StopJVP: RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 3: Meditations

RSLancastr · 2nd July 2010, 02:44 PM

Please read earlier threads tagged with JVPLand before reading this one.

STOPJAMESVANPRAAGH: RSL in JVPLand: Chapter 3: Meditations ==========

STOPJAMESVANPRAAGH ========== RSL IN JVPLAND - CHAPTER 3: MEDITATIONS ==========

Okay, so I went back. I had several threads going there, and would go back to check on

them. And I would stick my head into chat there as well to say hello. I got many

posts, emails and chat comments telling me they hoped I would stay. I also got the

occasional "I thought you were gone already!"

Somewhere in all of this, the Administrator pulled me into a private chat and apologized

for some of the negative things I had experienced on the site. She stressed that the

feedback she was receiving about my presence there was mostly positive. She said that

JVP had posted something about it, in the "JVP Says" section of the message board.

I looked, and there was a new Topic JVP had created, titled "Learning"

Quote:

Learning

« on: May 20, 2010, 09:49 AM »Quote Hi All!

I just felt compelled to write this to you today and hope you all take it to heart.

Recently on the site we have had several people come in who admit they are skeptical of

me and this subject in general. I just want everyone to realize that everyone has a

right to their opinion and belief system. I am not here to prove anything to

anyone...but assist people to learn and understand. I always say if something resonates

with in you, such as a book, movie, person, etc...then take it in...since that is your

truth. But, at the same time if it does not resonate with you...it does not belong to

you. I do believe we are ALL here to learn....from skeptics to believers, from

religious people to atheists...everyone is special in their own way. We can learn from

everyone...so, please keep an open mind....I do. I have been slammed by so many

people...who don't even know me but assume things about me and my work and make general

accusations. They need to learn...who I am..than make a correct and valid judgment for

themselves...not go with what everyone else thinks. I thank you for respecting anyone

who comes on this site with open arms and an open mind. Thank you.

Blessings, James

And, with that, much of what little negativity I had been experiencing stopped.

After that, When someone would make a negative comment towards me in chat, someone else

would quote JVP's take on it, and the negative commenter would usually back off.

Another time, the administrator invited me into a private chat and said that JVP had

asked her to ask me for my mailing address, as he had something he wanted to send me.

I asked her if I should immerse it in water.

She laughed and said she didn't think so.

I gave her our home address.

Later that day I was in the chat Lobby with other folks, and JVP came in.

I said "JVP, I gave the administrator that information you requested."

He thanked me and said that he had been in a bookstore and had seen a book and just knew

he had to send it to me.

I thanked him and told him I would read it - unless it was a Sylvia Browne book.

He scoffed at that and told me that it was a book for me and My Susan (I had posted

quite a lot there about her and what she means to me). He said "Not a Sylvia book - use

your psychic powers, you can figure it out!"

I said "it's for me AND my Susan? I know - you're sending us a copy of the Skeptica

Sutra!" He laughed and said I would have to wait and see.

A few days later a package arrived in the mail. We didn't immerse it in water, we just

opened it. Inside was a copy of his book Meditations with James Van Praagh.

The inside front cover is inscribed "To Robert and Sue - May the words on these pages

remind you of your Spirit. Health, Peace and Love, JVP."

Enclosed was an envelope containing a card with his name imprinted at the top, under

which he had written "Dear Robert & Sue - Please accept this book. I love to have it on

my desk & just turn to any page - to bring me back to center - Hope to meet you soon -

Love & Peace, JVP"

A very nice gesture. Certainly far nicer than the first thing I heard from Browne - a

letter from her attorney.

I tried to read the book. Not my cup of tea, of course. It is a series of

meditations, with JVP's advice on the best ways to make use of them. I tried to read

it, "my cup of tea" or not. after all, it was a gift. And, reading it was, after all,

research!

But since the stroke I have not been able to stay focused on a book for more than a page

or so. And a good deal of this book is in an odd italicized font that would have given

me a headache even before the stroke.

By the way, FYI - Susan hates to be called "Sue."

