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A thread to discuss: The Trickster and the Paranormal by George P. Hansen.

Some info on Hansen:

"George P. Hansen was professionally employed in parapsychology laboratories for eight years—three at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, and five at Psychophysical Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. His experiments included remote viewing, card guessing, ganzfeld, electronic random number generators, séance phenomena, and ghosts. He has been active in a number of psychic, UFO, and New Age organizations, and he helped found a skeptics group.

His papers in scientific journals cover mathematical statistics, fraud and deception, the skeptics movement, conjurors in parapsychology, and exposés of hoaxes. He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians." ().

"George P. Hansen is a writer and parapsychologist. One of his known works include The Trickster and the Paranormal, which mostly deals with liminality and the paranormal. Hansen worked with parapsychology during eight years before finishing The Trickster.

Views:
Hansen believes that paranormal events, such as sightings of strange beasts, UFOs and ghosts, are sighted when the society is in disorder, and least when society is ordered, but also during times of transition (for example, from youth to adulthood). He argues that there is a connection between all the different aspects of "the unknown", as well as with parapsychology.

Hansen is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians."
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A passage from an interview with Hansen in Fortean Times:

Interviewer: "You mention the fascinating idea that the conscious mind might actively seek to limit psi function as a form of defence against an information overload effect that might lead to destructive and unbridled paranoia. If we are constantly swimming in a sea of destructuring "idea-plasms" and thought energy, might such controls be essential in a society such as ours? If this is the case, do you think that this is something that might have evolved species-wide over time? And would you say it is dangerous to try to encourage one's own psychical abilities?"

Hansen: "You asked if it's dangerous to encourage development of psychic abilities. There are side effects of strongly functioning psi, and most laboratory researchers want to deny them. The instabilities in the lives of government-trained remote viewers should be cause for concern. Their training and implementation of RV was quite intense. Most people casually trying to develop their abilities don't become so heavily involved, and the risks are less for them. Like most things, it's a matter of degree."

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And a quote on Hansen's website about The Trickster and religion:

"The trickster, an irrational being, was important in many early religions. Earlier societies made accommodation for the irrational, and for the trickster. Today, both are forced to the margins. A similar situation is seen in religion generally. All religions have accounts of miracles, but as they become more established and respectable, miracles decline and fade from sight.

There are important exceptions. Spiritualism and neo-paganism overtly engage supernatural entities. But those religions have trickster characteristics. Their organizational structures are dramatically different from traditional churches. They remain marginal, with little stability or respectability.

The Trickster and the Paranormal integrates findings from a variety of fields and illuminates the relationship of religion and the supernatural, with particular attention to mysticism and the irrational. "
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Although I'm only a little over half way through this book at the moment it's raising several questions for me. It's not an easy read. I'll admit I don't like philosophy. It hurts my brain. But I'm understanding what Hansen is getting at.

Trying to summarise, paranormal phenomena originates in the betwixt and between, the border, the threshold, beyond the veil of Maya, the bardo, the numinous. This is the realm of Hermes/Mercury messenger of the gods, the Trickster.

"Hermes (/ˈhɜrmiːz/; Greek : Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian god in Greek religion and mythology, son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia. He is second youngest of the Olympian gods.

Hermes is a god of transitions and boundaries. He is quick and cunning, and moved freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, as emissary and messenger of the gods, intercessor between mortals and the divine, and conductor of souls into the afterlife. He is protector and patron of travelers, herdsmen, thieves, orators and wit, literature and poets, athletics and sports, invention and trade. In some myths he is a trickster, and outwits other gods for his own satisfaction or the sake of humankind.

His attributes and symbols include the herma, the rooster and the tortoise, purse or pouch, winged sandals, winged cap, and his main symbol is the herald's staff, the Greek kerykeion or Latin caduceus which consisted of two snakes wrapped around a winged staff.

In the Roman adaptation of the Greek pantheon (see interpretatio romana), Hermes is identified with the Roman god Mercury, who, though inherited from the Etruscans, developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce."
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Hansen argues that society has rituals, rules and taboos to make sure that a demarkation is kept, restraining or limiting the Trickster's influence, or supernatural phenomena, from spilling into this world. Phenomena, which when unbridled, can lead to wholesale paranoia.

I can see this in terms of world history. Both the Inquisition and the following Witchcraft Trials were highly liminal events, involving highly liminal people. The Demonologist monks being a prime example. Also the whole era was steeped in mysticism, and belief in paranormal, or supernatural phenomena. Such belief thins the veil so to speak. It was a time of extreme unrest, and deceit and trickery played a large part in the proceedings.

Personally, I can also see how unrest is linked to Prophecy--messages from beyond the veil: the Trickster's realm. This thread covers that idea: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I can see how Spiritualism, New Age channeling, and the like, actively encourages the phenomena, and how that in turn links into unrest via prophecy again.

