Anyone use a crystal ball?

a reply to: Qumulys
There was a time scientists scoffed at Ohms Law as quackery, and medical doctors thought washing your hands between patients was a ridiculous idea. You might want to take a peek at this.

Science is not Omniscient. Our sciences are in their infancy. We have barely learned to walk, and we have so much more to learn about ourselves, our planet, and the galactic neighborhood we live in...

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” Einstein

I've tried scrying with crystals both ball and not. Results were meh.
I have better luck with intuition and educated guesses.
Everyone is different and certain foci work better for some.

a reply to: Qumulys

Really... never heard of the godfather of Satanism? Well, hell personally... I just see a guy interested in his passions and made himself famous for putting his own personal spin on things. Such things are completely harmless when actual belief is not involved

a reply to: Klassified

Well, you may say our science is in it's infancy, I'd disagree.
But trying to claim being able to see things in a crystal ball is nothing but fanciful thinking. The thing with science is that it adjusts its views based upon what is observed. It doesn't just make up stuff. A couple of thousand years of modern scientific progress should not be scoffed at because it can't explain some wishful shiny ball myth.

What we have is someone saying they are seeing things in a crystal ball, it doesn't happen. They may however be projecting an image they think about in their mind and think it's there, I can accept that. What I can't understand is how they actually believe that something they have created within their own mind is somehow magical, other-worldy, or has great mystery or power.

I am actually trying to understand what leads these certain type of people into this area, but so far the only explanations I've been given is;
"I see an image in it" or "Just because science can't explain it doesn't make it not real". Well, how can that be settled when we have two completely different sets of rules for explaining this world?

In fact, if science could explain it, it would be a real phenomenon. Many visual hallucinations are quite explainable with many reasons behind them, but some future seeing mystic ball nonsense is a deceitful practice that should not be instantly believed without verification. I genuinely wondered about the op's motives for going down this path of belief, sorry if people have come away offended.

Should have known you can't debate these things with someone who's mind is made up already, I tried keeping mine plastic as long as possible - perhaps I'll hold out hope a little longer when/if the op returns...

Never leave one setting on a antique table where the sun beams in, it will start smoking!
True story: my cat kept coming to me meowing like crazy (something he never does) and running toward the sun porch trying to get me to go out there, and when I did my crystal ball was literally smoking and actually burnt a black ring into the 100+ year old table. The wood being so old would have went up in flames if my cat didn't warn me in time.

a reply to: BigBrotherDarkness

Vaguely heard the name, so looked him up. Satanism is (in my eyes) just another dangerous way to shape impressionable minds. As a kid, I just instantly knew that the devil was a load of nonsense. So I never understood anyones attraction to it. Just a bunch of creepy stories built upon on eons of story tellers who get a kick out of frightening children. The problem is people actually start believing it, and you end up with lunatics with mental issues living in filth and thinking they are all mighty and powerful.

So, I just never wasted my time with it. But I want to understand what happens in the brains of those that decide to believe in these kinds of things. Why does the brain have to latch onto these ideas? I think those who are claiming the 'supernatural', are more likely to be susceptible to some kind of distorted inner-monologue or imagery and are deeply and sadly confused.

a reply to: Staroth

Which of course would not have in anyway been because the sunlight was being focused into a point source of ignition....

*sigh*

I think I've had enough of this thread tonight, I'm starting to see things.

Edit
It's 2:50 am, and I apologise Staroth, I read your post wrong and was under the impression you thought it was mystical, but on re-reading obviously you were just saying they can cause fires. Duh me. I am getting too defensive and jumped needlessly without properly digesting, genuinely sorry about that.

a reply to: Qumulys
I am a lover of all things science. I can't imagine a world without that group of people we call academia. Look what they have accomplished in just the last 50 years. On the other hand, I have witnessed and experienced things in my life I can't explain away with rational, scientific thinking. Things I still struggle with.

It is those experiences that have opened my mind to things that may, or may not lack a scientific foundation. Our sciences are geared toward the natural, and the observable. Not the supernatural, and the sometimes invisible. I may be an atheist, but there is more to existence than what i can see with my eyes, and what I have experienced with my 5 senses. I don't believe it. I know it.

In reality, everything we need to "divine" is already in us, but some find tools, such as the crystal ball, tarot, pendulum, and others very helpful.

a reply to: Qumulys

Why get so worked up about it? People believe what they want to believe. Do you have a skeptical quest to undertake? If you want I can do a reading for you and let you know how it goes.

originally posted by: Qumulys
a reply to: Aelfrede

Ummmm.
Ok, I was going to say how bizarre it is that people can believe in this type of nonsense. I mean honestly, in all of human history with 6 billion of us making a mess of things, has there ever been one instance that scientifically shows anything mystic can happen with a inanimate ball? It is pure fantasy, a thing of fairy tales and movies.

Science is a dogma just like any other religion in the world. One passage, or fact proves another.

What's interesting is the fact that people have no idea who, or what they truly are. Most don't remember where they came from before they were born, but they will tout that they know everything because of a dogma called science, they learned from a short stint in life ?

Arrogance and ignorance stems from an individual, or group who thinks their ideals are the right ones, hence the dogma of science.

Peace,

RT

originally posted by: Staroth
Never leave one setting on a antique table where the sun beams in, it will start smoking!
True story: my cat kept coming to me meowing like crazy (something he never does) and running toward the sun porch trying to get me to go out there, and when I did my crystal ball was literally smoking and actually burnt a black ring into the 100+ year old table. The wood being so old would have went up in flames if my cat didn't warn me in time.

