The conversion of The Lord's Prayer from the original Aramaic directly to English, rather
than Aramaic to Greek or Latin, then to English.
Much more esoteric than the prayer most commonly recited today.
This is from a Rosicrucian list I'm on that's currently
discussing The Passion of the Christ...
The Prayer To Our Father
-- in the original Aramaic --
Abwûn
"Oh Thou, from whom the breath of life comes,
d'bwaschmâja
who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
Nethkâdasch schmach
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Têtê malkuthach.
Your Heavenly Domain comes.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha.
Let Your will come true - in the universe (all that vibrates) just as
on earth
(that is material and dense).
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna.
Give us bread (understanding, assistance) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên.
detach the ropes of faults that bind us, like we let go the guilt of
others.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna
Let us not be lost in superficial things (a common temptation),
ela patzân min bischa.
but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn.
>From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act, the
song that
beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.
Amên.
Sealed in trust, faith and truth.
I confirm that with my whole being
Friday, June 8, 2012
ARHAT
traditions of ancient India (most notably those of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha) arhat (Sanskrit) or arahant (Pali) signified a spiritual practitioner who had—to use an expression common in the tipitaka—"laid down the burden"—and realised the goal of nibbana, the culmination of the spiritual life (brahmacarya).
Such a person, having removed all causes for future becoming, is not reborn after biological death into any samsaric realm.
The Buddha himself is first named as an arahant, as were his enlightened followers, since he is free from all defilements, without greed, hatred, and delusion, rid of ignorance and craving, having no "assets" that will lead to a future birth, knowing and seeing the real here and now.
This virtue shows stainless purity, true worth, and the accomplishment of the end, nibbana.
Buddhists see the Buddha himself as the ideal towards which one should aim in one's spiritual aspirations.
Hence the arhat as enlightened disciple of the Buddha is not regarded as the goal as much as is the
bodhisattva.
Bodhisattva carries a different meaning in Mahayana
Buddhism to Theravada Buddhism.
In the Pali scriptures the Tathagata when relating his own experiences of self-development uses a stock
phrase "when I was an unenlightened bodhisattva".
Bodhisattva thus connotes here the absence of enlightenment (Bodhi) of a person working
towards that goal.
In Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand a
bodhisattva is someone who seeks to put the welfare of others before their own, forfeiting their own enlightenment until all beings are saved.
Such a person is said to have achieved a sort of
proto-enlightenment called bodhicitta.
Such a person, having removed all causes for future becoming, is not reborn after biological death into any samsaric realm.
The Buddha himself is first named as an arahant, as were his enlightened followers, since he is free from all defilements, without greed, hatred, and delusion, rid of ignorance and craving, having no "assets" that will lead to a future birth, knowing and seeing the real here and now.
This virtue shows stainless purity, true worth, and the accomplishment of the end, nibbana.
Buddhists see the Buddha himself as the ideal towards which one should aim in one's spiritual aspirations.
Hence the arhat as enlightened disciple of the Buddha is not regarded as the goal as much as is the
bodhisattva.
Bodhisattva carries a different meaning in Mahayana
Buddhism to Theravada Buddhism.
In the Pali scriptures the Tathagata when relating his own experiences of self-development uses a stock
phrase "when I was an unenlightened bodhisattva".
Bodhisattva thus connotes here the absence of enlightenment (Bodhi) of a person working
towards that goal.
In Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand a
bodhisattva is someone who seeks to put the welfare of others before their own, forfeiting their own enlightenment until all beings are saved.
Such a person is said to have achieved a sort of
proto-enlightenment called bodhicitta.
TAROT
The Tarot has a fragmented history that intrigues historians,
scholars, hobbyists, and spiritualists alike. Drawing on the concrete
facts that are available, we will attempt to briefly explain the
origins of the Tarot, and trace some of its milestones through the
centuries.
The designs of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana can be traced back as
far as 1440, when the first known deck appeared in Italy. The 3 decks
called the "Visconti Trumps" are generally regarded as the
"forefathers" of the decks that are widely available today. It is
believed that they were originally created as a game for Nobles. It is
not until centuries later that the cards reemerged, this time as a
tool of divination. In the latter half of the 15th century, the card
makers in Marseilles, France began to standardize the Trumps. Before
this organized production, those who played the Trumps could dictate
which they wanted to include, and which they wanted substituted or
eliminated. Certain cards; Death, the Devil, and the Tower in
particular; were considered offensive by the more conservative Nobles.
These images caused religious leaders to attempt to ban the Trumps.
The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the
form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy
sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented
and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and
generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the
friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play
what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game.
The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination,
are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was
Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had
been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps.
Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost
Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired
written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve
from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced
by the different secret societies that produced the decks.
The first account of divination through the use of cards is
attributed to cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as
"Etteilla", in 1770. He was the first to publish divinatory meanings
for cards, and only 32 cards (plus one, representing the querent) were
included in this edition. At this time, only regular playing cards
were mentioned.
Later, Etteilla published several works that involved the Tarot Trumps
specifically. It is no surprise that these later writings coincided
with deGebelin's then-recently-public treatment of the Tarot as a
wellspring of Egyptian occult knowledge. Etteilla must have
anticipated the Tarot's jump in popularity: his was the first deck
available to the public expressly for the purpose of Cartomancy.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone that translated the hieroglyphs of
the Egyptians in 1799 did not yield any support to the theory that the
Trumps hailed from Egypt. Still, the belief endured and was augmented
in 1857 with the introduction of the notion that the wandering Romany
people - "Gypsies" thought to be descendants of Egyptians - had
carried the deck with them on their travels through Europe.
In the nineteenth century, the famous occultist known as Eliphas Lévi
developed a correlation between the Tarot and the Kabbalah: the Hebrew
system of mysticism. This fueled a new belief that the Tarot
originated in Israel, and contained the wisdom of the Tree of Life.
The new theory brought all 78 cards together as keys to the mysteries,
but again, there were no concrete facts to support it. Nevertheless,
something important was accomplished. The theory would later serve as
proof that the symbolism of the Tarot crossed all boundaries. From
this point forward, many magical and esoteric groups recognized the
Tarot as a timeless body of knowledge that had significance in every
mystical path.
Since that time it has been linked with almost every magical system or
religion known to humankind. The Tarot is comprised of archetypal
images that cross linguistic, cultural, geographical, and temporal
barriers.
The Theosophical Society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the
Rosicrucians, the Church of Light, and the Builders of the Adytum
(B.O.T.A.) all secured the Tarot's position in the 19th and 20th
centuries. In the United States of America, the Tarot became popular
and more readily available in the 1960's, when a period of exploration
in spirituality began.
