WELCOME OUR GUEST BLOGGER: author Mark Ireland
The following blog includes material from my book, Soul Shift: Finding Where the Dead Go.
“It is entirely possible that behind the perception of our senses, worlds are hidden of which we are unaware.” – Albert Einstein
In sharing my views about psychic phenomena and mediumship, I understand that I will have to answer skeptics. And in saying this, I actually believe that skepticism is a healthy attribute for any intelligent, thinking person. It is normal to question and doubt things that don’t make sense and it’s also reasonable to ask for substantiation of claims that seem improbable. Unfortunately, skepticism also manifests in a particularly destructive and cynical form that seeks to tear apart and destroy, rather than to investigate and explore. In his book, The Conscious Universe, Dr. Dean Radin uses the term “extreme skeptic” to denote radically incredulous, self titled “Debunkers.”
It seems that open-mindedness is the key attribute that differentiates the normal skeptic from the extreme skeptic. While reasonable skeptics may doubt certain claims that seem strange, they are willing to openly investigate such matters and reconsider prior assumptions with sufficient evidence. In contrast, extreme skeptics have a vested interest in the status quo and are therefore motivated to snuff out competing viewpoints. This is particularly true of perspectives that fail to fit within established concepts and existing paradigms, which represent their predisposed worldview.
Extreme skeptics seek to perpetuate a narrow mindset founded in material reductionism—the notion that everything can be deduced by examining matter—while readily dismissing any research or theories relating to the possibility of a non-material reality.Personally, I favor a science that is open to exploring the whole of the universe, all the possibilities, without prejudice. It was once considered outlandish to suggest that continents moved. Likewise, today certain issues and areas of study are dismissed by mainstream science, viewed as undeserving of consideration because they don’t fit with their established worldview. As a result, any new discoveries must fit with their prevailing schema—a mechanistic universe based in seventeenth century science—otherwise such ideas are quickly discarded, dismissed, or disparaged. This is actually the antithesis of science. In this regard, Dr. Radin observes, “The same scientific mindset that thrives on high precision and critical thinking is also extremely adept at forming clever rationalizations that get in the way of progress. If serious scientists are prevented from investigating claims of psi out of fear for their reputations, then who is left to conduct these investigations?”
Our ability to perceive things is tied to physical senses that are very limited. People cannot hear radio waves, see infrared light, or feel atoms, yet their existence has been proven. Yet despite this, people still rely on what their five physical senses tell them about their world and accept all their perceptions as fact—without considering the very real possibility of distortion. In saying these things, I am not questioning the reality of the physical universe, I am simply suggesting that it is not the final and ultimate reality. I am convinced that there is something deeper, an underlying level of reality that projects into this realm.
Countless studies have been conducted on psychic phenomena (psi) over the last 120 years, yielding compelling evidence. Again, according to Dr. Radin, “There are a half-dozen psi effects that have been replicated dozens to hundreds of times in laboratories around the world.” Despite this extensive body of substantiating work, extreme skeptics continue to argue that there is no evidence to support the existence of these phenomena. So until a paradigm shift occurs and new thinking is encouraged in the scientific community, there seems but one place to turn for answers to these questions—the domain of personal experience.
For me, there is nothing more valuable than personal experience; what skeptics call anecdotal evidence. Because a single phenomenal experience has not been repeated in a lab, it is discounted by some skeptics as inconsequential—like it didn’t happen, or doesn’t matter. This attitude does not devalue my experiences, or make them any less real, it just keeps them from being published in scientific journals. If a golfer hits a hole-in-one, yet is never able to repeat the feat, does it tarnish or wipe out their achievement?
I have seen the reality of psychic phenomena since childhood, hundreds of times, in countless ways. I’ve also “connected” with loved ones through mediums, receiving highly specific messages involving detailed information that was impossible to research. In some cases, the readings were completely blind… the medium did not know my identity and could not see me—yet high quality information was still conveyed. These experiences helped me view death differently than so many other people who seem gripped by a fear. These encounters also gave me a sense of hope and purpose after losing my son and other loved ones. Rather than feeling despair, I have come to truly appreciate this life, recognizing my responsibility to make the most of this opportunity. I have also gained a sense of comfort in understanding the continuity of life after this temporary physical existence.
—Mark Ireland, Author of Soul Shift: Finding Where the Dead Go
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