The Blogbooks

7 Famous People Who Had Personal Oracles (PHOTOS)

Have you ever been driving in traffic and sensed that the driver in the next lane was going to change lanes just before they pulled out in front of you? Chances are you slowed down to allow them in and avoided an accident.
By 

Author

Author
|
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Open Image Modal

Have you ever been driving in traffic and sensed that the driver in the next lane was going to change lanes just before they pulled out in front of you? Chances are you slowed down to allow them in and avoided an accident. Or maybe you've been down to the wire on a project deadline when a person with the precise information you needed called unexpectedly and saved the day. If you're a cloud gazer like me you may notice cloud images that mirror timely messages back to you. Some people awaken from dreams with messages from deceased loved ones. Others notice the familiar smell of a deceased loved one or sense their presence, indicating that they are close by. Like me, you may have even followed a gut feeling that saved your life. If you ever feel like the universe is conspiring in your favor, that's because it is!

Every day coincidences, synchronicities, dreams, spirit signposts and mysterious messages show up in every form imaginable. They seem to appear out of the blue and arrive on the scene just when we need them the most. I always thought things like this were random until a series of events revealed to me that the universe is designed to respond to our very specific needs. That's when I began to think of these divine messages as personal oracles.

Personal oracles have been around for as long as people. Almost every religion and culture throughout history has embraced its own oracle stories and practices, like Moses tablet with the Ten Commandments. Cloud gazing is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of divination in the world. The Ancient Babylonians looked to the clouds for oracle messages called Nephomancy, The Druids called it Neladoracht. Remember Alexander the Great? He consulted astrologers and soothsayers on a regular basis. Ancient cultures like the Native Americans and Australian Aborigines looked to nature as a reliable source for personal oracle guidance and support. The ancient Greeks relied on dreams to help predict and diagnose disease. Galen, a famous physician wrote a treatise titled On Diagnosis from Dreams. Galen believed that dreams offered vital clues that could help healers diagnose and treat patients. He was so confident in the information gleaned from dreams that he encouraged people to observe their dreams for clues to healing and performed operations based on dream interpretations.

This political oracle occurred in 2008 when Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia arrived at President Bush's Texas ranch angry about the president's position on Israel and Ramallah. Prince Abdullah quickly decided he wanted to leave. But when the prince spotted a turkey on the road, he took it as a positive sign from Allah. The prince changed his mind and decided to stay.

Everyone has personal oracles, yet not everyone utilizes them like Galean and Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Check out these famous people and see how they responded to their personal oracles.

Ann Bolinger-McQuade is the author of the new book Everyday Oracles: Decoding the Divine Messages That Are All Around Us.

Famous People Who Consulted Oracles
Lucille Ball (01 of07)
Open Image Modal
During her lifetime, Lucille Ball was one of the most popular and influential stars in America. Her career launched in the 1930s and continued well into the seventies. Reruns of "I Love Lucy" still fill television screens with the antics of this spirited redhead. The beloved show might never have starred Lucille Ball without this timely thumbs-up personal oracle.In 1951, Lucy was considering a proposal for what was to become the "I Love Lucy" series. She waffled about accepting the role until she had a dream. In the dream, her close friend Carole Lombard suggested that she “give it a whirl.” The renowned actress had died nine years earlier in a plane crash. Lucy accepted the role, and the rest is TV Land history. (credit:AP)
Forrest Whittaker (02 of07)
Open Image Modal
In 2006 I watched as Forrest Whittaker took the stage to accept his Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal of Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." Whittaker seemed unusually calm and collected as he approached the podium. I thought I heard him say, “Just a moment” before he lowered his head, stood very still and then remained silent for a few moments. When he finally spoke Whittaker explained that he was experiencing the presence of his ancestors: “I could feel the breath on my neck and tingling on my body. For me it was like my ancestors speaking to me.” This particular personal oracle was noted and even announced at an Academy Awards ceremony! (credit:Getty)
Newton (03 of07)
Open Image Modal
We associate Newton with the apple that fell on his head and led him to discover gravity. But the question is: Could this apple have been acting as a personal oracle? Based on what we know of Newton, he would say yes. Though Newton is most commonly known for his breakthrough theory of gravity, history suggests that all of his work was influenced by his experiences with the mystical. Born in the 1600s, when astronomy and astrology were considered to be one and the same, this highly respected alchemist looked to the heavens to assist him in his quest to decode the mysteries of the universe. Newton’s knowledge of the paranormal is as well documented as his knowledge of the measurable.
Gandhi (04 of07)
Open Image Modal
Inspiration for Gandhi’s actions often came to him in the eleventh hour. Such was the case in 1930 when Great Britain imposed a salt tax on India in an attempt to make it more dependent. This time Gandhi’s solution, aka personal oracle, came to him in a dream. He gathered 78 trusted ashram followers and marched 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi where salt from the sea lay on the sand, free for the taking! After offering prayers in front of the thousands that had gathered, Gandhi purposefully picked up a tiny lump of salt. Soon everywhere along the coast people were picking up natural salt in an act of passive defiance. This personal oracle played an important role in India’s successful quest for independence. (credit:AP)
Barbra Streisand (05 of07)
Open Image Modal
It doesn’t seem unusual that the encouragement Barbra Streisand needed to make the movie "Yentl" came in the form of a personal oracle delivered by her father – until you learn that her father died when she was only 15 months old! While attending a séance Streisand received two messages. She interpreted the first message, “Sorry” as his apology for leaving her. The second message was “Sing proud.” Barbra said, “I knew it was my father telling me to have the courage of my convictions, so I made 'Yentl,' and I did sing proud.” Barbra became the first woman to produce, direct, star in, and co-write a screenplay for a feature film. "Yentl" received five Oscar nominations, winning Best Original Song Score, and five Golden Globe nominations, winning for Best Director. (credit:AP)
Telly Savalas (06 of07)
Open Image Modal
Telly Savalas who played TV’s lollypop licking detective, Kojak, and coined the phrase “Who loves ya baby!” stunned many when he shared his encounter with a “ghost.“ One morning around 3:00 AM he ran out of gas and was walking to find a filing station when a voice called out, “I’ll give you a lift.” A man in a white suit was standing beside a big black Cadillac. Savalas didn’t have cash, so the man paid for the gas, wrote his name and phone number on a piece of paper and said to pay him back later. When Savalas recounted the events to the man’s wife she said the car, the clothes, even the signature on the paper were her husband's, but it was impossible., Her husband died three years earlier. (credit:Getty)
Amy Jade Winehouse (07 of07)
Open Image Modal
English singer-songwriter Amy Jade Winehouse was best known for her powerful contralto voice and eclectic mix of musical genres. Winehouse’s problems with substance abuse and her self-destructive behavior were regular tabloid news. In 2008 Winehouse faced a series of health complications that threatened both her career and her life. In the summer of 2009, Amy may have gotten more than she expected. During one of her regular sessions with a clairvoyant, she heard Michael Jackson’s distinctive voice. Michael was instructing Amy to clean up her act. The pop star delivered this urgent personal oracle a few days after his untimely death. One wonders if Michael was trying to save Amy’s life since it was too late to save his own. (credit:Getty)

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip