes More Psychic Hits

May 13 2007 - Dr. Evelyn Paglini was on with Art Bell on Coast to Coast again tonight, as a number of her previous forecasts have come to pass. See my previous blog on April 21.

Two major hurricanes that will hit the gulf coast, tornados and storms that will make history [there have been heavier than normal storms and tornados, though no major hurricanes as of late October] . She would put FIMA along the Gulf Coast and the Central Plains. She does not like the look of the dams and levies she has seen. She says she sees "other people killing children"[there have been two school shooting events] . She says there may be riots or civil unrest in major cities. This is "not a done deal yet", but is "still in the planning stage". It could happen in the "heat of the summer" [summer is over and this did not occur] . She remains worried about a virus with flu-like symptoms that will be deadly. It will be released "by man's hand" in the United States, and will take a long time before they will find treatments. She foresees financial troubles ahead, a slow-down this fall, with a major stock correction in September-October [she was correct on this one, this is a solid hit] . There will be another oil interruption, which will not be caused by weather. She recommends communities and individuals put away food and water for possible disasters between now and 2012. There will be a rash of contaminants in our food, both accidental and deliberate. There will be a lot of solar flares between now and 2012, and a possible nuclear exchange.

She seems to think that the Northern Midwest will be more safe than the coastal areas.

Dr. Paglini is impressive. She says she does not want to call her statements "predictions", she wants to call them "warnings". She says she doesn't have all the answers, and seems concerned about the primarily negative quality of most of the predictions that come to her. I give her extra kudos for that, and for saying that future events can be changed.

She told one caller not to worry about the warnings and visions he was getting, to write them down. She also has a Mind Dynamics Course that will teach people to shut down or improve their psychic abilities. I haven't got a copy of this course to review it, but if it is as direct and straight-forward as she is on Coast, it should be worth a try.

Another "Hit" on Coast to Coast AM

"I think the Dow will go to over 14,000 this year" - Shawn David Morton, earlier this year on Coast to Coast.

So far the "Coast Psychics" have a pretty good hit rate. I am finding it impressive, even if I know most skeptics won't. I have also started some discussions with some other psychics who are not wild about my "prediction versus forecast" position. But I don't think they are understanding what I am saying. Most of those who have taken issue with what I said feature "predictions" heavily as part of their work. But when I really read what they are doing, they are in fact "forecasting", at least for the most part. I'm only taking them to task for their choice of language. I'd like to see us be more precise about what it is we claim to do. There are some limitations to foresight. What works well are overviews of conditions in the future. What works less well are predictions as to the actual manifestation those conditions will trigger.

"I think the Dow will go to over 14,000 this year" is pretty specific. It's probably based on two things - one being Mr. Morton's knowledge of remote viewing, and the other his understanding of the markets. Someone like Mr. Morton can take the symbolic impressions common to psychics and remote viewers and make an educated assessment (some psychics did not like my use of the word "guess") as to how the energy behind those symbols will manifest.

One of the challenges for beginners and professionals alike is taking the symbolic language of psychic ability and translating that into the expected manifestation. For example, one time I had two clients with strong transits in their fifth houses of their astrological charts. One got pregnant, and the other started a new business (daycare as it happens). Recently I have had a strong transit in the 5th house, and I recently decided to sponsor a child through Children International, plus I have been cranking out one painting after another. All these things feature children and creativity, the hallmarks of the 5th house. But as we are very different people, we all used that same energy in very different ways.

It's my position that we will continue to face irrational and energetic skepticism until we can come to an agreement as to just what it is psychics claim to do. When we focus on our "predictions" without explainging the process to our clients and the media, we reinforce the idea that we are making claims we can't support. I feel a small change in our language would help illustrate the difference between "predictions" and "forecasts", and that would help us all.

On the other hand ... I am secretly rooting for the Coast Psychics. The better they do, the more clear it becomes that we're not all crazy after all.

Dr. Evelyn Paglini makes two solid hits on Coast to Coast

April 21, 2007 - Tonight on Coast to Coast with Art Bell, who was filling in for George Noory, psychic Evelyn Paglini was brought in to talk about successful predictions she has made on previous Coast shows. She had been on the show March 31 where she predicted that "the pet food problem will continue to spread" and that "children killing children ... will escalate". There were references to a disaster worse than Columbine, and people jumping out of windows in her earlier prediction.

"This was one time I did not want to be anywhere close to being right," said Paglini. "I started picking up this evil presence back in November. We're going to see more carnage and more horror. There is a non-human evil at work here."

She said this evening that she foresees another similar event that will include explosions. She also sees a horrendous killer heatwave, blackouts, and power-outages in the USA and Europe. There will be a "number of arson fires in the West that will be worse than usual. She sees a couple groups doing planning, who are "intentionally setting fires [CNN reports the "Witch Fire" (interesting name for it) in Santiago County was deliberately set, October 24] . A deadly flu outbreak will be unleashed, there will be panic, but they will ultimately find a treatment. There will be a "contaminant found in canned human foods. There will be flooding in India.

"You will have this year more shootings in schools ... with guns and with explosives."