That isnt what I claimed. I claimed to be able to read the cards after a lot of practice on my friends. How accurate the cards were is anyones guess.

@merchmerch wrote:

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

Oh yeah, but you can open up a storefront and make money or even a spare room in your house if you wanna hang some beads and get the atmosphere right. I found it rather draining and would rather not do it but then again I wasn't a fake.

You were claiming to be able to read peoples' futures from a set of laminated paper with fancy ink/designs on it, yet you weren't a fake? I don't doubt you actually believe in it, but let's, at the very least, give a better effort at rational thinking here

That's kinda rude to say and not accurate. First of all, CQ didn't claim to be able to tell the future. Secondly, all of those "fortune telling" implements are supposed to help you on your spiritual journey. They're not supposed to tell the future. If someone says they can, then yes, they're fake. A lot of people get their cards read or runes read and they just want to talk out what they want or what they'll be able to have in the future. No one gets to tell anyone their future, but they certainly can help guide you to get what you want/need.

I know someone who designs Tarot cards and they are absolutely stunning, just beautiful pieces of artwork. I think there is something magical in that itself.

Tarot cards have specific meanings and for the most part talk about things that are ubiquitous to humans everywhere. New beginnings, birth, love, sex, religion. Things that define character, or lack thereof like trustworthiness, responsibility, truthfulness and of course the opposites. They talk about things like the journeys we all make in life whether it's learning new things, taking risks, or jumping into the unknown.

A tarot reading done correctly is really just a discussion of these types of topics and how they apply to the life of the individual getting the reading.

There are religions all over the world. Some sects are violent, some are peaceful. I've only just started looking at crystals. I ordered all the "good fortune" type crystals, like adventurine. I grew up Christian. But I admire cultures and religions who don't get mad and angry. My excuse that I use is that I'm Irish and Indian and a Scorpio and should have been born a redhead. When I see people that can ignore people's ignorant behaviors without any anger at all I think it's just great. I wish I could attain that. As a Christian, you claim that your spirit goes to either heaven or hell. Many people believe in ghosts and spirits that refused to leave our plane. I myself don't want to see this life as the end. I would like to believe there is something more somewhere. If you deny that there is any credibility for spiritualism of whatever belief then you deny all spirituality and anything existing after death. If I can open myself up to drawing better fortunes to myself and my children and my grandchildren; breaking any curses of impoverishments off of my family I will. I'm not discounting hard work, but even you know someone who just seems luckier than everyone else. Why are they so much luckier than everyone else?

I'm agnostic. I was raised Christian in a Southern Baptist Church. When I was about 12, our pastor was giving a sermon stating that anyone who didn't accept Jesus Christ as their savior would surely go to hell. I had a friend who was Jewish and I knew that in her religion, they believed in David, not Jesus, as the Messiah (who had not come yet). It bugged me. I asked the pastor if even my friend, who was a Jew like Jesus, was going to hell because she did not accept Jesus as her savior. He said yes. I never went back to church again (other than weddings and funerals).

I believe in a higher power, but am not convinced that one religion rules over others. I believe men made religion to control the masses. I think the Bible is a great history book, but it's probably lost a lot in translation over the centuries from the original scrolls. At any rate, it was written by men, so I find the foundation still shaky.

I've only studied two religions, Christianity and Messianic Judaism. But I know enough about Buddha to know that he didn't get angry. Part of me can't help but believe Jesus is my savior. But another part of me wants to believe in spiritual enlightenment. I'd love to be reincarnated with a "do-over". Even though I know we don't necessarily remember our past life without hypnosis. Wouldn't want to come back as an insect though. Not sure about sea life either with supersized predators, even though the freedom of swimming an ocean sounds amazing.Another thing most people don't realize. Why do you think they call it the "King James" version. As a result of the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, the "new authorized" version it was compiled. Don't forget about Ol' Henry who changed the church of England to protestant so he could get a divorce.

Hmm. I was thinking about this in a faith-based and coexist sort of way. For me, the Lord is inscrutable, and He works in mysterious ways. He goeth before me; the kingdom of Heaven is within me. I would not dare to suggest that our CoffeeQueen or anyone else is not rational. I just believe that I do not know much about those things. Some atmospheric places are filled with all sorts of ideas. My fave store has everything from Heaven to Hell: the Bible and the darkest occult stuff I have ever seen and oodles of ufo's (unidentified for-sale objects) in between, The point is that all kinds of beliefs are represented there, even if the bulk of items might seem not to be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Plaid, or Protestant. But since Catholic ideas evolved over time and space into various traditions, I have no idea what anyone intends or means. That is between them and... their conscious, their religious figures, or whatever. As long as they keep a Bible on the shelves along with the other types of stuff, it is okay with me that they exist. Anyone who would like to ban a Bible ought to be prepared to ban all other religious books. I blended books and ideas here, and it is a good time to end. “Any book [or card or concept or tradition or religion or faith] worth banning is a book [etc.] worth reading.”―Isaac Asimov

@merchmerch wrote:

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

Oh yeah, but you can open up a storefront and make money or even a spare room in your house if you wanna hang some beads and get the atmosphere right. I found it rather draining and would rather not do it but then again I wasn't a fake.

You were claiming to be able to read peoples' futures from a set of laminated paper with fancy ink/designs on it, yet you weren't a fake? I don't doubt you actually believe in it, but let's, at the very least, give a better effort at rational thinking here

Someone's probably mentioned this in here already, but remember when envelope-stuffing was a legit job back as late as the 1990s, I believe? I'd gladly do that now if they still had it around. Anyone know if they do??

@Forever Blue wrote:

Someone's probably mentioned this in here already, but remember when envelope-stuffing was a legit job back as late as the 1990s, I believe? I'd gladly do that now if they still had it around. Anyone know if they do??

Machines do this now.

^ Figured so, thanks!

Machines did it then too for some companies. We still have local in house folks doing them. BY HAND

@SoCalMama wrote:

@Forever Blue wrote:

Someone's probably mentioned this in here already, but remember when envelope-stuffing was a legit job back as late as the 1990s, I believe? I'd gladly do that now if they still had it around. Anyone know if they do??

Machines do this now.