A few days later I thanked JVP in chat for the book but told him of my difficulty

reading it. He offered to send an audio version. I thanked him and he said one would

soon be on his way. But our tenuous "friendship" dissolved before that ever happened.

Thread closed; for continued discussion see: http://www.internationalskeptics.com...d.php?t=179581

Posted By:Locknar

AvalonXQ · 2nd July 2010, 02:46 PM

Ooh, cliffhanger! Ready for chapter 4!
And I'll second a question made in Chapter 2: why are you splitting this up into separate threads? One thread with multiple posts would work just as well.

ksbluesfan · 2nd July 2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

I always say if something resonates with in you, such as a book, movie, person, etc...then take it in...since that is your truth. But, at the same time if it does not resonate with you...it does not belong to you.

That cracks me up. "Your truth"?

RSLancastr · 2nd July 2010, 02:59 PM

I felt that one thread would end up being too confusing, ending up looking like this:

Chapter 0
replies to chapter 0
Chapter 1
replies to chapters 0 and 1
Chapter 2,
Replies to chapters 0, 1 and 2

...and so on.

I considered making it all one thread, asking the mods to lock it so that only I could add to it, similar to Susan's thread about my stroke, with a seperate thread just for the replies, but decided that would be too much work for the mods. I felt that a thread for each "chapter", linking them all in a final chapter, would allow for it all to be read as a whole without the reader trying to figure out where a reply fit into the timeline.

If I made the wrong call- sorry! And thanks for asking.

sadhatter · 2nd July 2010, 03:14 PM

I hate to be the guy raining on the parade, but this reminds me of a similar situation in which i had voiced my opinion of a producer i worked with very vocally and in places he would not want it vocalized.

Within weeks i got an e-mail from him ( and i hadn't heard from him in over 2 years at that point, though i had made several attempts.) asking if it was allright for him to call.

Now in this call my butt was thoroughly kissed, promises were made to rectify issues , to get what was owed to me, and generally he did his best to seem like a nice guy again.

It is 2 years later and not a single promise has been fufilled, for a while i asked myself " why would he have went out of his way to be nice to me?" and the answer is rather simple.

It is good business. If he told me to go shove it i would have ramped up my efforts and been a pretty decent sized thorn in his side. By showing me some courtesy in the face of my anger he had completely defused it. One feels like a real knob yelling at someone who is saying nice things.

What i am getting at, is don't make the same mistakes. Don't let someones courtesy to you as a person get in the way of exposing them for being a fraud or huckster. I am not saying to be uncivil to JVP, just not to let the fact that he is not telling you to GFY cloud your judgment of the things he does and the ways he hurts people.

ExMinister · 2nd July 2010, 03:26 PM

Good grief. You can't stop here! What happened next?

RSLancastr · 2nd July 2010, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by ExMinister

Good grief. You can't stop here! What happened next?

See chapter 4!

RSLancastr · 2nd July 2010, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by sadhatter

I hate to be the guy raining on the parade, but this reminds me of a similar situation in which i had voiced my opinion of a producer i worked with very vocally and in places he would not want it vocalized.

Within weeks i got an e-mail from him ( and i hadn't heard from him in over 2 years at that point, though i had made several attempts.) asking if it was allright for him to call.

Now in this call my butt was thoroughly kissed, promises were made to rectify issues , to get what was owed to me, and generally he did his best to seem like a nice guy again.

It is 2 years later and not a single promise has been fufilled, for a while i asked myself " why would he have went out of his way to be nice to me?" and the answer is rather simple.

It is good business. If he told me to go shove it i would have ramped up my efforts and been a pretty decent sized thorn in his side. By showing me some courtesy in the face of my anger he had completely defused it. One feels like a real knob yelling at someone who is saying nice things.

What i am getting at, is don't make the same mistakes. Don't let someones courtesy to you as a person get in the way of exposing them for being a fraud or huckster. I am not saying to be uncivil to JVP, just not to let the fact that he is not telling you to GFY cloud your judgment of the things he does and the ways he hurts people.

