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The Paranormal
covers paranormal events, individuals, groups, and other unexplained activities that are considered without Scientific Rationale, along with paranormal entertainment fictionalized in movies and television, e.g., Mediums, Zombies, etc.
Paranormal Events and Behavior
YouTube Video of Shirley MacLaine* about Reincarnation
* -- Shirley MacLaine
Survey below: While the validity of the existence of paranormal phenomena is controversial and debated passionately by both proponents of the paranormal and by skeptics, surveys are useful in determining the beliefs of people in regards to paranormal phenomena. These opinions, while not constituting scientific evidence for or against, may give an indication of the mindset of a certain portion of the population (at least among those who answered the polls). The number of people worldwide who believe in parapsychological powers is estimated to be 3 to 4 billion.
Paranormal events are phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described to lie beyond normal experience or scientific explanation.
A paranormal phenomenon is different from hypothetical concepts such as dark matter and dark energy. Unlike paranormal phenomena, these hypothetical concepts are based on empirical observations and experimental data gained through the scientific method.
The most notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to:
The term "paranormal" has existed in the English language since at least 1920. The word consists of two parts: para and normal. The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is 'normal' and anything that is above, beyond, or contrary to that is 'para'.
On the classification of paranormal subjects, Terence Hines in his book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2003) wrote:
"The paranormal can best be thought of as a subset of pseudoscience. What sets the paranormal apart from other pseudosciences is a reliance on explanations for alleged phenomena that are well outside the bounds of established science.
Thus, paranormal phenomena include extrasensory perception (ESP), telekinesis, ghosts, poltergeists, life after death, reincarnation, faith healing, human auras, and so forth. The explanations for these allied phenomena are phrased in vague terms of "psychic forces", "human energy fields", and so on.
This is in contrast to many pseudoscientific explanations for other nonparanormal phenomena, which, although very bad science, are still couched in acceptable scientific terms."
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Paranormal Events and Behavior:
A paranormal phenomenon is different from hypothetical concepts such as dark matter and dark energy. Unlike paranormal phenomena, these hypothetical concepts are based on empirical observations and experimental data gained through the scientific method.
The most notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to:
- ghosts,
- extraterrestrial life,
- unidentified flying objects,
- psychic abilities or extrasensory perception,
- and cryptids.
The term "paranormal" has existed in the English language since at least 1920. The word consists of two parts: para and normal. The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is 'normal' and anything that is above, beyond, or contrary to that is 'para'.
On the classification of paranormal subjects, Terence Hines in his book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2003) wrote:
"The paranormal can best be thought of as a subset of pseudoscience. What sets the paranormal apart from other pseudosciences is a reliance on explanations for alleged phenomena that are well outside the bounds of established science.
Thus, paranormal phenomena include extrasensory perception (ESP), telekinesis, ghosts, poltergeists, life after death, reincarnation, faith healing, human auras, and so forth. The explanations for these allied phenomena are phrased in vague terms of "psychic forces", "human energy fields", and so on.
This is in contrast to many pseudoscientific explanations for other nonparanormal phenomena, which, although very bad science, are still couched in acceptable scientific terms."
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Paranormal Events and Behavior:
- Ghosts and other spiritual entities
- Extraterrestrial life and UFOs
- Cryptids
- Paranormal research
- Skeptical scientific investigation
- Belief polls
- Paranormal challenges
- See also:
- Paranormal:
- Australian Sheep-Goat Scale
- Cryptozoology
- Folie a deux
- Forteana
- Ghost
- Ghost Hunting
- Ghost Stations
- Mysticism
- New Age
- Astral projection
- Extrasensory perception
- Mediumship
- Occult
- Out-of-body experience
- Paranormal fiction
- Category:Paranormal investigators
- Parapsychology
- Psionics
- Psychics
- Supernatural
- UFO
- List of reported UFO sightings
- Yūrei
- Paranormal by Location:
- Authors:
- Skepticism:
- Science:
- Paranormal:
Extrasensory Perception
YouTube Video from the Movie "The Sixth Sense*": "I see Ghosts!"
* - The Movie The Sixth Sense (1999)
Pictured below: Extrasensory perception is a concept invented by Sir Richard Burton in 1870 and it defines knowledge or perception without using any sense. Extrasensory perception includes three abilities: Telepathy (mind reading); Clairvoyance (knowledge of hidden or at great distance objects and beings) and Precognition (future prediction using paranormal means)
Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense or second sight, includes claimed reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind.
The term was adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as intuition, telepathy, psychometry, clairaudience, and clairvoyance, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition.
Parapsychology is the study of paranormal psychic phenomena, including ESP. Parapsychology has been criticized for continuing investigation despite being unable to provide convincing evidence for the existence of any psychic phenomena after more than a century of research.
The scientific community rejects ESP due to the absence of an evidence base, the lack of a theory which would explain ESP, and the lack of experimental techniques which can provide reliably positive results; and considers ESP to be pseudoscience.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Extrasensory Perception:
The term was adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as intuition, telepathy, psychometry, clairaudience, and clairvoyance, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition.
Parapsychology is the study of paranormal psychic phenomena, including ESP. Parapsychology has been criticized for continuing investigation despite being unable to provide convincing evidence for the existence of any psychic phenomena after more than a century of research.
The scientific community rejects ESP due to the absence of an evidence base, the lack of a theory which would explain ESP, and the lack of experimental techniques which can provide reliably positive results; and considers ESP to be pseudoscience.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Extrasensory Perception:
- History
- Skepticism
- See also:
Parapsychology
YouTube Video: Parapsychology – a Challenge for Science*
* -- Walter von Lucadou | TEDxFSUJena
The Paranormal is Normal but Quite Different The reports of literally thousands of persons who experienced paranormal phenomena support the conclusion that the “paranormal” is quite common and quite “normal”, but it is still tabooed by (western) societies. Walter von Lucadou (Dr. rer. nat. Dr. phil. Walter von Lucadou) is a German psychologist and physicist. Founder of Parapsychologische Beratungsstelle (parapsychological counselling office) at Freiburg, Germany. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
Pictured below: Parapsychology and Anomalistic Psychology: Research and Education FREE COURSE! To all Learners
Parapsychology is a field of study concerned with the investigation of paranormal and psychic phenomena which include:
Parapsychology is identified as pseudoscience by a vast majority of mainstream scientists.
Parapsychology research is largely conducted by private institutions in several countries and funded through private donations, and the subject rarely appears in mainstream science journals. Most papers about parapsychology are published in a small number of niche journals.
Parapsychology has been criticized for continuing investigation despite being unable to provide convincing evidence for the existence of any psychic phenomena after more than a century of research.
