Psychics explain missing September 11

While going though files on psychics a few months ago, I came across a newspaper article listing annual psychic predictions--in and of itself, an unremarkable find. The article appeared in the Weekly Alibi (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and featured predictions from local psychics for the following year. What made this particular article interesting was the year being predicted: 2001, in an issue dated January 11-17. Dozens of predictions were made; some were right, some were wrong, most of them were obvious, vague, or impossible to verily. But all the psychics somehow missed what in retrospect was the most important event of 2001, a watershed moment in American (and indeed geopolitical) history: the terrorist attacks of September 11.

There were five psychics featured in the Alibi piece; one of them is conveniently anonymous (he goes by "N."), and another has since died and therefore can't answer questions. The remaining three are described in the article:

"Alan Oken is a psychic and social commentator 'whose real work is in the development of consciousness.' He has been in the field for more than thirty years, has written twelve books, speaks seven languages, and lectures worldwide six months out of the year.'"

"Martha Woodworth is a tarot reader and astrologer specializing in career, creativity and relationship advice. She has twenty years' experience in the field and has taught the psychic crafts at Santa Fe Community College for seven years. She is also a psychic detective who has appeared on Unsolved Mysteries, was the 'Psychic Adviser' columnist for New Woman magazine."

"Stan Alexander is a local psychic specializing in private readings--tarot, palm, runes, and numerology. He has been featured in several international publications and television programs and has been a headlining entertainer at nightclubs and other venues across the country."

As the third anniversary of the attacks approached, I contacted the remaining three by e-mail on August 18, 2004, to ask about their spectacular failures: "I read through all of them, and couldn't help but notice that you (and all the other psychics) somehow missed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I was wondering if you had any explanation or comment on this, as it seems very strange that so many prominent psychics would all miss such an event of global importance."

All three gamely replied: Alan Oken stated that, "Simply stated-I am not a psychic and did not make any psychic predictions." (This is a curious statement, given that the article clearly refers to him as a psychic and lists "Alan Oken's Predictions.")

Martha Woodworth wrote only, "No. I don't [have an explanation]."

Stan Alexander, voted "Best Psychic" in a 1999 poll of the newspaper's readers, suggested that he did in fact have an inkling of the events but did not want to publicize the results of his prophetic gift: "While many, including myself, may have had intuited something along those lines taking place, it is not something that one puts out as it can cause too much potential alarm and panic. Anybody demonstrating responsibility will know that predictions are not an exact science and as such, caution in what is to be put in print must be demonstrated." (He had information that might have saved thousands of people's lives and changed the course of history but didn't want to create alarm and panic?)

I did a Web search and found the article online at http://alibi.com/ alibi/2001-01-11/feature_section.html. The predictions had been easily available for the world to see since January 2001. Oddly, only a few weeks after I asked the psychics about their failed predictions, the page had been removed from the Weekly Alibi Web site (those from other years are still there). This action may just be a coincidence, or perhaps the Weekly Alibi received a request from one of the embarrassed psychics who asked them to remove his or her glaringly wrong predictions. Though much harder to find, the site is archived elsewhere and still accessible at http://web.archive.org/web/ 20010420235304/http://www.alibi. com/alibi/2001-01-11/feature_section. html#feat.

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