Arthur Edward Waite is credited with the renaissance of the Tarot in
the Twentieth Century. He commissioned artist Pamela Coleman Smith to
create what he called the "rectified" Tarot. Created by a member of
secret societies also known as a revered mystic, Waite's version has
been widely accepted as the standard, and is by far the most popular
deck of the century, rich in symbolism and easily understood due to
the simple nature of the artwork.
In the opinion of many learned Tarot enthusiasts, the most
significant change the deck has experienced is Smith's treatment of
the Minor Arcana. Hers are the first "pip" cards to contain images
depicting the meaning of the cards. These graphics allow readers to
explain the significance of each cards nuance to querents who, in most
cases, have never encountered the cards before. This artistic trend
can be traced through the majority of the decks produced after the
Rider-Waite (1910), and Smith's influence is readily recognized, as
many of the images echo her drawings.
Today's Tarot card designs reflect specific trends in sexuality,
religion, culture, and philosophy. There are literally hundreds of
interpretations, and more are being conceived as this is being
written. The diversity of the styles allows Tarot Readers to choose a
deck that suits their personalities, the subject of the reading, the
person receiving the reading, or any other variable as they so choose.
Certain decks have a serious tone, some have a dream-like quality, and
others are full of cartoon images. The true beauty lies in the Tarot's
ability to retain its "soul" through each metamorphosis and
incarnation. It is, on many levels, a mirror of those who work with
it, and allows them to make each reading a truly personal experience.
By: Janita/Seatere
scholars, hobbyists, and spiritualists alike. Drawing on the concrete
facts that are available, we will attempt to briefly explain the
origins of the Tarot, and trace some of its milestones through the
centuries.
The designs of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana can be traced back as
far as 1440, when the first known deck appeared in Italy. The 3 decks
called the "Visconti Trumps" are generally regarded as the
"forefathers" of the decks that are widely available today. It is
believed that they were originally created as a game for Nobles. It is
not until centuries later that the cards reemerged, this time as a
tool of divination. In the latter half of the 15th century, the card
makers in Marseilles, France began to standardize the Trumps. Before
this organized production, those who played the Trumps could dictate
which they wanted to include, and which they wanted substituted or
eliminated. Certain cards; Death, the Devil, and the Tower in
particular; were considered offensive by the more conservative Nobles.
These images caused religious leaders to attempt to ban the Trumps.
The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the
form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy
sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented
and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and
generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the
friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play
what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game.
The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination,
are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was
Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had
been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps.
Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost
Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired
written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve
from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced
by the different secret societies that produced the decks.
The first account of divination through the use of cards is
attributed to cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as
"Etteilla", in 1770. He was the first to publish divinatory meanings
for cards, and only 32 cards (plus one, representing the querent) were
included in this edition. At this time, only regular playing cards
were mentioned.
Later, Etteilla published several works that involved the Tarot Trumps
specifically. It is no surprise that these later writings coincided
with deGebelin's then-recently-public treatment of the Tarot as a
wellspring of Egyptian occult knowledge. Etteilla must have
anticipated the Tarot's jump in popularity: his was the first deck
available to the public expressly for the purpose of Cartomancy.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone that translated the hieroglyphs of
the Egyptians in 1799 did not yield any support to the theory that the
Trumps hailed from Egypt. Still, the belief endured and was augmented
in 1857 with the introduction of the notion that the wandering Romany
people - "Gypsies" thought to be descendants of Egyptians - had
carried the deck with them on their travels through Europe.
In the nineteenth century, the famous occultist known as Eliphas Lévi
developed a correlation between the Tarot and the Kabbalah: the Hebrew
system of mysticism. This fueled a new belief that the Tarot
originated in Israel, and contained the wisdom of the Tree of Life.
The new theory brought all 78 cards together as keys to the mysteries,
but again, there were no concrete facts to support it. Nevertheless,
something important was accomplished. The theory would later serve as
proof that the symbolism of the Tarot crossed all boundaries. From
this point forward, many magical and esoteric groups recognized the
Tarot as a timeless body of knowledge that had significance in every
mystical path.
Since that time it has been linked with almost every magical system or
religion known to humankind. The Tarot is comprised of archetypal
images that cross linguistic, cultural, geographical, and temporal
barriers.
The Theosophical Society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the
Rosicrucians, the Church of Light, and the Builders of the Adytum
(B.O.T.A.) all secured the Tarot's position in the 19th and 20th
centuries. In the United States of America, the Tarot became popular
and more readily available in the 1960's, when a period of exploration
in spirituality began.
Arthur Edward Waite is credited with the renaissance of the Tarot in
the Twentieth Century. He commissioned artist Pamela Coleman Smith to
create what he called the "rectified" Tarot. Created by a member of
secret societies also known as a revered mystic, Waite's version has
been widely accepted as the standard, and is by far the most popular
deck of the century, rich in symbolism and easily understood due to
the simple nature of the artwork.
In the opinion of many learned Tarot enthusiasts, the most
significant change the deck has experienced is Smith's treatment of
the Minor Arcana. Hers are the first "pip" cards to contain images
depicting the meaning of the cards. These graphics allow readers to
explain the significance of each cards nuance to querents who, in most
cases, have never encountered the cards before. This artistic trend
can be traced through the majority of the decks produced after the
Rider-Waite (1910), and Smith's influence is readily recognized, as
many of the images echo her drawings.
Today's Tarot card designs reflect specific trends in sexuality,
religion, culture, and philosophy. There are literally hundreds of
interpretations, and more are being conceived as this is being
written. The diversity of the styles allows Tarot Readers to choose a
deck that suits their personalities, the subject of the reading, the
person receiving the reading, or any other variable as they so choose.
Certain decks have a serious tone, some have a dream-like quality, and
others are full of cartoon images. The true beauty lies in the Tarot's
ability to retain its "soul" through each metamorphosis and
incarnation. It is, on many levels, a mirror of those who work with
it, and allows them to make each reading a truly personal experience.
By: Janita/Seatere
ESP (EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION)
The ability to perceive information without the benefit of the senses.
Such perceptions, collectively called PSI phenomena, are grouped in
four main categories: telepathy, or mind-to-mind communication;
clairvoyance, or the awareness of remote objects, persons, or events;
precognition, or the knowledge of events lying in the future; and
retrocognition, or the knowledge of past events in the absence of
access to information about those events.
Scientific theory does not recognize modes of perception other than
those mediated by the sense organs and other body systems, so ESP by
definition lies outside the realm of scientific explanation. Claims
for the occurrence of ESP therefore remain controversial, although the
converse condition also holds, that the existence of ESP cannot
positively be disproved.
