New Books and Media

From the publisher’s website: Did Steve Jobs have a vision of the afterlife on his death-bed? Does quantum physics suggest that our mind might survive the physical death of our body? How do some near-death experiencers 'see' outside of their bodies at a time when they are supposed to be dead? In Stop Worrying! There Probably is an Afterlife, author Greg Taylor covers all these questions and more. From Victorian séance rooms through to modern scientific laboratories, Taylor surveys the fascinating history of research into the survival of human consciousness, and returns with a stunning conclusion: that maybe we should stop worrying so much about death, because there probably is an afterlife.

Review by Tom Ruffles

From the publisher’s website: It began with a key. One afternoon in 1956, in the home of the Hitchings family in Battersea, south London, a small silver key appeared on Shirley Hitchings’ bed. This seemingly insignificant event heralded the beginning of one of the most terrifying, incredible and mysterious hauntings in British history. The spirit, who quickly became known as ‘Donald’, began to communicate, initially via tapping sounds, but over time – and with the encouragement of psychical researcher Harold Chibbett, whose case-files appear here – by learning to write. Soon, the spirit had begun to make simply incredible claims about his identity, insisting that he was one of the most famous figures in world history – but what was the truth? Here, for the first time, is the full story, told by the woman right at the heart of it all – Shirley herself.

Review by Tom Ruffles

From the publisher’s website: The essays in this volume 9 of a series inform readers of the present status of leading issues in parapsychology, or psi research. The authors are experts in their fields and have written in a reader-friendly way that captures the complexity and importance of their topics. Each essay comprehensively reviews a controversial topic from a critical stance, and updates its status based on the latest theoretical and empirical considerations. For readers who need to keep pace with the evolution of thinking in psi research, this volume is authoritative.

Contents:

Introduction: Science and Psi (Stanley Krippner, Adam J. Rock, Julie Beischel, Harris L. Friedman and Cheryl L. Fracasso)   

Tribute to Jule Eisenbud (Stephen E. Braude)   9

The Global Consciousness Project: Meaningful Patterns in Random Data (Roger D. Nelson)    

An Updated Review of Dream ESP Studies Conducted Since the Maimonides Dream ESP Program (Simon J. Sherwood and Chris A. Roe)    

A Comparative Approach to the Theory of Psychopraxia (Lance Storm)   

How Much Evidence Is Necessary to Define the Reality of a Phenomenon? Frequentist, Bayesian, and Quantum Modeling of Ganzfeld ESP (Patrizio E. Tressoldi)    

Operationalizing Psi-Conducive Altered States: Integrating Insights from Consciousness Studies into Parapsychology (Adam J. Rock, Harris L. Friedman and Graham A. Jamieson)    

Physiological Responses as Unconscious Measures of Psi (Edward Justin Modestino)   

Evidence of Psi in Energy Psychology "Surrogate" Treatments (David Feinstein)    

Expanding Psi Research: Toward Wider, Wiser, and More Humane Inquiry (William G. Braud)   

Haunted Farnham, by Peter Underwood From the publisher’s website: This fascinating collection reveals the dark side of Farnham’s history. This idyllic town has seen murders, betrayal and great battles, and these stories remain, trapped within its walls. President of The Ghost Club for thirty-three years, Peter Underwood has been called ‘a giant in psychical research’, and ‘the world’s leading ghost-hunter’. He has personally investigated hundreds of hauntings during his career, and brings his expertise to bear on his home county in this amazing selection of tales. The author explores Farnham's castle and many manor houses, as well as inviting us into his own home and investigating the paranormal occurrences he lived with for many years. The town’s pubs, castle, church, homes and shops are all included here, revealing some extraordinary encounters with the unexplained. With first-hand accounts and more than sixty photographs, this collection will enthral both residents and visitors alike

The Little Book of Ghosts, by Paul Adams From the publisher’s website: Compiled by paranormal historian Paul Adams, this spine-chilling book features intriguing, obscure, and strange trivia about all things that go bump in the night. Here you will find haunted houses and castles, parks and woods, highways and byways, phantom animals, royal ghosts, angry poltergeists and haunted objects. Also included are spooky séances and time slip ghosts, as well as some of the famous ghost-hunters themselves, including Harry Price, Elliott O’Donnell and R. Thurston Hopkins. Anyone curious enough to pick up this book will be terrified and enthralled and never short of some frivolous fact to enhance a conversation or quiz!

