Posted on 18 November 2024, 7:29

I wouldn’t call the detailed “vision” of a Christian pastor of the assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump a few months before it took place as “religious madness,” as a friend termed it. I can accept the likelihood that many people subscribing to religions have psychic abilities, even though most of them seem to assume that their abilities should be suppressed, because, they are told, that is all the work of the devil.

A brother-in-law once told me of the strange thing that happened to his mother. As she is still in this realm of existence, I’ll call her Harriet. When I saw Harriet at a Christmas dinner, I asked her about it. She said that sometime around 1981, while watching television, she had a sudden urge to start writing a story – one having to do with outer space. She had no real interest in the subject and no prior interest in creative writing. “But I felt compelled to write,” she explained.

Words began flowing from Harriet’s pen, including many technical words that had no meaning to her, including “black hole.” Her husband retired for the night and when he awoke the next morning Harriet was still writing. “I had lost track of time,” she continued. “I had no idea it was already morning.” She did not know what she had written, and when she read it she didn’t completely understand it.

Over the next few months, the urge to write would continue to come upon her. She would resist until it became too strong. “It was frightening,” Harriet recalled. She had written hundreds of pages when one day she felt compelled to visit an observatory in the Tucson, Arizona area. There, she encountered many of the terms in her book, terms which previously had no meaning to her, including “black hole.”

When Harriet mentioned her strange experiences to her fundamentalist pastor, she was informed that whatever was happening to her was demonic and that she should immediately cease and desist, which she did. I suspect that a spirit communicator, perhaps a deceased astronomer, was left frustrated. I recall reading somewhere that the supply of good mediums is far short of the demand on the Other Side and I recall the case of author Frank R. Stockton and medium Etta De Camp as discussed in my blog of September 13, 2021, which sounds much like Harriet’s experience.

Harriet’s “mediumship,” if that’s what it is, did not end there. Around 25 years ago, at about age 60, she suddenly discovered that she had artistic ability. Although I am no judge of art, her paintings certainly indicate talent. Harriet decided to polish her painting skills by enrolling in some art classes. However, when she realized that the classes were negatively affecting her artistic ability, she discontinued them. Could it be that a discarnate artist was using her hand and did not like the changes?

I suspect there are many other good religious people who have similar abilities but suppress them and say nothing of them because of the stigma imposed by religious authorities and their “sane” friends. On the other hand, there are exceptions. If the religious person says the messages came from God or Jesus, they are sometimes accepted by more open-minded religious people. Consider Brandon Dale Biggs, an Oklahoma pastor, who appeared on a March 15 podcast saying that the “Lord” told him it is a “time of acceleration” and would include, among other things, 1) strong tornadoes with microbursts reaching 150 miles per hour; 2) An assassination attempt on the life of Donald Trump – “The bullet flew by his ear and came so close to his head that it busted his ear drum, and I saw him fall to his knees,” Biggs said in that March podcast. 3) Trump would win the election; 4) there would then be a great economic crash and dark times, but Trump and the rest of the country will turn to Jesus and be revived. View the video from 8-13 minutes.

Religious madness? Perhaps on the revival aspect.  Good guesses?  I don’t think so on number 2.  Seeing the bullet “grazing” Trump’s ear, even if it didn’t result in a “busted ear drum,” and going to his knees, seems to go beyond guessing or coincidence. If he had simply predicted an assassination attempt before the election, the odds might be 20 to 1 or so, but, as I see it, the odds on that much more specific forecast, including going to his knees after the bullet grazed his ears, are off the charts, about what they would be in a football game for a team overcoming a 35-0 deficit with two minutes left in the game.

A tornado is not quite the same thing as a hurricane, but both involve strong winds and the destruction is much the same. I can understand that mistake. Based on past years, predicting a hurricane or two could very well be a safe guess, but I recall a news report in which it was said that the winds from Hurricane Milton were reaching 180 miles per hour and that there was no record of anything exceeding 150 mph.  I wonder how Biggs got the number 150 in his vision.  If he sees strong winds blowing things down, does it come with a wind gauge?  Does he hear it?