In the twentieth century, attempts at controlled study of ESP
phenomena have been undertaken by various persons and groups (see
parapsychology). Such researchers often claim that ESP experiences can
be induced by hypnosis, chemicals, or other artificial means so that
they can be measured precisely under laboratory conditions. The
scientific community as a whole does not accept ESP research reports,
because it does not find them verifiable or reproducible.
Parapsychologists and others, however, maintain that ESP exists and
should be explored even should it remain beyond the bounds of
scientific understanding.
The number of ESP experiments in modern times is enormous. Relatively
few have been conducted under proper supervision, and it must be
admitted that some have been found to have involved cheating. For
example, one of the first properly recorded tests was arranged in
1882, soon after the formation of the British Society for Psychical
Research, when its first President, Henry Sidgwick, announced that the
five young daughters of an English clergyman had convinced independent
investigators of their telepathic abilities. However, six years later
they were caught using a code to communicate with each other.
A more successful experiment in telepathy was conducted in 1937 by
Harold Sherman and Sir Hubert Wilkins, when Wilkins, an Australian
explorer, was hired by the Russians to find a pilot who had
disappeared in the Arctic. Sherman suggested to Wilkins that during
his trip they should try to communicate by telepathy. Three days each
week Wilkins sat down and reviewed the day's events; in New York,
Sherman sat in near-darkness and wrote down anything that came into
his head. Among other incidents, Sherman learned of a fire at a place
called Aklavik before the news came by radio.
There have been some spectacular results under strictly controlled
conditions. One of the most famous was reported in 1937 by Professor
Riess of Hunter College, New York. On a number of evenings, Riess
turned face-upward a series of cards from a newly shuffled pack on his
desk, and his subject wrote down the cards that came to mind. Two
packs of 25 cards were used each day. Gradually, the subject became
more accurate; and on the last nine days of the experiment her score
of successes was 17, 18, 19, 20, 20, 19, 20, 21 and 21 â€" so far
above chance as to be astonishing, and by far the highest score ever
recorded in a series of ESP experiments.
Such perceptions, collectively called PSI phenomena, are grouped in
four main categories: telepathy, or mind-to-mind communication;
clairvoyance, or the awareness of remote objects, persons, or events;
precognition, or the knowledge of events lying in the future; and
retrocognition, or the knowledge of past events in the absence of
access to information about those events.
Scientific theory does not recognize modes of perception other than
those mediated by the sense organs and other body systems, so ESP by
definition lies outside the realm of scientific explanation. Claims
for the occurrence of ESP therefore remain controversial, although the
converse condition also holds, that the existence of ESP cannot
positively be disproved.
In the twentieth century, attempts at controlled study of ESP
phenomena have been undertaken by various persons and groups (see
parapsychology). Such researchers often claim that ESP experiences can
be induced by hypnosis, chemicals, or other artificial means so that
they can be measured precisely under laboratory conditions. The
scientific community as a whole does not accept ESP research reports,
because it does not find them verifiable or reproducible.
Parapsychologists and others, however, maintain that ESP exists and
should be explored even should it remain beyond the bounds of
scientific understanding.
The number of ESP experiments in modern times is enormous. Relatively
few have been conducted under proper supervision, and it must be
admitted that some have been found to have involved cheating. For
example, one of the first properly recorded tests was arranged in
1882, soon after the formation of the British Society for Psychical
Research, when its first President, Henry Sidgwick, announced that the
five young daughters of an English clergyman had convinced independent
investigators of their telepathic abilities. However, six years later
they were caught using a code to communicate with each other.
A more successful experiment in telepathy was conducted in 1937 by
Harold Sherman and Sir Hubert Wilkins, when Wilkins, an Australian
explorer, was hired by the Russians to find a pilot who had
disappeared in the Arctic. Sherman suggested to Wilkins that during
his trip they should try to communicate by telepathy. Three days each
week Wilkins sat down and reviewed the day's events; in New York,
Sherman sat in near-darkness and wrote down anything that came into
his head. Among other incidents, Sherman learned of a fire at a place
called Aklavik before the news came by radio.
There have been some spectacular results under strictly controlled
conditions. One of the most famous was reported in 1937 by Professor
Riess of Hunter College, New York. On a number of evenings, Riess
turned face-upward a series of cards from a newly shuffled pack on his
desk, and his subject wrote down the cards that came to mind. Two
packs of 25 cards were used each day. Gradually, the subject became
more accurate; and on the last nine days of the experiment her score
of successes was 17, 18, 19, 20, 20, 19, 20, 21 and 21 â€" so far
above chance as to be astonishing, and by far the highest score ever
recorded in a series of ESP experiments.
WITCH
A person who practices witchcraft, popularly believed to have supernatural powers and to also perform sorcery, and often believed to be aided by spirits or a familiar.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, witches, men or women who have entered into pacts with Satan, are capable of changing themselves into other creatures, raising storms, bringing sickness to human and animals, causing sterility, and flying.
They consort carnally with demons and even with Satan himself.
Whether or not this diabolical form of witchcraft was ever practiced by actual people is debated among historians.
Some say that it never was or that if there were isolated pockets of Devil worshipers, they
were probably extremely rare.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, witches, men or women who have entered into pacts with Satan, are capable of changing themselves into other creatures, raising storms, bringing sickness to human and animals, causing sterility, and flying.
They consort carnally with demons and even with Satan himself.
Whether or not this diabolical form of witchcraft was ever practiced by actual people is debated among historians.
Some say that it never was or that if there were isolated pockets of Devil worshipers, they
were probably extremely rare.
PROPHECY
A divinely-inspired vision or revelation of the future, usually of important events on a grand scale; a prediction or foretelling of what is to come.
A prophet is a person who, by divine inspiration, declares to the world the divine will or judgments; a person who foretells the course or nature of future events.
Religious prophets are men or women divinely chosen to preach the divine message, such as Jesus and Mohammed. The ancient Hebrews had
many prophets; 18 of the 39 books of the Old Testament are ascribed to prophets.
In Islam, Mohammed is the Seal of the Prophets, the last of all prophets for the rest of history.
Ordinary people with psychic gifts have also been called prophets.
In the sixteenth century Nostradamus believed his visions were inspired by God; the ancient Greeks and Romans revered oracles, whose pronouncements were treated as unchangeable.
Even today we have scores of people who claim to posses prophetic skills and wisdom.
Every age has had its share of visionaries, seers who seem to posses a kind of second sight that enables them to peer through the walls of time.
And it is not the past or the present, but the future that holds the greatest allure for would-be soothsayers; and not just any future, but the fascinating matter of human fate " be it the destiny of an individual, of a nation, of the world or of the universe.
A prophet is a person who, by divine inspiration, declares to the world the divine will or judgments; a person who foretells the course or nature of future events.
Religious prophets are men or women divinely chosen to preach the divine message, such as Jesus and Mohammed. The ancient Hebrews had
many prophets; 18 of the 39 books of the Old Testament are ascribed to prophets.
