For many thousands of years mankind has
sought ways to predict the future, and an unprecedented amount of
people around the world today believe in the possibility. From our
ancient ancestors to the present day society, numerous methods of
prediction tempt non-believers into thinking there truly is a higher
level of insight into the future. Is it really possible to predict
the future? This is a loaded question often met with scrutiny with a
common retort implying that if so, then miracles should be possible.
Perhaps however, this is the caveat which comes with attempting
predictions, that only so much knowledge may be gained. Degree of
accuracy varies greatly from method to method and those omens which
appear to be eerily on point are often dismissed rationally as
coincidence.
Fascination for developing ways to see
into the future dates back to our great ancestors. Inspiration for
this could be hard-wired into the brain as a form of anticipation, a
glorified intuition utilized for critical survival in dire
situations. For example, a developed understanding of animal behavior
might have tricked early humans into thinking they're predicting the
outcome of a situation, although it was a response conditioned from
repetitive trial and error. Incidentally, knowledge from this could
easily be applied to other aspects of daily life, and it seems that
knowledge is the key to soothsaying.
Some ancient prediction practices are
still utilized today on a daily basis, though now backed by
scientific understanding such as weather forecasting by weeks,
months, and seasons. When a number of conditions are met, and key
characteristics define the result, a prediction outlining possible
outcome is made. There is a common phrase stating that nature is
unpredictable, given its ability to present unforeseen conditions in
a moment's notice, but forecasting attempts to provide the most
likely outcome based on those same factors affecting early humans as
responses conditioned from weather patterns and collected environment
data, much like chaos theory finding a curve that best fits.
Early man tracked the sun and lunar
cycle each day, learning eventually how the position and length of
time in the sky affects the seasons. Predicting changing seasons
blessed farmers with knowledge on when to plant and harvest crops.
Over time, mankind's connection to the stars strengthened, and the
heavens above became another method for understanding the future in a
different way. Then, with a better understanding of the cosmos,
Astrology offered a concept that positions of star systems in the
night sky in proximity to each other are capable of affecting energy
on the Earth's surface, demonstrating a person's deep desire to know
his or her own future. What can be expected next, or rather, how do
we anticipate events to come before they happen?
Famous, well-known seers like
Nostradamus and Cayce brought prophecies to the masses through unique
methods involving a dream-like state to reveal information about
future events. Although cryptic, the practice is quite similar to
those mentioned in Norse and Greek mythologies, whereby forbidden
knowledge became accessible through meditation, trance, and partaking
in sacred substances. Understanding the meaning of natural dreams
continuously fascinates mankind, and the concept of dreams coming
true portrays a role of prophetic importance on daily life. A few
historical accounts of our ancient ancestors do tend to indicate
this, as seers having life-changing dreams or entering trance-like
states inducing a capability of predicting future events. Who will be
the next oracle to impress upon the world?
Using dreams, star charts, numbers,
cards, and cycles of history are often associated with foretelling
events. Finite conditions are fixed to the medium used to predict the
outcome, so to the seer it is not a surprise of what the medium
speaks, but instead a surprise to the onlooker. Seeding of the
conditions during the events may subliminally turn predictions into
self-fulling prophecies, and it's wise to err on the side of caution
in deciphering if the message is truly one of sincerity or one
devised for personal gain.
Quite possibly the greatest secret of
any seer who predicts the outcome of events with astonishing
accuracy, is an intricate and sophisticated understanding of
existence beyond what science may see as humanly plausible. However
days ahead unravel, it is certain some of those foretelling the
future share a gift which is difficult to explain and often dismissed. It's important to understand the implications of being able
to predict our own futures, but maybe our futures are simply
responsive and reactionary to preceding events considering the
inherent paradox otherwise. Then perhaps, prophecy is different
altogether as a connection to a library of universal knowledge,
access to things we're meant to know, ultimately designed to
perpetuate forward momentum of intelligent life on Earth.
