Inflib said: “So, the energy is more dense (vaci sankhara rupa) as opposed to mano sankhara that come unconsciously.” AND
“For example, I look at the card and say “four” in my head, in an instant she tells me it’s a “four”. On the other hand, if I just look at the card w/o speaking it in my head, she doesn’t know.”
That makes sense. When you consciously think “it is a “four”, that makes it a vaci sankhara, versus just seeing that it is a “four” which is a mano sankhara.
Regarding y not‘s question: “What of future events?”. Some people do get premonitions (strong feelings) of what is about to happen in the future. That may or may not turn out to be correct. However, for some, chances of “getting it right” are higher.
Unless it is a “niyata vivarana” that a Buddha gives to a Bodhisatva, no future event can be predicted with certainty.
For example, once there was going to be a war between two factions (say X and Y). Bhikkhus asked Ven. Sariputta who was going to win the war, and some months later his prediction (X) turned out to be wrong. The bhikkhus went to the Buddha and asked why Ven. Sariputta could not get it right. The Buddha said that Ven. Sariputta was right at THAT TIME, that X were going to win the war based on the conditions at THAT TIME. But since then conditions changed.