Terminology:
Para is from Greek, and means "beside, closely related to, beyond..." The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir. It was adopted by J. B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research in order to indicate a significant shift toward experimental methodology and academic discipline. The term originates from the Greek: παρά para meaning "alongside", and psychology.
In parapsychology, psi is the unknown factor in extrasensory perception and psychokinesis experiences that is not explained by known physical or biological mechanisms.
The term is derived from the Greek ψ psi, 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and the initial letter of the Greek ψυχή psyche, "mind, soul". The term was coined by biologist Berthold P. Wiesner, and first used by psychologist Robert Thouless in a 1942 article published in the British Journal of Psychology.
The Parapsychological Association divides psi into two main categories: psi-gamma for extrasensory perception and psi-kappa for psychokinesis. In popular culture, "psi" has become more and more synonymous with special psychic, mental, and "psionic" abilities and powers.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Parapsychology
- telepathy,
- precognition,
- clairvoyance,
- psychokinesis,
- near-death experiences,
- reincarnation,
- apparitional experiences,
- and other paranormal claims.
Parapsychology is identified as pseudoscience by a vast majority of mainstream scientists.
Parapsychology research is largely conducted by private institutions in several countries and funded through private donations, and the subject rarely appears in mainstream science journals. Most papers about parapsychology are published in a small number of niche journals.
Parapsychology has been criticized for continuing investigation despite being unable to provide convincing evidence for the existence of any psychic phenomena after more than a century of research.
Terminology:
Para is from Greek, and means "beside, closely related to, beyond..." The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir. It was adopted by J. B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research in order to indicate a significant shift toward experimental methodology and academic discipline. The term originates from the Greek: παρά para meaning "alongside", and psychology.
In parapsychology, psi is the unknown factor in extrasensory perception and psychokinesis experiences that is not explained by known physical or biological mechanisms.
The term is derived from the Greek ψ psi, 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and the initial letter of the Greek ψυχή psyche, "mind, soul". The term was coined by biologist Berthold P. Wiesner, and first used by psychologist Robert Thouless in a 1942 article published in the British Journal of Psychology.
The Parapsychological Association divides psi into two main categories: psi-gamma for extrasensory perception and psi-kappa for psychokinesis. In popular culture, "psi" has become more and more synonymous with special psychic, mental, and "psionic" abilities and powers.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Parapsychology
- History
- Research
- Scientific reception
- See also:
- List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
- The Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
- Institute of Noetic Sciences: A nonprofit organization that sponsors research in parapsychology.
- Parapsychological Association: An organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psychic phenomena, affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1969.
- Rhine Research Center: A historical parapsychological research center featuring the first building ever made for experimental work in parapsychology. The Rhine Research Center is a hub for research and education in Parapsychology.
- Society for Psychical Research: Founded in 1882, the SPR was the first society to conduct organised scholarly research into parapsychology and other human experiences that challenge contemporary scientific models. It continues its work today.
- Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: Organization formed in 1976 to promote scientific skepticism and encourage the critical investigation of paranormal claims and parapsychology.
- James Randi Educational Foundation was founded to promote critical thinking in the areas of the supernatural and paranormal. The JREF has provided skeptical views in the area of parapsychology.
- FindArticles.com Index: Large number of articles about parapsychology, from publications such as the Journal of Parapsychology and the Skeptical Inquirer.
Pseudoscience including List of Topics Characterized as Pseudoscience
YouTube Video by Bill Nye The Science Guy: about Pseudoscience
Pictured below: "If you are in possession of this revolutionary secret of science, why not prove it and be hailed as the new Newton? Of course, we know the answer. You can’t do it. You are a fake." (Richard Dawkins on pseudoscientists)
[Your Web Host: this topic has been added to the "Paranormal" web page to cover why the lion's share of paranormal experiences are largely debunked by Scientists. While I personally have not experienced anything one might consider paranormal, yet, there are many who have claimed to have. Plus, television and movies have spawned many successful shows about such paranormal acts, e.g., "Friday the 13th", zombies, etc.]
Click here for a list of topics characterized as Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that are claimed to be both scientific and factual, but are incompatible with the scientific method.
Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; and absence of systematic practices when developing theories.
The term pseudoscience is considered pejorative because it suggests something is being presented as science inaccurately or even deceptively. Those described as practicing or advocating pseudoscience often dispute the characterization. The demarcation between science and pseudoscience has philosophical and scientific implications.
Differentiating science from pseudoscience has practical implications in the case of health care, expert testimony, environmental policies, and science education.
Distinguishing scientific facts and theories from pseudoscientific beliefs, such as those found in astrology, alchemy, medical quackery, occult beliefs, and creation science, is part of science education and scientific literacy.
For more about Pseudoscience, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
Click here for a list of topics characterized as Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that are claimed to be both scientific and factual, but are incompatible with the scientific method.
Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; and absence of systematic practices when developing theories.
The term pseudoscience is considered pejorative because it suggests something is being presented as science inaccurately or even deceptively. Those described as practicing or advocating pseudoscience often dispute the characterization. The demarcation between science and pseudoscience has philosophical and scientific implications.
Differentiating science from pseudoscience has practical implications in the case of health care, expert testimony, environmental policies, and science education.
Distinguishing scientific facts and theories from pseudoscientific beliefs, such as those found in astrology, alchemy, medical quackery, occult beliefs, and creation science, is part of science education and scientific literacy.
For more about Pseudoscience, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
- Etymology
- Classification
- Relationship to science
- History
- Identifying
- Prevalence of pseudoscientific beliefs in the United States
- Explanations including Psychology
- Boundaries with science
- Politics, health, and education
- See also:
- Related concepts:
- Similar terms:
- Skeptic Dictionary: Pseudoscience – Robert Todd Carroll, PhD
- Pseudoscience. What is it? How can I recognize it? – Stephen Lower
- Science and Pseudoscience – transcript and broadcast of talk by Imre Lakatos
- Why Is Pseudoscience Dangerous? – Edward Kruglyakov
- "Why garbage science gets published". Adam Marcas, Ivan Oransky. Nautilus.
- Baloney Detection Kit on YouTube (10 questions we should ask when encountering a pseudoscience claim)
Psychokinesis
YouTube Video from the 1976 Movie "Carrie"*: Carrie Gets Angry
* -- Carrie (1976)
Pictured below: Psychokinesis can be defined as the ability of using mind over matter without any physical intervention.
Psychokinesis is an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without physical interaction.
Psychokinesis experiments have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability. There is no convincing evidence that psychokinesis is a real phenomenon, and the topic is generally regarded as pseudoscience.
The word 'psychokinesis' was coined in 1914 by American author Henry Holt in his book On the Cosmic Relations. The American parapsychologist J. B. Rhine coined the term extra-sensory perception to describe receiving information paranormally from an external source.
