"When the earth shakes, peculiar things can happen to your mind", said Professor Michael Persinger (of Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario) on CBC Radio, way back in 1975. "Immediately before an earthquake, incidents of strange phenomena are often reported. Some people claim to see luminous ghosts and darting UFOs while others describe paralysis and intense feelings of foreboding." Prof. Persinger dismisses claims of the supernatural. He explains that electrical field currents generated by the pressure under the shifting earth can cause our bodies and minds to respond in surprising ways.

In 1974 bears in Alaska came out of hibernation about two weeks early. They roused themselves from their winter sleep, left their dens, and took to the hills. Soon afterward, Alaska was hit by the worst earthquake in its history. Similarly in 1975 farm animals near Oroville, California, started to act strangely. Chickens refused to enter their coops. Cattle stopped grazing and bellowed loudly in the fields. Horses ran wildly around their corrals. Dogs whined and howled all over the area. This went on for several days. Then Oroville was struck by a major earthquake that measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. And again in 1976 people in the Friuli region of northern Italy reported similar events. Chickens refusing to roost, panicked cattle, and cats moving out of the area. Mice and rats also left their hiding places and marched through people's houses. This strange behavior was followed by an earthquake. Similar reports in recent years have come from China, Japan, Russia, and Guatemala. Experts agree that animals often do act strangely for weeks, days, or hours before earthquakes. The animals seem to sense that a quake is coming....

Most animals possess senses that are refined far beyond human capability. For example, scientists now know that some animals detect slight changes in the earth's magnetic field. This is an important finding, since magnetic changes appear to be associated with earthquakes. During the 1960s, scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois found that creatures as different as protozoans, flatworms, and mud snails can be led off course if a magnet is placed in their line of travel. During the 1970's, German scientists demonstrated that honeybees are sensitive to weak magnetic fields. When the magnetic field inside a hive was artificially changed, the bees seemed to lose their sense of direction. At Cornell University in New York, researchers found that slight shifts in magnetic fields also affect homing pigeons. When tiny magnets were attached to the pigeon's backs, they had trouble finding their way home. Direction sensing returned to normal when the magnets were removed. In 1978 scientists discovered small amounts of magnetite in the bodies of honeybees and pigeons. Magnetite is an iron oxide that has magnetic properties. This mineral may make it possible for animals to tune in to the earth's magnetic field. Other recent experiments have shown that several kinds of birds, and some fish as well, react to small changes in magnetic fields. Researchers also have found that birds also detect slight changes in air pressure. They can also hear extremely low-frequency sounds coming from the earth. Magnetic and electrical field changes, air-pressure changes and low-frequency sounds, all have been associated with impending earthquakes.

In December 2004, adult female sperm whales were found washed up on a remote Australian beach but wildlife officials were unable to explain this third such mass stranding in the same area in a month. Wildlife officials said, "The males travel in bachelor pods or as big solitary breeding individuals and the females travel in either nursery pods or non-breeding pods, so it is quite a normal social pattern for these animals." If they are beaching, it means their direction-finding capacity has gone wrong. Likely a result of change and disturbances in the electromagnetic field coordinates and re-alignments of geotectonic plates. Obviously if the plates are shifting prior to an earthquake, the usually stable fields that migrating whales and dolphins use for navigation are disrupted. Such deaths are not due to suicide or illness, they are accidents that give us a clear warning. Sri Lankan wildlife officials were stunned - the worst tsunami in memory killed thousands of people along the Indian Ocean coastline, but they couldn't find any dead animals. Giant waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland, but H. D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department, stated "No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," he added. "I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening."

The elephants, wild boar, deer, monkeys and others had moved inland to avoid the killer waves. Some human survivors, for instance, have described how monkeys even refused to accept bananas shortly before the tsunami. In Thailand, a dozen tourists were saved from death when several agitated elephants broke their chains and fled for the hills. Another survivor described seeing "dogs running inland minutes before the wave struck." In India, the authorities report that the indigenous, stone-age tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar islands escaped the effects of the tsunami because they heeded warning signals from birds and animals." They followed the example of the animals and suffered no casualties. What a statement that makes about our dependency on technology!