What I don't agree with is Hansen's claims that Pagan activities encourage the phenomena, nor Shamanism, nor the Wiccan movement. Here I think he is thinking of Sorcery--those wishing to seek Solomon's gift of commanding spirits through study of ancient grimoires. But they are attempting it through bounded methods, and careful ritual.

I would have thought that certain activities such as talking in tongues, and other offshoot Christian mystic activities, to be far more likely to encourage the phenomena, or Hermes' influence in this realm.

Also noting, those in this group who follow the Trickster in his many forms will know of his attributes, and that the Trickster is not negative, but needed at the right moment and the right place to instigate change, and to offer insight. But people need to know what they are dealing with before they blunder on into his realm.

Final note, anyone notice how Terry Pratchett is onto all this in his books? They are all about phenomena. He's a Fortean writer through and through.

Thanks for the overview, Gina. I read the preview on amazon but found it heavy going, as he seems to write a prologue/overview for each chapter, which means that you've already 'read' the condensed chapter before you get to it. Also much of the foregoing stuff wasn't new enough to be interesting and it felt very slow. Possibly it improves later, but I do tend to go by previews and don't read the book if they don't hook me.

What is fascinating to me is that betwixt and between, the edge or the fringe, is also the natural milieu of a shaman. It is a part of a shaman's role/practice to hold these boundaries for us, and to navigate the realms that touch in search of knowledge and allies. As a shamanic practitioner, I must always be aware of what it is possible to encounter. The connection to this fascinates.

Not a problem Nell. :)

Yes, there is a lot on Shamanism in this book Sara.

It's basically a philosophical, anthropological, linguistic approach to defining the supernatural, occult or paranormal phenomena, and its liminal, anti-structural properties. It's a book that a skeptic could read and then be satisfied with the conclusions, as it's appropriately phrased for the rational minded.

The author is a magician and not overtly religious in his stance, but he does stress that unbounded invoking of the phenomena is anti-structural by nature and is linked to unrest and paranoia. Rational disenchantment of the world marginalises the irrational, and keeps the supernatural within bounds. "Rationalization strengthens the boundary between the human and the divine."

It's fascinating reading. I'm quite stunned by the sheer amount of highly respected scientists, mathematicians and world leaders that regularly attended seances. It discusses an assortment of people who studied or worked with the occult, or the paranormal, including Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and her involvement in Spiritualism. Here's a quote about her that also shows Hansen's point:

" Kubler-Ross was suffused with liminality, but she did not understand its implications. From the earliest times, there have been specialists who facilitated the transition between life and death. Today we have morticians, funeral directors, ministers and rabbis. Kubler-Ross was different from these professionals. She had no ritualized religious approach and did not use rational, detached, scientific methods in studying the matter. She immersed herself in the realm and tried to chart the life-death transition anew, essentially outside of conventional religious, medical and scientific frameworks. She entered this liminal area 'unprotected', didn't grasp the consequences, and frequently fell victim to the trickster."

Interesting quote about Kubler-Ross. Her work is standard or ubiquitous in this, and the death and dying model she proposed is used in many other types of "transitions", such as losing one's job. These are considered "little" deaths.

I'm not sure how to go about suggesting books on this, as I haven't researched it myself, however what this relates to in shamanism is those who follow a Psychopomp path. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies does, I believe, offer a course in this. At its core, this is the role a shaman assumes to assist the living in the transition from this reality to the next or another, depending on your perspective. I have several shamanic friends actively engaged in this, and if you wish, I will ask them for more information.

Does this book suggest that The Trickster is always at play in life/death transitions? Or is more a question of mediumship, etc?

Sara wrote: "Interesting quote about Kubler-Ross. Her work is standard or ubiquitous in this, and the death and dying model she proposed is used in many other types of "transitions", such as losing one's job. ..."

Just searching through my random notes that I shove into my kindle holder's pocket, which is splitting at the seams...

The trickster is always present, as it is his realm. Hansen argues that shamans have always been aware of the trickster's ways. That 'primitive' cultures--and he takes pains to explain that he uses that term purely to avoid confusion when referring to past anthropological work, not that he thinks these cultures were primitive--left such dealings to their shamans, knowing the inherent dangers when dealing with this realm.

In terms of divination, I see the trickster in Cassandra's curse. John A Keel talks about it (although he doesn't pin point it in the same inclusive way) in several of his books. When people talk about channeled prophecies from 'aliens' or 'ascended masters' etc, there is often a string of prophesied occurrences that come true, and a final, large one that doesn't, that also undoes the others. He calls it the 'make them look mad' aspect to dealings with the phenomena.

If I cut to the guts of it, avoiding Hansen's rational, reduced chance of offending, or putting off the skeptics, talk, I'd say that when dealing with the astral plane, the bardo or spirit world, one needs caution, protection, and as much wisdom as possible.

