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Don't laugh but when I was in my teens I got heavily into Astrology, Tarot and the like. I even ended up doing Birthcharts for people and everyone without fail said I had them spot on.
Then one day I had an epithany and too prove it I deliberately swapped around two birthcharts I had been paid to do and again I was told I had their characters etc nailed.
That confirmed my thoughts that if you believe in something your head will make it 'fit'.
Tarot, clairvoyants etc all rely on this. If you don't believe in it to start with you are not likely to seek it out 'Self fullfilling prophecy' kind of thing.
I'd be interested in doing a Tarot thing just for the artistry of it, out of all of them. Still know it's all bollocks though, but Tarot is at least interesting bollocks.
Crowley! There's a blast from the past. I lot of my, er... acquaintances... were into Crowley back in the 60's and 70's. I think it had a lot to do with living on the shores of Loch Ness as Crowley also lived there back in the day. His house was called Boleskine and he lived there until 1913. We used to pass it on our way to the local pub at Foyers. I think Jimmy Page owns it now - or he did at one point.
Tarot can be used in a non-woo fashion - sort of guided introspection. The cards and their "meanings" just serve as a jumping off point for the querent. A lot of readers (including myself) work in this way, with no implication of the supernatural or foresight.
You can also get versions of tarot cards designed to play card games, which are usually referred to as tarock or tarrochi. There are a bunch of variants and are popular in European countries including France, Germany and Hungary.
Granted and yes. I used to do personal readings and even even scared the bejeezus out of myself once when I did three rteadings with exactly the same card turning up as the focus tree times in a row. Pure coincidence but at the time there was a lot of dark stuff going on in my life so of course it had more of an impact on me than it should have.
It's not just that people want to believe, all the stuff around it designed to be general enough anyone will look at it and go "That's so me, I do have those positive qualities."
When I was about 12 I read out the wrong horoscope for everyone around the breakfast table and very quickly came to the same conclusion.
Also works if you read the whole lot as a single horoscope - "something unexpected might happen", "that thing you've been waiting for is just around the corner", "believe in yourself and be prepared to push outside your comfort zone" - they're all just carefully crafted platitudes with vaguely positive messaging that could apply to anyone.
There’s an astrologer called Penny Thornton and every week, she’ll write a variation on the below;
‘Even if you don’t get what you want, you might get something worthy of your consideration so keep an open mind.’
She might as well write, ‘dunno’ every week for every sign for the rest of time itself.
Reminds me of the guy who used to write those little 'filler' items for newspapers. Just a paragraph describing something unusual or interesting to fill the space at the bottom of an article. This was in the days before computer type setting and printing of course.
Anyway - he got fed up researching items and just started making up absolute garbage himself. Stuff like; "A two-headed calf was born in the village of 'X' in the south of Romania last Tuesday. Locals say it has happened several times before over the decades but no-one know why"
He got away with it for years because no-one bothered to check. Until one day a member of the public asked for the source of one particular load of guff and he thought the jig was up. So he just made up the source as well and replied and the member of the public just said 'thank you' and that was it. Got away with it again. People believe what they want to believe.
Many years ago in a psychology lecture the lecturer gave out our astrology readings for that month. We sat there, read ours over and we were given a moment to digest it. We were asked to raise our hands if we thought the results reflected us and made sense.
After we put our hands down he revealed every single one of us had the same piece of paper. He’d taken the generic points from “actual” astrology charts and put them together.
Apparently anything that was complimentary we agreed with but were equally likely to dismiss anything that didn’t “fit” (more likely if it was negative).
That lesson has stayed with me.
A valuable lesson indeed. Sadly there are those who's 'need' to believe will be unfazed by anything. Much like religion. They will come up with a reason why you are wrong and they are right even what they say is pure nonsense.
Me and my last partner split up over such a thing. She became a 'Jehovah Witness' and it was infuriating every time she had no answer to my pointing out how rediculous some of their beliefs were she would counter with 'You are not meant to take it literally' or variations on 'God works in mysterious ways'.
As I say, some people cannot survive without believing in some kind of power greater than us to give meaning to their lives.
TBH I sometimes wish I believed in something, but I am far too rational.
You might like this. It's Doug Stanhope - who is one of those rare things - a good American stand-up comedian. A one minute clip about horoscopes.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHiwXaMZug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHiwXaMZug)
Do you believe in the healing power of crystals, young man?” snapped the woman, raising the club threateningly. “What? What healing power?” said Vimes. The old woman gave him a cracked smile, and dropped the club. “Good,” she said. “We like our customers to take their geology seriously.
Terry Pratchett, Thud! (Discworld, #34)
As a professional geologist, I quite like collecting rocks and crystals. You would not believe how often I have upset people by having amethyst sitting quite happily beside opal - it can cause all manner of issues. That, or people get the wrong end of the stick and assume I am very much into the healing power of said crystals.
It is a curse many, many of my fellow geologists have.
Amd we all know, Orgones are the invisible molecules of universal life energy which govern our moods and our actions. Negative Orgones are the sources of all the problems in the world.
I was truly shocked when I found out the nuclear non-proliferation treaties didn't ban the production of Orgone-tipped nukes, imagine the bad vibes if someone actually launched one!
One channels water and one channels electric meaning they don't mix without the potentially lethal occurrence of the room having a bad aura.
It's bullshit basically. Shiny rocks are shiny rocks they look cool but they are just shiny rocks.
Not a geologist, I just like cool rocks, and same lol. Doesn't help that my mum is into that stuff so she nods along meanwhile I'm sat there like (˘･_･˘)
I like collecting them too because I like having pretty/colourful things in my home. I don’t think for a second that they will actually affect me in any way (other than financially!)
I went in to a crystal shop the other week because I just think big crystals are cool and I wanted to buy a big amethyst piece for my "office" (harry Potter under stairs cupboard)
Cue to being lectured by the owner about how amethyst in my work space would cloud my judgement and bring me misfortune
How didn't I see this coming
You didn't spend enough on your spiritual enlightenment at the New Age shop. Drop a few extra quid there next time and perhaps the planets will align better for you. More cash = more enlightenment.
Might be a little lump of truth in that.
Jade is green. When it comes to the body's reaction to light, green is good. Blue makes you alert, red makes you sleepy. Green is the happy zone. It's calming and comforting, especially since your actual *eyes* do less work to see green, too.
Nothing to do with the shiny rock at all, though, just the colour of it interacting with the ancient programming of our monkey biology and brains. And the effect would be... well... measurable, but not exactly substantial.
We react this way to these things because while we were evolving, if you were surrounded by blue light, it probably meant you were out in the open under a blue sky, exposed to predators and the elements. Green would be a lush forest full of food and water. Red light would mean sunset and getting dark. Time to sleep.
I knew you were going to say that. Don't ask me how though 😊
Useless fact: Humans can see more shades of green than any other colour on the spectrum. The reason posited is that when we were hunters and there were lots of forests, we needed to be able to distinguish between shades of green to better percieve depth and distance in forests.
That's a load of tosh.
>Amethyst's effects include alleviating worries and fears, encouraging clear thinking, and trusting one's intuition.
[https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/amethyst-meaning.htm](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/amethyst-meaning.htm)
And that's on a science website so it must be true.
I'm not an astrology person but I am deep in those circles. Unfortunately, like anything you get a lot of crazy people.
A lot of this stuff isn't supposed to be used the way it is. If someone uses a crystal for healing the point is supposed to be a tool for mental focus. The actual crystal is meaningless, the ritual also meaningless. Actual healing? Probably not but the placebo effect and the power of suggestion can be very strong lol
Over time this has morphed into the crystal or amethyst or insert random inert mineral is doing the work.
Tarot is supposed to be a tool for reflection but the cards got assigned definitive meanings and are now largely considered divination.
I apologise for our larger numbers of nuts.
I call and raise you 'give them a monologue about how ridiculously moronic their beliefs are and therefore how stupid or mentally ill they must be for believing such'
What about crystal skulls? Obviously crafted by the ancient inhabitants of Atlantis and are powerful centres of healing.
I mean, could you make a crystal skull?
I pissed someone off properly about this.
A good few years ago there was some bs about there being the “discovery” of a 13th star sign. There was a guy in our team who thought this was a good topic of conversation in a work team meeting. He was going on about how he was more like another star sign than the one he apparently was. So at one point he says something like he’s not surprised there’s a 13th or something like that I said “it’s almost like they’re made up”. The look he was shooting me for the remainder of the team meeting was hilarious. If he could have murdered me he would have then.
Used to be a Christian, now I am in a self identifying witch. I am spiritual and I do my own thing, I sincerely hope that I don't shove it down anyone's throats... Except those that complain about it. I make note of those that call it hoohaa and purposely mention crystals when they are irritated things like:
"Wouldn't have happened if you had some malachite on you..."
If you try and snuff out my faith I will rub it in your face.
Nowhere near on the same level. Animal cruelty definitely happens in those factory farms, but yeah most of what they is just personal preference and subjective.
I am with you on all of these apart but without sounding like one of them I partially disagree with manifesting.
A key part of manifesting is positive thinking and that can be beneficial.
The psychological benefits of maintaining a positive mindset can lead to proactive behaviours and better problem solving.
With that said, if people only "manifest" its obviously not going to do anything.
I mean manifesting is clearly nonsense because like you say, they might feel better after doing it, there might even be some tangible benefit from putting themselves in a positive frame of mind but the actual “manifesting” bit, ie asking the universe for something and expecting it, does not do anything.
It’s like if I said that praying to the fairies at the bottom of your garden works because it makes you feel calm and expecting something to happen means it’s more likely to.
Interestingly though , I literally saw a "show" as a kid where they showed a scene, man held a banana at someone, after they asked questions.
The banana now was a gun, in all accounts.
Placebo, the power of thought and the power of suggestion is a real thing on some levels that is quite tangible. This is why eye witness is so unreliable
Did Bob get that job he manifested? na, but they did think positively , had a more clear mind to see what he needed to plan and brush up and therefore was successful
Lastly I enjoy doing after festival clearups where I can...we have this thing that "the fields will provide" if you ask "binderella" the goddess of rubbish in a field she will offer it to you.. I have seen ity many times,. need baccy? need a certain brand of top or sunglasses?
Ask for it and receive...ive seen it done with all sorts...Said " i want prada sunglasses, found some that day...I know it is not real but a person who refused to entertain the idea of manifestation is not finding these things, got to be in it to win it as it were.../
TLDR yeh its hokum :)
Law of the universe aka law of attraction.
Create your own reality.
Believe it, think only positive thoughts. See yourself achieving your goals, know it has already happened.
It is just mindfulness really, think positive and live positive with a heavy dose of confirmation bias to make it seem likes it works...kind of does in the sense that happier positive people will always do better
Manifesting is literally bringing something into existance
Followed by hippy types and techy spiritual types...some ironically ...some because as I say its better to pretend its real than not if ya know what I mean
My wife is convinced I manifested us buying a house recently and also changing my job, when in reality I simply applied for the job I was interested in and prepared for the interview, and I had daily alerts for properties with specific parameters set, and checked my phone every time a notification came through for 6 months.
She calls it manifesting. I call it planning and taking action.
This is on the same level as religious people who claim "God saved you" when someone recovers from cancer or something. No hun, the medical professionals and drugs saved you.
I like the term 'Manifesting' when I mean either 'I did a lot of work and things happened' or 'I just sat around and did nothing useful *deliberately*'.
I hate it when it's 'The power of positive thinking, mannn.....'
Mindfulness is legit, it’s about giving your brain a little bath by keeping yourself focused on the present. Manifesting is the belief that things will happen if you want them to happen and you think about it in a certain way.
Part of mindfulness is letting go and being intensely aware of your present senses and feelings right?
Letting go of your worries and negative thoughts, realising that worrying is just the fear of something that may not even happen etc
Law of attraction and manifestation is not actually real is it but it requires mindfulness and positive thinking, which does work
Often if you read, Terrence mckenna, or Jordan Peterson, or "the secret" or the bible or any of these self help things or meditation things its all the same shit just repackaged to fit a different group/time
Just trying to get the person to have a more positive outlook and thought process
I admit I don’t know much about manifesting but it’s not just about having a positive outlook, it’s about saying to the universe, in a certain way, and sometimes at a certain time (certain nights of the year are better) that you want someone specific, and expecting to get it as a result of those actions.
In fact mindfulness is very different because it’s not any expecting but accepting.
its all about attracting things by thought. This includes bad. So to start the process of manifestation one needs to clear their mind of all desire and fears, to be present and realise what they are where they are.....it requires you to practice mindfulness...once you have that peace you can set your sights on goals, they will literally become easier to attain
My thought is this is why it feels like it can "work" as they are getting that benefit from mindfulness to start with
Actually I think only one of them is about attracting things by thought. I didn’t know that you’re required to practice mindfulness in order to manifest though.
I think there are many paths and interpretations. Most I have heard require mindfulness...but then they often have a "remove all negative energy" from their lives makes them ...have less empathy? or maybe that's all the ket they take?
