Go to the Oracle

In the second half of a slow day, an elderly woman came into my office with a series of letters that she wanted professionally prepared. This was the easiest possible type of job--not creating anything but merely laying it out to the page well. The woman dragged it out longer than necessary, though, so that she stayed all the way until closing time. She then asked me to accompany her to dinner. I couldn't figure a way to get out of it and not feel like a jerk.

She insisted that there was a great steak place down the block. I was aware of no such place and was in fact fairly sure it didn't exist. I told her Wishbone was a really good restaurant (Southern cooking). She reluctantly agreed and complained about her meat throughout the meal. She confided that she had some psychic abilities and told me a few things she could see about me: 1) I would never really be happy until I became my own boss (I have always viewed myself as a good soldier, content to let someone else run things). 2) My soul mate's initials would be (can't really remember what she said they would be, except that they didn't fit anyone I already knew). 3) She gave the terrible advice that I should acquaint myself with wealthy people and not with those who would not be advantageous to know. I told her directly that this was really against my personal beliefs.

After more time than I had planned on spending, I asked her how she was going to get home. She gave me a phone number by which she said her driver could be reached and instructed me to tell him where we were. Sure enough, within about a half an hour, a man arrived. I helped her into the car and told her it had been a pleasure.

I have never gone in much for astrological signs; in fact, I have ridiculed people for following them with any seriousness. In the same way that I have taken nearly every personality test I have run across, though, I have recently looked to what they can tell me about myself and others (not so much for the day-to-day things--"Tonight: Have fun!"). There is no reason they should have any validity, people being born within a certain range of months sharing the same qualities. The Chinese system, of course, merely goes by years. Maybe I am credulous, though, because I even read under my sign there and see some things that ring true. I know one theory is that if enough vague things are said, some will stick. That is how I feel about the daily horoscope. But it doesn't seem to be only that. Maybe I should have paid closer attention.

Comments

Beyond the Rubicon: A faith's look at Art and Culture said…
Maybe the value of Horoscopes is not in their validity but in how they can shape our thinking which can then shape our attitudes, which then may shape our behaviors, creating thusly a new reality or a fulfillment of said prediction. Maybe for the faithless or those whose hope has dimmed, these predictions can summon a new type of thinking for the subconscious to work from
September 26, 2010 at 4:26 PM
Leftist Christian said…
I'm by no means an "all paths lead to the same place" person, but it occurred to me recently that most major religions are probably someone's or some group's sincere attempt to understand/worship God, which is a little different than viewing them as some people are viewing Islam these days. I think my next entry will be to that effect. Don't know how/whether this might relate to astrology.
September 26, 2010 at 5:28 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bible School Chronicles – Cleaning Up (Chapter 3)

My first job at the school was in its Physical Plant department. My first job overall was as a paperboy. I’ve nearly always held some sort of job—at most fast food restaurants you can name, with a disreputable operation to collect money for veterans, at a bucket factory, and in securing appointments for cemetery plot sales. I felt like something of a sucker as I observed some of the more well-off students who had never held a job. The student population was largely divided between children of the wealthy and those less well provided for. It was tuition-free but as such relied heavily on donations. Anyway, my deeply-established work ethic came to appear as more of a sham. I was told that you work hard to prepare yourself for adulthood and foster independence. For others, though, they focused on their academic lives until they graduated, perhaps took a brief detour, then entered the workforce in the capacity for which their education had prepared them. Through our way, we lost a...
Read more

Bible School Chronicles - Barista! (Chapter 4)

At some point during my formative years, I posited that being a clerk at a record store would be the best possible job. I never had luck securing such a position (now, record stores hardly exist), but I did procure an interview at a coffee shop. This was before Starbucks entirely monopolized this market. I applied and interviewed at a location just a block or two from my school (this was a small local chain). The manager, Sue, introduced herself. She had cuffed jeans, boots, and short hair, with a Clash pin on her bag. Through some small talk, I learned that she was in a band that was influenced by Gang of Four. She left me with a handout concerning how coffee is grown and prepared and told me to return for a quiz within a week. Upon being hired, I was told that I would also have to work at three other locations regularly. This was okay; I can’t say no to much anyway. All of my co-workers were of course very hip. Two of whom were also in Sue’s band, one with short pink hair (...
Read more

The Chronics

I will be glad when I am through II Chronicles. Such a considerable portion of what I've been going through lately has been recording history of wars and kings' rule. So many portions are phrased in exactly the same way. Most often, the record is that a particular leader did not please God, usually because he let idols to other gods stand and/or worshiped them himself. David is one of a handful of exceptions. He was a man of war, it to me he seems a womanizer, but many times he is depicted as trying to act rightly despite some of his subjects or those around him acting outside of God's will (through killing someone or trying to kill him). Something humorous that is repeated over and over is to the effect of, "As to the rest of King _____'s reign, is it not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?" I respond to this immediately with, "I don't know," and then by wondering, what has become of this book? Was it decided that ...
Read more