Ghosts...Spirits Are In The Bible

Cryptic Shadows does not discuss beliefs surrounding the paranormal and religion.  This is a personal matter for each individual.  We have however received many questions regarding the subject, so this article was written specifically for you.  Following is some information you might find helpful.....

I write this to show that yes, the Bible does contain ghosts, or "spirits." Some have expressed their confusion stemmed from the teachings of their church, which claims, "ghosts are impossible...because when one dies, they are either in heaven or hell." 

The spirit realm and physical realm do co-exist; yet are on different planes. It is believed that some ghosts may not be people on the other side; they could be residual energy or thoughts left over from traumatic or emotional past events or ghosts in forms mentioned in the Bible. The Bible is full of "paranormal" activity...and ghosts / spirits.

Ghosts and spirits are one in the same - they are people on the other side of the grave...in the afterlife as shown in the Bible or in some cases Fallen Angels or Angels of Light as stated in the Bible. They are common in scripture, if you look for them mentioned within the Bible. One of the first verses that most are aware of is in I Samuel 28:15, where Saul has a medium, "call up" the prophet Samuel from the other side of the grave:

"And Samuel saith to Saul, Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?"

The scripture is very clear that this was Samuel; and as Samuel had died and crossed over to the other side...that would make him a spirit or ghost.. This passage should also plainly show that mediums or any of us can have contact with people on the other side. This medium, whom Saul used, saw many people on the other side, when she was calling up Samuel. One should also note in this verse, that Samuel had maintained his form of an old man wearing a mantel, just like many documented ghost sightings of apparitions, report the ghost to be dressed in "period dress" from their own time era, here on earth.

When Saul compels a seer to summon the prophet Samuel, they witness “a spirit coming up out of the ground” (vs. 13 NIV). The spirit is recognized as the dead prophet who validates himself by prophesying against Saul (vss. 16-19). So was Samuel a ghost? And where was he before his invocation? Whatever your answer, the manifestation of Samuel’s “ghost” is possible evidence of another category of existence, neither demon nor angel but disembodied man, still able to interact with our earthly plane.

Moving into the new testament, we see Jesus having "appeared" to many after his resurrection. To "appear" indicates the idea of manifesting from the invisible to the visible, just as a spirit or ghost might manifest, from the spirit to the physical realm. It is interesting to note that he "appeared" to Simon (Luke 24:34); and he "appeared" to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9). Jesus "appeared" to two of his followers in a different form that was not recognizable to them. What? I mean they had a conversation with him and still didn't recognize Jesus physically! Yes, the scripture says:

Mark 16:12, "...to two of them, as they are going into a field, walking, he was manifested in another form."

He also "appeared" to the eleven disciples and stood in the midst of them during their conversation (Luke 24:36). Can you imagine that? He manifested right before their eyes from the realm of spirit. But what is interesting to note is Jesus' statement concerning their fear of him "appearing" right before their eyes:

Luke 24:39 "...handle me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having."

Well, at first blush, one might argue, hey, Jesus wasn't a spirit or ghost because he had flesh and bone. I would sort of agree, but I might add that Jesus still was "appearing" like a ghost or a spirit would do and I have seen Spirits that appear to have flesh and bone just like you and  me then they vanish in thin air. Does flesh and bone "appear" out of thin air? Those of you who have actually seen a FBA (Full Body Apparition) know how much it can look like flesh and bone, but is not.  However, the biggest point might be missed if one does not consider Jesus' statement further, about not being a spirit or ghost...he was in effect stating that spirits (ghosts) do exist, but that he was not like them!

Notice, the disciples immediately assumed they’d seen a ghost, suggesting that ghosts were an admissible category within their culture. Even more interesting, Jesus does not rebuke them for this belief. In fact, He seems to substantiate it: “a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (vs. 39). This is important because, Christians have historically maintained that Christ resurrected in His same body. Even though the risen Jesus had the ability to vanish (Lk. 24:31) and suddenly appear in locked rooms (Jn. 20:19, 26), He was not a ghost. Among other things, this tells us that ghosts are not resurrected souls (and vice-versa), which means they are… something else.

This common belief in ghosts is found in another new testament passage, as well. You may remember Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples who were in a boat on the sea. The verse in Matthew 14:26 states:

"and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying, 'It is an apparition, and from the fear they cried out."

Apparitions were obviously believed to exist and even by the followers of Jesus who were learning rapidly about the spirit realm from him. Other people obviously believed in ghosts during Jesus' time on earth, because they "appeared" in the city of Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection:

Matthew 27:52-53, "and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep, arose; and having come forth out of the tombs after Jesus' rising, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."  This to me says that there are ghosts and spirits and they are not all demonic or bad spirits.

The writer of Hebrews, (probably the apostle Paul) mentions the fact of spirits being all around us, in Hebrews 12:1,  "Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us." 

This appears to be confirmation of the spirit and physical realms co-existing with one another, but on different planes. It is a spiritual truth, that what exists here on earth, must first exist in the spirit realm; for spirit is the life-giving force behind all. And that spirit is God. God is life. The Bible proclaims in the Lord's Prayer,  "On earth (physical realm), as it is (first) in heaven (the realm of spirit)."

But there is one last Bible passage I wish to share that many overlook which actually confirms the manifestation of spirits from the spirit realm into this physical world. That verse can be found in Mark 9:4, in the infamous Mount of Transfiguration passage:

"and there appeared to them, Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus."

This passage not only confirms that spirits can manifest here, but it shows a very important spiritual truth, as well. Jesus spoke with people on the other side of the grave. Therefore, those on the other side of the grave can speak to us! No matter how you look at this passage; the fact remains, it is not only possible for ghosts to exist, but Jesus, who is to be our example, shows us that some spirits communicate with us! Why did Jesus choose only to reveal this truth to James, John and Peter? To many, this truth has been spoken against by traditional Christian doctrine for years. Yet, Jesus felt it important enough to reveal to these three disciples what was really going on "behind the scenes." Jesus seemed to understand quite a lot about what was going on "behind the veil" of this physical world. Perhaps, we should follow his example and not fear or question the existence of ghosts; but seek to understand the truth of the spirit realm.

Another point to consider is that many of us can recall our surprise when we first learned that The Bible speaks not only of a resurrection, but of resurrection(s) - more than one, spread out over a long span of time. So the claim that ghosts can not exist because you only die once and go straight to heaven or hell doesn't really stand valid, as it was not the case in these scriptures.