Some scientists have attempted to explain this phenomenon by hypothesizing that elephants have the ability to detect low frequency sounds well below the range of human hearing. But it wasn't only elephants that were reacting. Other species, such as the cetaceans, were showing signs of distress for weeks in advance of the tsunami.

Rupert Sheldrake, a biologist and author says "A reproducible connection between animal behaviour and earthquakes can be made". Sheldrake has studied animal reactions before major tremors, including the Northridge, California quake in 1994, and the Greek and Turkish quakes in 1999. In all cases, he said, there were reports of peculiar animal behaviour beforehand. "More research is needed," says Sheldrake, who proposes a special hot line or Web site where people could call or write in if they observed strange behaviour in animals or spotted ghosts, had strong negative premonitions or even sighted UFOs. A computer would then analyze the incoming messages to determine where they originated. A sudden surge of calls or e-mails from a particular region might indicate that a quake was imminent. The information could be checked to make sure the observations were not caused by other circumstances known to generate similar reports, such as fireworks, equipment tests or changes in weather. And to avoid issuing false warnings, Sheldrake says the data could be used in conjunction with other monitoring devices such as seismological measurements. "Such a project would capture the imagination of millions of people, encourage large-scale public participation and research - and would be fun," he said. "What is holding this research back is not money but dogmatism and narrow-mindedness."

We must use our senses, all of them including our psychic twinges, and pay particular attention to those people and animals known for responding safely to ecological clues. We obviously have lots of warning particularly about pending environmental disasters, and we must learn to trust and act on that warning.

I am a 51 year old female, and I've been married to John for 33 years. He is 4 years older than me. John can be a wonderful person, but he has a major temper problem. He throws things at me when he is mad, sometimes even hitting me. I have never reported him to the police, as these incidents usually only happen a couple times of year. However, there have been 3 in the last 8 months. I feel I do not love John the way I used to. I have changed a lot since marriage, he has not. I have seen a lawyer about a divorce, but told him I want to wait until about Sept. 1st, because we are in the middle of redecorating our home, and it is an expense I would not be able to handle myself. I have not mentioned a word of this to John. My question, should I go ahead and seek the divorce, or continue on the life I have been living?I feel rather selfish about this, but my kids tell me to do what I feel my heart wants me to do, but at this point, I do not know what that is.

Thank you so much.

Hello,

It is my experience that divorce is not the correct choice until/unless you yourself are positive that it is the solution best suited for you. 33 years is a huge investment of time and energy in your life and is not something to be discarded or walked away from easily. It is also natural for a person to change over the span of 30 years, and as we age we become less tolerant of irritations. I intuitively feel that you are skipping some steps that could possibly resolve this situation such as calling the police when these incidents occur, or seeking the help of a women's shelter for a temporary break from the situation, which might possibly totally frighten your husband and show him that his disrespectful (abusive) actions are leading to losing you.
Your husband is karmically challenged about all relationships. He plays games with people and is impulsive and reckless. My best advice to you here is to arrange a temporary separation in order to give yourself the time and space to discover how you really feel about making drastic changes in your marital and financial situations. And please, never try to make a psychic responsible via their advice, for such a major decision in your life.
I hope this answer has helped you in some way.

Bests - Atham Z

A void moon is an astrological situation. When the moon is moving from one astrological house sign to another up there in the constellations, it sometimes is in no house at all. When that happens it means it is "void of course" until it finally gets into a house. A Void of Course period can be as short as a few minutes, or as long as three days, depending on the planetary positions at the time.
Common interpretation of this period is as follows:
All activities or operations undertaken when the Moon is Void of Course will NOT work out as hoped. Projects begun during the Void Moon will either remain unfinished or fail to produce the desired results. Decisions made while the Moon is Void are supposedly faulty, impractical, or unrealistic. Arguments or discussions begun when the Moon is Void will always fail in their intended purpose. Advice given will not be taken. Wait until the Moon enters the next sign. Proceed with matters that are routine for you and simply observe the problems and frustrations of others as they try to operate under conditions of a Void Moon. Don't start new ventures and don't buy anything important. Some other negative influences are that people are simply less focused. Human judgment is not at its best and consequently decision making tends to suffer. Information relayed for the first time will either be incorrect or not useful. You will be aware of shortages and defects. You'll also become aware of mistakes and errors during this time. What you begin during a void of course Moon you usually don't do again. So don't make love with someone for the first time if you think you might want to again. During a void period avoid bringing anything in for repair or consulting a physician or anyone else whose judgment is important to you. On the other hand, there are some positive effects from the Void Moon. It's a good time to meditate, clean house, relax, sleep, or even go out with a friend without any expectations. Use the void as a natural pause in the high activity level of routine life.

