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57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a Moses, but maybe a Balaam, November 26, 2000
This review is from: The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter (Paperback)
"The loonies are coming out of the cracks again," said my wife, Caryl, as she handed me this book from our daily pile of mail. My first impression agreed with hers -- until I saw that it was written by Jeffrey Mishlove, whom I personally know and respect. "What's Jeffrey up to this time?" I wondered. Ted Owens, who called himself "The PK Man" (PK = psychokinesis, mind-over-matter), was a flamboyant, controversial figure in the ufology community, who died back in 1987. During his lifetime, Owens predicted a wide variety of storms, plane crashes, and other disasters. He claimed to do this through mental contact with UFOs and non-corporeal beings that he called "Space Intelligences." Because he wanted Dr. Mishlove to write his biography, Owens regularly sent him copies of the predictions, along with clippings about events that he felt were fulfillments. The result is the worlds's largest collection of material on Ted Owens, which formed the database for this book. The first manuscript was written back in 1979, but publication was delayed for a number of reasons, not the least of which was Mishlove's worry that the book would affect his own credibility. Had Owens merely predicted these events, there would have been no problem, since studies on precognition are considered legitimate in psi circles. But psychokinesis is another matter. Owens claimed that he actually CAUSED all those hurricanes, floods, snowstorms, plane crashes --- even the eruption of Mt. St. Helens (which, according to Owens, was a mind experiment gone wrong!) A book on a man who claims to control the weather through contact with UFOs sounds more than a little, well, uh -- crazy. Personally, I don't believe Owens actually controlled the weather. He did however, seem to have had psychic abilities from an early age. It's possible that he was able to sense upcoming weather patterns, which he then exploited for his own ends. Whenever he gave his predictions, he (not the researchers) chose the time and nature of the events, within a rather large time frame -- usually 90 days or, in some cases, as much as a year. In that much time, a lot can happen naturally. However, there does not seem to be any indication of conscious fraud. Owens sincerely believed he had the power and, over the years, there were enough weird coincidences to reinforce that belief. Let us assume, just for the sake of argument, that Owens WAS causing these events through PK. We are then faced with yet another problem, namely, the moral character of a man who would purposely bring disasters just to prove that he could. Owens seems to have had a very fragile ego, becoming angry and later embittered when the world didn't hail him as a great psychic. Although he sometimes compared himself to Moses and the Ten Plagues, a better analogy would be the sorcerer Balaam, who was hired by King Balak to curse the Jews (see Numbers 22-24.) Moses was seeking to free his people from slavery, not glorify himself. Jewish commentaries agree that, had Pharoah let the Jews go in the beginning, the Plagues would never have happened. Balaam, on the other hand, was a magician-for-hire who would put curses on one's enemies for the right price. Moses served God for a higher purpose, but Balaam went to the highest bidder. Ted Owens exhibited many Balaam-like behaviors, attempting on several occasions to contract with sports teams to put the hex on their opponents, in return for a hefty fee. When he was turned down, he then cursed the refusing team instead. Similarly, he claimed to have caused a destructive storm in Cleveland in retaliation for people not coming to his lectures there. These are not the motivations of a Moses, but they do fit those of a Balaam. On many occasions, Owens claimed to work disasters for no other reason than personal revenge. Dr. Mishlove expresses serious concern about Owens' lack of moral responsibity, even calling one chapter "The Dark Side of the Force." But, being a scientist with a certain distrust of organized religion, he is reluctant to make value judgements about "black magic." I have no such qualms. As a Jewish theologian, I don't believe in the Christian forms of "satanism," but I do believe there are negative powers and entities out there. Whether or not Owens actually had the power he claimed, he often set out with specific intent to do harm at the bidding of his UFO entities, and that suggests demonic posssession. Judaism long ago recognized that psychic ability is not synonymous with spirituality, and one should "test every spirit." Even shamanic cultures recognize that a shaman can go bad. This is precisely why mystical disciplines the world over insist that their initiates go through a long period of rigorous training, in order to subjugate the ego to the higher laws of moral responsibility -- a form of training that Owens did not have. Whoever or whatever those "Space Intelligences" might have been, they chose poorly when they picked Owens as their representative. Owens, on the other hand, might have done better to refuse the "gifts" of such capricious entities, who, even if they did come from another dimemsion, seems to have little love for the people of Earth. In the end, Owens became a broken man whom few took seriously, the object of much ridicule and scorn. I gave this book four stars for being well-written and researched, even though I found much of it to be utterly preposterous. Still, it was a compelling and sometimes chilling read, raising many questions about the sometimes-fuzzy boundaries between mysticism, possession, and mental illness. At the very least, it can serve as a warning, clearly demonstrating what happens to those who choose the Dark Side, whether it be that of the UFOs or their own minds.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A compelling and entertaining read!, October 5, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter (Paperback)
