Talking With the Spirits

Spirit mediumship can be defined as a process whereby an individual acts as an intermediary between the world of the living and the invisible world of ancestors and other spiritual beings. Belief in the abilities of such intermediaries, or mediums, is prevalent in vastly disparate societies across the world. Although the cultural frameworks within which mediumship takes place differ greatly from society to society, there are numerous similarities in terms of the beliefs and practices associated with contacting the spirits. Key amongst these similarities are:

• Belief in the continued existence of some form of soul or spirit after the death of the physical body.
• Belief in the existence of an invisible world (or worlds) occupied by the spirits of the dead and other supernatural beings. 
  
• Belief that the spirits can exert an influence on the world of the living.
  
• Belief in the potential to communicate with the world of spirits.
  
• The use of trance, and other altered states of consciousness, to contact the spirits.

"Talking With the Spirits" is a new book that explories the global phenomenon of spirit mediumship from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives.

Estimated time of release: Winter 2010.