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Author Topic:   Don't be taken for a ride
charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 03:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Went to a holistic wellness centre to replace my turquoise stone which broke in half.Many different people gather there to offer astrology readings, reiki etc.The setting is open plan.

While browsing for the birth stones, I noticed there was a lady that offered angel readings.She was doing a reading for a lady that one could see was holding onto every word the angel reader was saying and frantically taking notes(let's call her Ms Y)

I noticed the woman doing the reading ( let's call her Ms X)would turn the cards over with her left hand and her right one would suddenly go down to her lap then place it on the table, lean her head forward, place her right elbow on the table and use her hand to almost cover her face like one would do when trying to block the sunlight out of one's eyes.

From afar it would look asif Ms X was concentrating very hard.I found this kind of odd. It seemed asif Ms Y was too busy taking notes to notice.As I passed Ms X table something caught my eye...

She had a large book placed on her lap! She would turn over a card, then make asif she was concentrating while she looked the page of the card and read to Ms Y!

Surely Ms Y could have done it herself if that was the case instead of paying R500.00 for a one hour consultation.This mad me feel angry.

I waited around till they were done and as Ms Y was about to leave, approached Ms X.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 03:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
I asked Ms X about the charge and how she does a reading. She said that she 'meditates' on the cards and interpret. I asked her if reading from a book was meditating at which point she went blood red in the face! Ms Y looked stunned and asked what I was refering to. Before I could say any more Ms Y quickly went around the table and spotted the large book. She grabbed it and paged through scanning the cards that appeared in her reading.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 03:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
"Everything you told me is exactly what the book says!!!", Ms Y exclaimed. Ms X, clearly lost for words placed the R500 on the table, grabbed her stuff and left in a terrible hurry while everyone was looking on in disbelief.

It is good knowing she was exposed and it was the first time Ms X came to the wellness centre to offer her services and most likely her last.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 03:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Why do people have to be so dishonest and prey on others that are vulnerable.I can't believe that woman actually thought she would be able to get away with it.

Any one else her have a similiar experience?

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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writesomething
Moderator

Posts: 1979
From: meet me in montauk
Registered: May 2006

posted August 22, 2008 03:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for writesomething     Edit/Delete Message
Im surprised she didnt even attempt to memorize the information. Bravo to you though, seriously. I would have done the same thing.

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 03:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Maybe she had done it before else where and it worked. Maybe she was overcome by greed who knows...

If my ram was there I could only imagine how things would have turned out - thank goodness he wasn't

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Unmoved
Moderator

Posts: 1753
From: Born in S.Africa
Registered: Jun 2007

posted August 22, 2008 09:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Unmoved     Edit/Delete Message
Is it common to go to a holistic angel healer, that's what the card says, and come back feeling worse?

I'm tired to elaborate.

At least it wasn't out of my pocket. Bleh.

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Unmoved
Moderator

Posts: 1753
From: Born in S.Africa
Registered: Jun 2007

posted August 22, 2008 11:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Unmoved     Edit/Delete Message
Nevermind. I'm being too suspicious.

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LadyNeptune
Knowflake

Posts: 279
From:
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 22, 2008 05:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LadyNeptune     Edit/Delete Message
You rock! I'm so glad you said something.

I bought angel cards, but I was disappointed in them. I had expected them to be more like my tarot cards, more predictive. Maybe it was just the booklet that came with it, but I only used them once.

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Dervish
Knowflake

Posts: 397
From: California
Registered: Nov 2006

posted August 23, 2008 01:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dervish     Edit/Delete Message
I went to a psychic fair once and had an aura pic of me done. What was funny was that the aura was "out of synch" with my body, and the person with the cam fiddled with it, took it again, and that time I had a pic with the aura as it was supposed to be. I offered to pay double and get the first pic and she pointedly tore it up into tiny pieces in front of me.


