Psychometry (paranormal)
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Psychometry (from Greek: ψυχή, psukhē, "spirit, soul"; + μέτρον, metron, "measure"),[1] also known as token-object reading,[2] or psychoscopy,[3] is a form of extra-sensory perception characterized by the claimed ability to make relevant associations from an object of unknown history by making physical contact with that object.[4] Supporters assert that an object may have an energy field that transfers knowledge regarding that object's history.[5]
Psychometry is commonly offered at psychic fairs as a type of psychic reading.[6] At New Age events psychometry has claimed to help visitors "meet the dearly departed" (a form of spiritualism).[7] Although a subject of controversy,[8] psychics who use psychometry have been used by law enforcement as psychic detectives.[9][10]
History
Joseph Rodes Buchanan coined the word "psychometry" (measuring the soul) in 1842.[11] Buchanan developed the theory that all things give off an emanation.[12]
The Past is entombed in the Present! The world is its own enduring monument; and that which is true of its physical, is likewise true of its mental career. The discoveries of Psychometry will enable us to explore the history of man, as those of geology enable us to explore the history of the earth. There are mental fossils for psychologists as well as mineral fossils for the geologists; and I believe that hereafter the psychologist and the geologist will go hand in hand — the one portraying the earth, its animals and its vegetation, while the other portrays the human beings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows, and the darkness of primeval barbarism! Aye, the mental telescope is now discovered which may pierce the depths of the past and bring us in full view of the grand and tragic passages of ancient history![13]
Buchanan asserted that his particular psychism would supersede empiric science. He wrote a comprehensive treatise, Manual of Psychometry: the Dawn of a New Civilization (1885), detailing how the direct knowledge of psychometry would be applied to and affect the many various branches of science. It also would elevate the various schools of philosophy and arts thereby affecting wide social change and ultimately an enlightenment of humanity:[14]
The thermometer measures caloric (thermo temperature). The barometer measures the weight (baro, weight) of the atmosphere; the electrometer measures electric conditions; the psychometer measures the soul (psyche). In the case of Psychometry, however, the measuring assumes a new character, as the object measured and the measuring instrument are the same psychic element, and its measuring power is not limited to the psychic as it was developed in the first experiments, but has appeared by successive investigation to manifest a wider and wider area of power, until it became apparent that this psychic capacity was really the measure of all things in the Universe.[15]
Buchanan continued to promote psychometry throughout his life and his followers believed that it would revolutionize science in a comprehensive way as "the dawn of a new civilization".[16] Other spiritualism-based scientists built upon Buchanan's theories such as Stephen Pearl Andrews who promoted Psychometry along with his own new science of Universology. As a lecturer Andrews asserted that such inquiries, as paraphrased by a 1878 New York Times article, "demonstrated that the sympathy between the mind and body is an exact science".[17]
In the later nineteenth century demonstrations of psychometry became a popular part of stage acts and séances; with participants providing a personal object for "reading" by a medium or psychic.[18]
In fiction
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Novels
In 2008 two books dealt with the topic. In Evermore by Alyson Noel, Ever can touch people and know their thoughts and past actions. In Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz, Ben can sense things through touch. The Goth series by Katie Maxwell features a psychometrist as the main character, Fran. In the Maximum Ride book series the character Nudge has psychometric abilities. In the Richard Bach book The Last War: Detective Ferrets and the Case of the Golden Deed, the main character's parents help her develop psychometry by exercising her imagination as a young ferret. In the novel The Witching Hour, the first of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches trilogy, protagonist Michael Curry receives the power of psychometry as a means to lead him to back to New Orleans and to involve him in the plans of the Mayfair's ghost Lasher, which haunts their Garden District manor. In Rainbow in the Mist by Phyllis A. Whitney, Christy Loren uses her psychic ability and touches many objects to find out the horrible things that happened in the small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville Virginia. In the novel The Dead Zone (1979) by Stephen King, Johnny Smith suffers an accident which puts him in a five-year coma. As he awakens, he begins to use his newfound psychometric powers to help the police in solving many cases.
