Merkabah

[Skarekrow]

In keeping with that last story…it isn’t too often that you see a real Vampire hunting kit!

Heirloom Vampire Hunter Toolset: CHEAP!

Trouble with leeches in your neighborhood?
Whether you’re facing off against ruthless predators shepherding humanity to its doom, or needy drama queens,1 the folks at Sterling Associates, Inc. gotcha covered.

On the block is a 19th century European vampire hunting kit in a wood coffin box.
It’s pretty darned big, being more than five foot long and a foot tall, but this sucker is comprehensive.2
If you kill one of those creepy vampire kids, it makes hauling the body away easy!

The expected sale price is around $7,000, or 18 BTC, for a shotgun, hand axe, artisan wooden stakes, handsome vials full of garlic and holy water, vintage crucifixes perfect for accenting any parlor or mausoleum, and so much more!

The auctioneer’s hammer falls this Wednesday the 22nd at Sterling Associates, Inc in Closter, NJ. If you’re nowhere near the great Garden State, join the fun online!

“Be Prepared” — The Boy Scouts

Garlic, holy water, OREGANO!??!

It says “Transylvania”, it must be legit!

“Stick around” *THUNK*


Now that’s Craftsman quality, made long before Sears hired the Chinese to make their tools.

​

Too rich for your blood?
Here are a few tried-and-true methods for protecting oneself from the sucking dead.

• Never invite anyone into your home. Vampires can’t cross the threshhold if you don’t willingly invite them in, so be careful using Tinder, Skype, and Facebook.
• Running away from a vampire? Running water is your friend, since running water represents purity. Being anathema to vampires, they will not cross it. In a pinch, just leave the hose running outside your house.
• Nothing more repellent to the living dead than profound faith. Whether it’s a crucifix, star of David, hammer and sickle,3 as long as the values they represent resonate with you, a vampire will be kept at bay. If you believe children are our future, keep one nearby. And even if you don’t, keep a kid handy to distract your pursuer with a quick snack.
• Make your own stakes! Rummage around in your basement or garage, most likely there’s an old Louisville Slugger mouldering in a corner. With patience and sandpaper, you can make your own wooden stake.
• Whether it’s a humid day with triple digit temperatures, or facing down Dracula in his haven, a Super Soaker full of holy water is instant death for any vampire. If you happen to be clergy, your urine is automatically considered holy water. Ain’t no shame pissing yourself if it’s gonna save your life.

 

[muir]

Johannes the Vampire Slayer and the Reluctant Revenants​

“There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they exist. Even had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for sane peoples” – Bram Stoker


Did you say “Flückinger”? I’m out of here.

Vampire slaying is a rough and tumble business.
Many are called, but few are chosen, and while times may often have looked tough for new recruits in Sunnydale, consider what you might face if you were the designated 18thCentury Imperial Hapsburg monster hunter just a hop, skip, and a jump west of the Carpathians (ancestral haunt of Vlad Dracula and unsurprisingly, Vigo the Carpathian), in what is modern day Serbia.

The 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz ended both the Ottoman-Venetian War (1714-1718) and the Austro-Turkish War (1716-1718) by ceding Ottoman controlled Serbia and northern Bosnia to the Austrian Hapsburg Empire.

Serbia was in rotten shape, heavily depopulated and devastated by two years of war, but the Austrians determined to solve the problem by encouraging immigration of Serbian settlers, particularly those from nearby territories still held by the Ottomans, with land grants in exchange for militia service as an enticement.

As the Hapsburgs tried to re-establish economically viable communities and displaced Serbians began resettling the area, a new problem emerged.

Vampires.

18th Century Serbia was infested with the bloodsuckers.
As the inheritors of the Holy Roman Empire, the Hapsburg monarchy probably figured they had enough theological weight to deal with the issue, which were it to persist, would likely impact real estate values in the Balkans, thus they sent in their appointed vampire slayer, Dr. Johannes Flückinger, Surgeon Major to the Regiment of Furstemburch of the Hapsburg Imperial Army, without even the benefit of a secret identity.

Flückinger arrived at the epicenter of the vampire plague centered in Madveiga, Serbia in 1732, and his adventures are particularly well documented due to the scrupulous official reports he submitted to the Honorable Supreme Command of the Imperial Austrian Army in Vienna, and through diligent investigation and forensic examination, identified patient zero as the undead Arnold Paole (Arnont Paule), a Serbian soldier and hadjuk (a Balkan version of Robin Hood), and as reluctant a revenant as one might ever wish to encounter.

Paole’s non-vampiric career, that he himself reportedly described prior to his unfortunate demise in 1725 involved being stalked and bitten by a Turkish vampire in Gossowa.

Aware as he was of the standard Serbian folkloric prophylactic measures against becoming a vampire once bitten, Paole undertook to scarf down some of the dirt from the offending vampire’s grave and give himself a thorough rubdown in its blood, thenceforth believing he had effectively countered the vampire contagion.

Given that the traditional etiology of the Balkan vampire was that those bitten by a vampire would not themselves become vampires until after they expired, Paole could never be sure that his impromptu decontamination efforts did the trick, and as it turns out it appears they did not, since by most accounts he rose from the dead.

There was no record of the Paole case until Flückinger arrived and documented the origins of the 1732 vampire infestation, tracing it back to Paole’s death seven years earlier.

The Paole affair had been investigated by a local administrative official, and after four more, apparently vampire-related deaths, locals exhumed Paole (and the four additional victims) and performed the requisite stakings and burnings without recourse to higher authorities on the matter.

It was nonetheless common knowledge, openly shared by villagers with Johannes Flückinger.

The well authenticated story of Arnold Paole has frequently been told.
It is vouched for in a document signed in 1732 by three army surgeons, a lieutenant-colonel and a sub-lieutenant, whose joint endorsement should be accepted without question.

Arnold confessed to his young wife that, while abroad, he had been bitten by a vampire.
This, according to the accepted creed, doomed him to become a vampire after death.

He died young, and was accorded – perhaps unwisely – a decent burial.
He then began to haunt the countryside, and those who saw him showed signs of anemia, fell into a decline, and subsequently died.

The military authorities investigated, and exhumed the body of Arnold which had been buried forty days.
The corpse had moved to one side of the coffin, and fresh blood had trickled from its moist lips.

In order to “play safe” and satisfy the insistent demand for entertainment by overwrought villagers, the military authorities drove a stake through the heart, and then burned the body.

This would unquestionably have put an end to the trouble if it had not been for the fact that the unfortunate victims who had been bitten by the ghost of Arnold had themselves become vampires and continued their nocturnal activities until their corpses had been disposed of in a similar manner (Still, 1950, p129).

In 1731, yet another vampire infestation erupted in Madveiga, Serbia and a military doctor named Glaser (the nearest Imperial infectious disease specialist) stationed in a nearby town, was brought in to make inquiries at the request of the local military commander.

Glaser reported a total of thirteen deaths in six weeks, without evidence of previous illness and a rapid decline unto death within days. Some of the victims reported having eaten meat from livestock bitten by vampires (which many said were originally attacked by Paole – who never really wanted to be a vampire in the first place) or having rubbed vampire blood on themselves as a protective measure.

By the time Flückinger arrived on scene in January 1732, seventeen deaths had occurred, but Glaser had thrown up his hands and suggested that it was malnutrition, as he could find no indication of an incipient epidemic of the natural variety.