A crystal ball and a cat...
if you have four cats, I would ask if you were my girlfriend. I suspect she lurks.
but then again she didn't burn down the house with her crystals. Lightning did that.

a reply to: nukedog

lol, I know. I'm off to bed cause I am getting all worked up. I normally just let this stuff slide as you rightly say. I was just after some better understanding of why these types of beliefs occur in the first place. I've tried to be delicate as possible but I feel I may have been a bit more "How do you know if an elephants been in your house, because there's footprints in your cake" type of clumsy. Oh well, this will be one of those things that will have to be left a mystery... (that's bugging the heck out of me! gah! halp!)

a reply to: the owlbear

How do you know the crystals didn't make the lightning???

No freaking way... I use the phrase "my crystal ball told me" always when I want to make sure everybody gets I'm talking crap...
People really do that? Do you have a foggy tent, while doing so? I heard that's the proper procedure.
Oh and sacrifice a donkey and wash the ball in the blood if you want to see the real hardcore stuff....

a reply to: Qumulys

People used to burn carved tortoise shells, read pancreases, watch birds, throw chicken bones and stand on their heads. Who knows what they can see?

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: Qumulys
I am a lover of all things science. I can't imagine a world without that group of people we call academia. Look what they have accomplished in just the last 50 years. On the other hand, I have witnessed and experienced things in my life I can't explain away with rational, scientific thinking. Things I still struggle with.

It is those experiences that have opened my mind to things that may, or may not lack a scientific foundation. Our sciences are geared toward the natural, and the observable. Not the supernatural, and the sometimes invisible. I may be an atheist, but there is more to existence than what i can see with my eyes, and what I have experienced with my 5 senses. I don't believe it. I know it.

In reality, everything we need to "divine" is already in us, but some find tools, such as the crystal ball, tarot, pendulum, and others very helpful.

One of the best posts I have read on ATS...
I may have to quote this as it sums up my life succinctly. There are events that have escaped a scientifically rational explanation, it's what brought me to ATS in the first place.
Thank you.

a reply to: Realtruth

Science is not a religion, it is simply there to understand the truth of the physical world. The "beliefs" in science change based on evidence. It is the opposite of a religion, in fact many scientists choose to believe in all kinds of gods, not sure how they do that, faith I guess...? But I don't agree when science gets labeled as religious.

I'm probably mostly Agnostic most days, depending on how I feel. Who knows if there's a god or not? I'll believe it when he/she pops up in my life.

I think most things are explainable, visions of the future in crystal balls however I shall firmly not accept, and I think today I just decided to not keep feeding delusions, but rather try and understand them. I guess that makes me the threads baddy somehow
I give in.

originally posted by: nukedog
a reply to: the owlbear

How do you know the crystals didn't make the lightning???

Funny you should mention that. Lightning strikes are so common here all of the roads and subdivisions are monikered after thunder and lightning. Just from me digging around I have found huge deposits of quartzite in addition to the granite. So just maybe...the house fire was about six months before I moved in, but I grew up on the Plains and I thought lightning was crazy there. This is worse. I used to play frisbee with my dad during tornado warnings. A thunderstorm around here will make me go inside.

a reply to: Klassified

I do mostly agree with your thoughts, and kind of understand those unexplainable things your alluding to.
Like when you worry about your kids - or you decide to call a grandma who turns out to be really sick and in need of help but was too afraid to ask and was stuck on the floor and couldn't get up.
Those kind of things while spooky I would have to lean toward pure coincidence and they seem like something special in the universe helped it happen. But I think we have a tendency to easily discard all the other times when it turns out that grans just fine.

Lovely thoughts though and you may be right. But I'll just wait on the evidence

a reply to: Qumulys

People latch onto many things to fit in, feel validated and have acceptance, when they can't find it elsewhere. I have a love/hate thing for science myself because of the magic in the what if that's the love... the passion of discovery and understanding what once was not known... so at the heart of any true scientist there has to be this passion for discovery. The hate part? Well, once science has done it's job properly the what if magic is gone. So, people clinging to belief are in actuality clinging to tradition or a personal experience that compels them to do so, in the face of the facts.

This is known as cognitive dissonance, when anything challenges a strongly held belief or opinion no matter how sensible, factual and rational that challenge, people will stand up in arms against it in favor of the one they hold instead. Sure it can really complicate the world can't it? Like if there was a volcanic eruption going to occur and you, went to warn a village to evacuate and they start prepping a virgin for sacrifice instead. Of course, tossing a virgin into a volcano makes no sense... as everyone can live if they just walk their buttocks elsewhere til it calms back down, but they say no this is how is always been done it's who we are and who we are comfortable being... well kind of hard to argue with that I suppose.

But I can imagine the times they sacrificed a virgin and the lava didn't over take the village helped cement the tradition as it "works" and the times it didn't? Well, I guess the virginity would be called into question, and well the one to blame is dead so it ties itself up with a nice bow. Who's to say if they left and the village did not burn and the virgin was not sacrificed if they started worshiping the magical person that warns them before it wakes?

The big problem to be more accurate is cause and effect and inaccurate correlations that can be drawn between the two. This occurs in science just as much until whatever is established as fact. I've heard coffee is bad just as much as I've heard it's good to the verdict which is still out, because correlation does not equal cause and effect, but cause and effect always causes correlation. Well, guess what? I don't care if coffee is finally determined to be bad or good for health. I like the taste and even if I avoided coffee if conclusively found bad... still gonna die regardless, and the enjoyment I get from coffee makes the possible danger drinking it moot in personal choice.