Carolyn Boyes - Psychic Powers (Collins Gem)

What do we mean by psychic powers?

Psychic powers are powers that cannot be explained by the laws of the physical Universe alone. These include extrasensory abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition, as well as applied powers that are beyond our current ability to explain, for example, astral projection, mediumship and telekinesis.

These kinds of powers are controversial. Many people doubt they even exist, and others devote time to proving they are the work of fraudsters and charlatans. However, equally, many people believe that there are such things as the paranormal and psi phenomena, psychic abilities, magic, and esoteric knowledge that we do not yet understand scientifically but can learn. According to metaphysics a branch of philosophy that seeks to understand all aspects of the world there is more to the Universe than we can detect through our normal five senses. This physical Universe is just part of a much bigger Universe.

About this book

Collins Gem Psychic Powers lays out the most common theories about the psychic cosmos. These are fundamental to developing any latent psychic talents of your own.

It is intended to be useful as a general reference and an explanation of the breadth and depth of the psychic powers you may come across.

The book is also a practical guide to developing psychic powers. It is structured so that you will have learnt the basics before you try out more advanced techniques. It explores different types of psychic ability: what they are and how you might develop them.

There are many different psychic talents. As with any skill, you may find that you have a particular aptitude for one ability rather than another. Some abilities take practice, others you are born with. Use the book to experiment with different techniques and discover your unique combination of talents.

Throughout the history of mankind there have been those who claimed supernatural powers: the power to predict the future or to converse with the spirits. Early man was in no doubt that his ancestors were alive after death and still had powers that could affect the living, so he practised ancestor worship, including spirit communication.

Consulting the spirits was part of all the great early civilisations. The ancient Greeks, Chinese and Romans all practised divination and consulted oracles as a way of asking for spirit guidance, while mediumship also played an important part in early Christianity. But the Middle Ages put an end to open displays of mediumship in the Western world. In the fourth century, the Christian Council of Nicaea proclaimed that mediums and sorcerers were the servants of the Devil, and Gods guidance should only be sought through priests. As a result, those who practiced the psychic arts were accused of being witches under the Popes decree of 1484, and they were ordered to be put to death.

Spiritualism

In the 1800s in Europe and America a widespread interest in spirit communication came to the fore once more. The forerunners of the modern interest in psychic phenomena were two movements in the nineteenth century: Mesmerism and Spiritualism. Franz Anton Mesmer (17341815) was the inventor of Mesmerism, the forerunner of hypnosis (invented by James Braid, 17951860). He was the first person in the Victorian Age to formulate a theory about mind overruling matter. He showed that the power of suggestion could have an extraordinary effect on the body. His techniques awakened interest in America and Britain in the idea of non-physical powers. Famous British writers such as Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bront and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were all interested in Mesmers phenomena. Mesmerism became popular in Europe and America, but soon it was overtaken by a new fashion for contacting the dead, called Spiritualism.

Modern Spiritualism began in 1848 in America, when sisters Margaretta and Catherine Fox of Hydesville, New York State, established communication with a spirit who was responsible for noisy rapping sounds within the family home. The case garnered great publicity and brought the idea of spirit communication and mediumship into the open once again. By the middle of the century, the new Spiritualism movement had two million followers. In America, and in Britain (from 1852), home sances became popular, and many former followers of Mesmer became mediums.

Early on, Spiritualism mainly consisted of physical demonstrations of spirit communication, such as table-rapping and table-tilting or turning. Soon, other ways of proving spirit existence, such as spirit photography, became popular and many mediums took to the stage, taking Spiritualism to a public audience.

Research

Spiritualism was taken very seriously by a number of scientists in the nineteenth century. Several societies were set up to investigate aspects of Spiritualism. These included The British National Association of Spiritualists (1873) now the College of Psychic Science and the Society for Psychical Research (1882).

A key work of this time was The Scientific Aspect of the Supernatural in 1866, a scientific investigation of the alleged powers of clairvoyants and mediums, written by Alfred Russel Wallace, (18231913), whose work on the theory of evolution predated Darwins. He was also a key proponent of the new spirit photography.

Another key figure was Sir Oliver Lodge (18511940), a British physicist who was the first man to transmit a radio signal. A committed Spiritualist and Christian, he was the president of the Society for Psychical Research. He investigated psychic phenomena with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of A History of Spiritualism (1926).

Occult groups

A number of occult groups were set up in the nineteenth century, some of which survive to this day. They were influenced by Spiritualism, Egyptian magic, medieval grimoires, the Tarot and Eastern mysticism. The cabbala (also spelt Kabbalah and Qabbalah), the ancient Jewish esoteric tradition, was a particular influence. It has roots that go back about 4,000 years and provides a model or cosmology of the invisible Universe as well as a guide to the rules of the Universe and methods for expanding personal esoteric consciousness.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was set up in 1888 by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (18541918). The group claimed many influential members including W B Yeats, and became highly influential on the Western Mystery tradition. Notable among its adherents have been the occultists Aleister Crowley (18751947) and Dion Fortune (18911946).

The geography of the Universe

The nature of the psychic cosmos is not so far provable by normal scientific means. However, there are remarkably similar traditions of theories about its nature that have been passed down in the worlds secret and esoteric traditions, including Gnosticism, the Kabbalah, Sufism, Neo-Platonism, Tantra and Theosophy.