Derren Brown Investigates

Derren Brown Investigates (Mon, 10pm, C4) looks intriguing as it takes a demystification approach to the Liverpudlian medium Joe Power.
I must confess to liking Mr Brown as he appears to "say it like it is" obviously based on his personal opinion! I also admire his work, being a lover of magic and although I realise his magic are mere "tricks" I wonder childlike at the performances. You see I believe that to lose the wonderment of a child's approach is to lose the meaning of life!
Anyway to the programme: I realise that some of the general public scorn any aspect of "psychic" work and I believe their opinion is based on the present topical, cultural, political and of course financial situation. How better to make a living perhaps than to offer the public some sort of solace when apparently all else appears lost?
I do watch as many programmes of this genre as I can, partially to research how psychics perform and mainly to seek any information that would explain & perhaps underpin my personal psychic experiences
So there in lies a dilemma; I comprehend what "debunkers" are attempting to accomplish & confess to agreeing with some, BUT I cannot deny my personal life-long experiences & therefore long for "truth"- hey who am I kidding? I doubt whether psychic phenomena can be proven particularly on film & even if it could would any producer be interested enough to make a programme based on this?
I really sympathise with a lot of psychics that are filmed because I personally believe that to perform psychically on film is extremely difficult and nearly impossible to repeat again & again! Why? because the pressure to perform degrades the psychic energy that is required to complete a psychic session. I balance my concern and sympathy for the psychic with the knowledge that they agree to be filmed & therefore need to deal with the consequences. Sounds harsh I know!
Not as harsh as the the Guardian's Pete Cashmore's critique on the show where quote "He's determined not to be upstaged by Brown and, indeed, gives a virtuoso performance of twattery that would actually beef his stage act up no end.

A medium he may be, but when it comes to being an arsehole he is a definite XXXL; he starts to goad Brown with jibes about his "psychic powers" almost as soon as he arrives and somehow manages even to direct Brown to the lavatory in a snide manner (try it at home, it's not easy)"
Anyway if you're interested watch the show - of course I'd love to hear your views on the psychic community!

Psychic Alex Tanous predicts John Lennon's death?

Stumbled on this & just had to blog it as I am and always will be a "John Lennon" worshipper. Sad I Know!
On August 23, 1980, Lee Spiegel, who hosted an NBC radio show Unexplained Phenomena, was interviewing psychic Alex Tanous for a show that was to be broadcast later. The interview took place at the American Society for Psychical Research at West 73rd Street in New York, directly across the street from the Dakota Apartments. Spiegel asked Tanous to predict something that would occur in the next few months that would be of interest to the many rock fans in the audience.

Tanous replied: "The prediction that I will make is that a very famous rock star will have an untimely death and this can happen from this moment on. I say untimely because there is something strange about his death, but it will affect the consciousness of many people because of his fame."

Read on for full article...............................

96. Renée Scheltema, Something Unknown Is Doing We Don’t Know What

Renée Scheltema discusses her documentary, Something Unknown Is Doing We Don’t Know What. Motivated to explain her curious psychic experiences, documentary filmmaker Renée Scheltema decided to set out to the US and meet with the top researchers in parapsychology.

She found how science is verifying numerous kinds of connections : ‘mind to mind’ ; ‘mind to body’ and ‘mind to world’, demonstrating that psychic abilities are part of our inherent nature.
96. Renée Scheltema, Something Unknown Is Doing We Don’t Know What

OBE Out of body experiences

Hi
A recent personal experience and then a post on our forum has led to this impromptu posting!
Recent personal events have "played havoc" with my mind, my body and my Psychi. I mention this because obviously scientifically, if one is experiencing difficulties then that can be offered as the reason for "paranormal" episodes of any kind! A psychologist, within this context, would easily explain MOST unexplained, unusual happenings as due to stress.
I continue, never the less, as I believe my experience was a true psychic episode and an actual out of body experience!
I was asleep and woke up suddenly due to a noise I thought I heard. After getting out of bed to check what the noise was, I staggered downstairs and walked into the kitchen. A man was standing holding a knife in the centre of the room. After the shock had subsided, which seemed like hours, I managed to ask him who he was and what he wanted. He did not answer and appeared unable to move from the position he was in. I then shouted my husband who was asleep upstairs, whilst keeping my eyes pinned on the guy. To my horror my husband did not come to my rescue and to my utter surprise I picked up a knife from the kitchen counter and ran upstairs!
I shouted to my husband again and he did not stir. I thought for one dreadful minute that he had been killed, but my dread turned to utter cold, bitter, stunned amazement as I noticed a body lying next to him! - The body was mine!!!
Suddenly as soon as I realised that my body was in bed I experienced an extreme force that pushed me into the bed and I guess back into my body. Gasping for breath I then awoke ( again)!
"What a nightmare I thought" and got up to get a drink of water. As I returned to bed some moments later the hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I felt the blood drain from my face as I found the knife lying on the floor.
Now make of this what you will. Dream state, sleep-walking or OBE