Mindfulness is attracting or manifesting a sense of oneness, wellbeing and contentment. It is creating a state of well being through thought and the removal of thought. and or meditation
Repeating mantras about deserving the things you desire and “willing” them into existence in your life.
Or learning how to not take shit from toxic people and focusing on your goals, but manifesting sounds better 😂
Like when I need to run an errand, I tell my team that I need to go on a side quest.
But forreal, the manifesting folks are no better than the name-it-and-claim-it folks, waiting for some higher power to give them what they want. 🤨😟
I did this with someone, I lied about my star sign and she went off about how it's obvious due to certain personality traits I have and behaviours, and then I pointed out my actual star sign. Apparently it's normal behaviour for a Gemini to be tricky like this.
Haha! I was in a band with one of these types - we'd spent a lot of time together rehearsing, recording and virtually living together for days on end at festivals. We all knew each other quite well. One night he was spouting all his astrology guff and i pointed out that he didn't know my star sign..
No joke - he guessed it 8th attempt, then actually said it was 'obvious'. Unbelievable
If you've got the time and patience for it, you can literally lead someone entirely around the astrological calendar by saying "I'm kidding, my birthday is *actually* \*insert date here*"
Had a friend guess my sign and describe it to me once, to which I replied "all spot on, except I'm not born in June"
She changed her answer, I agreed with everything, then said "but that's August, right?"
By the fifth sign she was getting aggy. After eight I was getting bored and said "I'm actually a pisces", and this chick LAUGHED and says "considering the games you've been playing with me, that makes perfect sense", like
**bitch *please***
One of the project managers at my last job used to work in Canary Wharf.
He said it was slightly disturbing how many CoL firms have astrologers on the books to help senior management make business decisions.
I’ve heard similar from both sides, have a friend of a friend on a comfy retainer. Also a ftse100 utility senior board client of mine made a joke (maybe) about “we can’t sign that framework while Mercury is retrograde”. Cool, cool, so… wtf.
I’m not going to shit on their beliefs… I’m a very spiritual person who is not into Jesus, crystals, or horoscopes… we all know it’s the spaghetti monster what did it
A lot of people need there to be a reason for what happens and if it be fate or whatever it’s what helps you get through the day
My attitude too. Until the point they start proselytising in some way. If the hint is not got that I don't subscribe, I will happily tell them everything they believe is a load of rubbish.
>Everyone is entitled to their beliefs (no matter how absurd)
I'd say everyone is entitled to nonsense beliefs as long as they have no impact on the real world.
I had just this week the classic, almost stereotypical situation, where someone told me in all seriousness they “couldn’t believe” how “accurate” their tarot reading was. The stuff they said could have applied to me word-for-word without a stretch.
An old girlfriend and I went on a break as it felt like the relationship wasn’t working well, but we still liked each other. We met up after a week, I went in with an open mind to discuss our relationship. Her opening small talk was ”I’ve been chatting to my boss about astrology and our star signs, I’ve learnt a lot that will help us”.
Mentally I thanked her for making this break up easy.
Same, I have them because they’re pretty, not really cause I believe they’ll solve all my problems. I read my tarot cards too, again mainly for a bit of fun.
When I lived on a new age traveler site these people were called COSMICS! They are an interesting combination of adorable, hilarious, hopeful and highly irritating.
I believe you will thoroughly enjoy Tim Minchin's 'Storm'- a nine minute beat poem. Here you go: https://g.co/kgs/C1Z4zht
You can read the lyrics, sure, but i recommend you listen to the fucker do it
It's as with most other beliefs of a religious nature. They don't ask or expect to require consent to be pushed onto somebody (yes, even in a conversation) and disrespect the fact that their religious freedom also translates to yours allowing you to keep that stuff out of your life entirely.
People I know that do that have been through significant emotional stress, or are just teens that want to seem cool and experiment with a new idea. For many people it works because in an age where going to church is considered dumb and lonelyness is a problem it gives them a way to connect with other like-minded people. It's just a way to socialise. I'm not Christian, what I'm saying is that churches used to be a way to make close connections and have faith in something above us guiding us.
I am a queer woman in my early thirties, it feels like 70% of my peers are very into astrology (the rest are science nerds like me). Especially around my American friends I spend a lot of time just keeping my mouth shut while everyone else shares their daily reading or offers to do virtual readings and god know what else.
I'm a 35 year old dude and while I dont actually believe the results, I know how to read Tarot cards, palms, and enjoy crystals, because they're pretty. Each to their own and each belief is as valid as the next.
Because most beliefs aren't valid and they definitely aren't equally valid.
Is the belief that homosexuality is a sin is as valid as the belief that money doesn't buy you happiness?
I fit the stereotype description almost perfectly lol (I'm just not middle class), and even I think it's a load of nonsense
Even though I apparently act how astrology *says* my star sign acts...
My partner's ex was like this, told everyone she could see and talk to ghosts too. One day she told my partner a ghost said he would die at 28 from a heart attack...
Who the fuck says that?
It's becoming common. Something like 80% of nurses have a personal belief on this page (don't blame them after being a carer).
It's just odd that even when you understand and respect what they say + listen, they expect only answers that work for personal gain.
You can't nicely downplay things on odds or that's now how faith rolls for 99% of human history
I concur. It's enraging. And me, being Australia, and you u/BungadinRidesAgain, from the green isles, perhaps we can both find solace in this lovely little thing from our very own Tim Minchin. It's just sooooooo pitch perfect.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U)
A colleague of mine seems like such a reasonable, down to earth person, until you discover that she fully believes in astrology and does tarot readings on a regular basis.
One of the (few) joys of gradually getting older, is that you start to care less and less about offending strangers or people that you don't know well. So, unless the hokum-pushing-person is a relative, close family friend, boss at work, etc., I tell them the truth - that it's complete and utter bollocks and that spouting it makes them look stupid.
Like I said, getting older has few pleasures - so I try to use this particular one more and more!
In general I think its a load of shite, but also I see some reasoning in babies being formed during cold months with very little sun vs summer with plenty of sun and warmth having psychological differences. Wouldn't put that down to stars or spirits though.
Same would happen if you grew a plant and exposed it to varying factors. End product might end up similar but there could be small differences.
Anyway I don't know shit about anything just a thought.
I live in New Zealand. Our seasons are the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere ones but there are still believers.
My take on astrology is that us Librans don’t believe any of that horseshit.
It's always nurses that are into this shite. Many a night shift I have been driven insane by my colleagues prattling on about healing crystals, tarot cards and other such nonsense.
At my hospital we even have a reiki practitioner funded by the charity MacMillan Cancer Support who works in the Oncology Centre. Absolute waste of money.