Glaser filed a report with his superiors suggesting that the Imperial Army fulfill the local request to “execute” the suspected vampire corpses, if for no other reason than to assure the local population that the authorities had things under control.

Austrian Vice-Commandant Botta d’Adorno in Belgrade, upon receiving the report from Glaser did not like the sound of things.
He “sent in the wolf”, which in this case was Johannes Flückinger to open up a can of “whoop-ass” on either the Serbian settlers or the vampires, whoever was more deserving.

Flückinger was thorough.
He did his research and detailed the origins and progression of vampire attacks in Madveiga, compiling a detailed report, witnessed by several other military officials, including autopsies of the suspected corpses for the army command (a portion of which is excerpted below).

Medreyga in Hungary, Jan. 7, 1732. Upon a current Report, that in the Village of Medreyga certain dead Bodies (called here Vampyres) had kill’d several Persons, by sucking out all their Blood, the present Enquiry was made by the honourable Commander in Chief; and Capt. Gofcbutz of the Company of Stallater, the Hadnagi Bariacraf, and the Senior Heyduke of the Village were severally examined; who unanimously declared that about five Years ago a certain Heyduke, named Arnold Paul, was kill’d by the Overturning of a Cart Load of Hay, who in his Life-time was often heard to say, he had been tormented near Caschow, and upon the Borders of Turkish Servia, by a Vampyre; and that to extricate himself, he had eaten some of the Earth of the Vampire’s Graves, and rubb’d himself with their Blood.

That 20 or 30 Days after the Decease of the said Arnold Paul, several Persons complain’d that they were tormented, and that, in short, he had taken away the Lives of four Persons.

In order, therefore, to put a Stop to such a Calamity, the Inhabitants of the Place, after having consulted their Hardnagi, caused the Body of the said Arnold Paul to be taken up, 40 Days after he had been dead, and found the same to be fresh and free from all Manner of Corruption; that he bled at the Nose, Mouth and Ears, as pure and florid Blood as ever was seen; and that his Shroud and Winding-Sheet were all over bloody ; and lastly his Finger and Toe Nails were fallen off and new ones grown in their Room.

As They observed from all these Circumstances, that he was a Vampyre, They according to Custom drove a Stake through his Heart; at which he gave a horrid Groan, and lost a great deal of Blood.

Afterwards They burnt his Body to Ashes the same Day, and threw them into his Grave.
These good Men say farther, that all such as have been tormented, or kill’d by Vampyres, become Vampyres when they are dead; and therefore They served several other dead Bodies as They had done Arnold Paul’s, for tormenting the Living.

Signed, Batruer, first Lieutenant of the Regiment of Alexander; Flückinger, Surgeon Major to the Regiment of Furstemburch; three other Surgeons; Gurfchitz, Captain at Stallath (D’Anvers, 1732, p120-122).

Flückinger concluded that the corpses he examined were das Vampyrenstand(“in a vampiric condition”), enlisted the help of local Gypsies, beheading the bodies, burning them, scattering the ashes in a river, and re-intering the headless bodies in fresh graves, effectively ending the vampire reign of terror in Madveiga.

The investigative and historical quality of both Glaser and Flückinger’s reports was such that the case garnered enormous amounts of attention throughout Europe, sparking a debate about whether the dead could rise, and what the nature of vampires was.

In 1731, seven years after these events, seventeen persons died in the village near about one time.
The memory of the unlucky Arnold recurred to the villagers; the vampyre theory was again appealed; he was believed to have dealt with the seventeen as he had previously dealt with the four; and they were therefore disinterred, the heads cut off, the hearts staked, the bodies burned, and the ashes dispersed.

One supposition was that Arnold had vampyrised some cattle, that the seventeen villagers had eaten of the beef, and had fallen victims in consequence.

This affair attracted much attention at the time. Louis the XV directed the Ambassador at Vienna to make inquiries in the matter.

Many of the witnesses attested on oath that the disinterred bodies were full of blood, and exhibited few of the usual symptoms of death – indications which the believers in vampyres stoutly maintained to be always present in such cases.

This has induced many physicians to think that real cases of catalepsy or trance were mixed up with the popular belief, and were supplemented by a large allowance of epidemic fanaticism (Clark, 1873, p248-249).

Even the King of France, Louis XV (1710-1774) caught wind of the happenings in Serbia and requested his ministers obtain copies of the Glaser and Flückinger assessments, presumably passing them own to his own royal monster hunters as important reference material.

In a newspaper published in the reign of Louis XV there appeared an announcement to the effect that Arnold Paul, a native of Madveiga, being crushed to death by a wagon and buried, had since become a vampire, and that he had been previously bitten by one.

The authorities being informed of the terror his visits were occasioning, and several people having died with all the symptoms of vampirism, his grave was opened; and although he had been dead forty days his body was like that of a very full-blooded, living man.

Following the mode of exorcism traditionally observed on such occasions, a stake was driven into the corpse, whereupon it uttered a frightful cry—half human and half animal; after which its head was cut off, and trunk and head burned.

Four other bodies which had died from the consequences of the bites, and which were found in the same perfectly healthy condition, were served in a similar manner; and it was hoped these vigorous measures would end the mischief.

But no such thing; cases of deaths from the same cause—i.e., loss of blood—still continued, and five years afterwards became so rife that the authorities were compelled to take the matter up for the second time.

On this occasion the graves of many people, of all ages and both sexes, were opened, and the bodies of all those suspected of plaguing the living by their nocturnal visits were found in the vampire state—full almost to overflowing with blood, and free from every symptom of death.

On their being served in the same manner as the corpse of Arnold Paul the epidemic of vampirism ceased, and no more cases of it have since been reported as occurring in that district.

A rumour of these proceedings reaching the ears of Louis XV, he at once ordered his Minister at Vienna to report upon them. This was done.

The documents forwarded to the King (and which are still in existence) give a detailed account of all the occurrences to which I have referred.

They bear the date of June 7, 1732, and are signed and witnessed by three surgeons and several other persons (O’Donnell, 1912, p134-135).

The incidents in Medveiga were discussed in the learned academies of the time, with even the pious and well-known Benedictine monk Antoine Augustin Calmet (1672-1757) authoring an entire well-received treatise on the “Apparitions of spirits and vampires, or ghosts of Hungary, Moravia “.

Contemporary reviewers of Calmet’s work describe his efforts in an idiom that modern anomalists can appreciate, saying “The learned Germans got up dissertations on vampires and vampirism: the French press did the same: the most moderate (among whom was Dom. Calmet himself) did not dare wholly to deny the possibility of the reappearance of deceased persons; though they inclined to discharge the devil from the imputation of creating vampires.

The Doctors of the Sorbonne commended the work of Dom. Calmet for avoiding two rocks, equally fatal, said they, on the subject of reappearances—that of vain credulity, on the one hand, that of dangerous phyrhonism, on the other.

It should seem, therefore, that he concluded, somewhat like Dr. Johnson, “Why, Sir, all testimony is for it; and all argument is against it” (Cabinet of Curiosities, 1824, p167).

Calmet ultimately equivocated on whether vampires were real or not, but pointed out that the Serbian infestation had certainly engendered some problematic medical and spiritual questions.

