Today I was feeling a bit “not in the mood” if you understand what I mean. So, and as I usually do on these days, I bought a glossy magazine and a bar of good chocolate. I’m not a regular reader of them, but such a read is good once in a while to cheer up.

I had a look at what’s to be worn on the next season and I had a look at some easy-peasy recipes. Needless to say that I also had a a look at my horoscope just in case it said something worth believing.

Born at the end of January, it means I am an Aquarius. A sign of intelligence bordering with madness, so astrologers say.

So, today, my sign warned me about a stranger that will try to convince me to leave my job for something that according to him will be a lot better for me. I couldn’t but burst out laughing. Leave my present job? Good God! I didn’t know that I had one! On the other hand, I don’t talk with perfect strangers about personal matters. The astrologer warns me again advising me to think it twice before having a go on such an offer. It goes on to say that around the 19th, a guy will be moved by my adventurous lifestyle and the way I take on things.. If I’m not wrong, this 19th will be tomorrow, so, I better watch it out! I don’t know if I’m leading an adventurous lifestyle, but life in itself is a real adventure. It also tells me to be ready for an hectic night by the end of the month. Well, I’m not sure about this. I’m still on the dole and as someone said to me the best way to keep control on your income is by staying in. On the other hand, I regard myself quite a library rat rather than a party animal and my best friends around are also on the dole. So…

I recall when I once attended a lecture on journalism. Two of the journalists taking part recalled when they started in the newspaper where they worked. As newcomers, they had to do a bit of everything, including to fill in the horoscope column with a lot of imagination of their own. Should something important have happened on a given day, this column would have been removed to fill it with related information on the issue. 

I may agree with astrologers that we aren’t alone in the Universe and that at the time of our birth the position of the different heavenly bodies may have some influence on us. But to say how we are going to have it today or tomorrow, it is a cheat.Some people truly believe in what they tell us. Others like myself, even thouhg, have a look at them, may burst out laughing.

They tell you that you’re going to have a great day at the office when in fact one is on the dole or a housewives. Or, they tell you that your partner will come to you with a surprise, when one happens not to have one. 

This is what I say. In hard times, astrologers and fortune tellers spring up like wild mushrooms everywhere. The questions will, of course, be the same ones from everyone.

Will I get a new job?

What will my love life be in the near future?

What about my financial situation?

I am no longer a boy. What I am is eligible for retirement, a world traveler, an adjunct college teacher of business and an analyst–of business and things I hear about that either pique my interest by making no sense. Gypsies have and do exist; those are facts. What makes one a gypsies is NOT a fact but a supposition. The few books I read about Gypsies admit this sect [or creed or people] originated in India but nothing else is added to that except that this body of people moved to and “did their mysterious thing” in Eastern Europe and inevitably, elsewhere in Europe, perhaps Africa, perhaps South American and definitely in the United States–where I was born and bred.

It is logical to presume that most of today’s gypsies are whiter in skin because of marriage outside the Indian race/group. [According to one hypothesis, a Muslim, Mahmoud Ghazni, raided their homes and forced them out of N. India.]

Prior to reading two books [one word by word and one, scanned] about this body of people, I had read a book about Hinduism by an American woman who has lived in India for a dozen or so years and who introduced the different levels [?] of Hinduism. In the most incredulous, nonchalant way possible, she introduced the lady elephant symbol and other components of the religion and threw in [sort of as an after thought], that, among the “members” of this religion, are the bottom group, known as Dalits. It was determined by Hindu officials that Dalits would be [however determined] considered the lowest level of member, non-touchable, non-acceptable member except for the lowest possible jobs and living conditions. It was obvious that some entity in Hinduism felt that someone
had to account for the sins of someone else……and the Dalits were so nominated. They had to carry containers to hold spit and sweat so that none would ever foul the ground. They were not permitted to look directly at anyone that was not also a Dalit, etc.

This way of expressing Hinduism explained a lot to me. Sad but an explanation.

