Madam Lichtenstein's Cosmic World

Japanese Algorithm Can Predict Death?

This post comes at an auspicious time - it's release coincides with the Day of The Dead Festival which takes place on November 2. Ceridyn writes about Day of the Dead on her blog.

A few years ago I bought a slim little volume of an astrology book on how to predict your time of death. As I wended though the book I realized that I really did not want to know when I would die. So when I stumbled upon this article on Japanese doomware, I was hesitant.

The medical paper behind the doomsday algorithm explains that this was developed to ascertain who among those who called for emergency medical help via 911 was most likely to die. And, I suppose if we were to go the next step, then ascertain who really didn't need medical emergency help because help is already too late. Ouch.

The resulting newspaper article from the UK's Register newspaper explains:

Apparently respectable programmers in Japan claim to have developed an algorithm which can tell, merely by listening to a person briefly, whether or not they are about to die. The revolutionary doomsniffer software was developed by Kenji Ohshige at the Yokohama City University. It was developed to assist in answering emergency calls from members of the public.

The programmers sifted through thousands of phone calls to ascertain strength of voice and level of consiousness. They then tried to match these attributes with whether the actual cases were severe and death threatening. I suppose they want to use it as a triage method - who need help immediately compared to those who can wait. However it is not fail safe and they say that the predictive quailty is "moderately successful".

 

Might I suggest astrology instead of phone calls? Try Predicting Events With Astrology which is due to come out soon.

Evangeline Adams

Evangeline Adams is one of America's best known astrologers ... at least she was during the Depression and the years leading to the Great Depression. I can't help but think of Evangeline Adams now that we are in the Great Recession (or at least that is what they are calling it nowadays. As for me, I think it is more of a depression than recession.)

She was very accurate in her astrological predictions of the stock market. During the heady days preceding the depression she recommended buying into the market. But as she read the US birthchart and saw Uranus aspecting Jupiter she then warned of impending financial difficulties: "In 1928 and 1929... it behooves everyone to be extremely cautious in investment and money matters, and be prepared for this threatening configuration of planets". The stock market crash occurred in October of 1929.

Her background is remarkable - She was an advisor to presidents, celebrities and wealthy capitalists such as J.P. Morgan, Charles Schwab and Tallulah Bankhead. Beginning her astrological studies in Boston in 1887, her claim to fame was that she successfully predicted the Windsor Hotel fire in New York City in 1899. She moved to New York in 1905. In 1911 she was arrested for fortune-telling, and although the charges were dropeed, she gained great publicity as a result of the arrest. In 1914, Adams was again arrested for fortune telling in New York, but again was acquitted of all wrong-doing.

Many papers quoted the judge's decision that she "had raised astrology to the dignity of an exact science". Interestingly, she predicted World War II in January 1927 by examining the cycle of Uranus in the US chart. She said "the signs point to a war .... for religious, racial and political reasons, in 1942, 1943 and 1944".

I have past posts on the subject including one on predicting the stock market using astrology and one on the stock market horoscope. If you want to try predicting the stock market for yourself using astrology, consider the book Financial Astrology

Tarot - The Meaning of the Four Queens in the Tarot Deck

The Four Queens in the Tarot Deck

I am very pleased to introduce Jackie Tyler who is our guest columnist on Tarot today. She writes on the role of the Queen cards in a tarot reading. This is a fascinating and useful interpretation. Jackie's contact information is below the post. Please contact her for further information.

Queen of Cups:

The queen of cups when appearing in a psychological tarot reading can represent the feminine aspects of feeling and sexuality. If she appears in the spread of a woman, dependent on her position, she may represent the ownership of one’s own sexual power and quiet confidence to attract the opposite sex. There is no desperation or panic in the queen of cups. She knows without flamboyant dress or behavior, that she is attractive. This may be a repressed aspect that the seeker has lost, or may be an aspect that is clouded by other present life situations. Men come to her, she does not chase.

When the queen of cups appears in the spread of a male, she represents a repressed female aspect of the self (anima: see Carl Jung). When a man has a good connection with this female aspect he is more sensual, more capable of empathy and a much better lover. The Queen of Cups in this situation may suggest a man has repressed this aspect and needs to work on bringing this into his life to improve his relationships, particularly in the bedroom.

