Superstition. No. . ?

Uncover the truth of seeking ghosts and confusing people

Beijing Science and Technology News (2005/08/ 10 00:00)

Recently, because of a bloody case, "Pen Fairy" and "Disc Fairy" caused an uproar again. According to a media report in Beijing, Zhang Ying (pseudonym) and Li Na (pseudonym), two teenage girls in a middle school in Beijing, lamented that life was meaningless because they were addicted to games. At Zhang Ying's request, Li Na killed Zhang Ying. More data show that this divination from ancient witchcraft is popular on campus at present. According to a report, 85% of students have calculated their lives, and 23% of teachers agree with the statement that "people's lives are predestined". What mysteries are hidden in "Pen Fairy" and "Disc Fairy"? The reporter launched an investigation.

"Pen Fairy" and "Disc Fairy" are fascinating.

"Ask the spirits" game brewing a bloody case

According to a media report in Beijing recently, Zhang Ying (pseudonym) and Li Na (pseudonym), two teenage girls in a middle school in Beijing, often sigh together that life is meaningless because they are addicted to the game of "writing ghosts and gods". Finally, at the request of Zhang Ying, Li Na really killed Zhang Ying.

Coincidentally, shortly after the bloody case, Beijing Tongren Jingyuan Hospital received two visitors successively. The former inadvertently told the doctor about the experience of playing a game called "ask the spirits" because of his unhappy interpersonal relationship. At that time, this kind of game had not attracted the special attention of doctors. Three weeks later, the second visitor, Xiao Ye (a pseudonym), admitted that he was under the control of Bixian and could not extricate himself, hoping to get help from the doctor.

According to the reporter's investigation, although the background and age are different, both tourists are "asked" to varying degrees. Zhang Shufang, deputy chief physician of clinical psychology in Beijing Tongren Hospital, has never been exposed to "ask the spirits" before. What "magic" influences young girls? In order to find out the ins and outs of the game, Dr. Zhang decided to invite a "pen fairy".

The game lasted for ten minutes, fearing the panic of "inviting immortals", so this time Dr. Zhang invited him and acted as a collaborator. How to play ask the spirits? Why are tourists caught up in it?

Why do "ask the spirits" and "dish spirits" fascinate people?

Through the description of Dr. Zhang, the reporter learned that "asking the immortals" is a divination game. There are generally two people playing "Ask the spirits", and the tools are a pen with fluent handwriting and a piece of white paper (it is said that the bigger the white paper, the more effective it is).

Immortals will write "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10" and "Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and Jin" on both sides of white paper, and write "male and female" and "yes and no" on the other side. Write three alternative answers to the question in the box and circle them with words. To see if it works, usually one of them is a known correct answer.

After the paper is laid flat, cross your hands and fingers and write with a pen. According to the rules of the game, elbow or wrist support is not allowed, so it needs to be suspended, and the pen is perpendicular to any point on the paper, ready to start.

Immortals repeatedly chanting "past lives, past lives, I am your life, if you want to continue with me, please draw a circle on the paper." After a long time, the pen began to move magically, and the questioner began to ask questions, such as "Can I go to college?" "How many times have I been in love in my life?" The pen will circle in one direction. When the question is repeated, the pen will gradually move closer to the answer direction until it reaches one of them. After getting the answer, you need to say the mantra respectfully and send away the "ask the spirits".

In addition to "Pen Fairy", there are similar games such as "Vegetable Fairy", "Chopsticks Fairy" and "Money Fairy". The reporter learned on some divination websites that "disc fairy" should be more particular. It is best to choose a quiet place, usually around 1 1 p.m. Props are a small white plate and a piece of paper.

"They usually light white candles in the middle of the night to turn pens or plates and ask if they can achieve anything." Guo Zhengyi, a researcher at China Institute of Popular Science, told reporters about the "disc fairy" he witnessed.

Professor Guo said: "Cai Xian pays more attention to laying a piece of cloth, drawing a pattern of" Yin and Yang fish "on the cloth, surrounded by words, and generally writing words related to fate, such as" wealth ","poverty "and" health ". Fasten the small dish on the pattern of yin and yang fish and draw a small arrow at the bottom of the dish. Two or three people stood around the table with their fingers on the bottom of the plate. Everyone is thinking,' Little Disc Fairy, come quickly'. Fairy seekers believe that when the dish "automatically" leaves the pattern of yin and yang fish and moves to other places, it means that the "small dish fairy" has come. No matter what you ask, the small arrow will move to a pre-written corresponding word. In the end, the fairy seeker thinks that' disc fairy' is' effective'. "

"Similarly, after asking all the questions, you have to read a spell to send the disc fairy away, and then the plate will return to its original position. The fairy seeker thinks that the dish has not returned to its place, indicating that the mind is not enough. "

Fairy seekers believe that as long as "Pen Fairy" and "Disc Fairy" are effective for the first time, they can appear almost every time. So many people are fascinated by games. Especially on campus, students who worship this point should ask "ask the spirits to make a prediction" whenever they encounter any problems. The reporter followed up with some young people, who admitted that they had all played this game, some in middle schools and some in universities. Some of them ask about the future, some ask about marriage, and some predict good or bad luck.

They told reporters that "ask the spirits to ask the spirits" not only needs sincerity, but also needs atmosphere. The silence in the middle of the night, the faint candlelight, the pious expectation and the high concentration of spirit constitute the best environment for asking "Ask the spirits".

Some seemingly mysterious phenomena have puzzled many young people who are not deeply involved in the world. They firmly believe that it is "providence" that pens and disks can move by themselves. However, the expert's explanation uncovered this absurd scam.

Where did "ask the spirits" originate?

The popular games among some universities and middle school students, such as "Ask the spirits", "Chopsticks Fairy" and "Vegetable Fairy", are not new modern games, but variants or simplified versions of one of the oldest witchcraft in China.

Mr Tu Jianhua, director of China Atheism Society, told the reporter that Fuxi originated from the worship of the legendary Ziguxian, but there are different historical records about its origin. In his Three Notes, Hong Mai, a Song Dynasty poet, thought that it only appeared gradually in the period of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, but Liu of the Southern Dynasty recorded it in his Bieyuan.

The story of Zi Gu, the change of time, place and content of asking for heaven recorded in Shen Kuo's Meng Qian Bi Tan reflect the change of witchcraft in Hua Fu.

The biggest change of "Hua Fu" is that it has become a divination game after being manipulated by literati, Taoist priests and wizards. In modern times, it has been used by guilds and has become a means for gangs to gather congregations and gather wealth.

Professor Guo Zhengyi introduced that Hua Fu generally refers to the use of horizontal sticks and pens. Two fingers against the bar, there is a sand table below. After the pen draws a line on the sand table, the host reads the "heavenly book" and can read it again after harrowing the sand table.

During the Cultural Revolution and the mid-1980s, "inviting immortals" began to spread in rural areas. Some invited Guanyin, and some even claimed that Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou could invite them. This kind of activity is particularly rampant in Henan and Shaanxi.

The earliest "disc fairy" was just a one-man play, and later it spread to the witch's disc fairy hall. "Inviting immortals" exists in both the north and the south of China, and the popular one in the north is called "dustpan immortals". Is to fill the dustpan with rice and insert a chopstick. When chopsticks hold up the dustpan with rice, believers think that the dustpan fairy is coming.

Solve the mystery of "ask the spirits"

Mystery 1: Why does the pen move by itself? Contradictory forces act on the pen at the same time

The game "ask the spirits" can confuse people, all because of that moving pen. How can the pen move when both people deny their subjective operation?

Zhang Shufang, deputy chief physician of clinical psychology in Beijing Tongren Hospital, told the reporter that this phenomenon can be explained from a physical point of view: "Playing with' Pen Fairy' is not allowed to be supported by elbows or wrists, but needs to be suspended, and the pen is perpendicular to any point on the paper. At the same time, the fairy seeker is required not to let the pen fall (because it is said that dropping the pen will kill him). Require the body to relax at all times, and at the same time be affected by gravity. To control the body area, it is necessary to maintain a certain tension, and the pressure will increase when the body is commanded. When all contradictory conditions, such as hanging the wrist, no support, smooth paper surface and nib, are met, two people will exert their strength on each other, so the circular motion of the pen under the action of the body becomes inevitable. " The principle of "disc fairy" is the same. Three people walk around, their hands are not balanced, and the food will focus on moving.

Mystery 2: Why does the pen move in the desired direction? Women are more susceptible to psychological suggestion.

In dr. zhang's presentation, there were a bunch of random circles on the paper, and Dr. Zhang's "inviting immortals" was not successful. Is it because of insincerity that it is ineffective? Dr. zhang replied: "Some people will get psychological hints because of the game."

What does "ask the spirits" mean to us? How does this psychological suggestion affect the players?

Among the visitors received by Dr. Zhang, there are cases where they are curious, puzzled and afraid because of playing "Ask the spirits", so that they can't stop, which seriously affects their life and work.

"At first, Xiao Ye didn't believe in the so-called' ask the spirits'. After playing for a few times out of curiosity, I found the result very accurate. After that, she wanted to ask' Ask the spirits' first when she met anything. The worse the result, the more I want to calculate. The more I calculate, the more scared I am. I dare not go out, dare not go online, and dare not call. " Shen Zheng, a professor of psychology in Peking University, thinks that if the player is a normal person, there are two kinds of psychological hints. First of all, people who are endowed with suggestive personality characteristics are easily influenced, because such people are very concerned about the people and things around them. It is not difficult to find that women are the majority of fairy seekers. Feminine characteristics are more likely to be implied. The second is that under certain circumstances, some people will have the symptoms of disobedience because of the narrowing of the scope of consciousness and the high concentration of spirit. That is to say, consciousness will move in the opposite direction. For example, if the body doesn't let it move, consciousness will strongly want to move. Why do you insist that as long as "ask the spirits to ask the spirits" works for the first time, it will appear almost every time? Dr. zhang explained: "The more you try to verify something, the stronger the role of self-suggestion. For example, when you just learn to ride a bike, you are suggested not to hit obstacles, but the more you concentrate, the more the car will hit the wall. " It turns out that the target behavior of the body is completed by the limbs or trunk under the guidance of the senses (usually vision). Many actions in daily life become subconscious actions because of habits, that is, you don't need to think too much.

Mystery 3: Why is the effect of "inviting immortals" different? Some questioners are in a semi-hypnotic state.

In ancient history, spiritualism prevailed in Beijing, Shanghai and other places. 1early 9th century. "Inviting immortals" is actually a form of China's spiritualism. As early as the May 4th Movement, Lu Xun once reprimanded a group of people in Shanghai who played "ask the spirits to ask the spirits". Personal ideological pursuit, values and other issues contributed to the belief of "inviting immortals". Professor Guo Zhengyi pointed out that people who are more sensitive will tremble more even if they have fewer hints. After singing, they will be in a semi-hypnotic state. When people seem to be asleep rather than asleep, they are more likely to be stimulated by the outside world. Therefore, in medicine, hypnosis can cure diseases, but in psychology, hypnosis will make people confused and intoxicated with what they want.

The true colors of "Pen Fairy" and "Disc Fairy" have been solved. However, the number of people who believe in superstition still surprises reporters.

Journalist investigation

Why do 90% students fall into the fortune-telling trap?

Through the follow-up survey of 1 year, the first project devoted to studying the current situation of atheism education published a set of data. 85% students have calculated their lives, 70% students have amulets, 40% students believe that the constellation determines their destiny, and 23% teachers agree that "a person's life is doomed".

This is the result of a questionnaire survey recently conducted by Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Beijing Anti-cult Association and China Atheism Society on 2 17 students in 65,438 middle schools and 206 teachers in 5 primary and secondary schools in Beijing. The survey also shows that 53% students burn incense and worship Buddha to achieve psychological balance; Nearly half of the students believe in fortune-telling results; When a phenomenon in life cannot be explained clearly, more than 50% teachers choose not to do research; 43% teachers care about fortune-telling results or sometimes care; Nearly half of the teachers are not interested in or indifferent to mysterious phenomena.

Besides their own reasons, what other external factors lead modern students to believe in superstition? The person in charge of the investigation report was interviewed by the reporter.

Reporter: What are the key factors of students' superstition at present?

Person in charge: Education, society and family all have different degrees of influence.

Teachers ignore atheism education.

Reporter: Does the school lack atheism education?

Person in charge: At present, many teachers only attach importance to learning, seldom attach importance to ideological education, and disdain such investigations. Only 8% students are often taught atheism in school, and more than 30% teachers have never taught students this in class. Teachers' answers to some questions are "I don't know" and "It doesn't matter", which shows that some teachers are still taboo, indifferent or unclear about some questions. The low consciousness of atheism propaganda and education is one of the reasons why students lack atheism. Teenagers have complicated attitudes towards mysterious things, some believe, some don't believe and some don't know. In particular, they can't distinguish ignorant propaganda in the name of modern science, and are interested in mysterious things such as unsolved mysteries, but lack guidance.

Superstition of media and information flooding parents' superstitions affect students' world outlook.

Reporter: What kind of environmental impact do students face after leaving school?

Person in charge: Games and books describing superstitions are rampant in the society, and various forms of media stimulation indirectly affect students' world outlook. A survey in Yangzhen No.1 Middle School shows that 62% students have never heard or read stories and articles against superstition, pseudoscience and cults, and they are not alert to the harm brought by superstition, and some students are completely ignorant. Some parents are superstitious, which also has a negative impact on the formation of students' world outlook.

It is urgent to strengthen atheism education.

Reporter: What positive effects will the survey results have?

Person in charge: Deism is still a strange territory in education, and students, teachers and educational research departments only know little about atheism. At the Third Session of the Tenth CPPCC in Beijing, the investigation report submitted by the Municipal Association for Science and Technology attracted the attention of all departments and even the whole society. It is urgent to further strengthen the education and publicity of scientific atheism among teenagers, and it is suggested that atheism should be included in primary and secondary school textbooks. The investigation team will also investigate the current situation of atheism education for college students in the next step.