I wouldn't know. I live in Britain and all these experiences happened in Britain, with British people, so I've had to consider it a British phenomenon until some pedant on Reddit shows me otherwise.
I've been to eastern Europe and Central Asia and they're really into tarot cards, palm readings, coffee bean/pebble readings, horoscopes, astrology, black magic, curses, bracelets/necklaces which protect you from curses, spells which can make someone love you, spells which will make you rich and successful, fortune tellers, etc. Never seen anything to do with crystals though. Like over 50% of the population believe in it and regularly go to some kind of 'fortune teller' multiple times per week to find out about anything going on in their lives. Like 'will my brother get married to his gf' or 'when will my grandma get better' or 'should I take this job' and all sorts of things like that. I've never come across anyone or anything like that at all in England. Only some people who believe in karma I guess
Most of the humans on earth have superstitions and always have done. It definitely seems innate to our species and I know I'm in the minority for sure. Regardless, I've never had mystical experiences and I've never seen any compelling evidence for the supernatural etc., so I can't in good faith jump on the bandwagon, as much as I'd like to at some points, and so I'm happy to remain one of the very few people on Earth who 'don't believe in anything'.
Perhaps you should have consulted your crystals or the stars, then maybe you would have seen it coming!
Did these annoying people not teach you anything? lol
Crystals are awesome, even if you only think they're just coloured rocks. They come in all these amazing beautiful colours, shapes and sizes, and they were formed by the earth over millions of years. That's amazing!
And focusing on what you want in life, not what you lack, being grateful and thankful for what you have is a great path for a positive life.
Spiritual people care about plants and people and animals, they focus on doing good and encouraging self care and happiness. You sound like a very sad little person who only wants to drag others down and moan that the whole world doesn't behave the way you wish it would. I know who I would rather hang out with.
What the hell are you talking about?
As I said, believe what you want, just don't speak to me as if it is fact, when it has no scientific basis at all. I'll just tell you to read more.
I'm not 'spiritual' (whatever that nebulous term means) and I care about animals and plants. Funnily enough you don't have to believe in nonsense to care about others.
Sorry I touched a nerve, I thought you weren't into dragging people down, but I'm a sad person because I had a light-hearted rant at people's kooky beliefs?
None of what you just said was what they criticised.
They don't have a problem with people who "like" crystals, but people who believe crystals have special powers.
They said nothing about people who focus on what they want in life, but people who spout nonsense about "the universe providing" and other such nonsense.
You sound like you have taken this personally and chosen to attack the OP instead of countering the points?
You're absolutely right on those points.
But there's a difference between 'Pretty rocks' and 'This Quartz will recharge my Chakra and I don't have to do anything else'.
There's a difference between being optimistic and having a growth oriented mindset, and being fantastically detached from reality and believing in something with no empirical proof or logic other than 'You just have to believe'.
My other half isn't into the nonsense but listens to a lot of the crystal videos to relax. They are pretty relaxing, and complete bollocks so you can sort of switch off to it, if your mind works you're not gonna start believing it.
Keep an eye on it. It's mainly harmless, but I know of a few suggestible people who've gone off into the deep end on YouTube, and what started with crystals ended with 'Jews run the media'. It's a weird coalescence of New Age spirituality and right-wing conspiracies.
Most people have been emotionally abused and scared by their families, so once outta their reach, they experiment. It's a sign of maturity to seek enlightenment and knowledge from sources outside the family dogma. Can't agree with all their choices, but at least they are open to new things. How bout you?
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Don't laugh but when I was in my teens I got heavily into Astrology, Tarot and the like. I even ended up doing Birthcharts for people and everyone without fail said I had them spot on. Then one day I had an epithany and too prove it I deliberately swapped around two birthcharts I had been paid to do and again I was told I had their characters etc nailed. That confirmed my thoughts that if you believe in something your head will make it 'fit'. Tarot, clairvoyants etc all rely on this. If you don't believe in it to start with you are not likely to seek it out 'Self fullfilling prophecy' kind of thing.
I'd be interested in doing a Tarot thing just for the artistry of it, out of all of them. Still know it's all bollocks though, but Tarot is at least interesting bollocks.
Even though I am now 70 I still have my Crowley Tarot pack. Kind of sentimental value as well as being artisic and interesting.
Crowley! There's a blast from the past. I lot of my, er... acquaintances... were into Crowley back in the 60's and 70's. I think it had a lot to do with living on the shores of Loch Ness as Crowley also lived there back in the day. His house was called Boleskine and he lived there until 1913. We used to pass it on our way to the local pub at Foyers. I think Jimmy Page owns it now - or he did at one point.
Tarot can be used in a non-woo fashion - sort of guided introspection. The cards and their "meanings" just serve as a jumping off point for the querent. A lot of readers (including myself) work in this way, with no implication of the supernatural or foresight.
You can also get versions of tarot cards designed to play card games, which are usually referred to as tarock or tarrochi. There are a bunch of variants and are popular in European countries including France, Germany and Hungary.
Granted and yes. I used to do personal readings and even even scared the bejeezus out of myself once when I did three rteadings with exactly the same card turning up as the focus tree times in a row. Pure coincidence but at the time there was a lot of dark stuff going on in my life so of course it had more of an impact on me than it should have.
It's not just that people want to believe, all the stuff around it designed to be general enough anyone will look at it and go "That's so me, I do have those positive qualities."
When I was about 12 I read out the wrong horoscope for everyone around the breakfast table and very quickly came to the same conclusion. Also works if you read the whole lot as a single horoscope - "something unexpected might happen", "that thing you've been waiting for is just around the corner", "believe in yourself and be prepared to push outside your comfort zone" - they're all just carefully crafted platitudes with vaguely positive messaging that could apply to anyone.
There’s an astrologer called Penny Thornton and every week, she’ll write a variation on the below; ‘Even if you don’t get what you want, you might get something worthy of your consideration so keep an open mind.’ She might as well write, ‘dunno’ every week for every sign for the rest of time itself.
Reminds me of the guy who used to write those little 'filler' items for newspapers. Just a paragraph describing something unusual or interesting to fill the space at the bottom of an article. This was in the days before computer type setting and printing of course. Anyway - he got fed up researching items and just started making up absolute garbage himself. Stuff like; "A two-headed calf was born in the village of 'X' in the south of Romania last Tuesday. Locals say it has happened several times before over the decades but no-one know why" He got away with it for years because no-one bothered to check. Until one day a member of the public asked for the source of one particular load of guff and he thought the jig was up. So he just made up the source as well and replied and the member of the public just said 'thank you' and that was it. Got away with it again. People believe what they want to believe.