My first official job was with a cynical new age store owner. I don't know how she's doing now, but she did far better than the new age True Believer while I knew her, I guess because she understands people and business better. (And keep in mind that many of the great mystics, including Jesus, seemed unable to take care of themselves, but had to be taken care of by disciples that were able to handle the "real world" much better than the mystics.)

Btw, the True Believer was scared of me. That was rather funny, IMO (and the cynical new age store owner also thought it was a hoot). I was learning Wicca, witchcraft, and the Western Mystery Tradition at that time in my life, and out of curiosity I walked into my first new age shop to see if they had anything interesting or helpful. That was early 2000 and I don't recall much, but I do remember the store owner seeming nervous when I walked in, probably because of my offbeat appearance (I got mistaken for a goth a lot, and given Columbine happened less than a year before and it was falsely attributed to goths, that wasn't good--plus, my trench coat didn't help, I'm sure). I also recall getting a card with pretty artwork & some incense.

Anyway, while the guy was dealing with that (it was primitive, he had to write everything down, and he bundled the incense separately by kind, etc), I saw a card that helps you figure out your number and what it means. Knowing that I was about to learn about Gematria soon, I was interested and excitedly told the guy that the number fit me. And then I noticed that nearly all the other numbers said about the same thing in different words, and even the ones that were different could also apply to me. Pointing that out, he looked uncomfortable, so I laughed it off with, "Oh well, all numbers are infinite!" When he then looked confused, I added, "You know, Crowley?" At that point he acted scared of me. At the time I had very little idea who Crowley was or how he was often perceived (though I'd been reading a book written by him, plus commentary on him by Robert Anton Wilson who had an unusually good view on the man for a non-Thelemite), but then I was used to being treated as a satanist by the fundies, so his reaction wasn't like a new experience for me.


One last thing: I know someone who makes a living as a psychic. She couldn't do it when sincere, but when she started telling people what they WANTED to hear, they started to come back. Ironically, she gives real readings for free. But there just wasn't much of a market available for an honest reading though, as that's not what the majority of customers wanted. Instead, they were paying for reasons to get out of bed by hearing what they wanted to hear about money and love and/or being what she calls "extra special" (like some spiritually enlightened being from Atlantis here to teach lessons to others). Being right or wrong didn't matter, just so long as they believed Great Things were coming their way.

Still, the number of scam artists and the like doesn't mean that the real thing doesn't exist. You'll find scam artists, incompetents, and quacks in all fields, and I think their numbers, if known, would be staggering. I myself once paid hundreds of dollars to plumbers to fix my sink and none of them could do it. But one day a friend fixed my sink in like 5 minutes, and he did it for FREE! It was just a simple calcium build up, like what had clogged my showerhead up once (made me kick myself for not considering that in the first place). I think the psychic biz is like every other biz, including plumbing. Which means buyer beware and it can get REAL discouraging at times, but the real thing does exist.

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CrimsonChyld
Knowflake

Posts: 159
From: Murray, UT
Registered: May 2008

posted August 23, 2008 02:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for CrimsonChyld     Edit/Delete Message
WOW! I can't believe how selfish people can be... just mind blowing.
I went to a lady for a reading a few years ago and paid $40 for a reading. She let me tape it, so years after I practically had her words memorized. But she said that she felt the need to go above and beyond her usual $40 reading. So she had me close my eyes and place myself in this certain scenario and when I opened my eyes I was teary eyed (Cancer moon). And left there feeling like I had such a genuine reading.
But.. a few years later I went back to her for another reading and she seemed like she was reading lines out of a book.. not a very good one at that because I noticed her emotions more. Like she seemed almost bored with it. And I noticed that she was reciting almost line for line what she said in the previous reading.
Anyway, it just didn't feel right. I went to someone else a few years after that one and felt like this other lady was more genuine. She was able to tell me things about myself that were very true. She even predicted a couple of situations in my life that later came to pass.
Kind of like gambling.. we pay the money and either get lucky or get taken...

