Van Praagh Fake

[Message]

James Van Praagh Is a fake medium, he is a cold reader.

He has been caught cheating many times. He is a trained cold reader and lies to people and says it is spirits communicating to him.

www.vanpraagh.com/

Got banned on his chat room for saying he is a cold reader.
Banned for saying the truth?

Beware of false mediums, they just want your money.

[lightmystic]

You know, what is it these days with everyone wanting their mystics to be "real"? It's like "ooh, I want MY people who claim to have special powers to ACTUALLY have special powers." I mean, when did we get so high and mighty? I'm starting to think that there's just no room in the world anymore for the snake oil salesman or the con artist. They have to put food on their table (and maybe even Rolls Royce's in their garage) just like everyone else. They're just trying to do their jobs. And, what, because it HAPPENS to be conning people out of money, suddenly we're all judgmental about it? Well, you know what Message? Just for that, I'm not going to play my 3 shell betting game with you, because you're going to get all whiny about how it's not "legitimate" just because I'm "cheating" a LITTLE BIT. I mean, has it ever occurred to you that the three shell game isn't that hard to follow? I really wouldn't make any money if it was all legitimate like you seem to be so one way about....

.........God, it's like you just aren't allowed to cheat people out of ANYTHING anymore....

[karen]

Cold reading is pretty amazing! You ever catch "The Mentalist"?

[drunkenlady]

What's the difference between a fake and non -fake? So isn't the car salesman and the politician ad fin - maybe we're all fakes ?

[lightmystic]

I might be able to find some differences.

[drunkenlady]

First of all Lm there is no you to find differences and secondly there is no such animal as differences! Nice try-but only in the relative world!

[Portto]

Let's see who's a medium:

Is Tiger Wood's apology real or fake? ;D

Story here: www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/19/tiger.woods.transcript/index.html

[lightmystic]

That, honestly, sounds like another belief system drunkenlady, and so has no more value than the belief in a separate person. The negation of a separate person implies a separate person.

Again it's like a separate person is me having a hand separate from my arm (pretending my body is the whole of existence). There is no separate thing called a "hand" as different from my body. But that doesn't mean the hand has been lopped off....it's an important distinction.....and the analogy only goes so far, but it sounds like you just have an advaita belief system. Which, to me, doesn't make any sense, because it's not really logical as a belief system. Do you have any experience of "no self" that you would like to share, or is this all purely theoretical for you?

Feb 19, 2010 19:53:40 GMT -5 @drunkenlady said:

First of all Lm there is no you to find differences and secondly there is no such animal as differences! Nice try-but only in the relative world!

[karen]

Yeah. DL (and others) reminds me of me when I first started grasping the intellectual side of the non-duality coin. Though I didn't challenge others so brazenly, but I would write monologues about how there's no me, no others, life had no meaning, etc..

Apparently that was my learning process.

But now I want mine! Yeah I'll admit it. I feel like there's a personal and separate me here. I feel this way; I'm not going to BS myself anymore. But I'm not settling for my intellectual understanding with a bunch of non-dual slogans on top as icing.

[drunkenlady]

Karen--Good luck with this me that wants hers. They once asked a great Sufi mystic "if you could have one thing what would you want"? His reply was to not want anything. But hey if you feel as though you need to get yours remember in dreams you get to create what you wish for-happy dreams. And by the way brazen is a word-which is a label- which is a thought- which is comparing/judging -which brings you right back to the dream you are dreaming-sweet dreams!

[karen]

You got it lady. I want to want nothing. But there is momentum here of wanting other stuff. I won't lie to anyone about that - most of all myself!

Good luck with you methods.

[lightmystic]

I find the only thing wrong with wanting stuff is if there is a belief, fundamentally that the stuff is needed to be fulfilled....with the direct recognition of fulfillment more fundamental ("a priori") to the desire, the whole process becomes fun....

It's really the difference between a starving man waiting in line to finally get some food (the agony of desire), vs. someone going out to dinner at a nice restaurant with friends (the appreciation of desire). Both are hungry, both are waiting for food, one is having a wonderful experience and the other is suffering. Both are in the same process of desiring....

Feb 24, 2010 5:14:15 GMT -5 @drunkenlady said:

Karen--Good luck with this me that wants hers. They once asked a great Sufi mystic "if you could have one thing what would you want"? His reply was to not want anything. But hey if you feel as though you need to get yours remember in dreams you get to create what you wish for-happy dreams. And by the way brazen is a word-which is a label- which is a thought- which is comparing/judging -which brings you right back to the dream you are dreaming-sweet dreams!

[zendancer]

Never argue with a drunken lady. Remember the cigarette-man koan. The cigarette-man is very strong and no matter what you say, he will hit you. He is very strong. So, how can you teach him that holy is holy and unholy is unholy?

[loverofall]

That will make my headaches get better. Meditating on koans like that one.

[drunkenlady]

best to both ZenDancer and Karen-nothing but love and goodwill to both -and All on these boards! Just poking in fun with ALL-May we be blessed to wake to our Divine.Praise be to JAI as ALL things, worldly and unworldly!