With people being a curious type of mammal, and always seeking freedom and ways to express creativity, it comes as no shock to me that a group of these Dalits QUIETLY vacated the near-impossible living conditions of Northern [or any part of] India and then traveled to the nearest neighbors who were not automatically at war with India, anyone north, or north west or even east.

The middle east encompasses India so these Dalits had a ways to go–caravans cannot travel far per day.

To get to Eastern Europe could have taken weeks, months or years. It is this author’s supposition that many of the creeds/rules/policies of Gypsies were created as this band/body of Dalits traveled-keeping in mind that they needed to survive. To survive without carrying the visited nation’s cash, or language, or “passports,” every mile in any direction was a risky venture.

To survive the “wild,” explorers have to have methods to confuse the enemy [man or beast], be nimble, be tricky and so on. Further, the groups have to have energy, faith, and rules to live by, or every day copies the philosophy of anarchy–from their homeland and within themselves. Someone has to set some agreeable rules. It can be assumed that over years, decades, and centuries, the Gypsy term was created–obviously by others.

After reading the first book on and about Gypsies, it is easy to understand how the Gypsy is damned if they do, damned if they don’t. These are suppositions that come from their history.

No social or political body anywhere accepted them comfortably! To survive, any body anywhere needs food, shelter and clothing. This group [Gypsies] had a modicum of shelter in and within their
living caravan; cars, trailers, wagons, etc. They either traded for or made their own clothing. Beyond that, their food had to have been exhausted quickly. They would capture wild animals and gather fruit and vegetables. Beyond that, they needed to be nimble and quiet to procure other foods, or medicine or whatever they needed. Since Indian Dalits have few skills, it can be deduced thatpot cleaning or creating new tools or modifying abandoned metal items was a trade they already had; as was card reading. Their ability to do other things else could have come from overtly or covertly observing
tradesmen doing things. Those actions are logical and reasonable and understandable.

To stay true to themselves, it appears that many of their group rules were created to build power positions among themselves or just to be different. It gets confusing.

Gypsies claim that they share the upbringing of children among the entire clan-group. Ok. They do not care to easily accept others as visitors or roommates. And except in “extra-ordinary” situations, they do not marry OUTSIDE their groups. It appears that “often,” they did encourage nieces and uncles or cousins and whomever in wedlock. It is unsure how their genes have been [negatively] affected with the close inter-marriages.

Their ability to pay for doctors seems unsure. Their willingness to blend in socially seems definitive; they refused to do so! Their willingness to learn varied trades seems a tolerable act at best. In time, they seemed to have determined that being close knit was essential, regardless such closeness’ consequences.

Being so close-knit kept them from being easily accepted as visitors and new residents.

Different political bodies who are designed to keep their villages/cities/states safe, would have a very difficult time judging and thus keeping protected, any municipality where Gypsies visited or settled. These new people in their caravans could be carrying stolen goods, germs and religious practices that offended the local church. Again, instead of playing safe, the Gypsies would choose to be firm and individualistic and take punishments instead of blending in. Using this attitude, the Gypsies were not simply ignored by villages’ residents and the higher level municipalities through which they traveled–but instead, the Gypsies forced the government bodies to use force and create laws that were meant to punish the Gypsy oranyone that “appeared” to threaten the municipality.

Your author does not understand this attitude on the part of the Gypsies. While it is outstanding to feel proud of a heritage, and to travel and see the world, it is illogical, unfair and down right dangerous to do so “indifferent” of everyone else’s needs [of safety].

Your author can easily understand the village elders, city managers/mayors and state/federal officers in discussions
about:

this traveling body’s health–are they free of contagions?
Are they Devils?
Are they thieves?
Are they hired assassins?
Are they a front scouting party for displaced government officers
who want to over-throw the current village/city?

After all, those questions are the responsibilities of the municipal officers in charge. Way before and way after the Gypsies traveled here and there, other bodies have harmed, voluntarily or involuntarily, villages and cities that were visited on “innocent” trips through the state. That is how Ghengis Khan, Mohammad and others succeeded; they had scouts check out areas for attack!

