Paranormal activity also known as Parapsychology is “ the scientific study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that goes beyond the physical laws of nature” (Center, 2013). Parapsychology is a branch of the study of the mind. Parapsychologists study five main areas: Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychokinesis, and Survival Studies. (Center, 2013)
What distinguishes the field from others is that it uses the scientific method to learn about new paranormal activity. Parapsychologist lean more towards observing empirical data through the lab than relying on personal experiences. Parapsychologists not only do laboratory work but they also do field work. This work includes interviewing individuals who have had paranoiac experiences, or surveying phenomenon such as hauntings and out of body experiences. With these methods parapsychologist attempt to give evidence for the existence of the paranormal they study. (Alvarado, 2005)
Witches believe that in the beginning there was energy and this energy was comprised of material and fire. The fire was believed to contain life and creative thoughts. The higher entity or supreme used these things to create vapor, which condensed into water, earth, and air. The supreme then combined these things with fire to create physical and spiritual life. Thus, bringing life forms to earth such as animals, plants, and even angels and spirits. This great energy allows for the recycling of everything in other words reincarnation. Because spirit is always present it is thought to be matter, by thinking, a person can build matter from energy. This is a way in which magic is done by “ the creation and manipulation of events and matter in ways which are different f...
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Linder, D. (2005). A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Famous American Trials: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html
Livesey, J. (2009, April 10). Film crew's seance fright on Pendle Hill. Retrieved May 8, 2014, from Lancashire Telegraph: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/4282924.Film_crew_s_seance_fright_on_Pendle_Hill/
Maxwell, J. (1999). The History of Witches & Witchcraft. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from Halloween Express: http://www.halloweenexpress.com/history-of-witches-and-witchcraft.php
Strickler, L. (2010, August 2). Strange Mexican Witch Stories - Inexplicata. Retrieved May 8, 2014, from Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranorma: http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2010/08/strange-mexican-witch-stories.html
Donna M. Campbell. "The Salem Witch Trials." wsu. n.p., 2010. Web. 18 February 2014. .
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 spread just about as fast as the Black Plague. This epidemic caused chaos among neighbors in a community. The chronology of events describes an awful time for colonists from June 10th to September 22nd of that year. The books "Salem Possessed" by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, "The Story of the Salem Witch Trials" by Bryan Le Beau, and "The Devil in the Shape of a Woman" by Carol Karlsen all describe these events and provide varying explanations for the epidemic that plagued Salem Village. This review will look at the facts that surrounded the trials and then using those facts will look at the cause stated in each book for the hysteria to compare and contrast with one another.
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft is a concise, 231 page informational text by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum. Published in 1974, it explores the economic and social conditions present in the Salem village during the 1600s that led to the hysteria surrounding witchcraft. Multiple graphs and illustrations are present, as well as an average sized font, an abundance of footnotes typically on the left page, and a prominent voice from the authors. The book was written to serve as a more comprehensive informational piece on the Salem witch trials due to the authors finding other pieces written about the same topic to be inaccurate. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum wanted to create something that utilized
Witchcraft is the most illogical and despised practices involving the supernatural power. “It implies the ability to injure others. A witch usually acquires his power through an inherent physical factor or through the power of another witch. Witch possess a special organ called mangu, located somewhere behind the sternum or attached to the liver.”[11] Woman/man may become a witch through the influence of another witch or contact with another witch. Witches do not intend to do harm; they are as much the victims of witchcraft as those upon whom they practice it. They have innate power and often don’t know what they are doing. The belief in witchcraft helps people explain the causes of illness, death and misfortune experienced by a person or a group when no other explanations can be found. Most of the time when witches create injury and calamity, they were punished by death, sometimes by exile. They also were forced into admission of guilt by torture, fear, or the hope for lighter punishment. “Most witches work by night, are capable of covering long distances very rapidly, tem...
Godbeer, Richard. The Salem Witch Hunt A Brief History with Documents. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martins 2011
Hinds, Maurene J. Witchcraft on Trial: From the Salem Witch Hunts to the Crucible. Library ed. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2009. Print.
When someone thinks of a witch, usually he or she thinks about Halloween or the movie The Wizard of Oz. However, during the 16th and 17th century, witches were feared by many. The accusations of witches during this time is the highest reported, more than 500,000 people were tried and more than 100,000 were executed. Many people of the modern era know and believe that witches are not real. This was not the case in the beginning of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century. Individuals were prosecuted as witches because people wanted money and to clean up their community, they were women, and the communities needed a scapegoat for their misfortune.
The notorious witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts occurred from June through September. It is a brief, but turbulent period in history and the causes of the trials have long been a source of discussion among historians. Many try to explain or rationalize the bizarre happenings of the witch hunts and the causes that contributed to them. To understand the trials and how they came to be, we must first examine the ideals and views of the people surrounding the events. Although religious beliefs were the most influential factor, socioeconomic tensions, and ergot poisoning are also strongly supported theories. A combination of motives seems the most rational explanation of the frenzy that followed the illness of the two girls. This paper looks closely at the some of the possible causes of one of the most notable occurrences in history.
Linder, Douglas. "An Account of the Salem Witchcraft Investigations, Trials, and Aftermath." 01 Nov. 2013 .
Blumberg, J. (2007, October 24). A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/?page=2&no-ist
Suddenly people seemed very paranoid and soon residents were placing blame on one another and accusing each other of witchcraft. In a fifteen month period between 1691 and 1692 nearly twelve dozen people were accused of witchcraft in or near Salem (Norton, p8).
Incidents of Humanity that cannot solve events using logic and scientific reasoning always turn towards the supernatural for an explanation. Yet when looking at the supernatural reasoning you dwell into reasons that always give an answer to the unknown. This is seen today when someone passes away or objects move from one point to another that defies the laws of science that humanity has grown a custom too. When looking at the supernatural you have a range of beliefs that vary from ghosts to demons. Every culture and religion has there own views on how to interact with the supernatural.
McBain, J. ‘The Salem Witch Trials: A Primary Source History of the Witchcraft Trials in Salem, Massachusetts’, (Rosen Publishing Group, New York, 2002)
WITCHCRAFT: The word witchcraft comes from the word “Wicca.” Wicca means the wise one. Witchcraft is to be believed as a pagan worship and or religion, a stereotype as a “magical phenomenon. In 1000 A.D., the practice of witchcraft became a threat to the Christians and their beliefs. They believe that wit...
HIST303 Witch Hunting 1400-1700 Essay 1: Describe the nature of "witchcraft"and explain why it was threatening to Christianity. Prepared by: Sikiki Angela Lloyd Due: 4 April 2014 Student Number: 203139861 Image: The Witches' Sabbath.