Following this, Rhine used the term psychokinesis in 1934 to describe mentally influencing external objects or events without the use of physical energy. His initial example of psychokinesis was experiments that were conducted to determine whether a person could influence the outcome of falling dice.
The word 'telekinesis' was first used in 1890 by Russian psychical researcher Alexander N. Aksakof.
'Psychokinesis' in parapsychology, fictional universes and New Age beliefs refers to the mental influence of physical systems and objects without the use of any physical energy, while 'telekinesis' refers to the movement and/or levitation of physical objects by purely mental force without any physical intervention.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Psychokinesis:
Psychokinesis experiments have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability. There is no convincing evidence that psychokinesis is a real phenomenon, and the topic is generally regarded as pseudoscience.
The word 'psychokinesis' was coined in 1914 by American author Henry Holt in his book On the Cosmic Relations. The American parapsychologist J. B. Rhine coined the term extra-sensory perception to describe receiving information paranormally from an external source.
Following this, Rhine used the term psychokinesis in 1934 to describe mentally influencing external objects or events without the use of physical energy. His initial example of psychokinesis was experiments that were conducted to determine whether a person could influence the outcome of falling dice.
The word 'telekinesis' was first used in 1890 by Russian psychical researcher Alexander N. Aksakof.
'Psychokinesis' in parapsychology, fictional universes and New Age beliefs refers to the mental influence of physical systems and objects without the use of any physical energy, while 'telekinesis' refers to the movement and/or levitation of physical objects by purely mental force without any physical intervention.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Psychokinesis:
Psychics and Fortune Tellers
YouTube Video from the TV Show "The Mentalist"*: The best scene...EVER!
* The TV Show "The Mentalist"
Pictured below: Psychics: how they do it!
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws. Many people believe in psychic abilities, but there is no scientific consensus as to the actual existence of such powers.
The word "psychic" is also used as an adjective to describe such abilities. In this meaning, this word has some synonyms, as parapsychic or metapsychic.
Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some are theatrical performers, such as stage magicians, who use various techniques, e.g., prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot reading, to produce the appearance of such abilities for entertainment purposes. A large industry and network exists whereby people advertised as psychics provide advice and counsel to clients.
Some famous psychics include:
Psychic powers are asserted by psychic detectives and in practices such as psychic archaeology and even psychic surgery.
Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to self-delusion. In 1988 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences gave a report on the subject and concluded there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena."
A study attempted to repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments that appeared to support the existence of precognition. Attempts to repeat the results, which involved performance on a memory test to ascertain if post-test information would affect it, "failed to produce significant effects," and thus "do not support the existence of psychic ability,"and is thus categorized as a pseudoscience.
Psychics are frequently featured in science fiction (sometimes called psionic or psyonic).
Two fiction series, Talent and The Tower and Hive, encompassing eight books by Anne McCaffrey tell the story of telepathic, telekinetic individuals who become increasingly important to the proper function of an interstellar society.
People with psychic powers appear regularly in fantasy fiction, such as the novels The Dead Zone, Carrie and Firestarter, by Stephen King, among many others.
Click here for more about Psychics.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fortune Tellers
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination. The difference is that divination is the term used for predictions considered part of a religious ritual, invoking deities or spirits, while the term fortune-telling implies a less serious or formal setting, even one of popular culture, where belief in occult workings behind the prediction is less prominent than the concept of suggestion, spiritual or practical advisory or affirmation.
Historically, fortune-telling grows out of folkloristic reception of Renaissance magic, specifically associated with Romani people. During the 19th and 20th century, methods of divination from non-Western cultures, such as the I Ching, were also adopted as methods of fortune-telling in western popular culture.
An example of divination or fortune-telling as purely an item of pop culture, with little or no vestiges of belief in the occult, would be the Magic 8-Ball sold as a toy by Mattel, or Paul II, an octopus at the Sea Life Aquarium at Oberhausen used to predict the outcome of matches played by the German national football team.
There is opposition to fortune-telling in Christianity, Islam and Judaism based on scriptural prohibitions against divination. This sometimes causes discord in the Jewish community due to their views on mysticism.
Terms for one who sees into the future include fortune-teller, crystal-gazer, spaewife, seer, soothsayer, sibyl, clairvoyant, and prophet; related terms which might include this among other abilities are oracle, augur, and visionary.
Common methods used for fortune telling in Europe and the Americas include:
The last three have traditional associations in the popular mind with the Roma and Sinti people (often called "gypsies").
Another form of fortune-telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions.
Another form of fortune-telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Fortune Telling:
The word "psychic" is also used as an adjective to describe such abilities. In this meaning, this word has some synonyms, as parapsychic or metapsychic.
Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some are theatrical performers, such as stage magicians, who use various techniques, e.g., prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot reading, to produce the appearance of such abilities for entertainment purposes. A large industry and network exists whereby people advertised as psychics provide advice and counsel to clients.
Some famous psychics include:
- Edgar Cayce,
- Ingo Swann,
- Peter Hurkos,
- Jose Ortiz El Samaritano,
- Miss Cleo,
- John Edward,
- Sylvia Browne,
- and Tyler Henry.
Psychic powers are asserted by psychic detectives and in practices such as psychic archaeology and even psychic surgery.
Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to self-delusion. In 1988 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences gave a report on the subject and concluded there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena."
A study attempted to repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments that appeared to support the existence of precognition. Attempts to repeat the results, which involved performance on a memory test to ascertain if post-test information would affect it, "failed to produce significant effects," and thus "do not support the existence of psychic ability,"and is thus categorized as a pseudoscience.
Psychics are frequently featured in science fiction (sometimes called psionic or psyonic).
Two fiction series, Talent and The Tower and Hive, encompassing eight books by Anne McCaffrey tell the story of telepathic, telekinetic individuals who become increasingly important to the proper function of an interstellar society.
People with psychic powers appear regularly in fantasy fiction, such as the novels The Dead Zone, Carrie and Firestarter, by Stephen King, among many others.
Click here for more about Psychics.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fortune Tellers
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination. The difference is that divination is the term used for predictions considered part of a religious ritual, invoking deities or spirits, while the term fortune-telling implies a less serious or formal setting, even one of popular culture, where belief in occult workings behind the prediction is less prominent than the concept of suggestion, spiritual or practical advisory or affirmation.
Historically, fortune-telling grows out of folkloristic reception of Renaissance magic, specifically associated with Romani people. During the 19th and 20th century, methods of divination from non-Western cultures, such as the I Ching, were also adopted as methods of fortune-telling in western popular culture.
An example of divination or fortune-telling as purely an item of pop culture, with little or no vestiges of belief in the occult, would be the Magic 8-Ball sold as a toy by Mattel, or Paul II, an octopus at the Sea Life Aquarium at Oberhausen used to predict the outcome of matches played by the German national football team.
