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.

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.

Joseph Jacobs on Coast

Joseph Jacobs is a kind, gentle spirit, in his own words, the "antidote" to the "Doctor Doom" psychics and remote viewers that Coast to Coast AM so often features. Jacobs started of saying that previously he had said this would be a difficult year, and rattled off a list of tragedies and disasters from 2007. September and October will still have some harshness. There are some harsh realities to go through but he sees things clearing up a bit in October-November. Expect serious weather conditions in the coming weeks. He sees diseases coming in from China. September could be a good month for ufology.

If you have had a bad year, use meditation and affirmations to stay in a positive mind frame. Look for how we get in our own way, how we are negative or stuck in life. Move on, don't cling to the past. Live in the now. All good advice, but for the most part, he didn't have any specific advice for how to accomplish this. One cool thing he suggested that I really liked, especially for empaths and sensitives, is to remember to be the audience instead of a participant when you see something negative going down. Don't let yourself get sucked into dramas and negativity.

Jacobs says that next year will be better, good for new beginnings, with lots of breakthroughs and inventions. It will be a great year for communications. A whole new beginning. We need to be realigning ourselves in the next few months. The downside is we will see dictators making lots of news.

On a humorous note, Jacobs recommended that medical students get into orthopedics, psychology and ear medicines because of the impact of technology on our lives in the future.

He said that he noticed that a law involving emminent domain was passed just after Dick Cheney went hunting with one of the Supreme Court justices and he is now worried that some of the lands in New Orleans could be taken over by the oil companies.

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.

Sean David Morton Predictions on Coast

Intuitive futurist psychic Sean David Morton appeared on Coast to Coast AM tonight, spending much of the first hour going over past predictions, predictably (pun intended) focusing on past predictions that have come to pass, particularly in the stock and financial markets. Past hits include Katrina, the rise of the Euro, Catepillar Tractor, and the recent housing-related correction.

Sean is mostly concerned about massive hyper-inflation of the economy in November. He says that the current market situation will improve in the short term. He says the Fed will print more money, a lot of it, to keep the blue-chip stocks high. There will be huge mergers and more consolidation. Major shakeup involving Cheney and Bush.

He thinks that the progressed US Sun in Pisces will bring ocean-based developments such as an engine based on burning seawater, submarines, boating. He likes Crocs shoes and Sketchers. Pisces has to do with dream states, spirits, shows like Coast, and The Secret. There will be great water-related catastrophes, economic collapses between November of this year and the end of 2009. People will come together to help each other and will turn their back on our materialistic lifestyles. He is recommending buying and holding copper, silver, gold and platinum, up to 25% of your portfolio. He says silver may double.

He sees a "big red boil" of energy under Seattle and cannot predict how it will manifest. He suggested that residents there meditate and pray, and visualize a golden acupuncture needle of light and love to puncture the earth and relieve the pressure before there is a disaster. In Japan, there will be another very substantial quake in Japan that will result in a cloud of white gas or steam that will kill and sicken a large portion of a city, sometime within the next 2-3 weeks or so. He is not seeing a lot of hurricanes hitting the US. There will be a lot of rain, flooding and a record number of tornados. August 26 to September16, one large hurricane will come out of the Atlantic into South Carolina, and will buzz-saw up the coast. There will be a series of 4.5 - 5.0 quakes up along the New Madrid fault in Ohio. There could be massive destruction there in 2011-2012. He sees genetically-engineered diseases wiping out much of Africa.

One thing I like about Sean David Morton is with all the disasters he sees, he's not as fatalistic as some others in this field. On May 26-28 2010 there will be a new harmonic convergence that will "cement the energy from 1987". He believes that humanity can mediate or lessen the impact of negative events in the future through focused positive intentions.

Ron Paul may sweep the ballots in New Nampshire. He could end up being a third-party candidate. There will be shocking changes to Bush-Cheney in November. He cannot predict at this time who the candidates will be.

Brandi

Ouija? NonNien! Not on Coast to Coast!

Tonight was George Noory's infamous Coast to Coast Ouija Board experiment. It went down more or less exactly like I expected. George opted out at the last minute in a deluge of negative feedback and recriminations from one side, and applause from the other. The feedback was almost evenly split.

