Freud and Uri Geller

Janet S., speaking of 327.36: “Wow, this one smacked me right between the eyes. I remember once you told me that when people comment on your images you just agree with everything they see in the image. Your comment left me to believe that there is never any rhyme or reason to anything you photograph. This image however... leaves me with the feeling that someone is on a journey that they have little control over. The dark sickened arm, being held up and the wrinkled lower park of the dark arm almost helplessly being pulled down.”

Janet: Your interpretation is exactly right; I agree with everything you say.   ;-)

In truth, whether or not the maker of an image (or story) intends it, everything’s open to interpretation; every story has undertones that echo the reader or viewer’s own story. Over the last century certain skeptics tried to debunk psychic research and parapsychology by using stage magic to reproduce the antics of Uri Geller and others who claimed strange powers. Their tactic was to pretend they had weird powers too, convince the researchers, then reveal that they were simply doing a trick. In almost every case the researchers said the debunkers were deceiving themselves – that they did have mysterious powers, and simply thought they were using trickery because they were prejudiced against the truth.

The reasoning of Freud and his epigones was much the same. He insisted that every story’s a cover story, hiding secret meanings too strong for the storyteller to face with disguising it. Hence the hilarious Freudian analyses of Alice in Wonderland and Huckleberry Finn. Freud was a quack and a charlatan. And yet, and yet...

“Everything which is possible to be believed, is an image of Truth.” –Wm. Blake