In the young adult fiction Dark Visions Trilogy (1994–1995), by L. J. Smith, the character Laurie Frost has the ability of psychometry. She forms part of a psychic strike team hired to perform various crimes, and uses her powers to answer questions when her team is under suspicion. In the Fingerprints series of youth novels (2001–2002) by Melinda Metz, the character Rachel "Rae" Voight can receive the thoughts and emotions of others by touching the fingerprints left on a object handled by them.
The light novel series Katanagatari by Nisio Isin boasts a psychometrist by the name of Kawauso Maniwa, one of the 12 Maniwa Ninja Corps Heads.
Films
In the 1988 movie Vibes, Jeff Goldblum plays a psychometrist accidentally teamed with a spirit medium, played by Cyndi Lauper. In the 1994 film, The Crow, Brandon Lee plays a spirit of vengeance of the murdered Eric Draven. Among other powers, his character can see important events surrounding people and objects when he touches them. In the 2009 action film Push, psychics called Sniffs can relive a person's past and their location by touching or sniffing objects. In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, some members of the Kiffar (a near-human species) possess certain psychometric abilities. In The Meteor Man, Jefferson Reed (Robert Townsend) gains various superhuman powers from a meteorite, including to ability to psychometrically and psychosomatically memorize by touch the contents of a book; by touching a book about karate, he can perform every karate move in it. Unfortunately, this power lasts only ten seconds. In the 1994 film Sensation, Eric Roberts plays a college professor studying psychometry. He hires college student Lila Reed, played by Kari Wührer, to find the killer of his previous lover by using her ability to see into the past.
TV series
In the 2003 HBO television series Carnivàle, Professor Lodz can read thoughts and dreams through contact with a person or object. Creating visions by touching objects is also displayed in Charmed and Medium. In the television series Chuck (2007- ), the main character has the ability to 'Flash', or have a memory blast when coming into contact with or sighting something. In the television series Heroes (2006- ), Angela Petrelli sacrifices a worker (Bridget Bailey) who exhibits psychometry, giving it to Sylar. Though seldom used, this power gets mentioned several times throughout Seasons 2 and 3 under the name "clairsentience" (a similar concept): see Sylar#Powers.2C_abilities.2C_and_skills. On the superhero comedy-drama The Greatest American Hero (1981–1983), the lead character possesses psychometric powers when wearing his super-suit. He refers to this ability as "getting vibes" off an object.
Kaos, the son of mad scientist Desty Nova in Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita appears as a very unusual psychometrist in that not only can he read the memories of objects but can also absorb the talents and skills necessary for their creation; he gained the ability to play music through a Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer once owned by Alan Parsons, the swordsmanship of Ryukisai Tachibana from his Muramasa katana, as well as the ability to recreate an entire wedding dress from its fragments. Desty Nova's hypothesis for the mechanism of psychometry:[This quote needs a citation]
Thomas Bearden to concept of Tesla (longitudinal) waves, discovered by Nikola Tesla, as opposed to normal electromagnetic waves (Hertz waves, transverse waves). Scalar waves are longitudinal gravity waves, a neutral form of energy in which electricity, magnetism, and gravity come together in four-dimensional space (the time domain).
If we assume that the human brain is endowed with the functions scalar wave transmitter, human emotional energy is constantly being imprinted on surrounding objects (and places) as scalar waves, and the information is stored as a four-dimensional gravity potential. The psychometrist's brain is especially effective as a scalar wave receiver, and can detect waves of various frequencies.
If [this hypothesis is] proven correct, anyone has the potential for psychometric powers if the conditions are met. Furthermore, most supernatural phenomena — premonitions, telepathy, clairvoyance, ghosts — can be handily explained by the "brain = scalar wave transmitter = psychometry" hypothesis.
In the anime series Trinity Blood, Sister Noelle Bor has the ability to sense memories and past events by touching objects. Miho Karasuma, a supporting character in the anime series Witch Hunter Robin has psychometric abilities.
