parapsychology
Paranormal, Or Perinormal?
When we hear the word “paranormal,” we often think of ghosts, psychic abilities, or UFO sightings. But what does the term really mean?
Many of us have had moments that feel mysterious or beyond our understanding — experiences that challenge the way we see the world. What’s interesting is that these experiences aren’t always “paranormal” in the traditional sense — they may actually be “perinormal.”
Understanding the difference between these two ideas can help us see our everyday experiences in a new light, making it easier to connect with the mystical side of life without feeling overwhelmed by the unknown.
“The word “paranormal” comes from the Greek word “para,” which means “outside” or “beyond” normal. It refers to things that are beyond the limits of what we can scientifically measure or explain.
Paranormal experiences, such as ghost sightings or psychic phenomena, defy logic and leave a lasting impact on those who experience them. They’re those mystical or supernatural experiences that break the rules of reality and are completely “outside of normal.”
“Perinormal, on the other hand, comes from the word “peri,” meaning “around” or “near.”. These experiences are on the edge of “normal” — they’re those things we sense, feel, or observe that are related to subtle, measurable energies or natural laws, but also remain mysterious and unexplained.
Perinormal experiences show us that the spiritual and mystical are often much closer to reality than we realize – they just exist in a space we do not yet fully understand, or perhaps never will?
The Magic Of Dowsing Stands The Test Of Time
Dowsing, also known as “divining” or “water witching,” is an ancient practice that uses a tool such as a pendulum or divining rod to locate what is hidden, most commonly underground water, minerals, or lost items. it is also a divination method used to tap into the unseen or mystical to gain spiritual, psychic, or energetic insights.
While skeptics dismiss it as pseudoscience, dowsing has persisted in many cultures for thousands of years, standing the test of time as a mysterious blend of mysticism and physics. I believe its continued presence throughout history speaks to its importance and continued relevance in today’s technological society.
Dowsing has ancient roots dating back thousands of years, although its exact historical beginnings remain uncertain. Archaeological evidence suggests that the practice dates back to ancient Egypt and China, where early civilizations used rudimentary dowsing techniques to locate water and minerals. Cave paintings in North Africa from around 8000 B.C. depict people holding forked sticks, which many experts believe may be dowsing rods.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were also familiar with dowsing, especially for locating underground water sources. They considered the dowsing rod or pendulum a sacred tool capable of tapping into hidden energies. It was believed that certain materials, especially wood or metal, could act as conduits for detecting invisible forces in the earth.
In the Middle Ages, dowsing became more widely practiced in Europe, often by miners searching for metal veins, especially during the mining booms in Germany and England. However, due to its inexplicable, mystical nature, dowsing also increasingly became associated with the occult and witchcraft, leading to its condemnation by the church.
The Psychic Technique Of Remote Viewing
Recently, Brazilian psychic Chaline Grazik made waves when she predicted a plane crash during an Instagram live broadcast on August 8, 2024. Grazik urged her followers to start praying after she had a vision of a falling plane with many people on board. Sadly, the very next day, a tragic plane crash near São Paulo claimed the lives of 62 people.
Psychic visionaries, or “seers,” have always piqued people’s curiosity. Known as clairvoyance, “psychic vision,” or “third eye seeing,” people with this psychic ability are able to see visual information about objects, people, places, or events in their mind’s eye without relying on the normal senses. It is a fascinating phenomenon that has woven its way through history and has had a significant influence on religion, metaphysics, spiritualism, and scientific research.
There are documented examples of psychic visions dating as far back as ancient times. One of the most famous is the Pythia or Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece. She was known for her prophetic visions, including one given to King Croesus of Lydia in the 6th century BC. In a trance-induced vision, she foresaw him fatally cross a river. She then cryptically warned him, “If you cross the river, a great empire will be destroyed.” Croesus took this as a sign that he would triumph over Persia, but the prophetic vision ultimately meant the downfall of his own empire.
The Bible also has its share of references to psychic visions. For example, the prophet Isaiah described a vision of angelic beings surrounding God’s throne (Isaiah 6), while Peter had a vision of a sheet of animals descending from heaven (Acts 10), among many others.
Extraordinary Evidence Of Reincarnation And Past Lives
Have you ever felt an irresistible desire to visit a certain foreign country? Are you obsessed with a certain culture or have you always been fascinated by a certain period of history? Do you collect certain objects or paraphernalia that represent some kind of ancient spiritual tradition or esoteric practice?
Our inexplicable interests and unusual hobbies often reveal much about our past lives.