Queen of Wands:

The Queen of Wands in a psychological reading represents the feminine aspects of warmth and energy of family. She is loyal and balances her family and responsibilities outside the home. When this card appears in a woman’s spread, she may be the repressed aspect of balance within home and work or outside interests. This card suggests we can be a mother or wife and a person in our own right. If the seeker is out of balance, either too much work or too much looking after the needs of others, this card can suggest that the seeker find the balance. She is the fulcrum (centre) of a see saw, too much one way and things get out of balance. Similarly, if she appears in the spread of a man, she may be suggesting he needs to find more balance in his life.

Queen of Swords:

The queen of swords in a psychological reading represents the inner critic or matriarch of the unconscious mind. The Queen of Swords is her own worst critic and expects perfection from herself and those around her. She is the constant voice that replays over in our heads, “You're not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough.” When she appears in a psychological reading it may suggest that the seeker (man or woman) needs to get to know their inner critic through inner work so that it can be brought to consciousness rather than running along madly in the unconscious mind. The seeker needs to connect with his or her inner referee or guide to assist with this.

Queen of Pentacles:

The Queen of Pentacles represents sensuality and the pleasures of the body and comfort. She reminds us to enjoy those small moments of pleasure and connectivity with ourselves and those closest to us. To be more sensual one needs to take the time to be In The Moment. She suggests an exercise like walking on the beach and feeling the sand between your toes, feeling the breeze on your face, smelling and tasting the salt in the air, watching the water and hearing the waves and the gulls screeching. Using all senses and being very centred in doing so. So too, this is a good exercise for lovers when they are
together, feel, smell touch, hear and taste.  When this card appears in a psychological reading, it suggests the seeker take time to be more sensual in their lives. Although the Queen of Pentacles also
represent material possessions and money, I feel in this type of reading, it is more about a blanket on the grass, a bottle of wine and some cheese, alone or with another.

BIOGRAPHY

Jackie Tyler B.Soc. Sci. "I am currently in my late forties and run a growing dream interpretation and tarot reading service through my website http://dreamcatchercounselling.com I have raised three boys and have four grandchildren; I was married for over 17 years.  During this time, I have worked in the field of mental health and with women in domestic violence. I have a degree in Social Sciences from Southern Cross University."

If you want to explore the art and science of Tarot, check out Everything Tarot.

As Japan’s Itako Mediums Die, Ancient Tradition Fades

I guess you can say that it is a lost art - the art of channeling. I often visit the Spiritualist Society of Great Britain but my favorite channeler has dies and gone to the spirit plane. And according to the New York Times, Japan's mediums, called Itako, are also on the verge of extinction.

 

Here is a small excerpt of the article: MOUNT OSORE in Japan has a twice annual religious Buddhist festival where visitors come to line up to see the “itako” — elderly, often blind women who hold séance-like ceremonies that customers hope will allow them to commune with spirits of the dead. The itako are among the last remaining adherents to ancient shamanistic beliefs that predate Buddhism and modern forms of Shintoism.

These last remaining itako are vanishing. Only four graying itako appeared at Mt. Osore’s weeklong summer festival this year, three having died of old age in the last year.

Junichi Tonosaki, a historian in the prefectural museum in Aomori, where Mount Osore is located, said the number of itako had fallen from about 20 a decade ago. He said they began gathering at Mount Osore in the last century as their numbers began to dwindle, to make it easier for customers to find them. The volcano’s 1,200-year-old temple is believed by many here to be a gathering point for souls of the dead before Buddhist reincarnation.

Itako and other shamanistic mediums were common across Japan in medieval times, when this was often the only occupation available for the blind. Now, there are so few itako that visitors routinely wait in line for several hours to see one. Itako charge 3,000 yen, or about $30, for each spirit called in a roughly 10-minute ceremony.

Ms. Himukai, the 40-year-old itako, says she enters a trance in which she feels the presence of the spirit and its mood, which she expresses in her own words. She said she decided to begin the three-year period of study to become a spiritual medium as a teenager, after an itako near her rural village cured her of an ailment that doctors could not fix.

How about searching for your own Itako with The Rough Guide to Japan Fourth Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Interactive Crystal Ball Fortune Teller

This is a great way to waste time.

This Interactive Fortune Teller video is more of a hoot than a reliable fortune telling instrument but it is very clever and I enjoyed going through the different predictions. See for yourself -

Of course you can just do it yourself with this great selection of Crystal Balls