Review by Tom Ruffles

Ghosts of Edinburgh, by Rob Kirkup Paranormal Merseyside, by S. D. Tucker Supernatural Wales, by Alvin Nicholas Paranormal Devon, by Daniel Codd From the publisher’s website: Ghosts of Edinburgh: From the murderous cannibalism of Sawney Bean to the bodysnatching exploits of Burke and Hare, Edinburgh has seen its fair share of ghoulish happenings over the years. But does it truly deserve its reputation as one of Britain’s most haunted cities? Along with his fearless team of ‘spook seekers’, Rob Kirkup donned his ghost-hunting gear and took to the streets of Scotland’s capital to find out whether today’s visitors have anything to fear. Might one meet a foul-mouthed poltergeist beneath the South Bridge, or have a close encounter at Edinburgh Dungeon? Should one avoid Greyfriars Kirk at night, or keep their eyes peeled at Bedlam Theatre? From the disembodied voices of Cammo Estate to suspicious sounds at Mary King’s Close, the team really did see it all, and now’s your chance to join them on their quest. Using state-of-the-art paranormal detection equipment, and drawing on his extensive field experience, the author shows us why it’s worth keeping your wits about you in one of the world’s most terrifying cities.

Paranormal Merseyside: Join Steven Tucker on this unique exploration of the myths and legends, and the tales of the fantastic, that are supposed to have happened along the Mersey’s shores. Some are just stories; but others apparently have some kind of truth behind them, from pig-killing poltergeists, to tales of Spring-Heeled Jack, to the ‘great leprechaun invasion’ of 1964. Some are funny, and others are terrifying; claims that both Adolf Hitler and Jack the Ripper were one-time Liverpudlians are nothing more than attention-seeking urban legends. True or not, the tales speak of a population who are interested and engaged in the city and landscape around them. Unless you love a place, why both mythologising it? This book will not only deal with hauntings, UFO sightings and legends from the city of Liverpool itself, though; the surrounding towns and settlements, places like Widnes, Runcorn, St Helens, the Wirral, Frodsham, Rainhill, Southport, Formby, Newton-Le-Willows and Warrington are also included. Supernatural Wales: Wales is a land of ghosts and dark legends, strange animals and unexplained phenomena. From the Abergele Ghost Ship to the Witch Lakes of the Brecon Beacons, Alvin Nicholas takes the reader on a comprehensive A–Z tour.

Supernatural Wales is the definitive guide to Welsh ghosts, hauntings, monsters and mysteries. Here you will find haunted castles and manor houses, mountain spectres and ghost ships. Learn how to track mystery panthers, try your hand at ghost hunting and explore a land of lake monsters, sea serpents, vampires and werewolves. With well over 100 entries, Supernatural Wales covers everything from spooky secret passages to phantom armies and mystery light phenomena. Thoroughly researched, this book includes new information and first-hand research that will lead you to the heart of mysterious Wales. The book includes never before-published OS grid references so you can walk where ghosts walk and stand, if you dare, where disembodied voices are heard and where grim goblins, spectral horsemen and dogs of darkness appear. Sure to delight both armchair enthusiasts and serious researchers alike, Supernatural Wales is packed with fascinating stories and intriguing information that will compel readers to refer to this book again and again.

Paranormal Devon: Devon claims so many classic tales of the supernatural and paranormal: the beckoning White Lady of Berry Pomeroy Castle, the terrifying Whisht Hounds of Dartmoor, the notorious Hairy Hands that wrestle with driver’s steering wheels near Postbridge, and the melancholy story of Jay’s Grave near Widecombe-in-the-Moor to name but a few. But Devon is also a county where mysteries continue to surprise us. Author Daniel Codd has unearthed hundreds of strange tales, old and new, to capture the imagination and to sometimes even chill the blood. Could it really be that a lone Roman soldier’s ghost was spotted forty years ago on the fringes of Okehampton? Did a Hatherleigh man really see the Devil before murdering his wife in 1752? What was the shimmering white figure that stared at drivers from Hardwick Wood, Plympton? Have buildings and even people spontaneously combusted in Devon? Was a ghost actually photographed near Okehampton’s castle? And what to make of the physical encounters with pixies that recent history has presented us with? Not to mention the baffling reports of UFOs, wild men, prowling panthers, mermaids, sea creatures and even werewolves that have turned up in the county… Covering an area from the county’s northern coastline to its southern beaches, Paranormal Devon has been researched and compiled from archive sources, is fully up-to-date and includes many mysterious first-hand accounts and contributions from county folk. Most of all, these thought-provoking reports remind us that Devon, even in the twenty-first century, is still an extremely paranormal county.