Inevitably, around 1,000 BC or whenever Gypsies traveled west, they did not voluntarily immigrate–the involuntary host political bodies decided to take different steps to stop the true or assumed, risks of having Gypsies in their neighborhoods:

a; jail them
b; sterilize the women
c; put the children in schools
d; put the men in understaffed navies
e; train the men and women in acceptable occupations
f; fine them
g; kill them

These consequences did not just happen once, or just to a few dozen Gypsies; but it happened in many villages, cities, and nations, over a period of hundreds of years. Yet, with the knowledge of what those scared municipalities did, the Gypsies decided that ‘We will be who we are, no matter what.” Those who overtly defied the municipal officers of different lands paid the ultimate price in many cases. Throughout world history, different bodies of people who chose survival over “We are the biggest dog in the fight” survived.

What puzzles me is that Gypsies, in all lands where they live overtly or covertly, barely “get by”.

As a comparison, instead of just surviving, immigrant Germans, Japanese, Italians, and citizens born in one of the currently recognized 157 different nations, were and are smart enough to enjoy the rights and pleasures of the U.S. and yet they keep their home-taught skills, customs and dreams and merge those quietly and safely, into the customs and mannerisms of Americans so that everyone is equal, fairly treated, welcomed, etc.

A Jew or a Muslim or a French citizen who is now an American citizen, succeeds most easily when he-she blends into the US when he-she is out in public. When at home, he-she is King of his own castle and may dress and speak as he wishes. In using this approach, the Americanized “foreigner” gains all he wants and may practice his customs when in his home or at an assembly of his native born people–and those things do not alarm others born elsewhere with different customs.

In this author’s opinion, in most of their circumstances, the Gypsies brought many ]not all!!!] of their historically received miseries on themselves.

Here are the main events in the compass’s history that you should know.

• ~400 BC: The first compass was made by placing a Lodestone onto water
• 221-206 BC: First magnetic compass invented in China. It was used by fortune tellers.
• 700~ AD: First reports of use of compasses in China
• ~1200: First reports of the lodestone compass being used in Europe
• ~1300 AD: Confirmation that compasses were being used by a detailed description from a Chinese writer
• ~1400: The British started to use a compass with a needle attached to it
• ~1800: A needle made out of steel was used because it held its magnetism longer

The Christian Science Monitor reported on September 10, 2010 that Romanian senators were afraid to pass the tax for fear that the witches would cast curses on them.  Obviously, they overcame their fear because the new law was passed.

It may seem strange that a whole occupation of people were never forced to pay income tax before, but noted Romanian witch, Maria Campina told Realitatea TV that “it is difficult to tax thousands of fortune tellers and witches partly because of the erratic sums of money they receive.”  (Christian Science Monitor. com, Associated Press)

Third Age. com reports, “Romanian witches hurled poisonous mandrake root into the Danube River cursing the president and government after learning of the tax.”  All cursing aside, it appears that reactions to the new law are mixed in the witch community.  Some witches were happy over the new law, claiming that it would give some legitimacy to their work.

It appears that truly the only two sure things in life are death and taxes, even for witches. 

Do psychics exist and are real? Do they really exist or do not exist? This is the big mark of interrogation in the mindset of people since long.

Since time immemorial, psychics have remained in controversy, which has continued till this day. There are certain sectors of the society which associate themselves in sorcery or witchcraft. Till the early 1900s, research on psychic was considered to be a taboo and few persons dared to venture into research about psychics.

It was the effort of William McDougal who referred to paranormal studies as parapsychology amd Joseph Banks Rhine, a student of MacDougal, who was later known as the father of the modern parapsychology, that the study of psychics became possible in the modern era.

