AUTHOR'S NOTE: I admit to being tired of hearing mystics emote about the benevolent "spirit guides" who will unerringly steer them straight and therefore deserve their unquestioning trust. This assumption is tossed off casually as if everyone agrees that it's the most natural thing in the world: "My guides told me . . ." I've … Continue reading Spirit Guides and “Astral Mischief”
Practical Mysticism
The Occult Phenomenon of Invisibility: Anecdotal Tales of Mind Over Matter
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is more fanciful food-for-thought from my reading of parapsychologist Dean Radin's Supernormal. Back in my "hippie wannabe" days (when I was still too uptight in my suburban East-Coast mindset to qualify - as well as much too clean if what I saw in rural Vermont communes was sufficient proof), my younger brother … Continue reading The Occult Phenomenon of Invisibility: Anecdotal Tales of Mind Over Matter
Occult Knowledge: What’s the Use?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have a few less-meaty essays in my backlog of pending posts. This is one, and I will publish the others over the next couple of days. A fellow member of the r/occult sub-reddit community recently asked a particularly vexing question: "What do you people even do with occult knowledge?" This individual was … Continue reading Occult Knowledge: What’s the Use?
The Practical Mystic: Intelligence and Imagination in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some time ago I added a sub-category titled "Practical Mysticism" to the "Categories" drop-down menu on the sidebar. This feature was inspired by my reading of Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect and it was solidified by the observations of Dr. Dean Radin in Real Magic. I've written extensively in the past on the … Continue reading The Practical Mystic: Intelligence and Imagination in Tarot Reading
Tarot As Blunt Instrument
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm presently immersed in the study of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras as explained by parapsychologist Dean Radin in his book Supernormal, which I'm relating to my practice of divination in a series of essays. One of the first things that impressed me was that - without resorting to complex magical rituals or metaphysical "props" … Continue reading Tarot As Blunt Instrument
Seizing the Power of “Empowerment”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Empowerment" is one of the most common personal-growth buzzwords enlisted in the performance of divination. Nobody dares offer a prediction without at least mentioning it for fear of being branded a "fortune-teller." We nearly do back-flips trying to erase any hint of predestination from our readings (you know the shtick: the future isn't … Continue reading Seizing the Power of “Empowerment”
Mental Flatulence: Academics Behaving Badly
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm now into the second of two books that cover the experiments of parapsychologist Dr. Dean Radin in the field of paranormal activity. The impression I'm getting is that many scholars, theoreticians, educators and practitioners of conventional physics and psychology exhibit the noxious symptoms of mental flatulence when they try to justify why … Continue reading Mental Flatulence: Academics Behaving Badly
The Story of a Life: Past-Life Reading with the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A question occasionally arises in the online divination community regarding whether anyone has attempted to explore past lives with the tarot cards. I have a couple of existing spreads for this purpose, but I'm currently reading parapsychologist Dean Radin's book on yoga, Supernormal, in which he makes a case for reincarnation and past-life … Continue reading The Story of a Life: Past-Life Reading with the Tarot
“Enlightened” vs. “Renegade” Skepticism in Metaphysics
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was more than a little surprised at the intensity of religious fervor in the r/occult reddit community when the subject of Christianity came up in the form of trying to "awaken" someone from its less-credible mystical assertions. I didn't originate the thread, only observed it, so I didn't dare say a word … Continue reading “Enlightened” vs. “Renegade” Skepticism in Metaphysics
Dysfunctional Psionics: Reverse Telepathy, Thought-Bombing and Risky Jaunting
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My contemplation of the scientific experiments of Dr. Dean Radin in the subtle field of psionics (Real Magic, 2018) brought me back to one of my favorite fictional explorations of psychic ability. Think of it as a nightmare vision of an unlikely future. In his 1956 science-fiction novel The Stars My Destination,* Alfred … Continue reading Dysfunctional Psionics: Reverse Telepathy, Thought-Bombing and Risky Jaunting
