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Monday 4 July 2016

Writing – research – hypnotism & predictions – psychic-03



 More snippets gleaned from the 1970 book Psychic Discoveries from behind the Iron curtain by
Sheila Ostrander & Lynn Schroeder (1970) this copy 1976.

At the time of writing the book, Russia had serious concerns about China. Chairman Mao ordered the Chinese scientists to research parapsychology. In response, Russia established psi research bases at Vladivostok and Khabarovsk on the disputed Chinese border. (p142) At one time there were about forty cities within the USSR that contained centres where research was being done on paranormal subjects. One of these was Moscow’s Pavlov Institute where secretive research delved into parapsychology… (p152)

Two so-called pseudoscientific subjects discussed here
are acupuncture and hypnotism. The definition of pseudoscience attached to these subjects is questioned by many adherents and beneficiaries.

Hypnotism

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony was performed in St Petersburg in 1897 and was unanimously panned, one critic having likened it to a depiction of the ten plagues of Egypt, suggesting it would be admired by the "inmates" of a music conservatory in Hell. The symphony was not performed again in his lifetime.

The composer was devastated and decided never to compose again.

For three years music seemed blocked to his mind.

Distressed by this, his friends suggested he go to a hypnotist, Nikolai Dahl, who was also an amateur musician. 

A daily course of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy brought the music and inspiration back.

Rachmaninoff composed his Second Piano Concerto in C Minor, dedicating it to Dr Dahl. It was a success and his self-worth was revived. (p166)

Superstition in old Russia was as concrete and pernicious as the lice infesting most of the populace. Magic spells, amulets, potions, powders, and counter-hexes were widely considered to be necessities of life. (p251)

Acupuncture

The Soviets had a machine that registered energy flow in the body coincidentally using as checkpoints for its electrodes the acupuncture treatment points, the meridians, where the chi force flows. This machine picked up changes in body energy caused by alterations of consciousness and varying emotional states. (p163)

For decades, China has used acupuncture in open heart surgery, with good effect. A report in 2011 confirmed this too.

Tana learned to use acupuncture needles while on a mission during her first mission (The Singapore Signal, 1965, as yet unreported). Since then she has carried these needles in a pouch on her belt when penetrating enemy territory, and used them in The Prague Papers, 1975 (Crooked Cat Publishing (2014).

Predictions

Baba Vanga (Vanga Dimitrova) was a blind Bulgarian who was actually paid for by the state. She received thousands of callers asking for predictions – and apparently some 80% of these were proved correct…

She died in 1996. Some of her predictions that have yet to happen include (Wikipedia):

1) The 44th President of the United States will be the last US president. As Barak Obama is the 44th, this is unlikely, though perhaps Trump will somehow make the prophecy happen!

2) Europe will be transformed into an Islamic caliphate and the transformation will be complete in the year 2043. ..

3) Communism will return to Europe and the rest of the world in 2076.

4) There will be a war on Mars in 3005.
 ***
Tana Standish doesn’t go in for predictions, happily. Yet from time to time she experiences flash images that are later perceived to be slicing of future events; no dates, no specific time, just the image, sometimes featuring her, sometimes not. Each adventure tends to feature at least one ‘flash-forward’ image from a mission yet to be transcribed.

Tana Standish can be found in The Prague Papers and TheTehran Text.

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