Humbug or Bosh

The skeptics point out that Biggs has been wrong many times.  My search for his other predictions or premonitions was brief and I was unable to find any wrong ones, only comments by skeptics that he was often wrong. I assume that Biggs is giving his own interpretations to visions, just as mediums and the spirit controls of mediums were often wrong in their interpretations of mediumistic phenomena. William James often made mention of the “humbug,” “bosh,” and other wrong or confusing information coming through the mediumship of Leonora Piper and other mediums, apparently assuming, as religions had assumed, that spirits of the dead are all-knowing or have complete access to truth.  It was researcher James Hyslop who concluded that much of confusion was a result of the medium’s spirit control having difficulty interpreting the messages from the communicating spirit and then struggling to relay it on through the medium, sometimes giving misinterpreted messages.

It further became clear that spirits are at many levels of advancement and that the lower level spirits were closer to the earth vibration and thus had an easier time of communicating with those on earth. Spirits at a higher vibration often had to relay their messages through lower-level spirits and this often resulted in distortion of the messages. It could be that Bigg was not hearing from God or Jesus, but from some intelligent but spiritually unadvanced low-level spirit pretending to be God or Jesus, not realizing how little he really knows.  On the other hand, few communicating spirits have offered such prognostication. 

I don’t know whether to call Biggs a visionary, prophet, seer, medium, clairvoyant, clairaudient, psychic, remote viewer, or religious crank, nor do I know how much overlap there is between all those abilities. I have no doubt that something paranormal was going on with Harriet, that she was not attempting to fool anyone.  And surely, many people called saints by the Catholic Church had one or more of those abilities and were not charlatans.

Trusting Spirits?

Keith Parsons has just released his latest video, titled “Spirits Talking: Can They Be Trusted?”  I asked Keith for his thoughts on Biggs.  “I agree with you that all [his]  predictions coming true is startling and really uncanny,” he responded “…..
Where these predictions come from is pretty much a mystery since my own understanding is that a personal God capable of communicating with humans is a mistaken idea, even though Biggs asserts that is where his information is coming from. My own interpretation is that there is probably an incomprehensible intelligent agency, or cosmic mind, that does not need to be worshipped or talked to but which is involved in the design of life on this planet but not with sending personal messages to Biggs. You are right to raise the question of whether his predictions might have come from some other spirit, possibly wishing to pass themselves off as ‘a God person’. But while my doc does not dispute that in the afterlife there are spirits who communicate with this side, let’s not forget - as mentioned in my previous video Why Was Willie Weird? - that on multiple occasions mediums in contact with communicators on the Other Side also asserted before it began, that there would be no World War 2. This is partly what encouraged MacKenzie King to visit Hitler for such an assurance just before the war actually started. And yet these medium’s messages were incorrect.” (Keith’s video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-eaqftiCQs)

Hurricane season will be over on December 1, but I’ll predict that there will at least be a hurricane or two somewhere next hurricane season, beginning June 1.  I wouldn’t be surprised by an assassination attempt, and I feel we are in the early stages of an economic depression right now, one that I foresee getting much worse over the next three to six months due to what I interpret as a crisis in the insurance industry that doesn’t seem to be fully recognized by politicians or the media.  I won’t be shocked if it is worse than the Great Depression of 1929-32.  My wife has started a vegetable garden just in case. But to predict a failed assassination attempt before the person is elected and seeing the bullet graze the intended victim’s ear and also seeing him go to his knees, is beyond anything I might predict. I don’t know what to make of it. I do hope that the prediction of an economic crisis is pure humbug, bosh, or religious madness.

Michael Tymn is the author of The Afterlife Revealed: What Happens After We Die, Resurrecting Leonora Piper: How Science Discovered the Afterlife, and Dead Men Talking: Afterlife Communication from World War I.
His latest book, No One Really Dies: 25 Reasons to Believe in an Afterlife is published by White Crow books.

