Let's Tell the Future / Let's See How It's Been Done

An interesting post from David McRaney, who writes about the allure of (among other things) astrology, numerology and tarot cards.

The tendency to believe vague statements designed to appeal to just about anyone is called the Forer Effect. ... The Forer Effect is part of larger phenomenon psychologists refer to as subjective validation, which is a fancy way of saying you are far more vulnerable to suggestion when the subject of the conversation is you.

Personally, i've always liked the Tarot, but it's not because I believe that it foretells my future, it's because:

1. I find great beauty and meaning in the general symbolism of the cards, and simply observing the symbols and how they can interact is fun.
2. Using these general symbols can make you think about yourself in interesting new ways, helping you discover what you're thinking about yourself and/or your situation. It also helps you build up fun new mythologies for yourself, which is never a bad thing as we work our way through this difficult world.

Note: The title of this post references the excellent Suzanne Vega song "Predictions" off of Days of Open Hand.