Beyond the Occult [Paperback]

Colin Wilson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wilson ( The Occult ; The Misfits ) maintains that a belief in telepathy and precognition is compatible with science, arguing that mystical and paranormal experiences involve a widening of one's ordinary field of perception. A well-documented synthesis of research into the paranormal, this lively, succinct narrative hops from ESP to mediumship, out-of-body travel, spirit possession, poltergeists, near-death visions and reincarnation. Wilson weaves in the psychic or mystical experiences of Blake, Goethe, Jung, Maupassant, Arthur Koestler, Dylan Thomas, Philip K. Dick, others. He grounds his beliefs in the theory of an "information universe," in which everything that ever happened is somehow on record, and in the view that so-called occult powers are latent in each of us as part of our unfulfilled evolutionary potential.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Novelist and mystic Wilson is probably the wrong person to write nonfiction examinations of the occult. The part of the occult that purports to be scientific (e.g., parapsychology) requires the ability to think like a scientist and to evaluate evidence. Instead, Wilson gives many nice anecdotes, all of dubious value scientifically. These he "supports" by offering quotations from fringe scientific sources, never mentioning that most scientists don't accept them. Because there are many popular misinterpretations cited in the bibliography, Wilson's narrow speculations are ultimately built on sand. His work would have been less spectacular, but more deserving of attention, if he had based it more solidly on established facts. He writes well, and may hold the reader's interest, but what he says will do little toward unifying the occult as a serious scientific subject.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Caxton Publishing (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840673540
• ISBN-13: 978-1840673548
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #598,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Consciousness, cosmology and spirituality, June 22, 2003

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beyond the Occult (Hardcover)

This book was published 20 years after the author's bestseller The Occult and reveals the results of his further research in a grand treatise on the complete spectrum of the paranormal and the mystical, including ESP, clairvoyance, psychometry, precognition, psychokinesis, dowsing, poltergeists, spirit possession and reincarnation. He expertly links the latest scientific thinking in the fields of physics and cosmology with fascinating experiences and phenomena in the realm of the paranormal. To my mind, he succeeds in formulating a coherent general occult theory that holds water. He echoes the thoughts of other writers in the field of consciousness and cosmology, that we are evolving and are fast approaching the edge of a quantum leap into a vastly expanded human consciousness. I loved his discussion of mystics, writers and artists like Gurdjieff, Graham Greene and Sartre. In particular, I enjoyed his dissection of existentialist writers like Sartre and their negative view of the world, as a case of experiencing a reduced consciousness. The peak experience on the other hand, is the result of expanded consciousness and can be cultivated successfully. I was fascinated by many of his ideas, like the one that human beings are colonists in the world of matter, like a vanguard sent in to explore this reality. There are fascinating speculations on the nature of time, parallel universes or other dimension and the question of whether we are only dealing with aspects of the human psyche or whether conscious entities are real. The work of scientists like Niels Bohr, David Bohm and Kark Pribram is discussed, including theory of the hologramatic universe. His research is quite rigorous and sometimes the text may appear a bit repetitive as he returns again and again to earlier examples from literature of from real life experiences to make a point or a connection. Ultimately this is necessary for the book to work as well as it does. His conclusion is that the majority of mankind accepts mental stagnation as a norm (ordinary consciousness being stagnation) and makes no effort to build its insights into a pyramid. When this situation changes, humans will enter the next stage of evolution. The book concludes with a vast bibliography and a detailed index. Beyond The Occult remains a stimulating and mind expanding read and I recommend it to all people who are interested in cosmology, consciousness and spirituality.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What if it's not "paranormal" after all?, March 1, 2003

By 

Takis Tz. (InYourHead) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Occult (Paperback)

Colin Wilson investigates the world of the "paranormal" by adopting a scientific approach to the issue. For those that might off hand think this is not possible this book is highly recommended. The author begins by pointing out the overwhelming quantity of evidence on what is called paranormal and that includes telepathy, time travel, astral projection, spirits, poltergeist and in general anything that conventional science refuses stubbornly to deal with on the grounds that "it can't happen".

But, it does happen and it's been happening for 10s of centuries, indeed since the beginning of recorded history as we know it.

The premise that our brain possesses hidden powers upon which some people "stumble" by accident while others practice on after they discoverthem is dominant in the book. In that respect Wislon attributes normality to the paranormal, after all our brain is tremendously inexplored and the notion that anything we dont understand (or dont know about) is not happening is absurd and has caused embarrassment to mainstream scientists mainy times in the past.

It should go without mentioning that such an undertaking as this book here should be approached by the reader with the utmost state of openmindedness. If there is anything to be discovered and understood about realities we dont seem to accept yet we must first consider them as a possibility to begin with.

"Beyond the occult" is written (as are most C.Wilson books) with a very philosophical aspect to it without at any point being inaccessible or difficult. In fact, this book will engulf you no matter what your stance is on the subject alone on the charismatic way it is written, laid out in its contents and explored. Wilson succesfully binds "conventinal reality" with that of the paranormal without insulting the intelligence of those who tend to think on more "down to earth" terms. There is no issues being shoved down anyone's throat and the author's own scepticism and questioning is also involved as he has for years investigated this extremely interesting area.

If you want to start your reading on this area but feel spooked and don't know where to begin then this is definately your door into the other side. Approach without fear.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent reading, October 24, 2001

By 

rickey l. esteves sr (san francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Occult (Paperback)

THIS BOOK IS VERY ENTERTAINING READING.ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT IT IS THAT IT OFFERS VIEWS OF SOMEONE WITH AN INTEREST IN THE OCCULT THAT IS A TRAINED SCIENTIST.AMONG THE TOPICS COVERED ARE COINCIDENCE/SYNCRONICITIES,ESP,DOPPLEGANGERS,MAGIC,THE SPIRIT WORLD,AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE HUMAN BRAIN.BUY IT,YOU WON'T DISAPPOINT YOURSELF.