Crystals, like tarot cards, have for centuries been used for healing and divination. In this boxed set, each card image shows a crystal, along with a traditional tarot image, which enhances its meaning. The High Priestess card, for instance, shows the lapis lazuli crystal, which links with her tarot meaning of spiritual truth and intuition - she guides us to listen to the voice of our true selves. Accompanied by a book by author and crystal healer Philip Permutt showing how to lay out the cards for a reading, tarot aficionados will fall in love with the beguiling images, while novice readers will find it an irresistible first deck. The specially commissioned illustrations are by Emma Garner, artist of the bestselling Art of Tarot. They beautifully blend traditional tarot imagery with crystals: The Sun card has a sun of topaz, and the World card shows the traditional world dancer holding wands of quartz.

This book is focused on a dedicated readership. There are many thousands of individuals who continue to practice mediumistic and psychic doctrines. Contrary to belief spiritualism is not on the decline. Many people in their early twenties have an interest in the subject. Therefore, the breadth of the age of the reader is significant. Not only this the fascination is worldwide. One issue is the 'spiritual churches' have failed to keep up with modern demands of time and accessibility. People lead lives with different timetables: Inevitably the older spiritualist churches have closed their doors. The closures have led to a high demand for teachings from new sources. Teaching the methods of mediumistic and psychic work has become a thriving industry. The difficulty is many of the 'teachers' have no practical experience, and the course and workshops often fall well short of the mark. Very few fulfil the claims of the prospectus. Although, on the contrary, there are some very good ones too. John Richardson is fortunate to be a member of a family with a long and verifiable history as mediums and psychics. Due to this 'connection', he has built an excellent reputation in this field. His opinion carries influence with those connected to, and interested in, the world of spiritualism. Some time ago he was presented with a short manuscript written by his aunt, found in a drawer, after her death: Her name was Ida Pimm. She practiced mediumship for over sixty years. As John read through aunt Ida's work, he realised it's content would appeal to a vast audience. There is a shortage of 'hands-on' information about the world of spiritualism. This book fulfils the demands of thousands who wish to learn about the traditional methods of spiritualism. One of the most appealing aspects of the book is Ida's words can be used effectively by the lone investigator. By studying the 'body' of the work, they can develop their mediumistic and psychic abilities, and this book contains all the instruction you need.

From the author's Preface. THIS volume has grown out of a paper originally read at a discussion meeting of the British National Association of Spiritualists, held at their rooms, 38 Great Russell Street, London, on the evening of December 16, 1878. In that paper I presented certain evidence for the identity of spirits who have from time to time communicated with me; and I founded an argument upon the evidence produced. Confined within narrow limits by the exigencies of the occasion, I dealt with one phase of the subject only, and my treatment of it was cursory. I have, however, considered it best to print the paper as it originally was delivered, with some few additional facts, and to supplement its imperfections and omissions, to some extent, in other parts of the book, especially in the Introduction. I have also reprinted from the Spiritualist certain papers bearing on the general subject of this work; and I have added in another Appendix cases of identity before published...

Since the early nineteenth century, mesmerists, mediums and psychics have exhibited extraordinary phenomena. These have been demonstrated, reported and disputed by every modern generation. We continue to wonder why people believe in such things, while others wonder why they are dismissed so easily. Extraordinary Beliefs takes a historical approach to an ongoing psychological problem: why do people believe in extraordinary phenomena? It considers the phenomena that have been associated with mesmerism, spiritualism, psychical research and parapsychology. By drawing upon conjuring theory, frame analysis and discourse analysis, it examines how such phenomena have been made convincing in demonstration and report, and then disputed endlessly. It argues that we cannot understand extraordinary beliefs unless we properly consider the events in which people believe, and what people believe about them. And it shows how, in constructing and maintaining particular beliefs about particular phenomena, we have been in the business of constructing ourselves.

Why do so many people believe in an Invisible World behind this one? Scientists a parallel universe? Religions an afterlife? Others 'just something'? Perhaps for observations we cannot explain? Some are psychological, e.g. the nature, storage, and conveyance of the information implicit in 'ghosts', hunches, premonitions and hypnosis; and some are material - the behaviour of particles on a very small scale in physics laboratories. Each hints at spatial or temporal derangement. Space and Time are the indivisible foundations of physics. Everything that exists has a location and duration; physics concerns nothing without both. We can suppose the universe bound not by a physical framework of space-time but as containing within itself all Space and all Time - with a little more besides. Another world is not a baseless idea.

Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans has travelled all over the world, seeking answers to life's deepest and most terrifying mysteries. What happens when we die? Why do some spirits move on while others remain stuck in some sort of in-between place? What do the spirits really want from us? Zak has dedicated his life to finding out the truth. He has bought a demon house in Indiana that has been described as a 'portal to hell,' summoned the devil at the Hellfire Club in Ireland, and been attacked by a possessed doll in Mexico. But sometimes it's his interactions with the living that rattle him the most, from innocent people harbouring evil spirits to crazed fans to the victims of violent spirit attacks. Through his investigations of the world's most haunted places, Zak has learned far more about the living and the dead than anyone should. He's been to the edge of death and back and come away with a spiritual key that unlocks doors to another world that few have ever seen. Come along for t

Although famous throughout Europe for his mind-reading skills, Stuart C. Cumberland (1857-1922) was a staunch critic of the 'rascality' of some spiritualist practices and their practitioners. He claimed that many of the seances and other events which he had experienced were merely fraudulent money-making impostures. He wrote several books on his life as a thought-reader, in which he also revealed the techniques of fake mediums and psychics. (His That Other World, of 1918, is also reissued in this series.) In this 1888 work, Cumberland narrates his own history and career and describes some of his most memorable seances. One of these took place in the House of Commons, where Cumberland subjected none other than the prime minister at the time, W. E. Gladstone, to having his thoughts read. Their encounter made a great impression on the author, who found Gladstone one of his most remarkable subjects.