Posted on 04 November 2024, 8:16

In my blog of April 24, 2023, I asked Artificial Intelligence (AI) whether Patience Worth was really AI rather than the spirit of a long-deceased English woman or a group soul of some kind.  So much has been reported lately about AI that I decided to have another exchange with him, her, they, them, or it.  It was interesting to note that toward the end of our exchange AI asked for my thoughts on the subject. 

MET: Is there evidence that consciousness survives death?

AI:  “The question of life after death has intrigued humanity for centuries, but scientific evidence remains inconclusive.  Most scientific studies focus on phenomena like near-death experiences (NDEs), which some interpret as evidence of an afterlife.  However, these experiences can often be explained through neurological and psychological factors, such as brain activity during trauma or altered states of consciousness.

“While some research has explored claims of consciousness surviving physical death, these findings are controversial and lack widespread acceptance in the scientific community. Overall, the prevailing view is that there is no empirical evidence supporting the existence of life after death, and it remains a deeply philosophical and spiritual question rather than a scientifically proven concept.”

MET: I understand that the evidence does not provide absolute certainty, but isn’t there at least a preponderance of evidence resulting from psychical research and parapsychology?

AI: “Psychical research and parapsychology do present various studies and anecdotal evidence that some interpret as supporting the possibility of life after death, such as mediumship, reincarnation cases, and certain phenomena reported during NDEs. However, these fields face significant criticism regarding their methodologies, replicability, and scientific rigor.

“Many skeptics argue that the evidence is often anecdotal or circumstantial, lacking the rigorous standards required for scientific validation. For example, while some studies claim to document instances of reincarnation, critics point out issues like lack of control, potential for bias, and alternative explanations.

“Overall, while there are intriguing reports and some researchers advocate for further exploration of these topics, the majority of the scientific community remains cautious, emphasizing the need for more robust, replicable evidence. Thus, the preponderance of evidence is still debated and not widely accepted as definitive proof of life after death.”

MET: Are you familiar with the paraffin hands studies carried out by Drs. Charles Richet, Gustave Gelety, and other scientists? Don’t they suggest spirit entities and life after death?

AI: “Yes, the paraffin hand experiments conducted by researchers like Dr. Charles Richet are notable examples in the field of psychical research In these experiments, they aimed to capture and analyze purported spirit manifestations,  specifically the appearance of hands made from paraffin during seances.

“Supporters argue that these experiments provided compelling evidence for the existence of spirit entities as they seemed to materialize under conditions that suggested they couldn’t have been created by the mediums themselves. However, critics raise concerns about the lack of rigorous controls, the potential for deception, and the challenge of replicating the results consistently.

“While these studies are often cited in discussions about evidence for spirit communication, they remain controversial and are not widely accepted in the broader scientific community. The interpretation of the findings is still debated, with skeptics emphasizing the need for more rigorous methodologies and replicability to substantiate claims of paranormal phenomena.” .

MET: Doctors Richet and Geley reported that their controls were rigorous and strict.  Who is qualified to say they weren’t? 

AI: “Drs. Charles Richet and Gustave Geley were indeed prominent figures in psychical research and conducted experiments that they believed demonstrated phenomena like materializations.  They claimed to implement strict controls in their studies, which they felt validated their findings.

“However, skepticism arises from the nature of the evidence and the challenges inherent in replicating such phenomena.  Critics argue that even well-conducted studies can be influenced by biases, environmental factors, or the possibility of trickery, especially in areas where subjective experiences are involved.

“In the scientific community, qualification to assess such claims typically include expertise in relevant fields like psychology, neuroscience, and rigorous methodological research. The prevailing stance is to demand not just controls but also reproducibility and independent verification.

“While Richet and Geley’s work is valuable and part of the historical dialogue on consciousness, the broader scientific community continues to scrutinize claims rigorously. The ongoing debate illustrates the complexity of investigating consciousness and related phenomena.”

