Sneak Peak for Saturday

I will do an overview of my paper. From psychics, horoscopes- to zodiacs and fortune tellers. Such as, how did all this come about? Are there such things as coincidences? The video above gives some insight to what's going to be presented. :0) I hope you all enjoy it!!

As I was explaining in class, I found a lot of information out about where psychics, gypsies and horoscopes came from- very interesting to 'dig' up this information. I found that this is rhetorical by trying to persuade different individuals into believing that their lives, and days (through horoscopes, through psychic readings) are pre-set for them. I asked people in the class about the clip on the money-the twenty dollar bill, when the twin towers were burning. I then asked them about the pentagon, and asked if this was coincidence. Almost all of the class responded to it being coincidence. I loved getting my class involved, because this brings about a certain pathos- curiosity, and you can't help but admit that this whole subject is intriguing.

Who, in our society today believes in Astrology? Why is it that when an individual calls a psychic hotline, they ask for names, birthdays, ages and locations (after all, they are suppose to be psychic, aren’t they)? The rhetoric of Astrology, horoscopes and readings are that these self-acclaimed psychics are simply trying to persuade individuals that their lives are pre-set for them. I believe that people, intrigued by these small psychic fore-tellings are just merely getting a rise out of the unknown.

Out of curiosity, one must wonder who goes by a play-by-play regarding their days’ events. Imagine, waking up in the mornings, opening up the newspaper and reading the horoscope to see what might happen that day? Who would avoid going outdoors just because the horoscope says to stay in doors? Another question, how about talking to a loved one, because the horoscope says something along the lines that ‘the communication level with a close one needs to be opened up’? I know if I talked to my husband-just conversation out of no-where and said that, “Our communication level is deteriorating…” he just might think I’d need psychiatric help. How did these horoscopes, zodiac signs and psychic readings come about? There are books and magazines that offer horoscopes and pages in the back where you can find a psychics number. As well, there are small buildings on street corners where psychics and fortune-tellers claim they can read your palms. Yes, the readings do tie into astrology because depending on your birthday, elements and stars must align before something spectacular happens in your life. Very few people have their palms read, a lot of individuals do it out of curiosity. Very few people also do not rely on horoscope for their day happenings; there fore I believe that after centuries of horoscopes and psychics that it has a lesser effect on our society. Astrology, in Greek means “Science of the stars”. (www.horoscope.findyourfate.com). As well, according to the website previously given, the history of horoscopes and astrology started in Ancient Greece and dates back to over 3,000 years ago.

Using astrology, a lot of the time people were able to predict what would happen to countries and what would become of wars that were fought over time. Also, they took horoscope and psychic for-telling to a more personal level, individuals made strong points about lives. http://www.net-psychics.com/historic_psychics.htm gives their definition of psychics: “Those who can analyze things according to circumstances and have an intuition about certain events.”

The website goes on to say that psychics are very mis-read themselves. It is said that psychics cannot predict the future. On the other hand as it reads above, they simply have an intuition that is relied on. Also, beside trading, traveling, and making a name for themselves, gypsies as well are known for their fortune telling. (http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/HISTORYO.htm)According to this site, gypsies were known to read tarot cards, palms and cast spells. They say that it “is the equivalent to the modern-day horoscope.” (http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/HISTORYO.htm) Gypsies date back all the way to the nineteenth century, in England, and were widely frowned upon.

Many colonies did not accept these wanderers as these people feared the unknown psychic world that was at hand.

Gypsies were banned from a lot of places throughout the countries. Many countries had laws that forbade any travel or establishment of gypsies; and if officials found out an individual was a gypsy, they would stone one to death, hang them, or have mercy on them and run them out of the country. Reports show that officials had even killed children. As reported in Germany, “Gypsy children would have their ears cut off and would be whipped” - http://herso.freeservers.com/gypsies.htmlThe officials would have this done to the gypsy children so they themselves would not carry on the tradition. Another person that was feared, but accepted was Nostradamous.

As the century had changed, more and more countries started accepting psychics as part of society and culture. Nostradamous was born in 1506 he lived until 1566- (http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/nostradamus.htm) As a famous astrologer, he was popular for predicting certain events that he had studied astrologically, and some in fact had come true, as others did not. The things that Nostradamous had predicted were taken out of context; misconstrued. Such at nine eleven- I heard many people say that Nostradamous predicted that “The will be two large towers, (in the future) and a steel bird will fly into them, they will fall and many will suffer…”

I heard something along these lines. Some things he did predict, (though were not available that I could find) As many individuals believed this as coincidence. Also, on an interesting note, if you have a new twenty dollar bill, if you fold it a certain way you recieve the picture shown in the slide. It also gives the message of "Osama"-What’s even more interesting is that nine plus eleven equals twenty. Osama sent men on American Airlines to fly into the twin towers in NewYork, they committed suicide and killed thousands of people.

Is this pure coincidence? This is where pathos comes in: This intrigues a feeling of curiosity for sure! In closing, for centuries astrology, psychics, and horoscopes have been apart of our culture. This wonder is not only in America, but all over the world. These things are more accepted in our society now, because we have freedom of speech. Back in the earlier centuries, people were afraid of other religions interrupting theirs, as it came into the later times, we adopted rights. These rights protected people and their religions from other cultural differences. Individuals will probably run across their horoscopes, hear things that may end up happening, however, we all take it in stride. If something does end up happening that was predicted before-hand, we are left wondering, and we ask the simple question, how?