For, outside of the poetry, Yeats is not as serious as he sounds; this book is replete with self-fulfilling prophecies, whether George as medium reporting that the Instructors say it is time to sleep, or Yeats himself consulting the stars of a woman-friend to make the delighted discovery that they portend exactly what he hoped for.
Ancient apocalyptic prophecies, whether from Mexico or Palestine, sound more and more like Tolkien fantasies.
It may become a self-fulfilling prophecy, whether the positive interpretation was initially true or not: In a 2013 study, alcoholics who said their last drinking episode improved them in some way (making them stronger or more motivated) were more likely to be sober and in better health four months later.
Before we engage in "gene manipulation and prophecy" whether in humans, animals or plants, we need to take into consideration the more nuanced and complex view of the scientific construct we call the "gene" to avoid the dangers of naïve genetic reductionism.
This serpent-like prophecy--whether self-fulfilling or otherworldly remains a mystery to me--has contaminated every part of the Agwu family's lives, from their relationships to their mental health to their Christian faith.
"The scripture says we should judge prophecies to see whether they be of God, not that we should swallow them hook like and sinker.
Beyond which, these voters have had three and a half years of Obama's actual presidency, as opposed to his bright promises and others' dark prophecies, to decide whether he's a closet black radical, as the advertising campaign would have insinuated, or a "metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln," which is how it would have described his self-presentation in 2008.
Whether prophecies or predictions, who could have foretold, when the Brexit campaign began, that we would be where we are today, with Europe entering a never-before quandary that no one knows when and how it is going to end and what would happen to the European Union?
Collins also wrote a book examining the question of whether the prophecies of Christ's messiahship could be accepted.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
In 1996, he told Portugal's main Catholic radio station that there was nothing worrisome in the message, and that it remained secret because the Vatican wanted to avoid "confusing religious prophecy with sensationalism". Whether today's announcement will appease some of the more fanatical devotees of the "third secret" mystery is unclear.
