Communicating With the Dead (Paperback)

by Jeff Belanger (Author) "Saturday, April 10, 2004, in the early afternoon, I pulled out of my driveway and started the hour-long drive north to Salem, Massachusetts..." (more)
Key Phrases: psychomanteum chamber, automatic writing session, talking boards, New York, Jeff Belanger, Major Arcana (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Communicating with the Dead is an objective and journalistic journey into the history and practice of spirit communication devices. Practitioners, scientists, clergy, and psychics all weigh in on the various means and materials used to make contact with the spirit world.

Methods covered include: * Talking Boards-better known by the brand name Ouija Board, the historic and esoteric impact this enigmatic device has made is significant. Is it really just a game? * Tarot Cards-what began as a card game for royalty centuries ago has evolved into a spiritual system that can be used for divination. * Dowsing Rods-originally used to find underground water sources, some believe the rods can tap into supernatural energies. * Runes-based on an ancient northern European alphabet, Runecasters believe they are communicating directly with the gods. * Mirror Gazing-by staring into a clear optical depth, some believe we can peer into the spirit world. * Spirit Photography-almost as soon as the camera was invented, photographers began to discover strange, ghostly images in their pictures. Some were frauds, others believe they made genuine contact...and have the pictures to prove it! * Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)-a practice that is gaining ground with paranormal investigators. Using modern recording devices, some disembodied voices are being captured on tape.

About the Author
Jeff Belanger is a voracious fan of the unexplained. He's been studying and writing about the supernatural for regional and national publications since 1997. Belanger is the founder of Ghostvillage.com, the Internet's largest supernatural community, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. He's the author of: The World's Most Haunted Places: From the Secret Files of Ghostvillage.com (New Page Books 2004), and The Encyclopedia of Haunted Places (New Page Books 2005).

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Career Press; illustrated edition edition (May 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564147932
• ISBN-13: 978-1564147936
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #97,132 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding read, expertly done, May 7, 2005

By	Avid Reader - See all my reviews

Finally there's a well-rounded study of spirit communication practices. I've seen books like this done before where some author claims to be an expert on everything -- tarot cards, crystal gazing, ouija boards, etc. Being an expert on all of those things isn't even possible. What this book does is conduct interviews with experts on each of the subjects. It's like a
best-of new age right now. The author interviews leading experts on each of the subjects. He even talks to psychologists and scientists about these subjects. I particularly like the chapter on spirit photography.

This book breaks the subject down to the most basic things, like the electromagnetic spectrum, how we perceive lights, how a camera works, and then gets into how people are using the camera to try and capture images of ghosts. This is a must-read for ghost hunters.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.", February 19, 2008

By	A. Bruni - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The above is a Friedrich Nietzsche quote author Jeff Belanger references, as he describes his closest brush with something unexplainable by using one of the many means he illustrates and chronicles in "Communicating with the Dead." It makes you wonder - how prepared are we to potentially ring-up the other side? Do people really ask themselves this question before they dabble in the Paranormal? What exactly are we hoping to achieve? Belanger himself wasn't sure he was ready when one of his methods, (I won't spoil it for you), actually produces a semi-result. He didn't even go back and try again. So ask yourself this - are you really ready for dead Uncle Joe to stop by and say hi? If so, read on.

Communicating with the Dead is concise, humorous and well written, all while documenting the history of some of the oldest known methods of "spirit communication." It doesn't guarantee results, it doesn't you give you step by step instructions, (though Belanger is right along with you learning and attempting every method.) It guides and educates, while giving vital history of the subject, something many people neglect to pay attention to when they venture into this field. Belanger interviews some of the most important minds in paranormal research, some who have been at this for decades. They claim astonishing results and seem to know what the hell they're talking about. He also speaks with a few people who aren't experts, but have had powerful experiences of their own, experiences which have obviously left them a bit changed, and some might say, enlightened.

Belanger's book is not only a good start, but it's an excellent reference and I strongly believe it should be on any Paranormal Investigators bookshelf, if not any bookshelf belonging to someone with an interest in getting to know the other side. Most people will read "Communicating with the Dead", go through the different methods suggested and be drawn to a couple in particular. Some may identify with more scientific means of communication, while others may be drawn to things like tarot or scrying. Learn about all of these methods, become fairly versed and start with what feels right.

Anyone can pick up a recorder and try to collect EVP. Anyone can take pictures and claim spirit photography - but truly educating yourself on the vast and varied history of paranormal research sets the dabblers apart from the impassioned. Don't you want to know where this came from?

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belanger knows his stuff and writes with accuracy!, June 20, 2005

By	Lee Prosser - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gifted with an easy flowing, entertaining writing style, Belanger gives the reader an abundance of helpful data. Reaching beyond the grave is what he indeed does, and does well. This is the type of nonfiction book dealing with the paranormal that does not come along often, for within its well-researched pages are many surprising facts. If you are interested in fine writing and accurate data about the paranormal, this is the book to purchase. Highly recommended, honest, informative, and educational are the words which best describe this book by author Jeff Belanger. Topnotch!