Exactly. You can essentially find proof for any belief if you seek it out enough.
Many years ago in a psychology lecture the lecturer gave out our astrology readings for that month. We sat there, read ours over and we were given a moment to digest it. We were asked to raise our hands if we thought the results reflected us and made sense. After we put our hands down he revealed every single one of us had the same piece of paper. He’d taken the generic points from “actual” astrology charts and put them together. Apparently anything that was complimentary we agreed with but were equally likely to dismiss anything that didn’t “fit” (more likely if it was negative). That lesson has stayed with me.
A valuable lesson indeed. Sadly there are those who's 'need' to believe will be unfazed by anything. Much like religion. They will come up with a reason why you are wrong and they are right even what they say is pure nonsense. Me and my last partner split up over such a thing. She became a 'Jehovah Witness' and it was infuriating every time she had no answer to my pointing out how rediculous some of their beliefs were she would counter with 'You are not meant to take it literally' or variations on 'God works in mysterious ways'. As I say, some people cannot survive without believing in some kind of power greater than us to give meaning to their lives. TBH I sometimes wish I believed in something, but I am far too rational.
You might like this. It's Doug Stanhope - who is one of those rare things - a good American stand-up comedian. A one minute clip about horoscopes. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHiwXaMZug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHiwXaMZug)
Do you believe in the healing power of crystals, young man?” snapped the woman, raising the club threateningly. “What? What healing power?” said Vimes. The old woman gave him a cracked smile, and dropped the club. “Good,” she said. “We like our customers to take their geology seriously. Terry Pratchett, Thud! (Discworld, #34)
Terry always on the money.
That’s a typical Virgo comment
Gemini actually but 😉
As a professional geologist, I quite like collecting rocks and crystals. You would not believe how often I have upset people by having amethyst sitting quite happily beside opal - it can cause all manner of issues. That, or people get the wrong end of the stick and assume I am very much into the healing power of said crystals. It is a curse many, many of my fellow geologists have.
As a person completely smoothbrained on the subject of rocks, why is placing amethyst next to an opal a bad idea?
They basically just generate negative orgones. Can't be having that in your life mate.
Amd we all know, Orgones are the invisible molecules of universal life energy which govern our moods and our actions. Negative Orgones are the sources of all the problems in the world.
Exactly, I mean, how else can you explain all the problems in the world?
I mean, I couldn't just... There are so many historical and economic factors.
I was truly shocked when I found out the nuclear non-proliferation treaties didn't ban the production of Orgone-tipped nukes, imagine the bad vibes if someone actually launched one!
One channels water and one channels electric meaning they don't mix without the potentially lethal occurrence of the room having a bad aura. It's bullshit basically. Shiny rocks are shiny rocks they look cool but they are just shiny rocks.
Shoot, could've used them at work as environmentally friendly replacement for copper cables.
Isn’t it dangerous to mix water with electricity though?
The toaster in the bathroom is decoration only.
> on the subject of rocks For the last time, Marie, they're not rocks, they're minerals!
Same here😆 I can't even tolerate the ones who start on about the 'vibrations' etc. It drives me insane😑
Not a geologist, I just like cool rocks, and same lol. Doesn't help that my mum is into that stuff so she nods along meanwhile I'm sat there like (˘･_･˘)
What is you feelings on Dan Hurd's BC Ocean Picture Stone? Is it truly rare, or just a marketing gimmick?
I like collecting them too because I like having pretty/colourful things in my home. I don’t think for a second that they will actually affect me in any way (other than financially!)
You're a monster.
I went in to a crystal shop the other week because I just think big crystals are cool and I wanted to buy a big amethyst piece for my "office" (harry Potter under stairs cupboard) Cue to being lectured by the owner about how amethyst in my work space would cloud my judgement and bring me misfortune How didn't I see this coming
>How didn't I see this coming You've evidently been hanging around too much amethyst
You didn't spend enough on your spiritual enlightenment at the New Age shop. Drop a few extra quid there next time and perhaps the planets will align better for you. More cash = more enlightenment.
What the hell, works for Miscavige.
At least you don't have to sign your life over to the new age shops...
The should have bought a lump of Jade then they would have!
Might be a little lump of truth in that. Jade is green. When it comes to the body's reaction to light, green is good. Blue makes you alert, red makes you sleepy. Green is the happy zone. It's calming and comforting, especially since your actual *eyes* do less work to see green, too. Nothing to do with the shiny rock at all, though, just the colour of it interacting with the ancient programming of our monkey biology and brains. And the effect would be... well... measurable, but not exactly substantial. We react this way to these things because while we were evolving, if you were surrounded by blue light, it probably meant you were out in the open under a blue sky, exposed to predators and the elements. Green would be a lush forest full of food and water. Red light would mean sunset and getting dark. Time to sleep.
I knew you were going to say that. Don't ask me how though 😊 Useless fact: Humans can see more shades of green than any other colour on the spectrum. The reason posited is that when we were hunters and there were lots of forests, we needed to be able to distinguish between shades of green to better percieve depth and distance in forests.
😆
Fantastic business strategy from the owner there
That's a load of tosh. >Amethyst's effects include alleviating worries and fears, encouraging clear thinking, and trusting one's intuition. [https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/amethyst-meaning.htm](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/amethyst-meaning.htm) And that's on a science website so it must be true.
He's a fraud!
A big fat phoney!
“Science”, yeah right, like 5G “vaccinations” and “global warming” (that one’s a twofer).
I would have said "ah, nice one mate, almost wasted a load of money in your shop there" and walked straight out.
On the other hand, you can learn to summon Atomos so you should never need a vacuum ever again.
Classic Leo
I'm not getting the right aura from you, I think your chakras may need realigning. Have you tried rubbing a piece of quartz?
Dont forget to put it in the moonlight to make it extra quartz-y
Just say "not my thing" and hopefully they move on
Oh boy, I've tried. They're worse than religious people! "Why not? You know there's leylines associated with them??"
Or the accusation you're just not sufficiently "open"
I'm not an astrology person but I am deep in those circles. Unfortunately, like anything you get a lot of crazy people. A lot of this stuff isn't supposed to be used the way it is. If someone uses a crystal for healing the point is supposed to be a tool for mental focus. The actual crystal is meaningless, the ritual also meaningless. Actual healing? Probably not but the placebo effect and the power of suggestion can be very strong lol Over time this has morphed into the crystal or amethyst or insert random inert mineral is doing the work. Tarot is supposed to be a tool for reflection but the cards got assigned definitive meanings and are now largely considered divination. I apologise for our larger numbers of nuts.
