Customer Reviews (6)

Sure to be a classic
Clark and ABC-CLIO have rendered a priceless service to Fortean readers and researchers alike with this collection of 645 entries spanning the years from 1729 to 1935. The vast majority are verbatim quotations of newspaper stories commonly cited only in footnotes by other authors (or with excerpts taken out of context, frequently misquoted). Every library should own a copy of this book, and no serious researcher or would-be writer on Fortean subjects will begrudge its cost.

Eyewitness accounts defy rational explanation
North America has seen some of the strangest natural phenomena in the world: some accounts yet to be proven and possibly fantasy; others well researched, documented science. UNNATURAL PHENOMENA: A GUIDE TO THE BIZARRE WONDERS OF NORTH AMERICA is a compendium of the former of these eyewitness accounts, gathering findings and events from the last 200 years that keep defying rational explanations, from strange lights and sky battles to sea monsters and huge flying starfish ghosts. Each documented sighting includes a description and a dated source reference. This could've been reviewed under 'New Age' but many a science student will find it fascinating, and not to be missed.

A great book
This is a wonderful reference book full of material that will inform much future research.

Such books are made for libraries, most often, and have high prices due to the time it takes to comply them, their length, the amount of time to edit and produce them, and more.A criticism of the price from someone that borrowed one from a friend seems immature to the extreme and should be removed from consideration as a valid critique.

Buy it if you have the money.But please, don't whine if you don't.

false claims about my book and me
As the author/editor of Unnatural Phenomena, I apologize for the immodest five stars.Unfortunately, Amazon won't accept a submission without a rating, and what the hell, I am fond of the book.It is among my own favorites of the ones I have written. This is not being written, however, to praise my own efforts but to correct some serious misinformation in T. Christopher Smith's review.

First of all, the book is not self-published.As Smith could easily have determined, ABC-CLIO is a successful, highly regarded publisher of reference books for libraries and the academic market.I am somewhere between stunned and perplexed by this sentence: "But remember, [Clark] is the one setting the price tag, not the retailer."Where in the world could Smith have gotten this impression?The retailer had everything to do with setting the price, and the author precisely nothing.Then Smith follows a baseless claim with a malicious charge, based apparently in mind reading with faulty reception, that "money now seems to be [the author's] only motivation."What did I do to deserve this?

As Smith would have learned with even the most minimal research, reference books are very expensive.I wish they weren't, but I have no say in the matter.If I had had some say in the matter, I would have liked Unnatural Phenomena to be a trade paperback, selling in the $15-17 range, so that just about everybody who wanted to read it could afford it.

I'm glad that you liked the book, Mr. Smith, but next time you feel the compulsion to throw around nasty charges, you would be better advised to make sure you know what you're talking about.

Entertaining and very broad range of subjects
Not really organized like a traditional book this is really a collection of newspaper and magazine articles from the early 1800's through the mid-1900's. The original articles are repeated verbatim complete with comments, misspellings, and colloquial word usage.I found this to be one of the endearing qualities of the book.The author takes a very broad look at unnatural phenomena and includes everything from strange things falling from the sky, to strange apparitions, animals, visions, and just about anything else you can think of that has been reported over the last two hundred years.While it is interesting reading it is not a book that I would suggest if you are looking to do a serious study of strange phenomena.On the other hand, if you are just looking for some light reading and a collection of incidents as reported by the media you will probably find this an entertaining read.The articles are all arranged by state instead of by type of phenomena so it is easy to look through your state and see what has been reported over the years.Unnatural Phenomena: A Guide to the Bizarre Wonders of North America is a recommended read for anyone interested in this subject or light enough reading for the merely curious. ... Read more

Product Description
Extraordinary paranormal experiences collected over 50 years of FATE Magazine * Includes more than 130 personal reports of the strange and unknowing involving guardian angels, family ties from beyond the grave, premonitions of death, out-of-body experiences and more * Provides first-hand accounts of ghosts, hauntings, and other tales of the spirit world * Each author submitted a signed and notarized statement swearing to the truth of his or her experience For more than 50 years the readers of FATE magazine have submitted their true personal stories of strange, unexplained and paranormal experiences. Skeptics may insist that many of these stories can be attributed to coincidence, hallucinations, dreams, or any other so-called 'logical' explanations. However, these are first-hand accounts of extraordinary events happening to ordinary peoplel ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Loved It!
This was a really fun read, and nothing to creepy for those who sleep alone at night!
If your interested in ghosts, out of body and near death experiences, and other wierd things like that then this book is for you!

What a well-rounded collection is this!
From the files of FATE Magazine, the oldest of paranormal publications, comes this collection of True Mystic Experiences to set your mind aflame. I have personally always loved the "Believe it or Not" types of tales but have been on the skeptical side until recent years, and taken the stories with a grain of salt. However, this book, being from my favorite paranormal publisher, leaves no room for doubt in my mind. I know the practices of this publisher, being a writer who has submitted to them, and can attest to the fact that every story, such as these, is published only after the author has signed a sworn affidavit of its truth.

What a well-rounded collection is this! From guardian angels and premonitions of death, to psychic dreams and out of body experiences, there is something here to suit every curiosity. The stories come from everyday folks: soldiers at war, daughters in mourning, newlywed couples and more. Some are written in detailed prose, while others are more like a letter from home. But all exude a feeling of "Something wonderful and awesome has happened, and I was a witness to it."

Jennifer Spees has compiled a wonderful collection into chapters of the unexplainable. Whether you sit and read through it all on a rainy, snuggly weekend or savor it bit by bit in moments of peace, True Mystic Experiences will be a book you won't forget. The stories will haunt you and inspire you to look about for signs of your own mystic encounters. And what a wonderful thing to have happen!

True Mystic Experiences
This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. This book is full of fascinating real-life stories of spirits, ghosts, and strange phenomena. If you are really into supernatural unexplainable stuff, this book is perfect for you to read.

