Social Question

Aster's avatar

Is this statement a sign of insanity, spirituality, drugs or what?

Asked by Aster (20023points) February 28th, 2013

I read this on the internet:
” I bought a flute a few years ago and have been playing ever since, I think that is why my house burned down because I mesmerized the spirits so much that the good spirits had to clean the energy and the best way to do that is through fire. Sounds crazy but it is true, I was speaking to the spirits with my flute.”
Crystal, 45.

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11 Answers

wundayatta's avatar

I would say it indicates magical thinking. Magical thinking is usually the result of living in a very chaotic and unpredictable world. Such a perception of the world can come from being abused in childhood. People who have been abused often do turn to marijuana or alcohol or other drugs to cope with the feelings that come from living in a really scary and chaotic world that they feel they can’t control and can’t predict.

In addition, sometimes people who dissociate or are schizophrenic, do perceive things the rest of don’t. She might perceive spirits and speak to them through her flute. But that can also be a metaphor. It is a common way for musicians to describe what it feels like to make music.

The main problem here is the notion that spirits have real power in the world. She only pays attention to what happened to her, and not to the millions of other flute players who play all the time and whose houses don’t burn down.

For me, I would interpret this as a coping mechanism. The house burned down. This is an extraordinarily disturbing event. She seeks a reason for it, because she wants to be in control of her life. She hits on this explanation because it allows her to perhaps avoid a burning house in the future.

She can stop playing flute. Stop mesmerizing the spirits and forcing them to cleanse through fire. Who knows, maybe she put a pan on the stove on high, and went off to practice, forgetting that she was cooking something, and it burst into flames and burned down the house. If that was the case, then she is not so far off. Her flute playing did cause the house to burn down.

Aster's avatar

That was the most concise , professional and impressive answer I’ve ever read on here. Bravo !

augustlan's avatar

I’d be inclined to think it was said in jest.

Aster's avatar

@augustian no; it was said in ernest.

marinelife's avatar

She is nuts.

josie's avatar

I think Crystal is crazy. Everybody knows that the best way to clean the energy is with soap and water and a good scrub brush. Plus you get to keep your house.

Unbroken's avatar

No point in a cleansed house if one cannot abide in it.

I wonder if the house insurance was equally well cleansed.

roaminggal's avatar

Possibly grew up abused in ways the concious mind cannot deal with. Coping mechanism to feel in control and able to willfully have the spirits intervene and cleanse the “bad”.

Shippy's avatar

Do you think she would loan me the flute?

Unbroken's avatar

@Shippy Maybe but I would stipulate minus the flutist.

woodcutter's avatar

She’s going to go blind now.

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