In Islam, Mohammed is the Seal of the Prophets, the last of all prophets for the rest of history.
Ordinary people with psychic gifts have also been called prophets.
In the sixteenth century Nostradamus believed his visions were inspired by God; the ancient Greeks and Romans revered oracles, whose pronouncements were treated as unchangeable.
Even today we have scores of people who claim to posses prophetic skills and wisdom.
Every age has had its share of visionaries, seers who seem to posses a kind of second sight that enables them to peer through the walls of time.
And it is not the past or the present, but the future that holds the greatest allure for would-be soothsayers; and not just any future, but the fascinating matter of human fate " be it the destiny of an individual, of a nation, of the world or of the universe.
SPIRITUALISM/ SPIRITISM
Also called Spiritism. A system of religious beliefs centered on the
assumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible.
It implies that the human personality, the spirit or soul, survives death.
Spiritualism as a movement began in the United States in 1848 with the
activities of Margaret Fox and, to a lesser extent, her two sisters,
of Hydesville, New York. The Fox sisters were able to produce spirit
rappings in answer to questions put to them. After moving to
Rochester, New York, and receiving a wider audience through a series
of increasingly elaborate public seances, their fame spread to both
sides of the Atlantic. By the mid-1850s they had inspired a host of
imitators, and Spiritualism claimed two million followers. Margaret
Fox admitted later in life that she had produced rapping noises
through manipulation of her joints.
The repertoire of the early mediums included table levitations, ESP,
speaking in a spirit's voice during trances, automatic writing, and
the manifestation of apparitions and ectoplasm. All such phenomena
were attributed by the mediums to the agency of spirits.
Early supporters of spiritualistic phenomena included American
journalist Horace Greeley and British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Support for spiritualism diminished, however, as many 19th-century
mediums proved to be fakes. Spiritualism has had, since its inception,
a large following. Many churches and societies have been founded that
profess some variety of spiritualistic beliefs. It achieved
particularly widespread popular appeal during the 1850s and '60s and
immediately following World War I.
Closely aligned with other new age beliefs, belief in spiritualism
again became popular during the 1980s, particularly in the United
States. One new facet of spiritualism is that modern-day channelers or
mediums are as apt to attempt contact with extraterrestrials or
spirits from ancient mythical societies as they are to try to
communicate with the recently deceased. Today, Spiritism's popularity
is once again on the rise.
assumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible.
It implies that the human personality, the spirit or soul, survives death.
Spiritualism as a movement began in the United States in 1848 with the
activities of Margaret Fox and, to a lesser extent, her two sisters,
of Hydesville, New York. The Fox sisters were able to produce spirit
rappings in answer to questions put to them. After moving to
Rochester, New York, and receiving a wider audience through a series
of increasingly elaborate public seances, their fame spread to both
sides of the Atlantic. By the mid-1850s they had inspired a host of
imitators, and Spiritualism claimed two million followers. Margaret
Fox admitted later in life that she had produced rapping noises
through manipulation of her joints.
The repertoire of the early mediums included table levitations, ESP,
speaking in a spirit's voice during trances, automatic writing, and
the manifestation of apparitions and ectoplasm. All such phenomena
were attributed by the mediums to the agency of spirits.
Early supporters of spiritualistic phenomena included American
journalist Horace Greeley and British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Support for spiritualism diminished, however, as many 19th-century
mediums proved to be fakes. Spiritualism has had, since its inception,
a large following. Many churches and societies have been founded that
profess some variety of spiritualistic beliefs. It achieved
particularly widespread popular appeal during the 1850s and '60s and
immediately following World War I.
Closely aligned with other new age beliefs, belief in spiritualism
again became popular during the 1980s, particularly in the United
States. One new facet of spiritualism is that modern-day channelers or
mediums are as apt to attempt contact with extraterrestrials or
spirits from ancient mythical societies as they are to try to
communicate with the recently deceased. Today, Spiritism's popularity
is once again on the rise.
ABOUT CHANNELING
The process by which a medium can communicate information from
nonphysical beings, such as spirits, deities, demons or aliens through
entering a state of trance or some other form of altered consciousness.
Channeling has existed in all cultures throughout history. In
primitive societies a designated person â€" a priest, shaman, oracle
or similar individual â€" had the responsibility of communicating with
the nonwordly beings. The priestly caste of ancient Egypt communicated
with the gods through trance; the ancient Greeks revered their
oracles; the prophets and saints of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
received the will of God in a form of channeling.
In the nineteenth century, the claims of spiritualism to be able to
communicate with the dead attracted a large following, and in the same
period Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, cofounder of Theosophy claimed to
be able to channel the wisdom of various Tibetan adepts. Interest in
channeling revived in the West during the 1970s and 1980s, with the
growth of the new age movement. In the last few years, tens of
thousands of people have sought out channels privately or in workshop
situations, while millions more have read material or have listened to
or viewed tapes said to be channeled. The Seth Material, the Findhorn
books, and A Course in Miracles are some of the recent major bodies of
work that are either channeled or based on channeling. They have
enjoyed a remarkable following among people of varied personalities,
world views, and walks of life...
There have been times in history when channeling and related phenomena
have been accepted, in keeping with the mainstream world view and
notion of what a human being is and can be. At other times, phenomena
such as channeling have been deemed unusual or paranormal and have
been treated as fads or voguish â€" which may be the case today. And
at other times, such phenomena have been devalued, ignored, or
considered a type of confidence game or even a punishable crime.
Channeling, like mysticism, is a phenomenon that has been part of
human experience as far back as human records go. It appears to be an
essential element in the origins of virtually all of the great
spiritual paths. It is not just a curiosity of current interest based
on a resurgence of inner voices, visions, trance seances, and
automatic writing. Rather, the phenomenon is an important aspect of
human consciousness, a crucial experience for human beings in all
cultures and times, even though we do not yet understand its origins
or mechanisms.
nonphysical beings, such as spirits, deities, demons or aliens through
entering a state of trance or some other form of altered consciousness.
Channeling has existed in all cultures throughout history. In
primitive societies a designated person â€" a priest, shaman, oracle
or similar individual â€" had the responsibility of communicating with
the nonwordly beings. The priestly caste of ancient Egypt communicated
with the gods through trance; the ancient Greeks revered their
oracles; the prophets and saints of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
received the will of God in a form of channeling.
In the nineteenth century, the claims of spiritualism to be able to
communicate with the dead attracted a large following, and in the same
period Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, cofounder of Theosophy claimed to
be able to channel the wisdom of various Tibetan adepts. Interest in
channeling revived in the West during the 1970s and 1980s, with the
growth of the new age movement. In the last few years, tens of
thousands of people have sought out channels privately or in workshop
situations, while millions more have read material or have listened to
or viewed tapes said to be channeled. The Seth Material, the Findhorn
books, and A Course in Miracles are some of the recent major bodies of
work that are either channeled or based on channeling. They have
enjoyed a remarkable following among people of varied personalities,
world views, and walks of life...
