Astral Projection, Cosmic Chakras and Fake Charities

For reasons which are too complex to explain, I have been reading a description by David Icke – pastel-tracksuited self-proclaimed son of the Almighty, remember? – of how he was chosen to fulfil the destiny of his ancient soul (or, if you prefer, how he was taken for a ride by an assortment of New-Age charlatans).

An ancient Chinese mandarin, improbably communicating through a medium called Betty, warned Icke of impending global disaster in the late 90s. Guided by various astral beings (as interpreted by helpful local psychics), Icke dutifully toiled round Britain and Canada unblocking cosmic energy channels and re-aligning the Earth’s chakras.

And it’s a good thing he did, it seems, because thanks to his tireless efforts, the global catatrophe was averted or at least reduced to minimal scale, and the dangerous years passed with no major incident. This, says Icke triumphantly, is conclusive proof of the success of cosmic intervention.

And that reminded me of something I read recently. As a newby to fake charity spotting, I may have this a bit wrong, but it strikes me that this story admirably conveys the essence of fake charity logic; see, they say, there is an urgent need for action to avert a crisis! Give us public money and resources NOW!

And when no crisis materialises, far from being abashed, they rejoice publicly that their prescience and prompt action prevented the impending disaster. See, they say, our strategy worked! How much more we could do if our importance and funds were increased!

Unless, of course, you prefer to attribute it all to astral intervention.

(H/T Mark Wadsworth)