This case study, told by psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, would be impossible to believe -- if it were not for the fact that the author has been known to me, and millions of others, for over a decade as the dignified and intelligent host of the national, public television series, Thinking Allowed. PK Man deals with phenomena that are mostly relegated to fictional accounts like Harry Potter, Star Trek or the X-Files. But, Mishlove's documentation is impeccable in convincing me that the events he describes actually did take place. And, as Mishlove concludes, the case deserves further study because phenomena of this type are rare. The book is about Ted Owens, who died in 1987 and who was studied by Mishlove for more than ten years. Owens claimed that he was in telepathic contact with hyperdimensional beings he called the "Space Intelligences." By virtue of this connection, Owens attempted to prove -- over and over again -- that he could control large-scale events such as hurricanes, climatic changes, UFO sightings, poltergeist phenomena, and power blackouts. Ted Owens called himself the "PK Man." PK stands for psychokinesis, the parapsychological term for mind over matter. Typically, Owens would produce his forecasts, in writing, to Mishlove and other scientists in advance of the actual events. Newspaper descriptions and eye-witness accounts would follow. The events forecast by Owens (who claimed he would actually be "causing" them -- with the help of the Space Intelligences) were quite unusual and highly unlikely. That any of them at all happened, in fact, is strange enough. But, Mishlove documents dozens of such events. So, the big questions are: was this mere coincidence? Did Owens actually cause the events as he claimed, or did he predict them? Either possibility is extremely interesting. The events that Mishlove describes are highly dramatic. I imagine some Hollywood studio will want to create a feature film about this book. The special effects would be incredible. And the story is very compelling. But, more important, the book raises significant issues about the nature and power of human consciousness itself. This is the part that is intriguing to me, as I imagine it will be to many readers of this book. Ever since the days of William James, America's first psychologisy who lived a century ago, researchers have been presenting their case for the existence of paranormal abilities. I think that Mishlove's book may well be the most forceful account available and deserves careful reading. One more thing. In addition to raising all sorts of compelling questions, the book is well written and is an excellent read.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Biography of a Psychokinetic Master, November 13, 2000
This review is from: The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter (Paperback)
I was enthralled to read this remarkable true life story of Ted Owens, also known as "The PK Man". Ted Owens achieved great fame and notoriety in the 1970's for accurately predicting numerous earthquakes, vehicle crashes (including the space shuttle Challenger), weather changes, sporting event outcomes, UFO appearances, and power outages, among other things. Ted considered himself to have psychokinetic (PK) abilities conferred upon him by what he called "the space intelligences", although he often had difficulty convincing skeptical journalists and scientists of his powers. I love the way Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove methodically examines each example of Ted Owens' PK demonstrations in THE PK MAN, in order to determine the validity of Mr. Owens' claim that he was using psychokinetic (not precognitive or clairvoyant) powers. While Ted's PK powers were not 100% fool-proof, many of his predictions for unlikely events (such as a drought in Florida in the rainy season) came true, and his mere presence often seemed to trigger earth-changing events (such as the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens). THE PK MAN fascinated me with its colorful descriptions of UFO manifestations, Ted Owen's vengeful PK attacks on those who doubted and discredited him, and the highlights from Ted Owens' PK training classes. Ted Owens' hypnotic trance suggestions were designed to greatly increase one's mental, emotional, physical and spiritual (including psychokinetic) powers... as well as help people contact extra-terrestrials... and they are included in their entirety in a chapter towards the end of the book.
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