There have been times in history when channeling and related phenomena
have been accepted, in keeping with the mainstream world view and
notion of what a human being is and can be. At other times, phenomena
such as channeling have been deemed unusual or paranormal and have
been treated as fads or voguish â€" which may be the case today. And
at other times, such phenomena have been devalued, ignored, or
considered a type of confidence game or even a punishable crime.
Channeling, like mysticism, is a phenomenon that has been part of
human experience as far back as human records go. It appears to be an
essential element in the origins of virtually all of the great
spiritual paths. It is not just a curiosity of current interest based
on a resurgence of inner voices, visions, trance seances, and
automatic writing. Rather, the phenomenon is an important aspect of
human consciousness, a crucial experience for human beings in all
cultures and times, even though we do not yet understand its origins
or mechanisms.
PSYCHICS
Psychics
By James K. Walker
Famous Psychics: Madame Blavatsky, Arthur Ford, Jeanne Dixon, Uri Geller.
Other Names: Mediums, Necromancers, Spiritualists.
Associated Practices: Divination (Astrology, Tarot, I Ching,
Palmistry, Mind Reading, telepathy, etc.), Necromancy (Seance,
Channeling, Ouija Board, etc.), and telekinesis moving objects
mentally or spiritually such as table tilting, levitation).
INTRODUCTION
On January 25, 1997, America's most famous psychic, Jeanne Dixon died.
During her lifetime, America experienced unparalleled growth in the
interest and acceptance of psychics and paranormal phenomena.
According to Larry Rosen, president of NetLive Communications, over
her celebrated 50 year career Dixon was advisor to world leaders
including US presidents and wrote eight books including Reincarnation
and Prayers to Live By and The Call to Glory. At the time of her
death, Dixon syndicated columns were featured in over 800 daily
newspapers worldwide (Business Wire, January 28, 1997).
Shortly before her death, Dixon announced plans to join the popular
and profitable 900 psychic telephone network industry with her own
Jeanne Dixon's Psychic Network. She was unable to see her plans
fulfilled as she died shortly after the network was announced and
before it could be launched. Two months after her death, however,
Watchman Fellowship received an email purportedly from Dixon herself
(jeanne.dixon@...) stating, "Hello, I'm Jeanne Dixon a psychic,
medium, healer, spiritualist, clairvoyant & astrologer.. . . I can
predict your future.. . . Please call me right now!" (email dated
March 21, 1997). The message provided both a 24 hour "900" number and
an "800" number to use with credit cards. The message was not, of
course, some weak attempt to demonstrate communication with the dead
through the Internet. It did, however, demonstrate Netlive
Communications' dogged determination to continue with the Jeanne Dixon
Psychic Network despite her unanticipated death. The network features
several $3.99 per minute "900" lines ending in "J-E-A-N-E" and the
first live, videoconferenced psychic, tarot card and astrological
guidance service over the Internet (Business Wire, January 28, 1997;
December 16, 1996).
Dixon's death will apparently not dampen the the success of her
psychic network or the psychic industry as a whole. Dionne Warwick's
Psychic Friends Network employs approximately 1,500 psychics logging
an estimated 3 million minutes a month at about $4 per minute
according to Baltimore-based Inphomation Communications, Inc. ("Who
could've foretold psychic spree?" Dallas Morning News, March 19, 1996,
pp. 1-C, 6-C). According to those estimates, Warwick's service alone
would gross $144 million annually. In addition to Warwick and Dixon,
Mark Plakias, managing director of Strategic Telemedia, a New York
research firm estimated nearly half of the 200,000 pay-per-call
entertainment services in America are psychic hotlines (ibid., p. 1-C).
Richard Dworman, editor of the Infomercial Marketing Report, estimates
Psychic Friends Network's gross annual income at a more conservative
$100 million. Still, this is remarkable for an organization that
started just seven years ago and is receiving between 7,500 to 10,000
paying calls each day. "The thing took off like a rocket, it was at
the right place at the right time," said Dworman ("Seeking your
fortune can cost one," The Philadelphia Daily News, March 19, 1997, p.
C-1). The second and third largest psychic networks, Psychic Readers
Network and Your Psychic Experience, annually take in about $50
million and $35-$40 million, respectively (ibid.).
Psychic hotlines are just one aspect of America's growing psychic
industry. Psychic fairs are commonplace in many US cities.
Dallas-based Creative Organization has sponsored monthly psychic fairs
held for the past fifteen years featuring crystal balls, astrology,
palmistry, clairvoyants, seers, tarot cards, and rune stones
("Mediumcool," The Dallas Morning News, March 29, 1996, Guide, p. 30).
Metaphysical and New Age book stores can be found easily in the Yellow
Pages of many American cities, and the Internet is facilitating a
cottage industry of "cyberpsychics." One psychic entrepreneur,
Jonathan Katz of Encino, Calif., boasts of up to 250,000 tarot, I
Ching or bioreadings a month through his web sites (The Dallas Morning
News, March 19, 1996, p. 6-C). Yahoo, a popular web index, lists 363
on-line psychic services in five categories (www.yahoo.com).
HISTORY
While modern technology such as 900 numbers and the Internet may be
partially responsible for fueling their recent popularity, psychics
and mediums are not new. A simple definition of psychic is "A person
who is either born with or develops many gifts or talents in the area
of ESP, clairvoyance, communication with the spirit world, abilities
to read the human aura and uses these special skills as a healer or
reader" (The New Age A to Z, p. 120). Defined this broadly, the
history of psychics may be traced back thousands of years ago to the
seers, shamans, and soothsayers of ancient pagan religions and occult
practices. Yet in North America the popularity of the psychic arts is
something relatively new. What are the roots of the modern psychic
revival in America?
The genealogy of the modern psychic movement can be found in certain
aspects of the mesmeric and Spiritualist movements. These practices
spread through Europe and America in the early and middle 19th century
after followers of the controversial Austrian doctor, Franz Antoine
Mesmer (1766-1815), reported "thought transference, of clairvoyance
and 'eyeless vision'" in addition to other psychic phenomena in
"mesmerized" subjects. ("Psychical Research," Man, Myth, and Magic,
Vol. 17, p. 2273).
