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PARANTHROPOLOGY: JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE PARANORMAL VOL. 2 NO. 2 realms of Vampires by Dr Sean O'Callaghan, Lancaster University, who opened the door into the amazingly complex culture of the 'real' vampire. Looking at the extraordinary personalities and lifestyles of individuals who do not feel quite 'human', Sean investigated the realms of otherkin exposing the fascinating beliefs that surround these unique members of modern society. Both talks were a riveting introduction to topics that we often associate more with the media than the 'real' world and set the foundations for many interesting discussions following this. " In the afternoon, Jack Hunter presented his work exploring “The Anthropology of Spirit Mediumship”, providing an insightful look at the history of spirit mediumship alongside its relevance to anthropology as a discipline. Addressing issues such as methodological considerations and the nature of mediumship as practised in society, Jack's talk led on to a lengthy discussion from the audience about his experience in the field and opinions surrounding this area of research. Dr David Luke, University of Greenwich, followed this presentation with his brilliantly unique insights into the cross-overs between parapsychological experiences and psychoactive plants. Entertaining us with stories from his fascinating encounters within the field and incredibly colourful powerpoint slides, David brought together cross-disciplinary perspectives to account for psi-related experiences. " Finally, the day was concluded by Jon Sales from Investigators of Paranormal Phenomena who took on the daunting task of discussing the controversial topic of Orbs. Presenting views from both perspectives and showing a range of orb photos from their investigations, Jon tackled the subject from an open-minded perspective. As expected the topic of orbs led to an interesting debate from contrasting perspectives within the audience, and although no real conclusion was made regarding the source of these popular 'balls of light', Jon has to be commended for choosing to discuss such a dividing subject! " Overall, Talks on the Supernatural and Paranormal at Spooksfest 2011, brought together a collection of brilliant, captivating and thought-provoking speakers in an truly atmospheric location. We were all left with new insights into the mysterious world of the unknown, having had many questions answered it can be assured that we all left with many more new questions to explore! Spooksfest 2012 will be taking place over March 15 th , 16 th and 17 th if you would be interested in speaking at the next festival please get in touch with Rachael Hayward, rjh539@york.ac.uk. Six Feet Over by Mary Roach reviewed by Fiona Bowie It is always disappointing and disturbing when oneʼs own evaluation of a book is completely at odds with those of the plaudits. When I read the following reviews on Amazon for Mary Roachʼs Six Feet Over: Adventures in the Afterlife (Canongate, 2007) (great title in an overcrowded market) I ordered a copy and eagerly anticipated a good read: Mary Roach spent a year investigating the outer fringes of psychic phenomena and has written up her findings in Six Feet Over - a book full of healthy scepticism but also honest investigation. She seems to be a generous and open-minded investigator who does not belittle the enthusiasts she meets and writes entertainingly of what she finds. "Dependably witty and populated by vividly evoked oddballs... thoroughly entertaining" New York Times "Mary Roach is warm, deliciously witty and has the happy knack of unearthing humour under the oddest tombstones... the ideal guide for a field trip into the otherworld." Chicago Sun-Times" 54 PARANTHROPOLOGY: JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE PARANORMAL
PARANTHROPOLOGY: JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE PARANORMAL VOL. 2 NO. 2 The book arrived promptly and I turned to a chapter entitled ʻSoul in a Dunce Cap. The author enrolls in medium schoolʼ, which described a weekend course on the ʻFundamentals of Mediumshipʼ at the Arthur Findlay College at Stanstead in Surrey. The exercises described by Roach seemed to involve basic psychometry (trying to ʻreadʼ an objectʼs energies or vibrations) and generally enhancing oneʼs ability to sense of energetic fields. The` word ʻpsychometryʼ (measuring the soul), was coined by Joseph Rodes Buchanan in 1842), and explained in detail in his Manual of Psychometry: the Dawn of a New Civilization (1885). " Roach spent a fairly fruitless weekend trying to imagine or make up what she was supposed to see or feel, based on cues from peopleʼs appearance, background, the rather unsubtle hints from the course leader, and reactions of other participants. She felt isolated, sure that she was the only one who thought the whole thing was bunkum, delusion, a mix of cold-reading, wishful thinking and auto-suggestion – not deliberate but nonetheless clearly wrong. She concluded that this is all there is to be said on the subject – not exactly what I could call an open-minded investigation. The chapter struck me as crass, poorly researched and superficial, aiming at quick laughs, often at the expense of others. It depressed me and left a bad taste in the mouth – I tried to work out why. " First of all, my own readings and investigations do not “Six Feet Over: Adventures in the Afterlife” Author: Mary Roach Pub: Canongate ISBN: 9781847670809 Price: £8.99 point to a world in which dopy New Agers believe everything they see and hear. Many of those who spend a lot of their time around mediums and psychics are the most skeptical and critical of such phenomena – they are well aware that there is ample room for self-deception, fraud, poor practice and inflated claims. Gordon Smith describing his own development circles gives many examples of supposed mediumship which he regarded as nothing of the sort, and advocates a good sense of humour as essential. Raymond Brown similarly has tales of mediums who did not seem to be communicating anything more than their own egos, and others who were clearly exploitative. For a newcomer to the field this level of skepticism can be unsettling as one is warned that genuine, high quality mediumship and clairvoyance are rather rare, and that even the best have their off days. " Secondly, the extent to which we want to please, pick up cues and ʻlearn the languageʼ of the environment we are in should be a factor in assessing the experience, not a reason for rejecting it. Thomas Csordas, using the work of Merleau Ponty, has written most interestingly of his experience of fieldwork among Roman Catholic charismatics, describing the ways in which they unconsciously learn the appropriate body language when responding to the workings of the Holy Spirit. Accomplished mediums and their discarnate interlocutors stress that they work with and through the thought processes of the medium. Where the line lies between unconscious conformity to expectations and any exterior spirit presence may be hard to determine, but evidential information can sometimes give us a hint, or may indeed be overwhelming. Brian Weiss was convinced that his patient ʻCatherineʼ was channeling a genuine source of external knowledge when, under hypnosis, she revealed details of his sonʼs illness and his father that was specific, detailed and unknown to anyone outside the immediate family. " The third factor in my disappointment at Roachʼs quick and easy dismissal of psi/ mediumship was that her experience was contrary to my own encounter with the world of 55 PARANTHROPOLOGY: JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE PARANORMAL
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