For Fate Magazine fans and those who love a cold chill!
Ignore the slightly cheesy cover...this book is great. We always had Fate Magazine around the house when I was growing up, and I later subscribed (although the current incarnation of the magazine can't hold a candle to the ones from the 60's, 70's and before). My favorite monthly segments were always "True Mystic Experiences" and "My Proof of Survival"...ordinary readers wrote in to tell their ghostly/paranormal/psychic experiences. It's great to have this collection of stories to take me back...and this has plenty from Fate's 50+ year archives. Hopefully Fate will put out a "My Proof of Survival" book next...I read this in a couple of evenings and want more!

I still have chills. . .
After reading this beautifully compiled book of strange and unusual mystic experiences, the world was not the same for me.Jennifer Spees weaves together a scary, yet poignant fabric of unbelievably true stories, threaded with supernatural, paranormal, and just plain spooky undertones. This is a must have for anyone who has experienced the unbelievable, who has an interest in the paranormal, or who just wants to be entertained.Be prepared to be mystified! ... Read more

Product Description

This fascinating collection of true paranormal accounts written by a researcher and scientist documents the experiences people from all walks of life have had with the supernatural, covering a broad spectrum of mysterious events. It is written from a personal, analytical, philosophical, and scientific point of view.

The experiences range from phone calls from the dead and telekinesis to various forms of hauntings. These paranormal events, in whatever form they take, change the perspective of those involved on life, death, and reality. This important book also sets out to explore the possible meanings and purpose of such experiences as well as investigating various cultural and scientific explanations. What if this is all true? What meaning does it hold for us all? Would we live our lives differently if we knew the real truth behind the strange events described in this unique look at paranormal phenomena?

Product Description
A collection of frightening stories from the Green Mountain state, including the Barre Vampire, the Thetford Horror, the spirit of Robert Lincoln, the ghostly sentries of Bennington Monument, and many others. ... Read more

Product Description
Do polygraph tests really detect lies? Can memories be implanted? What is the relationship between science and belief? Experts in the fields of biology, psychology, philosophy, social science, and forensic science bring their perspectives to controversies that affect how we perceive reality. From science's influence on beauty to UFO mythology to near-death experiences, this volume spans the gamut of pseudoscience today.Amazon.com Review
True to the form of Skeptical Enquirer magazine,Encounters with the Paranormal will ruffle more than a fewfeathers. This collection of articles from the pages of thecontroversial publication addresses paranormal phenomena fromout-of-body experiences to UFOs and includes topics that most peopledon't immediately associate with the word "paranormal," suchas subliminal messages and conspiracy theories. Readers might questionwhy essays such as Martin Gardner's "Science vs. Beauty?" are includedin a skeptical address of the paranormal, but this is the book's onlyglaring flaw. Once past these misplaced, but entertaining defenses ofscience and skepticism, the reader is treated to a host ofthought-provoking articles like Susan Blackmore's analysis ofnear-death experiences and lucid dreams and the test of psychic crimedetectives' success by Wiseman, West, and Stemman. While not everyonewill agree with everything in Encounters with the Paranormal,it is a stimulating discourse and testimony that those with doctoraldegrees don't necessarily know everything. --Brian Patterson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Scepticism or Bust!
All 52 contributions to Encounters with the Paranormal had, before it was published in 1998, been featured in Skeptical Enquirer, the magazine published by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Kendrick Frazier, member of the board of CSICOP, has divided up the anthology into nine different sections, with titles such as "Science and the psychology of belief" and "Science, imagination, and responsibility". Some of the subject matters include lie detectors, mass hysteria, false memories, the importance of serious science, and more.

And it's all about skepticism in this book. Serious skepticism.

Which is both good and bad. I very much agree that skepticism, rationality, and the use of the scientific methodology is essential to any investigation of alleged paranormal phenomena, and not surprisingly, every contributing author does his skeptical share. To such a degree that any reader disagreeing with the pro-science team is better off staying as far away from this book as possible, since the general attitude is that nothing is worth doing unless it's done according to the rules of science. Like many other passionate skeptics these too seem to be completely unsympathetic to anyone with a worldview differing from the one they've chosen to embrace. And quite frankly, this narrow view of their fellow man made me very bored very quickly; unflinching skepticism isn't easy to make interesting throughout an entire book.

And the title is somewhat misleading, because a large number of the contributions are more about how to conduct a scientific investigation of a certain paranormal phenomenon than the phenomenon itself. Adding to that, on several occasions you get the feeling that it's not about the paranormal at all; two of these instances being the in America very common belief that secret Satanic cults kidnap and sacrifice small children along with therapists how use dubious therapy methods and as a result make their patients believe they were sexually molested at a young age.

Encounters with the Paranormal is a tough and trying book to read. Unfortunately, because the content is important. Most people would benefit greatly from reading it, but I don't think very many of them will have the patience and determination to do so.

A Handy Reference for Science, Knowledge and Belief
This book is an anthology of some of the most outstanding and excellent Skeptical Inquirer articles from 1991-1997. The title "Encounters with the Paranormal" may not be the as appropriate as its subtitle"Science, Knowledge, and Belief" especially in view of part onewhich is entitled "Science, Imagination, and Responsibility". Butwith its eight other parts including "Science, Pseudoscience, andPathological Science", Psychology and the Claims of Psi","Social Dynamics and Belief", "The Malleability ofMemory", this books covers a lot of ground indeed. It's particularlyuseful for finding out quickly yet comprehensively about specificparanormal issues. A great buy for those of us with limited attentionspans. ... Read more

Product Description
"With recent public debates on bringing intelligent design into the biology classroom and embryonic stem-cell research, scientists--experts from the hard sciences, like evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience, have joined anthropologists and psychologists in the study of religion, making God an object of scientific inquiry."
--New York Times, "Darwin's God," 4 March 2007.