There is opposition to fortune-telling in Christianity, Islam and Judaism based on scriptural prohibitions against divination. This sometimes causes discord in the Jewish community due to their views on mysticism.
Terms for one who sees into the future include fortune-teller, crystal-gazer, spaewife, seer, soothsayer, sibyl, clairvoyant, and prophet; related terms which might include this among other abilities are oracle, augur, and visionary.
Common methods used for fortune telling in Europe and the Americas include:
- astromancy,
- horary astrology,
- pendulum reading,
- spirit board reading,
- tasseography (reading tea leaves in a cup),
- cartomancy (fortune telling with cards),
- tarot reading,
- crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere),
- and chiromancy (palmistry, reading of the palms).
The last three have traditional associations in the popular mind with the Roma and Sinti people (often called "gypsies").
Another form of fortune-telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions.
Another form of fortune-telling, sometimes called "reading" or "spiritual consultation", does not rely on specific devices or methods, but rather the practitioner gives the client advice and predictions which are said to have come from spirits or in visions.
- Alectromancy: by observation of a rooster pecking at grain
- Astrology: by the movements of celestial bodies.
- Astromancy: by the stars.
- Augury: by the flight of birds.
- Bazi or four pillars: by hour, day, month, and year of birth.
- Bibliomancy: by books; frequently, but not always, religious texts.
- Cartomancy: by playing cards, tarot cards, or oracle cards.
- Ceromancy: by patterns in melting or dripping wax.
- Chiromancy: by the shape of the hands and lines in the palms.
- Chronomancy: by determination of lucky and unlucky days.
- Clairvoyance: by spiritual vision or inner sight.
- Cleromancy: by casting of lots, or casting bones or stones.
- Cold reading: by using visual and aural clues.
- Crystallomancy: by crystal ball also called scrying.
- Extispicy: by the entrails of animals.
- Face reading: by means of variations in face and head shape.
- Feng shui: by earthen harmony.
- Gastromancy: by stomach-based ventriloquism (historically).
- Geomancy: by markings in the ground, sand, earth, or soil.
- Haruspicy: by the livers of sacrificed animals.
- Horary astrology: the astrology of the time the question was asked.
- Hydromancy: by water.
- I Ching divination: by yarrow stalks or coins and the I Ching.
- Kau cim by means of numbered bamboo sticks shaken from a tube.
- Lithomancy: by stones or gems.
- Necromancy: by the dead, or by spirits or souls of the dead.
- Nephelomancy: by shapes of clouds.
- Numerology: by numbers.
- Oneiromancy: by dreams.
- Onomancy: by names.
- Palmistry: by lines and mounds on the hand.
- Parrot astrology: by parakeets picking up fortune cards
- Paper fortune teller: origami used in fortune-telling games
- Pendulum reading: by the movements of a suspended object.
- Pyromancy: by gazing into fire.
- Rhabdomancy: divination by rods.
- Runecasting or Runic divination: by runes.
- Scrying: by looking at or into reflective objects.
- Spirit board: by planchette or talking board.
- Taromancy: by a form of cartomancy using tarot cards.
- Tasseography or tasseomancy: by tea leaves or coffee grounds.
- Ureamancy: by gazing upon the foamy froth of urine created within water.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Fortune Telling:
The Afterlife
YouTube Video of the Movie Trailer for the movie Flatliners (1990)*
* -- Flatliners (1990)
Pictured below: Scans compare neurological activity in a (L-R) brain that is healthy, one that is comatose and another that is dead: 'Afterlife' feels 'even more real than real,' researcher says
'Afterlife' feels 'even more real than real,' researcher says (CNN 4/10/2013)
You're about to go to "heaven" and live to tell about it. And your story will become the subject of scientific research.
It's the perfect day. You're strolling down a sidewalk, listening to an ensemble of bird songs, soaking up a balmy breeze fragranced with fresh spring flowers, and gazing up at a cloudless sky of pure azure.
Pleasantly distracted, you step off the sidewalk into the street. Brakes screech; horns blare; people shriek in horror. You snap back to reality ... just as the truck hits you.
You fly for yards like a rag doll; you land hard. You're numb all over and fading fast. It's all over; you know it. Your life flashes before you like an epic movie. The End.
You leave your body and look down at it. People are bending over it. Someone is sobbing uncontrollably. As the ambulance rushes up, a blinding light surges above you. It beckons you softly.
You follow it through a tunnel to a place much more vividly real and spectacular than the banner Sunday afternoon you just left behind. You are sure you have arrived in the hereafter.
Weeks later, you wake up to the steady beeps of an EKG monitor next to your hospital bed.
Secrets spilled in life's final minutes
The scientific journey begins
If your hospital is in Belgium, Dr. Steven Laureys may pay you a visit, interested to hear what you remember from your NDE, or near-death experience. He tells you that many people have gone down this road before you and that you can trust him with your experience. "Patients in intensive care are scared to tell their stories," he said. They are afraid people won't take them seriously, especially doctors and scientists.
Laureys heads the Coma Science Group at the university hospital in the city of Liege. He and his colleagues published a scientific study on NDEs late last month.
People who go on these fantastic journeys are often forever changed. Many seem to come back happier and no longer fear death, he said. The experience becomes a cornerstone of their lives.
NDEs feel "even more real than real," Laureys said. It's this sparkling clarity and living color of the experience, which many have when they lose consciousness, that he and his team have researched.
But he doesn't think it comes from a spirit world. Laureys is a scientist, he emphasizes. He prefers not to mix that with religion.
His hypothesis is that near-death experiences originate in human physiology. "It is this dysfunctional brain that produces these phenomena," he said.
Laureys and his staff are interested in how the brain creates the mind and its perception of reality. "Our main focus is consciousness research in comatose patients," he said. His team hopes to raise the quality of their comfort and care.
The same story, again and again
Over the years, many patients have awakened from comas to tell Laureys about trips to the hereafter.
Their stories all have elements that are the same or very similar. "After being close to death, some people will report having had an out-of-body experience, having seen a bright light or being passed through a tunnel; all well-known elements of the famous Near-Death Experience," according to the study by Laureys and his team of six scientists.
Raymond and Nadine, both from Belgium, had heart attacks. When oxygen was cut off from their brains, they had out-of-body sensations, Laureys said.
"I felt as if I were sucked out of my body at one point," said Raymond. "I was going through a completely black tunnel, very, very quickly, a speed you cannot express, because you just don't experience it."
When Nadine's heart attack came on, she could see herself from outside her body. "It's as if you are on a cloud, even if it's not really that," she said.
It eluded her control, and that frightened her. She went into a dark hole. "You wonder if you will really return to your body," she said.