The popularity of mesmerism and especially its alleged healing
properties, along with the celebrated "rappings" of the Fox sisters of
Hydesville, New York, led directly to the sweeping acceptance of the
Spiritualist movement of the latter half of the 19th century. "It
accustomed the public to the idea that certain especially gifted
persons might, when in a state of trance, exercise clairvoyant and
other paranormal faculties, and even to the idea that some mesmeric
subjects might become aware of, and perhaps communicate with, the
spirits of departed persons. The mesmeric trance developed, by an easy
and natural transition, into the mediumistic trance. . ." (ibid., see
also, "Fox Sisters," Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology,Vol.
1, pp. 345-49). Thus, by the turn of the 20th century, the general
public's perception of psychic manifestation was largely limited to
the infamous Spiritualist churches. These featured necromancy
(communication with the dead) along with an assortment of other
manifestations. Critics and paranormal debunkers like famous
illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini claimed they were little
more than fakery and parlor tricks ("Houdini, Harry," Encyclopedia of
Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, pp. 440-41).
There were, however, efforts to distance Spiritualism from a purely
religious arena by attempting to explore, research and categorize
psychic phenomena as a science. In 1882 the Society for Psychical
Research (SPR) was founded by Sir William Barrett (1844-1925),
Cambridge professor Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900), and F. W. H. Meyers
(1843-1901). Prominent early members included Edmund Gurney
(1847-1888) and "the St. Paul of Spiritualism," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(1858-1930), author of the Sherlock Holmes stories ("Spiritualism," An
Encyclopaedia of Occultism, p. 384; "Doyle, Sir Arthur
Conan,"Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, p. 261).
Spiritualists attempted to collaborate with scholars to scientifically
measure and prove psychic phenomena. Areas of study included thought
transference and other types of telepathy, hypnotism or mesmeric
trance, haunted houses, the "causes" or "laws" of Spiritualism, and
the history of such manifestations. Despite their intentions, the
controls and tests administered by the SPR did more to expose fraud
than to prove psychic manifestations. Colin Wilson who is personally
sympathetic to psychic phenomenon notes, "The results were
disappointing. Gurney committed suicide in a Brighton hotel in 1888
when he discovered that certain trusted mediums were tricksters. And
although the S.P.R. has had many eminent adherents . . . it has failed
to make any general impact" (Wilson, Colin, The Occult, p. 493).
For example, SPR had intended to publish a favorable report on the
famous medium, psychic and spiritualist, Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891),
who founded the Theosophical Society. But Blavatsky's housekeeper,
Emma Cutting-Coulomb, "blabbed" some of the psychic's techniques of
fakery to the Christian College Magazine whose story was immediately
picked up by the London Times. The reports of fraud were then
confirmed by the SPR researcher in India when he was allowed to
inspect Blavatsky's cedar wood "shrine" in which letters from the
spirit world would magically appear. "For some faithful disciple,
wishing to demonstrate that fraud was impossible, had slapped the rear
wall of the shrine saying, 'You see, it's perfectly solid,' when, to
his dismay, a panel had shot open, revealing another panel in the wall
of [Blavatsky's] boudoir" (ibid., p. 336).
In addition to fraud, public acceptance of the SPR specifically and
psychic manifestations in general were hampered by sexual scandals.
Houdini reported that female mediums "often" offered him sexual favors
in exchange for collusion during his investigations. Speaking of the
SPR's co-founder, Colin comments, "Myers's dubious character in
matters of sex or other people's correspondence does not prove that he
would be capable of faking the results of a séance; but . . . his
motives in forming the S.P.R. may have been highly charged and
emotional rather than purely scientific" (ibid., p. 494).
Failed attempts to "prove" psychic phenomena in the 19th and early
20th century did little to dampen the psychic revival of the last few
decades. Waning interest in psychics was boosted in the mid 20th
century by Disciples of Christ minister, Arthur Ford (1897- 1971), who
functioned as a medium for the spirit "Flecher." Ford founded the
Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (SFF) in 1955 and received national
prominence in 1967 when he allegedly contacted the dead son of Bishop
James Pike on network television through trance mediumship ("Ford,
Arthur A.," Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, p.
341). Despite occasional interest, no one, including the psychics
themselves, may have been able to predict the degree of popularity of
the current psychic revival.
BIBLICAL RESPONSE
Much of the mystique and lure of modern psychics is the "proof" of
their claims and information through various alleged supernatural
manifestations. People often trust psychics because of their
persuasive demonstrations. The history of psychics is littered with
cases of proven fraud. Faked psychic phenomena may involve stage magic
or "sleight-of-hand." It is possible that Pharaoh's magicians used
common magic tricks to "duplicate" the first three plagues God gave as
signs through Moses (Exodus 7-8).
Professional magician James Randi, whose stage name is "The Amazing
Randi," has publicly exposed a number of psychics, spiritualists,
channelers, and charlatans. One of Randi's first targets was Israeli
psychic Uri Geller, tested by Stanford Research Institute (now SRI
International) for his powers to bend spoons and levitate objects.
Randi successfully demonstrated "The tricks were very simple.. . .
There was nothing you couldn't get off the back of a cornflakes box so
to speak" (Time, June 13, 1988, p. 72). Dan Korem, a Christian
illusionist, has also used his talents in stage magic to debunk a
number of fake psychics (see: Powers: Testing the Psychic &
Supernatural). The likelihood of fraud and fakery is one reason the
Bible warns against relying on "signs and wonders" as evidence for
truth-claims or proof of supernatural powers. Also, Satan can work
through "all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Jesus warned, "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and
shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the
elect" (Mark 13:22).
Some psychics will claim that their powers are consistent with the
Bible and come from God, even offering convincing demonstrations as
proof of their supernatural abilities. Jesus, however, warned his
followers not to seek signs, explaining that His resurrection, the
"sign of Jonah," would be the only verifying miracle upon which
believers can rely (Matthew 12:39-40).
For proof that their "gift" is of God, some psychics may point to
colorful examples of accurate predictions. Much of the accuracy of
psychics may be attributed to their use of the law of averages, "cold
reading" techniques, and even the use of private investigators. Rather
than celebrated random examples of some accurate predictions, the
biblical requirement for a prophecy is 100% accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:
20-22). The Bible also condemns necromancy (communication with the
dead) which is the modus operandi of many psychics and spiritualists.
Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 states, "There shall not be found among you any
one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or
that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a
witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer. . ."
Christians also recognize that even real examples of spiritual
manifestations would not prove the phenomena is harmless or from God.
The Bible warns of demons, "seducing spirits" and "doctrines of
devils" (I Timothy 4:1). Believers are warned, "Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Faith in
psychics can be not only spiritually but emotionally dangerous as
well. Followers can become totally dependent on their psychics for
making even simple decisions. Psychics, in turn, can easily use their
influence to control and take advantage of their clients (see: Powers,
pp. 25-29).
