Volume 124 Issue 144
kansan.com
Friday, April 27, 2012
--in the summer of 2011, she had psychic reading done in Brighton. She had broken up with her boyfriend and looked for some wisdom. "She correctly knew that I was involved in a breakup, but assumed I was the one who was broken up with and talked to me about how things happen for a reason and destiny." Newell says.
PLAY
I See You
STUDENTS GO OUT FOR METAPHYSICAL EXPERIENCES, BOTH FOR FUN AND FOR REAL GUIDANCE // RACHEL CHEON
PHOTOS BY RACHEL CHENN
Tarot cards help predict certain situations that seekers ask about
What comes to your mind when you hear the words "psychic," "tarot card," "crystal ball," or "fortune-telling?" You may think of one of those stereotypical psychics on TV with head wrap and a crystal ball talking to a call-in customer, or just a fun, unique way to spend your time. These are examples of metaphysics, which are philosophies and methods that help people understand reality in ways science can't explain. However you view these experiences, they are significant for some college students.
Belief in the paranormal or metaphysics increases during college from about 23 percent among freshmen to 31 percent in seniors, according to the study in 2001 conducted by Bryan Farha at Oklahoma City University and Gary Steward Jr. at University of Central Oklahoma with 439 college students. Another study done by Baylor University and the Gallup organization in 2006 with 1,721 Americans concludes that 52 percent believe dreams can sometimes foretell the future or reveal hidden truths, 30 percent think it's possible to influence the physical world through mind alone (telekinesis), more than 20 percent think it's possible to communicate with the dead, and nearly 40 percent believe in haunted houses. Horoscopes are common in newspapers, and there are psychic businesses everywhere, including places in Lawrence.
Aruna Dawn is a tarot card reader in
Lawrence and president of the Reiki Rays Institute, which offers online courses about metaphysics. Reiki is a form of healing by hovering hands over the client's body and channeling positive force. Tarot card reading interprets and predicts a certain situation with a deck of 78 cards. Each card represents distinct elements. For example, the card "devil" represents intense passion and possessiveness. Dawn says tarot is helpful for getting the answers you seek if you ask the right questions. "Who you are going to marry or winning the lottery are usually not the type of things to get the right answer," Dawn says. She also says that sometimes psychics are good interpreters of body language, voice and eye reactions rather than knowing what the cards are trying to say. "When talking to someone, you know what answer they want." Dawn says.
Perhaps this was the case for Emilie Newell, senior from Kansas City, Mo., Newell thinks tarot cards present universal lessons that are useful for getting a new perspective, but not necessarily tools of psychic power. Newell and her friend went for a palm reading at Lawrence Metaphysical Shop, 727 Massachusetts St., three years ago as "just sort of a fun, quirky thing to do." The psychic told Newell that she was going to either make or be part of a movie in mid-June, but that didn't happen. When Newell was studying abroad in the United Kingdom
On another hand, Nick Ward, graduate student from Shawnee, came out with an astonishing feeling after $35 tarot card reading at Lawrence Metaphysical Shop. The psychic accurately talked about how close he is to his family or how he tends to notice things in environment better than his friends do without Ward telling her. Ward says the psychic was even more specific when talking to one of his friends. "She told my friend that her boyfriend is her soul mate and that one of her friends is extremely jealous of her," Ward says. Ward's friend is now engaged to her "soul mate" boyfriend, and she is no longer friends with a former close friend after incidents that pointed to jealousy problems. Tarot card reader and Reiki master Aruna Dawn believes that real psychics exist, such as the psychic she encountered during a vacation in Massachusetts who read out of gemstones, and knew about Dawn's grandfather's death and how he used to play Frank Sinatra on piano. Although she thinks the gemstone psychic was the real deal, Dawn acknowledges that there are fake psychics out there. "A true psychic will not advertise that they can heal anyone," Dawn says. She also says psychics who advertise a low price, but offer more expensive services to answer some questions may be fake. This requires clients to come back and spend more money. "The key to a real, intuitive psychic seems to know specifics without you having to give them any information," Dawn says.
Metaphysics can be a unique way to help understand reality better, but some people become dependent and addicted to metaphysics, expecting that metaphysics can fix anything. Dawn says that there are clients who come back to ask the same question over and over again, only to not take the advice and come back to ask about fixing the same condition. "If I make them feel better and they keep injuring themselves, and I'm like a pain killer, I don't want my time wasted
and accused of doing something wrong," Dawn says. Having a metaphysical experience may not result in the accurate prediction of your future, but having exclusive attention on your problems and talking about them can be a remedy in itself.
