Like any other magic tool, when used with intention, the magic 8 ball can be your divination ball.
But does the magic 8 ball really predict the future?
Yes it does. 95% of the time it’s exposed, the ball will mysteriously guess the time it’s coming. Only 1 in 20 times, it will tell you it can’t predict yet.
The Predictions of the Magic 8 Ball
The Random Nature of Magic 8 Ball Predictions
Magic 8 Ball predictions come about completely by random chance. Inside the plastic circle is a weighted cylinder with 20 possible answers affixed to it.
When the 8-ball is inverted, whatever response happens to float in the viewing window is revealed – a process driven entirely by fluid and cylinder chaos.
There is no psychic ability, technology, or scientific reasoning behind 8 Ball’s declarations. Its responses are generated in an unbiased, unbiased manner through this simple randomization procedure.
This inherent unpredictability shrouds the toy in an aura of mystery while allowing users to interpret the response as they wish.
How does the Magic 8 Ball Predict?
You place the ball with the window face down, ask a question about the future, wait ten seconds, flip the 8 ball and read the answer written in the window!
Basically, the Magic 8 Ball is a plastic container containing a blue liquid with a white base-sided polyhedral die floating inside – where your answer appears!
The creators of the Magic 8 Ball, in consultation with Dr. Lucien Cohen, professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, designed the twenty-sided die so that the imprints of neutral, affirmative or negative statements correspond exactly to the embossed letters.
Often, however, when asking the Magic 8 Ball our burning questions, its answers are hard to recognize and understand. They are designed to be indirect, but prophetic.
What’s important to point out here is that the answers depend on how your question is phrased and what your intent is – do you want to know about something you already know?
Has happened (i.e. past), or about what is happening right now (i.e. present), or what will happen in the coming hours, days, months, years (i.e. future)?
Yes, the Magic 8 Ball can predict all three – past, present and future. Let us understand this with examples and predictions.
The Past, Present & Future
Predictions can be frighteningly accurate. The magic 8 ball is rightly famous for its mysterious powers of foresight. If we closely analyze the twenty answers to the Magic 8 Ball and the possible questions you can ask it, they mostly lean towards future answers, versus present or past.
That being said, if you focus enough on your question, the Magic 8 Ball will align you with all the answers you want – whether it’s about now, what has happened or Of times to come.
Let’s understand this with a few examples.
Expert Tip – Pay close attention to the structure of the question and the nature of the language used. As with any of your magic tools, the trick is to understand (or decode) what tense the answer is referring to.
Scenario No1 – The Past
If you ask the Magic 8 Ball a question about the past, specifically the time before you speak or write, it will respond with a prediction of what has already happened (or hasn’t).
For example:
Q: Was my girlfriend cheating on me?
A: Without a doubt (oops)
Q: Were my parents smoking?
A: My sources say no.
Q: What was I doing for New Years last year?
A: Better not tell you now.
In each of the above cases, in the specific order, the Magic 8 Ball tells us that the girlfriend has already cheated, the parents have already smoked, and the activities of the previous New Year have already passed or occurred, and it would prefer not to tell you now.
Regarding the final question, you can accept the Magic 8 Ball’s non-committal answer or, if you are not satisfied, ask it again for a more positive, negative (or the same) prediction for your New Year celebrations.
Scenario No 2 – The Present
If you ask the Magic 8 Ball a question about the present, meaning the time that is or is happening at the time of speaking or writing, it will answer you with a prediction of what will happen at that time. You’ll also see how the question structure has been changed to reflect a prediction that is more about NOW.
For example.
Q: Is my girlfriend cheating on me?
A: You may rely on it.
Q: Are my parents smoking?
A: Don’t count on it.
Q: What am I going to do for New Year’s this year?
A: Ask again later.
In Scenario Number 2, the Magic 8 Ball now tells us, in the exact order, that the girlfriend is cheating right now, that the parents are smoking right now, and that you should ask it again for a recommendation of New Year’s activities this year.
If you are dissatisfied with the previous non-committal response, you can ask it again for a positive or negative prediction, or you can believe what it has told you.
Scenario No 3 – The (mysterious) Future
In our opinion, scenario #3 is where the Magic 8 Ball excels. Like the divination tool it was inspired by, if you ask it a question about the future, that is, the time yet to come after the moment of speaking or writing, it will predict your future.
For example.
Q: Will my girlfriend cheat on me?
A: Most likely.
Q: Will my parents smoke?
A: Outlook not so good.
Q: What will I do for New Years Next Years?
A: Better not tell you now.
For the cases listed above, in the exact order, the Magic 8 Ball now predicts that the girlfriend will most likely cheat, that the parents will smoke, and that it will most likely not tell you what you will do for New Year’s this year.
Of course, in the final case, it’s a non-committal prediction, which means you can ask it again for a more affirmative or negative response, or you can accept what it says for the time being.
Final Thoughts
The Magic 8 Ball is whatever you make of it. It answers what you want to know, what you need to know, and, most importantly, what you ask it. The most mysterious aspect is that it knows.
It can predict the future for you, but it can also predict what happened in the past or what is happening now, depending on how you structure your question and interpret its response.
Nonetheless, don’t be too concerned about the responses; even the negative ones aren’t particularly negative. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Magic 8 Ball has always been more popular with adults than children, and that adults ask more serious questions.
References
Reference 1: Mental Floss “A Brief History of the Magic 8 Ball”
Reference 2: “Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them” by Time Walsh
Reference 3: Life Science Leader “And The Magic 8 Ball Says…“
