Science Friction_ Where the Known Meets the Unknown - Michael Shermer [16]
Sometimes you are too honest about your feelings and you reveal too much of yourself. You are good at thinking things through and you like to see proof before you change your mind about anything. When you find yourself in a new situation you are very cautious until you find out what’s going on, and then you begin to act with confidence.
What I get here is that you are someone who can generally be trusted. Not a saint, not perfect, but let’s just say that when it really matters this is someone who does understand the importance of being trustworthy. You know how to be a good friend.
You are able to discipline yourself so that you seem in control to others, but actually you sometimes feel somewhat insecure. You wish you could be a little more popular and at ease in your interpersonal relationships than you are now.
You are wise in the ways of the world, a wisdom gained through hard experience rather than book learning.
According to Rowland—and he was spot-on with this one—the statement “You are wise in the ways of the world, a wisdom gained through hard experience rather than book learning” was flattery gold. Every one of my subjects nodded furiously in agreement, emphasizing that this statement summed them up to a tee.
After the general statement and personality assessment, I went for specific comments lifted straight from Rowland’s list of high probability guesses. These include items found in the subject’s home:
A box of old photographs, some in albums, most not in albums
Old medicine or medical supplies out of date
Toys, books, mementos from childhood
Jewelry from a deceased family member
Pack of cards, maybe a card missing
Electronic gizmo or gadget that no longer works
Notepad or message board with missing matching pen
Out-of-date note on fridge or near the phone
Booksabout a hobby no longer pursued
Out-of-date calendar
Drawer that is stuck or doesn’t slide properly
Keys that you can’t remember what they go to
Watch or clock that no longer works
And peculiarities about the person:
Scar on knee
Number 2 in the home address
Childhood accident involving water
Clothing never worn
Photos of loved ones in purse
Wore hair long as a child, then shorter haircut
One earring with a missing match
I added one of my own to great effect: “I see a white car.” All of my subjects were able to find a meaningful connection to a white car. As I was reading this list on the flight to Seattle the morning of the reading, I was amazed to discover how many flight attendants and people around me validated them.
Finally, Rowland reminds his ersatz psychics that if the setup is done properly people are only too willing to offer information, especially if you ask the right questions. Here are a few winners:
“Tell me, are you currently in a long-term relationship, or not?”
“Are you satisfied in terms of your career, or is there a problem?”
“What is it about your health that concerns you?”
“Who is the person who has passed over that you want to try to contact today?”
While going through the Barnum reading I remembered to pepper the commentary with what Rowland calls “incidental questions,” such as:
“Now why would that be?“
“Is this making sense to you?”
“Does this sound right?“
“Would you say this is along the right lines for you?“
“This is significant to you, isn’t it?“
“You can connect with this, can’t you?“
“So who might this refer to please?“
“What might this link to in your life?“
“What period of your life, please, might this relate to?“
“So tell me, how might this be significant to you?“
“Can you see why this might be the impression I’m getting?”
With this background, all gleaned from a single day of intense reading and note taking, I was set.
The Tarot Card Reading
My first subject was a twenty-one-year-old woman, for whom I was to do a tarot card reading. To prepare myself I bought a “Haindl Tarot