Even if you are "immune" to the Void of Course Moon, remember that other people with whom you deal are not! People with the Sun, the Moon, the Ascendant, or other important personal astrological points in the sign of Cancer (the crab) in their natal charts are usually extremely sensitive to a Void of Course Moon. Being alert to the Void of Course Moon is one way to limit your risks and to improve your life.

If there is a Void Moon in a person's natal astrological chart, these people tend to always trust the wrong people. They also tend to have something wrong with their sense of timing. In general, they wait too long to take care of personal matters. They procrastinate until a crisis occurs. They usually do not realize that they are putting off pleasurable vacations, purchases, repairs, and other activities, for no particular reason.

It has only been over the past few decades that modern astrologers have taken much interest in the void-of-course Moon. It didn't become widely known and utilized in the astrological community until the early 1970's, and during the mid-1970's makers of astrological calendars and ephemeris incorporated Moon void-of-course periods into their publications.

Here are the dates and times for the Void Moon for June this year. You can check out for yourself if this astrological occurrence affects your life.

June 2005 Void of Course Moon Table

Date Void Begins Void Ends Sign Moon Enters After Void
Fri Jun 3 1:25 AM To 2:21 AM Moon enters Taurus
Sun Jun 5 1:26 AM To 10:37 AM Moon enters Gemini
Tue Jun 7 2:51 PM To 8:47 PM Moon enters Cancer
Fri Jun 10 6:19 AM To 8:41 AM Moon enters Leo
Sun Jun 12 7:41 AM To 9:23 PM Moon enters Virgo
Wed Jun 15 1:25 AM To 9:00 AM Moon enters Libra
Fri Jun 17 11:04 AM To 5:25 PM Moon enters Scorpio
Sun Jun 19 4:08 PM To 9:46 PM Moon enters Sagittarius
Tue Jun 21 11:35 AM To 10:53 PM Moon enters Capricorn
Thu Jun 23 6:05 PM To 10:37 PM Moon enters Aquarius
Sat Jun 25 11:24 AM To 11:04 PM Moon enters Pisces
Tue Jun 28 1:52 AM To 1:53 AM Moon enters Aries
Thu Jun 30 3:58 AM To 7:46 AM Moon enters Taurus
All times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time, adjust accordingly.

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Humour Offering

You'd better put that "Broom Parking Only" sign away before your mother-in-law actually arrives.

Mentalism has nothing to do with telepathically discerning someone's thoughts. It is a combination of mechanical and psychological techniques to deduce facts. What mentalists do best is read body language, rather than minds. They note subtle changes in poses, facial expressions and gestures in response to their own comments. These physical responses cue the mentalist to whether he is on the mark or drifting from the credible.
Mentalists use "Barnum Statements" whose special feature is not just that most people think the statements are true of themselves but these same people feel the statements are not so true for others or vice versa. Many fortune tellers glue their entire spiel together with Barnum statements. People tend to accept something as accurate if it is given to them with authority.

BUT the most famous of P.T. Barnum's statements is the following:

"There's a sucker born every minute."

Of course you expect illusionist entertainment at the circus rather than paranormal guidance!

To begin with, we are all much less unusual than we think we are. Although people may be amazed at what the mentalist "sees" about their early life, what they don't realize is that the same account is given to everyone. For instance, most of us have had one serious accident or know someone who has. And many of us have had a relationship where distance was a problem, and so on and so on. People tend to do certain things at certain times in their life. Thus a man in his 40's hearing "Something that used to be important to you when you were a child is coming back into your life," likely feels this suits him because he finally has the money to indulge his childhood hobbies and he may be planning on doing so. For a women in her 30's, suggesting that babies are in her thoughts, can't often miss the mark.

