The Challenges of Predictions and Prophecy

Note from the publisher: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make a correlation between today's headlines, blogs, & popular books to what some folks refer to as "end times". A recent interview between CNN's Glenn Beck and author Joel Rosenberg regarding his new novel, Dead Heat compelled me to re-publish this article I wrote for Miri's Corner back in April of 2006 on The Challenges of Predictions and Prophecy.

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In the universe of Star Wars, a young boy named Anakin Skywalker was believed to be the Chosen One written about in Jedi prophecy. It was said that the Chosen One was destined to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Emperor and the Sith.

As the story goes, Anakin Skywalker did indeed bring balance to the Force and did destroy the Sith….but not the way that the Jedi Council “assumed” he would based on their interpretation of the prophecy. Instead, Anakin Skywalker joined the Sith as Darth Vader. It was only after many decades of bloodshed that Anakin finally destroyed the Emperor and brought balance to the Force. When Anakin did destroy the Emperor, he did not do it as a Jedi Knight, nor as the ambitious Darth Vader. Instead Anakin destroyed the Emperor as a concerned father who wanted to save his son, Luke Skywalker, from the evil Sith.

The primary challenge for accurately interpreting a prediction or prophecy is the context.

Context is often defined as a set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event.

As a general rule, when a person has a clairvoyant or intuitive vision or dream, the individual receives a gestalt of images and facts…but the individual is rarely given the context or full meaning of the prediction or prophecy.

Let’s pretend for a moment that Rose Kennedy, the matriarch of the Kennedy Clan, had her tea leaves read at a garden party in the 1920s or 1930s...and was told that one of her sons would become the President of the United States. At this moment in time, Rose Kennedy would probably assume that the tea leaf reader was referring to her eldest son, Joe Jr. After all, Joe Jr. was the chosen one who was being groomed for leadership. By the same token, at this moment in time the last person Rose Kennedy would assume would rise to Presidency was Jack...her sickly, studious and bookish son. However, without having the context of time, Rose would have no idea that her son Joe Jr. would come to a tragic end in an airplane accident in the 1940s or that Jack would overcome his illnesses to become a famous war hero and charismatic Congressman and Senator.

In a real life example, during the month of November in 1981 seven young people (Alphonsie, Emmanuel, Anathalie, Marie-Claire, Stephanie, Agnes, and Vestine) saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary as well as had many prophetic visions in Kihebo, Rwanda, Africa. During one vision of the future, which lasted 8 hours, the young people saw graphic images of tragedy including massacres, decapitated bodies, and so many bodies thrown into rivers…that it appeared the rivers were running red with blood.

Without the context of time, geography, or politics many people across the globe who heard of this prophecy assumed the vision was the prophecy of a global apocalypse. However, now we know that these visions were not of a global apocalypse, but instead of the Rwandan holocaust that came to pass 13 years later.

Context is also an issue for remote viewing. The former government remote viewer Paul Smith related the following anecdote in his book, Reading the Enemy's Mind. Occasionally the remote viewers were given a directed or open search task, in which the blinded prompt or coordinate was consistent with the phrase, "Tell us something important that is going to happen in the next 24 hours.” During an open search remote viewing session that occurred on Friday, May 15, 1987, Paul Smith described a US military vessel, moving through water at night being hit by a missile of some type from an aircraft flying above. In addition, Paul Smith suggested that the aircraft originated from a Third World country…possibly an Arabic location.

On Monday morning, May 18, 1987, Skip Atwater called Paul Smith and told him to look at the newspaper. The headline story in The Washington Post stated that a US frigate was attacked by an Iraqi missile in the Gulf. The USS Stark had been on maneuvers when an Iraqi Mirage fired a missile at it. The missile hit the frigate which was sinking in the Persian Gulf and many Americans were killed in the attack.

This is an example of a highly accurate and impressive remote viewing session that occurred several hours prior to the described attack. However, without the context of the described incident…such as the specifics of time, geography, politics or even the players involved…what is a person to do with the information?

Many futurists and clairvoyants of the 20th century described several Orwellian type predictions for the modern world. Some of these predictions included populations of drugged humans, experiments that included combining human and animal “parts” to create the ultimate warriors, and lastly Big Brother type surveillance cameras that would track the comings & goings of ordinary people.

Flash forward to the year 2006 and all of these predictions have come true…except not in the Totalitarian way that these futurists or clairvoyants assumed. For example today we have an unprecedented number of ordinary people who willingly take prescription drugs (i.e. Prozac, Oxycontin, diabetic medications, cholesterol medications, anti-aging regimens, Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, etc). In fact the average person demands access to pharmaceutical drugs. Consider the recent demand for Medicare Part D legislation by constituents.

In addition, the world of professional and Olympic athletics...one could describe these athletes as the warriors of today. The headlines over the past few years (i.e. the BALCO scandal) described the preponderance of steroids (synthetic, recombinant and animal steroids), human growth hormone, and assorted other drugs that the athletes willingly broke the law to take in an effort to give themselves a competitive edge.