RESOURCES
1) Powers: Testing the Psychic & Supernatural. Dan Korem. A
professional stage illusionist and popular Christian speaker, Korem
exposes the fraudulent techniques used by many psychics. Included are
sections on alleged telekinesis, psychic crime solving, and the art of
"cold reading." Korem includes a biblical perspective of psychics and
a section discussing why the resurrection of Christ was not a magic
illusion. 232 pages.
2) Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs. John Ankerberg and John Weldon.
This comprehensive work on New Age spirituality includes sections on
psychic phenomena such as spirit communication (channeling and
mediums), divination (astrology, palm reading, etc.), psychic
healing, etc. Extensive biblical response also included. 670 pages.
By James K. Walker
Famous Psychics: Madame Blavatsky, Arthur Ford, Jeanne Dixon, Uri Geller.
Other Names: Mediums, Necromancers, Spiritualists.
Associated Practices: Divination (Astrology, Tarot, I Ching,
Palmistry, Mind Reading, telepathy, etc.), Necromancy (Seance,
Channeling, Ouija Board, etc.), and telekinesis moving objects
mentally or spiritually such as table tilting, levitation).
INTRODUCTION
On January 25, 1997, America's most famous psychic, Jeanne Dixon died.
During her lifetime, America experienced unparalleled growth in the
interest and acceptance of psychics and paranormal phenomena.
According to Larry Rosen, president of NetLive Communications, over
her celebrated 50 year career Dixon was advisor to world leaders
including US presidents and wrote eight books including Reincarnation
and Prayers to Live By and The Call to Glory. At the time of her
death, Dixon syndicated columns were featured in over 800 daily
newspapers worldwide (Business Wire, January 28, 1997).
Shortly before her death, Dixon announced plans to join the popular
and profitable 900 psychic telephone network industry with her own
Jeanne Dixon's Psychic Network. She was unable to see her plans
fulfilled as she died shortly after the network was announced and
before it could be launched. Two months after her death, however,
Watchman Fellowship received an email purportedly from Dixon herself
(jeanne.dixon@...) stating, "Hello, I'm Jeanne Dixon a psychic,
medium, healer, spiritualist, clairvoyant & astrologer.. . . I can
predict your future.. . . Please call me right now!" (email dated
March 21, 1997). The message provided both a 24 hour "900" number and
an "800" number to use with credit cards. The message was not, of
course, some weak attempt to demonstrate communication with the dead
through the Internet. It did, however, demonstrate Netlive
Communications' dogged determination to continue with the Jeanne Dixon
Psychic Network despite her unanticipated death. The network features
several $3.99 per minute "900" lines ending in "J-E-A-N-E" and the
first live, videoconferenced psychic, tarot card and astrological
guidance service over the Internet (Business Wire, January 28, 1997;
December 16, 1996).
Dixon's death will apparently not dampen the the success of her
psychic network or the psychic industry as a whole. Dionne Warwick's
Psychic Friends Network employs approximately 1,500 psychics logging
an estimated 3 million minutes a month at about $4 per minute
according to Baltimore-based Inphomation Communications, Inc. ("Who
could've foretold psychic spree?" Dallas Morning News, March 19, 1996,
pp. 1-C, 6-C). According to those estimates, Warwick's service alone
would gross $144 million annually. In addition to Warwick and Dixon,
Mark Plakias, managing director of Strategic Telemedia, a New York
research firm estimated nearly half of the 200,000 pay-per-call
entertainment services in America are psychic hotlines (ibid., p. 1-C).
Richard Dworman, editor of the Infomercial Marketing Report, estimates
Psychic Friends Network's gross annual income at a more conservative
$100 million. Still, this is remarkable for an organization that
started just seven years ago and is receiving between 7,500 to 10,000
paying calls each day. "The thing took off like a rocket, it was at
the right place at the right time," said Dworman ("Seeking your
fortune can cost one," The Philadelphia Daily News, March 19, 1997, p.
C-1). The second and third largest psychic networks, Psychic Readers
Network and Your Psychic Experience, annually take in about $50
million and $35-$40 million, respectively (ibid.).
Psychic hotlines are just one aspect of America's growing psychic
industry. Psychic fairs are commonplace in many US cities.
Dallas-based Creative Organization has sponsored monthly psychic fairs
held for the past fifteen years featuring crystal balls, astrology,
palmistry, clairvoyants, seers, tarot cards, and rune stones
("Mediumcool," The Dallas Morning News, March 29, 1996, Guide, p. 30).
Metaphysical and New Age book stores can be found easily in the Yellow
Pages of many American cities, and the Internet is facilitating a
cottage industry of "cyberpsychics." One psychic entrepreneur,
Jonathan Katz of Encino, Calif., boasts of up to 250,000 tarot, I
Ching or bioreadings a month through his web sites (The Dallas Morning
News, March 19, 1996, p. 6-C). Yahoo, a popular web index, lists 363
on-line psychic services in five categories (www.yahoo.com).
HISTORY
While modern technology such as 900 numbers and the Internet may be
partially responsible for fueling their recent popularity, psychics
and mediums are not new. A simple definition of psychic is "A person
who is either born with or develops many gifts or talents in the area
of ESP, clairvoyance, communication with the spirit world, abilities
to read the human aura and uses these special skills as a healer or
reader" (The New Age A to Z, p. 120). Defined this broadly, the
history of psychics may be traced back thousands of years ago to the
seers, shamans, and soothsayers of ancient pagan religions and occult
practices. Yet in North America the popularity of the psychic arts is
something relatively new. What are the roots of the modern psychic
revival in America?
The genealogy of the modern psychic movement can be found in certain
aspects of the mesmeric and Spiritualist movements. These practices
spread through Europe and America in the early and middle 19th century
after followers of the controversial Austrian doctor, Franz Antoine
Mesmer (1766-1815), reported "thought transference, of clairvoyance
and 'eyeless vision'" in addition to other psychic phenomena in
"mesmerized" subjects. ("Psychical Research," Man, Myth, and Magic,
Vol. 17, p. 2273).
The popularity of mesmerism and especially its alleged healing
properties, along with the celebrated "rappings" of the Fox sisters of
Hydesville, New York, led directly to the sweeping acceptance of the
Spiritualist movement of the latter half of the 19th century. "It
accustomed the public to the idea that certain especially gifted
persons might, when in a state of trance, exercise clairvoyant and
other paranormal faculties, and even to the idea that some mesmeric
subjects might become aware of, and perhaps communicate with, the
spirits of departed persons. The mesmeric trance developed, by an easy
and natural transition, into the mediumistic trance. . ." (ibid., see
also, "Fox Sisters," Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology,Vol.
1, pp. 345-49). Thus, by the turn of the 20th century, the general
public's perception of psychic manifestation was largely limited to
the infamous Spiritualist churches. These featured necromancy
(communication with the dead) along with an assortment of other
manifestations. Critics and paranormal debunkers like famous
illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini claimed they were little
more than fakery and parlor tricks ("Houdini, Harry," Encyclopedia of
Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, pp. 440-41).
