In the 1930’s, Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine, father of modern parapsychology, had a simple test for precognition. He asked people to predict the order of a deck of cards, before the cards were even shuffled. Only those with psychic powers could know what cards would be turned up, before the experimenter even opened his deck of cards.
Of course, there is no reason why this technique should be limited to human beings. But how in the world do I try to get my cat or dog to tell me what card is what?
The answer lies in the brilliant scientific work, done over a century ago, by the British scientist Sir John Lubbock.
Lubbock, back in 1885, found a way to teach his dog numbers. You can do exactly what he did - use cards with “handles” attached to them, and train your pet to select cards. For your convenience, this kit includes a deck of ESP cards, to which you can attach tags, or “handles,” as shown below.
To test for ESP in your pet, choose one of the five tasseled cards randomly, without looking at it. Then dangle the tassel of that card in front of your her. Do not always pick the same card. If your pet bats at it with his paw, then look at the card. This is your pet’s choice.
If, after a few seconds, your pet has not batted at the card, put the card back into the pile. Clearly, your pet does not wish to choose this card. Randomly choose another card, and see if your pet will bat at this one. Continue this until your pet has selected a card.
Make a list of your pet’s choices until you have 25 cards written down. Now, shuffle the deck of Pet ESP Cards. Deal them out, one by one. Compare the actual cards to the cards that your pet has chosen.
For example, let’s say the first card I deal out is a star. I look at the list of my pet’s choices, and find that Fluffy has predicted that the first choice would be a star! Now, when I look at the second card, I should compare it to the second card on Fluffy’s list. And so on.
When you are done, write down the number of correct guesses that your pet has made. That is, the number of cards on the pet’s list that match the cards you dealt.
If your pet has guessed more than five correct, she is showing evidence of precognition!
In scoring these tests, consider the advice of noted psychic Enid Hoffman. When she practices her card-prediction ability, she records many details about the conditions of the test. For example, next to each prediction, she makes a note about the weather, her mood, any background noise and so on. When scoring herself, she does not merely compare her prediction to the card that turned up. Instead, she looks for patterns. It might turn out, for example, that she consistently guesses the card after the one that was turned up. If a similar pattern emerges with your pet, she probably has real powers, just not quite of the type you were originally looking for. Adjust your tests accordingly. Be sure to record both your own mood as well as that of your pet. It may well turn out that your personal bond with your pet is so strong that anything distracting you distracts her as well. You may have to discard any tests that are tainted in this way.
Improving Precognition:
If your pet shows signs of precognition, you may be able to train this skill. Just as you might improve your bike riding or train your memory or your tennis swing through practice, you can teach your pet psychic skills.
Psychologists and animal trainers recognize two major types of training: positive and negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement involves punishing “bad” behavior, and can be quite effective in teaching people not to smoke, for example. It is not the best way to teach your psychic pet!
Instead, use the many tools of positive reinforcement. You probably already do this, without realizing. When your pet does something of which you approve, you praise and feed it. This is positive reinforcement.
For each correct answer, give your pet a treat. Even a cuddle will do. In time, she will learn to use her hidden skills in exchange for your attention.
It is important to continue to reward your pet! If you do not, your psychic pet may realize that she will not be rewarded in the future, and will give up, making all your good efforts a waste.
Alternate Methodology:
If you have experience in animal training, especially if you are expanding your use of the Pet ESP cards for use with dogs or horses, you should consider the example of “Chris the Wonder Dog.” In the 1950s, Chris’s trainer, Barclay Wood, taught Chris to signal different Zener ESP symbols with his paws. Chris would paw once for a circle, twice for a square, and so on (Wood and Cadoret, 1958).
This technique will work with any of the psychic testing plans discussed in this booklet.