A light appeared at the end of Raymond's tunnel. He, too, was at first afraid and resisted. The light was female, and she "communicated" with him.
He surrendered to her. "I realized that I shouldn't struggle, and I let myself go. It was at that moment that the experience took place."
Psychological test
Scientific research on people having NDEs is tough, because the exact instant that they occur is unknown, making them nearly impossible to observe, Laureys said.
It would also be cruel to run brain scans on someone who was possibly facing the moment of death.
So, Laureys and his team studied the near-death memories of people who survived -- in particular those of coma patients -- with the help of a psychological examination.
The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire tests for sensory and emotional details of recollections and how people relive them in space and time. In other words, it gauges how present, intense and real a memory is.
They compared NDEs with other memories of intense real-life events like marriages and births, but also with memories of dreams and thoughts -- things that did not occur in physical reality.
The researchers paralleled new memories with old ones. And they compared the patients who had NDEs with groups of others who didn't.
Memories of important real-life events are more intense than those of dreams or thoughts, Laureys said.
"If you use this questionnaire ... if the memory is real, it's richer, and if the memory is recent, it's richer," he said.
The coma scientists weren't expecting what the tests revealed.
"To our surprise, NDEs were much richer than any imagined event or any real event of these coma survivors," Laureys reported.
The memories of these experiences beat all other memories, hands down, for their vivid sense of reality. "The difference was so vast," he said with a sense of astonishment.
Even if the patient had the experience a long time ago, its memory was as rich "as though it was yesterday," Laureys said.
"Sometimes, it is hard for them (the patients) to find words to explain it."
True believers
The questionnaire asks people about their level of certainty that a remembered experience was a real event and not imagined or dreamed. "They (the patients) are very convinced that it is real," Laureys said.
A simple Internet search reveals hundreds of accounts of near-death experiences -- some real, some perhaps invented. Many people are convinced they are proof positive that an afterlife exists outside of the physical realm -- and that it is wondrous.
There are reports of religious images appearing at times in NDEs, but they are not limited to one single religion, and they don't always appear. Sometimes Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed appear, but usually they don't, Laureys said.
Nevertheless, an NDE can make a convert of a skeptic. Dr. Eben Alexander is a well-known case of an agnostic scientist who became convinced of the existence of the spiritual.
He has often shared his story in television interviews with journalists and expressed his views in lectures and in books and video presentations, which he sells on his website.
Alexander, a neurosurgeon, according to his autobiography, has described his experience in the same terms as the Belgian researchers: "hyper-reality," "too real to be real."
In the beginning, he tried to interpret his experience as a brain function, he wrote on his website, but he became increasingly spiritual. He has come to the conclusion that people are reincarnated.
Alexander says his experience could not have been a hallucination, because the parts of the brain necessary to produce his experiences were basically dead when he had them.
It's your brain, Laureys tells you
Laureys strongly disagrees. "There is no evidence there can be conscious experience without brain activity," he said.
Lying in your hospital bed, you have become a true believer, and you are happier for it.
But your brain never died, the doctor tells you. You were in a coma. Perhaps your heart stopped for a while; maybe it didn't. But that's not even necessary to have an out-of-body experience.
"Many individuals having had NDEs were not physically in danger of death suggesting that the perception, on its own, of the risk of death seems to be important in eliciting NDEs," the study said.
It's enough just to think you're dying to have one.
Mapping the brain, exploring its secrets
The American Psychological Association concurs. It defines near-death experiences as "profound psychological events with transcendental and mystical elements, typically occurring to individuals close to death or in situations of intense physical or emotional danger."
In the case of coma patients, the brain producing the NDE may be functioning minimally, but it is still alive, Laureys hypothesized. He said one can stimulate certain parts of the brain to produce single elements of the experience.
It's a vivid hallucination, Laureys' report surmises. "It was a normal brain activity that produced their extraordinary perceptions."
Needs more research
Though the results of his studies were marked and consistent, the Belgian research team has tested only a small number of patients so far.
And it has not been able to scan brain images of patients having NDEs to get hard data on the hypothesis of the physiological nature of the experience.
Laureys' research alone is not enough. He wants to see more scientists get involved. As a doctor, he feels it's the compassionate thing for them to do.
Too many people have the experience for serious researchers to ignore it, he said, and a lot of people are afraid that their consciousness will linger long after they pass away, making them witnesses to whatever happens to their bodies.
"The public is historically afraid to be buried alive," Laureys said. "People are afraid to sign up as organ donors." They are scared they may have to watch them being extracted from their bodies.
There are more than enough spiritual models for NDEs, he said -- and superstitious ones. "There are a lot of crazy explanations out there."
It's high time for more hard science, Laureys said. A high percentage of his coma patients report having had NDEs, and he believes many of us go through these "afterlife" experiences when we die.
Laureys doesn't want to speculate on the existence of heaven or hell, but he does say that only a small minority of near-death experiences are horrifying. Most of them are pleasant and uplifting.
From his accounts, it sounds like more people go to "heaven" than to "hell."
[End of CNN Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Afterlife (Wikipedia)
Afterlife (also referred to as life after death or the hereafter) is the belief that an essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of consciousness continues to manifest after the death of the physical body.
According to various ideas about the afterlife, the essential aspect of the individual that lives on after death may be some partial element, or the entire soul or spirit, of an individual, which carries with it and may confer personal identity or, on the contrary, may not, as in Indian nirvana. Belief in an afterlife, which may be naturalistic or supernatural, is in contrast to the belief in oblivion after death.
In some views, this continued existence often takes place in a spiritual realm, and in other popular views, the individual may be reborn into this world and begin the life cycle over again, likely with no memory of what they have done in the past.
In this latter view, such rebirths and deaths may take place over and over again continuously until the individual gains entry to a spiritual realm or Otherworld. Major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism and metaphysics.
Some belief systems, such as those in the Abrahamic tradition, hold that the dead go to a specific plane of existence after death, as determined by God, or other divine judgment, based on their actions or beliefs during life.
In contrast, in systems of reincarnation, such as those in the Indian religions, the nature of the continued existence is determined directly by the actions of the individual in the ended life, rather than through the decision of a different being.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about The Afterlife:
You're about to go to "heaven" and live to tell about it. And your story will become the subject of scientific research.
It's the perfect day. You're strolling down a sidewalk, listening to an ensemble of bird songs, soaking up a balmy breeze fragranced with fresh spring flowers, and gazing up at a cloudless sky of pure azure.
Pleasantly distracted, you step off the sidewalk into the street. Brakes screech; horns blare; people shriek in horror. You snap back to reality ... just as the truck hits you.
You fly for yards like a rag doll; you land hard. You're numb all over and fading fast. It's all over; you know it. Your life flashes before you like an epic movie. The End.
