Standards in Mediumship and Psychical Investigation

The American Society for Standards in Mediumship and Psychical Investigation (ASSMPI) has been formed from a direction given from spirit in order to combat the low standards that exist in the fields of Mediumship and spiritual understanding, and to ensure that good practices far exceed those fraudulent psychics and mediums. The society also exists to support the safe and correct development of mediumship and is a non profit organization, which supports good causes by running fund raising events.

From the Archives: Calling All Ecto-exo-plasmaniacs

[First Posted 1/13/06]

I’m very private about my extensive musical history—which is vast and shall remain a mystery—but am being impressed by Spirit today to share one of my fave music artists: Stoogy (Scottish composer Stuart Mitchell) —his work was greatly instrumental (so to speak) in helping me maintain vibrational consistency when working with the spirit team on The Risen, probably because he has been able to extract, with reasonable success, qualities and tones that might be found in certain Risen geographies. His piece, “Nibiru – The Tenth Planet” is astounding and gives me astral goosebumps. I love the description used for his kind of work - ambient.

[Note: 7/22/11 - After The Risen was published, Stuart graciously let me use his achingly beautiful piece, "Our Survival" from Temple of Time as background for a Youtube presentation of our book.]

I woke this morning “gonging” — my term for when my physical body is being stimulated by the astral-etheric ones to go into a deep state of stasis so they can become dominant, i.e., “trance”—and the physically inner sounds of deep tolling bells is often a signal that some kind of physical spirit phenomena is rising. Where I'm concerned, this could mean anything from a telephone call from Tim or other smarty party animals, to astral dislocation, or to apports and astral and/or physical materializations. It’s very hard to resist, although I’ve learned how to deal with it. Water helps, either taking a long shower and/or drinking a lot of H20 as well. Why would I want to resist this? It's uncomfortable for one main thing. It's also usually inconvenient. If it wakes me up in the middle of the night (as if often does) I can at least stay in bed. But not when I have to get on the subway.

When my astral-etheric bodies first began activating as a teenager, I often just fell over in a deep sleep-like trance in the middle of the day. Sometimes even during a family meal or while sitting and talking with someone. My family assumed I was on drugs. One of my teachers, Geo Trevarthen once shared how the same thing happened to her as pubescence began emerging, with almost psychotic-like symptoms. Fortunately for her, her family had been consciously aware of and practicing their Celtic-Scots Shaman lineage for a very long time, so instead of trying to give her meds and lock her up, they helped her work to adapt and grow.

Manhattan and Long Island, at one time, notably in the early 1900’s until the late 30’s, were intense centers of mediumship activities; like the British Isles, Iceland, and other notable power points for spirit contact, these land masses are criss-crossed with ley lines as well as surrounded by water and tend to have dewy climates, i.e., lots of fog and mist. These are ideal conditions for the kind of contact typified by trance and séances, and especially supportive for ectoplasmic physical phenomena.

Great Britain is dotted with a goodly number of spiritualist churches, although nothing like their heyday—still, a lot more than what's in and around New York City. Although this has been changing in the last 10 years, especially Long Island, (George Anderson) which still has large tracts of trees that hold and express the water and connect and conduct ley line energies. I live in a very special section of Manhattan where the only remaining primitive timber still exists—almost 200 acres—which even few NYCers know about. Three major ley lines intersect beneath this beautiful forest, held sacred by Native American tribes who once gathered there at certain times of the year. They didn't live there, however, in order to preserve the neutrality needed for trading and discussion. The Risen orchestrated my being in this area for my mediumistic health and of course, for their agendas. Some of George’s life mirrors my own, especially growing up, and although he may not talk much, if at all, about what it feels like to be a medium, I've heard through my own grapevine that he’s not been immune to the physical and psychological depressive affects of mediumship, as well as the excessive energy demands on the body. He's not a big guy, but has to eat like a horse.