A little before he says, that in 1732 they discovered again some vampires in Hungary, Moravia, and Turkish Serbia; that this phenomenon is too well averred for it to be doubted; that several German physicians have composed pretty thick volumes in Latin and German on this matter; that the Germanic Academies and Universities still resound with the names of Arnold Paul, of Stanoska, daughter of Sovitzo, and of the Heyducq Millo, all famous vampires of the quarter of Medreiga, in Hungary (Calmet, 1850, p55).

So well known and well documented was the 18th Century Serbian rash of vampires that even notable French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) included a discussion of the subject in his memoirs.

But indeed it is a known, registered and well established fact!
Do you doubt it? . . .

Read Don Calmet’s Traitt des apparitions, vol ii. pp. 41; you will find a record signed by the hadnagi Barriavar and the ancient hei’duques; further by Battiw, first lieutenant of the regiment of Alexander of Wurtemberg; by Clercktinger, surgeon-major of the Fiirstenberg regiment; by three other surgeons of the company and by Goltchitz, captain at Slottats, stating that in the year 1730, a month after the death of a certain heiduque, who lived in Medreiga, named Arnold-Paul, who had been crushed by the fall of a hay waggon, four people died suddenly, and, from the nature of their death, according to the traditions of the country, it was evident that they had been the victims of vampirism; they then called to mind that, during his life, this Amold-Paul had often related how, in the neighbourhood of Cossova, on the Turko-Servian frontier, he had been worried by a Turkish vampire,

—for they too hold the belief that those who have been passive vampires during their lives become active vampires after their death,

—but that he had found a cure in the eating of earth from the vampire’s grave, and in rubbing himself with its blood, precautions which did not prevent him from becoming a vampire after his death; for, four persons having died, they thought the deed was due to him, and they exhumed his body forty days after his burial: he was quite recognisable, and his body bore the colour of life; his hair, his nails and his beard had grown;

his veins were filled with a bloody fluid, which exuded from all parts of his body upon the shroud in which he was wrapped round: the hadnagi, or bailiff of the place, in the presence of those who performed the act of exhumation, and who was a man experienced in cases of vampirism, caused a very sharp stake to be driven through the heart of the said Arnold-Paul, after the usual custom, piercing his body through and through, a frightful cry escaping from his lips, as though he were alive;

this act accomplished, they cut off his head, burned him to ashes, and did the same with the corpses of the four or five other victims of vampirism, lest they, in their turn, should cause the deaths of others; but none of these precautions prevented the same wonders from being renewed, five years later, about the year 1735, when seventeen people, belonging to the same village, died from vampirism, some without any previous illness, others after having languished two or three days;

among others a young person, named Stranoska, daughter of the heiduque Jeronitzo, went to bed in perfect health, waked up in the middle of the night, trembling all over, uttering fearful shrieks, and saying that the son of the heiduque Millo, who had died nine weeks before, had tried to strangle her during her sleep; she languished from that instant, and died in three days’ time: since what she had said of the son of Millo led them to suspect him of being a vampire, they exhumed him, and found him in a state which left no doubt of the fact of vampirism;

they discovered, in short, after prolonged investigation, that the defunct Arnold-Paul had not only killed the four persons already referred to, but also many animals, of which fresh vampires, and particularly Millo’s son, had eaten; on this evidence, they decided to disinter all who had died since a certain date, and among about forty corpses they discovered seventeen which bore evident signs of vampirism; so they pierced their hearts, cut off their heads, then burnt them and threw their bodies into the river (Dumas, 1907, p289-299).

Interestingly, 19th Century scholars, with acute hindsight, were not so nearly as open to the possibility that the dead might walk, as the men on scene investigating and actively slaying vampires in the 18th Century.

The Dublin Inquisitor (a gentleman’s Literary magazine), concluded in 1821 that considerations such as those of the French philosopher and writer Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens (1704-1771), who mused about the odd events in Serbia at length, to be an utter waste of time, despite the voluminous official testimony surrounding the case.

The Marquis D’Argens, from one of whose Jewish Letters we have taken the foregoing extract, copied it from the Mercure Historique et Politique, Oct. 1736, p. 403 to 41 J, and has wasted several pages of erudition and subtle argument in endeavoring to account on probable grounds for such extraordinary appearances.

He however acknowledges, that he is ashamed to spend so much time in exposing the delusion of the witnesses, who could place their signatures to a document so totally incredible; and after expressing his opinion that it would be ridiculous to give credit to such stories, however well attested, he overturns their possibility by a regular dilemma.

We cannot, however, imitate his example, as we think it unnecessary to present to our readers a refutation of facts which would startle the most credulous and most ignorant peasant (The Dublin Inquisitor, 1821, p260).

The Dublin Inquisitor elected not to undertake a “refutation of the facts”. This is a shame, in that we are unable to make fun of them on a more comprehensive basis, as while the Marquis D’Argens no doubt was aware of the Serbian vampires, widely detailed in the French press, D’Argens Jewish Letters was actually a work of fictional correspondence between two invented rabbis.

In essence, they would have, at length, been proving that a fictional account was indeed fictional.
Sneering skeptics and wonder-impaired rationalists often point to the presence in the popular consciousness of the anomalistic as a refutation of the strange or sinister.

Writers imagined aliens, spaceships, and intelligent life on other planets long before our modern flying saucers started appearing, thus our sudden awareness that the “truth might be out there” must be attributable to our easily-influenced little brains, internalizing a common meme and projecting it onto the universe.

Vampires don’t exist, simply because in the vapid world of logical positivism, they can’t.

Thus, unsung heroes like Johannes Flückinger never wind up receiving the credit they deserve for fighting back the darkness, and keeping the world safe for mere mortals.

Flückinger was an ordinary surgeon, who when faced with the living dead, put on his big girl panties and commenced slaying.
Would that we could all be so brave when the monsters come, but perhaps there is hope for us, for as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer”.

References
Calmet, Augustin, 1672-1757. The Phantom World: Or, The Philosophy of Spirits, Apparitions, &c. London: R. Bentley, 1850.
Clark, Daniel, 1835-1912. Pen Photographs of Celebrated Men And Noted Places, Ghosts And Their Relations, Tales, Sketches, Essays, Etc., Etc.: a New Canadian Work. Toronto: Flint, Morton, 1873.
Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870. My Memoirs. London: Methuen & co, 1907.
O’Donnell, Elliott, 1872-1965. Werwolves. London: Methuen, 1912.
Still, Alfred, 1869-. Borderlands of Science. New York: Philosophical Library, 1950.
The Dublin Inquisitor. “Vampirism”. Dublin:: Published by C.P. Archer, Dame Street., 1821.
D’Anvers, Caleb. “Untitled Article on Vampirism”. The Craftsman, no. 307 (May 20). Eds. Caleb d’Anvers, of Gray’s-Inn, esq., Henry St. John, viscount Bolingbroke, W. Pulteney, afterwards earl of Bath, and others. London: Printed for R. Franklin, 1732.
The Cabinet of Curiosities: Or, Wonders of the World Displayed, Forming a Repository of Whatever Is Remarkable In the Regions of Nature And Art, Extraordinary Events, And Eccentric Biography. London: Printed for J. Limbird, 1824.

Very interesting!

Some archaeologists in Bulgaria recently exhumed some graves where the bodies had stakes driven through their hearts

They've been found in other european countries in that region too

 

[muir]

have you ever seent he film 'brotherhood of the wolf?'

You might like it

[video=youtube;D7DTv2uBA7I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7DTv2uBA7I[/video]

 

[Skarekrow]

have you ever seent he film 'brotherhood of the wolf?'