You leave your body and look down at it. People are bending over it. Someone is sobbing uncontrollably. As the ambulance rushes up, a blinding light surges above you. It beckons you softly.
You follow it through a tunnel to a place much more vividly real and spectacular than the banner Sunday afternoon you just left behind. You are sure you have arrived in the hereafter.
Weeks later, you wake up to the steady beeps of an EKG monitor next to your hospital bed.
Secrets spilled in life's final minutes
The scientific journey begins
If your hospital is in Belgium, Dr. Steven Laureys may pay you a visit, interested to hear what you remember from your NDE, or near-death experience. He tells you that many people have gone down this road before you and that you can trust him with your experience. "Patients in intensive care are scared to tell their stories," he said. They are afraid people won't take them seriously, especially doctors and scientists.
Laureys heads the Coma Science Group at the university hospital in the city of Liege. He and his colleagues published a scientific study on NDEs late last month.
People who go on these fantastic journeys are often forever changed. Many seem to come back happier and no longer fear death, he said. The experience becomes a cornerstone of their lives.
NDEs feel "even more real than real," Laureys said. It's this sparkling clarity and living color of the experience, which many have when they lose consciousness, that he and his team have researched.
But he doesn't think it comes from a spirit world. Laureys is a scientist, he emphasizes. He prefers not to mix that with religion.
His hypothesis is that near-death experiences originate in human physiology. "It is this dysfunctional brain that produces these phenomena," he said.
Laureys and his staff are interested in how the brain creates the mind and its perception of reality. "Our main focus is consciousness research in comatose patients," he said. His team hopes to raise the quality of their comfort and care.
The same story, again and again
Over the years, many patients have awakened from comas to tell Laureys about trips to the hereafter.
Their stories all have elements that are the same or very similar. "After being close to death, some people will report having had an out-of-body experience, having seen a bright light or being passed through a tunnel; all well-known elements of the famous Near-Death Experience," according to the study by Laureys and his team of six scientists.
Raymond and Nadine, both from Belgium, had heart attacks. When oxygen was cut off from their brains, they had out-of-body sensations, Laureys said.
"I felt as if I were sucked out of my body at one point," said Raymond. "I was going through a completely black tunnel, very, very quickly, a speed you cannot express, because you just don't experience it."
When Nadine's heart attack came on, she could see herself from outside her body. "It's as if you are on a cloud, even if it's not really that," she said.
It eluded her control, and that frightened her. She went into a dark hole. "You wonder if you will really return to your body," she said.
A light appeared at the end of Raymond's tunnel. He, too, was at first afraid and resisted. The light was female, and she "communicated" with him.
He surrendered to her. "I realized that I shouldn't struggle, and I let myself go. It was at that moment that the experience took place."
Psychological test
Scientific research on people having NDEs is tough, because the exact instant that they occur is unknown, making them nearly impossible to observe, Laureys said.
It would also be cruel to run brain scans on someone who was possibly facing the moment of death.
So, Laureys and his team studied the near-death memories of people who survived -- in particular those of coma patients -- with the help of a psychological examination.
The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire tests for sensory and emotional details of recollections and how people relive them in space and time. In other words, it gauges how present, intense and real a memory is.
They compared NDEs with other memories of intense real-life events like marriages and births, but also with memories of dreams and thoughts -- things that did not occur in physical reality.
The researchers paralleled new memories with old ones. And they compared the patients who had NDEs with groups of others who didn't.
Memories of important real-life events are more intense than those of dreams or thoughts, Laureys said.
"If you use this questionnaire ... if the memory is real, it's richer, and if the memory is recent, it's richer," he said.
The coma scientists weren't expecting what the tests revealed.
"To our surprise, NDEs were much richer than any imagined event or any real event of these coma survivors," Laureys reported.
The memories of these experiences beat all other memories, hands down, for their vivid sense of reality. "The difference was so vast," he said with a sense of astonishment.
Even if the patient had the experience a long time ago, its memory was as rich "as though it was yesterday," Laureys said.
"Sometimes, it is hard for them (the patients) to find words to explain it."
True believers
The questionnaire asks people about their level of certainty that a remembered experience was a real event and not imagined or dreamed. "They (the patients) are very convinced that it is real," Laureys said.
A simple Internet search reveals hundreds of accounts of near-death experiences -- some real, some perhaps invented. Many people are convinced they are proof positive that an afterlife exists outside of the physical realm -- and that it is wondrous.
There are reports of religious images appearing at times in NDEs, but they are not limited to one single religion, and they don't always appear. Sometimes Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed appear, but usually they don't, Laureys said.
Nevertheless, an NDE can make a convert of a skeptic. Dr. Eben Alexander is a well-known case of an agnostic scientist who became convinced of the existence of the spiritual.
He has often shared his story in television interviews with journalists and expressed his views in lectures and in books and video presentations, which he sells on his website.
Alexander, a neurosurgeon, according to his autobiography, has described his experience in the same terms as the Belgian researchers: "hyper-reality," "too real to be real."
In the beginning, he tried to interpret his experience as a brain function, he wrote on his website, but he became increasingly spiritual. He has come to the conclusion that people are reincarnated.
Alexander says his experience could not have been a hallucination, because the parts of the brain necessary to produce his experiences were basically dead when he had them.
It's your brain, Laureys tells you
Laureys strongly disagrees. "There is no evidence there can be conscious experience without brain activity," he said.
Lying in your hospital bed, you have become a true believer, and you are happier for it.
But your brain never died, the doctor tells you. You were in a coma. Perhaps your heart stopped for a while; maybe it didn't. But that's not even necessary to have an out-of-body experience.
"Many individuals having had NDEs were not physically in danger of death suggesting that the perception, on its own, of the risk of death seems to be important in eliciting NDEs," the study said.
It's enough just to think you're dying to have one.
Mapping the brain, exploring its secrets
The American Psychological Association concurs. It defines near-death experiences as "profound psychological events with transcendental and mystical elements, typically occurring to individuals close to death or in situations of intense physical or emotional danger."
In the case of coma patients, the brain producing the NDE may be functioning minimally, but it is still alive, Laureys hypothesized. He said one can stimulate certain parts of the brain to produce single elements of the experience.
It's a vivid hallucination, Laureys' report surmises. "It was a normal brain activity that produced their extraordinary perceptions."
Needs more research
Though the results of his studies were marked and consistent, the Belgian research team has tested only a small number of patients so far.
And it has not been able to scan brain images of patients having NDEs to get hard data on the hypothesis of the physiological nature of the experience.
Laureys' research alone is not enough. He wants to see more scientists get involved. As a doctor, he feels it's the compassionate thing for them to do.
Too many people have the experience for serious researchers to ignore it, he said, and a lot of people are afraid that their consciousness will linger long after they pass away, making them witnesses to whatever happens to their bodies.