Physical, ectoplasmic, or “energetic” mediumship, was also quite prominent many years ago in the afore-mentioned areas, and then vanished, for the most part—possibly because of all the chemicals that found their way into our air, food and water. But it’s also coming back, possibly because of global attempts to reduce pollutants, but also because perhaps humans are adapting, like certain bacteria that adapt and become resistant to antibiotics—which Tim Leary believed was the kind of thing our DNA dealt with, including accommodating things like Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. (See Leary’s Exo-Psychology which contains interesting ideas—especially about the fixed reality spaces of “the Woodstock generation.”

Another time I'll share about the Zerdin Fellowship, to which I belong, and which used to be the Noah's Ark Society, both characterized by a focus on physical mediumship.

(Leary, as noted in an earlier post, is in Diakka land, and is currently looking for a channeler to work with on his own continued research with exo-substances, and now, what he’s calling “exo-conditions” or maybe even “exo-psycho-weather,” if I’m discerning and interpreting his interesting dance movements correctly (he’s Diakka, they’re slightly but vibrantly mad). As discussed in The Risen, scientists on "sub"-Risen levels, including the Diakka geographies, are able to manufacture their own version of perceived Risen plant life. T.L. is having a very good time!).

New Issue of Paranthropology

 Here's the link to the July 2011 issue of Paranthropology: Journal of Anthropological Approaches to the  Paranormal:

You might also be interested to know that the journal now has a new website at www.paranthropology.co.uk

Especially significant is the article "A Matter of Spirit: An Imaginal Perspective on the Paranormal " by Angela Voss, which mentions and validates much of the Risen material regarding the reality and use of the imagination to facilitate spirit contact.

Submissions are now open for the October 2011 issue, see the website for details.

In a couple of weeks this issue will also be available to buy as a physical hard-copy.

From the Archives: "Screek"

[First Posted 17 July 2010]

We just received a complimentary copy of the journal to The National Spiritualist Summit (TNS) -- thanks to the Editor, Laura Lee Perkins -- in which Michael Tymn's review of The Risen is featured in the section, "Reading Matters." For those who haven't read it, his review can also be found at Amazon. A well-known and highly respected journalist on all things psychic and the afterlife, Michael's featured an interview with August as part of the "opening ceremonies" of his new blog at White Crow Books (4/30/10). Mike is also the author of the recently published book, The Articulate Dead and most recently, The Afterlife Revealed.

The TNS Journal, which is published out of Arizona, is quite thick and full of interesting writing, including historical information and reproductions of past mediumship endeavors and current articles on spiritual healing. Especially fascinating was a feature story on a device called The Ovilus 1, a hand-held device which is said to be able to detect speech and phonetic speech from the immediate environment, i.e., digital dowsing! A look at the inventors' website revealed that a newer version — the PX 1/2 Ovilus 1/2 Puck ALL ITC — has already rendered the Ovilus obsolete, suggesting significant progress in the technology. "What does it do?" you ask. According to TNS, it works "by measuring changes in the environmental energy fields around it. It modulates the energy changes into audible speech using a synthesizer chip, an extensive dictionary of English words, and a function that sounds out words."

For example, visiting a place called the Caledonia Wine Cottage, the device said, "Caledonia shot stomach." The site had once been used as a Civil War hospital and quarantine area. Located in Pennsylvania, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is said to have been built by Jacob Fisher in 1824 as a stage stop and inn and that originally the house had 12 rooms and a dirt floor basement with separate quarters in the back for slaves. It would have been standing when thousands of Indians with the Trail of Tears passed through Caledonia in 1837/1838. It also has a documented history of haunting.

One reviewer cautioned that because the device can generate "unexpected and sometimes disturbing speech of text" it should not be used "around or by children, anyone suffering from mental illness or emotional trauma, or those easily offended." Definitely a must-bring for your next church administration meeting.

For the spirit-communication geek, or screek, there are instructions for building your very own "ghost box radio" prefaced with the caution, "If you don’t own a soldering iron this is definitely not for you!" This is Part 1 of a 3-Part Series for the device's construction.

