Rabbi Chiam Yosef Sharabi, An Israeli Mystic
I just read an interesting article about an Israeli mystic Rabbi Chiam Yosef Sharabi, who has set up shop in Brooklyn, New York to help seekers of advice see into the future. Talk is not cheap however ($180 a session including a paper amulet) and, according to the article in The Forward newspaper, not always accurate. But what fascinated me about the article was how it described the role of fortune telling and the expectations of the fortune seeker.
Rabbi Chaim uses bibliomancy with a very special book. Bibliomancy can really be used with any book but often the Bible or another religious book is used. Here is an excerpt from the article about the Rabbi's methods. Very interesting -
Seated behind an outdated schoolroom desk, with a stack of books to his right and an open suitcase full of paper amulets to his left, Rabbi Chaim copied my relative’s birthday and the Hebrew names of her parents onto a yellow writing tablet. Through his wife, who interprets for him from Hebrew, the rabbi asked if she was seeing someone, and she answered that she had just broken off a relationship. Rabbi Chaim said, “Was he born in the third month?” My relative nodded.
Rabbi Chaim then set a laptop-sized book spine-down on the desk and instructed my relative to open the book at random — a clairvoyant methodology known as bibliomancy. After staring at the opened page, full of symbols and dense Aramaic script, Rabbi Chaim announced that my relative would meet her future husband in three to eight months; that he would be born in the third, seventh or 11th month, and that possible names for him would be Avraham, Mayer, Michael and Shmuel. He added this information to the yellow piece of paper and gave it to my friend along with an amulet. The paper was folded to the size of a postage stamp and held with Scotch tape.
When I do a reading I always preface it with a discussion of the purpose of the reading in the seeker's life. The reading is just a roadmap of possible future outcomes. The seeker must take action depending on the reading. If no action is taken, then don't expect the predicted outcome. Example: If a reader tells you that you will meet someone in the next six months and it will develop into a love relationship, that is the time to get out there and look. If you have the attitude, "I am going to meet someone so I can just stay at home and wait", then don't expect the prediction to come true.
Amulets, at least for me, are a great source of comfort. I have several different ones, for different purposes and find that they make great gifts too. There are generic ones for overall good fortune that make the perfect birthday gift. Amulets span all religions and belief systems. Here is one that is for everybody: Good Fortune Magical Talisman Amulet Pendant Necklace
What have your experiences been with fortune tellers or mystics?