Resurrections Up To Now

Through Bible History, there are a number of recorded resurrections of people back to normal physical life after they had died from old age, illness or injury. All of these people would have died a natural death again later. A few examples:

The widow's son by Elijah (1 Kings 17:19-24)

The Shunammite's son by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-35).

A man whose body had been placed in Elisha's tomb (2 Kings 13:21).

Lazarus by Jesus Christ (John 11:43-44).

The ruler's daughter by Jesus Christ (Matthew 9:23-26).

A number of people at the moment of the death of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:51-53)

Eutychus raised back to life through Paul after he fell out of a third-floor window (Acts 20:9-10).

Tabitha by Peter (Acts 9:36-43)

Of course, the greatest resurrection up to now, the only one to glorious spirit life so far, was that of Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 24:1-53).

The Resurrection At The Return Of Christ

Those who have been truly called, and have repented, through all the ages up to the day of The Return of Jesus Christ will be resurrected from the dead, or instantly changed if they are alive that day, to eternal spirit life. They will serve Him, and rule the world with Him, during the 1,000 years (see The Elect):

"For this we declare to you by the word of The Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of The Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 RSV).

"Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4 RSV)

"This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:5-6)

The Resurrection At The End Of The 1,000 Years

All of the people who have lived through the ages who did not have the opportunity to learn of Christ and be converted will be resurrected back to physical life at the end of the 1,000 years - not as any sort of "second chance," but as their first chance. Then, for that relatively short time between the second resurrection and the final judgment, they will learn the truth and have the opportunity to repent and be converted. Those that choose to obey God will then be transformed into eternal spirit beings just as those who were changed at the Return of Christ 1,000 years before.

Acts 2:4:

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

(King James Version)

 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

(Revised Standard Version)

Mark 9:4, in the infamous Mount of Transfiguration passage:

"and there appeared to them, Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus."

Matthew 27:52-53, "and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep, arose; and having come forth out of the tombs after Jesus' rising, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."

The writer of Hebrews, (probably the apostle Paul) mentions the fact of spirits being all around us, in Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us."

Quite a bit of evidence in addition to Scripture suggests that there is another "dimension" beyond our own. Scripture is adamant that there is life after death.

So imagine this if you will:

SPIRITS:

Spirits have passed over and embraced the light of their holy father--and are happily living as sons and daughters of God (even as good spirits).

GHOSTS:

There are numerous Ghosts among us here on the earth because when these passed they refused to embrace the light of the Father for various reasons such as:

(1) they don't know they are dead,

(2) They may have committed crimes and such and are afraid they will be sent to hell--so they do not embrace the light and roam the earth instead? Much like in the movies "the Others" these can't understand what mortals are doing in their "space" and find it hard to understand why mortals don't normally communicate with them...

Ghosts can communicate with those who are psychically sensitive to them.

"In Matthew 14:26 when Jesus is walking on the water the disciples are afraid because they think that he is a "ghost". If ghosts do not exist then how do they even know about them?"

In the New Testament the exsistence of Spirits is clearly implied, most notably in Luke 24:39, when Jesus tells his followers: ‘Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do!’  Jesus wanted his followers to know that he was the only one who actually rose from the dead in the flesh...unlike ghosts or spirits who appeared after death and were not composed of flesh and bone.  Much as we envision ghosts today (as transparent figures).

In 1 Corinthians 15:50 and 2 Peter 1:18 it is stated that flesh and blood cannot enter the celestial kingdom; in John 3:13 it is noted that heaven is for spiritual beings and that we are all spirit in essence and will return from whence we came: ‘And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from the heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

St. Paul attempted to clarify the idea that Jesus had risen physically from the tomb and in so doing made a distinction between our earthly form and our spirit: ‘There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial is another…There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:35-44).

Elsewhere, in 2 Corinthians, St. Paul speaks of having attained separation of the spirit and the body at will and having ascended ‘in the spirit’ to the third heaven

In Matthew 12:43 Jesus says, “Then an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.”  This is the scripture that REALLY makes me think.

In the story of the man possessed by demons and Jesus cast them out (performs an exorcism), it says, “And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside” (Luke 8:31-34).

Demons have personalities, for Jesus conversed with them. God’s Word clearly teaches

that demons can “enter in” to something, or someone; can “take possession of;” or, “control of”

human beings, or animals, such as these swine in this incident Luke tells of.  Demons are evil spirits...not all spirits in the Bible are evil; therefore to claim that all ghosts are from the devil is simply an untrue statement.  The facts are in the scriptures.

1 Corinthians10:20, tells us, “some have fellowship of demons.”

Satan is spoken of as a “wondering spirit,” invisible though he maybe to physical eyes.

His demons can enter houses; give information through mediums; disclose past events and, to a limited extent, can forecast future events, as well. Satan cannot create. He and his demons are “fallen angels.  Angels are not in the physical form...they are spirits as the Bible clearly indicates.

Much of the strange phenomena can be explained when we understand it. In the story of the walls of Jericho falling in Joshua 5:13, we read that before battle Joshua, met an angel, called, “The Captain of Host of the Lord.” We are told that it was the armies of the Host of Heaven that threw down those walls.

In 1 Chronicles 14:13-17 we read of God's angel spirits helping out in a battle when Philistines were raiding the camps of Israel/ This passage says, “Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, `Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.' So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him.”

Ministry of Angels is seen all through Scripture and Angels are Spirits. They were placed as guardians of Garden of Eden; sent to deliver Lot just before Sodom destroyed; Jacob wrestled with angel at Bethel; when Elijah was despondent under the Juniper tree, angels brought him bread and water; angels smote 185,000 Assyria soldiers in one night; and Daniel was minister to by angels in the lion's den. When Jesus was born angels were there; an angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt, saving Mary and Jesus’ life; angels ministered to Jesus after His time of fasting in the wilderness; at Gethsemane angels appeared to strengthen Jesus; angels liberated Apostles from prison; sailed with Paul and saved him from shipwreck; and Jesus said that Lazarus was carried by angels to heaven.

How Do You Test the Spirits?

The Bible says we are to test the spirits to see if they are of God. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (I John 4:1-3).Even though in the natural world there are certain laws, one law may counteract another law. For instance, the law of gravitation holds steel on table, but the law of magnetism can lift it from the table. Lazarus came under law of death. But a higher law – the Resurrection – came into play and raised him from the dead!

It is considered a gift to have the ability to know supernaturally--the discerning of spirits. (I Cor. 12:10) This gift is self-explanatory. It is the discerning of bad spirits and of good spirits. The Greek word for discerning means "through judgment.