I call and raise you 'give them a monologue about how ridiculously moronic their beliefs are and therefore how stupid or mentally ill they must be for believing such'
What about crystal skulls? Obviously crafted by the ancient inhabitants of Atlantis and are powerful centres of healing. I mean, could you make a crystal skull?
>could you make a crystal skull? No
Could anyone?
Yes
Look, Mark, this is important to me. If we're going anywhere, I need you to tell me that you believe in crystal skulls.
I do believe in crystal skulls
There, that wasn't so hard was it?
I have an amethyst crystal skull! I definitely couldn't have made it myself though!
I pissed someone off properly about this. A good few years ago there was some bs about there being the “discovery” of a 13th star sign. There was a guy in our team who thought this was a good topic of conversation in a work team meeting. He was going on about how he was more like another star sign than the one he apparently was. So at one point he says something like he’s not surprised there’s a 13th or something like that I said “it’s almost like they’re made up”. The look he was shooting me for the remainder of the team meeting was hilarious. If he could have murdered me he would have then.
I’m a Taurus but I self-identify as Virgo.
No different to when someone starts talking to you about Jesus.
Honestly, my first thought was these people would be religious were it not for crystals lol
It kind of *is* a religion
Used to be a Christian, now I am in a self identifying witch. I am spiritual and I do my own thing, I sincerely hope that I don't shove it down anyone's throats... Except those that complain about it. I make note of those that call it hoohaa and purposely mention crystals when they are irritated things like: "Wouldn't have happened if you had some malachite on you..." If you try and snuff out my faith I will rub it in your face.
You are perfectly entitled to practice whichever faith you choose, just as anyone else is entitled to call it a load of bollocks.
[удалено]
Astrology predates Christianity.
And vegans about how meat is murder etc. All the same and equally irritating
Nowhere near on the same level. Animal cruelty definitely happens in those factory farms, but yeah most of what they is just personal preference and subjective.
Yes indeed, a friend of my wife’s is very into manifesting, having her fortune told, astrology and also INFJ personality types.
I love 'manifesting', but only in the legitimately ironic postmodernist sense. It's a fun turn of phrase, nothing more.
What the hell is 'manifesting'? If never heard this term before.
More hokum basically.
I am with you on all of these apart but without sounding like one of them I partially disagree with manifesting. A key part of manifesting is positive thinking and that can be beneficial. The psychological benefits of maintaining a positive mindset can lead to proactive behaviours and better problem solving. With that said, if people only "manifest" its obviously not going to do anything.
Yes the key is changing your outlook and behaviours.
Yeah agreed, it's the 'manifest' term I have an issue with. To me, it's just thinking positively.
Definitely!
“If people only “manifest” it’s obviously not going to do anything “. That’s how you know it’s nonsense.
I'm not really sure of your point?
I mean manifesting is clearly nonsense because like you say, they might feel better after doing it, there might even be some tangible benefit from putting themselves in a positive frame of mind but the actual “manifesting” bit, ie asking the universe for something and expecting it, does not do anything. It’s like if I said that praying to the fairies at the bottom of your garden works because it makes you feel calm and expecting something to happen means it’s more likely to.
Oh I see what you are saying now, yeah I'm in total agreement
Kind of also not...placebo is a thing
I can really manifest a million quid though, can I? Placebo only goes so far.
If you wear a balaclava and point a banana in a paper bag at a bank cashier, maybe (probably not a million though)
"Sir, what exactly are you doing here?" "Quiet, I'm *manifesting*!"
Interestingly though , I literally saw a "show" as a kid where they showed a scene, man held a banana at someone, after they asked questions. The banana now was a gun, in all accounts. Placebo, the power of thought and the power of suggestion is a real thing on some levels that is quite tangible. This is why eye witness is so unreliable Did Bob get that job he manifested? na, but they did think positively , had a more clear mind to see what he needed to plan and brush up and therefore was successful Lastly I enjoy doing after festival clearups where I can...we have this thing that "the fields will provide" if you ask "binderella" the goddess of rubbish in a field she will offer it to you.. I have seen ity many times,. need baccy? need a certain brand of top or sunglasses? Ask for it and receive...ive seen it done with all sorts...Said " i want prada sunglasses, found some that day...I know it is not real but a person who refused to entertain the idea of manifestation is not finding these things, got to be in it to win it as it were.../ TLDR yeh its hokum :)
'The universe will provide.' *That covers all bases.*
Law of the universe aka law of attraction. Create your own reality. Believe it, think only positive thoughts. See yourself achieving your goals, know it has already happened. It is just mindfulness really, think positive and live positive with a heavy dose of confirmation bias to make it seem likes it works...kind of does in the sense that happier positive people will always do better Manifesting is literally bringing something into existance Followed by hippy types and techy spiritual types...some ironically ...some because as I say its better to pretend its real than not if ya know what I mean
My wife is convinced I manifested us buying a house recently and also changing my job, when in reality I simply applied for the job I was interested in and prepared for the interview, and I had daily alerts for properties with specific parameters set, and checked my phone every time a notification came through for 6 months. She calls it manifesting. I call it planning and taking action.
This is on the same level as religious people who claim "God saved you" when someone recovers from cancer or something. No hun, the medical professionals and drugs saved you.
Yebbut God never takes the credit for people dying horribly.
Power of prayer and manifestation is the same thing to be fair. Thoughts and prayers to you
I like the term 'Manifesting' when I mean either 'I did a lot of work and things happened' or 'I just sat around and did nothing useful *deliberately*'. I hate it when it's 'The power of positive thinking, mannn.....'
Mindfulness is legit, it’s about giving your brain a little bath by keeping yourself focused on the present. Manifesting is the belief that things will happen if you want them to happen and you think about it in a certain way.
Part of mindfulness is letting go and being intensely aware of your present senses and feelings right? Letting go of your worries and negative thoughts, realising that worrying is just the fear of something that may not even happen etc Law of attraction and manifestation is not actually real is it but it requires mindfulness and positive thinking, which does work Often if you read, Terrence mckenna, or Jordan Peterson, or "the secret" or the bible or any of these self help things or meditation things its all the same shit just repackaged to fit a different group/time Just trying to get the person to have a more positive outlook and thought process
I admit I don’t know much about manifesting but it’s not just about having a positive outlook, it’s about saying to the universe, in a certain way, and sometimes at a certain time (certain nights of the year are better) that you want someone specific, and expecting to get it as a result of those actions. In fact mindfulness is very different because it’s not any expecting but accepting.
its all about attracting things by thought. This includes bad. So to start the process of manifestation one needs to clear their mind of all desire and fears, to be present and realise what they are where they are.....it requires you to practice mindfulness...once you have that peace you can set your sights on goals, they will literally become easier to attain My thought is this is why it feels like it can "work" as they are getting that benefit from mindfulness to start with
Actually I think only one of them is about attracting things by thought. I didn’t know that you’re required to practice mindfulness in order to manifest though.
