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Lukasz P Loyal user 230 Posts |
Hi
I write my ghost contact routine and looking for any science books explain this experience from cognitive science , neurobiology and others . Could you recommend me any books about this please ? Many people have a contact with death family for example and I am curious how science , not religion and legends , explain this experience . Greetings Lukas |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts |
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Lukasz P Loyal user 230 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 5, 2017, tommy wrote: thanks but link doesn't work |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts |
Witchdoctors exposed
by ANDREA THOMPSON, Daily Mail Sitting cross-legged on a tattered rug in the small back bedroom of an East London terrace house, two strangers stand over me and order me to empty my handbag. They inspect the contents sprawled out on the floor, before putting a monkey's foot inside the empty bag. Then they close their eyes and hold it up to perform a spell. The situation would be almost comical if I didn't feel so intimidated. The windows are boarded and the bedroom door has been locked behind me. Both men are at least 6ft tall and clearly on their guard because of a police investigation into 'bogus' witchdoctors practising in the area. The chanting that follows as one of them - 'holy man' Sheikh Yahuba - speaks to the spirits will supposedly help me find lasting happiness in my relationship. That and the £460 they have requested for 'spiritual materials' to help make the spell successful. Mr Yahuba was just one of five men I visited in one afternoon in an area of East London that stretches over three miles and has the highest concentration of spiritual healers, witchdoctors and 'holy men' in the city - though they are also practising across the country. Although witchdoctors have long been associated with tribal superstition in remote African villages, few people realise their growing popularity in Britain. While a small minority of their customers are, naturally, members of African communities living in the UK, adverts in the mainstream local Press are aimed at white, middle-class, professional women looking for 'alternative' therapies. Modern witchdoctors claim to be able to help with everything from relationship breakdowns to money problems, alcohol abuse, infertility and even selling your home. They work, they say, by using their supernatural powers to converse with the spirit world, breaking cycles of bad luck and removing negative energy. The magazine advert I replied to in a free London commuter magazine promised 'immediate results' and 'advice to solve all your problems'. All you have to do is call the number and make an appointment. On my visits to witchdoctors, I noticed there were far more white, professional English women in their 20s and 30s employing their services than middle-aged African women. Mr Yahuba was the first I visited. In his advert, he is described as 'one of the most acclaimed mediums; god-gifted in all occult matters' - but as I was led through the cramped hallway of his two-bedroom house in Plaistow, East London, I couldn't help but notice what a humble dwelling this was for such a revered holy man. I took my seat in a waiting room with three twenty-something women in suits and, within minutes, was ushered upstairs by an African in his early 20s. He guided me towards a small bedroom, where I was asked to remove my shoes and place the £30 consultation fee on a table, before being greeted by Sheikh Yahuba. Mr Yahuba is a large West African man in his 40s, dressed in a white hat and full-length linen robe. He speaks no English whatsoever, but looks me over and signals the younger man, who acts as our interpreter, to join us. Sheikh Yahuba nods sympathetically as I tell him my fictitious problem: how my supposed partner of five years has become distracted by the charms of another woman. I ask him to help me win back his affection. I am asked to place my hand on a piece of paper so he can draw around it. He also asks for my date of birth and address, and that of my boyfriend and the woman involved. I'm made to hold ten small shells in my hand, before throwing them down on the rug so he can observe the way they fall, making scribbled notes on his pad as I do so. 'I'm afraid he has known this woman for some time and is very attracted to her, as she is to him,' he says through the interpreter. 'It is too late for you to get him back yourself, but I can ask the spirits to break her hold over him and return him to you, if you bring me his photograph. 