God has placed spiritual gifts within the Body, His Church, to bring victory. Let me give you a few of the spirits that are named in the Bible:


The spirit of jealousy (Numbers 5:14); the spirit of sleep (Isaiah 29:10); the spirit of bondage (Romans 8:15); a perverse spirit (Isaiah 19:14); the spirit of infirmity (Luke 13: 11); the spirit of divination (Acts 16:16).

There is a whole list of spirits. Some are good, and some are bad. The Bible talks about the spirit of truth (John 16:13); a right spirit (Psalms 51:10); a free spirit (Psalms 51:12); an excellent spirit (Daniel 6:3).

These are just a few of those mentioned in the Bible. We are to embrace good spirits, but bad spirits are to be resisted and cast out.

An example of the gift of discernment in operation Is given In the case of Simon the sorcerer. (Acts 8:21-22)

Peter discerned his motives and said in verse 20, "...because thou hast thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money, thou has neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."

Peter could discern that he was a sorcerer by the gift of discernment.

Both the “spirit-world” and the “natural-world” lie very close to each other, and sometimes can be overlapping in their laws. Supernatural “miracles” and not contrary to nature, it’s just that a “higher law” comes into the situation.

Do these stories validate the existence of ghosts? Maybe. Maybe not. More importantly, what they do is to expand the boundaries of possibility and our understanding of paranormal phenomenon. It is simply too easy to resign all paranormal phenomenon into the category of the demonic. Samuel’s “appearance” was not viewed as demonic, nor was the Transfiguration of Moses and Elijah. Furthermore, we have no need to “test the spirits and see whether they are from God” (I Jn. 4:1) if all spirits (or spiritual phenomenon) are categorically evil. So while the Bible cautions us about deceiving spirits, it does not go so far as to say that all “encounters” are necessarily of the “deceptive” order.


I understand that this might trouble some people. The larger issue, as I see it, is coming to grips with the world we live in. Scripture paints a universe of vast mystery, teeming with intellects (visible and invisible) both good and evil, and phenomenon beyond our wildest imaginings. This is why the Bible contains wondrous stories — stories we often take for granted — about miracles, visions, reviving corpses, warrior angels, talking mules, fiery chariots, demonized swine, tongues and prophecies. We simply live in a supernatural world. The downside—paranormal phenomenon does not always fit tightly into our theological framework. Like it or not, it still exists.

When it comes to ghost stories, some are merely the work of pranksters, a hoax, however, some “ghost stories” are stories involving genuine spirits – demons or angels – good or bad – Godly or devilish!

 

Just Food for Thought....

 

This article was written using scriptures directly from the Holy Bible.  Commentary was added to provoke thought and does not represent our beliefs one way or the other.  Hopefully the information gathered will provide some clarity to those with questions, and bring better understanding on the subject.  Thanks for reading.....

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The Parapsychic Sciences - Parapsychology

Psychic phenomena are controversial, and any discussion of the paranormal provokes debate. For more than a century psychical research, or parapsychology as it is called today, has been attempting to use scientific methods to unravel the mysteries of psi (psi is the first letter of the Greek word psyche and is used to denote any type of psychic phenomena). Recent developments in parapsychology and neuroscience have revealed new clues about the way ESP and other psychic abilities are processed by the brain. Parapsychic science is the unity of contemporary science and philosophy with metaphysics to provide us with the ability to understand and communicate with the spiritual realm. It covers many areas of psychic science including the investigation of psychic phenomena, extra-terrestrial activity, telepathy, near-death experiences, and parapsychology.

Psychic abilities and experiences are much more common than most people think, and involve a wide variety of seemingly unrelated experiences including precognition (dreams or visions of the future), telepathy (mind to mind communication), clairvoyance (receiving psychic impressions from a location or object), psychokinesis oe PK (mind over matter), as well as hauntings, poltergeists, reincarnational memories and a variety of other paranormal events. PK, psychic healing and poltergeist-type phenomena are referred to as projective (or expressive) psi, since they seem to involve some type of force or energy directed by the human mind, interacting with the external environment.

ESP, precognition and some types of haunting are referred to as receptive psi, since they involve receiving information without the aid of normal means of communication. One of the most interesting discoveries in the field of parapsychology is that environmental factors, particularly magnetic and electromagnetic fields, apparently affect the brain’s ability to produce psychic effects or receive psychic impressions. The Earth itself produces its own magnetic field, which varies in response to a variety of climatic and geological factors. Sun spots and solar flare activity, for example, in addition to causing radio and TV signal interference, the aurora borealis, and other straight-forward physical effects, also has an effect on paranormal phenomena and experiences.

Several recent studies have shown that projective psi phenomena, such as psychokinesis and poltergeist effects, are more active when the Earth’s geomagnetic field is high, as ist is during solar magnetic storms. Psi receptive phenomena such as ESP and precognition, on the other hand, seem to be inhibited during times of high geomagnetism and increase when the Earth’s magnetic field is at its lowest ebb. Hauntings and other types of spontaneous paranormal phenomena such as UFO encounters, also seem to be more prevalent in the presence of man-made electromagnetic fields of high intensity, such as those produced by high-voltage electrical transmission wires and household appliances.

Parapsychology is a branch of psychology specifically involved with the studies of paranormal events. The parapsychologist ascertains the history, principles, and theories behind psychic phenomena involving telepathy, clairvoyance, sensory awareness, psychometry (psychoscopy or "psychic touch"), dermo-optic perception, spiritual healing, auras, mediumship, and so forth. A parapsychologist can also counsel individuals who have suffered trauma due to alien and spirit encounters and other paranormal experiences.

The parapsychic sciences and parapsychology are very extensive fields of study. I have provided some basic information within this blog.

 

The Parapsychological Association is an international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psi (or 'psychic') experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition. The primary objective of the PA is to achieve a scientific understanding of these experiences.

First established in 1957, the PA has been an affiliated organization of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1969. The PA is a non-profit, non-adjudicating organization that endorses no ideologies or beliefs other than the value of rigorous scientific and scholarly inquiry.

Many feel that the strangest, and most interesting, aspect of parapsychological phenomena is that they do not appear to be limited by the known boundaries of space or time. In addition, they blur the sharp distinction usually made between mind and matter. In popular usage, the basic parapsychological phenomena are categorized as follows:

Psi : A neutral term for parapsychological phenomena. Psi, psychic, and psychical are synonyms.

