What are the chances?

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LGrace
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What are the chances?

Post by LGrace »

So, I was doing an around the corner reading and the first person chose cards: 13, 50, 3. After that reading, I shuffled and cut the cards at least 20 times, and fanned them out. I chose the same numbers again for my own reading on a hunch. The 13th card, the 50th and the 3rd. The 3rd card was the SAME card as the 3rd one pulled in the first reading (which is the future card). Seriously what are the odds of this? Or is this the cards working their magic?

L.

Ramscha
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Re: What are the chances?

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Who? What? Why?

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ne1
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Re: What are the chances?

Post by ne1 »

LGrace wrote:The 13th card, the 50th and the 3rd. The 3rd card was the SAME card as the 3rd one pulled in the first reading (which is the future card). Seriously what are the odds of this?
L.
Okay, my math skills are questionable, but let's see....

If you are using a standard tarot deck, the probability of pulling any individual card is 1/72. That means, since you say the cards were sufficiently shuffled, the probability of the same card is also 1/72 (because, all things being equal, the probability of the event occurring a second time is the same as it occurring the first time).

So you have three cards, the chances of pulling all three cards on the consecutive try is 1/72 X 1/72 X 1/72 or 1/373248. The equation gets more complicated depending on the circumstances (Were they the next three cards pulled? What order were they pulled in? etc.). But to be honest, this is about as far as my math talents go. (My higher mind can deal with the math, cause maths is ew. :))

If you are interested, this dude, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdhriaynamg speaks in an fairly understandable way and has a number of videos. (I acknowledge that there was still a point at the end where even after rewinding four times, I still had questions :) )
LGrace wrote:Or is this the cards working their magic?
What is magic? By one theory, it is the manifestation of Will and Imagination. Therefore, any act of will and imagination is technically magic, even walking down the street or getting out of bed in the morning. But what we really mean when we ask it is, is it something “supernatural”, something involving the “unseen.” We see magic around us every day, like you did, and ask, is this evidence that there is something more? In comes the doubt, and rationality, the wondering if it all really did happen, even if we were there to see it for ourselves. You are asking, I think, if this is manifestation and thus can it be used as evidence to convince your logical mind that what you think is real is real.

The short answer is yes, though I would caveat and say that I think that you are working magic through the cards not the other way around.


Your question then is a good one. Math stills the logical mind and is a language of science.
LGrace wrote:Seriously what are the odds of this?
L.
What are the odds of it occurring naturally? The theory of Will and Imagination also says that magic is natural, just as natural as walking down the street or finding a four leaf clover. But then what are the odds of finding two? Or finding one every time you look? To increase the odds, of even this one thing, shows increase in awareness outside of the limits of your consciousness. “You” know where to look.

Think of it like Sherlock Holmes: “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

For myself, asking that question leads me to use math to still my inner critic (more at least ;) ). I still doubt, still wonder, but now I look over the evidence and ask myself what are the odds?

It has helped me too, to mark my own “advancement” so to speak. Think of it like measuring your height on a wall as you grow up. Every few months or years, you stand up against the wall and draw a line. How many “four leaf clovers” did you find? How many cards have you pulled? You calculate the odds and measure the height. This is the level of awareness and control you have today. Later on, you can measure your height again, draw a line again. It can be satisfying to stand back now and again and see how you have grown over time and effort.

Overall nifty :) and welcome to the forum :)

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