Predicting the Future with Stichomancy? Please Try It And Report Back.

Originally posted by Buck Division
pher.

My interpretation is as follows: The person in the first paragraph, persuading not to take action, is Stichomancy. (That is, the squire is advising Don Quixote to "cool it"; the squire represents the www.facade.com website.) Stichomancy is not in a hurry to make things happen.

The person using Stichomancy may be like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills and all. He gets upset easily, even indignant at the advice to "cool it". Don Quixote makes a fool of himself, even though he has very honorable intentions. He misinterprets his squire, and actually does the exact opposite of what is suggested. Instead of cooling off, Don Quixote heats up.

I pretty much agree with your entire interpretation although I would like to add that part of the danger is hearing what you don't want to hear. The squire is telling Quixote exactly the opposite of what he expects - hence is anger at the "indignation." Its a cliche but sometimes the truth hurts. When confronted with something we don't want to believe, we may completely deny it or react fanatically in the face of it.

Many thanks for this thread, OP. I never knew that this method of "prediction" had a name. Should have realized it would...

Just to explain something, I don't see such "prediction" methods as bald statements of what will happen. Rather, I feel that they show what are the influences involved that could lead to certain events. This in no way lessens their worth; it's just a matter of how I perceive and act upon them (if the event is something over which I have some degree of personal involvement and the chance to decide.)

Anyway, I decided to try this out. On another thread about Webbot predictions (where your own post led me here), it is mentioned that something very significant will occur on Oct 7, 2008, which is now a mere two days away. So I went into my "library" and holding the question in my mind "What will occur on Oct 7?" I closed my eyes and standing in front of the over-packed bookshelves, I reached in behind the front row of books and pulled one out of the back row. In this way,I didn't even know what book it was.

It turned out to be a book that was among a whole pile I bought at a charity shop. You know: a dozen books all bundled together with string, so that you have to buy some dud ones to get maybe one or two you really want. The one I chose was one of the "duds" (for me, at least): a "romance" novel in the "girl meets boy" vein.

The book, apparently from a series called "Lifeguards" is entitled "Summer's Promise". (Author Todd Strasser. Pub. by Scholastic Inc NY, NY, 1993.)

So I thought, "Okay, beats me how this could mean much but let's open it and see what we get."

Here's the first par I read on the page I opened it to:

Jess wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but before she could, Hank gathered everyone together. "Okay, first order of business this morning will be a one-mile run. When you get back, the daily chart will be posted on the bulletin board, pointing out the danger spots. I want everyone to study it and then get in their chairs."

(From page 19 of the book acknowledged above.)

Hmm... Order of business? Daily chart? Danger spots?

Any ideas? (I have a few but I'd be glad for your feedback.)

Mike
EDIT to add: I opened the book to page 19 while I had my eyes shut. While writing up the above (with my eyes open ), this paperback novel did what they sometimes do: it "self opened" to another page. (Typically because a former reader had bent the pages back and damaged the spine -- a habit I abhor but there ya go...)

So okay I just checked this other page. It's page 47, the start of chapter four. In the opening par we have:

As Hank had told her a hundred times, the best lifeguards are the ones who rarely make rescues. They don't have to, because they practice preventive lifeguarding, which means warning people of dangerous situations before they get into trouble.

This is starting to seriously creep me out. Honestly, I've never even read this book. (I loathe such stories as they are basically formula-written.) It has just sat there in the back row in my bookcase. But when I get two pages basically at random, that talk about "order of business", "daily chart", "danger spots", "warning", "dangerous situations" and "rescue", I have to wonder if it's pointing in some arcane way to the current economic crisis and the "bailout/rescue" package and the dire warnings associated with that.


[edit on 5/10/08 by JustMike]

reply to post by JustMike

Wow. I have to digest this. It is really quite uncanny.

It appears to me that this reading supports the whole idea of some ominous and unexpected October event; that we need to be prepared, calm ourselves, because there exists danger (yes -- avoidable -- but also impending).

It seems to warn that this is no time for laziness, neither physical nor intellectual.

I am especially struck by the strange coincidence you relate, where the book accidentally fell and opened to a particular spot. It really underlines for me the idea of incidents occurring in a world beyond our control.

Uninvited things expose themselves to us. They contain vital information, if we can decipher their meaning.

I will have more to say on this. I will definitely add more after thinking about it. I have this feeling that I am missing something important from this reading.