Telepathy : Direct mind-to-mind communication.

Precognition : Also called premonition. Obtaining information about future events, where the information could not be inferred through normal means. Many people report dreams that appear to be precognitive.

Recognition : Obtaining information about past events, where the information could not be inferred through normal means. Many people get this information by touching objects or just by visiting a location.  Often a feeling of De Ja Vu. 

Clairvoyance : Sometimes called remote viewing; obtaining information about events at remote locations, beyond the reach of the normal senses.

ESP: Extra-sensory perception; a general term for obtaining information about events beyond the reach of the normal senses. This term subsumes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.

Psychokinesis : Also called PK; direct mental interaction with physical objects, animate or inanimate.

Bio-PK : Direct mental interactions with living systems.

NDE : Near death experience; an experience reported by those who were revived from nearly dying. Often refers to a core experience that includes feelings of peace, OBE, seeing lights and other phenomena.

OBE : Out-of-body experience; the experience of feeling separated from the body, often accompanied by visual perceptions as though from above the body.

Reincarnation: The belief that we live successive lives, with primarily evidence coming from the apparent recollections of previous lives by very small children.

Haunting : Recurrent phenomena reported to occur in particular locations that include apparitions, sounds, movement of objects, and other effects.

Poltergeist: Large-scale PK phenomena often attributed to spirits, but which are now thought to be due to a living person, frequently an adolescent.

Who is interested in Parapsychology?

Physicists tend to be interested in parapsychology because of the implication that we have a gross misunderstanding about space and time and the transmission of energy and information.

Biologists are interested because psi implies the existence of additional, unexplained methods of sensing the world.

Psychologists are interested for what psi implies about the nature of perception and memory.

Philosophers are interested because psi phenomena specifically address many age-old philosophical problems, including the role of the mind in the physical world, and the nature of the objective vs. the subjective.

Theologians and the general public tend to be interested because personal psi experiences are often accompanied by feelings of profound, ineffable meaning. As a result, psi is thought by some to have "spiritual" implications.

From the materialistic perspective, one of the foundations of the current scientific worldview, human consciousness is nothing but an emergent product of the functioning of Brain, Body, and Nervous System (BBNS). That is, no matter how different mind may seem from solid stuff like bodies, it is generated solely by the electrochemical functioning of the BBNS, and so it is absolutely dependent on it. When the BBNS dies, so does consciousness. From this perspective, claims of survival of bodily death, or ghosts, or apparitions, must be due to wishful thinking. Furthermore, the limits of material functioning automatically determine the ultimate limits of mental functioning, thus ESP and PK appear to be impossible, given our current understanding about how the world works.

And yet, psi phenomena have occurred in all cultures throughout history, they continue to occur, and some of the reported phenomena have been persuasively verified using scientific methods. Because psi seems to transcend the assumed limits of material functioning, and therefore the BBNS, some interpret psi as supporting the idea that there is something more to mind than just the BBNS, that there is some sort of "soul," or the like.

This "non-physical" aspect, an aspect that does not seem to be as tightly bounded by space or time as present scientific models require, might survive bodily death. If so, there may be important truths contained in some spiritual ideas and practices. Of course, parapsychology is a very long way from being able to say that "the data shows that X" (insert your favorite religious group here) are specifically right about religious doctrines A, B, and C but dead wrong about dogmas P, Q and R.

We must emphasize that there is a big difference between simply noting that the findings of parapsychology may have implications for spiritual concepts, versus the idea that parapsychologists are driven by some hidden spiritual agenda. Some critics of parapsychology seem to believe that all parapsychologists have hidden religious motives, and that they are really out to prove the existence of the soul. This is no more true than claiming that all chemists really harbor secret ambitions about alchemy, and thus their real agenda is to transmute mercury into gold. The reasons why serious investigators are drawn to any discipline are as diverse as their backgrounds.

Psychic Phenomena

Science has reached out to the farthest ends of the universe and it is exploring the deepest oceans. Everything in between is being researched and human knowledge grows by leaps and bounds. Regrettably, the human psyche and its wondrous potential have been woefully neglected for a very long time. Only recently, Professor Fredric Schiffer of Harvard University published his findings about the binary functions of the mind and opened an exciting new frontier of human nature.

There is, of course, a valid reason that anything that has to do with the invisible aspects of the human mind is approached with caution. For every respectable parapsychologist there are many others whose actions discredit the intangible realm, behind matter.

To begin with, let's define the object of this consideration:

The word psychic describes anything in connection with the psyche. This word dates back to ancient times when a goddess by the name of Psyche was in charge of the invisible but essential part of human existence. Over time the word and its meaning evolved and presently the thesaurus offers the following synonyms:

Mind, soul, self, subconscious, spirit, subliminal self, inner self, ego and individuality.

These words have wide range of meanings and, therefore, it makes sense not to use them in the context of this article. Instead, a definition of the source of psychic phenomena will be presented thereby establishing a clear conceptual basis these phenomena can be referenced to.

There are two types of energy:

The energy of matter and the energy behind matter, which religion calls the spiritual energy and science calls the energy of the quantum vacuum.

The energy of matter oscillates between the stages of energy and of matter. In a movie consecutive frames give the impression of continued action, which progresses with each frame. The succession of matter phases marks the change, which was achieved in the energy phase and expresses it in a material dimension of width, height and length. The progression of matter phases creates time, the fourth dimension of matter.

The energy behind matter is very different from the energy of matter. It always remains energy and, therefore, does not constitute space or time. In this realm of pure energy everything is interrelated. Most importantly, these energies can be programmed and they determine what happens in consecutive matter phases like software determines how a computer operates. For simplicity's reason let's call these the spiritual energies.

Any kind of change for matter happens in its energy phase. Were the oscillation of matter to stop in a matter phase everything would stop dead at this instance. For instance, when a body moves the displacement takes place in the energy phases and matter follows energy's lead in consecutive matter phases thus expressing the movement, which has taken place in the preceding energy phases.

For movement to take place a command has to be issued. The processes that determine what matter has to do take place in the spiritual energies, which give the appropriate command to the matter energies. These perform according to these commands and in the ensuing matter phases this performance is expressed by whatever kind of action the energies of matter took.

For instance, someone thinks that he wants to go to the refrigerator. First comes the thought in his spiritual energies. This thought issues a command to the energies of matter, which then progress towards the refrigerator. The movement of the energies of matter is expressed in consecutive matter phases as this someone walks to the refrigerator.