Further reading on OBE: Scientists Launch Study on Out-of-Body Experiences

Cold Reading

Hi

Interesting interview between Derren Brown, English magician, illusionist, mentalist, and Richard Dawkins, British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science author. ...

This interview discusses the means and "tricks of the trade" purported to be used by psychics performing "Cold Readings"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xswt8B8-UTM

Quote Mr Dawkins " are they all fakes or do some of them fool themselves as well"?

He is talking here about practising psychics

OUCH! That hurt!!

All joking aside I find both Mr brown and Mr Dawkins extremely interesting and entertaining

I understand their approach to the psychic platform plausible and scientifically acceptable

What I find astonishing is they appear to grossly generalise their subject matter allowing everything to fit into "neat boxes"

Perhaps that is how we all work psychologically when we believe in something that we cannot emphatically prove?

During the Derren Brown programme recently screened in the UK ( Derren Brown: How to be a Psychic Spy- see below for the link) I found one item particularly interesting
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/derren-brown/4od#2970804

A gentleman called "Batman" was interviewed. Completely blind, he could sense objects around him by using sound, allowing him to recognise objects such as buildings, cars etc. He was even able to ride a bike! By creating a clucking sound with his mouth he relied on the resonance and acoustics to shape the actual objects that were around him. This process is similar to bats. hence his title. In emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to resultant echoes, the process used in radar technology, bats are able to locate prey and nearby objects. This is the process known as echolocation, the ability they similarly share with dolphins and whales.

I suggest that psychic ability could be described like this. Perhaps a psychic is able to switch on an internal radar scanner, emit inaudible sounds, absorb the resultant echoes and understand the results?
JUST A THOUGHT!

What's your view on psychics. Comment here. I'd love to know

Psionics is about feelings

Psionics is about feelings
Psionics - ever heard of it - know what it relates to?

Check out the article - interesting!

A Haunting in Connecticut a psychic's view

Recently watched a documentary film or rather a "docudrama" that featured "Haunting in Connecticut" and "Haunting in Georgia"

I chose the "documentary" version as I hoped that it would offer "the facts" behind the story-lines
Although I found the genre "difficult to believe" at best the "Georgia" content interested me more as I found similarities with my experiences and consequent personal research

The scientist called in by the family to explore the events offered his opinion which was based on the convergence of energy lines that allowed this sort of "event" to happen. His theory was based on the response of the individual's brain activity to this energy force

I could relate to that as I and other family members have always reacted to "stormy weather" for example. You know the strange feeling you get before or during a storm which is due to ions in the air

Research on ions began in 1950's with Dr. Albert Kreuger, professor emeritus of the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Felix Sulman, professor of pharmacology at the Hebrew University in Israel.
...
Dr. Sulman corroborated Kreugers' findings while studying positive ion victims of the hot, dry Sharav winds in Jerusalem.He demonstrated three effects of positive ion excess: irritation and tension, exhaustion, and hyperthyroid response.Most of these conditions, along with symptoms of depression, anxiety, headaches, and low energy physical and mental functions, were shown to be alleviated or totally eliminated by increasing the negative ion count in the air.

It is my humble opinion that individuals who experience unexplained "events" such as time lapse, visions, ghosts, hearing voices etc. have brains that are extra sensitive to air ionisation fluctuations

Although I agreed with the film's scientist to this degree we parted company on the subject of being able to communicate in real time with the "tape recording" of past events that were, in his opinion "a stand - alone memory burnt into a particular place" that was not able to interact with anyone

I have been able to "tap" into these memory tapes and communicate with the so-called "recording"
Does this fact negate the scientific theory or does it underpin the strong possibility that science is on the right track but not there yet?