'You will see changes in him within seven days. You must cover the cost of the spiritual materials needed, as they must be acquired from Africa.' I soon discovered that Mr Yahuba, like other 'spiritual healers', is reaping huge financial rewards from his 'talent'. I was shocked by how readily money was mentioned. When I said I had to leave the house to get the further £460 he'd quoted me if I was to go ahead with 'treatment', Mr Yahuba quickly became agitated. The translator, obviously sceptical whether I would return, then insisted that he wanted to accompany me to the cashpoint. The atmosphere became heated and they called me a liar, angrily accusing me of having sought the help of another 'holy man' before coming to see them. My relief was overwhelming when I finally managed to persuade them to let me leave alone after promising to return with the money in half an hour. But I was forced to hand over my mobile number, which and Mr Yahuba called before I left the room to make sure I wasn't giving them a false number. If his busy waiting room is anything to go by, business is booming for witchdoctors. The £30 cash fee that Mr Yahuba receives for each 15-minute consultation goes a long way to explaining how he can afford to spend more than £1,000 a month placing adverts in a number of commuter magazines aimed at young, professional women. My second appointment was with Sheikh Turado, a 'great African spiritual healer and adviser, well known for his competency and efficiency' - or so his advert said. As I entered his house on a busy street near West Ham Football Club's stadium in Plaistow, I was promised by his assistant, who asked me for the £30 consultation fee, that I would get outstanding results. When I entered Sheikh Turado's 'temple' - a ground-floor bedroom decorated with African beads and pictures of holy men in flowing robes - I was told that I should sit on the floor and outline my problem. I told him I was unhappy because I feared my boyfriend had stopped loving me. Sheikh Turado closed his eyes and shook his head, asking if I was serious enough about the relationship to commit to marriage with my boyfriend. When I said yes, he took my date of birth and drew around my right hand. He then shook a set of beads over my head. Finally, he told me that I needed to provide him with £220, as soon as possible, to cover the cost of buying some special natural ingredients from Africa to perform the necessary ritual to secure my relationship. When I pressed him about what the ingredients were, he would say only that they grow in Africa and are medicinal. 'I have a friend who is visiting Africa this week,' he told me. 'I will give him the money to get them for you. I will mix them together, and when you return you must rub it into your arms and stomach. 'This will affect your man and make it so that every day seems to him like the first day you met. No other woman will ever tempt him again, and you will always be happy.' I made my excuses and left, but had to promise to return within the hour to drop off the money. Sheikh Salim Walid, of Forest Gate, was next on my list. He claimed in his advert to have 'combined the power of black and white magic, and voodoo' to help with professional and relationship problems. When I arrived outside his home, a large, five-bedroom house, I was led into a spacious sitting room to wait with a smart-looking African woman in her late 30s. Five minutes later, I was taken to a small dark bedroom with sheets draped across the window. At the far end was what looked like a shrine, with a number of holy pictures, ornate goblets, beads and candles. Sheikh Salim Walid was a small, slight man with a long beard, who looked far younger than the other men I had visited. I felt myself visibly relax when he held my hands and reassured me that he was different from the other witchdoctors who advertised in the area. 'I do not practice negative spells, voodoo or black magic to hurt people, only good magic to help you fulfil your potential,' he said calmly. My fictitious problem this time was with my chauvinistic, tyrannical boss, who was making me feel stressed out and ill. Sheikh Salim Walid nodded sympathetically. He told me that he could see the large angry man who was standing in the way of my success. He added there was a promotion ahead for me, but that it was out of my reach because it was being blocked by the man I had mentioned, who was jealous of me. 'There are witch doctors out there who would tell you they could harm this man, but I do not work that way,' he said. 'I will just break down his power over you and remove him from your path, so you can fulfil your potential.' He drew around my hand, then looked closely at the diagram, making small notes on each of the fingers in what looked like Arabic. He then asked for my address and telephone number, and asked the name of the man involved. TAKING out some beads, he then chanted over me, looking upwards at the ceiling. Finally, he took my hands in his and examined the palms, asking out loud of the spirits whether they had the power to break my boss's hold over me. The answer that was returned a few minutes later - supposedly from the spirits - was, not surprisingly, a 'yes'. But, predictably, a £275 fee was needed to buy materials. I would then pay the full price of the treatment, which could be anything up to £1,000, when I saw the results. Like Mr Yahuba, he demanded my mobile number before I left, and the time I would return from the bank with the money. He said that if I didn't return in the next hour, the spell would not work. An hour later, he began calling my mobile. He called every two hours. This continued for the next two days. At one point he called at 2am, demanding to know the reason why I hadn't returned. I could see how this tactic could be used to bully the most vulnerable of customers into submission. My fifth and final appointment was with Mr Saiti, who advertises himself as an 'African spiritual healer, clairvoyant and psychic' in the small ads of all three of the major free weekly magazines. These magazines are given to commuters in Underground stations across London, but while the advertisements vary, his address is never printed. When I called him, Mr Saiti refused to give me his address over the phone and became belligerent when I asked why. 'What is the matter with you?' he shouted down the phone. 'Just make your way to the station and call me. What is your problem?' (The truth is that witchdoctors are increasingly vague about their whereabouts to potential clients, because local police are desperately trying to clamp down on dangerous 'healers'.) When I arrived and called again, he gave me a local address in a nearby street, where I was to wait for him at number 66. But when I got there, I saw that the street numbers finished at 26. After an hour spent waiting and several phone calls to Mr Saiti asking for further address details, he failed to show up. While I was waiting, I noticed a man dressed in white robes walk past me several times, looking at me suspiciously. The meeting with Mr Saiti did not take place. I have since discovered that his guarded reaction to me was probably a result of his paranoia about the local police. The CID unit at Plaistow is already investigating links between his 'healing services' and criminal activities in the area - namely claims that he promised to arrange a local murder through voodoo. 'We're trying to track him down to ask him about some serious allegations concerning a customer who visited him last week,' said a CID spokesperson heading the investigation. 'The woman came to us claiming Mr Saiti told her he could arrange the death of her possessive partner for £2,000. We visited his home this week but found it empty, so he's obviously on his guard.' But without adequate legislation to regulate 'alternative' practitioners, conmen offering false hope to people with emotional and physical problems are beyond the law. Furthermore, police fear that any clampdown on healers practising in the area will simply send them underground. As it is, these so-called healers are insidious enough - as Yvette, a 26-year-old nurse from North-West London, learned to her cost. Yvette's ordeal at the hands of a witchdoctor began in November. She refuses to give me her surname because she is still so terrified, but says she was intrigued when a colleague showed her an advert for a 'spiritual healer' in Birmingham. 'For three months, I had been suffering from terrible headaches and stress because I'd been working such long hours,' she says. 'When my local GP couldn't find anything wrong, I rang Sheikh Sulu, a witchdoctor who was based just outside Birmingham, as a last resort. 'I was due to visit a friend in the area the following weekend so, stupidly, I thought: "Why not?î 'But I got a bit suspicious when he told me on the phone that he needed me to go up straight away because I was in danger.' When she finally visited him that weekend, to be safe she took a friend along with her. At the end of her first consultation, Sheikh Sulu demanded £375 for some medicinal powder that she would have to wash herself with. He then asked her to lift up her shirt, touched her stomach and claimed he could feel that there was something seriously wrong inside her body. 'I know it sounds crazy, but I paid up because he was so persuasive,' she says. HE MADE me totally believe that he was helping me with his medical expertise, and I was scared because, having no experience of African traditions, I didn't really understand it all.' Yvette thought that her consultation would be the last of it, but four months later she is still being plagued by angry phone calls from Sheikh Sulu. She has had his calls barred from her home phone, but he still calls her, often in the early hours. 'I never thought it would go this far. Now, he calls to tell me that if I don't come back to see him, alone, for more treatment, then I'm going to die before my 30th birthday. He insists that I am seriously ill.' Worse, three weeks ago, Sheikh Sulu called and demanded £3,000, giving Yvette just five days to find the money. 'I raised the money and posted it to him, because he told me that if I didn't he would arrange for me to be involved in a serious car accident and die. I daren't go to the police because I'm so scared. 'As far as I know, he may well be capable of doing it. This has ruined my life because I have a baby son to look after and I fear for my health every single day. I'm just in pieces. Every day, I just wish that I hadn't started all this.' Whether many of these so-called witchdoctors are involved with organised crime, or are independent conmen, is unknown. What is clear is that they are demanding up to £4,000 for a host of bogus services, from relationship spells to miracle cures for career problems. They are also using extreme intimidation on already vulnerable customers by claiming to have a mystical insight into their lives. During my visits, all the healers claimed to know the fictitious people I described during the consultation, and simply told me what they presumed I wanted to hear. I can only wonder, with dismay, how many people nationwide have been bullied into parting with their hard-earned money - not only by the men I visited, but by others like them.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts |
David Devant (22 February 1868 – 13 October 1941) was an English magician, ... Devant was a member of the famous Maskelyne & Cooke company and performed ... A highlight is the exposure of all their tricks by a group of *real* sorcerers. Maskelyne gained fame by duplicating the spiritualists' tricks in public.
“The modern magician does not deceive his spectators-that is to say, the legitimate magician. The modern charlatan, of course, has no more conscience than his predecessors. He will deceive anybody who will give him the chance, and he will try to deceive even those who don't; just to make sure of missing no possible opening for chicanery. He and the legitimate magician, however, are as far apart as the poles, in aim and procedure. A legitimate magician never deludes his audiences as to the character of his performance. He makes no claim to the possession of powers beyond the scope of physical science. Neither does he, while rejecting the suggestio falsi, substitute in its place the suppressio veri. That method is one frequently adopted by charlatans in magic. The latter gentry often refrain from committing themselves to any definite statement on the subject of their powers. In effect, they say to their spectators, "We leave you to decide upon the nature of our feats. If you can explain the methods we employ, you will know that what we do is not miraculous. If, on the other hand, you cannot explain our methods you will, of course, know that we have the power to work miracles." Since the majority of people attending public performances cannot explain the simplest devices used in magic, it is scarcely likely that persons of such limited capability will arrive at any satisfactory explanation of processes involving even a moderate degree of complexity. Consequently, the mere reticence of the charlatan suffices to convince many people that "there is something in it." So there is, no doubt; but, usually, not much-certainly, nothing such as the innocent dupe conceives. The distinguishing characteristic of a legitimate magician is his straightforwardness. He makes no false pretences, either by suggestion, implication, or reticence. This present treatise of course, relates only to legitimate magic; and, therefore, our definition of the term is limited to misdirection of the senses, exclusively. We have nothing to do with fraudulent or semi-fraudulent deceptions of intelligence, as practised by unscrupulous adventurers.” Our Magic The Art in Magic - The Theory of Magic by Nevil Maskelyne circa 1911 All their books are good and Maskelyne goes into the mindset in some of his works.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9987 Posts |
On the neurobiology side I recommend https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3155......he_Brain
Not on ghosts specifically, but on understanding how the brain works including why "magic" is an option. Methinks it is also important to consider how people of a century ago related to the concept of ghosts, spirits, etc and how they do today. For example, the modern popularity of "alien origin" or "aliens amongst us" may have relevance to "ghost beliefs." Also consider that writing about "mediums contacting spirits" may be entirely different from "felling a presence in my home" as to motivation or cause. Thus, in performing ghost theme, saying you dicovered that the ghost is not of a human being might be more acceptable then "talking to grandma." I personally feel that our culture is shifting back to being more "superstition based" because of all of the unreliable news and conflicting data. Plus there is an increased tendency of folks looking for someone to blame for problems rather than accepting any personal responsibility. Blaming ghosts, spirits, past presidents, aliens or ancient writers can all work. What will an audience accept as "plausible impossibility" is the question? Thus, you may have to look to many diverse sources and fields for an answer/understanding. Any single source claiming to be an authority should be suspect.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
jstreiff Special user 701 Posts |
See "Hauntings and Poltergeists - A Multidisciplinary Perspective" by Houran and Lange and "Transcendent Mind - Rethinking the Science of Consciousness" by Baruss and Mossbridge. I think you will discover far more in those two books than you ever expected.
John
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Lukasz P Loyal user 230 Posts |
Thank you so much for every title . I didn't read these books . I am a sceptic and a big fan of human nature so will be descover with pleasure . I was reading a lot of Antonio Damasio but find nothing about exactly spirits and ghost contact in cognitive science and neurobiology but his books are excellent about brain working and I recommend everyone who interest this topic . I add that R.Wiseman in his Paranormality has a great chapter about nature of out of the body experience
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Lukasz P Loyal user 230 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 5, 2017, tommy wrote: great quotation ! I hope you are no charlatan like me too I am really curious what science knows in XXI century about spirits , soul , ghosts contact and how this parts of human nature are constructed in our brain |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts |
Magic is essentially something for which there appears to be no rational explanation - What makes it tick? In days of old much more was magic due to nativity. People must believe something makes it tick to believe in ghosts. Some believe the spiritual realm exists and it is not a big step up from that to believe in ghosts sprits. People like continuity and so when somebody dies they keep photos etcetera. The strong belief the loved one has not really gone can lead them to try and contact the sprits, see ghosts and so on. Of course the charlatan knows all this and plays on their feelings leading them to think there is something in it.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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