"The public is historically afraid to be buried alive," Laureys said. "People are afraid to sign up as organ donors." They are scared they may have to watch them being extracted from their bodies.
There are more than enough spiritual models for NDEs, he said -- and superstitious ones. "There are a lot of crazy explanations out there."
It's high time for more hard science, Laureys said. A high percentage of his coma patients report having had NDEs, and he believes many of us go through these "afterlife" experiences when we die.
Laureys doesn't want to speculate on the existence of heaven or hell, but he does say that only a small minority of near-death experiences are horrifying. Most of them are pleasant and uplifting.
From his accounts, it sounds like more people go to "heaven" than to "hell."
[End of CNN Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Afterlife (Wikipedia)
Afterlife (also referred to as life after death or the hereafter) is the belief that an essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of consciousness continues to manifest after the death of the physical body.
According to various ideas about the afterlife, the essential aspect of the individual that lives on after death may be some partial element, or the entire soul or spirit, of an individual, which carries with it and may confer personal identity or, on the contrary, may not, as in Indian nirvana. Belief in an afterlife, which may be naturalistic or supernatural, is in contrast to the belief in oblivion after death.
In some views, this continued existence often takes place in a spiritual realm, and in other popular views, the individual may be reborn into this world and begin the life cycle over again, likely with no memory of what they have done in the past.
In this latter view, such rebirths and deaths may take place over and over again continuously until the individual gains entry to a spiritual realm or Otherworld. Major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism and metaphysics.
Some belief systems, such as those in the Abrahamic tradition, hold that the dead go to a specific plane of existence after death, as determined by God, or other divine judgment, based on their actions or beliefs during life.
In contrast, in systems of reincarnation, such as those in the Indian religions, the nature of the continued existence is determined directly by the actions of the individual in the ended life, rather than through the decision of a different being.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about The Afterlife:
- Different metaphysical models
- Ancient religions
- Abrahamic religions
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
- Bahá'í Faith
- Indian religions
- Others
- Parapsychology
- Philosophy
- Science
- See also:
- Akhirah
- Allegory of the long spoons
- Bardo
- Brig of Dread (Bridge of Dread)
- Cognitivism
- Cryonics
- Dimethyltryptamine
- Empiricism
- Epistemology
- Eternal oblivion
- Exaltation (Mormonism)
- Fate of the unlearned
- Logical positivism
- Mictlan
- Mind uploading
- Omega Point
- Parapsychology
- Phowa
- Pre-existence
- Rebecca Hensler
- Soul retrieval
- Suspended animation
- Undead
- Islamic view on life after death
- Catholic view on life after death
- Catholic opinion on the idea of limbo
- Stewart Salmond, Christian Doctrine of Immortality
- Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Death and Immortality
- Hasker, William. "Afterlife". In Zalta, Edward N. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- The Destiny of the Soul: A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life at Project Gutenberg (Extensive 1878 text by William Rounseville Alger)
- Online searchable edition of Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell (Swedenborg Foundation 2000)
Astrology including Astrological Signs
YouTube Video: Astrology Debunked by the following Scientists: Pictured below: (L) The 12 astrological signs; (R) Displaying individual Astrological Signs*
YouTube Video: Astrology Debunked by the following Scientists: Pictured below: (L) The 12 astrological signs; (R) Displaying individual Astrological Signs*
Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means of divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events.
Astrology has been dated to at least the 2nd millennium BCE, and has its roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications.
Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and some – such as the Indians, Chinese, and Maya – developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.
Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from which it spread to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Arab world and eventually Central and Western Europe.
Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems.
Throughout most of its history astrology was considered a scholarly tradition and was common in academic circles, often in close relation with astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine.
Astrology was present in political circles, and is mentioned in various works of literature, from Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer to William Shakespeare, Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca.
During the 20th century and following the wide-scale adoption of the scientific method, astrology has been challenged successfully on both theoretical and experimental grounds, and has been shown to have no scientific validity or explanatory power.
Astrology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing, and common belief in it has largely declined. While polling studies have demonstrated that approximately 25% of Americans, Canadians, and Britons say they continue to believe that star and planet positions affect their lives, astrology is now recognized as pseudoscience.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Astrology:
* - Astrological Signs: The twelve signs of the zodiac, miniatures from a book of hours. (The Sky: Order and Chaos by Jean-Pierre Verdet, from the 'New Horizons' series)
In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30° sectors of the ecliptic, starting at the vernal equinox (one of the intersections of the ecliptic with the celestial equator), also known as the First Point of Aries.
The order of the astrological signs is :
The concept of the zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by Hellenistic culture. According to astrology, celestial phenomena relate to human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the signs are held to represent characteristic modes of expression.
Modern discoveries about the true nature of celestial objects has undermined the theoretical basis for assigning meaning to astrological signs, and empirical scientific investigation has shown that predictions and recommendations based on these systems are not accurate. Astrology in general is regarded as a pseudoscience.
The twelve sector division of the ecliptic constitutes astrology's primary frame of reference when considering the positions of celestial bodies, from a geocentric point of view, so that we may find, for instance,
Beyond the celestial bodies, other astrological points that are dependent on geographical location and time (namely, the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Vertex and the houses' cusps) are also referenced within this ecliptic coordinate system.
Various approaches to measuring and dividing the sky are currently used by differing systems of astrology, although the tradition of the Zodiac's names and symbols remain consistent.
Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to equal, longest and shortest days of the tropical year), while Jyotiṣa or Vedic astrology measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year).
Precession results in Western astrology's zodiacal divisions not corresponding in the current era to the constellations that carry similar names, while Jyotiṣa measurements still correspond with the background constellations.
In Western and Indian astrology, the emphasis is on space, and the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky through each of the zodiac signs. In Chinese astrology, by contrast, the emphasis is on time, with the zodiac operating on cycles of years, months, and hours of the day.
A common feature of all three traditions however, is the significance of the Ascendant – the zodiac sign that is rising (due to the rotation of the earth) on the eastern horizon at the moment of a person's birth.
Click here for more about Astrological Signs.
Astrology has been dated to at least the 2nd millennium BCE, and has its roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications.
Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and some – such as the Indians, Chinese, and Maya – developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.
Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from which it spread to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Arab world and eventually Central and Western Europe.
Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems.
Throughout most of its history astrology was considered a scholarly tradition and was common in academic circles, often in close relation with astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine.
Astrology was present in political circles, and is mentioned in various works of literature, from Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer to William Shakespeare, Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca.
During the 20th century and following the wide-scale adoption of the scientific method, astrology has been challenged successfully on both theoretical and experimental grounds, and has been shown to have no scientific validity or explanatory power.