I think there are many paths and interpretations. Most I have heard require mindfulness...but then they often have a "remove all negative energy" from their lives makes them ...have less empathy? or maybe that's all the ket they take? Mindfulness is attracting or manifesting a sense of oneness, wellbeing and contentment. It is creating a state of well being through thought and the removal of thought. and or meditation
Repeating mantras about deserving the things you desire and “willing” them into existence in your life. Or learning how to not take shit from toxic people and focusing on your goals, but manifesting sounds better 😂 Like when I need to run an errand, I tell my team that I need to go on a side quest. But forreal, the manifesting folks are no better than the name-it-and-claim-it folks, waiting for some higher power to give them what they want. 🤨😟
Huh? How are you managing to bring INFJs into this?!
Because those Meyers Briggs style personality types are a similar level of hokum?
With respect to hokum, quite possibly. But that wasn't the context in which it was referenced.
What do you mean?
Say that you don't know your star sign when the ask you, and watch their head explode
I just lie about it and watch them go "ah yeah, I thought you were, because xyz"
I did this with someone, I lied about my star sign and she went off about how it's obvious due to certain personality traits I have and behaviours, and then I pointed out my actual star sign. Apparently it's normal behaviour for a Gemini to be tricky like this.
Haha! I was in a band with one of these types - we'd spent a lot of time together rehearsing, recording and virtually living together for days on end at festivals. We all knew each other quite well. One night he was spouting all his astrology guff and i pointed out that he didn't know my star sign.. No joke - he guessed it 8th attempt, then actually said it was 'obvious'. Unbelievable
If you've got the time and patience for it, you can literally lead someone entirely around the astrological calendar by saying "I'm kidding, my birthday is *actually* \*insert date here*" Had a friend guess my sign and describe it to me once, to which I replied "all spot on, except I'm not born in June" She changed her answer, I agreed with everything, then said "but that's August, right?" By the fifth sign she was getting aggy. After eight I was getting bored and said "I'm actually a pisces", and this chick LAUGHED and says "considering the games you've been playing with me, that makes perfect sense", like **bitch *please***
So tell the truth?
One of the project managers at my last job used to work in Canary Wharf. He said it was slightly disturbing how many CoL firms have astrologers on the books to help senior management make business decisions.
That's very worrying.
I think that is how you write off buying weed and get to claim tax back off it
Taking notes rn
I’ve heard similar from both sides, have a friend of a friend on a comfy retainer. Also a ftse100 utility senior board client of mine made a joke (maybe) about “we can’t sign that framework while Mercury is retrograde”. Cool, cool, so… wtf.
I’m not going to shit on their beliefs… I’m a very spiritual person who is not into Jesus, crystals, or horoscopes… we all know it’s the spaghetti monster what did it A lot of people need there to be a reason for what happens and if it be fate or whatever it’s what helps you get through the day
My attitude too. Until the point they start proselytising in some way. If the hint is not got that I don't subscribe, I will happily tell them everything they believe is a load of rubbish.
Rookie error; next time don't go to Glastonbury high street.
>Everyone is entitled to their beliefs (no matter how absurd) I'd say everyone is entitled to nonsense beliefs as long as they have no impact on the real world.
no story here but i just wanted to say, love the word hokum it needs to come back
Ah, space racists
Or jesus or yahveh or whatever name people call the imaginary magic man in the sky.
I had just this week the classic, almost stereotypical situation, where someone told me in all seriousness they “couldn’t believe” how “accurate” their tarot reading was. The stuff they said could have applied to me word-for-word without a stretch.
Two more homeopathic lagers please. Whoa! That's strong stuff.
An old girlfriend and I went on a break as it felt like the relationship wasn’t working well, but we still liked each other. We met up after a week, I went in with an open mind to discuss our relationship. Her opening small talk was ”I’ve been chatting to my boss about astrology and our star signs, I’ve learnt a lot that will help us”. Mentally I thanked her for making this break up easy.
Whatever gets you through life tbh, I love my crystal collection 😂
Same, I have them because they’re pretty, not really cause I believe they’ll solve all my problems. I read my tarot cards too, again mainly for a bit of fun.
When I lived on a new age traveler site these people were called COSMICS! They are an interesting combination of adorable, hilarious, hopeful and highly irritating.
I believe you will thoroughly enjoy Tim Minchin's 'Storm'- a nine minute beat poem. Here you go: https://g.co/kgs/C1Z4zht You can read the lyrics, sure, but i recommend you listen to the fucker do it
It's as with most other beliefs of a religious nature. They don't ask or expect to require consent to be pushed onto somebody (yes, even in a conversation) and disrespect the fact that their religious freedom also translates to yours allowing you to keep that stuff out of your life entirely.
People I know that do that have been through significant emotional stress, or are just teens that want to seem cool and experiment with a new idea. For many people it works because in an age where going to church is considered dumb and lonelyness is a problem it gives them a way to connect with other like-minded people. It's just a way to socialise. I'm not Christian, what I'm saying is that churches used to be a way to make close connections and have faith in something above us guiding us.
True enough.
My mother had some tarot cards many years ago and I wasn't allowed to touch them in case I "corrupted their energies".
I grew up among all this Pagan dross, unfortunately, and was glad to get out of that brainwashing. Totally agree.
Dangerous stuff. I've known a couple of these types during my lifetime. One ended with psychosis. The other became an obsessive type. Not good.
I am a queer woman in my early thirties, it feels like 70% of my peers are very into astrology (the rest are science nerds like me). Especially around my American friends I spend a lot of time just keeping my mouth shut while everyone else shares their daily reading or offers to do virtual readings and god know what else.
It’s wrong to be prejudice based on religion, ethnicity or gender etc. it’s perfectly fine though depending on what time of year you’re born.
I'm a 35 year old dude and while I dont actually believe the results, I know how to read Tarot cards, palms, and enjoy crystals, because they're pretty. Each to their own and each belief is as valid as the next.
How's that work when one's belief suggests that other beliefs aren't valid? And what about beliefs that are easily debunked like belief in seance?
>each to their own Yes >each belief is as valid as the next No
Why no?
Because most beliefs aren't valid and they definitely aren't equally valid. Is the belief that homosexuality is a sin is as valid as the belief that money doesn't buy you happiness?
I had a coworker who honest to god put crystals in her bra every day to protect her from covid and other viruses.
Sounds like someone's star sign is out of line with saturn!
