Can you explain this strange experience in London?

QUESTION - I was waiting at a bus stop with my husband when an elderly woman, dressed very glamorously in a black fur and perfect make-up, appeared in front of me and grasped my hand. She looked me right in the eye and said "you two are BEAUTIFUL together". I thanked her and told her that that was a lovely thing to hear, slightly in shock at being accosted and spoken to in the street - sadly London is not the friendliest of places and she'd appeared seemingly from nowhere so I was a little startled. She looked me very deeply in the eyes and I felt a vibe from her that I can't explain... my first thought on looking into her incredibly sparkly eyes was that she was looking right into me.

The strange things are that my husband, who was standing a little way from me (it would not have been obvious that we were a couple, we weren't stood particularly close or having a conversation) swears that she took *his* hand and looked into *his* eyes and spoke to *him*. She then walked off, and as we watched her progress up the pavement away from us, some other people came between us and her... and when they moved aside, she had disappeared. Both of us were convinced it was someone giving us a message but we can't figure out who it was - neither of us recognised her as a family member. Since my great-grandparents died, I have seen several of them on multiple occasions during times of stress and always found it very reassuring and comforting, but this wasn't one of them. What would you make of this?

​ANSWER - I’ve got a few ideas about this, one where she’s a charlatan and one where she isn’t.
Let’s be cynical first. One of the ways spiritual confidence tricksters work is by observing people for a lot longer than they are aware of. You may have been standing apart from your husband for a short period of time but undoubtedly you walked to the bus stop together, probably immersed in conversation and definitely leaving no doubt as to the fact that you are a couple. What seems mysterious if you believe she only observed you for a minute or two soon gets a very mundane explanation if you allow for the fact she had been watching you for a while.

The problem with that theory is that she didn’t ask anything from you. So if she was a charlatan, what has she got out of it? Possibly she’s on some sort of ego trip that involves getting strangers to stare at her in admiration. How likely that is I don’t know but it is an option to consider. Equally she might just be a nice person who genuinely thinks you make a nice couple and decided to share that thought with you.
What makes your story more interesting is the fact that you both believed she was speaking to you. Again I could give you a mundane explanation – some people have (for want of a better word) a mesmerising personality that makes people feel they are the sole subject of that person’s attention. It’s also interesting though the way you describe the lady’s eyes, I wonder if the intensity of her focus suggests she was possibly using a mild form of hypnosis on you.

Even if she was using hypnosis or deliberately confusing you both by appearing to be having the conversation with both of you it still begs the question as to why bother doing any of this with nothing to gain from it. So although in some ways this is the most likely explanation, unless we can come up with a good reason as to why she would do such a thing it isn’t the explanation that best fits the facts.

The message she chose to give you is also a strange element in all this. I think if she had been a relative or somebody you had met in a past life she might have offered something more insightful or given you some practical advice. Stating you are beautiful together is a very impersonal kind of comment and I’d suggest one likely to be made by somebody with no knowledge of your personalities so who has to comment on what is readily available on first impressions, in this case your physical appearance. Interesting also that from her own appearance this lady obviously puts a great stock on beauty. It’s possible that she was genuinely struck by how good you do look together as a couple and just felt compelled to comment on it. Perhaps you remind her of herself at a younger age and she was inspired by the memory to offer the compliment.

The appearing and disappearing could simply be you lost sight of her in the crowd. If London is still as manic as I always remember it to be that is a strong possibility. Can we legitimately consider the possibility that she wasn’t a physical entity but instead a passing spirit with no fixed corporeal identity? Yes we can. It’s certainly not implausible that you encountered somebody not of this world. I’d be interested to know if anybody else at the bus stop acknowledged her presence in any way. Could it have been possible that only the two of you saw her or did anyone else interact with her (step out of her way for example)?

It strikes me that the really interesting aspect of this question is that the facts don’t point to any one simple explanation. I can see an eccentric old woman wanting to share her thought that you are a beautiful couple but that doesn’t explain her disappearing from sight or the fact that you were both convinced she spoke to you individually. I can see a spirit being moved to give you a message but doesn’t explain why the message was such a simple one. My personal instinct would be that the true explanation is actually a blend of the two. You encountered a genuine spirit but one with no personal connection to you who saw an attractive couple and wanted to give you a compliment.

My view is by no means the only explanation though. Sadly without more facts it’s unlikely you’ll ever get a definitive answer on this one.

Image ​http://www.deviantart.com/art/London-36707818

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