Reincarnation is a topic that has captured the imagination of people since ancient times as a thought-provoking perspective on life, death, and the soul’s journey through many incarnations. Physical life is not a singular experience, but a cycle of rebirth, learning, and evolution.
The concept of reincarnation is the belief that our soul, or non-physical essence, is reborn into a new life after we die.
Central to Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, this spiritual concept is also found in certain streams of Judaism, among indigenous peoples of the Americas and Australian Aborigines, and in neo-pagan religions such as Wicca.
Various esoteric and mystical religious traditions, such as the Druze, Rosicrucians, Theosophy, and Anthroposophy, also incorporate ideas of reincarnation and the evolution of the soul.
In Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism, reincarnation is also an important belief, referred to as gilgul neshamot, or the “cycle of souls.” Kabbalists teach that souls reincarnate to achieve spiritual redemption or tikkun, allowing individuals to correct mistakes from previous lives and fulfill their unique spiritual missions.
The Mysterious Mischief Of Poltergeist Phenomena
I have always been a sucker for scary ghost stories. In fact, the scarier, the better! Since my teenage years, I have sought out sensational tales of the supernatural for the sheer thrill of it.
One particular story, that of “Pete the Poltergeist,” still stands out in my mind.
Britain was going through a recession in the 1980s, but despite the economic downturn, two self-employed men in Cardiff managed to run a successful lawnmower repair business called Mower Services out of one of their homes.
One day, one of the men thought he heard someone throwing stones at the door of the workshop, but when he went outside, he was surprised to find that no one was there. The rocks seemed to come from nowhere!
Later, the men noticed that their keys were hidden, and there was a very strange smell in a certain part of the workshop that suddenly became extremely cold. Later, they began to even find money and witnessed objects being thrown across the workshop floor – but they did not know what or by whom!
As a result of this unexplained activity, they decided to close the shop one night and conduct their own séance-style experiment. They placed their hands on a table, fingers touching, and asked the presence to throw a stone at them – which it did! Then one of the men asked for a pen and the entity threw one at them as well!
Who or what did this? The two men simply concluded that they had a ghost in their workshop that had become “like a member of the family” and decided to nickname it “Pete the Poltergeist.”
Seeing The Future In Precognitive Dreams
Many people will tell you that they’ve had a precognitive dream at some point in their lives. In short, this is a dream that somehow revealed or predicted a future event or circumstance. Literature, myth, and history are filled with stories of such dreams, from ancient times to the sinking of the Titanic.
The concept of precognitive dreams has fascinated mankind for centuries. In ancient cultures, dreams were seen as messages from the gods or the universe, guiding individuals through their waking lives.
The Bible, for example, contains numerous accounts of prophetic dreams, such as Joseph’s dreams that foretold his rise to power in Egypt. These stories underscore the long-held belief that dreams can provide glimpses into the future.
But how much truth is there in the idea of dreaming the future? Is it really a thing?
Throughout history, people have reported dreams that seemed to predict future events. These precognitive dreams, as they’re called, have included personal tragedies, world-shaping conflicts, and even scientific breakthroughs.
Carl Jung, a prominent Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, was interested in the phenomenon of precognition in dreams. He believed that dreams could sometimes contain elements of future events or insights that were not consciously available to the dreamer. Jung coined the term “synchronicity” to describe meaningful coincidences that defy conventional explanations of cause and effect, suggesting a deeper connection between the psyche and external events.
The Haunted History Of Music City
Many cities around the world are home to their fair share of ghosts and haunted places. Nashville, Tennessee, also known as Music City, is no exception. With the city’s rich and diverse cultural history, from early Native American times to the Civil War to today’s country music industry, it’s no wonder Nashville is haunted.
The unique histories of cities like Nashville, New Orleans, and Savannah, which have experienced war, disease, natural disasters, and slavery, contribute to their reputations as some of the most haunted places. In these cities, many people died under unpleasant circumstances, and much of the modern urban landscape is built on old graveyards and cemeteries, adding to the lore and mystery of these places.
One of the most famous ghosts in Nashville is that of Adelicia Hayes, a 19th century woman whose second husband built the city’s famous Belmont Mansion. Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham (1817–1887) is an influential and controversial figure in Nashville’s history and was one of the wealthiest women of the antebellum South. Her first husband died in 1846, leaving her an inheritance valued at approximately $1 million, which included seven Louisiana cotton plantations, a two-thousand-acre farm in Gallatin, Tennessee and hundreds of slaves.