[edit on 5-10-2008 by Buck Division]

Ok here is my experiment, take from it what you will. I recently picked up "the Wheel of Darkness" paperback, I love Penderghast, and opened up to a random page and started reading...nothing of note until the last 2 lines on the page, seperated from the rest of the page:

"This was a ship. There was no place to run."

Now the thing about these 2 lines is, I've been reading the threads on BG's prediction for Oct 14th, and thats what made me kinda get that heebee jeebee feelin. lol.


Nothing to see here.

Move along.

Great post OP. I always wondered what the practice was called.

I have to share this with you: the passage quoted was,

most charming, and one or two heads had freckles upon the faces to contrast the better with the brilliancy of their complexions.

One key unlocked all the velvet cupboards containing these treasures--a curious key carved from a single blood-red ruby--and this was fastened to a strong but slender chain which the Princess wore around her left wrist.

When Nanda had supported Langwidere to a position in front of cupboard No. 17, the Princess unlocked the door with her ruby key and after handing head No. 9, which she had been wearing, to the maid, she took No. 17 from its shelf and fitted it to her neck. It had black hair and dark eyes and a lovely pearl-and-white complexion, and when

www.facade.com.

My question was: Will my porn business make me lots of money?

A genuine question because I've recently set-up an adult content site. I wonder whether the stichomancy program pulls key words from the question then matches them to a passage based on tags associated with the key words.

I especially like "velvet cupboards containing these treasures", "chain which the Princess wore around her left wrist", "had supported Langwidere to a position in front of", "after handing head", and "black hair and dark eyes and a lovely pearl-and-white complexion". Not to mention the connection that can be made with cupboard, 17 and maid.

I don't know whether the answer is "yes" or "no", but it's a pleasure to read regardless.

I'll be using the program for the next couple of hours now I know about it.

Edited to add: The website linked in the OP is a very clever way to sell books.

[edit on 5/10/08 by Rapacity]

Originally posted by Rapacity
I wonder whether the stichomancy program pulls key words from the question then matches them to a passage based on tags.

It sounds promising, Rapacity. Pretty uncanny.

I am fairly sure, having played with this particular website at length, that there is some indexing of keywords going on. Some of these results are to improbable to be otherwise.

From a philosophical perspective, I am not sure that is necessarily bad. (It just makes the reading easier to understand. For example, I am interested ONLY in readings that are in English. I can't speak Spanish or French, and it would be difficult to translate readings like that.)

The main thing, it seems, is that random chance delivers some passage for YOU to interpret. I am fairly convinced, through playing with this website, that the readings are actually random. I have never received two identical readings, even to similar questions.

I gave an explanation of what I thought earlier in this thread. I think this Stichomancy works. Somehow. The ability to foresee the future is in YOU, and not in the reading or the website. It all goes to the mystery of the conscious mind, and how that may work.

Good luck on your business! Sounds like a lot of fun!

[edit on 5-10-2008 by Buck Division]

I prefer the old pendulum and the yes or no questions.

Its never let me down.

Write:


Y / N

on a piece of paper and if you dont have a pendulum handy grab a chain which can have a medal on it or something like that.

Its awesome!!!! And quick, heck, i've done it in public

I actually brought back a beautiful pendulum from Phoenix.


You ask a question and whichever way the pendulum swings to the most is your answer!

BTW- its a good idea to ask before you start if the time is right and the pendulum will usually point to yes. (courtesy counts)
I dont know why they suggest you do this, but who cares! Not trying to derail your subject, OP, i'm sure your method has its merits- I just cant be bothered to have an answer given to me by some reading material like " Ladies Home Journal" or something weird at hand like "The old man and the Sea" ( in my collection of books)

[edit on 5-10-2008 by dgtempe]

[edit on 5-10-2008 by dgtempe]

reply to post by Buck Division


Thank you, and it is fun but, boy, you wouldn't believe how complicated and dull it can get when reviewing the content I wish to add.

Back to topic,

I think your right. If it does look for key words then it's only doing what we'd do naturally albeit unconsciously i.e find a book related to the problem; then the interpretation is all in the mind...

I think we all have the latent ability to sense unknowns (whether past or future). We just need the right "tricks" to help us perceive/understand them.