In the Sailor Moon metaseries the character Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru Chiba possesses psychometric abilities which he uses to read past, present, and future events through touch.[19] In power Rangers:S.P.D.,green ranger,Bridge Carson, has psychometric powers.
Comic books
A number of comic book characters exhibit psychometric powers, including Longshot,[20][21] Adrienne Frost and Terror, all of whom appear in books published by Marvel Comics. Many field agents featured in Mike Mignola's Hellboy series have this ability.
Characters appearing in Japanese manga and anime that possess psychometric abilities include Chiba Mamoru from Sailor Moon, Olivier Davis from a Ghost Hunt, Kazahaya Kudo from Legal Drug, and Kaos, the radio DJ from Battle Angel Alita.
Video games
In the Pokémon video games Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness, the main character holds a form of psychometry named Dimensional Scream, which activates at various points within the main story; this ability, when in physical contact with someone or something, allows the character to see into the past or future in the story.
See also
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Bibliography
- Colin Wilson: The Psychic Detectives: The Story of Psychometry and Paranormal Crime Detection. 1984, ISBN 0-330-28119-4
References
- ^ Joseph Rodes Buchanan, Manual of Psychometry : the Dawn of a New Civilization Boston, Frank H. Hodges (4th edition), 1893 p.3. ISBN 1150077247
- ^ Psychometry - Key Words Frequently Used in Parapsychology, Parapsychological Association (2006-12-17)
- ^ Tischner, Rudolf, Telepathy and Clairvoyance Great Britain, Steven Austin & Sons, Ltd. 1924, p.70. ISBN 1846641357
- ^ Beloff, John (1997) [1993]. Parapsychology: A Concise History (reprint ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 97. ISBN 9780312173760.
- ^ Noreen Renier, A Mind for Murder: The Real-Life Files of a Psychic Investigator, Hampton Roads Pub Co; Revised edition (May 9, 2008) p.13 ISBN 1571745734
- ^ Marcelle S. Fischler LONG ISLAND JOURNAL; Where $20 Will Buy A Peek at the Future nytimes.com, December 15, 2002.
- ^ Katherine E. Finkelstein Northport Journal; The Very Determined Meet the Dearly Departed nytimes.com, August 25, 1999.
- ^ Robert Kessler, Tom Schachtman, Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI, St. Martin's Paperbacks (March 15, 1993) pp.271-272. ISBN 0312950446
- ^ Kessler, Schachtman, p.270.
- ^ Renier, p.62
- ^ Mark A. Lause (University of Cincinnati): Joseph Rodes Buchanan (Internet Archive)
- ^ Psychometry at paralumun.com
- ^ Buchanan, 1893, p.73
- ^ Buchanan, 1893, pp.4–5
- ^ Buchanan 1893, pp.3–4
- ^ Buchanan's Journal of Man., Vol. I. August, 1887. No. 7.
- ^ A discourse on Seven Sciences.; Cerebral Physiology, Cerebral Psychology, Sarcognomy, Psychometry, Pneumatology, Pathology, and Cerebral Pathology. The New York Times, March 17, 1878
- ^ Beloff, p.29, "After that would come tests provided by members of the audience involving 'billet reading', 'token object reading' leading up, finally, to a test of travelling clairvoyance where the person's private home would constitute the target area."
- ^ For example in the manga, Act 14 and in the anime, Episode 61.
- ^ Ann Nocenti (w), Arthur Adams (p), Whilce Portacio (i). "I'll Wave To You From the Top!" Longshot, vol. 1, no. 2 (October 1985). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ann Nocenti (w), Arthur Adams (p), Whilce Portacio (i). "Just Let Me Die" Longshot, vol. 1, no. 3 (November 1985). Marvel Comics.
External links
- Psychometry Experiment, a project that gave residents in Ontario, Canada the opportunity to participate in a psychometry study
- Glossary of psychometry application[dead link]
