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Encyclopedia of the Unusual GEUUhttp-v1.quark 4/4/03 5:20 PM Page 1 GEUUhttp-v1.quark 4/4/03 5:20 PM Page 3 Brad Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger 1 Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Brad E. Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger Project Editor Permissions Product Design Jolen Marya Gedridge Lori Hines Tracey Rowens Editorial Imaging and Multimedia Manufacturing Andrew Claps, Lynn U. Koch, Michael Reade Dean Dauphinais, Lezlie Light Rhonda A. Williams © 2003 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale age retrieval systems—without the written per- Since this page cannot legibly accommodate all Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. mission of the publisher. copyright notices, the acknowledgements con- stitute an extension of the copyright notice. Gale and Design™ and Thomson Learning™ For permission to use material from this prod- are trademarks used herein under license. uct, submit your request via Web at While every effort has been made to ensure http://www.gale-edit.com/permissions, or you the reliability of the information presented in For more information, contact may download our Permissions Request form this publication, The Gale Group, Inc. does not The Gale Group, Inc. and submit your request by fax or mail to: guarantee the accuracy of the data contained 27500 Drake Road herein. The Gale Group, Inc. accepts no pay- Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 Permissions Department ment for listing; and inclusion in the publica- Or you can visit our Internet site at The Gale Group, Inc. tion of any organization, agency, institution, http://www.gale.com 27500 Drake Rd. publication, service, or individual does not Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 imply endorsement of the editors or publisher. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Permissions Hotline: No part of this work covered by the copyright Errors brought to the attention of the publish- 248-699-8006 or 800-877-4253; ext. 8006 er and verified to the satisfaction of the pub- hereon may be reproduced or used in any form Fax: 248-699-8074 or 800-762-4058 or by any means—graphic, electronic, or lisher will be corrected in future editions. mechanical, including photocopying, recording, Cover images are reproduced by permission of taping, Web distribution, or information stor- Anna J. Sheets (Stonehenge) and the Library of Congress (Harry Houdini). LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Steiger, Brad. Gale encyclopedia of the unusual and unexplained / Brad E. Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7876-5382-9 (set : hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5383-7 (v. 1 : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5384-5 (v. 2 : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-5385-3 (v. 3 : alk. paper) 1. Parapsychology—Encyclopedias. 2. Occultism—Encyclopedias. 3. Supernatural—Encyclopedias. I. Title: Encyclopedia of the unusual and unexplained. II. Steiger, Sherry Hansen. III. Title. BF1025.S79 2003 130’.3—dc21 2003003995 This title is also available as an e-book ISBN 0-7876-7764-7 Contact your Gale representative for ordering information Printed in the United States of America 10 987654321 Volume 1 preface ........................xi introduction ..................xiii Chapter 1 How the Major Religions View the Afterlife ...................4 Buddhism.........................5 Christianity .......................8 Hinduism ........................10 Islam ...........................12 Judaism .........................14 Ancient Egypt and the Afterlife ..................15 Egyptian Book of the Dead ............16 Table of Contents Osiris: Death and Resurrection ..........18 Pyramid Texts .....................20 Individual Human Experience with Death and the Afterlife ...22 Deathbed Visions...................23 Near-Death Experiences ..............26 The Mystery Schools ..........31 Dionysian Mysteries .................33 Eleusinian Mysteries.................33 Hermetic Mysteries .................34 Orphic Mysteries ...................34 Pythagorus .......................35 Tribal Religions ...............36 Burial Mounds.....................38 Land of the Grandparents .............40 How the Major Religions View Reincarnation .............41 Buddhism ........................43 Christianity ......................43 Hinduism ........................46 Islam ...........................47 Judaism .........................48 Contemporary Mystery Schools and Reincarnation .............49 Akashic Records ...................51 Anthroposophy ....................51 Association for Research and Enlightenment ...............53 Theosophy .......................55 Experiential Quests into Sir Oliver Lodge ..................167 Past Lives .....................57 Fredric W. H. Myers ................169 Hypnotic Regression into