Supernatural America: A Cultural History

240 Pages·2011·0.83 MB·English

by  Lawrence R. Samuel

Supernatural America

Supernatural America
A Cultural History
Lawrence R. Samuel
Copyright2011byLawrenceR.Samuel
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Samuel,LawrenceR.
SupernaturalAmerica:aculturalhistory/LawrenceR.Samuel.
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Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindex.
ISBN978–0–313–39899–5(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978–0–313–39900–8(ebook)
1. Parapsychology—UnitedStates—History.2. UnitedStates—Sociallifeandcustoms. I.Title.
BF1028.5.U6S26 2011
130.973—dc22 2011010319
ISBN:978–0–313–39899–5
EISBN:978–0–313–39900–8
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Horatio:
Odayandnight,butthisiswondrousstrange!
Hamlet:
Andthereforeasastrangergiveitwelcome.
Therearemorethingsinheavenandearth,Horatio,
Thanaredreamtofinyourphilosophy.
—Hamlet(Act1,scene5,159–67)

Contents
Introduction ix
Chapter 1. TheMaster Key 1
Chapter 2. TheMind’s Eye 29
Chapter 3. TheSixth Sense 57
Chapter 4. TheConsciousness Revolution 87
Chapter 5. TheNew Age 117
Chapter 6. TheOther Side 147
Conclusion 177
Notes 179
Bibliography 197
Index 203

Introduction
Boo! Ghosts, psychics, and all other expressions of the supernatural are
everywhere you look these days, in case you have been living in a cave
recently. Supernatural America is the fullest history of the supernatural
inAmerica,tracinghowtheparanormalcametobesuchapervasivepart
of our culture. Thisbook shows howthesupernatural—phenomena that
cannot be explained by natural laws or understood in terms of scientific
knowledge—hasdeeplyaffectedthetrajectoryofeverydaylifeinAmerica,
revealing key insights about who we are as a people. Despite our reputa-
tion as a people of uncommon common sense, Americans have in fact
hadalongloveaffairwiththesupernatural.(Pollsandsurveyshavecon-
sistently shown that most Americans believe in the paranormal, and
iconicfigureslikeAbrahamLincolnandMarkTwainwereknowntohave
spiritist“visions.”)Thetemptationtoexplorewhatliesbeyondhasbeena
powerfulone,whetheritistheabilitytoreadpeople’smindsorhavecon-
tact with those on “the other side.” The main goal of this book is to find
some answers regarding why we are so interested in things that are not
“real,” i.e., thingswe cannot see,hear, or touch. Thisworldis apparently
not enough for us, the history of the supernatural shows, and that is
something that warrantsfurther investigation.
Whatdoescomethroughloudandclearbytracingtheculturalhistoryof
thesupernaturalinAmericaisthattheparanormalhasincreasedinbothvol-
umeandimportanceovertheyearsratherthandiminished.Giventheascent
ofscienceandtechnologyoverthissameperiodoftime,thisissurprising
andintriguing,asallexpectationswereforthelogicandrationalismofthe
twentiethcenturytocrushthemysticalandsuperstitiouswaysofthepast.