There is also something there called The Crossovertalk ITC, and "now it's back online" -- to use "just skype crossovertalk." We have no idea what this is, so if anyone tries it out, please let us know what you find out so we can share it with everyone else — we're too chicken to attempt it.

The idea of paranormal dowsing is also prominently featured in the book, "Secrets in The Fields: The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles" by Freddy Silva. This is a fantastic book with a great deal of research and empirical evidence crossing what seems to be every branch of science. Although a great deal of dowsing goes on, the actual dowsing techniques aren't discussed (as far as we can see) other than indications of the use of traditional rods. We wonder how the Ovilus Puck would do and what it would say, especially since crop circles apparently emit all kinds of electromagnetic energy, sound and light, and even time distortion effects.

("You're...standing...on...my...foot...")

It isn't until the final chapter of this book that the seminal work of C.W. Leadbeater is briefly mentioned in one short paragraph. At the turn of the 20th century, Leadbeater and Annie Besant had clairvoyantly explored and described their discernment of sub-atomic particles. The results, which were presented in highly detailed, ultra-precise renderings, were published in the mind-bending book, Occult Chemistry: Investigations by Clairvoyant Magnification into the Structure of the Atoms of the Periodic Table and Some Compounds. Occult Chemistry proposes that the structure of chemical elements can be assessed through clairvoyant observation with the microscopic vision of the third eye. Leadbeater would go into a deep meditative trance and examine samples of elements of the then-known Periodic Table. He was quite literally able to count atomic and sub-atomic particles, a testament to his outstanding abilities; he was also quite exhausted after a session. Many of these elements were rare and difficult to obtain, yet Leadbeater and Besant were able to get them with the assistance of Sir William Crookes (1832 –1919) of The Theosophical Society. (Crookes was a prominent, highly-respected theoretical physicist and inventor of the prototype of the TV tube and fluorescent lighting; he was also an important member of the Society for Psychical Research.)

Observations were carried out between 1895 and 1933. The work consists both of "coordinated and illustrated descriptions of presumed etheric counterparts of the atoms of the then known chemical elements, and of other expositions of occult physics." First published in 1908, and up until recently, very difficult to find, it's now in reprint, and also can be read online courtesy of Project Gutenberg. Here is a good instant download, complete with the renderings, so you can take a look at it now.

We mention this book because of the diagrams of the various atomic elements in it, which August had noticed -- quite a few years ago -- were startlingly, and sometimes exactly, like crop circles. He even brought it to the attention of a then well-known crop circle researcher, who, to put it lightly, blew him off, citing some odd reason about not wanting to obtain and look at the Besant's renderings because of "copyright issues." It seemed clear that there was a lot of political in-fighting amongst the crop-circle community and battles over what some considered proprietary material. Ah, how the ego-mind loves battles.

Freddy Silva and others since have produced obvious evidence that shows the crop circles reference atomic elements, their vibrations, and quantum physics, but it's still baffling as to why Leadbeater and Besant's clairvoyant techniques are not held up as a primary ways and means towards further deciphering the mystery of crop circles.

To just briefly illustrate our point, we draw your attention to one of the many hundreds of plate illustrations found in Occult Chemistry — in this particular case, the clairvoyantly discerned rendering of the rare element, Yttrium — atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanoids and has historically been classified as a rare earth element. Yttrium is almost always found combined with the lanthanoids in rare earth minerals and is never found in nature as a free element. (We like it because it's coincidentally known as a "transition" element.)

Note that Leadbeater advises, "We put on record these facts, without trying to draw any conclusions from them. Some day, we—or others—may find out their significance, and trace through them obscure relations."

