Just listened to the Whitley Strieber 'Coast' interview with one of my fave mainstream journalists, George Knapp. Discussed was 'The Key,' which I got when it first came out. It bothered my quite a bit at the time, and I haven't read it since.
Knapp had what is the best theory of who 'The Master Of The Key' really was (beyond simply being a Canadian who doesn't pay taxes): a future iteration of Strieber himself, visiting from the future.
This makes some sense; critics of 'The Key' have noticed how internally inconsistent it is, logically and philosophically. This mirrors Strieber's unique dialectic, which attempts to arrive at truths by allowing diametrically opposed arguments (many of which are demonstrably "wrong") to achieve some sort of synthesis.
I should probably re-read "The Key," particularly because I bought the mangled first edition, which may have been altered and censored. But while it may be better than other esoteric books out there, I'm not convinced that it's the profound revelation that Whitley thinks it is (though I'm open to being convinced).
One thing he said, however, makes me want to go back and re-read 'The Key': the 'Master' says that our 'souls' have a physical composition, and there are spiritual predators that 'harvest' the physical product of these souls, and use this physical product to construct intelligent machines.
This is, of course, the same conclusion that Nick Redfern's 'Collin's Elite' came to after studying the UFO phenomenon. And, despite the Christian fundamentalist bent of the Collins Elite, I actually think that they are observing something real--but what it 'is,' and what it means, I don't know.
Whitley goes on to suggest that souls that are 'evil' are more likely to be 'harvested.' I'm reminded of Michael Newton, who makes a number of pointed references in his books to souls that are refurbished, or rebuilt, when their 'energy' has become too contaminated with destructive tendencies.
I think that there is something there. But what these different observers are seeing, and what the thing that they are seeing means, is not yet clear.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Some final thoughts on Dr. Gary Schwartz's 'The Sacred Promise'
I noticed that Dr. Schwartz will be appearing on Whitley Strieber's Dreamland, so I thought I'd offer up some thoughts on 'The Sacred Promise'--which, I think, I promised to do once I finished the book.
Short answer: It works. Following the basic premises of Dr. Schwartz's method, which I tested on many occasions in recent weeks, I received enough proof to convince me that "Spirit" seems quite real, and will tangibly intervene when asked. I won't go into detail (lack of time), but if you are receptive to this type of inquiry, I would encourage you to get the book and try it out for yourself.
The big questions, for me, are... Why? How? Why now? Is it really that simple--asking Spirit for assistance, and tangibly receiving it? If so, why now, and not in the countless millennia of human struggle and wretchedness? Where has Spirit been through all that?
Big questions, but I have a small, tentative hypothesis, one I've developed in recent years. I believe that the human race is entering a historic period--now--that, if successful, promises a convergence of what we now regard as "Spirit" with what we call "science." Science is beginning to develop the sophistication and accuracy sufficient to detect worlds that appear invisible, while the Spirit world--indeed, the larger "unknown" reality--is intervening in the physical world in increasingly bold ways. Books such as "The Sacred Promise" are really the first fruits of this synthesis of the two contrasting world views.
The promise of such a synthesis is so potentially rewarding--while a failure would be so cataclysmic--that, in my opinion, our customary rules of consensus reality are being bent slightly, to allow this opportunity for engagement.
Short answer: It works. Following the basic premises of Dr. Schwartz's method, which I tested on many occasions in recent weeks, I received enough proof to convince me that "Spirit" seems quite real, and will tangibly intervene when asked. I won't go into detail (lack of time), but if you are receptive to this type of inquiry, I would encourage you to get the book and try it out for yourself.
The big questions, for me, are... Why? How? Why now? Is it really that simple--asking Spirit for assistance, and tangibly receiving it? If so, why now, and not in the countless millennia of human struggle and wretchedness? Where has Spirit been through all that?
Big questions, but I have a small, tentative hypothesis, one I've developed in recent years. I believe that the human race is entering a historic period--now--that, if successful, promises a convergence of what we now regard as "Spirit" with what we call "science." Science is beginning to develop the sophistication and accuracy sufficient to detect worlds that appear invisible, while the Spirit world--indeed, the larger "unknown" reality--is intervening in the physical world in increasingly bold ways. Books such as "The Sacred Promise" are really the first fruits of this synthesis of the two contrasting world views.
The promise of such a synthesis is so potentially rewarding--while a failure would be so cataclysmic--that, in my opinion, our customary rules of consensus reality are being bent slightly, to allow this opportunity for engagement.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Busy busy busy
I've been busy busy busy lately--too busy even to compose a 160-character tweet. Too busy to listen to my paranormal podcasts on my trusty vintage iPod shuffle (the 1-gig model, silver, for the Apple fanatics). Busy with what, you ask? Well, all will be revealed after September 26.
In the mean time, I noticed a very good skeptical review by a "Dr. Wigglesworth" to the book "A Room Nearby" by Kathy Baker, which I was on the verge of Kindling on Amazon.com. Because of his review, I saved $5.99.
Kathy Baker's book is a personal account of an NDE that she says she experienced in 1985. Now, I won't--and can't--say that Ms. Bakers account is true or false, truthful or confabulated, or (possibly) spun from whole cloth. But what's significant about "Dr. Wiggleworth's" review is that it's a rigorous skeptical examination of Ms. Baker's account from someone who is genuinely interested in the phenomenon, but is also aware that there are many frauds out there, and he was able to highlight a number of problems with Ms. Baker's account, enough to convince me to give her book a pass.
This is the great challenge in studying the paranormal. Just like all of us can't be the surviving daughter of Tsar Nicholas, we can't all be telling the truth. And it's difficult to distinguish the truth-tellers from the embellishers, the psychologically imbalanced, and the clever liars. In the field of the paranormal, they all look the same. But it's possible--and essential that we do.
In the mean time, I noticed a very good skeptical review by a "Dr. Wigglesworth" to the book "A Room Nearby" by Kathy Baker, which I was on the verge of Kindling on Amazon.com. Because of his review, I saved $5.99.
Kathy Baker's book is a personal account of an NDE that she says she experienced in 1985. Now, I won't--and can't--say that Ms. Bakers account is true or false, truthful or confabulated, or (possibly) spun from whole cloth. But what's significant about "Dr. Wiggleworth's" review is that it's a rigorous skeptical examination of Ms. Baker's account from someone who is genuinely interested in the phenomenon, but is also aware that there are many frauds out there, and he was able to highlight a number of problems with Ms. Baker's account, enough to convince me to give her book a pass.
This is the great challenge in studying the paranormal. Just like all of us can't be the surviving daughter of Tsar Nicholas, we can't all be telling the truth. And it's difficult to distinguish the truth-tellers from the embellishers, the psychologically imbalanced, and the clever liars. In the field of the paranormal, they all look the same. But it's possible--and essential that we do.
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