DOCSLIB.ORG

{PDF EPUB} the Ghost Studies New Perspectives on The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
{PDF EPUB} the Ghost Studies New Perspectives on The Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Ghost Studies New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences by Brandon Massullo The Ghost Studies with Brandon Massullo – The Big Seance Podcast: My Paranormal World #113. What is a ghost? And what causes a haunting? Parapsychologist Brandon Massullo shares theories and perspectives from his new book, The Ghost Studies . Plus a discussion of Resonance, EMF, and Environmental Sensitivity! In this episode: Episode Teaser :00. Intro :59. Please welcome Brandon Massullo to the parlor! 1:32. Pouring the tea (or scotch on the rocks) and an introduction of Brandon’s new book, The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences . 2:28. The interesting childhood experience that got Brandon involved in the field of parapsychology 4:17. Brandon’s ideas on Bioenergetics and Human Electrical Fields 10:12. Resonance or synchronizing with matching frequencies 12:34. The theory that emotions and crisis events cause paranormal experiences 14:49. The accidental missile scare in Hawaii, Psi Hypothesis, and Random Number Generators. 15:53. The “God Helmet” and thoughts on the EMF (electromagnetic field/frequency) Meter. Is there a correlation between EMF and ghostly encounters? 22:20. Environmental Sensitivity. Why do some people have paranormal experiences more frequently? 31:48. “I would venture to say that most apparitions, olfactory, auditory, and other haunt-type phenomena, occur while the agent is still alive.” 40:40. The “Stone Tape Theory” and having the right ingredients for haunt-type phenomena. 46:37. Outside of the paranormal or parapsychology, what kind of nerd is Brandon Massullo? 52:09. Final thoughts and where to find Brandon! 53:30. A bonus discussion on paranormal TV shows and the cookie cutter formula 54:30. On my reading list The Ghost Studies by Brandon Massullo. Why do certain people report numerous ghostly encounters and others none? For centuries these questions have intrigued, puzzled, and bedeviled science, skeptics, and even believers. Based on cutting-edge research and new theories, The Ghost Studies provides insight into some of life’s greatest mysteries. This fascinating book is far more than a compilation of ghost stories. The Ghost Studies provides scientific explanations for paranormal occurrences, including: Review: The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences. Excellent! Less than two hundred pages, you will go through this book fairly quickly. “The Ghost Studies” has an excellent Index, and Notes section making it both easy to navigate and a great jumping off point for your own research. Each chapter ( for example “Not Everything is Paranormal” ) concludes with a brief summary. All in all, I really enjoyed it but I wanted more. Maybe that’s what Massullo had in mind? Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from New Page Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Bucket of Questions for Author and Parapsychologist Brandon Massullo. Brandon Massullo is a clinical therapist and parapsychologist residing in northeast Ohio. He has his graduate degrees in clinical counseling from the University of Toledo and psychological research methods from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. His research at the University of Edinburgh centered on neurobiological correlates of ghostly encounters and he studied within the Koestler Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of author and international lecturer, Dr. Caroline Watt ( An Introduction to Parapsychology ). Brandon has been fascinated by paranormal phenomena for 20 years and has been a participant and featured speaker in numerous paranormal forums and events, including the Parapsychological Association’s 60th Anniversary Celebration. His research has been cited in parapsychological journals, newspaper articles, and mainstream books. Brandon’s first book The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives of the Origins of Paranormal Experiences combines the thrill of reading real-life ghostly encounters and the satisfaction of new perspectives and insights into the cause of these exciting encounters. Check out Brandon’s blog Haunted Theories for more research into ghosts, apparitions, and all things paranormal. Riley Mitchell : Your forthcoming book, The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences , provides insights into current research on the study of ghosts and hauntings. What drew you to write the book and what are a couple of things you have uncovered in your research that were unexpected? Brandon Massullo : The original premise for the book was a skeptical look at ghostly phenomena through the eyes of a mental health clinician. I had compiled research articles from mainstream psychology and parapsychology and began to write about the numerous natural and psychological causes to ghostly phenomena. While I’d always been fascinated with ghosts I never actually had a paranormal experience so I was highly skeptical of those who did. Prior to starting the book I studied at the University of Edinburgh where I conducted research into the correlations between environmental sensitivity and paranormal experiences. Environmental sensitivity has nothing to do with “psychic” abilities and is just a subset of the population who are more attuned to or sensitive to the environment around them. This group of people also report significantly more paranormal and apparitional experiences. Long story short I looked at my research through a skeptic’s lens and concluded that these