The text accompanying it is very technical and not unlike the same seen in the analysis approaches of Freddy Silva and others:

Here we have a quite new arrangement of bodies within the funnel—the funnel being of one type only. Two "cigars" whirl on their own axes in the centre near the top, while four eight-atomed globes (see 4 e) chase each other in a circle round them, spinning madly on their own axes—this axial spinning seems constant in all contained bodies—all the time. Lower down in the funnel, a similar arrangement is seen, with a globe (see 4 d)—a nitrogen element—replacing the "cigars," and six-atomed ovoids replacing the globes.

The "nitrogen balloon" occupies the third place in the funnel, now showing its usual shape in combination, while the b globe (see 4 b) of scandium takes on a lengthened form below it.

The central globe presents us with two tetrahedra, recalling one of the combinations in gold (see Plate VII d), and differing from that only by the substitution of two quartets for the two triplets in gold.
One funnel of yttrium contains exactly the same number of atoms as is contained in a gaseous atom of nitrogen. Further, a, b, and d are all nitrogen elements. We put on record these facts, without trying to draw any conclusions from them. Some day, we—or others—may find out their significance, and trace through them obscure relations.

YTTRIUM: 6 funnels of 261 atoms 1566 Central globe 40
---- Total 1606
----
Atomic weight 88.34
Number weight 1606/18 89.22
The corresponding negative group, of nitrogen, vanadium and niobium, is rendered particularly interesting by the fact that it is headed by nitrogen, which—like the air, of which it forms so large a part—pervades so many of the bodies we are studying. What is there in nitrogen which renders it so inert as to conveniently dilute the fiery oxygen and make it breathable, while it is so extraordinarily active in some of its compounds that it enters into the most powerful explosives? Some chemist of the future, perhaps, will find the secret in the arrangement of its constituent parts, which we are able only to describe.

Their use of the word "funnel" is interesting, a word which crops up (pun intended) quite frequently in the research literature of Silva and others to describe theories of how the phenomena are created.

Here is our personal favorite, Radium:

Many of these renderings also greatly, if not perfectly, resemble ancient pictographs and designs found on cave walls and carved into stone monuments all over the globe. Silva's book also makes this comparison between such symbols and many crop circles. But we've yet to find any references to the achievements of Leadbeater and Besant and the intriguing correlations to be found. Note these modern crop circles as you ponder the mysteries therein. One especially reflects the celtic triskele, which is also seen in Leadbeater's renderings of Yttrium.

ATC reports on The Risen

The Association TransCommunication NewsJournal Summer 2001 Issue has published a piece they asked August to write about The Risen. They also published part of his report dealing with an experiment at one of the U.S. Montcabirol sittings this past May.

This issue contains many fine and interesting articles, including one about Imperator, The Felix Experimental Group, and an article "I  Was a Skeptic".

Many thanks to Lisa and; Tom Butler of ATC for their loving support and for their unfailing diligence!

Jairus' Daughter

Warm congratulations to our dear friend Evelyn Weissman on her wonderful Hay House Radio Interview - I was finally able to listen to the archive of the 6/28 show with Dr. Eldon Taylor, who seemed enraptured by her lovely book, "Jairus' Daughter" - a novel based on Eveyln's religious conversion. I was equally taken by the story as well, which is available in paperback or on Kindle.

The Disparity of a “Standards of Care” for Spirit Mediumship

Here is a link to a paper August produced about Mediumship and Standards of Care in the Behavioral Health domain, which was published by Paranthropology in their newsletter earlier this year.

From The Archives: The Indescribable Gift

[First Posted 1/23/11]

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
~ Henry Miller

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.
~ Walt Whitman

Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so called scientific knowledge.
~ Thomas Edison

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or, ‘What shall we drink?’ Or, ‘Wherewithal shall we be clothed?’ For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things . . . Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself . . .”.