Astrology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing, and common belief in it has largely declined. While polling studies have demonstrated that approximately 25% of Americans, Canadians, and Britons say they continue to believe that star and planet positions affect their lives, astrology is now recognized as pseudoscience.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Astrology:
- History
- Principles and practice
- Theological viewpoints
- Scientific analysis and criticism
- Cultural impact
- See also:
- Astrology portal
- Barnum effect
- List of astrological traditions, types, and systems
- List of topics characterised as pseudoscience
- Digital International Astrology Library (ancient astrological works)
- www.biblioastrology.com Biblioastrology (The most complete bibliography exclusively devoted to astrology.
* - Astrological Signs: The twelve signs of the zodiac, miniatures from a book of hours. (The Sky: Order and Chaos by Jean-Pierre Verdet, from the 'New Horizons' series)
In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30° sectors of the ecliptic, starting at the vernal equinox (one of the intersections of the ecliptic with the celestial equator), also known as the First Point of Aries.
The order of the astrological signs is :
- Aries,
- Taurus,
- Gemini,
- Cancer,
- Leo,
- Virgo,
- Libra,
- Scorpio,
- Sagittarius,
- Capricorn,
- Aquarius
- and Pisces.
The concept of the zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by Hellenistic culture. According to astrology, celestial phenomena relate to human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the signs are held to represent characteristic modes of expression.
Modern discoveries about the true nature of celestial objects has undermined the theoretical basis for assigning meaning to astrological signs, and empirical scientific investigation has shown that predictions and recommendations based on these systems are not accurate. Astrology in general is regarded as a pseudoscience.
The twelve sector division of the ecliptic constitutes astrology's primary frame of reference when considering the positions of celestial bodies, from a geocentric point of view, so that we may find, for instance,
- the Sun in 23° Aries (23° longitude),
- the Moon in 7° Scorpio (217° longitude),
- or Jupiter in 29° Pisces (359° longitude).
Beyond the celestial bodies, other astrological points that are dependent on geographical location and time (namely, the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Vertex and the houses' cusps) are also referenced within this ecliptic coordinate system.
Various approaches to measuring and dividing the sky are currently used by differing systems of astrology, although the tradition of the Zodiac's names and symbols remain consistent.
Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to equal, longest and shortest days of the tropical year), while Jyotiṣa or Vedic astrology measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year).
Precession results in Western astrology's zodiacal divisions not corresponding in the current era to the constellations that carry similar names, while Jyotiṣa measurements still correspond with the background constellations.
In Western and Indian astrology, the emphasis is on space, and the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky through each of the zodiac signs. In Chinese astrology, by contrast, the emphasis is on time, with the zodiac operating on cycles of years, months, and hours of the day.
A common feature of all three traditions however, is the significance of the Ascendant – the zodiac sign that is rising (due to the rotation of the earth) on the eastern horizon at the moment of a person's birth.
Click here for more about Astrological Signs.
Superstitions, including a List of Superstitions
YouTube Video: Top 10 Superstitions by WatchMojo
Pictured below: Common Superstitions, Why Do We Have Them?
YouTube Video: Top 10 Superstitions by WatchMojo
Pictured below: Common Superstitions, Why Do We Have Them?
Superstition is a pejorative term for any belief or practice that is considered irrational: for example, if it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a positive belief in fate or magic, or fear of that which is unknown. "Superstition" also refers to actions arising from irrationality.
The superstitious practice of placing a rusty nail in a lemon is believed to ward off the evil eye and evil in general, as detailed in the folklore text Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from Utah.
The word superstition is often used to refer to a religion not practiced by the majority of a given society regardless of whether the prevailing religion contains alleged superstitions. It is also commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy, and certain spiritual beings, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific (apparently) unrelated prior events.
Due to the pejorative implications of the term, items referred to in common parlance as superstition are commonly referred to as folk belief in folk lore.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Superstitions:
The superstitious practice of placing a rusty nail in a lemon is believed to ward off the evil eye and evil in general, as detailed in the folklore text Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from Utah.
The word superstition is often used to refer to a religion not practiced by the majority of a given society regardless of whether the prevailing religion contains alleged superstitions. It is also commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy, and certain spiritual beings, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific (apparently) unrelated prior events.
Due to the pejorative implications of the term, items referred to in common parlance as superstition are commonly referred to as folk belief in folk lore.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Superstitions:
- Etymology
- Superstition and religion
- Superstition and psychology
- Superstition and politics
- Opposition to superstition
- See also:
The Supernatural, including a List of Supernatural Horror Movies
YouTube Video of the Top 10 Scariest Supernatural Movie Moments
by WatchMojo
Pictured below: Supernatural Movie Posters as the Best Horror Movies by WatchMojo (Clockwise from Upper Left as (1st) “It” (2017); (2nd) “The Sixth Sense” (1999), (3rd) “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Quiet Place” (2018)
YouTube Video of the Top 10 Scariest Supernatural Movie Moments
by WatchMojo
Pictured below: Supernatural Movie Posters as the Best Horror Movies by WatchMojo (Clockwise from Upper Left as (1st) “It” (2017); (2nd) “The Sixth Sense” (1999), (3rd) “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Quiet Place” (2018)
The supernatural is something that cannot be explained by scientific understanding or the laws of nature.
Examples often include characteristics of or relating to ghosts, angels, gods, souls and spirits, non-material beings, or anything else considered beyond nature like magic, miracles, etc.
Over time, things once thought to be supernatural such as lightning, seasons, and human senses have been shown to have entirely naturalistic explanations and origins. Some believe that which is considered supernatural will someday be discovered to be completely physical and natural.
Those who believe only the physical world exists are called naturalists. Those who believe similarly often maintain skeptical attitudes and beliefs concerning supernatural concepts.
The supernatural commonly features in paranormal, occult, and religious contexts. Belief in the supernatural can also occur in secular contexts.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Supernatural:
Examples often include characteristics of or relating to ghosts, angels, gods, souls and spirits, non-material beings, or anything else considered beyond nature like magic, miracles, etc.
Over time, things once thought to be supernatural such as lightning, seasons, and human senses have been shown to have entirely naturalistic explanations and origins. Some believe that which is considered supernatural will someday be discovered to be completely physical and natural.
Those who believe only the physical world exists are called naturalists. Those who believe similarly often maintain skeptical attitudes and beliefs concerning supernatural concepts.
The supernatural commonly features in paranormal, occult, and religious contexts. Belief in the supernatural can also occur in secular contexts.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Supernatural:
- History of the concept and etymology
- Religion
- Spirit
- Demon
- Magic
- Miracle
- Skepticism
- Epistemology and metaphysics
- See also:
- Magical thinking
- Liberal naturalism
- Non-physical entity
- Paranormal
- Preternatural
- Religious naturalism
- One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, unclaimed prize for anyone demonstrating the supernatural