environmentally sensitive individuals were just misinterpreting ambiguous stimuli, which resulted in more paranormal experiences. Looking back at my research today it hurts me that I reduced the over 600 paranormal experiences that were reported during my research to a simple explanation such as “misinterpreting ambiguous stimuli.” Anyway, about a year into researching the book I decided to look more closely at thoughts and theories outside mainstream science. I began to read books by Carl Jung, Rupert Sheldrake, Nandor Fodor, Michael Shallis, Leonard Ravitz, Harold Saxton Burr, and Robert Becker, which opened my eyes to alternative ideas on consciousness and psi abilities. I had a bit of an epiphany one night as I was struggling with fitting these new concepts about consciousness, psi, and paranormal experiences into my conservative view of the world. During this epiphany, I realized that I had spent so much time reading journal articles, books, and skeptical blogs that I had forgotten the most important aspect of understanding paranormal experiences . people. I spent the next 3-4 years gathering as many first-hand accounts of ghostly encounters as I could. I also read book after book of ghostly encounters. I listened to whoever wanted to talk to me about ghosts. I went to paranormal conventions and spoke with paranormal investigators. I let people talk about their encounters without interrupting them, judging them, or trying to debunk their claims. What was amazing is that after a while I started noticing similarities amongst a majority of these encounters, which led to some exciting new theories on ghostly encounters and of course changed the whole premise of my book. RM : In the book you propose a “ghostly ingredients theory” that articulates the optimal conditions for paranormal encounters to occur. Would you summarize the “psychological, environmental, and bioenergetic fluctuations” that serve as the foundation for this perspective? BM : Paranormal experiences are a series of complex processes. It’s not as simple as waking up and witnessing a deathbed apparition of your aunt. There is a series of complex processes which are occurring consciously as well as unconsciously which set the stage for this crisis apparition or “deathbed vision.” Emotions have always been linked with paranormal phenomena as shown by the work of psychical researchers Carl Jung, Eleanor Sidgwick, and Louisa Rhine who all believed that heightened emotions are necessary for paranormal phenomena to occur. Crisis, trauma, acute stress, and life- threatening events cause an explosion of emotional distress and turmoil that can reverberate throughout the entire body, affecting one mentally and physically. Intense or acute emotional shifts related to crises are the starting points or the catalysts for ghostly phenomena. Because humans are, in essence, an extensive collection of electrical signals (heart, nerve impulses, neurons, etc.) and electrical beings, the question is what happens to our internal electrical makeup (bioenergetics) when we experience an emotional overload? It is apparent that all living things are capable of generating an electromagnetic field. What is also apparent from the research presented in the book is that there is a bioelectrical charge created by emotions, which in turn, adds information to our existing human electrical field. This emotional electrical field, much like all other electrical fields, is not contained in our bodies and therefore can extend outward indefinitely into the atmosphere. I believe that these two processes (psychological aspects and changes in internal energy or bioenergetics) can lead to or trigger an innate human ability to acquire or communicate information using the Earth’s atmosphere. The research
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Record Store Day 2020 (GSA) - 18.04.2020 | (Stand: 05.03.2020)
    Record Store Day 2020 (GSA) - 18.04.2020 | (Stand: 05.03.2020) Vertrieb Interpret Titel Info Format Inhalt Label Genre Artikelnummer UPC/EAN AT+CH (ja/nein/über wen?) Exclusive Record Store Day version pressed on 7" picture disc! Top song on Billboard's 375Media Ace Of Base The Sign 7" 1 !K7 Pop SI 174427 730003726071 D 1994 Year End Chart. [ENG]Pink heavyweight 180 gram audiophile double vinyl LP. Not previously released on vinyl. 'Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo' was first released on CD only in 2007 by Ace Fu SPACE AGE 375MEDIA ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE NAM MYO HO REN GE KYO (RSD PINK VINYL) LP 2 PSYDEL 139791 5023693106519 AT: 375 / CH: Irascible Records and now re-mastered by John Rivers at Woodbine Street Studio especially for RECORDINGS vinyl Out of print on vinyl since 1984, FIRST official vinyl reissue since 1984 -Chet Baker (1929 - 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter, actor and vocalist that needs little introduction. This reissue was remastered by Peter Brussee (Herman Brood) and is featuring the original album cover shot by Hans Harzheim (Pharoah Sanders, Coltrane & TIDAL WAVES 375MEDIA BAKER, CHET MR. B LP 1 JAZZ 139267 0752505992549 AT: 375 / CH: Irascible Sun Ra). Also included are the original liner notes from jazz writer Wim Van Eyle and MUSIC two bonus tracks that were not on the original vinyl release. This reissue comes as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition with obi strip_released exclusively for Record Store Day (UK & Europe) 2020. * Record Store Day 2020 Exclusive Release.* Features new artwork* LP pressed on pink vinyl & housed in a gatefold jacket Limited to 500 copies//Last Tango in Paris" is a 1972 film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, saxplayer Gato Barbieri' did realize the soundtrack.
