P's

As a science parapsychology dates back to the nineteenth century with the formation of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in London. In its early days, parapsychology was called "psychical research," a term that is most commonly used in Britain today. Throughout its history parapsychology has been met with a great deal of skepticism and even hostility by the general scientific community.

The Bible contains many references toparanormal phenomena, including apparitions, clairvoyance, levitation, precognitive dreams and prophetic visions, and communication with spirits of the dead. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church called such phenomena "demonic" unless manofested through a saint.

Philip - An artifical poletergiest created as an experiment by Canadian parapsychologists during the 1970s. Their success demonstrates how "real" spirits can be products of human will, expextation, and imagination.

The experiment was conducted by eight members of the Toronto Society for Psychical Research, under the direction of parapsychologists A.R.G. Owen and Iris M. Owen. None was psychically gifted. Their purpose was to try to create, through intense and prolonged concentration, a collective thought-form.

Phone Calls from the Dead - Literally a telephone call from someone who has died, usually one with whom the recipient shared a close emotional relationship.

In such a call, the thelephone usually rings normally, but may sound flat and abnormal. The connection usually is bad, and the voice is recognizable, however, and the speaker maqy use pet names and words. The call is terminated abruptly, either by the caller hanging up or the line going dead. If the voice is too faint, the recipient may hang up in frustration.

The purpose of these mysterious calls seems to be to leave either a farewell message, a warning oof impeding danger, or information needed by the living. Actress Ida Lupino received a telephone call from her father six months after his death; he told her the whereabouts of some papers needed to settle his estate.

Some calls are made in apparent observance of holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. The caller may do nothing more than repeat a phrase, such as, "Hello, Mom is that you?"

Phone calls from the dead are not taken seriously by most modern parapsychologists. In the early twentieth century, investigators modified the telegraph and wireless in hopes of comunicating with the dead. Thomas Edison, whose parents were spiritualists, worked on but did not complete a telephone that he hoped would connect the living and the dead. In the 1940s "psychic telephone" experiments were conducted in England and America to try to reach the dead. Interest rose in the 1960s, when Konstantin Raudive announced that he had captured voices of the dead on electromagnetic tape. See EVP