Our story begins on 22nd August last year, when the BP Forum's very own tomroberts - who also moonlights as Bindeweede on the UK-Skeptics Forum - was strolling through St Albans. Over to you, Tom:
Quote:
"Earlier today, I was browsing round my local "Crystals" shop to see if I could pick up any "vibes". The only thing I was aware of picking up was a brochure listing talks and courses going on in the area, and I found this.
'Gary Mannion is a 19 year old Indigo Child with amazing psychic and healing gifts. Working with his Spirit Surgeon, Abraham, Gary will demonstrate Psychic Surgery on some willing members of the audience. These operations, which are completely safe and painless, are non-evasive, and require no surgical instruments, or removal of clothing. Whilst working, Gary will talk about how he and Abraham ended up working together, and how Psychic Surgery works.'"
Yes, that
should be "non-invasive", but poor spelling is the least disturbing aspect of this advert. Psychic surgery is a type of fraud practiced by "healers" in the Philippines and Brazil who use sleight of hand to remove cancerous tumours from their patients. The tumours are really chicken guts or similar bits of offal, palmed by the surgeon and "removed" from the patient's body together with copious amounts of fake blood. Although Gary's version of this thoroughly debunked scam doesn't involve fake incisions and phony tumours, it's still rather startling to find an English teenager advertising his skills as a psychic surgeon.
But of course, Gary isn't an ordinary teenager. He's an Indigo Child, one of the representatives of the next stage in human evolution. According to American psychic Nancy Ann Tappe, author of the first book on the subject:
Quote:
"The Indigo phenomenon has been recognized as one of the most exciting changes in human nature ever documented in society... This phenomena is happening globally and eventually the Indigos will replace all other colors. As small children, Indigo’s are easy to recognize by their unusually large, clear eyes. Extremely bright, precocious children with an amazing memory and a strong desire to live instinctively, these children of the next millennium are sensitive, gifted souls with an evolved consciousness who have come here to help change the vibrations of our lives and create one land, one globe and one species. They are our bridge to the future."
According to Doreen Virtue PhD (NEVER use Doreen's name without mentioning her PhD):
Quote:
Along with their extreme sensitivities come a host of beautiful and world changing qualities. Your Indigo is probably spiritually blessed with psychic gifts and good fortune of being able to see Angels, deceased loved ones, fairies or connect to the heart of animals and people. If someone is hurt or left out, this child will be the first to be able to comfort or make a new friend. Their brilliance will probably not shine through their report card, but will rather be through the light emerging from their eyes, smile or infectious laugh. Since their DNA is actually a little different than the normal child, their chakras are actually spinning at a faster rate; hence they have a higher vibrational frequency. If they seem to be hyperactive or moving fast, it is because quite literally, THEY ARE. Their third eye is highly developed which gives their aura the Indigo hue. They are the children “of the blue ray” and have the spiritual gifts to prove it. Their life purpose is to bring new understanding and ways of being to the Planet and will tear down anything that stands in their way. It is this willful and purposeful personality that our planet so desperately needs. They have come to change society, and they will if we can listen to them, help care for them and take their lead…
From
www.indigochildcoach.com Someone pass me a bucket. No, pass me a loaded gun - if the world-changing "special" people of the future are going to be delusional idiots with infectious laughs I don't want to be alive when they take over. Mind you, if your child is academically "slow", badly behaved, sees angels and talks to fairies, it must be a great comfort to know that he or she still has "beautiful and world-changing qualities" (albeit ones that can't easily be tested or disproved). Virtue's claim that the DNA of Indigo Children "is actually a little different" to that of "the normal child" is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds - and chakras exist only in the imaginations of those who make money by manipulating them.
Elsewhere Indigo Children have been described in the following terms:
Quote:
"They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it)
They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others don't share that.
Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."
They have difficulty with absolute authority (authority without explanation or choice).
They simply will not do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.
They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and don't require creative thought.
They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (nonconforming to any system).
They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.
They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").
They are not shy in letting you know what they need. "
Doctors and child psychologists have pointed out that Indigo "symptoms" are suspiciously similar to those of Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However, back to Gary...
On 30th August Gary made his first post on UK-Skeptics, stating that:
Quote:
"I do currently work with many leading doctors and medical professionals."
John Jackson challenged Gary to provide the names of these important people, at which point the Indigo Kid vanished from the forum. UK-Skeptics regulars soon forgot about him, so it came as something of a surprise when Gary popped up again on 5th December.
However, pause for a moment before finding out what happened next and allow me to share an
Isis Crystals anecdote with you. In his
Winter Happenings brochure, shop owner Philip Permutt penned this little gem of New Age prose:
Quote:
"So here we are at this festive time of year. Incredible isn't it... wherever you go, there you are. And this keeps happening whatever you do. You keep finding yourself here. Some people travel the world "searching for themselves" only to eventually find that they are who they are whether they are here, there, anywhere or nowhere in particular."
Wow...like,
profound, dude!
Useful links:The original "Psychic Surgery":
http://www.skepdic.com/psurgery.htmlIn the version practiced by Gary he simply imitates the hand gestures of the Filipino frauds, claims that his spiritual guide Abraham's hands enter the patient's body to diagnose the problem and
doesn't pretend to remove anything. Nothing resembling "surgery" as the word is generally understood takes place.
During Gary's recent "demonstration of psychic surgery" at St James' Church, Piccadilly, he referred favourably to psychic surgeon "John of God":
http://www.skepdic.com/johnofgod.htmlIndigo Children:
http://www.autismstreet.org/weblog/?p=13"The Woo-Woo Credo":
http://www.watchingyou.com/woowoo.html 