    [Show full text]
  • So-You-Want-To-Hunt-Ghosts-Pdfdrivecom-11131584343709.Pdf
    Body, Mind & Spirit / Paranormal & Psychic Development The New, Comprehensive Guide to Everything About Real Life Ghost Hunting Search no further for the complete, up-to-date, and smart guide for the aspiring ghost hunter—you! Packed with insider knowledge, this handbook covers everything about becoming a real paranormal investigator. This essential manual provides a detailed breakdown of every step on your ghost hunting journey. Explore the fasci- nating work of seminal figures in the history of paranormal investigation. Learn how to build a cohesive team and choose your first supernatural case. Discover crucial advice on the latest ghost hunter gadgets, the ethical way to report your evidence, and how to stay safe in your ghostly encounters. Unlike other ghost hunting books, this indispensable guide explains how to conduct historical research on your case, how to properly document your discoveries, and how popu- lar media and ghost hunting TV shows have impacted the modern paranormal community. So You Want to Hunt Ghosts? is your key to successful investigative adventures. Deonna Kelli Sayed (Greensboro, NC) is a Muslim-American paranormal investigator with Haunted North Carolina (HNC). She lectures on many issues, from women in Islam to the para- normal, and has lived and conducted studies throughout Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. She is also the editor of Ghostvillage.com. $15.99 US ISBN 978-0-7387-3125-4 $18.50 CAN Llewellyn Worldwide www.llewellyn.com www.facebook.com/LlewellynBooks So You Want to HUNT GHOSTS? © Jessica Labbé About the Author Deonna Kelli Sayed (Greensboro, NC) is a Muslim-American paranormal investigator with Haunted North Carolina (HNC).
    [Show full text]
  • XFR STN: the New Museum's Stone Tape
    NEWMUSEUM.ORG The New Museum dedicates its Fifth Floor gallery space to “XFR STN” (Transfer Station), an open-door artist-centered media archiving project. 07/17–09/08/2013 Published by DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD FR STN” initially arose from the need to preserve the Monday/Wednesday/Friday Video Club dis- Conservator of “XFR STN,” he ensures the project operates as close to best practice as possible. We Xtribution project. MWF was a co-op “store” of the artists´ group Colab (Collaborative Projects, are thankful to him and his skilled team of technicians, which includes Rebecca Fraimow, Leeroy Kun Inc.), directed by Alan W. Moore and Michael Carter from 1986–2000, which showed and sold artists’ Young Kang, Kristin MacDonough, and Bleakley McDowell. and independent film and video on VHS at consumer prices. As realized at the New Museum, “XFR STN” will also address the wider need for artists’ access to media services that preserve creative works Staff members from throughout the Museum were called upon for both their specialized skills currently stored in aging and obsolete audiovisual and digital formats. and their untiring enthusiasm for the project. Johanna Burton, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement, initiated the project and worked closely with Digital Conser- !e exhibition will produce digitized materials from three distinct repositories: MWF Video Club’s vator at Rhizome, Ben Fino-Radin, the New Museum’s Digital Archivist, Tara Hart, and Associ- collection, which comprises some sixty boxes of diverse moving image materials; the New Museum’s ate Director of Education, Jen Song, on all aspects.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ashgate Research Companion to Paranormal Cultures the Ghost In
    This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 26 Sep 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK The Ashgate Research Companion to Paranormal Cultures Olu Jenzen, Sally R. Munt The Ghost in the Machine: Spirit and Technology Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315613383.ch2 John Harvey Published online on: 28 Nov 2013 How to cite :- John Harvey. 28 Nov 2013, The Ghost in the Machine: Spirit and Technology from: The Ashgate Research Companion to Paranormal Cultures Routledge Accessed on: 26 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315613383.ch2 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 2 The Ghost in the Machine: Spirit and Technology John Harvey At Hampton Court Palace, London, in 2003, several days before Christmas, security guards noticed that the fire doors of an exhibition area kept moving, apparently unaided.