There were, however, efforts to distance Spiritualism from a purely
religious arena by attempting to explore, research and categorize
psychic phenomena as a science. In 1882 the Society for Psychical
Research (SPR) was founded by Sir William Barrett (1844-1925),
Cambridge professor Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900), and F. W. H. Meyers
(1843-1901). Prominent early members included Edmund Gurney
(1847-1888) and "the St. Paul of Spiritualism," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(1858-1930), author of the Sherlock Holmes stories ("Spiritualism," An
Encyclopaedia of Occultism, p. 384; "Doyle, Sir Arthur
Conan,"Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, p. 261).
Spiritualists attempted to collaborate with scholars to scientifically
measure and prove psychic phenomena. Areas of study included thought
transference and other types of telepathy, hypnotism or mesmeric
trance, haunted houses, the "causes" or "laws" of Spiritualism, and
the history of such manifestations. Despite their intentions, the
controls and tests administered by the SPR did more to expose fraud
than to prove psychic manifestations. Colin Wilson who is personally
sympathetic to psychic phenomenon notes, "The results were
disappointing. Gurney committed suicide in a Brighton hotel in 1888
when he discovered that certain trusted mediums were tricksters. And
although the S.P.R. has had many eminent adherents . . . it has failed
to make any general impact" (Wilson, Colin, The Occult, p. 493).
For example, SPR had intended to publish a favorable report on the
famous medium, psychic and spiritualist, Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891),
who founded the Theosophical Society. But Blavatsky's housekeeper,
Emma Cutting-Coulomb, "blabbed" some of the psychic's techniques of
fakery to the Christian College Magazine whose story was immediately
picked up by the London Times. The reports of fraud were then
confirmed by the SPR researcher in India when he was allowed to
inspect Blavatsky's cedar wood "shrine" in which letters from the
spirit world would magically appear. "For some faithful disciple,
wishing to demonstrate that fraud was impossible, had slapped the rear
wall of the shrine saying, 'You see, it's perfectly solid,' when, to
his dismay, a panel had shot open, revealing another panel in the wall
of [Blavatsky's] boudoir" (ibid., p. 336).
In addition to fraud, public acceptance of the SPR specifically and
psychic manifestations in general were hampered by sexual scandals.
Houdini reported that female mediums "often" offered him sexual favors
in exchange for collusion during his investigations. Speaking of the
SPR's co-founder, Colin comments, "Myers's dubious character in
matters of sex or other people's correspondence does not prove that he
would be capable of faking the results of a séance; but . . . his
motives in forming the S.P.R. may have been highly charged and
emotional rather than purely scientific" (ibid., p. 494).
Failed attempts to "prove" psychic phenomena in the 19th and early
20th century did little to dampen the psychic revival of the last few
decades. Waning interest in psychics was boosted in the mid 20th
century by Disciples of Christ minister, Arthur Ford (1897- 1971), who
functioned as a medium for the spirit "Flecher." Ford founded the
Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (SFF) in 1955 and received national
prominence in 1967 when he allegedly contacted the dead son of Bishop
James Pike on network television through trance mediumship ("Ford,
Arthur A.," Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, p.
341). Despite occasional interest, no one, including the psychics
themselves, may have been able to predict the degree of popularity of
the current psychic revival.
BIBLICAL RESPONSE
Much of the mystique and lure of modern psychics is the "proof" of
their claims and information through various alleged supernatural
manifestations. People often trust psychics because of their
persuasive demonstrations. The history of psychics is littered with
cases of proven fraud. Faked psychic phenomena may involve stage magic
or "sleight-of-hand." It is possible that Pharaoh's magicians used
common magic tricks to "duplicate" the first three plagues God gave as
signs through Moses (Exodus 7-8).
Professional magician James Randi, whose stage name is "The Amazing
Randi," has publicly exposed a number of psychics, spiritualists,
channelers, and charlatans. One of Randi's first targets was Israeli
psychic Uri Geller, tested by Stanford Research Institute (now SRI
International) for his powers to bend spoons and levitate objects.
Randi successfully demonstrated "The tricks were very simple.. . .
There was nothing you couldn't get off the back of a cornflakes box so
to speak" (Time, June 13, 1988, p. 72). Dan Korem, a Christian
illusionist, has also used his talents in stage magic to debunk a
number of fake psychics (see: Powers: Testing the Psychic &
Supernatural). The likelihood of fraud and fakery is one reason the
Bible warns against relying on "signs and wonders" as evidence for
truth-claims or proof of supernatural powers. Also, Satan can work
through "all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Jesus warned, "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and
shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the
elect" (Mark 13:22).
Some psychics will claim that their powers are consistent with the
Bible and come from God, even offering convincing demonstrations as
proof of their supernatural abilities. Jesus, however, warned his
followers not to seek signs, explaining that His resurrection, the
"sign of Jonah," would be the only verifying miracle upon which
believers can rely (Matthew 12:39-40).
For proof that their "gift" is of God, some psychics may point to
colorful examples of accurate predictions. Much of the accuracy of
psychics may be attributed to their use of the law of averages, "cold
reading" techniques, and even the use of private investigators. Rather
than celebrated random examples of some accurate predictions, the
biblical requirement for a prophecy is 100% accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:
20-22). The Bible also condemns necromancy (communication with the
dead) which is the modus operandi of many psychics and spiritualists.
Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 states, "There shall not be found among you any
one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or
that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a
witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer. . ."
Christians also recognize that even real examples of spiritual
manifestations would not prove the phenomena is harmless or from God.
The Bible warns of demons, "seducing spirits" and "doctrines of
devils" (I Timothy 4:1). Believers are warned, "Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Faith in
psychics can be not only spiritually but emotionally dangerous as
well. Followers can become totally dependent on their psychics for
making even simple decisions. Psychics, in turn, can easily use their
influence to control and take advantage of their clients (see: Powers,
pp. 25-29).
RESOURCES
1) Powers: Testing the Psychic & Supernatural. Dan Korem. A
professional stage illusionist and popular Christian speaker, Korem
exposes the fraudulent techniques used by many psychics. Included are
sections on alleged telekinesis, psychic crime solving, and the art of
"cold reading." Korem includes a biblical perspective of psychics and
a section discussing why the resurrection of Christ was not a magic
illusion. 232 pages.
2) Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs. John Ankerberg and John Weldon.
This comprehensive work on New Age spirituality includes sections on
psychic phenomena such as spirit communication (channeling and
mediums), divination (astrology, palm reading, etc.), psychic
healing, etc. Extensive biblical response also included. 670 pages.
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