You might like it

[video=youtube;D7DTv2uBA7I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7DTv2uBA7I[/video]

I have seen that!! Great French film!

 

[Skarekrow]

Because this needs to be watched again and for the first time if you have never seen it…and because it is lost in the archives of this thread…somewhere…
Enjoy!

"Science and the Taboo of Psi" with Dean Radin

[video=youtube_share;qw_O9Qiwqew]http://youtu.be/qw_O9Qiwqew[/video]

ABSTRACT

Do telepathy, clairvoyance and other "psi" abilities exist?
The majority of the general population believes that they do, and yet fewer than one percent of mainstream academic institutions have any faculty known for their interest in these frequently reported experiences.

Why is a topic of enduring and widespread interest met with such resounding silence in academia?
The answer is not due to a lack of scientific evidence, or even to a lack of scientific interest, but rather involves a taboo.
I will discuss the nature of this taboo, some of the empirical evidence and critical responses, and speculate on the implications.

Speaker: Dean Radin
Dean Radin is a researcher and author in the field of parapsychology.
He is Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and four-time former President of the Parapsychological Association.

He holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a masters degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He has worked at AT&T Bell Labs and GTE Labs, mainly on human factors of advanced telecommunications products and services, and held appointments at Princeton University, Edinburgh University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, SRI International, Interval Research Corporation, and Boundary Institute.

At these facilities he was engaged in basic research on exceptional human capacities, principally psi phenomena.​

 

[Kgal]

One of the more credible NDE experiencers.

[video=youtube;sTU7MfOgDKM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sTU7MfOgDKM[/video]

Ian McCormack - NDE - former atheist - near death experience


Ian was night diving off the island of Mauritius when he was stung multiple times by Box Jellyfish, which are among the most venomous creatures in the world.

Ian is not 100% sure which species of Box Jelllyfish that stung him as it has been very hard to find info from Mauritius on them. Ian suffered as a child from allergies and had to take antihistamines on a regular basis as even a mosquito bite would cause him to swell up, so his reaction to these jellyfish stings was very bad.

His testimony relates how he clung to life while getting to hospital, was declared clinically dead soon afterwards, and how during this time he had an encounter with God, which radically changed the direction of his life.​

I tell you....I'm glad I didn't need that kind of "irrefutable truth" to get me to see the light. LOL....holy crap!

 

[Kgal]

Have you seen this yet?

[h=1]THAT SETTLES IT: HERE’S OVER A HUNDRED PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS ON TELEPATHY, PSI AND ESP![/h]
http://thespiritscience.net/2014/06...r-reviewed-journals-on-telepathy-psi-and-esp/

 

[Skarekrow]

Have you seen this yet?

THAT SETTLES IT: HERE’S OVER A HUNDRED PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS ON TELEPATHY, PSI AND ESP!


http://thespiritscience.net/2014/06...r-reviewed-journals-on-telepathy-psi-and-esp/

This is a really nice list...



I’ve seen many wave their fist in the air and shout, “Show me the evidence!”.
In less dramatic cases a student might be genuinely curious and open-minded, but unsure where to begin to find reliable evidence about psi & telepathy.

Google knows all and sees all, but it doesn’t know how to interpret or evaluate what it knows (at least not yet).

In the past, my response to the “show me”challenge has been to encourage the interested party to check out a variety of different sources and subjects.
Whether it’s giving the titles of a few books to read, point to the bibliographies in those books, and advise the person to do their homework.

I still think that this is the best approach for a beginner tackling a complex topic.
If you want to learn something, stop at nothing to learn it: and learn it well.

But given the growing expectation that information on virtually any topic ought to be available online within 60 seconds, traditional methods of scholarship are disappearing fast.
So I’ve found a page on the Noetics Institue Website all about PSI and Telepathy, and I’ve assembled the list here for you to delve into.

What you’ll find amongst all of these papers is astounding, and there are literally PDF’s all over the place for you to check out and download, all related to PSI and PSI-Related topics.

They are all published in peer-reviewed journals.
Most of these papers were published after the year 2000.

Most report experimental studies or meta-analyses of classes of experiments.

The term psi denotes anomalous processes of information or energy transfer, processes such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms.

The term is purely descriptive: It neither implies that such anomalous phenomena are paranormal nor connotes anything about their underlying mechanisms.

(Daryl Bem and Charles Honorton in Psychological Bulletin, 1994)​

Healing at a Distance

• Astin et al (2000). The Efficacy of “Distant Healing”: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials (Download PDF)
• Leibovici (2001). Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial (Download PDF)
• Krucoff et al (2001). Integrative noetic therapies as adjuncts to percutaneous intervention during unstable coronary syndromes: Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Training (MANTRA) feasibility pilot (Download PDF)
• Radin et al (2004). Possible effects of healing intention on cell cultures and truly random events (Download PDF)
• Krucoff et al (2005). Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: the Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study (Download PDF)
• Benson et al (2006). Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients (Download PDF)
• Masters & Spielmans (2007). Prayer and Health: Review, Meta-Analysis, and Research Agenda (Download PDF)
• Radin et al (2008). Compassionate intention as a therapeutic intervention by partners of cancer patients: Effects of distant intention on the patients’ autonomic nervous system (Download PDF)
• Schlitz et al (2012). Distant healing of surgical wounds: An exploratory study. (Download PDF)

Physiological Correlations at a Distance

• Duane & Behrendt (1965). Extrasensory electroencephalographic induction between identical twins (Download PDF)
• Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al (1994). The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox in the Brain: The transferred potential (Download PDF)
• Wiseman & Schlitz (1997). Experimenter effects and the remote detection of staring (Download PDF)
• Standish et al (2003). Evidence of correlated functional magnetic resonance imaging signals between distant human brains (Download PDF)
• Wackermann et al (2003). Correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects (Download PDF)
• Schmidt et al (2004). Distant intentionality and the feeling of being stared at: Two meta-analyses (Download PDF)
• Radin (2004). Event related EEG correlations between isolated human subjects (Download PDF)
• Standish et al (2004). Electroencephalographic Evidence of Correlated Event-Related Signals Between the Brains of Spatially and Sensory Isolated Human Subjects (Download PDF)
• Achterberg et al (2005). Evidence for Correlations Between Distant Intentionality and Brain Function in Recipients: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis (Download PDF)
• Radin (2005). The sense of being stared at: A preliminary meta-analysis (Download PDF)
• Radin & Schlitz (2005). Gut feelings, intuition, and emotions: An exploratory study (Download PDF)
• Schlitz et al (2006). Of two minds: Skeptic-proponent collaboration within parapsychology (Download PDF)
• Moulton & Kosslyn (2008). Using Neuroimaging to Resolve the Psi Debate (Download PDF)
• Ambach (2008). Correlations between the EEGs of two spatially separated subjects: a replication study (Download PDF)
• Hinterberger (2010). Searching for neuronal markers of psi: A summary of three studies measuring electrophysiology in distant participants (Download PDF)
• Schmidt (2012). Can We Help Just by Good Intentions? A Meta-Analysis of Experiments on Distant Intention Effects (Download PDF)
• Jensen & Parker (2012). Entangled in the womb? A pilot study on the possible physiological connectedness between identical twins with different embryonic backgrounds (Download PDF)
• Jensen & Parker (2013). Further possible physiological connectedness between identical twins: The London study (Download PDF)