    [Show full text]
  • Apparitional Experiences Primer 1
    Williams, Ventola, & Wilson: Apparitional Experiences Primer 1 Apparitional Experiences: A Primer on Parapsychological Research and Perspectives BRYAN WILLIAMS1, ANNALISA VENTOLA2, & MIKE WILSON3 1University of New Mexico 2 Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology, Lund University 3Psi Society (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Psi_Society/) Summary: We present here a basic and accessible primer for paranormal enthusiasts on what has generally been learned about apparitions by parapsychologists and psychical researchers since the late 19th century. Topics such as the types and possible characteristics of apparitions, experimental approaches, theories and perspectives, and witness characteristics are covered, and are supplemented with illustrative examples and anecdotes from the published case literature. We wish to dedicate this primer to the memory of Dr. Gertrude R. Schmeidler (1912 – 2009), one of the leading female parapsychologists in the field, who, in 1966, had devised an ingenious method of applying the statistical techniques of laboratory tests to the field study of ghosts, apparitions, and hauntings. 1. Introduction Stories about ghosts and apparitions of the dead have long been the basis for much myth, fantasy, and folklore in human culture. But is there really something to them beyond pure imagination and superstition? According to a Gallup survey conducted in June of 2005, just under one-third of the 1,002 adult Americans surveyed (32%) had answered affirmatively to the question, “Do you believe that ghosts/spirits of dead people can come back in certain places/situations?” (Lyons, 2005). A poll of 808 Americans by CBS News in October of 2005 indicated that just over one- fifth (22%) have seen or felt the presence of a ghost (Alfano, 2005).
    [Show full text]
  • Tape Spectra
    Page 4 Tape Spectra Brian Baker I. The film Contact (1997) begins with a striking effects sequence. After the title, the film begins with a shot of the Earth from low orbit, in shadow. On the soundtrack, contemporary rock music plays. Both visual and aural signs mark this to be ‘now’, our present day. The camera (virtually) begins to recede, and as it does, the sound stage alters. A phrase ‘obviously a major malfunction’ is heard, taken from the reporting of the Challenger space shuttle disaster of 1986, and the music segues through 1980s pop into disco. A phrase from the theme music of the long­running tv series Dallas (1978­1991) is heard, as the Earth and then Moon shrink, in silhouette, displaced by the brightness of the Sun. As the camera recedes from Earth and travels outwards in the Solar System, other phrases from 20th century America are heard: Richard Nixon saying ‘I’m not a crook’; Neil Armstrong’s ‘one small step for man’; Martin Luther King’s ‘free at last’. As the camera swings past Jupiter, we hear of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, then Dean Martin singing ‘Volare’, and a member of HUAC demanding ‘have you ever been a member of the Communist party?’; at Saturn, the Lone Ranger calling ‘Hi­ho Silver’, and an FDR ‘fireside chat’. All the while, the volume decreases, descending towards silence as the intensity of broadcasts decrease, as the camera ‘travels’ further out, leaving the Solar System then the Milky Way itself behind, then moving ever faster away from tiny spiral galaxies disappearing into the distance.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Medjugorje Apparitional Experiences: Medical and Parapsychological Perspectives
    American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 2019; 7(4): 126-141 doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20190704.17 ISSN: 2330-4243 (Print); ISSN: 2330-426X (Online) Understanding Medjugorje Apparitional Experiences: Medical and Parapsychological Perspectives James Paul Pandarakalam Department of Psychiatry, Hollins Park Hospital, Warrington, UK Email address: To cite this article: James Paul Pandarakalam. Understanding Medjugorje Apparitional Experiences: Medical and Parapsychological Perspectives. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Vol. 7, No. 4, 2019, pp. 126-141. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20190704.17 Received : November 16, 2019; Accepted : December 5, 2019; Published : December 11, 2019 Abstract: Background. The continuing apparitional events at Medjugorje in Bosnia offer an opportunity for sceptics to gain fresh insight into an alleged mystical-cum-paranormal phenomenon. Initially, the apparitional experiences occurred in a collective manner ruling out the possibilities of psychological and spiritual artefacts. Ostensibly, according to the percipients, an active apparition—that has inserted itself harmoniously into our three-dimensional world—is manifesting itself at Medjugorje. In this respect, science is hindered by the lack of both theoretical tools and the vocabulary to handle mystical and paranormal events. Apparitional occurrences involve apparitional experience, the apparition and social events. The apparition is beyond the parameters of science and only apparitional experience can be scientifically studied; social events are more important to social sciences and theology. Aim. To test the postulation that visionary experiences involving RSPK, or RSPK- like activity may be instances of apparitions at the physical site and find the results applying this criterion along with other distinguishable features specific to Marian apparitional experiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Musings on Things Paranormal Can Water Explain Some Ghost Cases?
