The Skepbitch is psychic

I read the news today oh boy about an airline pilot who died in-flight, enroute to Newark from Brussels. A tragic story indeed, although fortunately, the two co-pilots landed the plane safely.

How is this relevant to a blog about skepticism? Well…because I dreamt about this event before it happened!

Superficially, it might seem that I am psychic, but let’s hold off from the talk shows, tours and book contracts for the skeptic turned psychic (yet again), and analyze the story a little more closely…

I awoke in the wee hours of Monday morning, roused by a nightmare. I’d had a disturbing dream about a plane trip during which the pilot died mid-flight. The dream was Hollywood graphic, and the details were as clear as a George Orwell novel.

Upon waking I was drenched in sweat, and a little shaky, but I managed to quickly relax, realize it was just a dream, and doze off back to sleep without too much difficulty.

When I woke up again a few hours later, I recalled the dream. However, the specifics were now hazy; I couldn’t recall the airline, the origin or destination of the flight, or the name of the pilot; I could only remember the gist of the dream – a pilot died mid-flight.

Today, the news stations, newspapers and online sources reported the story of a pilot who died mid-flight!

Did I experience a prophetic dream?

But if you interrogate me a little further, strap me down to a chair, tie my hands behind my back, blindfold me, pull back my hair, come close to my quivering lips and…fuck, where was I?

That’s right! If you penetrate my story a little more deeply you’ll discover a hidden secret – the morning I had this dream, I was due to fly in a plane…

You see, I’m a tad nervous during the ascent, and liable to grab hold of the nearest person’s hand, stranger or not! I’m no fucking Freud, but I gather that my dream about the pilot dying mid-flight reflected my anxiety regarding my impending trip. Interestingly, I dreamt of a pilot dying mid-flight, and not a plane crash, or a flame-engulfed descent. But, flying is a loss of control for some people, and what greater loss of control than a pilot perishing in the cockpit?

For most psychics, this dream would be interpreted as a premonition.

But I didn’t dream about this event; I dreamt of an event.

Moreover, there was a rational reason for my dream – I was due to fly that day, and anticipating my own anxiety. The dream preceding a reality was more situational than synchonicity.

Coincidence is a curious phenomena. Noting the hits is okay, as long as we also remember the many misses; the many times we dreamt and forgot our dreams of people, places, mundane events, accidents and deaths that never occurred.

blog post from the skeptical trenches

This is just to let you know that I’m not missing in action, nor do I have skeptical trench foot…

I’ve been in the trenches, testing stuff, visiting weird places, and writing.  I’ve commenced writing for Swift, see my posts on body language – Don’t Read My Lips and graphology – Write but Wrong.  I’ve also started writing for Skepchick, see my posts on automatic writing – Testing Spirit Writing, and my visit to the Psychiatry: Industry of Death ‘museum’.

I’ve just written some curious articles for Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptic magazine, and I’m about to start a web column shortly. I’m also tending to my actual career…

Don’t think that I’ll abandon my beloved Skepbitch. This is the only place where I can swear, fuck it!