Saturday 6 December 2008

A Psychic Reading for Lady Jicky - Part 2.

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The Remorse of Orestes - Bouguereau

Confession time. I'm not a psychic. But you knew I would say that, didn't you?

The sequence of events over the last few days went something like this:

1. I have been reading "The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading" by Ian Rowland. Cold reading is the way so called psychics deal with people they have never met before but manage to get information out of them in a way that enables them read their pasts, predict their futures. (Although what I did to poor Lady Jicky was a hot reading; I already knew the information.)

2. Lady Jicky visited my blog. First time visitor, no idea who she was, but she started her comment with a familiar "Hi Lee". Did I know her? I asked Richard, one of my sons, "Is it one of your friends?" No.

3. Google search on "Lady Jicky" came up with a recent post where someone gave her birthday wishes. A wicked idea flickers to life. I convert the birthday to a horoscope sign and accuse her of being a Scorpio. She is understandably surprised.

4. I return to Google and look closer at "Lady Licky". It is unusual enough to be distinctive. Searching for a Betty, Jenny or, say, Melinda, would have swamped me with hits.

5. From the search I learnt her husbands name; that he smoked; how long they had been married; daughter's name; grandson's name and age; a dog's name (Oscar, a Pug x), hadn't found Rosie at that stage but found her later; a love of perfume; a love of Paris; a maker of cupcakes; a love of roses; that she does pastel drawings; that she still misses Lulu, a Pekinese; her real name; town she lives in. Not in one post but in bits and pieces over a range of posts.

6. Now comes the first lucky hit: after a busy day I post a cartoon from a reserve of cartoons kept for use on busy days. The perfume and computer content is a chance double hit. I wasn't thinking of Lady Jicky when I posted it but she saw it and scored it as two direct hits. Beautiful!

7. Using the information I have, I write a specific but vague psychic reading, interspersed with fluffy things. For example: I call Lady Jicky both generous and selfish, neat and tidy. Fluffy statements that sound sort of believable. I try to be vague about the reading, the U was just part of LU Lu.

8. Some absolutely stabs in the dark score direct hits! I guessed her car colour - blue is a good guess as it covers a wide range of shades. I knew she missed LuLu and guessed she would hav a photo in her wallet. It was not difficult to guess that Oscar and Rosie would watch her make cupcakes.

So, there you are. I am a total psychic fraud.

I must thank Lady Jicky enormously for being such a good sport.
You really must have wondered what you had walked in to!

Probably still do.
...

18 comments:

  1. Well Lee, to coin an old Yorkshire phrase - I am gobsmacked. You simply wove a web of glamour didn't you? You were very VERY believable. I am seriously impressed. I never knew it was done like that. You could do it for a living now...cross my palm with silver and all that baloney:)

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  2. Damn cheek I call it - reckon you're lucky if she doesn't sue you for fraud and mental harrassment! Didn't realise you were quite so naughty! ;)

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  3. See, I said you were a Stalker.
    Have computer will travel !

    What you didn't know is "Judith" is my lawyer and I am going to sue!

    So I guess this means Doris Stokes wasn't real ? LOL
    You have just given me a clue about your age - you are around my age for only someone in their 50's would know about the pencil braless test!

    All jokes aside - there are alot of people being fooled and parted with their money from psychics - I especailly hate that guy from the US that does the old Doris Stokes trick - "talking to the dead" - I cannot remember his name but he had a TV show as well as travelling the world doing his performances! The dirtbag is a millionaire!
    Lee this is a message for your son - I do not know your Dad but my lawyer will be getting very cosy! LOL

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  4. Henry: What I did was hot reading - find out information and then magically seem to be able to pull it from thin air. Cold reading is where the 'psychic' relies more on the fluffy statements and lucky guesses and knows nothing about the poor person on the other side of the table.

    Judith: I am not always this naughty, really I'm not. And I am remorseful. That should reduce my sentence, shouldn't it? And I didn't draw it out too much...

    Lady Jicky: 54. Yes, I know the guy you mean, John Edwards. An out and out fraud. All psychics are frauds as far as I am concerned. Some of my regular visitors would have been most puzzled by my "psychic reading" as I am so against anything paranormal on my "Hen Buddhism" blog. I just have a weak moment, I guess. But it was great fun, thank you.

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  5. JCosmo: Is confession good if you don't have a soul?

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  6. Thats his name - John Edwards. I see you are a year older than me! Ha!

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  7. I am thinking that you are being a man that is full of tricks and that in the traditions of my peoples such men are noted for dying at an age much shorter that the 54. Is it that you are being untruthful about your age or is it that you are being a person that is a survivor?

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  8. Lady Jicky: I had you at about my age based on length of marriage thought I am 4 years behind you on that one.

    PTM: A late starter in the tricksy stakes maybe.

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  9. This is fascinating. I went through a phase of going to spiritualists when I was in my twenties. Most of them I think were rubbish and I quickly cottoned on to the fact they were 'reading' me and studying my responses.

    Only one I think was totally genuine. By the time I saw him I would sit rigid like a dummy not agreeing or disagreeing. Things he told me were very strange and odd - there was no way he would have known that in fact I knew exactly what he was talking about.

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  10. Hot or cold... it was an impressive bit of psychic-ness. And great fun to read.

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  11. French Fancy: What amazed me in this thing was the straight guesses that hit home - blue car, photo of Lulu in wallet, messy pantry, box of photos. These were not things I had trawled from the internet, just stabs in the dark. If I had missed they would not have been remarked on and would have been forgotten. I made a parting comment about Uncle Norman. I am about Lady Jicky's age and Norman was a common name for relatives one generation back from us. I put it in, no hit so not remembered either.

    People will often try to help the psychic, they want it to be true.

    Psychic: I sense a long bus trip...

    The bunny will search around, trying to think of a bus trip that may fit the reading.

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  12. Very funny!!
    I do the same now when searching for work, I google the company and it it says eg email such.such@... for info I even google that. Found out quite alot. LOL
    Then I either ditch them or apply.
    What will we do without good 'ol Goolge hey.

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  13. Your computer will be running Ectoplasm v6.66 next, Lee.
    Cold reading in the flesh is made even more effective by responding to non-verbal cues an dgeneral body language. Some of those I've met who practice it genuinely believed they had a special "gift". I certainly believed that they had a gift for taking money from vulnerable, naive and often distressed people.

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  14. That's pure evil. Just my kinda thing.

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