However, the theory of Rhine was quite different from the others, because he was successful in exposing some very renowned psychics as fakes, and also worked for finding out controlled tests which helped in the development of psychic research. His tests proved that a person’s psychic talents were not hampered either by time or by distance. His experiments and book on the Extra Sensory Perception or ESP as it is known commonly made him famous overnight in the field of the psychic world, though it also got him the ire of many skeptics who did not believe in his theories.

We can find many persons who have acquired some skills in pychics and are involved in paranormal studies and practices. Most of these people have faced the ridicules of the world and have also been termed as insane.

However, if we look closely at history, we can find innumerable persons who were possessed with inherent powers to detect things and also mean to protect themselves. Thousands and thousands of years ago, people had the natural ability to sense danger, which slowly changed with the advancement of technology. Slowly man became more dependent on technology and thus no longer used their senses to predict things.

Another great reason for the decline is the invention and the development of the multi media, which has changed man’s total ability to recognise and sense things. Multi media has also destroyed the ability and gift to mediate and visualize things. Today man is no longer able to make use of his inner voice that warns him of the approaching danger.

In the modern age we tend to look condescendingly on paranormal studies and practices and also consider fortune telling as something as a means of entertainment for the time being. The decline is also due to those unscrupulous persons who make use of their alleged paranormal abilities to make money and cheat people and brainwash the gullible persons. Many so called fortune tellers, who give new information about you, only deduce such things on the basis of the information that you have given to them about yourself and your family members.

However, it would not be wrong to mention that psychic’s do exists and there are definitely some persons who have wonderful supernatural powers that can be used to build up or destroy life.

I can make one prediction on that: you can pay them a lot of money and you might find you luck that what they say may come true.

But nobody can tell the future. I cannot either. People often ask me predictions when I read the tarot.

Well, I can read cards, use a dowsing pendulum and get in touch with spirits. I do not claim more and I can only tell what I see, feel or hear.

It being a psychic were so fantastic, I might have won the lottery pot, I might not have married my husband and I might write hot content here.

But is does not work that way. I can only feel things and tell people what my cards and spirit guides tell me. Frustrating thing is I can feel all good things for others, but not much on myself.

When you are too close to something and this includes yourself or people you love dearly, it might not work and you may not be objective enough to get proper readings.

My skills actually work better to reconstruct the past. I might seek contact with loved ones on the other side, or give people insight in current situations and guidelines to act by what my spirit guides and cards tell me.

But I cannot tell people how or when things are going to happen. I am not the kind of medium that will make annual predictions on deaths of celebrities for example. Fact is I do not score well there.

Yes, I can feel things in people and ignoring this got me into bad situations. Fighting my sixth sense makes me vulnerable to abusive situations, but giving helps me to overcome things.

I do not always have pleasant encounters with the other side, but I manage to protect myself.

To be honest: I hate the word psychic, but I call myself this way, so others might understand me. Many prefer to call themselves guides or healers, but people might not understand this, so I gave up and gave in.

I do like to work as a medium. It will not make me rich, but like many spiritual people, charging money is something most have a problem with.

Still many free on line readings are computer generated and not so accurate. A real medium or card reader is better, but does not work for free, since they spend time on it as well and life is not free.

Yet, there are a lot of frauds out there and I do understand many people do not understand me or do not believe me. There is no scientific evidence for the moment to claim my capacities, but I like to state that there are some guidelines I get.

Telepathy for example is nothing more than being over empathic. It is not reading people’s mind like some say. But I might easily pick up people’s pain and I might feel it as well, without this person telling me.

There are moments I do like to close down and live on Earth. I love walking the spiritual path, but many people do consider me down to Earth and not much of a dweller.

It might sound funny: but I am a sceptic myself and do not question exact science. I am only able to see, feel and hear things that cannot be explained by it.

And I can be wrong. I once had a feeling somebody had a brain tumor. Well, a relative of mine died of metastatic tumors in the brain, but it was not the one I felt in on. I was very stressed that time, so things might have been mixed up. But I did get it right that there were metastatic tumors in somebodies brain, even before doctors could tell.