Modern science has taught us much about the world, but will science ever make spirituality obsolete? Today, the need for spiritual explanations remains strong--some 20 percent of the population describes themselves as "spiritual, but not religious," that is, unaffiliated with a specific church or synagogue but engaged in spiritual seeking. A 2006 survey found that 92 percent of Americans believe in a personal God--that is, a god with a distinct set of character traits.

The classic materialist view is of a universe of separate objects that occasionally and meaninglessly affect each other through material forces. These objects are considered to be dead matter. But are things more linked than we normally imagine? This book presents an elegant argument that the twenty-first century needs a much broader perspective on the nature of reality than traditional science is capable of delivering. In The End of Materialism, Tart presents research that supports the existence of paranormal phenomena and shows readers how science and spirituality can be understood as two interconnected halves of a whole instead of as forces in opposition. The book presents Tart's most intriguing findings in his fifty-year career investigating paranormal phenomena in scientific experiments at prestigious institutions including Stanford University and the University of California, Davis.

This book offers evidence for the existence of telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and psychic healing, and explains other phenomena such as out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences. This book is ideal for scientifically minded individuals curious about life's spiritual side as well as spiritually inclined people seeking to back up their beliefs with legitimate scientific evidence.

Customer Reviews (19)

a natural progression of science and spirituality
"end of materialism" is charles tart's best book so far.it is a natural progression of science and spirituality blending together.i appreciate the dedication and work he has brought to the paranormal world and the broadening views of science.i like his definitions of skepticism and pseudoskepticism, where skepticism looks closely and investigates thoroughly to get to the truth versus pseudoskeptics who push their beliefs without looking at research openmindedly.most debunkers in the paranormal and ufo field fall into this latter category.charles tart does call for objectively and works very hard throughout this book to attain it.he discusses the big five aspects of the paranormal: telepathy, clarivoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and psychic healing.he also covers near death experiences and out of body experiences.this is an essential read for those open-minded researchers who want to view the world in a more balanced manner and not see us as just a pile of meat.

Just what I was looking for!
'The End of Materialism' is an excellent, thought provoking book from veteran parapsychologist/ consciousness researcher Charles Tart.I was really looking around for a high quality rebuttal to the prevailing scientific paradigm of materialism, the dogma that everything in this universe, including us, is mere matter.Tart, using the best of scientific research, shows that materialism and 'scientism' are not only a very incomplete picture of human beings, but just plain unscientific.There is now ample clinical evidence for Psi effects, as anyone who reads this and also Dean Radins' brilliant 'The Conscious Universe' will quickly see.At the dawn of the new century, it is increasingly obvious that many of the old, dysfuntional ways of society are, or soon will be, on the way out.I believe books like this are paving the way for a new dominant paradigm that will incorporate the best of science and spirituality, replacing the rigid and outdated modes of the past with something far more wholistic.It is heartening to see great minds like Charles Tart in the vangaurd for this positive change.Highly recommended!

Spirit as experience
Charles Tart's interest in altered states and paranormal experiences is enduring and thought-provoking. Easy answers, glib phrases and superficial understanding are tested and exposed. He asks the reader to experience his or her assumptions, to test his or her spiritual framework, and notice the discomfort hidden behind "spiritual" cultures. I appreciate his critical thinking and his wealth of knowledge outside the mainstream. I know there is more to tell, but still the hints are a valued.

The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together (co-published with IONS)
In "The End of Materialism, How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together," author and reader explore Paranormality, not characterized as energy and matter defying laws of nature, but instead our internalization in reaction or response to experiences, which challenge our belief at its very core.




Historically, both science (asking how and why) and spirituality (seeking integral purpose) bear profound revelations about reality, and we use both to reassess belief-ownership over time, in favor of releasing our commitment to the classic three-dimensional outlook on life. All throughout this thought-provoking book, Dr. Tart delves into the scientific presentation of paranormality, while sharing his own personal non-local experiences, and through these we explore where humans are on their journey to accepting infinite possibility.


Universal truth is the nuance or quality of perspective in consciousness where science and spirituality actually do agree, when we are open to accept. In the final analysis, one's "claim" to illusory knowing through belief (materialism) may actually be quintessential in finally perceiving and integrating science and spirituality as one new science of self-acceptance.




The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together (co-published with the Institute of Noetic Sciences) (Ions / Nhp)The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together (co-published with the Institute of Noetic Sciences) (Ions / Nhp)

Free of the Hippie Bias
THE END OF MATERIALISM is an excellent book, noteworthy more for what it DOESN'T say than what it does. It is totally free of the Hippie bias that I found in all the books I bought from IONS in the 1990s. You know the stuff -- rejecting science, logic, ego, and psychotherapy, trashing the words "truth" and "reality," and repeating over and over again slogans like "We are all interconnected" -- all that stuff that came out of the Drug Revolution of the 1960s. Charles Tart has written a clean book, as a scientist and a human being. He has set an example by leaving his own bias behind, as he asks persons of science and religion to leave their biases behind, as we explore the spiritual reality. Instead of assertions and slogans, he is presenting clear evidence. This book is a milestone, a landmark, a breakthrough. All those things that other books claim, this is it.
... Read more

Product Description
From Atlanta to the Coastal Plain, Georgia is rich with tales of the supernatural. This collection draws from the state s historic past with stories of phantom pirates from the coast and restless Civil War spirits from Sherman s March and Andersonville Prison. Unusual creatures, such as the devilish Wog of Winder and the monstrous Hogzilla of River Oak Plantation, make appearances. There s also the fatal pillar in Augusta, the haunted orphanage in Savannah, the ghost of Mary MacRae searching for her lost love on St. Simons Island, and dozens more. ... Read more

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Ultraterrestrial Contact investigates the most extreme and bizarre UFO reports—the cases that most UFO investigators are afraid to tackle—and presents a radical new quantum approach to understanding the contact phenomenon.

