03 June 2012

Little Nudge vs a Big Whack




I kinda like the 3 card yes/no readings. 


I know that is a direct contradiction to my philosophy about "predictions". Readings really are food for thought, a way to solve problems more creatively, a way to ease stressful emotions.


The problem with readings and "predictions" is how seriously you take them. Sure they are fun when you are trying to predict your favorite hockey team (the Pens) will win the Stanley Cup against all odds, or that you'll get a date with your latest crush, or hoping against hope that you'll get that dream job...it's all good, until we make big, serious decisions based on readings. It can really ridiculous really fast. 


But for just yucks and chuckles, why not?


As I see it, these small, fun "predictive" readings can have a place too. Sometimes we need serious food for thought to whack our lives in the right direction, or something a little out of the ordinary (like an on-target reading) to get our attention so we can learn important lessons.


Other times all we need is a little nudge in the right direction, or a small pat on the back. That's where the magic-8-ball-paper-fortune-teller-gypsy-at-the-fair kinds of readings come in handy. 


Readings can be deep inspiration and communion with your personal spiritual beliefs. Or it can be putting a quarter into the Great Rigatoni machine at the arcade. All kinds of readings have value...it is just a matter of matching the right reading with the right person and situation...which isn't easy. People hate it when I tell them their fate is up to them...the future is decided by their choices, their actions control what happens... when all they want is a pre-packaged, no-brainer, easy way out.  


When it comes to whacks and nudges, I tend to get Confucian about it.


I've heard that one time Confucius gave two totally different answers to two different students who had asked him pretty much the same question. One student he told to act immediately. The other he told only to act after getting advice and permission from his father. When asked why he gave such opposite answers, he answered that each student had very different needs. One was very shy, and overly-reticent - that's the guy he told to jump in. The other one was impulsive, even reckless. That's the one he told to cool it. It was based on the needs of the situation, and the needs of the individual, not slavish adherence to principle. Luckily, Confucius wasn't a fundamentalist.


So why do I rant against "predictions" yet still enjoy "predictive" yes or no readings?


If the Confucian reason is too boring, think of it as the candy bar principle. The old candy commercial said "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"...when it comes to psychic intuitive and tarot readings...sometimes you need a whack, sometimes you don't (and a fun little nudge in the right direction will do just fine instead).


Ok, now...raise your hand if you have that candy jingle stuck in your head... 

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