I respected the ultimate decision. I was against the idea from the start. My only gripe is with the way it was drawn out over a period of weeks. Noory is too shrewd and experienced a talk show host not to know the impact on the audience of drawing out the decision for that long, and the controversy can only be good for ratings. I can understand why some members of the audience expressed anger and disappointment at his decision. I can understand they might feel misled. But Noory sounded sincere to me. I'll take it just as I heard it. I do think he struggled with this, right up to the end, and it probably wasn't easy for him to walk away from it. I found his personal story of a near-death experience compelling and interesting.

My beef with the folks who are angry at him is that they seem to have no empathy for his struggle over the moral decision to expose potentially millions of people to spiritual and psychic forces they might not be ready to deal with. That's my beef with the makers of the Ouija board itself. The argument was made that we all have personal responsibility, and on one level this is absolutely true. But on the other hand, you don't give a handgun to a child and tell them to go out and play. Many of the listeners of Coast simply aren't ready to deal with exposure to psychic forces of this kind. They simply have no idea what they are opening themselves up to.

I'll take this a step or two beyond the Ouija board ... one theme in my own thinking, since I wrote Living With Your Psychic Gifts, is the idea that far too many people approach psychic experiences as "dabblers", and that's the core of the problems I end up seeing for large numbers of my readers. They started playing with something as a lark or a toy, but they opened Aladdin's Lamp and the Genie won't go back inside (nor is he cute cuddly and blue with Robin William's voice or sense of humor, for that matter).

I do discourage "dabbling". If you get involved in psychic development, you should understand that you will be making a lifetime commitment to your personal growth, and there will be effects you won't like at times. I will never forget one email from a reader who asked me a dozen questions, all of which were answered on my site. When I told her to go read it first and I'd answer any questions not answered later, she responded rather huffily that she didn't have time to do that! My response, with all due respect, was to tell her that if she did not have time to read it, then chances were good she wouldn't have the time to follow my advice, either. Prozac can shut down some psychic ability (if you can tolerate the side effects, costs and danger), but there is really no "magic pill" that can stuff the Genie back into the lamp entirely. Don't dabble in any of this stuff unless you are prepared to take the time to deal with the issues it will bring up. As Noory's guests said many times tonight, whether it is Ouija in particular or psychic experimentation in general, the baggage you bring with you is going to make a huge difference to the kind of experience you will have. There is no faster way to discover that you have hidden issues than to start opening up to your psychic ability.

I specifically discourage neophytes from dabbling with Ouija because of the way it is marketed. This is not a game, it is a heavy duty psychological experiment wrapped up in a metaphysical box, IMNSHO. It is a direct and immediate connection to the subconscious. On top of that, it opens the spiritual doors to any and all entities who may want to drop in. It's psychic Russian Roulette. You don't know who you are gonna get, and there is absolutely no spiritual or psychic protection guidance offered by the makers of the Ouija.

I am sure I'll get letters from experienced psychics who have had nothing but wonderful experiences, and the odd dabbler who got lucky - but the warning here is not for you. Sure, I grant you, some people have had positive experiences, but the majority of stories I have heard have been terrifying. And like George Noory, I am not sure that possibility is worth the risk.

If you have played with a Ouija board and are having negative experiences, my suggestion for disposal is simple. Send it back to the manufacturer, without a return address. Let them dispose of it in whatever manner they see fit. Maybe if they get enough of these "toys" back in the mail, they will rethink the way they have marketed this "game".

Brandi

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

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."

Major Ed Dames - Coast to Coast AM Predictions April 02, 2007

My one pet beef with what I call "Media Psychics" is the focus on predictions. I wonder about the ethics of making predictions for a number of reasons. First, there seems to be little if any accountability. Nobody is really doing any serious tracking or oversight of how accurate they are. Second, I have noticed that it seems to be the more sensational and negative psychics who make it on the air (the subject of today's blog being a prime example). Finally, I wonder about the usefulness of predictions altogether. One reason I got out of doing readings is that was the item of biggest interest to my clients, and of least interest to me. I believe the future is always in motion, a change of mind can change the world. A healthy mind stays focused on the only moment that matters: right now.