When Philip Imbrogno collaborated with famed UFO researcher Dr. J. Allen Hynek on Night Siege, Dr. Hynek requested that the more sensational cases of “high strangeness”—claims of contact with not only alien intelligence, but also demons, djinn, and otherdimensional beings—remain unpublished. Hynek thought the reports would detract from the credibility of the entire extraterrestrial investigation field. This book reveals, for the first time, the details of these controversial reports and presents Imbrogno’s startling scientific conclusions from his thirty years of research into the alien contact phenomenon. 

Product Description
Profusely illustrated with dozens of photographs, this is everyone’s guide to investigating the paranormal world. Sweet shows that paranormal light forms known as orbs are all around us and can be documented by anyone with a camera. Sweet, who holds a Ph.D. in Esoteric Studies from American Pacific University, outlines the history of orbs including why they’re here and what they’re trying to communicate to us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not about photographing the paranormal
This book was an expensive disappointment. It gives no information or instgruction on how to photograph the paranormal. Not only that, I cannot tell you how many photos they mention in their text, you look for the photo and it is not even included in the book. I would not recommend this book to anyone. This woman also claims nothing (spirits, good or bad) can ever follow you home which is not true. She claims you cannot photograph an orb without flash which is also false. Don't waste your money; get it out of the library or better yet, don't even read it!

Orb photography
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.I am also an orb photographer.I learned quite a bit of information that I did not know.Very happy someone wrote a book regarding this subject.The information I learned will help me in my photography and study of orbs.

Photographs of dust, water droplets, and smoke
This book is not a guide to taking photographs of paranormal entities. It is a collection of pseudoscientific nonsense. I was expecting pictures of "ghosts". What I got were pictures of dust, water droplets, and (possibly cigarette) smoke illuminated by a flash at close distance. As an experienced photographer, I know what they look like. Anyone can reproduce these images without any "paranormal" assistance. I have a problem with Lenore Sweet being called "Dr. Sweet". Her PhD came from American Pacific University, a non-accredited online diploma mill. Perhaps if she had gone to a real university, she would have learned a few things about skeptical analysis of evidence which is a requirement of anyone who writes a dissertation.

Boring
The title of this book should have been How to Photograph Orbs.I could not even finish this book as it was all about orbs.The author touched slightly on too many other subjects and heavily on orbs.I was highly disappointed.

OK book for the beginner
If taking pictures of orbs is all you're looking for, this is the perfect book for you. For the serious paranormal investigator, this book is rather limited. It touches on "vortexes" and "ecto-plasm" even crop circles and UFO's, however the primary focus is on orbs. On a positive note: the color photos are excellent and for that reason alone, I recommend this book! ... Read more

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Product Description
In this study of channeling, earlier called spirit communication or mediumship, Klimo, who teaches at Rosebridge Graduate School in the San Francisco Bay Area, writes with clarity about "the communication of information to or through a physically embodied human being from a source…on some other level or dimension of reality other than the physical as we know it." He profiles recent channels and their sources, goes back to preliterate societies and the advent of monotheism and identifies as channels such figures as Moses, Solomon, Muhammad, Merlin, Nostradamus, Swedenborg and Edgar Cayce. He discusses the sorts of people who are channels, kinds of information channeled, sources of information channeled and varieties of channeling like clairvoyance and automatic writing. According to Klimo, few people tap into their abilities to perform channelingand for those who think they can, he serves as guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not Recommended
Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources by Jon Klimo
Although previous reviewers gave this book a high rating, I find it extremely booring.Klimo takes pages and pages to just clear his throat saying essentially nothing.By page 30, my only thought is to just burn this book.I don't recommend buying this book unless you can't sleep and are allergic to sleeping pills.

Rich and varied intro to the channeling phenomenon
This audiocassette is a perfect complement to Jon Klimo's book "Channeling," (upon which it is based), but it can stand alone as well.It is professionally produced and narrated by Stanley Ralph Ross.The exploration of channeling features comments by 7 well-known spirit guides (being channeled), including Seth (Jane Roberts), Lazaris (Jach Pursel), Enid (Iris Belhayes), Dr. Peebles (W. Rainen), Soli (neville Rowe), Master Adolfo (Carol Simpson), and Abrham (Tom Massari).There is also a guided meditation created especially for this tape by Lazaris designed to open the listener to the experience of channeling.A 7-step induction technique is included as well, conducted by Enid.All in all, one has a superb opportunity here to experience a variety of channeled entities and to explore the subject in a serious, non-"airy-fairy" manner.It's a shame this tape is OOP as the channeling phenomenon has grown widely since the tape (and Klimo's fine book) were released.This tape and fine booklet would ease the mind of anyone who might confuse channeling with "mediumship."The spirit guides are loving and humorous and the entire experience is uplifting as well as informative.Highly recommended!

Rich and varied intro to the channeling phenomenon
This audiocassette is a perfect complement to Jon Klimo's book "Channeling," (upon which it is based), but it can stand alone as well.It is professionally produced and narrated by Stanley Ralph Ross.The exploration of channeling features comments by 7 well-known spirit guides (being channeled), including Seth (Jane Roberts), Lazaris (Jach Pursel), Enid (Iris Belhayes), Dr. Peebles (W. Rainen), Soli (neville Rowe), Master Adolfo (Carol Simpson), and Abrham (Tom Massari).There is also a guided meditation created especially for this tape by Lazaris designed to open the listener to the experience of channeling.A 7-step induction technique is included as well, conducted by Enid.All in all, one has a superb opportunity here to experience a variety of channeled entities and to explore the subject in a serious, non-"airy-fairy" manner.It's a shame this tape is OOP as the channeling phenomenon has grown widely since the tape (and Klimo's fine book) were released.This tape and fine booklet would ease the mind of anyone who might confuse channeling with "mediumship."The spirit guides are loving and humorous and the entire experience is uplifting as well as informative.Highly recommended!