    Some Musings on Things Paranormal Can Water Explain Some Ghost Cases? The Stone Tape Theory For years paranormal investigators have spoken about the ‘Stone tape theory’ as an explanation for some types of apparition. Referred to as the recording apparition, such manifestations characteristi- cally are seen to perform some action without reference or acknowledgement to either the witnesses or to their surroundings. A Figure moving through a wall where once a door stood, or climbing a long removed staircase are classic examples of such encounters. Rather like a TV programme can be recorded onto a tape or DVD, events or emotions can be recorded into the very fabric of buildings or indeed the surrounding ground. The events are then played back at a later time causing the viewer to interpret the recorded impressions as an apparition. The idea of past events being recorded is far from new: Sir William Barrett , Physicist & founding mem- ber of the Society for Psychical Research suggested in the late 19 th Century; “In certain cases of hauntings and apparitions, some kind of local imprint, on material structures or places, has been left by some past events occurring to certain persons, who when on Earth, lived or were closely connected with that particular locality; an echo or phantom of these events becoming per- ceptible to those now living.” The term ‘Stone Tape ‘ seems to have been first used in a BBC television play of the same name aired in 1972. Written by playwright Nigel Kneale , it follows a team of scientists eager to discover a new re- cording medium and who take over a gothic mansion only to discover..
    [Show full text]
  • Title: “'Towns That Go Bump in the Night': Haunted Urbanity and Ghostly
    Title: “‘Towns that go bump in the night’: Haunted Urbanity and Ghostly Narratives in the UK” By: Alexander Hay Supernatural Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Art, Media, and Culture, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 59-83 Supernatural Studies 59 “Towns that go bump in the night”: Haunted Urbanity and Ghostly Narratives in the UK Alexander Hay Most if not all towns and cities in the UK have at least one haunted landmark, often several. Locations ranging from Southampton to York to Cardiff, for example, are host to a wide range of venues and locations, from industrial estates to haunted theatres, all said to be host to spectral presences of one sort or another. It is fair to say, then, that paranormal urban landscapes loom large in British culture and its urban experience. Given the sheer number of these occurrences, what does this reveal about how we relate to our towns and cities? Do our large number of haunted cities and towns reflect an ongoing narrative tradition in our popular culture, or do haunted sites instead reflect a sense of alienation and disillusionment with our surroundings, be it in the form of shuttered pubs, the London Underground, or the nondescript environs of a semi- detached house with its own poltergeist? Other areas of interest in this paper include how press coverage both reflects and disseminate urban ghost narratives, alongside the rise of housing inequalities and entrenched poverty that increasingly define British towns and cities. Whether these urban ghosts exist, of course, is another matter. Keywords: city, ghosts, hauntings, homelessness, housing, media, news, town, urban Hauntings, both in fiction and reported as real events, loom large in the British cultural imagination, if the seventeen year lifespan of the Most Haunted TV show and regular, sensationalist coverage in both the popular and local press—for example, The Southern Daily Echo covers day-to-day life and hauntings in Southampton with much the same editorial tone as the national tabloid press—is anything to go by.