I do recognize that most of my audience doesn't share those concerns <g> ... you love predictions. So I figured it would be interesting to log the predictions and statements of popular psychics here for posterity, so we can all have a look at them in the future. I also decided to have a little fun on my blog with my favorite radio show, Coast to Coast AM. They often have psychics and remote viewers on, they tend to feature some of the more popular and famous psychics on a fairly regular basis. I was thinking it would be fun to review the shows that feature psychics and psychic topics like remote viewing and consciousness. I can't promise to review each one of these appearances, I don't listen every night ... okay I DO listen every night, but I foresee the possibility that one night I might not be able to do so.

Major Ed Dames - Coast to Coast AM Predictions April 02, 2007

Ed Dames is a well known "remote viewer" whose main focus seems to be end-times prophecies, finding lost items and generally scaring the willies out of his audience. His nickname is "Doctor Doom", and for good reason, his predictions are almost exclusively about disasters. I am not going into some of the past predictions they went through on the show, I will focus only on the new predictions he is making.

This time, Ed predicts:

Worldwide damage to wheat and grass crops Update April 16, 2007 on Coast with Art Bell - Apparently there is a new variety of wheat rust fungus spreading in Africa, which meets the outline as Dames predicted.

Honey Bees will become extinct soon (there are already reports of them disappearing, nobody knows why). He believes intense UV radiation is blinding them, that they are starving to death.

We are facing a barren planet within 50 years. Quote "We are going down". He recommends people look into underground self-contained habitats.
Plankton in the ocean will die off.

There will be a nuclear reactor accident in Russia, another Chernobyl-like release of radiation.

A space shuttle will be forced to the ground by a meteor shower then there will be a massive solar flare Ed calls "The Kill Shot" that will take out most life on earth.

There is an alien race on earth watching us, helping with the ozone level. One of his working groups is working on contact.

The US will not get to Mars, the Russians and Chinese will make it first.

Casini may not be able to photograph it, but there is one of the deepest canyons in the solar system on Titan.

Once again Art Bell and Ed circled and danced around each other on the issue of free will. Ed Dames believes in free will "on some level" but does not believe that the things he sees in remote viewing sessions can be changed. I firmly disagree with this assertion. Far too many times I have clearly foreseen a specific outcome, related it to a client and had them change their path for the better. This is of course another reason why I am not a huge fan of predictions, especially as given by negative fatalists. I agree with art. I see no benefit to knowing a future that I cannot change.

The danger with predictions is in taking them too seriously and too literally, both faults I have found with his process. Whenever I listen to Ed Dames I am reminded of one psychic I used to know in Vancouver who was forever predicting the fatal earthquake that would dump the city into the ocean. Every time she had a vision though, it was right before another blow up with her abusive husband.

The "earthquakes" never happened for Vancouver, but the earth was definitely shaking in her dysfunctional home. I learned to stay away from her family for a few days whenever she'd have another vision. I tried to point this out to her, but she was convinced that eventually these predictions would pan out. I have not seen her for nearly 15 years, but Vancouver is still there, last time I checked. Eventually she will be right, after all, Vancouver is part of the Ring of Fire, and earthquakes are not uncommon there. But her visions are not about the ground shaking, they are metaphors for part of her life she wants to remain in denial about.

Ed Dames might protest that this process does not apply to him - after all, it's not just him seeing these things, he has large numbers of students seeing the same thing. Fair enough, and time will tell. Some of his previous predictions have come true. But remember also that like attracts like. People who have similar talents, biases and issues are going to be drawn into his inner circle. I remember when I did readings, I would attract one person after another to my booth who had the exact same "stuff" going on in their lives that I did. In the "Psychic Circle" we noticed that we would all do it. The reader with the breakup would attract the lonely hearts. I would attract the prosperity-seekers. There would be exceptions, but the rule held about 90% of the time. I got to figure out what issues I was overlooking by watching the themes people brought to me as clients. I believe that the Dames project teams are reading as much off him as they are each other, and this is coloring the results they get.

Praying for Deliverance

I was listening to parts of last night's Coast to Coast, my favorite radio show. It was a strange repeat show featuring Kathleen Keating, a writer who mixes Biblical and contemporary prophecy into a fearful message that apparently is extremely popular. I could not bear to listen to it all, it was all so negative and toxic. But at one point, I was struck by yet another pundit making the assertion that if one wants to be delivered from spiritual tribulations or visions that all one needs to do is "Pray in the name of Jesus". Yet another Christian pundit making the incredible assertion that this "always" works ... "immediately".

Umn, no. It doesn't.