The film points out that despite scientific and psychic interaction the problem remains and so they turn to the church for help

I am unsure whether the church did help with the problem or simply supported the different family members on a psychological basis helping them to accept "their lot"

As fate has it just prior to watching the film I had completed a book "The Rite - The making of a modern exorcist" Matt Baglio

SYNOPSIS
Father Gary Thomas was working as a parish priest in California when he was asked by his bishop to travel to Rome for training in the rite of exorcism. Though initially surprised, and slightly reluctant, he accepted this call, and enrolled in a new exorcism course at a Vatican-affiliated university, which taught him, among other things, how to distinguish between a genuine possession and mental illness.
Further details if you're interested

I found the writing difficult to follow at first ( probably due to laziness)! but the content was intriguing
If we are to believe news reports "Cases of Demonic Possession Soar" / then the Catholic church's response to this is legitimate. They are reacting to a supply & demand situation
What I find disappointing is the issue of the church's reasoning behind the increase in "demonic possessions" attributed to an "increase in esoteric following" Statements by Exorcist Fr. Raul Salvucci Salvucci written in his book. "Figures relating to the situation in Italy. Eight years ago, a University Congress held in Perugia discovered that in Italy the esoteric has a following of some 12 million. There were about 170,000 wizards, with income amounting to $600 million. Today, however, the income from these practices has risen to close to $3 billion." Source
As far as I am aware the definition of "esoteric" is "belonging to an inner circle," taken from the Greek "esoterikos"

Surely we all belong to an inner circle of one kind or another? Social networking sites that are "in vogue" for example. The Church as an institution is based on an "inner circle" of initiated teachers that preach to and guide the other uninitiated members
Why then decry other similarly structured institutions on the basis of "immoral earnings"?

I feel that this "waters down" the problem of increasing demonic possessions. It also masks the 21st century calamity of social and spiritual destruction. I have no doubt that current Western social deprivation is the key to the increase in demonic activity whether you believe in the forces of evil or not.
All you atheists move away from spiritual labels and consider this : capitalism = social deprivation. Social deprivation = UTTER MISERY

If you have the time or inclination watch BBC "Famous, rich and homeless" to get a taste of what our wonderful British culture has become
There may be those who believe they have escaped this but ask yourselves are you happy?
You may not have the time to even consider whether you're happy or not and if so I REST MY CASE!

As a psychic I welcome all fictional and factual horror genres. At worst they are laughable, at best they are enlightening. In total they highlight the possibility of the supernatural to those "uninitiated" WHOOPS!

As a psychic member of British society I also welcome all fictional, factual, even reality programmes that effectively highlight existing social issues

DRUNVALO MELCHIZEDEK

Drunvalo is the author of four books including The Ancient Secrets of the Flower of Life, Volumes I and II, Living in the Heart and his newest one, Serpent of Light. These books have been published in 29 languages and reach out to over one hundred countries throughout the world. Drunvalo also founded the Flower of Life Workshops with over 300 trained and certified facilitators teaching in over sixty countries. He is consultant for the international Internet magazine, Spirit of Ma’at, http://www.spiritofmaat.com with over 1 million viewers each year. Drunvalo is a world traveler and has given workshops, seminars and lectures on sacred geometry, human energy fields, spirituality, meditation and living in the heart in 45 countries. His meditation with the angels and his work with prana and energy healing has helped tens of thousands of people. Drunvalo has expressed that healing in these areas are of extreme importance for the difficulties with one's own body often stops us from continuing on our spiritual path. His research on the 3rd dimension with natural products and methods to help heal Mother Earth and all life forms is also a major focus in his life. Find out more at http://www.drunvalo.net

Now That's Weird

Hi Guys

Discussion this week on Now That's Weird Radio Show was varied as always

A subject very dear to me was concerning mental health issues
The debate considered the possibility that perhaps science is labelling some of us as mentally ill and feeding that condition with incredibly strong drugs when in reality the "patient" is merely experiencing psychic episodes

What do you think?

