I wonder if there is some benefit from the clients interpretation of the reading, even though the reading itself is nonsense. In the same way someone can flip a coin to help you make a decision, and you realise from your gut reaction what you actually wanted to do all along, but weren’t consciously aware of
I used to work in a shop that could easily be described as “New Age” and it has a tarot reader there. Having looked at the history of tarot but being a complete sceptic, I asked for a reading one time to see for myself how they go.
Afterwards I asked her “it’s a light therapy session, isn’t it?” She responded “mostly.”
That’s pretty much what it is, cheap, basic therapy to help you sort through your thoughts, and shares some similarities with CBT. I’d still recommend therapy if you need it, but I don’t mind people going to a tarot reader if that’s what helps them. But I still think the mysticism side of it can be a problem for a variety of reasons.
Yeah, that’s really all it is. It gets much more questionable and problematic when it’s things like people claiming to channel dead loved ones.
I talk to my dead dad in my dreams (nothing deep–I usually say “hey, aren’t you dead?” And he says “yep!” And then we discuss board games or dogs) and while it’s comforting for me to maintain that connection to my memory of him, I’d be so absolutely pissed if some stranger tried to horn in on and pollute my memory of my dad.
Oh, 100 percent. There’s much healthier ways to deal with that kind of grief.
One of my wife’s former coworkers said she needed to stop looking into astrology, so I think some people definitely can get into it too much and worry too much about predictions, but on the whole I don’t think astrology (specifically) is problematic as a whole.
But it is interesting that it does cause some people to discriminate against others based on their birthdays lol.
Even at its most harmless, astrology normalizes magical thinking and leaves the door open for more predatory things. Not that big a leap to alternative healing and psychics and other conmen persuading the naive away from legitimate help.
Yup that’s exactly what pissed off Houdini so much that he ended his friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle.
Tarot is also a great way of reflection and introspection by giving external prompts which allow a jumping off point for story creation and reframing. Lot of creative processes recommend this external semi-random prompt because it changes you from your normal thoughts. This allows you to think about what happened or what you want to happen and gives a story and a new perspective. Humans are naturally story tellers and pattern seekers and this taps into that. This reframing is a evidence based therapeutic technique that works.
Also if it makes you feel better in your own head that means it works. Everything is based on our mental state so what is difference
yeah and don’t forget the placebo effect
“today’s gonna be a good day for you”
this is definitely the answer, and i don’t get why people are so aggressive about shitting on people who just want a bit of fake mysticism in their lives. literally not hurting anyone to look at the stars and feel stuff
Until they charge $300 for a three hour reading, without disclosing the price or the time beforehand. And refer to all women as “goddesses”. And ask for tastes of four different types of wine before getting the same thing they always get.
You should read The Dice Man
I’ll add that to my reading list, thank you!
I’m pretty sure that last one was a Derren Brown bit on one if his TV shows.
It’s all bollocks, but if this sort of thing helps you through the day then you do you.
Here is a clip of James Randi doing the ‘individualized’ horoscopes for a room full of people. I think this is the experiment mentioned in the image.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dp2Zqk8vHw&pp=ygUVamFtZXMgcmFuZGkgYXN0cm9sb2d5
Astrology is so stupid! That’s why I only practice geomancy, the true divination art.
I’ve always been a fan of tyromancy.
Geomancy is just applied numerology.
I think it might be closer to applied Sacred Geometry.
And physics is just applied maths. I feel like the number lobby is trying to sell us more numbers.
That’s how we’ll eventually run out of numbers. And then what? Sell some imaginary ones?
I don’t know. There’s an awful lot of numbers out there.
Leaving this here XKCD.
And the extended edition:
Hey kid, wanna buy a square root of minus one? It fucks you uppppp
It really does
I think that’s another name for earthbending
Pffft. Molybdomancy is the one true divination form.
Necessary work. However, that last instructon isn’t science, it’s education.
my zodiac sign is Barnum effect
I’m a Cordova
Is your leather fine, rich or soft?
Usually fine, but when Mercury is in retrograde it becomes rich.
I’ve never believed in astrology, but we Scorpios are naturally skeptical.
https://youtu.be/9ATtC0zEgjM?si=NswAetIcNfZIijUn&t=36
I should go play some civ again
You’re a Scorpio? No wonder I couldn’t trust you. Sagittariuses and Scorpios are natural enemies. Like Sagittariuses and Cancers. Or Sagittariuses and other Sagittariuses. Dammit Sagittarius! You ruined astrology!!
You Sagittariuses sure are a contentious people!
You just made an enemy for life!
I’m not sure I believe that.
Obviously biased. Every astrologer is a world leading expert. That’s just a true and correct fact. Where are the error bars? Why not use violin plots? Correct science is what will prove astrology correct. I know that because I’m a Leo. Seriously, astrology is important for weeding out tinder profiles.
Why not use violin plots
Your allowed to say “fucked” on the internet
I thought it might come under “Keep it civil” :)
Also “no unnecessary negativity”?
Astrologers fucking off would be a big enough positive to justify the profanity.
Not censoring yourself and giving a hint that you’re not a bot is enough to justify profanity.
Fuck
We’re all adults here, the context is perfectly civil in my book. Never censor yourself, you’re not a newspaper subject to broadcasting regulations. If you want to be profane then go fucking nuts!
“B******” however is strictly forbidden.
Bananas?
Boufles
Boredom?
Bonking?
Between?
butthead >:)
Ballsack
Baccarat 🤮
And you better never call anyone a X**.
That’s allowed in real live, though, isn’t it?
That’s exactly what I was waiting for. Typical x**.
Wait, they all did 5 out of 12? That means you can make statistical predictions with astrology by selecting the opposite of what the astrologer predicts!
Nobody did better than 5/12. And looking at the average, most didn’t even come close to that.
Barnum Statement
I’m not sure “fucked off” is an expression…
Are you fucked off about the title? 😉
It is, at the southern edge of the English-speaking world.
What on earth does this mean? I’m not a world-class expert in mathology but I’ve never seen this kind of relative comparison before.
I think they just left off the subject of each phrase; 0 out of 152 astrologists did better than 5 out of 12 questions. Though it is phrased weirdly either way.
Well I suppose what they’re saying is no response had a success rate equal to or greater than fifty percent, but yeah it’s not exactly reported academically.
Because astrology is something that lends itself to clear academic reporting?
None of the 152 people in the trial correctly guessed correctly on more than 5 profiles, out of the 12 profiles they were given.
Astrology I think works better when they focus less on predicting people’s characteristics than looking at people’s patterns in their life. If Saturn is returning to your “insert astrology term here” that means 29 years have happened which means great changes which is pretty typical for humans. People go through big changes at their late 20s and late 50s / early 60s. Since the stars goes through regular patterns and using this a time based guide a lot can be understood about human nature. This is a lot of astrology but the patterns at birth is more popular or at least the most commonly understood portion of it.