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Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
and the other's gold

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Unmoved
Moderator

Posts: 1753
From: Born in S.Africa
Registered: Jun 2007

posted August 23, 2008 02:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Unmoved     Edit/Delete Message
Char, by the way, that was super awesome what you did.

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 23, 2008 06:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Unmoved - Y was grateful. She got her money back which was a relief as she was conned before. We chatted for a while and she is determined not to let X get away with this. She is trying to find out where X operates from as she only has a card with the womans cell no. The manager of the wellness centre refused to give X's address as they have a privacy policy.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 23, 2008 06:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Ladyneptune - With more pratice I'm sure you'll get better. Don't give up

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 23, 2008 07:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Dervish - Read an article too about so called psycics that take note of body language, tone of voice etc. and tell their clients what they want to hear. It's scam artists that give the good apples a bad name.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 23, 2008 07:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Crimson Chyld - Sometimes we learn the hard way but at least we'll be wiser and make better choices. Hope you don't use that lady again.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 25, 2008 03:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
The reason I shared this experience is sothat we can ask ours- elves how many times we witnessed a wrong or saw someone in need and did nothing. Many times people say they do not want to get involved.
Currently there is a lot of negatives in the world and by doing little deeds we can make big changes

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Dervish
Knowflake

Posts: 397
From: California
Registered: Nov 2006

posted August 25, 2008 04:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dervish     Edit/Delete Message
On the other hand, there's a lot of evil done by people wanting to do good. People can be placed in abusive facilities (which they don't always survive), have feel good laws passed that spread unintentional harm (without doing anything good), or ban gay marriage because they're trying to save gays from Hell by making it as difficult as they can for people to live that lifestyle and find health and/or happiness in doing it. Even most of the Nazis thought they were saving the world from an evil menace, and plenty of suicide bombers are also doing what they think is good & right (and technically, to do that out of despair instead of self-sacrifice for a higher cause is seen as a sin).

I agree that the world needs more dogooders. BUT people who are too quick to do good without thought and/or wisdom can do just as much harm as someone who acts in malice.

Btw, that's generally not an "excuse" on my part. Today I picked up two pieces of what I think was tar paper with a black tack through it obviously put in the bike lane to flatten tires. In the past I've ran at top speed to stop an out of control shopping cart from crashing into a SUV (and I find SUVs annoying as they're hard to see around, among other things), I swept up broken glass when it was obvious no one else was going to a few blocks away because I couldn't stand the thought of the children playing falling in it or animals getting it in their paws and licking it off to swallow it, and hammered down a nail someone rigged at a gazebo in the park to cut clothes & skin (going home to get a hammer and going back). I feed stray cats, and I've bought groceries for people who've needed them (and I don't even have a car & shop at discount stores & sometimes crash art shows for the free food, and even got this old, outdated computer I'm using by barter). I gave $40 to a friend so that she could get her BF that I barely knew to see a dentist. I helped to conserve power in more than one home (willing on their part using alternatives) during a heatwave out of fear of the brownouts that were hurting hospitals. I've even risked my life for others. And I can go on.

However, I've learned to beware the dogooders, because many who go out to do good end up doing more harm than help--or there's a hidden price tag to their "goodness" that would never have been willingly paid had those being "helped" realized it (and may be subconscious in a co-dependent way on the part of the dogooder).

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Unmoved
Moderator

Posts: 1753
From: Born in S.Africa
Registered: Jun 2007

posted August 25, 2008 05:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Unmoved     Edit/Delete Message
Dervish, you're awesome. I've been reading your posts (not just this one).

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charmainec
Moderator

Posts: 496
From: S.A
Registered: Dec 2007

posted August 25, 2008 08:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for charmainec     Edit/Delete Message
Dervish, the intent by people should be sincere and not have ulterior motives when aiding another person.
Other than that to you!

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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