On a different subject I did ask the listeners to share their unexplained experiences with us at the show and on here if they choose so get in touch and I will attempt to give some explanation to those experiences

Look forward to hearing from you

Halloween

HOW TO SPOT A GHOSTLY PRESENCE ON HALLOWEEN

Sudden changes in temperature indicate a spirit is in the room – you may feel very hot or very cold
Headaches and feeling sick – both these things can indicate spiritual activity
Unexplained noises or movements of objects
You may feel someone touching you but be unable to see anyone
A bat is a sign that ghosts or spirits are very near. It’s also believed that if your candle goes out on Halloween you are in the presence of a ghost

HALLOWEEN MYTHS, TRADITIONS AND GAMES
Myths and traditions:
• It is said that if you hear someone's footsteps behind you on the Halloween night, do not turn back because it may be the dead following you. If you do look back you might join the dead very soon.
• Apples: if you place an apple under your pillow you will dream of your future husband
• Take a candle and look in the mirror while combing your hair and the image of your future husband will appear over your shoulder
• There is the old saying that "black cats are bad luck". It was once believed that black cats were the devil, or consumed by evil spirits.
• If you put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. At midnight you will see a witch in the sky.
• If you ring a bell on Halloween it will frighten evil spirits away.
• If a bat flies around your house three times on Halloween, death is very soon to come
• People used to believe if you walked around your house three times backwards before sunset on Halloween, it would take care of all evil.
If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you

Games
Apple bobbing - you can't have a Halloween party without bobbing for apples. It's easy – just float apples in a large bowel filled with water. The object of the game is to grab an apple in your mouth without using your hands.

Pumpkin Carving - a Halloween party isn't complete without pumpkins You'll need to buy enough for each of your friends. Then simply take out the guts of the pumpkins and carve them into spooky masterpieces!

Pin the Wart on the Witch - draw a witch on a large piece of paper and make enough witch's warts for all your friends. Then blindfold the players, spin them around three times or give them a drink or two and get them to pin the wart on the witch! The player who sticks the wart closest to the nose wins.

Indigo Children

Hi

Are these children extraordinarily special or are all children like this?
I truly believe that all children are born with a psychic ability which is innate in us all. This ability is "nurtured" out of us as we grow

Love to hear your comments
Watch this and post your comments please
Indigo children's immune system is several thousand times stronger than that of an average human being

Psychic Space-Clearers What Next!

Hi

The Independent newspapers' Brian Viner has today written an article on Haunting Breaks in The Feathers Hotel, Ludlow
It's factual, entertaining and amusing, but the part that particularly interested me is where he refers to "the experts' expert being consulted for her opinion on the paranormal status on the hotel. Not a problem apart from where she refers to herself as a "space clearer" and further explains the reason for the necessity to "space clear"
Apparently, in her opinion, many ghosts spend eons on their own due to the particular nature of their death and therefore require assistance to "move on" to join others
This is certainly not the first time that I have heard or read of this particular philosophy and in response would like to go on record as stating that I totally disagree with this
Am I the only psychic who thinks this way or are there any more of you out there?
DID I MISS THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASS OF PSYCHIC SCHOOL?
Obviously I would like to start a "heated debate" regarding this issue so come on SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE!

Scientific Experiments on Psychic Ability

Hi
Further to my post regarding The James Randi Challenge I happened apon the following article
Thought Mr. Randi would find it interesting ( at least in part)

Dr. Gary Schwartz continues life after death research
by Michael E. Tymn

In an exclusive interview with The Psychic Times, bestselling author and acclaimed scientist, Professor Gary Schwartz, reveals why his quest for the scientific evidence for life after death will never convince the sceptics

READ ON.............
In particular: "In fact, Schwartz has since done double-blind and even triple-blind studies (where the researcher, the medium, and the sitter were kept in the dark), but they have been equally unacceptable to the scientific fundamentalists."Based on my repeated observations of them and my experience with them, I would say that there is no experiment that I could even imagine designing that would convince them," Schwartz said. "Let's say, for example, that we design an experiment where the mediums are sequestered and locked in a room with no telephone or communication and we have them watched by security guards to be certain no one provides them with information from the outside. Well, then these sceptics will ask how we can be sure the guards weren't paid off by the mediums, how we can be sure the guards weren't involved in fraud. The truth is that if you are absolutely convinced that the phenomena can't be true, then no matter what experiment you design, you can always find some way in which there might be fraud. Therefore, you are going to dismiss it, or you're going to admit that you got it in that case but you want to see it replicated by other people. Then you want to see it replicated again, and it just goes on and on."

