The Mystery Behind the Occult

FIVE hundred years ago people accused of witchcraft became the target of the Inquisition. A papal proclamation of 1484 gave inquisitors official backing for their witch-hunt. This led to the publication of the book Malleus Maleficarium (The Hammer of Witches), which classified witchcraft as worse than heresy. As a result, thousands were put to death.

In modern times a dramatically different attitude developed toward happenings that modern science has been unable to explain. This change in attitude has been traced back to 1848 when two girls, Margaret and Kate Fox, in New York State, U.S.A., heard mysterious knockings in their little cottage. Thinking that it might be an effort at contact by the spirit world, they asked for a code so as to allow intelligible communication. Communication was established and messages followed.

News of the experiences spread far afield, and with it interest in the paranormal flourished. One result was that spiritualism became organized into a religion, attracting many who yearned for some contact with their dead loved ones.

Scientific Study of the Paranormal

Another result of these paranormal experiences was the founding of societies for their scientific study. The study of the paranormal is known as parapsychology or as psychical research.

For a long time, mainstream science spurned this research. But, then, in 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was founded in London. Its express purpose was “to examine without prejudice or prepossession and in a scientific spirit those faculties of man, real or supposed, which appear to be inexplicable on any generally recognized hypothesis.”

The image of psychical research has improved in recent times as scientists of high reputation have pursued investigations of the paranormal. Interestingly, on May 18, 1985, Edinburgh University announced the appointment of an American psychologist, Dr. Robert Morris, as Professor of Parapsychology. The Sunday Telegraph dubbed him professor of the unknown. Although the idea of giving such prominence to parapsychology drew criticism, New Scientist noted:

“It is not as if parapsychology is a new subject in British universities. The Society for Psychical Research (SPR), Britain’s leading body in the field, celebrated its centenary a couple of years ago, and has always had strong academic associations. The first president of SPR was Henry Sidgwick, professor of moral philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Since then 28 of the 50 or so presidents have been university professors, and two of them Nobel prizewinners. Eight of the 44 British universities are currently carrying out parapsychological research.”

Of course, parapsychology is still not formally recognized by the great institutions of science as having equal status with the physical sciences. Many, in fact, claim that there is no such thing as a paranormal experience.

Is It Just Trickery?

It is true, some experiences claiming to be products of occult power are nothing but trickery. An example involved a clergyman’s four young daughters and their maidservant. One girl was sent out of the room. The rest stayed in the company of the experimenters. An object, such as a playing card, was chosen. The girl was then invited to return to the room and by thought transference identify the chosen object. The correct description was usually given. Some years later, however, when tested by members of the Society for Psychical Research, two of the girls admitted cheating by using sight and sound clues.

More recently, magician James Randi set up a stratagem to show that even experienced investigators can be deceived. He arranged for two young magicians to get jobs with Dr. Peter Phillips, director of physics at Washington University, who was conducting experiments in the psychic field. “I continue to believe that Mike Edwards [one of the young magicians] bent a key in my hand without ever touching it,” wrote Phillips. But he was apparently deceived, as he later acknowledged. The magicians claim that their extraordinary feats were all done by sleight of hand, not by paranormal power.

Clearly, there have been examples of deception. Yet, Arthur J. Ellison, in his presidential address to the Society for Psychical Research in 1982, maintained that there is “excellent evidence for experiences which do not fit current scientific models representing our normal experiences of this universe.” What is the mystery behind these experiences?

Is It Power of the Mind?

Some believe that the mind has hidden powers that can be summoned to perform extraordinary deeds. But does the mind have power to shake tables, move a pointer on a Ouija board, bend metal objects, or emit a force to accomplish other such things?

In an article entitled “The Secret Behind the Ouija Board Mystique,” magician Henry Gordon wrote: “Well, there is an unseen force, but there’s nothing paranormal about it.

“In psychology it’s called automatism,” Gordon says. “Automatism is a motor behavior, or muscular reaction, to an unconscious thought . . . This psychological process is responsible for many other so-called psychic phenomena.”

This is what is commonly claimed. There are, for example, masters of the martial arts who can exert what they call ki power. “Learn to flow your ‘ki’ or mind by concentrating on the One-Point [lower abdomen] and stretch your arm out,” instructs Black Belt, a martial arts magazine. “Pretend the water or power is flowing out from the one point through your arm and finger.”

“As long as one continues to train his ‘Ki,’” Black Belt says, “his students will never surpass him. The founder of Aikido [one of the martial arts], Master Morihei Uyeshiba, is over eighty years old, but as yet, no one can face him. He is capable of throwing twenty strong men simultaneously. He has become stronger and stronger as he grows older. . . . One must accept ‘Ki’ as an addition to your five senses.”

But is the human mind really the source of such extraordinary power? Does it enable persons to perform exploits that cannot be scientifically explained?

Well, consider a case of poltergeist-type activity in Enfield, London, England, investigated for the Society for Psychical Research. Regarding this type of activity, Brian Inglis, author of several books on the paranormal, explains: “The mysterious bangings, movements of furniture and breakages often go on for weeks; and this enables investigators to convert the premises, up to a point, into a laboratory using a variety of sophisticated recorders.”

In the Enfield case, the person was quite willing to be investigated. However, according to the two researchers, the apparent subject was totally uncooperative. “It took what appeared to be malicious pleasure in frustrating the efforts of observers,” wrote Inglis. “Tape recorders, for example, were subjected to interference and damage, sometimes of a kind the manufacturers had never previously encountered.”

Such experiences strongly indicate that power beyond the human mind is involved. If such power emanated from a person’s mind, why would it want to frustrate the investigative efforts of observers and put their recording equipment out of action, especially since the person was quite willing to be investigated?

Admittedly, the human mind is a marvelous creation about which there is much to be learned. Yet, it cannot emanate power to strike, lift, or move objects, nor does the human mind of itself have the ability to know about things without the aid of the ordinary sensory channels.

Thus, according to scientific research, the phenomenon of ESP in its various forms does exist, although it is not clear how it works. To scientists, the mystery remains.

Is there, then, a solution to the mystery?

[Picture on page 6]

Can the mind project power to move a pointer on a Ouija board?