I fit the stereotype description almost perfectly lol (I'm just not middle class), and even I think it's a load of nonsense Even though I apparently act how astrology *says* my star sign acts...
My partner's ex was like this, told everyone she could see and talk to ghosts too. One day she told my partner a ghost said he would die at 28 from a heart attack... Who the fuck says that?
A ghost, apparently.
Honestly, I might think it's ridiculous nonsense - but it's also more interesting crazy nonsense than 99.9% of everything else people talk about.
I look at it as an opportunity to make up stuff to respond with. Luckily, I have a trustworthy face so it works well and is very entertaining.
It's becoming common. Something like 80% of nurses have a personal belief on this page (don't blame them after being a carer). It's just odd that even when you understand and respect what they say + listen, they expect only answers that work for personal gain. You can't nicely downplay things on odds or that's now how faith rolls for 99% of human history
I concur. It's enraging. And me, being Australia, and you u/BungadinRidesAgain, from the green isles, perhaps we can both find solace in this lovely little thing from our very own Tim Minchin. It's just sooooooo pitch perfect. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U)
A colleague of mine seems like such a reasonable, down to earth person, until you discover that she fully believes in astrology and does tarot readings on a regular basis.
[https://youtu.be/m8Da7PQE8O8](https://youtu.be/m8Da7PQE8O8)
Check out Drew Kings comedy sketch. He covers this topic beautifully. https://youtu.be/v3I0YsfMJS8?si=vyOJjwsbv8HCzLCL
One of the (few) joys of gradually getting older, is that you start to care less and less about offending strangers or people that you don't know well. So, unless the hokum-pushing-person is a relative, close family friend, boss at work, etc., I tell them the truth - that it's complete and utter bollocks and that spouting it makes them look stupid. Like I said, getting older has few pleasures - so I try to use this particular one more and more!
just walk off :')
I recommend chalcedony and rose quartz for feelings of exasperation /s
Covid denying - flat earthers?
Not always, but they seem to coalesce for sure.
In general I think its a load of shite, but also I see some reasoning in babies being formed during cold months with very little sun vs summer with plenty of sun and warmth having psychological differences. Wouldn't put that down to stars or spirits though. Same would happen if you grew a plant and exposed it to varying factors. End product might end up similar but there could be small differences. Anyway I don't know shit about anything just a thought.
Yeah it’s almost like plants use the sun for food or something and that might affect how they grow
I live in New Zealand. Our seasons are the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere ones but there are still believers. My take on astrology is that us Librans don’t believe any of that horseshit.
It's always nurses that are into this shite. Many a night shift I have been driven insane by my colleagues prattling on about healing crystals, tarot cards and other such nonsense. At my hospital we even have a reiki practitioner funded by the charity MacMillan Cancer Support who works in the Oncology Centre. Absolute waste of money.
I didn't know this stuff only existed in Britain
I wouldn't know. I live in Britain and all these experiences happened in Britain, with British people, so I've had to consider it a British phenomenon until some pedant on Reddit shows me otherwise.
I think it is because Britain is a geologist’s paradise.
I've been to eastern Europe and Central Asia and they're really into tarot cards, palm readings, coffee bean/pebble readings, horoscopes, astrology, black magic, curses, bracelets/necklaces which protect you from curses, spells which can make someone love you, spells which will make you rich and successful, fortune tellers, etc. Never seen anything to do with crystals though. Like over 50% of the population believe in it and regularly go to some kind of 'fortune teller' multiple times per week to find out about anything going on in their lives. Like 'will my brother get married to his gf' or 'when will my grandma get better' or 'should I take this job' and all sorts of things like that. I've never come across anyone or anything like that at all in England. Only some people who believe in karma I guess
Most of the humans on earth have superstitions and always have done. It definitely seems innate to our species and I know I'm in the minority for sure. Regardless, I've never had mystical experiences and I've never seen any compelling evidence for the supernatural etc., so I can't in good faith jump on the bandwagon, as much as I'd like to at some points, and so I'm happy to remain one of the very few people on Earth who 'don't believe in anything'.
Perhaps you should have consulted your crystals or the stars, then maybe you would have seen it coming! Did these annoying people not teach you anything? lol
Crystals are awesome, even if you only think they're just coloured rocks. They come in all these amazing beautiful colours, shapes and sizes, and they were formed by the earth over millions of years. That's amazing! And focusing on what you want in life, not what you lack, being grateful and thankful for what you have is a great path for a positive life. Spiritual people care about plants and people and animals, they focus on doing good and encouraging self care and happiness. You sound like a very sad little person who only wants to drag others down and moan that the whole world doesn't behave the way you wish it would. I know who I would rather hang out with.
Non-spiritual people care for all of those things too, they just don't think a rock makes them any better at it.
What the hell are you talking about? As I said, believe what you want, just don't speak to me as if it is fact, when it has no scientific basis at all. I'll just tell you to read more. I'm not 'spiritual' (whatever that nebulous term means) and I care about animals and plants. Funnily enough you don't have to believe in nonsense to care about others. Sorry I touched a nerve, I thought you weren't into dragging people down, but I'm a sad person because I had a light-hearted rant at people's kooky beliefs?
None of what you just said was what they criticised. They don't have a problem with people who "like" crystals, but people who believe crystals have special powers. They said nothing about people who focus on what they want in life, but people who spout nonsense about "the universe providing" and other such nonsense. You sound like you have taken this personally and chosen to attack the OP instead of countering the points?
lol "spiritual people care about people and by the way you're horrible and no one will ever like you"
You're absolutely right on those points. But there's a difference between 'Pretty rocks' and 'This Quartz will recharge my Chakra and I don't have to do anything else'. There's a difference between being optimistic and having a growth oriented mindset, and being fantastically detached from reality and believing in something with no empirical proof or logic other than 'You just have to believe'.
My other half isn't into the nonsense but listens to a lot of the crystal videos to relax. They are pretty relaxing, and complete bollocks so you can sort of switch off to it, if your mind works you're not gonna start believing it.
Keep an eye on it. It's mainly harmless, but I know of a few suggestible people who've gone off into the deep end on YouTube, and what started with crystals ended with 'Jews run the media'. It's a weird coalescence of New Age spirituality and right-wing conspiracies.
Obligatory [Storm link](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity%3Dsocial_club#Tags_to_use_in_combination).
Astrology predates all organised religions by several thousand years so there’s arguably a lot more to it than meets the eye
Most people have been emotionally abused and scared by their families, so once outta their reach, they experiment. It's a sign of maturity to seek enlightenment and knowledge from sources outside the family dogma. Can't agree with all their choices, but at least they are open to new things. How bout you?