Quoting from a link I left in the channeling thread:

"Lower spirits are those beings without physical forms whose sanskaras remain to be wiped out. They cannot progress after death until their unfinished sanskaras are worked out. As a consequence, they wander about on the lower Astral plane. For this reason, they are a source of harassment to living people."

I am interested in reading up about the Psychopomp path. () (I have psi, precognitive dreams, and have had so since I was a child. Friends and family listen when I have dreams that relate to them. I have accompanied a love one both into the spirit world, and many months later, back into rebirth, in my dreams. I did not recognise this as a shamanic occurrence until recently. ) People who have had ndes talk about psychompomps. I think it is these beings that channelers are trying to contact, but only the lower astral entities answer, and that is a integral part of the trickster's ways.

Oh and back to Kubler-Ross. Another quote that sounded far more along the lines of Crowley's Enchonian magic than a researcher into life after death: "Seances were a common attraction, and in some of them "spirit entities" engaged in sexual "therapy". During one seance, a light was turned on abruptly, and Barham was discovered to be naked. Kubler-Ross dismissed the incident saying that a spirit had cloned his body." :D

Little wrote: "Some info on Hansen:

"George P. Hansen was professionally employed in parapsychology laboratories for eight years—three at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, and five at Psychoph..."

I think Hansen is trying hard to get academics and mainstream scientists to get their heads out of the sand and pay attention to this area of study. He wants to legitimize it, I think, and so he labors hard to keep that academic tone. He's not going to jump off the pier into any belief spectrum, at least not publicly, in his attempt to get skeptics to pay attention. He probably hasn't got a prayer, in any case, since most skeptics are comfortable in their belief systems and have no desire to venture outside it.

I know you don't need any more book recommendations, but here's my review of another: "Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah by Colm A. Kelleher

This book isn't in the same league as Hansen's, but interesting nonetheless.

Minsma wrote: "Little wrote: "Some info on Hansen:

"George P. Hansen was professionally employed in parapsychology laboratories for eight years—three at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, and f..."

Yes, I think you are right Minsma. It seems as if it's one of a kind in that regard too. My husband is a rock solid skeptic. Even my own recent experience merely unsettled him, where as it terrified me. Like most skeptics, I think he really just doesn't want to know. It's way out of his comfort zone, and I have to respect that, although it irritates me sometimes. Hansen's book is the ONLY one he's ever listen to when read aloud, and then shown an interest in. Not that he'll read it mind you.

Thanks for the recommendation. I can never have enough books to read, especially on a subject I'm determined to get to the bottom of, as least as much as I can. :):)

I found a brilliant quote about Hermes, the trickster in Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld by Patrick Harpur, which I'm reading now:

"But although Hermes plays the fool, he is fiercely intelligent. As the inventor of writing, he is the god of communication, wisdom and hermeneutics. But his communications can also be deceptions. Pompous high-flown Apollinian prophecies are hijacked by Hermes, who twists them and sows them with absurdities and untruths, seeking to restrain the single-minded, upward-striving flights of the spirit with the slow, ambiguous, downward-moving reflectiveness of soul. His deceptions can, like Art, be dressings-up which entice us into a deeper truth. He misleads us, but often for our own good, leading us out of our ideas of truth--out of literalism, for instance--and into the tricky paradoxical twilight of the daimonic realm. Not for nothing is he venerated as the god of borders and crossroads where different realities intersect."

Which of course, I have finally realised, is exactly what has now happened to me. Several months of high weirdness, fear, upheaval, frantic reading and rearranging of belief structures, but I feel better for it, less naive. Nothing is B&W, not gods, not spirits, not people, not life. I think the trickster has done a good job in reminding me of this and shaking things up a bit.

My review of this book, and a right bastard it was to write too. I deserve my beer. :D http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

You do indeed. I liked reading your review, and following your progress with it here. I don't think I'll ever get to it myself, but then one never knows. I was struck in your review about how Hansen seems to think that contemporary shamanic practitioners encourage the trickster phenomenon, if I read your review correctly. Certainly given my own experiences as a responsible shamanic practitioner, I don't agree with his assessment. I think it goes back to what you've been saying all along--that it is the unknowing, uninformed practitioner, or those "fooling around" with the occult that create havoc.

Thanks Sara. :) Yes, you read it correctly, and yes, I think it's the uninformed, and unknowing, blundering on in, that create the havoc too.

Hansen is anti-fooling around, but I think he misunderstands modern day paganism, witchcraft and shamanism. A Christian who lights candles in honour of a particular saint, and spends hours in mediative prayer, in order to join, if not briefly, with the divine, can be said to be doing exactly what a pagan, witch, or shaman is doing, via their own path or course. I think we all just need to be awake, aware, and mindful as we go.