From the above it is clear that every moment of a person's life involves spiritual activity. Without the directions given to a person by the energies behind matter - the spiritual energies - nothing can happen in the realm of matter. Considering this it is logical to call these energies the spirit of a person. This means that from all the names given to these energies in the thesaurus "spirit" is the correct one.

The way Professor Schiffer explains the difference between the left - the conscious - and the right side - the unconscious - of the brain it is clear that these two halves are designed like a biological computer. The conscious corresponds to the processor and the working memory, the unconscious corresponds to a hard drive i.e. memory storage. Consequently, every person has two minds. Together these constitute a personality.

This opens a very interesting possibility. The conscious minds puts data into the unconscious mind with thoughts, words and actions. This data is stored and retrieved when a situation arises that it can be used. If such data is used to make the conscious mind do something specific on a specific occasion then this works like a computer program that makes a computer perform a certain task. Consequently, a person can program himself/herself with an easy trick: one just has to talk to oneself as a second person. To make a New Year resolution stick one should not say: next year I'll do this and I won't do that. We all know that does not work too well. Instead one should address oneself on a first name basis and say, for instance, "next year, Joe, you do this and don't do that". That programs one's own subconscious and a New Year resolution made this way has a good chance to succeed.

Since it has no memory the conscious mind is blank at the time of birth. All of its skills have to be learned and developed as a person grows up. The unconscious mind is the spirit of a person and it contains all the data put in during all previous lifetimes. It consists of spiritual energies or energies of the quantum vacuum as they are called, as well. Such energies are all interconnected and, therefore, a person who can use his/her right side of the brain to tune into this type of energies can extract information from or make use of these energies.

With its access to memories of previous lifetimes the unconscious mind also has access to a vast reservoir of previous experiences from which the conscious mind can draw if it pays attention to feelings and hunches etc. because the unconscious mind cannot talk, it just transmits images or feelings. Every time the conscious mind thinks or plans the unconscious mind checks on the information stored in its energies and issues responses in form of feelings and images. As this check is done by spiritual energies the information is provided instantly as in the spiritual realm time does not exist.

For instance, someone nearly drowned at some point of time in the present or a previous lifetime. Such person's subconscious will issue a warning not to get too close to any kind of water deep enough to be dangerous. This person will feel uncomfortable whenever he/she gets close to open water. A general term for this kind of warnings if it is too strong is psychosis and the job of psychotherapist is to uncover the hidden reasons for this situation. Once these are detected the psychotherapist can "talk the person out" of his/her anxieties i.e. reprogram the unconscious energies.

Everybody is a spiritual person for spirituality is the basis of life itself. Even though the words "spiritual" and "psychic" by our definition mean the same a psychic person is thought to be someone with special gifts or powers. Such person has abilities a normal "spiritual" person does not have. He/she can use his/her right side of the brain, to provide insights in or to establish connections with the spiritual realm and interpret the findings. Hence, we are not talking of spiritual but of psychic phenomena.

The term "psychic" is applied to a wide range of abilities and situations. To facilitate understanding categories of psychic phenomena are presented, which sum up the ones that are related. In each category the ones that are closely related are grouped together.

ESP = Extra Sensory Perception

- Telepathy

- Tele-empathy

- Clairvoyance

- Precognition & Recognition

- Premonition

- Remote Viewing

- Psychometry

- Psi detectives

- Dowsing

- Earth Radiation

- Deja Vu

- Psychic Archaeology

Altered States of Consciousness

- OBE - out of body experience

- Near Death Experience

- Dreams

- Psychic Dreams

-Hallucinations

- Hypnosis

Powers of the Mind

- Telekinesis = Psychokinesis

- Levitation

- Teleportation

- Psychic healing

- Influencing plants

- Influencing weather

 

Psi Manifestations

- Prophesies

- Divination - auguri

- Oracles

- TV Psychics

- Communication with animals

- Trance mediums

- Spirit doctors

- Psychic photography

- Psychic audio contacts

- Hauntings

- Poltergeists

Death and Re-incarnation 

Parapsychology is the branch of Psychology which studies behavior transcending known modes of sensory cognition and motor activity. Scientific study of the so called supernatural phenomena can be said to have commenced from 1882 with the founding of the society for Psychical Research in London. Similar societies now exist in many countries. The term parapsychology has been popularized by Dr.J.B.Rhine of the Duke University in U.S.A. The Parapsychology Laboratory was established at Duke University in 1934. There, psi phenomena were studied by means of laboratory experiments under controlled conditions. Many people therefore relate the term parapsychology mainly to this type of investigation.

Since the phenomena under study are rare and often contrary to common sense and the known laws of nature, most scientists remain skeptical as to the authenticity of the phenomena. Personal prejudices and beliefs of the investigator can have greater effect on the study than in other sciences. The possibility of the investigator being fooled by clever charlatans and of biased observation and reporting make people hesitate to consider evidence from studies as conclusive. All sorts of criticisms are made on the study, sometimes even going to the extent of questioning the personal integrity and honesty of the research worker.

The number of psychologists believing that the existence of genuine parapsychological phenomena has been demonstrated scientifically has increased considerably in recent times. Still, some even now try to explain away the reported occurrences in terms of known psychological concepts like suggestion, hysteria, hallucination, etc. or in terms of fraud, trickery, etc. Some accept the genuineness of psi capacities like extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK), but do not consider the evidence for survival or for life beyond death or for the existence of spirits adequate. There are scientists on the other extreme who believe that enough evidence has been gathered to prove the existence of spirits and think that it is possible to communicate with the spirits of dead individuals.

PSI CAPACITIES

1. Extrasensory Perception (ESP)

This term refers to non-sensory cognition. ESP is of two kinds: matagnomy and precognition. Metagnomy is cognition of the present obtained through means other than sensory, while the latter relates to the future. Metagnomy itself is of two types: clairvoyance and telepathy

A. Clairvoyance

This is extrasensory cognition of events and things of the past or present. To study this phenomenon in the laboratory, a pack of ESP cards or Zener cards are used. A pack of cards contains 25 cards, consisting of five sets, each set having one of the five symbols; cross, circle, star, wavy lines, and square. In a simple experiment to test clairvoyance, the 25 cards are shuffled and kept face down on the table. The subject has to guess the order of cards in the pack. The probability of correct guess by chance alone is 5 out of 25 or 1/5 of the total number of trials when the experiment is repeated. If chance were the only factor accounting for the correct guess, the number of correct guesses should come closer and closer to 1/5 of the total number of trials as the number of trials increase. In actual experimentation involving large numbers of subjects and long series of trials extending over several years, deviations significantly different from chance scores have been obtained (about 7 hits per 25). Many variations of the experiment have been tried. Special care has been given to rule out the possibility of sensory cues.