Review by Tom Ruffles

A Brief Guide to Ghost Hunting leads the reader through the full process of ghost hunting as well as providing a full history of those that have carried out this activity. There has been an upsurge in books, television programmes, films and websites exploring the reality or otherwise of the spirit world. Not since the founding of The Ghost Club in 1862 and the Society for Psychical Research in 1882 has ghost hunting been so popular. Television and the internet, in particular, have fueled this new level of interest, creating a modern media phenomenon that spans the globe. But while the demand for information is high, good information remains scarce. A Brief Guide to Ghost Hunting leads us through the process of ghost hunting, from initially weighing the first report, to choosing equipment, and investigating and identifying the phenomena, with an analysis of the best places to go looking, methods of contacting the spirit world, how to explain paranormal activity and, crucially, how to survive the encounter. However, it is also a book about ghost hunting itself, drawing on 130 years of research in the cavernous archives of the Society for Psychical Research and even older history to find the earliest ghost stories. A Ghost Hunting Survey makes use of interviews with those billing themselves as ghost hunters to find out their views, motivations and experiences. New and original research makes use of statistics to map the nebulous world of apparitions while a Preliminary Survey of Hauntings offers an analysis of 923 reported phenomena from 263 locations across the UK. This is, as far as possible, an objective presentation of ghosts and ghost hunting. It is no wonder that mainstream science largely refuses to deal with the subject: it is too complicated. Without trying to convince you of any viewpoint, this book is intended to help you understand more.

From the publisher’s website: Sathya Sai Baba, one of India’s most famous Swamis, was one of the most enigmatic and remarkable religious figures in recent times. Millions followed him and accepted his claim of being a modern day Avatar – a God Man. Modern Miracles is the result of four decades of investigation into the apparently miraculous phenomena associated with Sai Baba. It expands upon earlier editions which were published in the 1980s under the titles Miracles are My Visiting Cards and Modern Miracles. There followed translations in 11 languages that resulted in 17 editions. The earlier editions were based on observations and investigations up to the early 1980s. Now, after 30 years and almost two years after the death of Sai Baba, it is time to sum up what has been learnt about this religious and spiritual figure who has had great influence on millions of people, and for whom no match can be found in modern times. The author, Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson, on whose painstaking investigations this book is based, has been a professor of psychology at the University of Iceland and is the author of numerous scientific publications. Unlike many academics he has never hesitated to study interesting phenomena first-hand, and his investigation into the psychic phenomena attributed to Sai Baba is no exception. Haraldsson made many first-hand observations of materializations and had nine face-to-face interviews with Sai Baba during 19 trips to India.

From the publisher: Can yoga and meditation unleash our inherent supernormal mental powers, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition? Is it really possible to perceive another person's thoughts and intentions? Influence objects with our minds? Envision future events? And is it possible that some of the superpowers described in ancient legends, science fiction, and comic books are actually real, and patiently waiting for us behind the scenes? Are we now poised for an evolutionary trigger to pull the switch and release our full potentials? Dean Radin, Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and bestselling author of The Conscious Universe, presents persuasive new experimental evidence for the existence of such phenomena. He takes us on a thrilling scientific journey and challenges outdated assumptions that these abilities are mere superstition. Focusing on Patanjali's mysterious Yoga Sutras -- 2,000 year-old meditation practices believed to release our extraordinary powers -- Radin offers powerful evidence confirming that sometimes fact is much stranger, spookier, and more wonderful than the wildest fiction.