Past Lives ......59 Society for Psychical Research (SPR).....172 Bridey Murphy ....................62 Past-Life Therapy...................67 Ian Stevenson .....................69 Chapter 3 Antichrist ....................180 Apocalypse ...................182 Chapter 2 Apparitions of Holy Figures ...186 Shamanism ....................76 Armaggedon ..................192 Cosmic Consciousness Spirit Guide ......................79 ........193 Demons Totem Animal.....................80 ......................196 Devil’s Mark Vision Quest ......................81 ..................199 Ecstasy ......................200 Exorcism Spirit Mediumship ..............82 .....................204 Faith Healing .................209 Ouija Board ......................85 Guardian Angels ..............211 Seance..........................86 Illumination ..................214 Spirit Control .....................90 Inquisition....................217 Trance ..........................92 Miracles .....................220 Possession ...................223 Mediums and Channelers .......93 Power of Prayer ..............225 Sylvia Browne .....................97 The Rapture ..................231 Florence Cook.....................98 Shroud of Turin ..............232 Mina “Margery” Crandon ............101 666 ..........................238 John Edward .....................104 Snake Handling ...............239 Arthur Augustus Ford ...............105 Stigmata .....................241 Eileen Garrett ....................108 Virgin of Guadalupe ...........244 Daniel Dunglas Home...............110 Visions .......................246 J. Z. Knight ......................115 Weeping Statues and Icons ....249 Carlos Mirabelli ...................117 Eusapia Palladino ..................120 Leonora E. Piper ..................122 Chapter 4 Egyptian Mystery Schools James Van Praagh..................124 .....257 Jach Pursel ......................125 Akhenaten ......................259 Jane Roberts .....................126 Isis ...........................260 Rudi Schneider ...................129 Osiris ..........................262 Witch of Endor ...................131 Greek Mystery Schools .......264 Spiritualism ..................133 Delphi .........................265 Andrew Jackson Davis ..............135 Dionysus........................266 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .............137 Eleusis .........................268 The Fox Sisters ...................139 Allen Kardec.....................143 Christian Mystery Schools, Cults, Heresies ...............269 Mystics ......................144 Black Madonna ...................272 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky ...........147 Cathars ........................274 Rudolf Steiner ....................149 Gnosticism ......................277 Emanuel Swedenborg ...............152 Manichaeism.....................280 Researchers into the Mystery Tribal Mysteries ..............282 of Spirit Contact .............154 Ghost Dance .....................283 Hereward Carrington ...............158 Macumba .......................285 Sir William Crookes ................161 Santeria ........................286 Harry Houdini ....................163 William James ....................166 Satanic Cults .................288 The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained The Rise of Satanism in the Albertus Magnus ...................47 Middle Ages ..................291 Paracelsus........................47 Black Mass ......................293 Catherine Montvoisin...............296 Magick ........................48 Gilles de Rais ....................298 Abremelin Magick ..................49 Anton LaVey’s First Church Black Magick .....................51 Enochian Magick...................52 of Satan .....................299 Vodun/Vodoun/Voodoo...............52 Temple of Set.................303 White Magick .....................56 UFO Cults ....................304 Magi ..........................57 Aetherius Society..................307 Heaven’s Gate ....................309 Agrippa .........................59 The Raelians .....................311 Count Allesandro Cagliostro ...........61 Aleister Crowley ...................62 Twentieth-Century John Dee ........................64 Spiritual Expression ..........313 Dr. Faust.........................65 Branch Davidians..................315 Marie Laveau .....................67 Eckankar .......................316 Eliphas Levi ......................68 Falun Gong......................317 Simon Magus .....................69 Order of the Solar Temple ............318 Pico della Mirandola ................70 The People’s Temple ................319 Pythagoras .......................70 Scientology......................320 Count Saint-Germain................71 Wicca .........................72 Glossary .....................323 People of Wicca................75 Cumulative Index..............335
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