Dear oh dear oh dear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Society for psychical research

Hi
Although this blog contains various popular articles that I personally find interesting you may be surprised to know that I also keep as up to date as possible with all scientific views on what we psychics get up to!
To quote C.G.Jung "I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as a fraud."
I also have a great interest in philosphy and thought i'd post some intersting reading
For those that are interested please refer to the following list that are available from the SPR library:
History of psychical research
Collections and Analyses of Spontaneous Experiences
Dowsing
Experimental Psi
Healing
Mediums and Psychics
Near Death Experiences

Out of Body Experiences

Poltergeists

Precognition

Psi in Animals

Psi and Coincidences

Psi Photography

Psychokinesis

Reincarnation

Survival
SPR website
Any comments or issues for discussion about the above subjects please post

Is interest in the paranormal healthy?

Articles point to evidence of the increase in the interest of this subject so now more than ever I feel this question is pertinent
Well do you think that any interest in the paranormal is healthy?
In my experience I have met many individuals that have joined a haunting break event, for example, who are struggling deeply with the loss of a loved one
If their experience during the break has been a positive experience, i.e. they have made communication with a loved one then the break has been a success!
If they have not experienced any form of this type of communciation perhaps the event has not been so successful for them?
It is my opinion that this type of interest in the paranormal is unhealthy
Don't misunderstand me, I cannot apply this to all guests on an event as most join simply for the unusual experience!
Another example of an unhealthy attachment to the paranormal world, in my opinion, are the many hundreds of people that repeatedly attend psychic reading sessions with psychics/mediums for this same reason. They leave elated if they manage to make communication/they leave despondent if they don’t and some return again and again to repeat this sad form of self torture!
I guess the answer as to whether this particular avenue of interest is positive or negative depends on the success rates of the mediums involved to communicate with the loved one( I don’t have any stats on this but would hope that there is a balance somewhere)
I would suggest that the better approach to bereavement would be to seek counselling as well as attend psychic reading sessions
On a positive note I know many individuals who regularly read their "stars" and have the ability to ignore the bad news and become elated with any good news. I know many individuals and healers who subscribe to "Cosmic ordering". This is a life-style that they choose to commit to and they are guided as much by this process as they are by any other life-style influences
I know and have met many individuals who live their life according to the occult
All of these people lead happy, balanced, contented lives
Take a look at this article by Henri Broch, Professor University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France - it discusses the issues concerning Paranormal Phenomena and Zetetics(Zetetics is the "method used to penetrate the reason and the nature of things" (Littré). Taught since the Antiquity, Zetetics is in fact the nonacceptance of any dogmatic statement. In brief the method could be defined as the Art of Doubting)
In conclusion I am forced to comment that any interest in the paranormal is healthy. As with all interests one needs to approach the subject with an open balanced mind

Does being male or female have any effect on our psychic ability?

Hi
For all those listeners of "Now that's Wierd" and others of course, read on:
I suggest that psychic ability is developed by attaining a complete balance within the self
Obviously this impacts on our sexuality as with all other elements concerned with our being
The key to attainment of a natural balance between our physical and spiritual self is to train our brains to use both sides
There are those who will shout RUBBISH at this point and go away. For those of you still interested read on:
The left side is used for a logical and linear approach when concerned with understanding any topic
The right uses intuition, imagination
For example
For this discussion I suggest that the female has a natural ability to use personal intuition, to multi task etc.
I also suggest that the male is more logical and analytical in general
What we require to develop our innate psychic ability is that we encourage a melding of both approaches.
Extremely difficult as we are all products of nurture and nature but nevertheless, I believe possible to achieve
The key to balancing the use of each side of the brain is to practice meditationIf we take this discussion further we can see that the manner in which we approach any subject affects the outcome
If we are accepting of others, whether female or male traits and tendencies and are willing to absorb all information, before coming to any conclusions we are naturally opening ourselves up to possibility of everything, whatever the subject
This is not to say that we will eventually accept all information given to us and agree with it, it means that we are giving ourselves the opportunity to digest information and to take a balanced approach in deciding to accept or decline the info
Psychic ability is innate in us all whether male or female. No one person is better than the other. The first step towards using our psychic ability is to recognise it!
Believe me it's there ready to be awakened!
Get in touch with your psychic questions
Have you ever had a psychic experience or would you like to learn more about psychic ability?