what does the repetition of something in your life mean? ex: someone keeps seeing the name john everywhere, or someone keeps seeing the number 12 everywhere. sounds strange but twice today i've seen things randomly shaped to form a heart.
2006-08-17 06:19:42 · 16 answers · asked by Kismet 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
some of you are very informative, some of you just ignorant, and even worse, some of you are jerkoffs. =D
2006-08-17 06:46:19 · update #1
to the people who think i'm referring to god. i'm not. i mentioned different beliefs, because one religion may see my question as meaning one thing, and another as something different.
2006-08-17 06:50:35 · update #2
ps..i never said the heart was red.
2006-08-17 06:51:22 · update #3
I view things like that as a sign.
Blessings )O(
2006-08-17 06:26:20 · answer #1 · answered by Epona Willow 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
You will constantly interpret things as you go through life in the fashion in which you are programmed by your upbringing, superstitions, and beliefs. Every day, I see many numbers in great quantities, yet I only become necessarily "aware" of patterns if I see several number "13"s or "6"s. This does not mean there is any significance: just that I assign some deeper meaning subconsciously which causes me to notice them differently than I would "5"s.
It is the same with people who flock to the underpass of a highway because they "see" the face of Jesus in rust stains. They are programmed to look for this particular image. Interestingly, though, the programming is faulty to the degree that everyone "spots" a Caucasian Jesus, whereas the historical Jesus was a Middle-Eastern Jew. The sightings are simply the mind seeing a non-existent pattern that it wants to see.
Addendum: the Jesus mistake is, of course, nothing more than a replication of images of Jesus that have been painted, sculpted, etc... by Western artists, non of whom actually had any damn idea what he looked like.
2006-08-17 06:24:33 · answer #2 · answered by Blackacre 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
There is a phenomenon that occurs in the brain called peridolia (not sure about the spelling...). It allows the brain to recognize shapes and patterns in random things. It's an instinct that's hard-wired into the human brain. It is a survival instinct, and has no mystical or spiritual significance.
When it happens, it can sometimes cause the release of endorphins that create a mild euphoric state. Then, of course, people want it to be true so they can re-create the euphoria.
Peridolia is the same phenomenon that makes people see shapes in clouds, visions of saints in random items like grilled cheese sandwiches or in the oil patterns on the back of a street sign.
-SD-
2006-08-17 06:57:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Selective bias mixed with some coincidence. If you happen to see something twice (which is easy by coincidence), then your brain will start to actively search for more of that thing. You'll forget the misses and remember the hits, so to speak. Selective bias has been demonstrated in countless studies. I can do one right now.
Take a good look around you and notice any blue objects. Make sure you notice all of them.
Now, without looking around again, close your eyes and try to identify all the red objects around you.
Having trouble? That's selective perception at work.
2006-08-17 06:28:10 · answer #4 · answered by Michael 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Different than what?
The human mind will happily find patterns, even where none exist. It's what it does - find patterns, especially visual ones.
We also do coincidence fairly well. This capability is used to great advantage by cold readers and so called psychics who will rely on you remembring the hits and forgetting the misses.
Sometimes these coincidental things actually mean something, but I would not count on it.
2006-08-17 06:30:25 · answer #5 · answered by sheeple_rancher 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Different beliefs from what?
I tend to think that part of seeing things over and over again is having a search image for that thing in your mind. If you are thinking about buying a Mini Cooper, you tend to see more of them than if you aren't thinking about buying one.
2006-08-17 06:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It generally means you are experiencing selective observation, ie.e you are consciously or sub-sconsciously tuned to notice and look for these things and to not notice or look for toher thigns so much, which makes random occurences seem non-random or higher than random frequency. Try to track back to what 12 means to you and why you would wnat to see or fear seeing it. there's a script operating somewhere in your mind that is acting as a filter or scope.
2006-08-17 06:29:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
could be a coincidence...but the thing is that our minds are in a way programed to look for certain patterns so there may not be a heart where ur looking but since our minds know what hearts look like, our mind kind of plays tricks on us...just like w/ faces in pictures (some ppl think it is a ghost)...kind of like that...
2006-08-17 06:27:14 · answer #8 · answered by ξℓ Çђαηφσ 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It means you saw something (in your case heart shaped) and said "Oh look at that a (heart) and then subconsciously you kept looking for (hearts) all day and so kept noticing (hearts). No god involved.
2006-08-17 06:26:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Your question and your comment do not align very well. I pick out human faces in random patterns all the time, and.....?
2006-08-17 06:27:41 · answer #10 · answered by Cogito Sum 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