It sometimes seems amazing how fortune tellers of all types are able to tell people things about their lives and problems that they otherwise shouldn't know about. Such experiences are often offered as proof positive that psychics have powers that cannot be explained by natural science and that a spiritual or supernatural realm really does exist - otherwise, how could these people know so much? There is a simple explanation which requires no reliance upon the supernatural. People who are skilled at scamming are able to make use of a procedure known as "cold reading," involving a "reader" who is able to convince a second person (the client) that they know all about the client's personality, problems, and life. A cold reading occurs when, presumably, the reader does not know anything about the client in advance; this can be contrasted with a "hot" reading which is made when the reader does have advance information about the client. How often a cold reading is actually a hot reading is unknown. Before an on stage demonstration by an "Amazing Seer" there are often paid assistants in the ticket lineup, memorizing apparel and details being discussed between friends during the wait for entrance to the show.

What makes cold readings so effective is simplistic. A reader can reliably assume that most people are more similar than they are different; therefore, acquiring knowledge about the human condition in general can lead to a surprising amount of knowledge about individual people. Readers can reliably assume that most people's problems are generated by the same circumstances: birth, puberty, work, illness, money, marriage, children, age, death. If these are the circumstances which tend to trouble people, it is safe to assume that these are the things which people are seeking advice about when visiting a fortune teller.

Usually much care is taken in setting the stage for such readings. A good cold reader creates an aura of authenticity and believability. This puts the client in the proper mood, causing them to be more ready to believe that what is happening is something mysterious rather than mundane.
Indeed, any gimmick like a crystal ball or cards is useful not only to give the impression of occult powers, but also because it provides a wide range of possible methods of stalling so the reader can think about what to say next. There are also more physical means of setting a stage; these can include things like unusual music, occult type wall hangings, affecting an accent and wearing strange clothes so as to appear to have a foreign (and thus mysterious) background, and using jargon which has no real meaning but which gives the impression of being Very Important.

Dramatic delivery also helps encourage the client to believe that what he is hearing is information acquired via mysterious and occult forces. Above all, a reader must exude a high degree of confidence - people are more inclined to believe a confident person than one who is wishy-washy (a fact of human nature which has been exploited by salespeople for decades). Technique facilitators suggest starting out by being a bit modest - informing the client that the readings don't always work, which not only serves as a cover in the case of real failure, but it makes any apparent success even more remarkable.

An effective reading requires learning more about the details which are troubling a particular client. Sometimes it is possible to gather information in advance - which of course means that the reading won't be entirely "cold" after all. Ways of doing this have included reading up on recent deaths and engagements, asking discreet questions about known future clients, and even poking about in coats which have been left in an anteroom. Some times the quest for information can be quite blatant, as a reader or assistant may ask probing questions before a reading; meanwhile satisfied clients never seem to remember such questioning later and act amazed when a reader "knows" things which were discussed earlier. Aside from such obvious dishonesty, a fair amount of information can be gathered by an observant reader during the first few minutes of a meeting: clothing, speech patterns, race, gender, jewelry, etc. can all broadcast quite a bit to those who know what to look for.

Once all of the early information is correlated, the cold reading begins. The information first developed will be of the sort that could apply to a large percentage of the population. Usually the reader has a selection of standard introductions, a variety of reading openings which are appropriate to particular sexes, races, and economic classes. People sometimes find the opening eerily appropriate to their particular circumstances, making even incompetent readers appear amazing.

During this early stage the cold reader pays close attention to the client in order to see which of the generalities spark some sort of reaction, whether negative or positive. Reactions can be found in the eyes, mouth, words spoken, or even in subtle and unconscious muscular movements which the reader might detect if in physical contact with the client (for example while palm reading). The best reactions are obtained by "fishing" - asking the client leading questions in order to obtain more specific information about the client's concerns and interests. Sometimes, clients actually end up doing most of the talking.