The updated and complete review of the classic on channeling
This is an excellent, balanced, and authoritative review of all of the channeling material from both human and electronic sources.It has over 100 pages added to bring it up to date from it's earlier edition, which has long been considered to be a classic in the field.It is a must have for anyone at all seriously interested in the subject.

An Excellent Survey of Channeling
Jon Klimo's book, which I read some years ago, really brought together in a pretty objective way a lot of good thinking on what channeling is all about, as well as detailing the history of the phenomenon. I'm glad to see it's available again, since my copy got "beamed up" and I haven't seen it since! ;) ... Read more

Product Description
Whenever the subject of sex has combined with the extraordinary world of the paranormal, bizarre and unforgettable things have usually happened. Examine some of the most celebrated incidents, drawn from thousands of reports of human sexual encounters with supernatural beings. Read accounts of people claiming to have been sexually involved with aliens, ghosts, demons, fairies, witches, poltergeists, angels, and the devil himself. Introduce yourself to such phenomena as spectral sex, sleep paralysis, succubi, and incubi. Other chapters reveal both ancient and modern use of sex in worship, including phallus worship, sex as a means of appeasing angry gods, witchcraft, and devil worship. Still other reports cover contemporary satanism and occult orgies. Even stranger events that have been seriously reported in the daily press include outbreaks of penis-snatching epidemics, sexual mass hysteria, satanic ritual child abuse and sacrifice, and other even more controversial and horrendous acts. Trim size: 6 x 9 1/4. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Ramblings Of The Author
In Sex and The Paranormal the author Paul Chambers concludes that all experiences are nothing more than sleep paralysis. I have never had a sexual paranormal encounter. However, I do know several reputable people who have, and they were not a sleep to have had it during sleep paralysis. I have actually witnessed scratch and bite marks on several women. This book does not even address the most famous incubus attack in history that the movie "The Entity," was written about. That lady was put under observation at Duke under Dr.Rhine and was still attacked.

There was no deep scientific study done in this book over an x amount of time. All this book is, is the ramblings of the author and his thoughts on what he be lives the encounters not to be. I do not recommend this book.

Tounge in cheek analysis of some bizarre experiences
In Dr. Paul Chambers' introduction to _Sex and the Paranormal_ he mentions that the results of the combination of sexuality and the paranormal are sure to be truly bizarre.Chambers' does not disappoint the reader when he makes this claim._Sex and the Paranormal_ tries, almost with a straight face, to examine some of the most uncanny phenomena imaginable.Reports of ghost rape or Old Hag attacks are common throughout the world and can be explained as a form of sleep paralysis.A good deal of attention is paid to the notorious and eccentric witch-hunter's manual, _Malleus Malefecarum_, a book which in fact was in accordance with the worldview of the day and not completely the misogynist rantings of two zealous Dominican priests.The history of the demons known as Incubi and Succubi, which would sexually molest either men or women, is traced.The Lilith is another sexually ravenous demon who originated in Cabalistic myths centered on Adam's rebellious hypothetical wife before God created Eve.In the ancient world at temples and sacred spots, different cultures worshipped the creative powers of nature, in particular the image of the phallus, which is alluded to in the Bible.Temples, including Solomon's own (according to the Bible after the king's apostasy) frequently employed prostitutes who the ancients believed could help men be in touch with the gods.During the Middle Ages, the Christian Church conducted witch-hunts in fear of the lewd sexual practices of witches and sorcerors, which included nocturnal orgies, the Black Mass and copulation with the Devil.Chambers posists the popular theory that the witch scare was the result of subconscious fears of female sexuality, exacerbated by the ultra-conservative Christian views of morality and religion at the time.Poltergeists, the proverbial "things that go bump in the night," are possibly the result of sexual anxiety or tension.The second half of the book takes an even more distrubing turn when it discusses Satanic ritual abuse.There is little or no physical evidence for this phenomena, or that of penis-snatching by mysterious beings in Asia and Africa, multiple personality disorder or alien abductions in which people either have love affairs with extraterrestrials or are medically examined and sexually abused by them.These are found to be interrelated as these happenings are connected by similar geographic area, culture and the people that experience them already have a predisposition toward the paranormal.Testimonies of Satanic ritual abuse and alien abduction could be the products of religious culture, and suggestability of patients under hypnosis and mass hysteria (similar to the girls who would scream and cheer when they saw the Beatles, as the author notes).Even Shunamitism (derived from a Biblical story about King David in his old age) is mentioned--the notion that an elderly man sleeping next to a virgin but without intercourse would be healthful--is in here.However, the most bizarre story in here is about Smurfs (yes, the little blue cartoon characters).In Houston Texas, 1983, there were rumors of Smurfs in junior high schools carrying weapons and threatening students.There were even rumors of principals being killed persisting after it was well evident that they were alive.This case indicates the extent of how no matter how unreasonable an idea is can spread and be held onto depending on the right circumstances.The outlook of _Sex and the Paranormal_ suffers, I feel, from too-much of a secular outlook, especially in the treatment of the more Christian-orientated subjects.In the end Dr. Chambers praises the Fortean tradition as going outside of the scientific box when it attempts to amass as much knoweldge as possible about the most outlandish incidents and ideas, and tries to make sense of them.