Many spontaneous phenomena have been recorded relating to persons who seem to possess the faculty of clairvoyance to a remarkable degree. Cryptoscopy is the ability to see things enclosed in a box or cover. Divination or dowsing is a commonly heard of form of clairvoyance where hidden objects, underground minerals, metals, water etc. are located, often using a divining rod which is a forked twig held in the hands. Some people are reported to show transposition of the senses like being able to read with fingertips. In autoscopy, the individual claims to see the organs inside his body. Some persons when handed over an object like a watch can sometimes say details regarding the people who have used it. This is referred to as psychometric.

B. Telepathy

Telepathy is extrasensory transfer of emotions and thoughts from one individual to another. For studying telepathy in the laboratory, two persons are required - an agent or sender and a percipient or receiver. In what is called the general ESP test, the sender looks at a card and the subject guesses the symbol and writes it down. After a large number of trials, the number of correct guesses can be counted. Here it can be seen that the factor accounting for the more than chance success score can be either telepathy, or clairvoyance or both. Therefore tests of pure telepathy were devised where the agent simply thinks of one of the given symbols and the subject makes a guess. The agent writes down the symbol only after the subject has done so. Elaborate precautions are reported to have been used to prevent involuntary subliminal articulation and other means by which the subject might get cues. In long distance telepathy experiments, the agent and the receiver were seated miles apart. Consistently high scoring rates have been reported.

It is generally believed that telepathy is greater between persons having a similar mental make-up and who are in rapport with each other. The phenomenon of one individual's mental state and feelings influencing another when they have no normal means of knowing it, is known as sympathism. Many persons are supposed to have much ability in thought reading. Cumberlandism is a parlor game where a blindfolded man is told where an object is hidden by simply touching his hand. The alleged cases of mass hypnotism could be controlling the minds of others through telepathic suggestion. A Russian Parapsychologist Vasiliev has succeeded in hypnotizing his subject telepathically.

C. Precognition

This term refers to the direct cognition of the future. This does not of course include rational inference. In a commonly used version of the experiment, the subject is asked to guess the future order of a pack of ESP cards. Then the cards are mechanically shuffled and the number of hits are counted as before. Once the phenomenon of precognition was proved, it became theoretically rather impossible to conduct experiments on pure telepathy. Precognitive clairvoyance can be said to be the operating factor.

Spontaneous cases of precognition occur most frequently through dreams. Some people experience duplicative precognition. The person has a dream and later on the same events unfold just as he had seen them in the dream. Many fortune tellers use crystals, coffee grounds, candles, etc. as an aid in precognition. It is possible that precognitive ability plays a role in palmistry, astrology, etc. However, enquiries with a scientific purpose have shown that most fortune tellers are quacks who just exploit the credulous people. Modern psychology has shown that suggestion can have a strong influence on human beings. Even death can be brought about by mere suggestion. The suggestions made by fortune tellers are believed and are acted upon in such a manner as to make them come true.

A large number of spontaneous cases are reported in journals of parapsychology which seem to indicate that ESP occurs in the case of animals as well.

2. Psychokinesis (PK)

This is the movement or change of state caused in an object by an individual through non-physical means. In a typical experiment, the subject attempts to influence the outcome of a mechanically performed dice throw. Just like ESP, the existence of PK also has been demonstrated experimentally by testing a large number of subjects. PK scores are generally smaller than ESP Scores, but almost anybody can get moderate success. The number of dice used per throw, the size and shape of the dice etc. have no effect on the scoring rate.

Many of the legendary feats reported by observers seem possible if we accept PK as a fact. There is experimental evidence that some people can influence plant growth and healing of wounds in mice through PK. Many people seem to have witnessed levitation which is lifting objects without contact. In psychogalvanometry, an individual sends an electric current through a galvanometer by holding the electrodes in his hands. Apport is bringing objects through the wall into a closed room. In psychography, changes are brought about on a photographic plate. Some people regard faith-healing of diseases as a form of psychokinesis. The ability to prevent vegetable mater from putrefying has been reported. According to popular conception, poltergeist, in which disturbances occur in a house in the form of objects moving about, stones falling, objects catching fire, etc. are due to the presence of a mischievous ghost. Some Parapsychologists hold the view that the disturbances are caused unconsciously through PK by an adolescent who is more or less ignorant of the fact that he or she is responsible for the occurrence. In the production of organic stigmata (wounds in the form of cross etc. produced on the skin), some process akin to PK might be operating. Hyloclasty involves microscopic effects on matter. Objects are broken into pieces by touching, perfume is extracted from flowers, etc.

Some such process is probably involved in the invulnerability to fire found in fire-walking ceremonies and the ability to withstand extreme cold. The ability to arrest vital physiological functions without damage has also been reported by investigators.

NATURE OF PSI CAPACITIES

Though experimentally, telepathy, clairvoyance, pre-cognition and psychokinesis are often treated as different, the available evidence indicates that there is just an overall psi capacity. Persons getting high scores in one type get high scores in the other types and when an individual's score falls in one, it falls in the others also. Psi phenomena are the product of the overall psychic field, which is a joint product of the personality and beliefs of all those who are involved: the experimenter, subjects and even those who are around as helpers or even mere observers, and the psychic nature of the place. Some places and certain periods of time may facilitate the operation of psi.

The `Experimenter effect' which has been demonstrated in many experiments, indicates that experimenters psychically (through ESP or PK) influence the outcome of the experiment and tend to get results in line with their attitudes and expectations. This would mean that there is no `objective truth' independent of the observer, which can be discovered through experiment (similar to the concepts of operationism, uncertainty principle, etc. in modern physics).

Motivational factors have been found closely related to ESP and PK. Boredom and distraction decrease the scoring rate. There is a general decline from run to run as the experiment proceeds as well as a decline within each run. There is an end spurt as the experiment is drawing to a close. Novelty increases the scoring rates. Children showed best results under competition. Immediate checking of results on each trial has a facilitating effect on performance. Subjects perform better on their own preferred method. Though use of hypnosis has given contrary findings in different studies, there is some indication that hypnotic training may help to develop psi ability, perhaps by increasing motivation and removing inhibitions.