I am always shocked by this assertion. I am a child of a fundamentalist Pentecostal/Baptist family, "born again" since the age of six. As someone who suffered greatly from sleep paralysis and terrifying visions and dreams for two years after my initial psychic awakening, I prayed with great fervor and sincerity for Jesus to deliver me, night after night. Not once were these desperate prayers answered "immediately". Many times I would be frozen, beset by terrible visions, vibrating and paralyzed, literally mentally screaming for help in Jesus' name, only to eventually awaken, exhausted and terrified, certain only that the next night I'd be stuck in the same spot once again.

I am not the only (now former) Christian who has deeply and sincerely prayed for Deliverance without success over a period of years. My readers' emails regularly feature terrified pleas for help from people of any number of faiths who have prayed and prayed for deliverance without relief. Most are convinced they must be possessed or worse, and they feel so alone. Some have gone to their Church begging for help only to be turned away. I was profoundly insulted at the repeated suggestion by others at the time that I was possessed, not sincere, or worthy of God's compassion, or that I somehow had "asked' for this by listening to rock music or reading the wrong books. I finally got scared enough to confide these visions and dreams to my mother, who dragged me off to her Church the next day. I am sure she had no idea what the sermon would be ... it was "Visions and Dreams, God's Way of Communicating". It was only after this that I finally discovered someone at a "new age" book store, who took me seriously and offered guidance, that I was able to finally get these "Experiences" under control. I now teach some of those techniques through my book and web site.

It's irresponsible to tell people that any method of spiritual protection or deliverance will "always" work. Certainly the prayer method works a great deal of the time, perhaps even most of the time. My prayers were answered after all - just not as I expected, and not immediately. I think my methods are successful most of the time, but how am I to judge? Those who fail aren't likely to respond to someone who speaks with the authority of the Bible. If you admit your prayers in such desperate spiritual circumstances are not answered, the knee-jerk reaction is to blame the victim. You must be possessed. You must be praying wrong. Are you living a "Godly" enough life? Nobody wants to simply question the automatic efficacy of such prayers.

I recall as a child being told that "demon-possessed" people could "never" resist the power of prayer in the name of Jesus. We were told often if we only had the stones to go pray over the "heathens" (especially psychics, and "witches") that they would immediately be struck dumb. Many years later, as I worked in psychic expos and other public places (and had thus become the worst kind of heathen an apostate psychic), I frequently encountered people who believed this. There was more than one occasion where some preacher or wannabee came to pray over me in the name of Jesus in some rather spectacular and usually attention-grabbing manner. It never managed to shut me up. In fact the only thing I noticed was the additional attention seemed to be good for business. One time, one poor fellow commanded the imaginary demons to "I command you to be silent and leave in the name of Jesus". I had noticed the local rent-a-cops coming up silently behind him (security at that place liked me, I think). I responded "I command you to be silent ... and leave in the name of Security." I think he turned white when he turned around to see the two hulking giants behind him, their arms crossed over their broad chests, handsome faces drawn in scowls. He'd drawn a small crowd, who burst into applause as he was escorted off the property. It turned into the best day I had for business all winter.

I just find it impossible to accept that God has some weird cosmic game that He's playing with us. If we don't all pony up to the collection plate and say the "right" prayers to the right deity, if we doubt, if we use our God-given intuition, we're all going to be hell roasted in a terrible apocalypse ... all for God's benefit? How does any of this abominable collection of ideas glorify God? How does fear glorify God? Why does God need to fulfill these abominable prophecies to prove His worth for worship? Isn't creating the entire, glorious Universe enough?

It seems blasphemous to me to suggest that God is glorified by fear. It sells books, puts bums in pews, and makes for great radio ratings, but God is glorified by love, not fear. Simply stepping outside of my fear was the most important thing that I did to stop my terrifying visions and dreams. Twenty years later, I almost never have sleep paralysis. When it happens it is rare, and only occasionally fearful, and I can almost always trace those moments to times of stress and change. Sometimes I still have visions and dreams, but they are never as terrifying as they were. Faith can be a wonderful and life-affirming thing. By all means, pray to Jesus for deliverance from unwanted psychic experiences if you are a Christian (heck, even if you are not). It can't hurt anything, and it may help. It probably will help. But don't bang on yourself, don't let fear take your heart if it does not help right away.