SadHatter, I was (and remain) well aware that some or all of VanPraagh's kindness towards me may have been an act, hoping to win me over, or, at least, to distract me from creating a StopJVP site. But yes, even if it was all genuine, it does nothing to change my opinion of what he does to people. That remains clear to me. Sorry if my eagerness to share this with you all is coming across otherwise.

RSL

RSLancastr · 2nd July 2010, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by ksbluesfan

That cracks me up. "Your truth"?

I know. But it echoes Pontius Pilate's words to Jesus. Here is the Jesus Christ Superstar version:

Jesus: I look for truth, and find that I get damned!

Pilate: But what is truth? Is truth unchanging law?

We both have "truths" - are mine the same as yours?

shandyjan · 4th July 2010, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by RSLancastr

SadHatter, I was (and remain) well aware that some or all of VanPraagh's kindness towards me may have been an act, hoping to win me over, or, at least, to distract me from creating a StopJVP site. But yes, even if it was all genuine, it does nothing to change my opinion of what he does to people. That remains clear to me. Sorry if my eagerness to share this with you all is coming across otherwise.

RSL

Glad to see you say that. Indeed he came over very nicely.
Now I gotta go read the next bit..and I was just ready to go to bed........

RSLancastr · 4th July 2010, 08:22 PM

Sweet dreams, Shandy - when you get around to it.

Aepervius · 5th July 2010, 01:32 AM

Originally Posted by RSLancastr

all chapter in 1 post.

RSLancastr · 5th July 2010, 10:21 AM

Thanks, Aepervius!

I wish I could edit the OP to add that at the top - sort of a table of contents!

2nd July 2010, 02:46 PM	#2
AvalonXQ Guest Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 11,831	Ooh, cliffhanger! Ready for chapter 4! And I'll second a question made in Chapter 2: why are you splitting this up into separate threads? One thread with multiple posts would work just as well.
AvalonXQ Guest Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 11,831

2nd July 2010, 02:59 PM	#4
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	I felt that one thread would end up being too confusing, ending up looking like this: Chapter 0 replies to chapter 0 Chapter 1 replies to chapters 0 and 1 Chapter 2, Replies to chapters 0, 1 and 2 ...and so on. I considered making it all one thread, asking the mods to lock it so that only I could add to it, similar to Susan's thread about my stroke, with a seperate thread just for the replies, but decided that would be too much work for the mods. I felt that a thread for each "chapter", linking them all in a final chapter, would allow for it all to be read as a whole without the reader trying to figure out where a reply fit into the timeline. If I made the wrong call- sorry! And thanks for asking.
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?

2nd July 2010, 03:14 PM	#5
sadhatter Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8,694	I hate to be the guy raining on the parade, but this reminds me of a similar situation in which i had voiced my opinion of a producer i worked with very vocally and in places he would not want it vocalized. Within weeks i got an e-mail from him ( and i hadn't heard from him in over 2 years at that point, though i had made several attempts.) asking if it was allright for him to call. Now in this call my butt was thoroughly kissed, promises were made to rectify issues , to get what was owed to me, and generally he did his best to seem like a nice guy again. It is 2 years later and not a single promise has been fufilled, for a while i asked myself " why would he have went out of his way to be nice to me?" and the answer is rather simple. It is good business. If he told me to go shove it i would have ramped up my efforts and been a pretty decent sized thorn in his side. By showing me some courtesy in the face of my anger he had completely defused it. One feels like a real knob yelling at someone who is saying nice things. What i am getting at, is don't make the same mistakes. Don't let someones courtesy to you as a person get in the way of exposing them for being a fraud or huckster. I am not saying to be uncivil to JVP, just not to let the fact that he is not telling you to GFY cloud your judgment of the things he does and the ways he hurts people.
sadhatter Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8,694

2nd July 2010, 03:26 PM	#6
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,982	Good grief. You can't stop here! What happened next?
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,982	__________________ www.stopsylvia.com

2nd July 2010, 04:28 PM	#7
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	Originally Posted by ExMinister Good grief. You can't stop here! What happened next? See chapter 4!
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?