Provocative insightinto an ancient problem.
Dr. Paul Chambers in his "Sex and the Paranormal" gives us a thorough histoical walk-through of about every abberant sexual paranormal manifestation from "Popbawa", an African/Idonesian demon whoassults men in their sleep, to the current trend of having extraterrestialsex.All the reportage is done with the eye more on the scholarly than thetabloid.Dr. Chambers answers the question, why, through all themillennium, is sex regarded so evil?Why does each indigenous culture seemto create their own sexual monster?What's going on here?What happenedto just good, clean sex?The answer, Dr. Chambers points out in this veryreadable book, deals with our very human shame and guilt about sexualmatters which has its roots in the very earliest Biblical expression. After all it was Eve who tempted Adam and got the two of them thrown thehell out of Eden.We learn that mythology has given us much to ponderabout our own sexuality and none of it very good. ... Read more

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is a guide to the one remaining frontier- the previously unexplored territory of the paranormal. Compiled byscholars with impeccable credentials, this book reveals some of the most astounding and mind-expanding psychokinetic phenomena yet experienced. From the Victorian era of parapsychology, to the most recent experiments conducted with psychic children in China, these tales take you on an unforgettable journey through the uncharted universe of the paranormal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great detailed accounts of many cases.
This remarkable book is divided in seven main parts. Each one is devoted to a certain group of phenomena classified by the mediums involved or a specific part of the world where the events take place. They are as follows:

Mirabelli!! (after Carmine Mirabelli, a Brazilian medium)
Mediumship in Italy (several cases)
Indridi Indridason (an Icelandic medium)
Matylda (a Polish medium)
Teofil Modrzejewski (another Polish medium)
Physical Mediumship in Russia (several cases)
Psychic Phenomena in China (several cases)

Each of the parts above is subdivided in several chapters detailing the lives and powers of the mediums, experiments, special occasions, seances and testimonies of the witnesses involved.

In a nutshell, this book gives you a good image of many phenomena like levitation, materialization, voices, automatic writing and etc. It also gives an interesting portrait of the mediums and witnesses involved.

The only thing that left me a little disappointed was the lack of visual proof that would be nice along with such authoritative information: there's a group of photographs related to one chapter and that is all. Also, the book does not investigate the causes of the phenomena narrated and offers little contemporary comment on those cases. Basically, it only narrates the events, telling what happened and what the witnesses involved wrote about them.

Also, most of the cases narrated here happened over 100 years ago - what made me wonder about today's cases... where are they?

Still this book is a great introduction to the subject and those who read it will find it extremely interesting and compelling. I cannot imagine a better book to read for the kids, at night, on the woods, around the fire. Get it?

Just avoid reading it alone, in the house, in the night...

The book is super, of course.
Well, Imich had the sad fortune to be born before there were fMRI or 256 channel EEG machinery, that can determine the xyz coordinates in the brain, (at time T), as an event happens.
Thus,his psychics were only looked at from the outside, since one could not get any closer to the phenomena.
Good as the psychics were, not one of them even thought of teaching their skill. So, when they died, their speciality disappeared.
And, they were very very good.
Appearances, disappearances and materializations: first rate.
One can speculate about the physics (external to the medium), but the raw data supplied is outstanding.
So, while there might be an other spatial or temporal physical dimension(s) that mediate some of this phenomena, looking to the inside [brain scans] is only now available as a technology, for "psychic research".

Penetrating the Unknown
This has to be one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. The "incredible tales" are vivid descriptions of the paranormal phenomena produced by famous mediums of the Victorian era. Each chapter is devoted to a different medium and gives documented accounts of poltergeist, levitations, phantoms, and more. There is the Italian medium, Mirabelli,who materializes objects, transports live flowers and large pieces of furniture, and dematerializes anything - including himself! Other mediums produce full materializations of people who walk,talk, and when touched, have a pulse! Who are these phantoms and what is their connection to the medium? Why does shining a light in the eyes of the phantom cause restless movements in the medium? Macabre, and yet the authors manage to keep the tone serious and compelling. Indeed, as I read I had the eerie feeling of being one of the sitters. In the last section on psychic experiments in China we meet children with x-ray vision and others who can read through their ears. The editor, Alexander Imich, describes his own experiences with the Polish medium Matylda and there are photographs of actual seance phenomena. Read and be mesmerized!

Leaving the body: A complete guide to astral projection
I can use two words to discribe this book wow wo ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

An endlessly fascinating and hard to put down read
The elements of fantasy all have basis in reality. "Hidden Realms, Lost Civilizations, and Beings from other Worlds" discusses the roots of many of the mythos and potential realties of the world, such as life within the solar system, fairies in our world, lunar civilizations, and so much more. Offering accounts on many of these supposed real encounters, "Hidden Realms, Lost Civilizations, and Beings form Other Worlds" serves as an endlessly fascinating and hard to put down read.

An intelligent, memorable book
I was looking forward to this book and it didn't disappoint. Jerome Clark has written a very useful, concise guide to some of the archetypes still pervading modern popular culture. This is an intelligent look at mankind's obsession with supernatural creatures and mythical places, drawn mainly from the original sources. The illustrations make it a colorful and memorable read, reminding me somewhat of a similarly titled book, "Seres Y Lugares En Los Que Usted No Cree: Claves Para Un Enigma" (2003) by Jesus Callejo and Carlos Canales.

Another major work by Jerome Clark
aFor years I have followed Jerome Clark's many books and articles and have become convinced that he is the most important living chronicler of both the UFO phenomenon and the wildly various regions of the occult.His UFO Encyclopedia has long been an essential reference work for anyone laying claim to the title of UFO researcher, and now, with his new book, Hidden Realms, he has given us a work which performs a similar task for the bizarre and complex world of the occult.Along with compellingly objective readings of various arcane subjects, such as the life forms supposedly flourishing on the planet Venus, or even inside the sun (!), Clark takes us ona subtle tour of the history of astronomy.His knowledge of science is one of the greatest strengths of the book, especially in the way he thoughtfully juxtaposes recent scientific discoveries with related occultbelief systems.

For any reader curious about, for example, the Lemurians who live inside Mount Shasta, or "Shavermania" or George Adamski, or the canals on Mars, he/she will find a lucid, fair minded - and fascinating - account in this book. I began reading it with almost no knowledge of the range and history of the occult and with little prior interest, but I was soon devouring it greedily.Clark's writing is so seductive and his material is so weirdly fascinating that the book is almost impossible to put down.

Hidden Realms belongs in every library as an essential reference work, but it also belongs on the bookshelf of anyone even slightly curious about Lost Civilizations and Beings From Other Worlds, the concluding words of the book's title. In Hidden Realms, Jerome Clark has given us yet another magisterialwork to set beside his invaluable UFO Encyclopedia.

Budd Hopkins

Realms of fantasy or strange realities?
This is an attractively put together, beautifully and lavishly illustrated book of what Clark calls "experienced anomalies." These are fascinating explorations of realms that may exist, or may only exist in people's fantasies.For instance, we know of Edgar Cayce's remarkable powers of diagnosis and healing, but here we explore his visions and predictions regarding the lost wonders of Atlantis for which no evidence has ever been found.
Clark explores other "secret places" not only on Earth but in an "alternate solar system"and "Between this World and the Otherworld."
Anyone who is interested in the human mind needs to understand these mysterious experiences and beliefs. This volume is a very enjoyable way of exploring them.

Uncovering Hidden Realms
Jerome Clark's book searchingly examines modern and historical mythologies of the supernatural and otherworldly, which are sometimes tied to puzzling experiential claims and therefore raise profound questions about how we perceive reality. Hidden Realms is deeply and meticulously researched, well-written and a fascinating read. How much of our world do we human beings actually understand, in our infancy as explorers on this planet? Perhaps there are many other realities and creatures existing along with us, that only a few of us, for some strange reason, ever come in contact with.Or, are these "experience anomalies," as Clark calls them - reported with startling consistency over many centuries - simply aspects of human imagination that transcend time and cultures?Hidden Realms opens up magical worlds that all of us have been touched by since we were children, tapping into the open imaginations that we had then, when all things were possible. Once again, we can cross that line and take a journey that is humbling and awe-inspiring, but this time through the power of solid research. This book reminds us of how little we know, and how great the mysteries are that are all around us, just out of reach. It's a great escape from the darkness that we are all confronting in today's world. ... Read more

Product Description
Spurred in 2001 by the realization that the 9/11 attacks were accurately predicted - in 1967 - by a friend who was seeing Mothman, Seattle artist Andrew Colvin began filming a 36-hr. video series, 'The Mothman's Photographer,' documenting his experiences growing up in WV. The Mothman's Photographer II book is based on the first half of that series, where Colvin returns to Pt. Pleasant to interview John Keel and other familiar Mothman names. Colvin also travels to many Mothman, UFO, and Bigfoot sighting spots, including his old neighborhood in Mound, WV, where the shadows of Charles Manson and S.J. Moore are still cast. At a 'vortex' spot where many creatures were seen, Colvin and his team encounter an energy field whose behavior leads Colvin to a breakthrough. Using an array of facts, figures, and synchronicities, Colvin shocks listeners to one of America's top conspiracy shows, The Grassy Knoll, by explaining who Mothman may really be, and what his prophecies may really mean. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Andy Colvin Rocks Your Mothy Socks!
This book is not only full of Mothy goodness, but much more.

Andy Colvin shows there is much more going on with Mothman than just the sightings of the creature. There are endless synchronicities and connections with other paranormal subjects, as well as fringe science such as mind control.

Honestly I think you could take the research in this book and make a great conspiracy/paranormal thriller film from it.

You get so much with this book -- interviews with Andy and dozens of other interesting people that have something to add to the Mothman tale.There are witnesses and esoteric legends like John Keel adding their two cents.

I would think this is required reading not only for those interested in Mothman, but anyone interested in the paranormal, ufos and/or conspiracy.

Two thumbs up for Andy!

A Great New Study of the Mothman Controversy
Last night, I finished reading Andy Colvin's book, The Mothman's Photographer II. This is one of those books that is essential reading for those of you fascinated with Mothman.

Somewhat appropriately, and like the Mothman mystery itself, the book is full of all sorts of twists and turns, dark and disturbing scenarios, contains as many questions as it does answers, and definitely defies convention.

The book basically tells the very personal story of Colvin's interest in, and obsession with, the Mothman; something that began in his childhood in the sixties when he and his friends constructed a "shrine" to the Mothman - and after which strange and bizarre things began happening to Colvin, to his family, and to those around him.

In many ways, Colvin's book is more mind-bending than John Keel's The Mothman Prophecies. But this is a good thing: rather than simply go over old ground, and recount the original story, Colvin describes for us how the Mothman personally affected, manipulated, and possibly guided, his own life experiences, right through to the present day.

And it's written in an appropriately unconventional style too: via interviews, transcripts, personal comments and thoughts, and more.

For those who view Mothman as purely a crypto-zoological puzzle, you'll find yourselves at odds with Colvin, who places the creature in a very different category.

Essentially, Colvin views the Mothman as being akin to the Garuda - the majestic bird-like entity of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. Colvin's view is that the presence of the Mothman at the Point Pleasant, West Virginia bridge-collapse of 1967 (as described in Keel's book) was not in any way sinister.

Rather, Colvin sees the Mothman/Garuda as being basically a benign entity, and one that surfaces from its strange realm of existence at times of peril and strife, and when things are distinctly ill with the world. Part-helper, part-guide, it's inextricably linked with us - but generally for the better, Colvin believes.

But it's also a creature whose presence should not be taken lightly - nor should the fact that the creature's presence at Point Pleasant may have been tied in with a whole host of other activity, including classified government projects in the fields of mind-manipulations and psychotronics, synchronicities, the Men in Black, dark and tragic prophecies, the world of big-business, the military-industrial complex, and much more.

The Mothman's Photographer II is a fantastically strange trip into a world without rules, where just about anything goes, and where convention is thrown out of the window. But it works - and it works very well.

If you read the book, you are likely going to come away with a new view (or, at the very least, a modified view) of Mothman, thanks to a man who had the vision and guts to follow his instinct and present his data, ideas, theories and thoughts to those willing to listen.

