Confessions of a Former Woo

[supercorgi]

OK, I admit, when I was younger (teen and early twenties) I believed in all sorts of crap. I grew out of it. Now I'm very skeptical. But when I was a teen and a young adult, I used to do Tarot readings. I got interesting in the Tarot from Piers Anthony's Cluster series and from T.S. Elliot’s Poem the "Wasteland." I was interested in Tarot as symbolism. Sort of a Jungian exploration of development and the psyche. I viewed Tarot readings as, not prediction, but as an exploration of mentality. I was interested in the interpretations that people applied to the cards. The journey from the "Fool" to the "World" I considered a mental and developmental journey. Was a truly a woo in my thinking on this. I like to think I was not. That I approached the Tarot as a philosophical exercise. What do you think. Just wondering.

[Chris Haynes]

One of the things that started the seed to skepticism for me were Tarot cards. I could never get a handle on all the ramifications of meanings, there did not seem to be a noticeable pattern.

Then I realized that most of it was made up as they went along.

What really did it was astrology.

When I was in high school there was news of some big comet. It turned out to be a disappointment (Kahoutek (http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/app.f.htm))... but our lack of seeing it while boating in the Gulf of Panama was not helped by being so close to the equator. Then I realized... most of the astrological signs were most visible north of the Tropic of Cancer. Actually, they can be seen near the equator, but not as center pieces in the sky. This was reinforced when I saw the constellation "Scorpio" in full glory when my family moved to Arizona. It was a sight that could NOT be ignored!

Of course, this was during the summer (July)... and Scorpio is supposed to be prevelent in late fall (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21). If this doesn't send up a red flag that astrology is full of bovine excrement, then the believer is hopeless.

[MortFurd]

Of course, this was during the summer (July)... and Scorpio is supposed to be prevelent in late fall (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21). If this doesn't send up a red flag that astrology is full of bovine excrement, then the believer is hopeless.
The problem is that the average astrology believer couldn't walk outside on a clear night and pick out any constellation at all. Blissful ignorance and wishful thinking...

[rudar]

Of course, this was during the summer (July)... and Scorpio is supposed to be prevelent in late fall (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21). If this doesn't send up a red flag that astrology is full of bovine excrement, then the believer is hopeless.

Well, to play woo's advocate, isn't the important thing supposed to be which constellation the sun is *in*? Clearly, if the sun is in Scorpio, you wouldn't actually *see* Scorpio, because it would be up in the middle of the day when it's not very dark out...

[Chris Haynes]

Well, to play woo's advocate, isn't the important thing supposed to be which constellation the sun is *in*? Clearly, if the sun is in Scorpio, you wouldn't actually *see* Scorpio, because it would be up in the middle of the day when it's not very dark out...

July is Month #7
November is Month #11...

11 minus 7 is 4, not 6 ... so no, it would not be in the sun. If I were really mean I would use October, which is only three months from July.

But then again... a woo would make up their own rules for astrology, just like they do for Tarot cards.

[Tarot_Is_A_Card_Game!]

Here's one of the best articles on Tarot I have read.
http://hem1.passagen.se/bernvill/tarot.htm :cool:

[Chris Haynes]

Here's one of the best articles on Tarot I have read.
http://hem1.passagen.se/bernvill/tarot.htm :cool:

That is interesting... I learned that it was a card game from reading the goofs for The Red Violin (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120802/goofs)...
Anachronisms: Tarot cards were not used for divination until the late 18th century (before that, they were playing cards).

[rudar]

July is Month #7
November is Month #11...

11 minus 7 is 4, not 6 ... so no, it would not be in the sun. If I were really mean I would use October, which is only three months from July.

But then again... a woo would make up their own rules for astrology, just like they do for Tarot cards.

I'm sure they could, but if Scorpio's hidden by the sun in November, it would be fully opposite the sun in May, rising at sundown, setting at sunset at sunup (give or take), and being in full splendour overhead in the middle of the night. Three or four months away from November, it would be in full splendour overhead right around sunset/ early evening, when one would be most likely to see it.

[rustytunes]

Antares, the brightest star in Scorpio is 600 light years away. We don't know if Scorpio still exists, let alone what it is doing at present...

[phildonnia]

<pedantry> Scorpius. </pedantry>

[Dragonspar]

I also used to be a rather heavy woo. Alo had trouble with the cards, but I suppose looking at the symbles is interesting, but sound like just a varient on staring at ink blots and deciding what the pretty pictures mean. its fun, and amusing, but hardly mystical.

[coalesce]

Here's one of the best articles on Tarot I have read.
http://hem1.passagen.se/bernvill/tarot.htm :cool:

I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards.
I got a full house and four people died.
-- Steven Wright

This and other bon mots can be found here

http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html

Michael

[Tarot_Is_A_Card_Game!]

I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards.
I got a full house and four people died.
-- Steven Wright

This and other bon mots can be found here

http://www.weather.net/zarg/ZarPages/stevenWright.html

Michael

Yes, Steven Wright is brilliant! :cool: He performs quite frequently here in Vegas. There is one line I remember vividly which does not appear on the website to which you've linked. "What do batteries run on?"