From the publisher’s website: At once controversial and intriguing, Spiritualism has spread from the United States to become a global movement. Bringing together perspectives from within the movement and without, this unique collection treats readers to insights about Spiritualism's history, belief, and practice. Based on the belief that the dead can communicate with the living through mediums, Spiritualism touches concepts as timelessly fascinating as human mortality and the continuing existence of the soul beyond bodily death. This comprehensive work will help readers parse the mysteries of this uniquely American religion through three thematically organized volumes: Spiritualism in the U.S. and Globally, Evidence and Beliefs, and Cultural and Social Issues. Drawing on fields as diverse as psychology, sociology, religious studies, anthropology, history, ethnic and gender studies, literature, and art, this broad-based collection frames Spiritualism through the views of a team of international scholars. Among the many things that separate Spiritualism from mainstream religions is the involvement of women in central leadership roles. Such cultural and political elements of the movement are one aspect of this study. Of equal interest to believers and sceptics alike will be the work of scholars who have devoted themselves to examining the claim that communication through mediums proves the existence of life after death. Features: Documents Spiritualism's history as it grew from a small 19th-century movement in upstate New York to a global presence Takes an interdisciplinary approach that includes psychical research, as well as more traditional fields Discusses human experiences that have been documented across cultures and throughout history Explores the Spiritualist movement in nations as diverse as Italy, France, Australia, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

From the publisher’s website: For much of the twentieth century, unusual perceptions and sensations, radical alterations of consciousness, and other extraordinary subjective experiences were ignored as legitimate topics of study in mainstream psychology. Recent years, however, have witnessed a burgeoning interest in the scientific study of anomalous experiences, thanks in no small part to the impact of the first edition of this book, which was published in 2000. In this revised and thoroughly updated edition of their classic text, the editors have invited experts to provide definitive reviews and analyses of a wide range of anomalous experiences, from commonly documented sensations and perceptions like synesthesia, lucid dreaming, out-of-body experiences, and auditory and visual hallucinations, to rarer and more seemingly inexplicable experiences such as anomalous healing, past-lives, near-death, mystical experiences, and even alien abductions. While acknowledging the difficulty inherent in studying any subjective experience, the authors nonetheless provide, along with new research in neuroscience, comprehensive scientific coverage of each of these experiences, through its prevalence and etiology, phenomenology, aftereffects, any related psychopathology, theoretical explanations, and related clinical issues. An integrative summary chapter is a new feature of this edition. The book makes a compelling case for the inclusion of these marginalized and under-recognized experiences as not merely incidental, but essential to our understanding of human psychology.

From the publisher’s website: These essays are a glimpse of Breaking Convention: A Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness, which in 2011 brought together over 80 speakers and 600 delegates from 30 countries to Canterbury, UK to discuss these substances and their effects. Psychedelic consciousness is a personally meaningful experience that can bring us into contact with the unknowable, help repair fragmented minds and increase our wellbeing. However, psychedelic plants and other substances have been globally prohibited for over half a century with little regard for their spiritual, therapeutic and recreational use throughout human history. The prohibition of psychedelic ‘drugs’ has limited the exploration of consciousness and the healing potential of psychedelics. Yet, in the last two decades, a door has opened allowing legal medical and therapeutic research on psychedelics to resume. This opening has allowed other scholars to become increasingly bold in stating their interest in psychedelic substances. The authors of this book represent the vanguard of the second golden age of psychedelic research. It is our hope that this volume will motivate a new generation of thinkers to stand up to the taboo that has been placed on psychedelics and bring these plants and chemicals into the light of reasoned discussion. This edition is unavailable in the USA. For further information visit: http://strangeattractor.co.uk/books/breaking-convention/

From the publisher’s website: Why understanding what we term ‘paranormal’ is of fundamental importance to comprehending the world we live in. Footsteps echoing from the past, objects moving of their own volition, near death experiences, displacements in time, memories from the future, UFO sightings, synchronicities ... this book is a collection of remarkable experiences from the Isle of Purbeck. It visits nearly 70 sites and has contributions from over a hundred local people. Most of the first-hand accounts have never been published before, suggesting that the ‘paranormal’ is more commonplace than we generally suppose and is perceived intuitively, depending on the right combination of circumstances. The author challenges fixed opinions and beliefs, offering detailed personal experiences from a small geographical area and arguing that we need a fundamental reappraisal of how we view the world. Anyone with a thirst for mysteries and a desire to extend the frontiers of human knowledge will be gripped. David Leadbetter has lived in Swanage most of his life, where he worked at a local school teaching English to foreign students and administering examinations. David’s fascination for the paranormal started as a boy when he learned about some of his family’s experiences and began to read books on the subject. He has been studying the paranormal for a number of years and is particularly interested in how it connects with certain aspects of science and the metaphysical core at the heart of some religious experience. David believes that by understanding the paranormal, our insights into this world and what may lie beyond will grow. Go here for more information on Paranormal Purbeck and Roving Press. 

Review by Tom Ruffles