And, given the fact that it seems the nature of Colvin's life was almost pre-destined from the day he first immersed himself in the world of the Mothman, perhaps he was meant to write the book. And perhaps we're all meant to read it. If so, Colvin has done us a great service in providing a book that is unique, unusual, riveting reading, and beyond thought-provoking.

Read and prepare to have your mind blown, bent, reorganized and, if you get the message, elevated, too.

Mothman's Boswell
Andrew Colvin has put together an amazing, detailed, and compendious book on sightings of the Mothman, or Garuda, whose visage Colvin has apparently captured on film--but which also touches on the Rockefellers, the Manson Family, The Philadelphia Experiment, Union Carbide, and strange 1967 premonitions of the destruction of the World Trade Center.

With transcripts of his interviews by the excellent Keith Hansen ("Vyzygoth") framing the work, Colvin weaves a fascinating tapestry of synchronicity, anomaly, and unexplained occurrence.There are transcripts also of talks by Grey Barker and John Keel, and of Colvin's own television program, The Mothman's Photograper, with annotations and asides by Colvin throughout.There is much, much more, though.

The Garuda has been legendary throughout human history as a harbinger and a protector--an inspirer of prophetic visions.That this legend would manifest itself to Americans in the 21st century is, in Colvin's view, some cause for alarm--and comfort.Alarm, because its appearance usually foretokens disaster; comfort, because those visited are forewarned and forearmed.Colvin's friends and family in and around Mound, West Virginia speak eloquently of their visitations.

My recommendation is that you unplug the phone, toss aside the iPod, shoot the television and spend a weekend delving into this most fascinating book. ... Read more

Product Description
A companion book for the TV series The Twilight Zone discusses and explores in detail various cases of paranormal experiences, such as demonic possession, mirror dimensions, mind control, ghosts, and human teleportation. Original.Amazon.com Review
The television show Psi Factor is one of the moredramatized programs dealing with paranormal phenomena, but I find thematerial to be more than entertaining. Now, the book by the same nametakes stories from the first 15 episodes and presents them withequally dramatic effect. The sources of these tales are said to bereal occurrences, which give the stories that extra tingle. Though I'dalready seen the shows, I read this book in one sitting, finding thatI couldn't tear myself away. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great!
If you love sci-fi or the show, this is perfect for you

PSI Factor - A different kind of Chronicle
At first glance this book looked like it would be hard to follow with the way the chapters are set up.Boy, was I wrong. It flows very well. It is very refreshing to see a book set up so differently and have it be so easy to read. I love being able to read just a chapter at a time.It covers case stories one to a chapter.No chapter is more than eight pages long. It great for reading when you just have 10 minutes here and there.The stories are very well presented. I am ready for volume II =) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Awesome Book
Loved this book as a kid.Lost it over the years and found it on Amazon. :) Great book if you are into the topic and a steal at some of the prices you can find it at on here.

THE Compendium of Strange Phenomena
I have many of these types of books in my collection, from small paperbacks to fancier hardcover Reader's Digest-type compendiums, from Rupert J. Gould's _Oddities_ to works by William Corliss and Brad Steiger - themselves no hack journalists of the unexplained - and none of them hold a candle to the sheer pragmatic necessity of this book.An avid cryptozoologist might note, for example, his deliberate separation of the North American Sasquatch, Orang Pendek, the Himalayan Yeti and various other Wildmen into separate entries, yet even still reserving space for more cautionary cryptid accounts such as "Momo" and casting a brief spotlight deservedly upon the issue of de Loys' monkey ("Mono Grande").Although the sheer scope of the material demands that Clark is efficient with his prose and occasionally miss some things (why, for example, is Momo covered while the Boggy Creek sightings, which spawned several movies, are left out ?)you will be surprised how much substantive information is contained in these pages.The author is meticulous and footnotes extensively, always describing his material with a keen eye for journalistic accuracy and healthy dose of skepticism, all of which makes this a fantastic compendium, reference manual, and all-around eye-opening introduction to the "Borderlands."

Im also happy to report this book seems to have spawned a vastly-expanded second edition.I would suggest hunting that down first before attempting to grab this one second-hand, but any way you can own it, it should be welcome in your library, rabid skeptic and would-be sasquatch hunter alike.

An excellent book detailing everything a believer loves.
This book is quite possibly the best documentary of unexplained phenomenon, I have ever read.Jerome Clark details every interesting unexplained piece of information possible from the Mountain Lights to the Jersey Devil.Being the X- File freak I am, nothing interests me more than paranormal activity.If you get a book about the unexplained, I strongly recommend this one.

An expansive look at many things strange.
Mr. Clark warns the reader in the introduction about jumping to conclusions about the source of many of the strange accounts he writes about.That type of thinking is prevalant throughout the entire work.It appears to be very well researched and, instead of trying to reach conclusions, he presents the stories in a matter-of-fact approach that invites the reader to weight the evidence and decide for themselves.I found that on some topics he would get rather bogged down in the history, but he was always careful to not get to carried away.Generally a great read that I recommend to everybody I know who is interested in this type of material.

An Excellent Guide
"Unexplained" isn't for the credulous believer or the dogmatic disbeliever.It is, rather, for those individuals who have a genuine interest in truly fascinating mysteries and who want to use their intelligence, guided by their world view, to determine which, if any, of these strange phenomena are plausible.Clark's treatment of these extraordinary occurrences reflects a refreshingly objective mind-set, and he implicitly invites the reader to adopt a similar approach and perspective.I have referred to this book time and again since I purchased it several years ago.My only complaint is that Clark did not give enough space to subjects that I found particularly intriguing -- e.g., "The Dover Demon" -- and too much to those that have already been written about ad nauseum, such as the Loch Ness Monster.But that's a matter of personal taste.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more