2nd July 2010, 02:52 PM	#3
ksbluesfan Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,376	Quote: I always say if something resonates with in you, such as a book, movie, person, etc...then take it in...since that is your truth. But, at the same time if it does not resonate with you...it does not belong to you. That cracks me up. "Your truth"?

2nd July 2010, 04:35 PM	#8
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	Originally Posted by sadhatter I hate to be the guy raining on the parade, but this reminds me of a similar situation in which i had voiced my opinion of a producer i worked with very vocally and in places he would not want it vocalized. Within weeks i got an e-mail from him ( and i hadn't heard from him in over 2 years at that point, though i had made several attempts.) asking if it was allright for him to call. Now in this call my butt was thoroughly kissed, promises were made to rectify issues , to get what was owed to me, and generally he did his best to seem like a nice guy again. It is 2 years later and not a single promise has been fufilled, for a while i asked myself " why would he have went out of his way to be nice to me?" and the answer is rather simple. It is good business. If he told me to go shove it i would have ramped up my efforts and been a pretty decent sized thorn in his side. By showing me some courtesy in the face of my anger he had completely defused it. One feels like a real knob yelling at someone who is saying nice things. What i am getting at, is don't make the same mistakes. Don't let someones courtesy to you as a person get in the way of exposing them for being a fraud or huckster. I am not saying to be uncivil to JVP, just not to let the fact that he is not telling you to GFY cloud your judgment of the things he does and the ways he hurts people. SadHatter, I was (and remain) well aware that some or all of VanPraagh's kindness towards me may have been an act, hoping to win me over, or, at least, to distract me from creating a StopJVP site. But yes, even if it was all genuine, it does nothing to change my opinion of what he does to people. That remains clear to me. Sorry if my eagerness to share this with you all is coming across otherwise. RSL
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?

2nd July 2010, 04:39 PM	#9
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	Originally Posted by ksbluesfan That cracks me up. "Your truth"? I know. But it echoes Pontius Pilate's words to Jesus. Here is the Jesus Christ Superstar version: Jesus: I look for truth, and find that I get damned! Pilate: But what is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have "truths" - are mine the same as yours?
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?

4th July 2010, 06:34 PM	#10
shandyjan Master Poster Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N/W England Posts: 2,122	Originally Posted by RSLancastr SadHatter, I was (and remain) well aware that some or all of VanPraagh's kindness towards me may have been an act, hoping to win me over, or, at least, to distract me from creating a StopJVP site. But yes, even if it was all genuine, it does nothing to change my opinion of what he does to people. That remains clear to me. Sorry if my eagerness to share this with you all is coming across otherwise. RSL Glad to see you say that. Indeed he came over very nicely. Now I gotta go read the next bit..and I was just ready to go to bed........
	__________________ Belief is the wound that knowledge heals. Ursula K. LeGuin's A dog is for life, not just for xmas!

4th July 2010, 08:22 PM	#11
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	Sweet dreams, Shandy - when you get around to it.
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?

5th July 2010, 01:32 AM	#12
Aepervius Non credunt, semper verificare Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sigil, the city of doors Posts: 14,571	Originally Posted by RSLancastr By popular demand (translation: One or two people suggested it), here are links to all of the "RSL in JVPLand" threads in order: StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 0: Prologue StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 2: RSLQ&A StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 3: Meditations StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 4: "JVP's New Best Buddy" StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 5: The Two Jameses StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 6: Grant's Pass? StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 7a: The "Pink Panther" Reading StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 7b: The "Pink Panther" Anther? StopJVP - RSL in JVPLand - Chapter 8: Epilogue all chapter in 1 post.
	Last edited by Aepervius; 5th July 2010 at 01:43 AM.

5th July 2010, 10:21 AM	#13
RSLancastr www.StopSylvia.com Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 17,135	Thanks, Aepervius! I wish I could edit the OP to add that at the top - sort of a table of contents!
	__________________ Who is "Kaz?" Read about her at www.StopKaz.com. Curious about Sylvia Browne? Read about her at www.StopSylvia.com. Ever wonder "What's the Harm?" with psychics, alternative medicine, etc?