    [Show full text]
  • An Investigation of Music and Paranormal Phenomena
    PARAMUSICOLOGY: AN INVESTIGATION OF MUSIC AND PARANORMAL PHENOMENA Melvyn J. Willin Ph. D. Music Department University of Sheffield February 1999 IMAGING SERVICES NORTH Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ www.bl.uk THESIS CONTAINS TAPE CASSETTE PARAMUSICOLOGY: AN INVESTIGATION OF MUSIC AND PARANORMALPBENOMENA Melvyn J. Willin SUMMARY The purpose of this thesis is to explore musical anomalies that are allegedly paranormal in origin. From a wide range of categories available, three areas are investigated: • music and telepathy • music written by mediums professedly contacted by dead composers • music being heard where the physical source of sound is unknown and presumed to be paranormal. In the first part a method of sensory masking (referred to as ganzfeld) is used to study the possibility of the emotional or physical content of music being capable of mind transference. A further experiment presents additional results relating to the highest scoring individuals in the previous trials. No systematic evidence for the telepathic communication of music was found. In the second section a number of mediums and the music they produced are investigated to examine the truthfulness of their claims of spiritual intervention in compositions and performances. Methods of composition are investigated and the music is analysed by experts. For the final part of the thesis locations are specified where reports of anomalous music have been asserted and people claiming to have heard such music are introduced and their statements examined. Literature from a variety of data bases is considered to ascertain whether the evidence for paranormal music consists of genuine material, misconceived perceptions or fraudulent claims.
    [Show full text]
  • Overview of Early Ghost Hunters
    Bumps in the Night!!!! September 2014 Issue Paranormal “U” Flashback: Overview of Early Ghost Hunters By Mark Yount, TnT Paranormal Investigators LLC The study of the paranormal has been around as long as recorded history. Many religions are based upon paranormal study, while many ancient cultures believe in ghosts, demons, fairies, gods and other supernatural entities. Some of the earliest references of ghosts can be found in the Old Testament; an example is the First Book of Samuel (28:7) where King Saul seeks guidance from the dead priest. In Tibet, the Buddhist monks wrote the Bardo Todol to help the soul reach Nirvana. In Medieval Europe Heinrich Kramer wrote the Malleus Maleficarum as a way to identify witches. With these examples, it is unreasonable to state that the study of the paranormal is relatively new. The difference is that modern paranormal investigators must prove the existence of the supernatural by using scientific methods, as well as presentation of evidence. It is important to remember that most of the methodologies used in paranormal investigation originated in the 19 th and 20 th century. People like Edgar Cayce and Helena Blavatsky claimed to be able to speak with “higher beings”. These claims led to the beginning of the spiritualist, and theosophical movements in America and Europe. Many studies of the paranormal began with these movements. The first organization actively investigating the paranormal was The Ghost Club founded in London in 1862. In the 1880’s societies were created to utilize scientific methodology to the study of ghosts and the paranormal, including the Society for Psychical Research in London and the American Society for Psychical Research in New York City.
    [Show full text]
  • Title of Dissertation
    PANIC ON THE BRITISH BORDERLANDS: THE GREAT GOD PAN, VICTORIAN SEXUALITY, AND SACRED SPACE IN THE WORKS OF ARTHUR MACHEN A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Jeffrey Michael Renye January, 2013 Examining Committee Members: Daniel T. O’Hara, Advisory Chair, Department of English Sheldon Brivic, Department of English Talissa Ford, Department of English Robert L. Caserio, External Member, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park © Copyright 2013 by Jeffrey Michael Renye All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT From the late Victorian period to the early twentieth century, Arthur Machen’s life and his writing provide what Deleuze and Guattari argue to be the value of the minor author: Contemporary historical streams combine in Machen’s fiction and non-fiction. The concerns and anxieties in the writing reflect significant developments in their times, and exist amid the questions incited by positivist science, sexological studies, and the dissemination and popularity of Darwin’s theories and the interpretations of Social Darwinism: What is the integrity of the human body, and what are the relevance and varieties of spiritual belief. The personal and the social issues of materiality and immateriality are present in the choice of Machen’s themes and the manner in which he expresses them. More specifically, Machen’s use of place and his interest in numinosity, which includes the negative numinous, are the twining forces where the local and the common, and the Ideal and the esoteric, meet. His interest in Western esotericism is important because of the Victorian occult revival and the ritual magic groups’ role in the development of individual psychic explorations.
    [Show full text]