CHAPTER ONE.
DEFINITIONS, COMPLEXITIES AND EXPLANATIONS REGARDING MEDIUMSHIP.
Chapter One will briefly introduce, define, describe and summarise many of the complexities and terms inherent in and associated with mediumistic phenomena, alternatively known as channelling. Significantly, many of these complexities are frequently not known or understood by the wider public. This chapter will also briefly discuss a range of associated psychical phenomena, which are posited by some parapsychologists in attempts to ascribe mediumship to be the result of a complex, and sometimes convoluted range of psychical phenomena. Many parapsychologists prefer to do this rather than accept the more straightforward explanation that many mediumistic experiences frequently represent the authentic receipt of actual communications from communicators who are dynamically alive, (on-going), discarnate, (non-corporeal), non-physical, recognisable personalities or intelligences. The various features of mediumistic demonstrations will be commented upon, including the phenomena of a medium's apparent access to or communicated knowledge about, information that can later be found in written, even rare records, rather than information contained, simply in the minds of living persons. Further discussions will comment upon the medium's access to information, presumably through the telepathic transfer, from the minds of those who sit with the medium, and also the phenomenon of false communicators, which may include accessing nothing more than memory systems rather than contact with a dynamic non-corporeal personality or entity in its own right. If mediums access information from the minds of sitters then it is a matter for interesting speculation that if survival of death occurs, that mediums at intervals, dependent upon quality and quantity, sometimes telepathically access discarnate minds. However it is not the subject matter of this book to attempt to prove or disprove any survival hypothesis. Furthermore, when reference is made to mediumship it will frequently be referred to as psychic, mediumistic phenomena to take into account the various opinions that exist, regarding the authenticity of mediumistic contact with surviving, discarnate beings. There are those who believe it is exactly that and those who believe that it is the result of a demonstration of a phenomenal and convoluted range of psychic abilities that are sometimes accompanied by hallucinations. However, these materialist explanations still do not satisfactorily hold for many instances of mediumship. This chapter will include reference to definitions and descriptions with regard to such terms as psychic, extra sensory perception, parapsychology, telepathy, mediumship, two broad categories of mediumship, altered states of consciousness (known as varying depths of trance states), clairvoyance and clairaudience . Brief consideration will be given to suggestions by the religious group known as Spiritualists, regarding possible descriptions of topographies (landscapes) found in the After Life. Spiritualists base many of their spiritual teachings regarding the deeper purpose for the material life on Earth and Spiritualist eschatological teachings upon the information accessed, most particularly, through the practices of mediumship. A brief discussion follows regarding a number of explanations concerning psychic, mediumistic phenomena, including that of two particular, Twenty First Century explanatory models or analogies. The brief synopsis of the latter two invaluable, pioneering, cutting edge analogies, represent attempts to offer an improved context for understanding and explaining experiential psychic, mediumistic phenomena. The first model of which the salient features will be given is that of the universal archive theory . It is otherwise known as representing the concept of the archives of the mind, with its relationship with humanity and its provision of a context in which the realm of psychic, mediumistic phenomena can possibly best be accommodated and understood. The universal archive theory is introduced and described by Professor Archie E. Roy. Professor Archie E. Roy's background includes being the Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow , Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, The Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society. He has held posts as past President of the Society for Psychical Research and the Scottish Society for Psychical Research in the United Kingdom and is a member of the International Astronomical Union. This model postulated by Professor Archie E. Roy with his accompanying speculations, is the result of his research into astrodynamics, celestial mechanics, archaeoastronomy, psychical research and neural networks.
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