Telepathy & ESP

• Targ & Puthoff (1974). Information transmission under conditions of sensory shielding (Download PDF)
• Puthoff & Targ (1976). A perceptual channel for information transfer over kilometer distance: Historical perspective and recent research (Download PDF)
• Eisenberg & Donderi (1979). Telepathic transfer of emotional information in humans (Download PDF)
• Bem & Honorton (1994). Does psi exist? (Download PDF)
• Hyman (1994). Anomaly or artifact? Comments on Bem and Honorton (Download PDF)
• Bem (1994). Response to Hyman (Download PDF)
• Milton & Wiseman (1999). Does Psi Exist? Lack of Replication of an Anomalous Process of Information Transfer (Download PDF)
• Storm & Ertel (2001). Does Psi Exist? Comments on Milton and Wiseman’s (1999) Meta-Analysis of Ganzfeld Research (Download PDF)
• Milton & Wiseman (2001). Does Psi Exist? Reply to Storm and Ertel (2001) (Download PDF)
• Sherwood & Roe (2003). A Review of Dream ESP Studies Conducted Since the Maimonides Dream ESP Programme (Download PDF)
• Delgado-Romero & Howard (2005). Finding and Correcting Flawed Research Literatures (Download PDF)
• Hastings (2007). Comment on Delgado-Romero and Howard (Download PDF)
• Radin (2007). Finding Or Imagining Flawed Research? (Download PDF)
• Storm et al (2010). Meta-Analysis of Free-Response Studies, 1992—2008: Assessing the Noise Reduction Model in Parapsychology (Download PDF)
• Storm et al (2010). A Meta-Analysis With Nothing to Hide: Reply to Hyman (2010) (Download PDF)
• Tressoldi (2011). Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence: the case of non-local perception, a classical and Bayesian review of evidences (Download PDF)
• Tressoldi et al (2011). Mental Connection at Distance: Useful for Solving Difficult Tasks? (Download PDF)
• Williams (2011). Revisiting the Ganzfeld ESP Debate: A Basic Review and Assessment (Download PDF)
• Rouder et al (2013). A Bayes Factor Meta-Analysis of Recent Extrasensory Perception Experiments: Comment on Storm, Tressoldi, and Di Risio (2010) (Download PDF)
• Storm et al (2013). Testing the Storm et al. (2010) Meta-Analysis Using Bayesian and Frequentist Approaches: Reply to Rouder et al. (2013) (Download PDF)

General Overviews & Critiques

• Utts (1996). An assessment of the evidence for psychic functioning (Download PDF)
• Alcock (2003). Give the Null Hypothesis a Chance (Download PDF)
• Parker & Brusewitz (2003). A Compendium of the Evidence for Psi (Download PDF)
• Carter (2010). Heads I lose, tails you win (Download PDF)

Survival of Consciousness

• van Lommel et al (2001). Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands (Download PDF)
• van Lommel (2006). Near-death experience, consciousness, and the brain (Download PDF)
• Beischel & Schwartz (2007). Anomalous information reception by research mediums demonstrated using a novel triple-blind protocol (Download PDF)
• Greyson (2010). Seeing Dead People Not Known to Have Died: “Peak in Darien” Experiences (Download PDF)
• Kelly (2010). Some Directions for Mediumship Research (Download PDF)
• Kelly & Arcangel (2011). An Investigation of Mediums Who Claim to Give Information About Deceased Persons (Download PDF)
• Nahm et al (2011). Terminal lucidity: A review and a case collection (Download PDF)
• Facco & Agrillo (2012). Near-death experiences between science and prejudice (Download PDF)
• Matlock (2012). Bibliography of reincarnation resources online (articles and books, all downloadable)(Download PDF)

Precognition & Presentiment

• Honorton & Ferrari (1989). “Future telling”: A meta-analysis of forced-choice precognition experiments, 1935-1987 (Download PDF)
• Spottiswoode & May (2003). Skin Conductance Prestimulus Response: Analyses, Artifacts, and a Pilot Study (Download PDF)
• Radin (2004). Electrodermal presentiments of future emotions (Download PDF)
• McCraty et al (2004). Electrophysiological Evidence of Intuition: Part 1. The Surprising Role of the Heart (Download PDF)
• McCraty et al (2004). Electrophysiological Evidence of Intuition: Part 2. A System-Wide Process? (Download PDF)
• Radin & Lobach (2007). Toward understanding the placebo effect: Investigating a possible retrocausal factor (Download PDF)
• Radin & Borges (2009). Intuition through time: What does the seer see? (Download PDF)
• Bem (2011). Feeling the Future: Experimental Evidence for Anomalous Retroactive Influences on Cognition and Affect (Download PDF)
• Bem et al (2011). Must Psychologists Change the Way They Analyze Their Data? (Download PDF)
• Bierman (2011). Anomalous Switching of the Bi-Stable Percept of a Necker Cube: A Preliminary Study (Download PDF)
• Radin et al (2011). Electrocortical activity prior to unpredictable stimuli in meditators and non-meditators (Download PDF)
• Radin (2011). Predicting the Unpredictable: 75 Years of Experimental Evidence (Download PDF)
• Tressoldi et al (2011). Let Your Eyes Predict : Prediction Accuracy of Pupillary Responses to Random Alerting and Neutral Sounds (Download PDF)
• Galek et al (2012). Correcting the Past: Failures to Replicate Psi (Download PDF)
• Mossbridge et al (2012). Predictive physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli: a meta-analysis (Download PDF)

Theory

• Josephson & Pallikari-Viras (1991). Biological Utilisation of Quantum NonLocality (Download PDF)
• May et al (1995). Decision augmentation theory: Towards a model of anomalous mental phenomena (Download PDF)
• Houtkooper (2002). Arguing for an Observational Theory of Paranormal Phenomena (Download PDF)
• Bierman (2003). Does Consciousness Collapse the Wave-Packet? (Download PDF)
• Dunne & Jahn (2005). Consciousness, information, and living systems (Download PDF)
• Henry (2005). The mental universe (Download PDF)
• Hiley & Pylkkanen (2005). Can Mind Affect Matter Via Active Information? (Download PDF)
• Lucadou et al (2007). Synchronistic Phenomena as Entanglement Correlations in Generalized Quantum Theory (Download PDF)
• Rietdijk (2007). Four-Dimensional Physics, Nonlocal Coherence, and Paranormal Phenomena (Download PDF)
• Bierman (2010). Consciousness induced restoration of time symmetry (CIRTS ): A psychophysical theoretical perspective (Download PDF)
• Tressoldi et al (2010). Extrasensory perception and quantum models of cognition (Download PDF)
• Tressoldi (2012). Replication unreliability in psychology: elusive phenomena or “elusive” statistical power? (Download PDF)