Lastly, have you watched television lately? There is a wide range of Reality TV shows produced all over the globe. Ordinary folks stand in line for hours just for the privilege of auditioning to participate on a TV show in which they would be followed around with cameras 24/7…just to get their 15 minutes of fame.

Without the context of time or culture…the interpretations of above predictions assumed only a Totalitarian regime could force drugs and surveillance cameras on populations or force warriors to submit to chemical manipulations. Within the correct cultural context, the above predictions describe an ordinary life in the 21st century that demands access to prescription drugs, the opportunity to be on a Reality TV show and athletes that are willing to break the law to gain a competitive edge.

Another challenge to interpreting predictions or prophecies is the explanation of technologies that one doesn’t have any context for.

For example, how would a simple shepherd from a few hundred or a few thousand years ago describe two F-14 fighter jets dog fighting in the skies above their flocks? Perhaps the shepherd would describe two fire breathing dragons screeching in the skies overhead? Or maybe a more eloquent shepherd might describe something consistent with the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible?

The challenge of accurately describing technologies is not limited to ancient prophecies. This is also a challenge for today’s remote viewers and intuitive healers.

In their respective books, both Judith Orloff and Russell Targ described the importance of having a solid background in anatomy, physiology, or medicine prior to pursuing intuitive healing techniques. If the healer does not know what he/she perceives how can the healer help the patient?

In addition, if a remote viewer is being tasked to observe a laboratory or factory, it would be beneficial for the remote viewer to have a background in physics or engineering.

Think about it for a moment. Even the most accurate remote viewer would be challenged to describe a technology that he or she has no reference for. It is best to task a remote viewer that has the appropriate technological training or background to ensure the best chance of a proper description or context of what is being viewed.

Lastly, another challenge for accurately interpreting a prediction or prophecy…is the ability of the seer to clearly articulate and accurately describe what is being seen.

There is a humorous scenario that was depicted in an episode of the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. In the episode the Apollo astronauts not only had to learn geology, but they also had to be able to accurately describe the lunar landscape to geologists and artists back on earth at NASA. The astronaut’s geology professor took the astronauts out to various desert landscapes and sent one astronaut out to a remote location with a walkie-talkie. The astronaut was instructed to describe the landscape to a fellow astronaut hundreds of meters away armed with a sketch pad & pencil. The clumsy montage of descriptions and rough sketches illustrated the importance of being able to clearly articulate and accurately describe what one is “seeing”.

In my basic remote viewing class we were given a very similar exercise that also illustrated this very important point. The students were partnered up and one student was given a sketch pad and pencil while the other student was given a photograph. The student with the photograph was tasked with describing the image in the photograph while the other student was tasked with drawing the image using only the other student’s descriptions as a guide. The results were both humorous and humbling…which illustrated the importance and the challenge of clearly articulating and accurately describing what is being seen.

It doesn’t matter how clear the image is in your head…if you cannot articulate it or communicate it in an accurate manner.

There are many challenges for accurately interpreting a prediction or prophecy. The context or set of facts or circumstances that surround the prediction or prophecy is a big challenge to overcome. The context of time, evolution of cultures, politics, or changes in relationships, or changes in emotional states can radically skew the interpretation of a prediction.

In addition, it also a challenge for a seer to accurately explain technologies that he/she doesn’t have any context for. And lastly, the ability of the seer to clearly articulate and accurately describe what is being seen is also a major challenge to be over come.


References

Atwater, F.H. (2001). Captain of My Ship, Master of My Soul: Living With Guidance. Charlottesville, SC: Hampton Roads Publishing Company.

Buchanan, L. (2003). The Seventh Sense: The Secrets of Remote Viewing as Told by a "Psychic Spy" for the U.S. Military. New York: Paraview Pocket Books.

McMoneagle, J. (1993). Mind Trek: Exploring Consciousness, Time, and Space Through Remote Viewing. Charlottesville, SC: Hampton Roads Publishing Company.

Nelson, R. (2006). Marian Apparitions & Prophecies. Retrieved April 29, 2006, http://www.rexresearch.com/mary/maryapps.htm

Orloff, J. (2000). Guide to Intuitive Healing: 5 Steps to Physical, Emotional and Sexual Wellness. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Orloff, J. (1996). Second Sight. New York: Warner Books, Inc.

Ritchey, D. (2003). The H.I.S.S. of the A.S.P.: Understanding the Anomalously Sensitive Person. Terra Alta, WV: Headline Books, Inc.

Smith, P. (2005). Reading the Enemy's Mind: Inside Star Gate, America's Psychic Espionage Program. New York: Forge Books.

Targ, R. & Katra J. (1998) Miracles of Mind: Exploring Non-local Consciousness and Spiritual Healing. Novato, CA: New World Library.

Targ, R. & Katra J. (1999) The Heart of the Mind. Novato, CA: New World Library.

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