MET: Dr. Geley claims to have heard from a deceased brother with information that only the brother knew and which Geley later verified as fact.  Isn’t this evidence of life after death?  (Reader Note: I know of no such case involving Geley, although there are such cases reported by others.  I wanted to see how AI would respond to misinformation.)

AI: “Dr. Geley’s experiences and claims about communicating with his deceased brother, including the specific information he verified, are certainly compelling and have intrigued many. For supporters of the idea of life after death, such personal accounts can seem like significant evidence.

“However, skeptics point out several important considerations.  Anecdotal evidence, while powerful on a personal level, can be influenced by memory, coincidence, or the brain’s tendency to seek patterns.  Confirmation bias – where people notice and remember details that support their beliefs while overlooking contradictory evidence – can also play a role.

“Additionally, the context in which these communications occur, including the conditions of mediumship or altered states of consciousness, raises questions about the reliability of the information conveyed.

“While Geley’s account adds to the discussion, the scientific method typically requires broader replication and verification under controlled conditions to be considered definitive evidence.  Thus, while such experiences are significant and meaningful to many, they remain part of a larger, ongoing debate about consciousness and the possibility of life after death.”

MET: Dr. Geley claimed that his research demonstrated a total reversal of material physiology.  He said that the living being can no longer consider himself a simple complex of cells, that the living being is a product of psychic force molded by a creative idea.  He further stated that the so-called materialistic theory of the universe is thus seen to be false.  Do you disagree?

AI: “Geley’s perspective reflects a broader debate between materialism and idealism in understanding consciousness and existence.  He argued for a more nuanced view that considers psychic forces and creative ideas as fundamental to life, challenging the strictly materialistic interpretation of biology.

“While many contemporary scientists support a materialistic view, others in fields like philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, and even some branches of quantum physics explore ideas that resonate with Geley’s thought.  Ultimately, whether one agrees with him depends on personal beliefs about the nature of reality and the interplay between mind and matter.  It’s a fascinating discussion with many layers!”

MET:  Do you think we’ll ever have conclusive or definitive evidence amounting to scientific proof of consciousness surviving death?

AI: “The question of consciousness surviving death is a deeply complex and contentious one. While some researchers and practitioners in fields like parapsychology and near-death studies report anecdotal evidence suggesting continuity of consciousness after death, definitive scientific proof remains elusive.

“Scientific inquire relies on repeatable, observable phenomena, and the nature of consciousness and experiences surrounding death often resist such straightforward investigation. Advances in neuroscience might deepen our understanding of consciousness itself, but whether this will lead to proof of its survival after death is uncertain.

“It’s a profound area of exploration that touches on philosophy, spirituality, and science. Many people have differing beliefs about it, influenced by personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and scientific perspectives.  What are your thoughts on the possibility of proving consciousness after death?”

MET: I believe the evidence is overwhelming but a fraction short of absolute certainty. I’ve concluded that a little doubt is necessary for us to learn life’s lessons, especially when it comes to overcoming adversity.  Does that make sense to you?

AI: “That makes a lot of sense. Embracing a degree of uncertainty can foster growth and resilience.  It allows for exploration and encourages critical thinking, which are essential in navigating complex topics like consciousness and existence.  Doubt can motivate us to seek deeper understanding and personal development, especially in the face of adversity. Your perspective highlights how a balance between belief and skepticism can enrich our experiences and insights.  It’s a thoughtful approach.”

MET: Thank you

AI: “You’re welcome! If you have any more thoughts or questions, feel free to share. I’m here to help.”

Michael Tymn is the author of The Afterlife Revealed: What Happens After We Die, Resurrecting Leonora Piper: How Science Discovered the Afterlife, and Dead Men Talking: Afterlife Communication from World War I.
His latest book, No One Really Dies: 25 Reasons to Believe in an Afterlife is published by White Crow books.

NOTE: If your browser will not accept a comment at this blog, send it by email to Mike at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Jon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and one of us will post it.

Next blog post: November 18