These reactions cue the reader as to which direction to take the reading next - should it be more about illness or marriage? More about children or money? Irrelevant or incorrect statements are left behind by the reader and generally forgotten by the client, while those statements which get a positive reaction are developed more deeply and remembered by the client very clearly as amazing and unexpected "hits."

The common tactic of flattering the client aids in all this because people are more willing to believe someone who likes and approves of them. The "golden rule" of cold reading is to tell the client whatever he or she wants to hear. Clients who leave unhappy are unlikely to return while those who leave happy will not only return, but they'll be sure to tell their friends - this is a basic principle of all business. Cold reading or mentalism is just that, a money making entertainment business.

By focusing on statements which get a positive reaction while ignoring those which get a negative reaction, the cold reader is able to construct what appears to be an accurate synopsis of the client's current circumstances and problems - but there is nothing spooky about it. What has happened is that the client, after unconsciously broadcasting all sorts of information to the reader, ends up getting most of that fed back to him or her in a new package influenced by the reader's understanding of human nature and human foibles.

In a sense, these cold readings do work - after all, most of those who visit a reader end up being satisfied and feeling that they have benefited. (Similar satisfaction usually follows a trip to the hair dresser or barber or anywhere that you are purchasing personal care.) What this really means is not that the readers have accurately predicted the person's future, but rather it means that visiting the fortune teller can be a fulfilling and personally satisfying experience. Someone has listened. Someone has taken the time to pay attention and give meaningful feedback.

You are told that you, as an individual, are actually connected to the entire cosmos. You are reminded that there are mysterious forces in the universe, far greater than ourselves, which work to shape our destinies. You are flattered, and in the end you are naturally pleased that someone cares about you. In our hectic disconnected modern society, you feel connected - both to another human being and to the world around you.

It's no wonder that such readers are so popular, but we shouldn't confuse that popularity with the idea that what they are doing is anything more than psychological manipulation. The fact that people are made to feel better, however briefly, is no excuse for deceiving them. Of course, it shouldn't be assumed that all such readers are engaged in deliberate deception - some have deluded themselves first into thinking that they are genuine. And of course there are some legitimate and authentic gifted psychic diviners.
In my experience, by expanding my already existing business to include psychic consultation services on the internet in 1996, when I sought facts and figures about the nature and volume of competition in this medium, there were only 20 people on the net offering astrological, psychic, numerological or tarot readings. Next arrived a glut of folks claiming spirit guides gave them predictive ability and accuracy. Today, I am positive there are in excess of 500,000 people worldwide offering "readings" to clients. Some claims about 100% accuracy or being able to provide spells that work, or for sure facilitating reunions are patently absurd. Of the half million readers in the world now, including psychics, clairvoyants, astrologers, aura readers, palm readers, tarot readers, numerologists, etc., I would estimate that only about 5 to 10% offer any authentic and developed psychic and interpretive skills to their clients. I actually feel sorry for clients today, trying to make an informed choice about choosing someone for psychic guidance. And even those legitimate few readers need to remind the clients that the reading is for fun and entertainment, as a legal proviso to protect themselves from liability in today's litigious society.. Beware the readers who aren't brave enough to qualify their work in this fashion. They are breaking the law before they even begin your reading.
An authentic reader will never resist your making a tape or keeping a record of what actually has been said. By reviewing that tape or document after the reading you can spot tricks or failed guesses, glossed over items that don't fit you as an individual and that were quickly forgotten during the reading. You can also spot generalizations that would fit many people as opposed to you specifically or where important personal information was coaxed out of you and then developed.

A legitimate reader will not fish for information, although they might initiate a dialogue at the beginning of your session, for a clearer understanding of what you want to accomplish or understand within the reading, but there won't be chicanery about gathering information. The difference between an authentic reader asking for clarification and a mentalist fishing for more information is obvious.
A legitimate reader is not very often going to say what you want to hear, although that is usually the easiest thing for a mentalist "psychic" to pick up upon.
Your best measure of an authentic reader is when a prediction that reader makes for your future comes true. Once you have found someone, and tested their accuracy for yourself, it would be wise to stick to that consultant. Good Luck!