Mind-Matter Interaction

• Crookes (1874). Researches in the phenomena of spiritualism (Download PDF)
• Crookes (1874). Notes of séances with DDH (Download PDF)
• Jahn (1982). The persistent paradox of psychic phenomena: An engineering perspective (Download PDF)
• Radin & Nelson (1989). Evidence for Consciousness-Related Anomalies in Random Physical Systems (Download PDF)
• Radin & Ferrari (1991). Effects of Consciousness on the Fall of Dice: A Meta-Analysis (Download PDF)
• Nelson et al (2002). Correlations of continuous random data with major world events (Download PDF)
• Crawford et al (2003). Alterations in Random Event Measures Associated with a Healing Practice (Download PDF)
• Freedman et al (2003). Effects of Frontal Lobe Lesions on Intentionality and Random Physical Phenomena (Download PDF)
• Bosch et al (2006). Examining Psychokinesis: The Interaction of Human Intention With Random Number Generators–A Meta-Analysis (Download PDF)
• Radin et al (2006). Reexamining psychokinesis: Commentary on the Bösch, Steinkamp and Boller meta-analysis (Download PDF)
• Radin (2006). Experiments testing models of mind-matter interaction (Download PDF)
• Radin (2008). Testing nonlocal observation as a source of intuitive knowledge (Download PDF)
• Nelson & Bancel (2011). Effects of mass consciousness: Changes in random data during global events (Download PDF)
• Radin et al (2012). Consciousness and the double-slit interference pattern: Six experiments (Download PDF)
• Shiah & Radin (2013). Metaphysics of the tea ceremony: A randomized trial investigating the roles of intention and belief on mood while drinking tea (Download PDF)

Potential Applications

• Carpenter (2011). Laboratory Psi Effects May Be Put to Practical Use: Two Pilot Studies (Download PDF)
• Schwartz (1980/2000). Location and reconstruction of a Byzantine structure… [by remote viewing] (Download PDF)

Books

Radin (1997). The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena
Radin (2006). Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality
Irwin & Watt (2007). An Introduction to Parapsychology
Mayer (2008). Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind
Kelly et al (2009). Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century
Tart (2009). The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together
Carter (2010). Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death
Van Lommel (2011). Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience
Alexander (2012). Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife
Carpenter (2012). First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life
Carter (2012). Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall of the House of Skeptics
Targ (2012). The Reality of ESP: A Physicist’s Proof of Psychic Abilities
Radin (2013). Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities

Websites with access to articles

Daryl Bem: Click here »
Brian Josephson: Click here »
Edwin May: Click here »
Stephan Schwartz: Click here »
Rupert Sheldrake: Click here »
James Spottiswoode: Click here »
Charles Tart: Click here »
Russell Targ: Click here »
Patrizio Tressoldi: Click here »
Jessica Utts: Click here »
Richard Wiseman: Click here »
Journal of Scientific Exploration: Click here »
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory: Click here or here »
Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia: Click here »

 

[Skarekrow]

Psychic Parrot

[video=youtube;2UX4d2nb7yU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2UX4d2nb7yU[/video]

Rupert Sheldrake and his experiments on the psychic bond between animal and human.​

 

[Skarekrow]

 

[cvp12gh5]

I took these pictures 2 weeks ago. There have been claims of ghost activity in this town and I wanted to check it out for myself. I believe in the possibility of ghosts or whatever one might choose to call it, but I have an even stronger belief in over-active imaginations. Therefore, I decided to do my own investigating.

This picture was taken in between a church and its rectory while heading back to cemetery (located behind the rectory).





The church dates back to the early 1800's and is known for activity. The cemetery dates back to the 1600's. This was a random shot but the orb up and to the left stands out. I looked to see if there was any light or moon that could have caused it, but nothing. Completely black, only trees. I didn't get shots of the cemetery due to a camera malfunction. It was making a loud winding noise that continued until I left. As I proceeded to walk away, the camera started to work. I turned and took another shot (below).

Look at the cross, go up and to the left. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I'm beginning to think something followed me home. I'm still trying to rationalize these happenings and not sure what to make of them.


This is a house built in the early 1700's. It is known to be haunted. Orb action.



View attachment 22298





I focused in on that window due to reports of high activity coming from that room.

 

[Skarekrow]

I took these pictures 2 weeks ago. There have been claims of ghost activity in this town and I wanted to check it out for myself. I believe in the possibility of ghosts or whatever one might choose to call it, but I have an even stronger belief in over-active imaginations. Therefore, I decided to do my own investigating.

This picture was taken in between a church and its rectory while heading back to cemetery (located behind the rectory).

View attachment 22294

Close up.
View attachment 22295

The church dates back to the early 1800's and is known for activity. The cemetery dates back to the 1600's. This was a random shot but the orb up and to the left stands out. I looked to see if there was any light or moon that could have caused it, but nothing. Completely black, only trees. I didn't get shots of the cemetery due to a camera malfunction. It was making a loud winding noise that continued until I left. As I proceeded to walk away, the camera started to work. I turned and took another shot (below).

Look at the cross, go up and to the left. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I'm beginning to think something followed me home. I'm still trying to rationalize these happenings and not sure what to make of them.
View attachment 22296

This is a house built in the early 1700's. It is known to be haunted. Orb action.

View attachment 22297

View attachment 22298

View attachment 22299

View attachment 22300

Great post!
What is very interesting about the idea of orbs being the shape of our “souls” is that people who have had NDEs often speak of becoming a ball of light, or shrink down to a small spot.
There is always the chance of it being dust on the lens, but I don’t believe that is always the case either.

As for there actually being ghosts or not, that is mostly a personally subjective thing.
I for one believe because I have had experiences since I was a child of things moving (sometimes violently) on their own accord.
This could also be due to PSI phenomena…but we have pretty good evidence that there is something there (ghosts).
Especially the end of life visits that are quite often made…millions of people around the world have had what they believe was a goodbye visit when a close family member, friend, lover, etc. dies.
What is more astonishing is how that person in many instances knows they have passed even before the other person is found dead.
I think eventually someone will get some really good evidence that is very difficult to explain away by materialist science.
Thanks for sharing your pictures…if you think you have an attachment…there are things you can do to end it.
The easiest and what works best in most cases is to state out loud that no matter their intentions, they are not welcome and to leave, and mentally will them away at the same time.
Unless it is a particularly powerful spirit, most I believe will go when told.

 

[cvp12gh5]

Great post!
What is very interesting about the idea of orbs being the shape of our “souls” is that people who have had NDEs often speak of becoming a ball of light, or shrink down to a small spot.
There is always the chance of it being dust on the lens, but I don’t believe that is always the case either.

As for there actually being ghosts or not, that is mostly a personally subjective thing.
I for one believe because I have had experiences since I was a child of things moving (sometimes violently) on their own accord.
This could also be due to PSI phenomena…but we have pretty good evidence that there is something there (ghosts).
Especially the end of life visits that are quite often made…millions of people around the world have had what they believe was a goodbye visit when a close family member, friend, lover, etc. dies.
What is more astonishing is how that person in many instances knows they have passed even before the other person is found dead.
I think eventually someone will get some really good evidence that is very difficult to explain away by materialist science.
Thanks for sharing your pictures…if you think you have an attachment…there are things you can do to end it.
The easiest and what works best in most cases is to state out loud that no matter their intentions, they are not welcome and to leave, and mentally will them away at the same time.
Unless it is a particularly powerful spirit, most I believe will go when told.

Thanks. I am going to try that advice. Since my outing, I have had the feeling of being watched in my home. Hairs standing up on the back of my neck feeling. I have been jolted out of a deep sleep by something touching me and feeling something stand over me. Nothing visible to the eye. After going back to sleep, I was again awoken by a loud crash. When I went to investigate, I saw one of the pictures on my wall was on the floor. It was 3:15am. This happened 3 times, 3 separate nights, 3 different pictures, all between 3am-3:30am.

