Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' title='Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' />Psychic Wikipedia. A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception ESP to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws. Many people believe in psychic abilities, but there is no scientific consensus as to the actual existence of such powers. The word psychic is also used as an adjective to describe such abilities. In this meaning, this word has some synonyms, as parapsychic or metapsychic. Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some are theatrical performers, such as stage magicians, who use various techniques, e. A large industry and network exists whereby people advertised as psychics provide advice and counsel to clients. Some famous psychics include Edgar Cayce, Ingo Swann, Peter Hurkos, Jose Ortiz El Samaritano,2Miss Cleo,3John Edward, and Sylvia Browne. Psychic powers are asserted by psychic detectives and in practices such as psychic archaeology and even psychic surgery. Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to self delusion. In 1. U. S. National Academy of Sciences gave a report on the subject and concluded there is no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 1. A study attempted to repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments that appeared to support the existence of precognition. Attempts to repeat the results, which involved performance on a memory test to ascertain if post test information would affect it, failed to produce significant effects, and thus do not support the existence of psychic ability,1. Psychics are frequently featured in science fiction sometimes called psionic or psyonic. Two fiction series, Talent and The Tower and Hive, encompassing eight books by Anne Mc. Caffrey tell the story of telepathic, telekinetic individuals who become increasingly important to the proper function of an interstellar society. People with psychic powers appear regularly in fantasy fiction, such as the novels The Dead Zone, Carrie and Firestarter, by Stephen King, among many others. HistoryeditEtymologyeditThe word psychic is derived from the Greek word psychikos of the mind or mental, and refers in part to the human mind or psyche ex. The Greek word also means soul. In Greek mythology, the maiden Psyche was the deification of the human soul. The word derivation of the Latin psch is from the Greek psch, literally breath, derivative of pschein, to breathe or to blow hence, to live. French astronomer and spiritualist. Camille Flammarion is credited as having first used the word psychic, while it was later introduced to the English language by Edward William Cox in the 1. Early seers and prophetseditElaborate systems of divination and fortune telling date back to ancient times. A Compendium of Information on the Occult Sciences, Magic, Demonology, Superstitions, Spiritism, Mysticism, Metaphysics, Psychical Science, and Parapsychology. Template After Effects Book there. JfnjwFn1r4/hqdefault.jpg' alt='Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' title='Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' />Perhaps the most widely known system of early civilization fortune telling was astrology, where practitioners believed the relative positions of celestial bodies could lend insight into peoples lives and even predict their future circumstances. Some fortune tellers were said to be able to make predictions without the use of these elaborate systems or in conjunction with them, through some sort of direct apprehension or vision of the future. These people were known as seers or prophets, and in later times as clairvoyants French word meaning clear sight or clear seeing and psychics. Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often serving as advisors, priests, and judges. A number of examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of 1 Samuel Chapter 9 illustrates one such functionary task when Samuel is asked to find the donkeys of the future king Saul. The role of prophet appeared perennially in ancient cultures. Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' title='Psychic Perception The Magic Of Extrasensory Perception Pdf' />James Randi . In Egypt, the priests of the sun deity Ra at Memphis acted as seers. In ancient Assyria seers were referred to as nabu, meaning to call or announce. The Delphic Oracle is one of the earliest stories in classical antiquity of prophetic abilities. The Pythia, the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was believed to be able to deliver prophecies inspired by Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC. It is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice. The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded response was given in 3. AD, when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that ethylene gas caused the Pythias state of inspiration. One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame 1. Latinized to Nostradamus, published during the French Renaissance period. Nostradamus was a Frenchapothecary and seer who wrote collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1. Taken together, his written works are known to have contained at least 6,3. Most of the quatrains deal with disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, and battles all undated. Nostradamus is a controversial figure. His many enthusiasts, as well as the popular press, credit him with predicting many major world events. Interest in his work is still considerable, especially in the media and in popular culture. By contrast, most academic scholars maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations sometimes deliberate or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. In addition to the belief that some historical figures were endowed with a predisposition to psychic experiences, some psychic abilities were thought to be available to everyone on occasion. For example, the belief in prophetic dreams was common and persistent in many ancient cultures. Nineteenth century progressioneditIn the mid nineteenth century, Modern Spiritualism became prominent in the United States and the United Kingdom. The movements distinguishing feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be contacted by mediums to lend insight to the living. The movement was fueled in part by anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed to have extraordinary abilities was Daniel Dunglas Home, who gained fame during the Victorian period for his reported ability to levitate to various heights and speak to the dead. As the Spiritualist movement grew other comparable groups arose, including the Theosophical Society, which was co founded in 1. Helena Blavatsky 1. Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements with Eastern mysticism and was influential in the early 2. New Age movement during the 1. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous psychic powers.