BEYOND THE OCCULT

by Colin Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 28, 1989

Another gigantic tome from the prolific author (49 nonfiction books, 18 novels) best known for The Outsider and this book's 1971 predecessor, The Occult. Wilson is always ambitious; here, he aims ""to summarize everything I have learned about the paranormal in the past twenty years."" This accumulated knowledge includes fact and theory about mysticism, right-and-left-brain research, time travel, hypnagogic imagery, the holographic paradigm, out-of-body experiences, reincarnation, psychometry, multiple personalities, astral projection--whatever suits your psychic fancy. Much of the material will be familiar to readers of Wilson's earlier work, who will nod their heads in recognition if not in boredom as Wilson rides once again his favorite hobbyhorse: humanity's failure to realize its true evolutionary potential. What's new here is the author's account of his own progression from skeptic to confirmed believer in ""spirits""--including, but not limited to, poltergeists and ghosts. Staggering research, consisting as usual of prodigious reading and synthesizing, although this time Wilson also includes plenty of firsthand anecdotes; woolly theorizing; a disturbing penchant for self-approbation (""all this constitutes a completely new theory of the nature of reality""); a noble wish to see humankind leap to new heights of understanding--in other words, vintage Wilson.

Pub Date: Dec. 28, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Carroll & Graf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION