iPod iChing

[crikkett]

This is fun!!

http://scienceblogs.com/catdynamics/2007/03/ipod_iching_ides_of_march.php#more
iPod iChing -ides of March

Category:
Posted on: March 2, 2007 3:03 PM, by Steinn Sigurðsson

New month, new iPod divinations...
So, oh mighty iPod, what is in store for us this month then?

Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Woosh.

* The Covering: Going to California - Led Zeppelin
* The Crossing: Jóla Jólasveinn - Ragga Gísla
* The Crown: Now and Then - Arlo Guthrie
* The Root: Day of the Lords - Joy Division
* The Past: The Firebird: Dance of Kashchey's Retinue
* The Future: The Sow Took the Measles - Burl Ives
* The Questioner: Wie? Wie? Wie? - Mozart (Magic Flute)
* The House: Dust My Blues - Elmore James and His Broom Dusters
* The Inside: I don't Need the Pressure Ron - Billy Bragg
* The Outcome: Út með Köttinn - Þórður

Well, the Covering is spot on. Just hope the mountains won't actually shake...
The Crossing is "the Yule Lad" - mischief and joy, "christmas is coming"
The Crown is good, and accurate.
The Root is a bit ominous and the Past is the darkest part of the Firebird (although the ending is good).
Not sure I like the Future, at all, or the Questioner? The House is a bit of a downer also.
The Inside is Billy Bragg at his most obscure
and the Outcome is a very strange children's christmas song where the doorman throws out the christmas cat (the christmas cat is evil in Icelandic myth), but it is not done nicely.

[crikkett]

1. Background behind this concept

I'm pasting this here not just to self-kick (if only I could have done that during work today, I was so lazy) but to pose the question to this forum:

What makes tarot, and iChing, and other methods of divination, magical? I wonder if these methods aren't all tapping from the same source.

When I was studying physics in college, I had sample problems and then lots of permutations to apply the logic of the lesson to. At the time it seemed as if I solved puzzles for a living. I think that this iPod/iChing might be a similar instance - permutations of an example. This is a rather humorous version of tarot, you'd think it's a little absurd to use an iPod randomizer, but isn't shuffling cards or throwing coins a randomizer? And aren't there magical aspects to mischief and absurdity?

And I'd also like to point out that while this is a scientist's blog, in my experience, science and magic aren't separate. Serious scientists realize that there's more to life than what they can quantify or even comprehend. Most I know recognize magic and spirituality, and find it fascinating - and talk about alien life and other dimensions over coffee. Especially the physicists!

My imagination's run with this iPod/iChing idea because I'm also married to a musician and I have this suspicion that music and poetry are emotive in a magical way. I'm starting to see patterns in music, numerology, colors, sounds, emotions -- all waveforms.

So please, I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Especially from practitioners.

I'm enjoying my post too much because the weather's so mild here in N. California that I can't bother myself with work. Here's the tarot key (See this method is helping me comprehend tarot like I've never been able to before, either.)

iChing

The Friday Random Ten idea needs some spicing up. Since nobody else runs with my ideas, let's follow up on the suggestion that we can use the iPod as a divination device. Simple enough -- just use the first ten songs that show up randomly exactly as you would use Tarot cards, and peek fearlessly into the future.

Here is the most common Tarot Spread, the Celtic Cross, as explained by Byzant Mystical. Each position plays a role in elucidating the larger story.

1. The Covering: The important events, issues, attitudes or influences around the question or current situation
2. The Crossing: Current obstacles, problems, conflicts and opposition that the questioner must deal with
3. The Crown: The best that can be achieved or attained from current circumstances
4. The Root: Past events or influences that have played an important part in bringing about the current situation
5. The Past: Events or influences from the more recent past that have influenced the present but are now passing away
6. The Future: Future events and fresh influences about to come into play that will operate in the near future
7. The Questioner: The questioner's attitude and how they relate to the current situation
8. The House: How other people around the questioner affect and view matters in hand
9. The Inside: The questioner's hopes, fears and expectations with regard to the question or the current situation
10. The Outcome: The eventual outcome of events shown by the other cards

Okay, so let's consult the iPod oracle and see what we get. (Really it's better to ask a specific question, but this is just a proof-of-concept.)

Thanks a lot! I want to learn and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
On edit- forgot the link: http://preposterousuniverse.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_preposterousuniverse_archive.html#111782967721235731

[Celebration]

2. randomizers

I gotta just focus on what I can actually somewhat "do", but I am really intrigued with the idea of randomizers. Sure shuffling of tarot cards is a randomizer!! And so is a computer program that randomizes, *if* it works.

I am thinking that some of the computerized radionics programs that "automatically" test people use random number generators of some sort. An example of this would be QXCI, or also "Life Systems." All this stuff would be front and center in some sort of Quackwatch website (to me that means it most likely works).

Again, I am not 100% sure I am correct, but if QXCI uses a randomizer, well it certainly has its advocates, including Raymon Grace, who called it "a radionics machine with a college education."

It is certainly NOT infallible-- just very useful.

I use muscle testing instead. It is not infallible either, of course. It works well enough for people who practice.

It is all about yes/no answers. A pendulum can do the same thing.