"Parapsychology and Religion" is perhaps the most controversial research area in the psychology of religion. However, in recent decades, psychology of religion has witnessed a growing literature bearing on ontological issues including parapsychological topics such as distant healing and near-death experiences. This book argues that despite the methodological and theoretical controversies that still surround the field of parapsychology, the findings of research on alleged anomalous processes can inform the study of religious/spiritual experiences. Psychological literature on the paranormal is critically reviewed and it is argued that it became less a scientific endeavor and more an ideological program devised to denigrate paranormal believers and experiencers. This volume explores how an open-minded dialogue between parapsychology and psychology of religion might help us move beyond the present ideological disputes and reviewes the complex relations between parapsychology and religion over time as well as their implications for interdisciplinary research on religion and spirituality.

A definitive, factual, A-Z reference guide offering a global perspective on the role of prophecy in world history, religion, folklore, and literature. From at least 1200 B.C. and probably long before, prophets have attempted to see into the future. Most-from ancient oracles to modern astrologers, from doomsday sects to telephone psychics-have been wrong the majority of the time, says British researcher Geoffrey Ashe. True foreknowledge is rare, but those rare occurrences are impressive. In this fascinating reference work, the first to encompass the entire 3,000 year span of recorded prophecy, Ashe examines the predictions of both good prophets and bad, including seers like Jacques Cazotte, who forecast the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, and Morgan Robertson, who described the Titanic disaster 14 years before it happened. He refutes many of the far-fetched claims of Nostradamus, and highlights those that foreshadow events after his lifetime. He also examines failed prophecies that have been influential, including the many end-of-the-world forecasts, along with the surprisingly accurate visions of some science-fiction authors. More than 100 entries on prophets and prophecies from the Antichrist to Yevgeny Zamyatin, the Russian author whose writings influenced Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984 Extensive illustrations with drawings and diagrams including engravings from William Blake's so-called prophetic books and depictions of the ten incarnations of Vishnu Numerous photographs of writers such as D. H. Lawrence, H. G. Wells, and E. M. Forster; spiritual leaders such as Madame Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy; and Theodor Herzl, founder of Zionism A bibliography as a guide for extended research

The belief in telepathy is still widely held and yet it remains much disputed by scientists. Roger Luckhurst explores the origins of the term in the late nineteenth century. Telepathy mixed physical and mental sciences, new technologies and old superstitions, and it fascinated many famous people in the late Victorian era: Sigmund Freud, Thomas Huxley, Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Oscar Wilde. This is an exciting and accessible study, written for general readers as much as scholars and students.

Silver Threads shows consciousness studies in the context of scholarly investigation and liberal thinking. It was written to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Parapsychology Research Group. However, the subject matter is not confined to parapsychology; the volume is, more generally, a collection of essays on and experiments in consciousness. It includes theoretical material on the philosophy of science and experimental reports. Many of the contributors are recognized as outstanding original researchers in the field of parapsychology, such as Targ, Honorton, Tart, Harman, Krippner, and Grof. The contributors conclude that: (1) psychic phenomena are genuine and can be subject to scientific investigation; (2) science is changing to adapt to new categories of phenomena, including those which are considered paranormal; and (3) paranormal function is an innate human ability that everyone possesses and uses.

This book is the first systematic and comprehensive critical evaluation of reincarnation by a professional philosopher in any language. Several chapters deal with the alleged evidence for reincarnation -- child prodigies, deja vu experiences, hypnotic regressions and spontaneous memories of earlier lives. The book shows how reincarnation is incompatible with many well-established facts such as population increases, the recency of life in the universe, and the transformation of species. It shows that reincarnation is committed to belief in the astral body, which is examined in a particularly amusing chapter. The book is written in a lucid and witty style by an author renowned for his Voltairean sense of fun.