TRYING OUT A CALL-IN PSYCHIC SERVICE
I was curious how much the "professional" psychics with "years of experience" are like. After trying it out, this is what I learned.
I call the number from an advertisement. A lady answered and I give my credit card information, and I was asked to choose a psychic after listening to the choices. Before connecting me to the psychic, the lady says "This reading is for entertainment purposes only," and I asked, "Wait what? So it's not real?" to which she says, "Oh we're just required to say that by law." Interesting, I was connected to the psychic and I complained about made-up boy problems. She talked about some general things, more like a therapist, but nothing about the future or specifics. She called me by my Korean name as given in the card information, and asked where I'm from. I replied "South Korea," and she says "Let's see. Let me try to see you how you look. Ahh, I see you have black hair and dark eyes." Are you kidding me? I'm Asian. Then she went on to say "and I see that you are patite, right?" Uh, yes. I am 5-foot-3, but I bet she was saying that out of a stereotype and not out of some psychic ability. I lie and said, "Not really, I'm five-eight." She replied, "Oh alright," and changed the subject about how my hypothetical boy needed professional help. After minutes of common sense, I asked directly, "So what can you see in the near future?" She replied that my dude and I will keep having conflicts, but that things will get better. Really? I can predict that too. I said thank you and hung up, feeling like I paid $10 for 10 minutes to talk to a nice, listening stranger than a psychic.
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FILM
Documentary prompts race discussion in schools
Patrick Monroe, a senior from New Berlin, Wis., looks through a lens to focus a shot for his documentary. The documentary features the "Can We Talk" program at Free State High School, which focuses on racial issues in public schools.
XIN LI/KANSAN
XIN LI
editor@kansan.com
Sylvia Yimer, a graduate student in the School of Social Welfare, went to visit the program "Can We Talk" at Free State High School. "Can We Talk" is a localized part of a national program. Yimer said her visit was driven by her interest in race equality in public schools.
Index
Yimer said the program was meant to facilitate understanding of different races and reduce the academic performance gap between white students and students of minority groups. She said she was surprised by how unrecognized the program
A group of University students is producing a documentary called, "Courageous Conversations about Race," a program encouraging high school students to face racial issues.
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Last September, Yimer brought the documentary idea to a University student club, the Documentary Film Society. The student club was just established by then. The president of the club, Patrick Monroe, a senior studying film, was excited to hear about the idea.
Monroe said it was great to know that Sylvia was as dedicated as he was to filming and directing.
"Film can be used to make change and be the outlet for voices that are marginalized to be heard," Yimer said. "These kids wouldn't get an opportunity to get their stories heard without someone giving that to them necessarily."
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
The program is inspired by the book "Courageous Conversations about Race — a Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools," by Glen Glennington and Curtis Linton. In February, Yimer and Monroe flew to San Francisco to interview and film Singleton.
Yimer said Singleton was personable. The author set aside more than four hours of his day to meet exclusively with Monroe and Yimer.
was. Yimer decided to make a documentary to raise awareness of the program.
"Since we started, we were focusing on funding and didn't have
"It was easy to tell how passionate he was about his work and how eager he was to help us," Yimer said. "The interview with Glenn is by far the most important interview for the film"
anything solid to work on," Monroe said. "Then Sylvia called me with this golden idea."
"As a filmmaker, I hope this will be a calling card not just for me, for the club, but for KU." Monroe said. "We want to show people what KU students are capable of"
Monroe said a lot of work needs to be done to make the documentary successful and he hoped they could eventually send the documentary to film festivals. He hasn't yet announced a release date.
Monroe said the project would expand through the school year and develop into a 70-minute feature.
During spring break the team conducted an interview with a Free
State High School student who said to have benefitted from the program. Yimer said their next goal was to set up an interview with Tim Wise, one of the leading authors on race and racism in America.
Don't forget
Today is the Brown Bag Drag Show sponsored by SUA, Queers & Allies and Kicker. This is the last Tunes @ Noon of the year.
Edited by Anna Allen
Today's Weather
Showers and thunderstorms are likely, otherwise mostly cloudy.
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Don't get struck by lightning