I recently read somewhere that when we play out scenarios mentally, we preview a possible future based on the actions we plan to play. By "preview a possible future" it's meant to mean that the Universe plays it out in some other reality which we mentally experience. Certainly plausible were one to assume true some of the quirkier ideas about the brain's modus operandi. If true, it would explain how we're able to sense unknowns by tuning-in to whatever the Universe is playing out for others. [I don't think I've properly expressed what I'm trying to say here. My thought's only half baked (but it's here somewhere)]. I wonder what Descartes would say.

[edit on 6/10/08 by Rapacity]

[edit on 6/10/08 by Rapacity]

Originally posted by Buck Division
I will have more to say on this. I will definitely add more after thinking about it. I have this feeling that I am missing something important from this reading.

The same thing nagged at me: "I'm missing something here, something that's staring me right in the face."

Okay so I slept on it and woke up at 5:30 a.m. after some rather odd dreams. (Just processing, I feel -- not "predictive" as such.)

Hank. The guy in those two sections that came up -- the one who's giving the orders -- is called Hank. Now, I'm not an American and where I come from it's not a name we use. I've never even met anyone who goes by the name of "Hank". But there was something about that name, so I looked up its etymology:

HANK

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: HANGK
Originally a short form of Hankin which was a medieval diminutive of JOHN. Since the 17th century in the United States this name has also been used as a diminutive of HENRY, probably under the influence of the Dutch diminutive HENK.

(From Behind the Name.com)

Henry. Now what American named Henry has been in the news a lot lately, especially in regards to "charts", "danger", "warning people" and "rescue"? It was so obvious that it took a while but here's what I think this may mean:

Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson Jr. (born March 28, 1946) is the United States Treasury Secretary and member of the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs.

(From Henry Paulson's bio in Wikipedia.

This is all becoming a lot clearer now and I don't like the look of it. I especially don't like it that Hank tells everyone that the first thing they have to do is run a mile.

A comment on how this all "works". I believe that everything is interconnected: nothing exists in complete isolation and only of itself. It's the concept of "one-ness", if you will. I also believe that "time" is not a simple, unidirectional, linear phenomenon, but the implications for what that may mean are something I won't discuss further unless others wish. I'm not saying that from an "I know more than you" kind of perspective, because I don't and I sure don't have all the answers! No, it's just that it would be a rather long post.

Mike

Originally posted by Rapacity
I think your right. If it does look for key words then it's only doing what we'd do naturally albeit unconsciously i.e find a book related to the problem; then the interpretation is all in the mind...

I think we all have the latent ability to sense unknowns (whether past or future). We just need the right "tricks" to help us perceive/understand them.
[edit on 6/10/08 by Rapacity]

Yes, but I'd be wary of using a computer program for this. It's fun to try but not something I take all that seriously, because who knows how it's set up and what the human programmer decided would be the method for selecting the texts? Is it "random"? And even if it is, by whose definition of "random"?

I prefer to avoid unconsciously finding a book related to the problem by digging through the back row of my bookcase with my eyes shut. These are books that aren't even visible anyway because the ones in front obscure them. Also, the books I refer to or like the most are in front; the ones behind are those I use rarely or (as in the case I posted above) that I have never even read. Frankly I can't even recall what's been stored there for the past dozen years or so and being the top shelf (six feet off the floor) I can't just sneak a peek first. That's helpful. True, I might still select a book that I unconsciously know is located in such-and-such a place on the shelf, but in that case it's truly unconscious, which is fine by me.

I fully agree with what you said about sensing unknowns, and that the time frame is basically irrelevant. As for "tricks", I follow what you mean. I call them "tools" but it amounts to the same thing. It doesn't really matter if we use random pages from books, or Tarot, or whatever. They're all just tools to help focus our Selves on the information that we are looking for.


[edit on 6/10/08 by JustMike]

Here is mine.

Q: Will there be martial law?

A : the Magnet, Shaggy disengaged himself from the Queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. The adventurers from Oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was no more talk about conquering and binding any of his party.

"If you insist on conquering anyone," said Shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground Kingdom of Ruggedo. To conquer the world, as you have set out to do, you must conquer everyone under its surface as well as those upon its

Originally posted by JustMike
Yes, but I'd be wary of using a computer program for this. It's fun to try but not something I take all that seriously, because who knows how it's set up and what the human programmer decided would be the method for selecting the texts? Is it "random"? And even if it is, by whose definition of "random"?

Agreed, it could be directing resultant behaviour.

Cbass,

Sounds like revolution (hope that word doesn't lead to me getting any visiting friends courtesy of the gov.). Still, I have my pitchfork ready.

[edit on 6/10/08 by Rapacity]