~ Matthew 26:28 (KJ)

"Fairy land is a universal retreating infundibulum, 
except that the farther in you go, the bigger it gets."
~ John Crowley in an interview

It seems so very marvelous to me, from one perspective, how many of my friends find ways and means to physically travel all over the world — places I've never been to and only know about through hearsay and other second-hand presentations. I am extremely inexperienced compared to them, although I've never been lacking for invitations to every corner of the globe. From another perspective, the same global trotting also seems somewhat incomprehensible to me and raises my own line of questioning, namely, to what end; what are the deeper motivations, wherefrom the drives to endure such obviously stressful, costly endeavors? I'm sure everyone has an answer, each valid in its own ways. Curiosity seems the likely answer, of course, and is the hallmark of intelligence throughout the universe, from the behavioral spins of quantum particles to a cat's insistence to help with unpacking the groceries. Curiosity moves us — without it, nothing would change. Perhaps vibration, which underlies all, animates all, enlivens all, is really the result of curiosity. In a statement to William Miller, as quoted in LIFE magazine (2 May 1955,) Einstein shared, "The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of the mystery every day. The important thing is not to stop questioning; never lose a holy curiosity."

The other question arising is about my lack of movement in the way of physical jetting about. This gets asked of me in many ways, due to my not accepting the invitations to Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, Canada, and Mars, Pennsylvania. I never exactly refuse, but say something noncommittal, because my curiosity wants me to someday, somehow, go.

I love to travel, but, I don't travel well. Simply put, physical travel takes a lot out of me, and I get quite ill, due directly to the way my astral-etheric and physical bodies are intercomposed. The symptoms are very like those I experience after a physical manifestation of spirit, which literally take a lot out of me. But I've learned how to prepare for such things - travel and mediumship - and how to take care of myself during and after - so there's no real excuse there.

The authentic reason is that there is something that precedes, and underlies, curiosity. It is basically indescribable, inexpressible, invisible. And yet it cannot be separated from us, so perfectly is it indissoluble, indivisible, inseverable, and integral to what and who Authentic Self is. Many "I" words there! They can all be gathered in under an ultimate "I" — immortality. How to define "immortality"? In The Risen, one of Tim's three suggestions about the "pastime of reincarnation" is,  "One’s reality is defined by three I’s ~ Individuality, Intensity, and Infinity."  Put them together, and immortality arises unending.

It is my feeling of being, and of being imbedded in my own immortality, supported by a conscious realization of oneness with everything — or the lack of separation with everything — that allows me to simultaneously be still and yet move. I have traveled not only to many beautiful places on the earth in spirit, but have visited and interacted with other intelligences throughout inexplicable dimensions, Risen and other, that never cease to send their own invitations in response to my curiosity.

All I ever have to do is to open my inner eyes and truly look — that is, seeing the truth — at what is before me at any given moment, whether it is a blade of grass glowing with sunlight, or the wetness of a cat's nose gently touching mine. These are also invitations to look more closely, to enter and explore firsthand my individuality, intensity, and infinity. No subway, taxi, jet, or rickshaw can do the transporting. As we say in The Risen, "worlds within worlds" — and as John Crowley said in an interview to my friend, Ron, "the further in you go, the bigger it gets". So perhaps I've not gotten to Budapesht yet because I've not come back from the blade of grass. It is said in The Risen:

"As beings of light we continue on endlessly—our immortal experience. This realization is of immense importance, for we are literally having our immortal experience in this very moment. Immortality doesn’t begin after we transition to Risen, but commenced when we first arose on this world, fired into life with a Divine Spark, to awaken and breathe and move up and out into this world, our earth. When one not only mentally accepts this realization about our immortality but is able to gain awareness of it and then feel the realization of it, life is experienced with much less fear and much more freedom. It is spiritually imperative to understand that besides having the experience, we must be able to observe the experience, to participate as observers, and to especially become aware of it by feeling it." (p. 27)

Perhaps it can be said that I am comfortable with and relaxed by my own sense of immortality — that indescribable gift — which is also the knowing that because there is no time, I have all the time to choose from. My curiosity moves me from where I'm at to where I'm at.  I always end up choosing to travel in-toward what is before me at any given opportunity of awareness, which is also an inexpressible gift.