Higher scoring rates are obtained when the experimenters and subjects had mutually positive attitudes. It was found that when packs prepared by the experimenter were mixed with packs prepared by another person, subjects were found to respond differentially by getting higher scores on those prepared by the experimenter. Better scores were obtained when the agent is a person liked by the subject and also belonging to the opposite sex. Familiarity with the experimental situation, relaxation and informality of the situation promote psi. Persons who believed in ESP and those having religious values got higher scores. Experimenters believing in ESP also produced higher scores. Many high scoring subjects were artists. High scorers are generally sociable and extraverted, which perhaps enable them to feel at ease in the experimental situation.

Caffeine helps and sodium amytal hinders psi. In PK, a lag effect has been observed when the target number is changed. In some experiments on precognition a displacement effect has been noted. Some subjects were found to respond consistently to the second target ahead, instead of the first, indicating precognitive telepathy.

Some people have been found consistently to get below chance level scores, indicating that psi is operating in the opposite direction. Negative attitudes of the subjects or experimenter, introverted personality of the subjects and frustration resulting from procedural complications or delaying checking of performance are some of the factors found associated with psi missing. The preferential effect results when the subject is presented with two contrasting conditions simultaneously and he responds differentially by psi-hitting on one and psi missing on the other. For instance, sometimes positive scores are obtained on high-value faces of dice and negative deviations are obtained on low faces in PK experiments. Often in differential response situations, the hit distribution curve of one condition is of the U shape while the other gives its water reflection image.

Inducing And Developing Psi Capacities:

Though hypnosis is associated with psi in the minds of laymen, actual studies have failed to find any significant relationships. Hypnosis is artificial semi-sleep. Those with a hysteric temperament (with lot of Inertia), being very suggestible, easily fall into this state and readily accept and obey suggestions given by another person. Those with an Activated or Stable temperament can go to the semi-sleep condition if they really want to, but they find it difficult to accept and obey suggestions. Psi continues to work in hypnosis, if the subject is already psychic in normal waking consciousness; hypnosis does not have much relevance in increasing psi operation. There are some extra-ordinary reports of psi phenomena like hypnotic regression to past lives. Attempts at replication have generally failed. Hysterics give imaginary accounts of past lives which fail to get authenticated.

Some investigators have reported that hypnosis is to a limited extent helpful in training for psi, by removing inhibitions in the case of some subjects, though for actual performance, hypnotic condition is not particularly helpful. A relaxed meditative state helps psi performance. Psi in general is a function of overall personality and holistic personal growth which increases flexibility of mind, promotes psi.

Those who have a high degree of psi do not use it because of the feeling that normal life loses all meaning once you go beyond the regularities which give it any meaning.

THE PROBLEM OF SURVIVAL/EXISTENCE OF SPIRITS:

Apart from psi capacities, there is another field of investigation which is more controversial. This is about whether the human being has a soul which survives bodily death and if so whether the spirits can communicate with living persons.

Spiritualism and Mediumship

In almost all parts of the world there are persons who claim to be mediums through whom dead persons are supposed to communicate with the living. Usually the medium enters a trance-like state and the spirits talk through the medium. Sometimes the medium uses an ouija board which contains all the alphabets and a planchette (a moving handrest on wheels with a pointer or a pencil attached) using which automatic writing can be produced. Spiritualism has grown into a cult in many countries where people who believe in the existence of a non-material spiritual world try to communicate with the spirits of the dead. The seances are held usually at night in dim light. Ostensible messages are received from dead persons for relatives and friends and descriptions of conditions beyond the grave are given. Often the medium will have one or more `spirit controls' who can speak directly through the medium, make predictions and convey messages to and from the spirit world.

There are many mediums who produce what is called physical or mediumistic phenomena. These include transportation of physical objects, levitation of the medium or surrounding objects, raps and various noises, playing musical instruments, etc. The strangest occurrence is the supposed appearance of a filmy substance called ectoplasm. This is supposed to be a semi-material substance derived from the body of the medium. It is believed that the spirits are able to materialize at a seance using ectoplam coming from the medium. The materializations may take the shape of a hand, face or body or any other shape. This supposed objectivisation of forms is known as teleplasty. Many photographs are available supposed to be those of materializations.

A scientific investigation into spiritualism and mediumship has been very difficult. Mediumship is often a means to earn a livelihood for the medium. Even mediums whom many researchers have found to be genuine resort to guessing, inference and trickery. Many use elaborate mechanical devices for producing physical phenomena. There are cases where living persons mistakenly believed to be dead have communicated through mediums.

Many psychical researchers hold the view that genuine mediums have ESP and PK and that in trance, their unconscious mind, gets the desired information through ESP and gives it out in a dramatic form as though a dead man is speaking. This type of explanation has to be extended very far to account for the findings of some cross-correspondence experiments. In these, a spirit gives parts of a message through different mediums in different countries. The message makes sense only when all the parts are put together. Some investigators are more inclined to believe that the unconscious minds of the mediums are collaborating and influencing each other in producing this or that telepathy from a living person is causing this rather than to accept the existence of a spirit.

Apparitions:

Apparitions are mainly of four types: the crisis apparitions, post-mortem apparitions, haunting apparitions and experimental apparitions.

An apparition of an individual is considered to be a crisis apparition if it appears within the 12 hour period following his death. Many cases are reported where the apparition of the dead man appears to his relatives or friends who would not have even known of the event. One obvious explanation would be telepathy. It has been suggested that telepathy operates more when an individual is in a crisis situation. He sends a telepathic message which may be received by his relative or friend only after some time when his mind is in a receptive state (deferred telepathy). The message received by the unconscious mind enters the conscious mind in the form of an apparition of the dying man. Some others present at that time might through telepathy, share the experience.

Post-mortem apparitions are apparitions appearing 12 hours after the crisis.

Haunting is an apparition seen repeatedly at the same place at certain times over a relatively long period of time. Several explanations other than that of survival have been suggested to account for the cases investigated. One explanation is based on ESP. It has been mentioned that what one clairvoyant reads in an object is likely to be seen by other clairvoyants who later on see the object, even when the reading is incorrect. It is also believed that objects differ in the evocatory power or the power to stimulate clairvoyance. Some researchers speak of psychic impregnation of space by the dying man. The places which become haunted might be places which stimulate clairvoyance in the sensitives. Such persons might easily see, through clairvoyance, the image of an individual who had lived in that place or see an interesting event which had taken place there. Other clairvoyants coming to the location might have the same vision again and the place is supposed to the haunted. It is also possible that belief in the existence of a ghost inhabiting a place in the minds of many people living in the locality might create a telepathic image in the minds of people who come to that place. The other explanation is that of teleplasty. A dying man creates a teleplastic phantom as a medium produces a materialization in trance. The teleplastic phantom becomes independent, shows automatic behavior and is seen as a ghost.