Guardian angels, demonic spirits, extraterrestrial visitorsare these entities figments of the imagination, or is there evidence for their existence? Famed psychic detective Joe Nickell answers these questions in his lively book.
From the "Newberry Demon" of 1679 and the strange phenomena produced by 19th-century spiritualist mediums to such modern enigmas as alien abductions, bigfoot sightings, and the bizarre mystery of Atlanta's "House of Blood," Entities examines eyewitness accounts and other evidence for strange beings worldwide.
Without dismissing or advocating any particular view, Nickell takes a detective's approach to controversial claims, shedding light on dozens of otherwise perplexing mysteries. An afterword by acclaimed psychologist Robert A. Baker adds an authoritative voice to the discussion and explains the impact that beings of whatever variety can have on our lives.
Entities will challenge, anger, amuse, and fascinate but, most importantly, it will enlighten. Believers and skeptics alike will benefit from the careful analysis that appears on every page.

Utilizing their experience as professional crime-solvers, authors Joe Nickell and John F Fischer delve into the labyrinth of the unknown armed with open minds and the remarkable array of information sources and scientific methods available to the modern investigator. Examined are such classic enigmas as the haunting of Mackenzie House (Toronto's rebel statesman is said to tread noisily upon the stairs of his historic home); the question of the 'Crystal Skull' (the 'grand-daddy of all crystal balls'); the case of 'The Two Will Wests' (two prison inmates with the same name, identical features, and similar fingerprints); plus bleeding doors, phantom pictures, restless coffins, disappearing footprints, human fireballs, and miraculous portraits - a fascinating panoply of mind-bogglers, riddles, and ambiguities. The methods, procedures, and sources used by Nickell and Fischer to solve these 'mysteries' included forensic and microchemical analysis, controlled testing, archaeology, instrumental analyses, iconographic studies, genetics, deductive logic, photography, art history, pathology, engineering, genealogy, police records, and plain common sense. Neither a mere collection of stories nor a categorical debunking, this book goes beyond the spine-tingling to focus on details of available evidence, appropriate investigative strategies, and convincing explanations for these intriguing 'occult' mysteries. The answers provided may disappoint the determined believer in the supernatural - but the solutions, and the fascinating methodology used by the authors, are as unique and interesting as the perplexing cases on which they are based.

Contents: a packet for Ezra Pound; stories of Michael Robartes and his friends: an extract from a record made by his pupils; phases of moon; great wheel; completed symbol; soul in judgment; great year of ancients; dove or swan; all soul's night, an epilogue. With many figures and illustrations.

Parapsychology is a science made controversial by its subjects: extrasensory perception, psychokinesis (mind over matter) and disembodied minds, which imply life after death. Moreover, these parapsychological phenomena (called "psi") challenge physicalism, the philosophy that everything can be completely understood in terms of physics. This book is a snapshot of the parapsychological field, with essays written by authors of diverse academic backgrounds and experiences. Essays examine parapsychological phenomena from prehistory, through the founding of the science by intellectuals distressed by physicalism, to the postmodern present. It includes both experimental and theoretical evaluations of the phenomena. Parapsychology is a science which may overturn the philosophy which has dominated science since Newton and may inspire curious readers who are disheartened by the consequent denial of the spirit.

Every week thousands of people in Europe and the USA consult psychic practitioners. Communication is crucial to the performance of psychic powers in a range of settings. Psychic practitioners use language to demonstrate their powers, whether they are reporting the words of their spirit contacts or interpreting the spread of Tarot cards. Their clients also accept or reject this information through talk. This book presents the first sustained study of the verbal interaction between the various kinds of psychic practitioners and their clients. Using conversation analysis, Robin Wooffitt examines the structure of the interaction, focusing on the ways in which psychic practitioners and their clients establish the authenticity of the claimed paranormal powers. Adopting a neutral standpoint towards the status of the claims of psychic practitioners, the book raises important issues about the role of social science in understanding the activities of psychic practitioners and other kinds of parapsychological phenomena. This highly original study will appeal to students and scholars of discourse studies, and to sociologists interested in conversation analysis. It is written in a style accessible to non-specialists, and will also interest parapsychologists and social scientists studying psychic phenomena and the paranormal.

