<snip> > > Same with the Surya Samhita Jyotishis, which are often written on > palms leaves and hundreds of years old: these had to be written by > someone who was omniscient in some way, there's simply no way around > it. How else could they just know these things about you? I certainly > can't think of a way. In one case a female friend, alleged to be a > reincarnation of a Hindu saint, but an American, went to a Surya > Samhita reader. After going thru the various criteria, he arrived at > her "leaf". Now she had presented with her "Swami" name and no longer > used her birth name. The leaf had her name in English on it. I shit > you not. How is that possible?
Having studied magical illusions and particularly mental magic I can think of numerous ways to do this trick. That is one of the problems with this kind of test. You need a person trained in magic tricks which is why James Randi insists on this for all psychic tests. I'm not saying that I know that the person doesn't have a special ability, but just that if she hadn't studied how such tricks are done she didn't have a chance. Honestly even when you know how a trick is done a great magician can blow you away with the same trick you do yourself just by a higher level of timing. In magic there is a world of difference between "The magician NEVER touched the deck of cards" before he spelled out my name with the cards to reveal my chosen card and "Well, he touched the deck BEFORE the trick started,but that doesn't count." Only someone trained to notice this difference can sometimes catch it from an expert. Our mind also has the natural tendency to shape our experiences when we retell them just a tad. And that small difference can make all the difference. But I respect that you were impressed with the guy so I would be up to learn more, short of going to India that is! > > > <snip> > >> > >> After he does your reading, he'll initiate you into the sadhana to > >> gain the siddhi as well. > > > > Could you do it for us? Do you have the sidhi? I think it is cool > > that you found someone you were impressed with and would be interested > > in reading about him. > > I have not practiced the sadhana and in fact I didn't even want it. > He INSISTED I have it, so I sat there while he initiated me into the > sadhana. > > What I'd really like is a mole at the third eye like John Lennon had > in those pictures inside the White Album, but so far that siddhi has > alluded me. >