Ever notice that once you’re in a particular frame of mind, the world seems to offer up evidence that it’s ALSO in the same rhythm as you? I call this the “Fortune Teller Phenomena”, or sometimes “See! Proof that the world DOES revolve around ME”.
Fortune tellers, for the most part, are just really good observers. They take notice of the way you walk in to the room, how you meet their eye, what you wear, what you say, how you say it, how you carry yourself. All these items tell them things about you.
So, if you’ve been having a great day, you’re walking in with a spring in your step, a smile on your face that reaches your eyes, and “How are you!” in a cheery fashion. When you sit down, you’re leaning forward, arms maybe on the table, very relaxed.
Dealing out the tarot cards, the fortune teller takes that information and builds a foundation of trust with you. Dealing with the law of averages (Since you’re happy now, you’ll probably be less happy later.. we’re like crack-addicted monkeys in that fashion), they’ll tell you that you need to watch out for vague items.. possibly a father-figure and maybe a young women and the color blue, they’ll be major factors in your future rollercoaster ride to doom and sadness.
Our brain then plays a game with those words. Father figure becomes Dad, Grandpa, Uncles, Bosses, Older male friends, or maybe even Aunt Hilda with the mustache. Chances are when the words are mentioned, you do a Rolodex flip through of your friends, family, anyone you might know. It looks for ways to associate that item to some file folder.
It does it when you’re not visiting fortune tellers too. It’s the reason why there’s all those sayings about the “Laws of Three”, “Birds of a feather flock together”, etc. We’re a selfish lot, aren’t we. :)
