One of my favorite movie scenes is from Bruce Almighty. The dialog goes like this:
BRUCE: How do you make someone love you without affecting
free will?
GOD: Welcome to my world, son. If you find out, let me know.
Most people who consult with a psychic advisor want
predictions. Most of the time there are questions like, "Is such-and-such
going to call me?" or, even more exacting, "WHEN will such-and-such
call me?" or "Am I going to get this job?" Many become outraged and question the psychic's integrity if they are not given precise timing.
Predictions are both positive and negative. A positive
prediction is when we see something you want actually coming to pass. For
example, "I see you getting the job." A negative prediction is more
of a warning. "I see that you could have a bad accident next
Thursday," or, "If you let that weird guy back into your life, he'll
do the same thing again."
Part of the reason for seeking psychic advice is to receive
warnings, so we can thwart them. "I see you walking in front of a beer
truck." So, obviously, you exercise extra caution around beer trucks. But
when we get positive predictions, like, "Gary
will call you before next Tuesday," we like to think that this is
predestined; it is Gary's fate to
call you at this appointed time, and he has nothing to say about it.
Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. If the bad
predictions are subject to change, so are good ones. If you can avoid the beer
truck, Gary can chicken out, or the
company that wanted to hire you can decide on a hiring freeze due to economic
factors.
Another problem with predictions is that sometimes the very
knowledge of future events can alter their probability. When hanging up after a
reading, you now have knowledge of probable future events that you didn't have
before. If it's something you don't want to happen, it's important to make sure
you prevent it. But if it's something you want to happen, it's important to
make sure you don't prevent it.
For example, you say, "Well, Jon said I'm going to have
a new job by November," so you slow down on sending out the resumes and
don't check Monster at often. You're already diminishing the probability.
Suppose you're told someone is going to call you. You were planning to send
that person an e-mail, but based on the prediction, you don't. But that e-mail
was what would have triggered the call.
Another way to thwart predictions is with negative energy.
Many people are cynical about what they hear, and respond with thoughts like,
"Oh, he can't possibly be interested in me," so he isn't, or
"Nothing like that will ever happen to me," so it doesn't. Perfect
asked and answered prayers.
Free will is such an integral part of our lives that it is
frequently emphasized in religion. For example, in the book of Job, Job is
subjected to a number of tests to see how he will react. Not even God knows
what he's going to do next. And if God doesn't know what someone will do next,
how can we?
To summarize, a prediction is a really an equation. It's a
forecast of an event that has a very high probability of occurring, based on
someone's thoughts and feelings, and the current set of circumstances. Once a
person learns to look at all of the facts surrounding a prediction, and how to
temper a prediction with good old common sense, forewarned can indeed become
forearmed.