Presents an accessible and engaging introduction to the field of parapsychology, uniquely situating it within a discussion of the nature of science and the scientific paradigm Considers the implications of paranormal findings in terms of our understanding of human consciousness Includes coverage of topics not seen in all textbooks in the field, including energy healing and psychokinesis

Exploring the paranormal through musical phenomena, this encyclopedia covers a range of anomalies, from musical mediumship to locations throughout the world where music has been heard with no obvious source. Other manifestations, such as the abilities of musical savants and the anesthetic use of music during surgical procedures, are included with a focus on paraphysical aspects. Entries describe examples from earliest history up to the present-interpretation is left to the reader. Broader themes and concepts are discussed in appendices, with additional references provided for further study.

The lawyer and journalist Henry Steel Olcott (1832 1907) published People from the Other World in 1875. Part 1 of the work is a careful account of Olcott's 1874 investigations into the famous Eddy brothers of Chittenden, Vermont, and their claimed psychic powers. Part 2 is a report into two Philadelphia mediums who claimed to be able to call up two spirits called John and Katie King. The account includes descriptions of s ances, healings, levitation, teleportation and the famous Compton transfiguration. Olcott, a founding member of the Theosophical Society and its first president, was a pioneer of psychical research. This work, deeply influenced by Helena Blavatsky (1831 1891), who he met at Chittenden, is one of his most popular. It offers an important insight into the nineteenth-century fascination with the occult and is a classic example of a Victorian attempt to approach the supernatural with the rigours of scientific investigation.

Daniel Dunglas Home (1833 1886) was a charismatic medium whose seances were attended by European royalty and eminent Victorians like Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Thrown out by his aunt because of the paranormal events which plagued him since childhood, Home became a 'professional house guest' and medium at the age of 17. During seances he purportedly levitated, handled hot coals and channelled the voices of the dead. This volume, first published in 1877, is an evocative examination of spiritualism which explores the history of the practice via the Greeks, the Romans, and Joan of Arc. Simultaneously attacking fraudulent mediums while celebrating 'true' spiritualist practitioners, this fascinating work details both the criticism and support received by Home and features reproductions of numerous fan letters. Although colourful and impassioned, Home's polemic is written in an amiable style and provides fascinating insights into the life and work of the self-proclaimed 'Grandfather of English Spiritualism'.

Examining the Psychological Foundations of Science and Morality is a progressive text that explores the relationship between psychology, science and morality, to address fundamental questions about the foundations of psychological research and its relevance for the development of these disciplines. Supported by original empirical evidence, the book analyses the relationship of folk psychology to rational knowledge, outlining an original theory that connects psychology and natural sciences through the mind which creates a psychological foundation for scientific knowledge and morality. It argues that science and religion have a common psychological core of subjective experience, which diversifies into knowledge, beliefs and morality. The book considers how subjective space and time are converted into physical space and time, and how subjective 'sense of causation' is shaped into physical causality and human communication. Further, it explores the mind as a complex system of contrasting realities, with the main function being existence attribution (EXON). The chapters delve into a range of topics including theoretical analysis of consciousness, the internal self, unexplainable phenomena, analysis of empirical research into causality, morality and the mind. The book will be of great interest to postgraduate and upper-level undergraduate students studying foundations of psychology, consciousness, philosophy of science, morality, as well as professionals who deal with influence on mass consciousness or are interested in the link between human psychology, scientific knowledge and morality.

Examining the Psychological Foundations of Science and Morality is a progressive text that explores the relationship between psychology, science and morality, to address fundamental questions about the foundations of psychological research and its relevance for the development of these disciplines. Supported by original empirical evidence, the book analyses the relationship of folk psychology to rational knowledge, outlining an original theory that connects psychology and natural sciences through the mind which creates a psychological foundation for scientific knowledge and morality. It argues that science and religion have a common psychological core of subjective experience, which diversifies into knowledge, beliefs and morality. The book considers how subjective space and time are converted into physical space and time, and how subjective 'sense of causation' is shaped into physical causality and human communication. Further, it explores the mind as a complex system of contrasting realities, with the main function being existence attribution (EXON). The chapters delve into a range of topics including theoretical analysis of consciousness, the internal self, unexplainable phenomena, analysis of empirical research into causality, morality and the mind. The book will be of great interest to postgraduate and upper-level undergraduate students studying foundations of psychology, consciousness, philosophy of science, morality, as well as professionals who deal with influence on mass consciousness or are interested in the link between human psychology, scientific knowledge and morality.