Last night I was lying in bed and I thought I saw something crawling across my floor. It was the size of a child, crotched down, moving towards my bed. I jumped up to see what it was. Nothing there.

While sitting in my living room, I heard a "hello". This happen twice. I couldn't tell if the voice was male or female.

I don't scare easily, but I am concerned. I know a little boy died out front of the church I mentioned and it is said that his spirit haunts the grounds. I hope he is still there for my sake.

 

[Skarekrow]

Thanks. I am going to try that advice. Since my outing, I have had the feeling of being watched in my home. Hairs standing up on the back of my neck feeling. I have been jolted out of a deep sleep by something touching me and feeling something stand over me. Nothing visible to the eye. After going back to sleep, I was again awoken by a loud crash. When I went to investigate, I saw one of the pictures on my wall was on the floor. It was 3:15am. This happened 3 times, 3 separate nights, 3 different pictures, all between 3am-3:30am.

Last night I was lying in bed and I thought I saw something crawling across my floor. It was the size of a child, crotched down, moving towards my bed. I jumped up to see what it was. Nothing there.

While sitting in my living room, I heard a "hello". This happen twice. I couldn't tell if the voice was male or female.

I don't scare easily, but I am concerned. I know a little boy died out front of the church I mentioned and it is said that his spirit haunts the grounds. I hope he is still there for my sake.

I would say that is some pretty significant activity.
Here is a link on some basic space cleansing - http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/articles/psychic-insight/mediumship/cleansing-your-home-unwanted
There is a ton of information besides that if you look.
The imitation of a child by a negative spirit is not unheard of…just be aware.
I believe that we can control most spirits…or at least limit them by our own will.
I think there is kind of a set of rules that has to be followed by them.
Let me know what happens!

 

[Skarekrow]

The production value on this one is pretty sad…but the narrator makes me laugh with his “witty” commentary…lol.

"Shadows: Perceptions of Near-Death Experiencers"


[video=youtube;HR0x57aMv-k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HR0x57aMv-k[/video]


Shadows: Perceptions of Near-Death Experiencers
An original NDE documentary by Norman Van Rooy
Duration 43 minutes.​

 

[Skarekrow]

This is a very fascinating talk by Dr. Sam Parnia!!

[video=vimeo;11302423]http://vimeo.com/11302423[/video]

Dr Sam Parnia: Near Death Experiences During Cardiac Arrest


Date: 23/3/10
Speaker: Dr Sam Parnia
Title: Near Death Experiences During Cardiac Arrest

One of the subjects that has both captivated and eluded humankind throughout time is the mystery of what happens when we die. Although traditionally a subject for philosophical or theological debate, scientific progress has begun to shed light on both the physiological as well as cognitive processes such as near death experiences that take place during clinical death. Dr. Sam Parnia, author of What Happens When We Die, chronicles the history and development of the study of cardiac arrest as well as near death experiences. At the same time, he will introduce the novel method he and his colleagues have devised to study the phenomenon of consciousness and the human mind at the end of life, which they hope will finally enable science to resolve the mystery of near death experiences.

One of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death experiences, Dr. Sam Parnia spends his time between hospitals in the United Kingdom and Cornell University in New York, where he is a Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Founder of the Human Consciousness Project and Horizon Research Foundation, he has published extensively and presented his work at scientific institutions across the country. His groundbreaking research has been featured on the Discovery Channel documentary, The Day I Died.​

 

[Skarekrow]

MUST WATCH!!

This guy is so interesting to listen to…enjoy!

Prof. Bahram Elahi, M.D. presents a terse summary of the innovative and universal approach to spirituality founded by his father, Ostad Elahi (1895-1974).

Presentation of what he has termed "natural spirituality."

( @apemon @Kgal @solongotgon you might find this particularly interesting!)

The soul and the conscious self- a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

[video=vimeo;71210329]http://vimeo.com/71210329[/video]

The purpose of our existence-- a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

[video=vimeo;71208639]http://vimeo.com/71208639[/video]

Self-knowledge and Perfection: a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD



[video=vimeo;19907993]http://vimeo.com/19907993[/video]

 

[Skarekrow]

"Sound reason": a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

[video=vimeo;35910648]http://vimeo.com/35910648[/video]

Spiritual superioritism - by Profesor Bahram Elahi - MD




[video=vimeo;54686450]http://vimeo.com/54686450[/video]

A few fundamental principles-- a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

[video=vimeo;71209866]http://vimeo.com/71209866[/video]

 

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Ostad Elahi & Descartes:

​

Philosophy, the Science of Spirituality and the Medicine of the Soul

A lecture by Dr. Elie During, Professor of Philosophy, University of Paris X, Nanterres

Introduction

A vast metaphysical movement marks and justifies the proximity and somewhat surprising commonality between the philosophies of these two thinkers, the quadricentennial of one coming within a year of coinciding with the centennial of the other.

In reality, the philosophy that Ostad Elahi calls natural spirituality and ethics is indissociable from the metaphysical concept of spiritual realism, the principle proponent of which has historically been Descartes.

But as we shall see, the alignment of these two philosophies is only possible if we reconsider our notion of the conception of reality and, in particular, a thing (res).

Separated by the span of three centuries, what do these thinkers share in common aside from being philosophers?
Ostad Elahi was an exceptional jurist, musician, and mystic, whereas Descartes was a mathematician and a scientist of the highest order.

What I will emphasize here is the philosophical dimension of these two figures who emerge from different traditional frameworks despite their intellectual similarities.

The philosophers and authorities that Ostad Elahi implicitly refers to are Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus on one hand, and Avicenna, Suhrawardi, and Mulla Sadra on the other.

At the same time, Ostad Elahi's system of thought is remarkably closer to Leibniz than that of Descartes.
In reality, Ostad Elahi is not a Cartesian in the strict sense of the term, as no traces of Cartesian doctrines or philosophical movements can be found in his thinking.

If we now speak of the "Cartesian mind," however, which is the theme of this symposium, it is not irrational to compare Descartes and Ostad Elahi, for we can observe Descartes' mentality and approach in Ostad Elahi's thought, and can clearly state that Ostad Elahi's philosophy encompasses that of Descartes without necessarily being categorized as part of that philosophy.

Therefore, the similarity of their thoughts is not based on the commonality of specific doctrinal points, but rather in their philosophical orientations, which is to say the commonality in their community of interests.

The objective is to allude to a certain affinity between two philosophical minds that converge on the task of "setting forth a universal science that will elevate the true nature of humanity to the highest level of perfection."

Descartes once considered this phrase for the title of a book that he ultimately called Metaphysical Meditations.
Once we broach the subject of the nature of human beings and their perfection, we are essentially concerned with the soul, the soul by itself and the embodied soul.

Thus, we have to investigate this matter further if we are not to limit ourselves to generalities.
In so doing, the intellectual differences and similarities will become apparent and the two perspectives will be drawn closer together while highlighting their commonalities.

The Soul

Ostad Elahi does not at all pose the question of life, meaning the animation of a body that has the potential for life, for this question has already been resolved by the basharic or "terrestrial" soul (a human-animal endowed with life).

By definition, the body is endowed with life, a basic and self-evident concept.
The body is a material shell animated with life by the terrestrial (human-animal) soul.

The main question here is what happens to the celestial soul, which according to tradition has been endowed with the divine breath and unites with the body.

