The Miss Cleo of the Ward

[_DarkHelmet]

It seems every ward I've been in had at least one Miss Cleo. Miss Cleo was a famous psychic from the late 90s that advertised on TV. Around this same time, a woman in our ward told my wife that she will have a baby girl. My wife wasn't even pregnant at the time, but this woman, who was a friend of my wife's, said an angel came to her in a dream and told her this. The funny thing is, we did have a baby girl about a year later, LOL.

A few years later when we were going through financial difficulties, and in a different ward, we were trying to sell our house to get out from under our huge mortgage. A woman in the ward told my wife not to worry about it. She received a revelation that our house would sell by the end of the month. Unfortunately, that prophecy didn't come true. We never sold the house and eventually went into foreclosure.

Throughout our married life, my wife has received many predictions from these "Miss Cleo"s, both on big things and minor things, and the accuracy of these predictions is about the same as Miss Cleo's accuracy. The thing I find interesting is it always seems to be the women that are getting these revelations for my wife. I don't think I've ever had a man, who according to Mormonism should have these prophetic powers, give me prophetic revelations.

[_The Nehor]

This is why we have that bit of teaching about prophecy for people outside your stewardship being bunk.

[_Buffalo]

This is why we have that bit of teaching about prophecy for people outside your stewardship being bunk.

No, the reason for that was to

a) try to cut down on the inevitably conflicting revelations from "the Spirit"
b) consolidate power in the hands of the first presidency

[_consiglieri]

It seems every ward I've been in had at least one Miss Cleo

I know what you mean.

Another area where people profess spiritual insight is in callings to prominent positions.

Has there ever been a bishop or stake president called where at least one Mormon didn't claim to have been told by the Spirit in advance?

I remember team teaching a class not long ago where the other guy was talking about how it was revealed to him who would be in our new stake president.

A percipient class member asked, "If these callings are supposed to be kept secret until they are announced, why does the Spirit tell people about it in advance?"

My co-teacher was left to respond, "Because the Holy Ghost is a blabbermouth!"

It was pretty amusing all around.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_The Nehor]

This is why we have that bit of teaching about prophecy for people outside your stewardship being bunk.

No, the reason for that was to

a) try to cut down on the inevitably conflicting revelations from "the Spirit"
b) consolidate power in the hands of the first presidency

Uhhhhh.....no.

Then again, I'm talking to someone who believes that all good things the Church does they do for evil reasons.

The path of the devil. Wanting to imagine everything as evil. First dark gray, then all hues of gray, and then white.

You serve your master well and one day you may even surpass him. Good luck with that.

[_The Nehor]

I know what you mean.

Another area where people profess spiritual insight is in callings to prominent positions.

Has there ever been a bishop or stake president called where at least one Mormon didn't claim to have been told by the Spirit in advance?

I remember team teaching a class not long ago where the other guy was talking about how it was revealed to him who would be in our new stake president.

A percipient class member asked, "If these callings are supposed to be kept secret until they are announced, why does the Spirit tell people about it in advance?"

My co-teacher was left to respond, "Because the Holy Ghost is a blabbermouth!"

It was pretty amusing all around.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

I used to think that was silly after-the-fact rationalization until I heard stories like that from people I trust. Then it happened to me. Not sure why it happens.

[_Buffalo]

Uhhhhh.....no.

Then again, I'm talking to someone who believes that all good things the Church does they do for evil reasons.

The path of the devil. Wanting to imagine everything as evil. First dark gray, then all hues of gray, and then white.

You serve your master well and one day you may even surpass him. Good luck with that.

Don't you think it's a little ironic that you take me to task for imagining evil about something and then insinuating that I'm Satan's personal slave? :D

In any case, it's 100% true that the doctrine of hierarchical revelation came about as a move to consolidate power. Joseph had to prevent others from usurping his authority with their own revelations, which contradicted his.

[_Buffalo]

I used to think that was silly after-the-fact rationalization until I heard stories like that from people I trust. Then it happened to me. Not sure why it happens.

It means you think your intuitions based on observation and subconscious calculation are somehow magical.

[_The Nehor]

Don't you think it's a little ironic that you take me to task for imagining evil about something and then insinuating that I'm Satan's personal slave? :D

No, look up what the various names of the devil mean. You're more an apprentice then a slave.

In any case, it's 100% true that the doctrine of hierarchical revelation came about as a move to consolidate power.

Nope.

Joseph had to prevent others from usurping his authority with their own revelations, which contradicted his.

Yawn.

[_KimberlyAnn]

Dark Helmet, I posted about the Miss Cleo of my former ward back in 2007!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3955&p=96021

With all the talk of weird spiritual visitations and experiences on the board of late, I thought I'd offer the following story about my favorite visionary Mormon, Sister Cleo:

Sister Cleo (name changed ;)) was the strangest lady in Relief Society. A tall, lanky lady in her sixties, she had long hair that was dyed pitch black and was worn in a severe bun or pony tail that pulled the skin back on her forehead, arching up her drawn-on eyebrows and forcing her face into an expression of constant surprise.

There was an aura surrounding her of mysterious spirituality, intrigue, and instability, like she was teetering on the edge of sanity and we were all a little afraid to cross her. She commanded respect mingled with fear. Some of the sisters thought she was a prophetess. I thought she was crazy. And a heretic.

Sister Cleo loudly expressed her opinion that various leaders had been led astray from the true will of God, which she would insinuate that she knew, of course, by revelation or dreams. It was rumored that she was a Sunstoner, whatever that was. I certainly didn't know at the time.

There were a lucky few who were privy to the inner thoughts and revelations of Sister Cleo. The rest of us tried to glean what we could about the mysterious woman through rumor and speculation. Every so often, she had a dream that she was commanded to share with the ward in Fast and Testimony meeting. One such revelation occurred after the excommunication of Avraham Gileadi. She informed the ward that she had received revelation that his status in the church had been fixed since the pre-existence and no church court or council could change that. We were all speechless. But no one said anything to Sister Cleo. Perhaps, down deep inside, we were afraid she'd put a curse on us...

I was one of the lucky ones about whom Sister Cleo had occasional dreams. She would tell me what they were and what they meant. Whispering in the most reverent of tones, the kind usually reserved for the temple, she would relate the dreams to me and command that they be kept sacred and not shared with anyone. They were often predictions of my children's future roles in the church or how I was going to be called by the Lord into a special service, which she could not divulge. None of her predictions ever came true, of course, but I nevertheless held a certain amount of awe for Sister Cleo because of the certainty she had in her own ability.

No one saw as many spirits in the temple as Sister Cleo. She confidently announced that the dead for whom she completed the endowment had accepted the work and were immediately released from spirit prison and were receiving a warm reception from long lost relatives in Paradise. She would declare that all the baptisms the youth performed for the dead were accepted. No one could touch Sister Cleo when it came to experiencing moving revelations and visions that were too sacred to be shared.

After I left the church, Sister Cleo paid me a visit. She told me she had many reservations concerning the Joseph Smith story, polygamy, the Book of Mormon and other vital doctrines necessary for maintaining a belief that Mormonism is the world's one true religion. I was shocked, to say the least. She also told me that she had an undeniable testimony that the church was, in spite of all it's problems, true. Sister Cleo predicted my eventual return to the fold. I haven't heard from her since.

Did anyone else have a Sister Cleo in their ward? I can't imagine a church as bizarre as Mormonism didn't produce thousands of people like her.

I know we're all familiar with at least a few of them...

Kimberly Ann