[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Squawk 8888. Funny thing -- this practice of casting curses on enemies persisted for centuries (actually, in some parts of the world, right up to the current day) and never actually worked, kinda like pointing at a flipping (oldschool) TV picture and yelling "stop!" never worked.

[null and void]

It does on my TV (as long as I make the sacred mash the pause button at the same time)!

Clarke's law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic...

[ApplegateRanch]

kinda like pointing at a flipping (oldschool) TV picture and yelling "stop!" never worked.

Of course it didn't; the pointing negated the whole thing. To stop a rolling picture, or for any other ritual to succeed, the Law of Three must be utilized: Word, Visualization, and Gesture.

In this example, you must use your right hand (the Hand Of Power) to simultaneously deliver an authoritative flat-palm slap to the top of the receiver, on its left (Heart) side, just in front of the rabbit ears, while maintaining a Visualization of a stable picture, when PROJECTING, (not "yelling") "STOP ROLLING!"

So many in today's hectic world tend to forget, when in the dill and the situation is rapidly pickling, that a Word of Power MUST be accompanied by the appropriate Passes to have any, let alone the Vizualized, effect.

In fact, only utilizing "STOP!" while pointing, if it had any effect at all, would be to halt the program entirely, probably either via, if lucky, breaking the tape at the studio; or, if unlucky, blowing a tube--maybe even the picture tube--in your TV set. I happen to know of one case where such a rash act resulted in lightning striking the transmission tower, and putting the station off the air for a week!

In practicing the Art, Discipline is not just important, it is foremost!