The non-physical nature of apparitions is clear from the studies on apparitions. They do not normally cause any change in the environment, though it is reported that sometimes the sensation of coldness is felt at that time.

In Experimental apparition, one person deliberately produces by volition an apparition of himself or of another man doing a particular act before a subject who is seated elsewhere. This process takes place through telepathic suggestion.

L.E. Rhine, on the basis of her studies of spontaneous cases, comes to the conclusion that there are several cases where it appears that the deceased personality had induced the experience and a few cases where the initiative of the deceased person is the only possible explanation.

Reincarnation:

Many cases are on record where an individual, usually a child, claims to remember his past birth and successfully identifies relatives and articles belonging to the deceased personality. Another explanation for such cases is that as a result of similarity of mental make-up, the individual is able to know the experiences of another individual who lived in the past, through ESP. This is parallel to the sympathism that occurs between two living individuals. Psychometric ESP, mediated by some object can also account for such cases. However, cases collected by Ian Stevenson, where persons have talked languages or performed skills not learned before and where birth marks have been related to injuries in the previous life (PK through sympathism?) are suggestive of actual reincarnation.

Possession

Most of the reported cases of possession are clearly a manifestation of hysterical dissociation of personality. The possession is an unconscious device to dominate over others, to do something which is normally objectionable or to vent out repressed emotions. Rarely, schizophrenic disintegration of personality may also lead to split or multiple personality which can be mistaken for possession by a discarnate spirit.

Other Phenomena Related to Survival:

Some psychics claim that the human being has an astral body which by practice can be projected out of the physical body. Spontaneous astral projection is supposed to take place during dreams, acute ill-health, drug experiences, etc. This is often called OBE (Out of the Body Experience).

In bilocation, where a person is seen at two places at the time, one could be an apparition. There are mystics who claim that they can leave their physical body and move about in their astral body.

In many primitive cultures, there are people who claim that they have brought spirits under their control through sorcery or black magic and that with their help they can work wonders. It is possible that PK is the real operating factor, if any.

The similarity in descriptions of death-bed experiences (NDE or near death experience) of those who died on the hospital table and were brought back to life also lend support to the survival hypothesis. According to spiritists, the experience of passing through a dark tunnel with light at the other end is passing of the astral body through the pineal gland in the brain, while to the skeptics it is the experience of the process of brain gradually stopping to function. The other experiences of dead relatives appearing and seeing gods are explained as hallucinations produced by intense expectation.

The evidence for ESP and PK is considered compelling by most psychologists, but the law of parsimony of science demands that until more conclusive evidence is obtained, it is safer to consider survival only as a hypothesis in view of the a priori objections and complexities involved in effecting a compromise with the known laws of science.

Miscellaneous Psi Phenomena:

Para Psychology studies report of extra ordinary and unusual psychological experiences like Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). Kirlian photography is photographs taken of objects(of the portion of the object touching the photographic plate) in a high energy electro-magnetic filed in a dark room. Some people relate the ‘aura’ seen around the object touching the photographic plate as related to astral phenomena.

PSI AND THE NATURE OF MAN

Attempts to understand psi in purely physical terms have become less popular in recent years. For instance, the theory that telepathy involves transmission of some kind of electro-magnetic waves has been discredited in experiments in which the agent and the subject were seated in metal cabins.

All the available evidence seems to point to the fact that psi operates through the unconscious. Spontaneous ESP comes as intuitive hunches, strong emotions, hallucinations, automatic writing or dreams. In a telepathy experiment, where shocks given to the agent were the stimuli, even when the subject did not consciously succeed in responding correctly, his physiological measures like brain-wave pattern and electrical conductivity of the skin indicated that he was responding unconsciously to the shocks received by the agent. The importance of good interpersonal relations in effecting psi has led to the concept of a subliminal or transcendental self or collective unconscious which does not exist in space or time and which is neither one nor many. Some people speak of a paranormal reality consisting of the past, present and future which is a substratum and background for the world of the senses.

In many countries, methods like yoga are supposed to help an individual in developing psi capacities and in inducing ecstatic states of consciousness about which little is known. Certain drugs are believed to help temporarily. Practices associated with witchcraft also may have such an effect.

Some people think that psi capacities are developing in man in evolution. Some postulate `collective psychism' and `ideo-plasty' in evolution. A spider learns to make his web from the collective spider mind through telepathy. New organs develop in animals during the course of evolution through ideoplasty.

Our conscious self is perhaps an adaptation of the total personality for biological survival. There appears to be a mechanism repressing psi capacities. Perhaps the sense organs are mechanisms of limitation which limit our perceptions to the immediate environment. Our motor control similarly limits our control to the physical body. The evidence for precognition gives support to the theory of determinism or fate. Perhaps, the past, present, and future exist simultaneously and we are simply passing through it. We may be able to get glimpses of the future under certain conditions. At the same time, the phenomenon of PK indicates that our potentiality to act upon the physical world is not limited to our motor capabilities. Probably our will and actions are also part of the predetermined course of events.

Psi capacities are supposed to be a function of overall integration of personality. Methods like yoga are supposed to develop psi capacities. Forcing psi capacities without overall development of personality is supposed to produce imbalance in the person.

PSYCHIC FIELD THEORY

The psychic field existing at any time and place is a function of the evocatory power depending on the psychic history of the place, the psychic nature of people present there at that time, etc. In the case of rigid people, psi operates negatively by suppression of the paranormal. In the case of people with a high level of Stability, psi operates positively, if they desire so. Any psychic event takes place as a function of the psychic field.

Angela Ashton of Cryptic Shadows Paranormal Research (CSPR) is a Renowned Parasychologist & Recognitive in the Scientific Study of Paranormal Science & Phenomena. If you, or someone you know suspect you may have a haunting, please feel free to contact her at the contact info listed on the CSPR website for assistance. There is no charge for their services & evidence gathered is used in the field of Paranormal Science Investigation & Study for further knowledge on this subject. To learn more about Angela's Non-Profit Organization, Cryptic Shadows & their experience and field of expertise, check out their Business Profile on Linked In.

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