This "trialism" (one body, two souls) of Ostad Elahi refutes with greater clarity than Descartes the old philosophical notion of the communication of substances, for in reality everything takes shape through the combination of two souls with equal spiritual natures.

The difficulty arises when we hypothetically assume the union of these three substances.
The issue is no longer to understand how seemingly independent and separate substances can communicate with one other, but rather how these elements are modified based on rational exchanges that constitute the foundation of every ethical and spiritual life.

The goal of a theory of the soul is to elucidate the interplay of these elements, the "fusion" that takes place in a spiritual space and in which events, destinies, and processes can be explained philosophically in a manner not unlike that of anatomists or physicians.

In a sense, what is at issue here is the meaning of an embodied life, and in Descartes' as in Ostad Elahi's thought it is the issue of passions that transforms the false problem of unification into a true ethical and spiritual problem.

A Spiritual Position

Let us assume in this article that the Cartesian position is clear to everyone; the comparison that we will engage is often implicit, and we will refer to Ostad Elahi more so than Descartes.

In Ostad Elahi's thought, everything is directed toward attributing meaning to the mechanism of passions within the framework of the soul's theory of perfection.

But how exactly does it work?
I can only briefly describe the spiritual position that Ostad Elahi constructs within that realm of union.

In doing so, the terms that we will elaborate upon are the following:

The self of the ordinary consciousness, which emerges at the interface between the body and the soul, or between the human-animal soul and the celestial soul; it constitutes the true or metaphysical self.

The imperious self, which lacks a substantive existence, engenders a lack of equilibrium and projects an image of immoderate animal instincts onto the soul (that which Descartes called "inclination").

Spiritual willpower or the power of the soul, which combines with "celestial reason" (Descartes called it reflexive will combined with reason).

These two spiritual components comprise the foundation for the regulation and proper use of passions, and are considered the very heart of ethics; in their actualized state, Ostad Elahi refers to them as "sincerity" (or a "sincere and resolute will,") whereas Descartes' refers to them as "generosity."

Of course, it would be absurd to consider these two concepts as purely identical.


​

At the heart of this spiritual position lies the imperious self and the struggles, power plays, pressures, and counterpressures that revolve around it.

As for asceticism and its consequences, Ostad Elahi constantly reminds us that we should not weaken the body or the imperious self, but rather seek to strengthen the soul so that it can always counterbalance and equalize the advances of the imperious self.

The Fundamental Process: An Osmotic Relationship

How can we integrate this unification of body and soul with a spiritual goal?
How can we comprehend the destiny of the soul in relation to this union?

Of course, in addition to the aforementioned topics (the celestial soul, the terrestrial soul, and the imperious self), Ostad Elahi also invokes other characteristics by discussing types of souls, spiritual aptitudes, and degrees of maturity; pathology (functional impairments, spiritual illnesses); and physiology, in the same way that these are understood in the science of medicine—in other words, as a theory of the natural functioning of the union of body and soul.

Whereas Descartes proposes a mechanical model for regulating the passions (the use of force, pressure, and counterpressures), Ostad Elahi presents a biological and medical model based on the principle of osmosis in which it is as if there were an osmotic membrane between the body and the soul that regulates the exchanges from one substance to another.

Here, it is the soul (or in other words, transcendent willpower and celestial reason) that controls the sensitivity of this osmotic membrane in order to establish a balanced relationship between the ingress and egress of the substances.

Moreover, it is through the proper development of this osmotic relationship that the purpose of this body-soul union becomes apparent in relation to the general process of perfection.

In this sense, Ostad Elahi's original theory on union appears stronger.
I will summarize the meaning of this theory in a few sentences.

In its original state, the celestial soul is pure.
Ostad Elahi explains that if we were to compare the divine to a boundless ocean, the celestial soul would be the equivalent of pure or distilled water.

This water, however, does not have the same rich composition of the divine ocean, and it has only been given the opportunity to acquire the "quality" of the ocean through successive sojourns in human lives (and through its fusion with the physical body).

This interaction is made possible because the constitutive elements of these "qualities" are found in excessive amounts in the human body.

In reality, the process of perfection consists in transferring these excessive elements in the human-animal to the celestial soul in the correct proportions.

At the culmination of this process, the soul's nature becomes identical to that of the divine ocean and truly becomes a drop of water therein, returning to its origin.

To avoid any misunderstanding, however, that may result from a naive comprehension of this metaphor, it should be said that when we speak of the body, we are in fact talking about the human-animal or terrestrial soul.

This is why the qualities and influences that the soul seeks in its merger with the body are psychological in nature. ("Traces" and "effects" should not be considered in their medieval sense as "impressions of species.")

In this medicine of the soul, ethics are based less on a clear understanding of moral laws than on the work of one's willpower, which leads to the strengthening of the soul in its control over the processes of the body-soul union.

But the ultimate goal of this union and the osmotic relationship that occurs in this process is the transfiguration of the soul, such that its qualities culminate in those of the divine.

Therefore, the "divination of man," to quote Plato, is realized through the alchemy of this union, a form of distillation through which the soul can extract the essence that it needs to acquire this divine quality from the body and thus from matter itself.

The theological import of this theory should be properly assessed, for it would not be an exaggeration to state that it revolutionizes all the traditional models of descension, incarnation, and purification of the soul.

The embodiment of the soul is not intended for it to realize powers that it previously had, but rather the soul must realize the transmutation of its own substance through the measured assessment and refinement of the material body in order to cultivate the extraordinary powers within it.

Conclusion

Ostad Elahi sets forth the idea of a philosopher-physician more clearly than Descartes himself, who admitted that he sought to speak "neither as an orator nor as a moral philosopher, but as a physicist."

According to Ostad Elahi, natural spirituality is the medicine of the soul.
But that is because the soul is a thing.

Descartes was heavily criticized for explicitly stating this point and using the expression res cogitans (a thinking thing).
Yet it is only in this way that it becomes possible to explore the topic, topology, and typology of the soul.

In its most general sense, what is a thing if not the quality associated with the scope of its dimension?
This dimension, however, can either be ideal or—according to the precise sense in which Suhrawardi or Mulla Sadra consider the word—imaginal.

Therefore, we must say that the soul is a thing: a spiritual thing, an imaginal thing.
It is a multiplicity that is realized through union with the body, endowed with parts, constituent elements, and a complete structure that is in contact with the environment.

The possibility of a spiritual realism that does not reduce the soul to a bone or an immaterial substance that merely serves as an ethereal double of the body appears to be the most profound issue that emerges in the parallel study of Descartes and Ostad Elahi.

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[Kgal]

"Sound reason": a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

[video=vimeo;35910648]http://vimeo.com/35910648[/video]

Spiritual superioritism - by Profesor Bahram Elahi - MD


A few fundamental principles-- a lecture by Bahram Elahi, MD

I agreed with most of what he was saying until until his final statement. I do not agree with his idea we must fight against our imperious self (tha which I call the ego). Nope...he's got it wrong there. Our imperious egoic self has been beaten and traumatized for most of it's life so far.... fighting it or resisting it will only keep it there where it is right now. In fact - it will make it stronger. That's why the "will power alone" mantra quoted for a hundred years doesn't work for us addicts. [wink]

The best teachings are based upon compassion and understanding. I am witnessing hundreds of people undergo significant transformations of themselves once they adopt this perspective...and I'm seeing them change their worlds too... by unconditionally loving their imperious egoic self.

Truly.
Scouts honor(holds hand over heart) :love: