Thethornseduces,thewoundheals:Reflectionsonthe"occult

revival"(Part2)OccultDimensionsofPsychicWarfare
"Andtheysmotethementhatwereatthedoorofthehousewithblindness,both
smallandgreat:sothattheyweariedthemselvestofindthedoor."
Genesis19:11
"Thefearefullaboundingeatthistimeinthiscountrie,ofthesedetestableslauesof
theDeuill,theWitchesorenchaunters,hathmovedme(belouedreader)todispatch
inpost,thisfollowingtreatiseofmine,notinanywise(asIprotest)toseruefora
shewofmylearning&ingine,butonely(moouedofconscience)topreasse/thereby,
sofarreasIcan,toresoluethedoubtinghartsofmany..."
KingJamesI,PrefacetoDaemonologie
Softlightreflectsofftheroomsgreenglass,burnishedbrassandsleekbrownleather
accoutrements,Sippingarumandcoke,thehotelbarsfauxgenteelatmospherelullsme
intosubmissionastheformerDirectoroftheProjectStargate'ssingsongvoicegently
repeatsthelinesofaTomLehrersongabouttheGermanrocketscientistWernerVon
Braun,whowasinstrumentalinboththeGermanrocketryprogramduringWorldWarIIand
theUnitedStatespostwarspaceprogram::
Don'tsaythathe'shypocritical,
Sayratherthathe'sapolitical.
"Oncetherocketsareup,whocareswheretheycomedown?
That'snotmydepartment,"saysWernhervonBraun.
"Haveyouheardthatone?"heasks,smiling.

GlancingupatthetelevisionacrosstheroomInoticeaquotefromWilliamS.Burroughson
coincidenceandmagicflashacrossthescreen.Chillsrunthroughmybody.It's11pmona
Saturdaynight,andI'vejustspenttwofulldaysattheRhineResearchCenterwithEdMay
andJosephMcMoneaglelearningthehistoryoftheU.S.government'sremoteviewing
programandreceivingtraininginitstechniquesfromtwoofthetopparticipants.Now,as
wewinddowntheweekendoversomedrinksanddiscussion,thespiritofVonBraun
sneaksintopokeatmeandremindmethatthere'smoretothisstorythananyoneteller
canmanagetoarrangenomatterhowwelltheyknowthefacts.
"TomLehrerright?"Ireturn,respondingwithanappreciativenod,"Hedefinitelycaptured
thetenorofcoldwarweirdness."
MayisgladthatIknowthereference,unawarethatVonBraun'smemory(ghost?)hasbeen
doggingmeforquitesometime.
DisparateEncounters
Itcomeswiththeterritory,theseoddreverberationsofmeaningmeanderingthrough
disparateencountersasonedelvesintothestrangeanduncannyworldoftheunknown
'other'.MyfriendGeorgeHansen,authorofTheTricksterandtheParanormal,warnedme
aboutityearsagoasdidourmutualfriendBillSweet,whorunsSpindriftResearch.While
thepublicistantalizedandtitillatedbytalesoftheweird,byrealitytvghosthuntersand
mediatedmediums,thosewhopursuetheresearchfirsthandwithouttheaidofproduction
crewsandscriptingknowthatthingsbecomeabitmorepersonalanddirectwhenyoure
dancingintheliminallandsthatborderconsensusreality.

May'smentionofVonBraunfitsintoasequenceofcoincidencesinvolvingtherocket
scientistthathavedrawnmedeeperintoconsideringtheroleofinformationtheoryin
anomalousevents.DuringaninterviewfortheMidwestReelpodcastthehostsaskedmea
generalquestionaboutconspiraciesafterrealizingIgaveasomewhatdismissive
responseIhadtriedtopullthequestionintomoreentertainingterms,mentioningVon
Braun'srollwithDisneyhecollaboratedwithDisneyonaseriesoftelevisionprograms
relatedtospacetravelaftertheinterviewthefirstemailIreceivedwasanewsletter
mentioningVonBraunthenlaterthatnightwhenIwenttoreadanarticleontheForbes
websitetheleadinquoteprecedingthearticlewasfromVonBraunlaterVonBraunwas
mentionedonTwitter.Threeseeminglydisconnectedremindersthattheinterconnected
matrixofinformationisastrangebeasttotease.
EvenwhilewritingthisarticleVonBraun'smemoryremainsactivestoppinginatalocal
thriftstoretocheckiftheyhadanyspiritualwarfarerelatedmaterialIpickedupacopyof
VoicesfromtheEdgeofEternity,aChristianpublicationcompilingthepurportedlast
wordsandreactionsofthoseontheedgeofdeath.InskimmingthebookforreferencesI
noticedtheword"ESP,"asurprisingreferenceforaChristianbooktoincludeflipping
backthroughtofindthepassageIsawthatitwasincludedinareprintedarticletitled
RealityoftheSpiritfromJ.B.Rhine,founderoftheRhineResearchCenter,whichends
withthisquote:
"Ibelieveinanimmortalsoul.Sciencehasprovedthatnothingdisintegratesinto
nothingness.Lifeandsoul,therefore,cannotdisintegrateintonothingness,andso
areimmortal."WernerVonBraun

OccultScience

Parapsychologyisthescientificstudyofanomalousevents,eventhoseskepticalofits
virtueswouldagreethatthisiswhatitattemptstobe.However,there'sanothertakeonit
thatdoesn'tgetasmuchairplayinthesecularpressamongtheanticult,discernment
anddeliveranceministrycircles,thosescatteredgroupsofChristianspursuingactive
spiritualwarfarepractices,callingparapsychologyascientificpursuitisjustputtingfancy
termsaroundhumanity'sageoldfascinationwith'witchcraft'and'theoccult.'

Strangeasitmayseeminthisdefinitionisactuallymeaningfulthewordpsychologyhas
becomesocommonplacethatwereadilyforgetthattheGreekword'psyche'whichstands
inforthewordmindisthesamewordusedfor'soul'intheNewTestament,andthat
psychologyisessentiallythestudyofthefunctionofthesoulinrelationtothebody.
Studyingexperiencesrelatingtothingslikeanomalousmind/matterinteractionsis
essentiallyanoccultsciencewhichdealsdirectlywiththeunseenworldofsoulandspiritas
theyaredefinedinJudeoChristiantradition.
Inattemptingtolegitimizeandwhitewashthefieldtocounteractlazysecularmaterialist
critiquesthefullblownweirdfactorofthatattendtheareasofinquiryparapsychologists
havepursuedthroughouttheyearshasbeenverballybrushedundertherug.Veryfewofthe
professionalanomalists,outsideofadventurousthinkerslikeJacquesValleeandGeorge
Hansen,haveopenlymaintainedafocusthatisbroadenoughandrigorousenoughto
coverthewholespectrum.Ifyoudigdeeporfrequentthefielditself,therearehintsofit
aroundtheedges,butaudienceslimitedtogenretropesgetanediteddialogue.
TheArchonConspiracy
In1988EvangelistDaveHuntpublishedanovelcallTheArchonConspiracy,an
encapsulationofthestrugglebetweenU.S.andSovietUnionscientistsandintelligence
agenciestodominatethefieldofweaponizedpsychismduringtheColdWar.WhileHunt
tookgreatlibertiesinpresentinghisstory,inmentioninglocationssuchasPaloAlto,
California(wheretheInstituteofNoeticScienceisheadquartered)andtheuseof
computersystemstostimulatepsychicfunctioning(similartotheexperimentsconducted
bytheMonroeInstitute)theroughoutlineofthestorybearsastrikingresemblancetothe
overallatmosphereoftestingthatweregoingoninthelate1980's.Heevenaccurately
depicts,insimplifiedform,thecompartmentalizationoftheprojectwithinthemilitaryand
intelligencecommunities.Thisresemblanceisstrikingbecausewhateverwaspublic
knowledgeaboutthesekindoftestsinthelate1980'swouldnotbefullytiedtointelligence
workuntil1994whentheStargateprojectwasclosedandinformationwasleakedtonews
sourcessuchasCNNthattheU.S.governmenthadbeenpursuingpsychicwarfareforwell
overtwodecades.

Whileinformationonthefruitsofmodernpsychicalresearchwasavailabletothepublic
throughmediasuchasRobertMonroe'spopularwritingsonoutofbodytravel,Jeffery
Mishlove'sprogramThinkingAllowed,whichfeaturedanumberoftheresearchers
involvedintheintelligenceresearch,thepopularTimeLifeseriesMysteriesofthe
Unknown,andvariousotherexamplesprevalentinthepopularmediathroughoutthe
1970sand80s,thefactthattheseallrepresentedtheouteredgesofmultipledecadesof
defenseandintelligencedepartmentfundedresearchwasnotwidelyacknowledged.The
disparatepartswerepresented,attimesevencrossreferenced,butthetruepictureofthe
coordinatedresearcheffortwashiddenbeneaththesurface.Hunt'snovelizationofthisin
1988isasurprisingexampleofhowEvangelicalcountercultapologeticscanuncover
'occult'forcesandinfluencesmissedbyacademicandsecularresearchers.Withinthe
frameworkof'spiritualwarfare'Christianresearchershaveapowerfultoolforinvestigating
areasthatremainobscureforthosewithalessdeterminedfocus.
Ifyougobacktotheearly1970'sforbookssuchasApolloastronautEdgarD.Mitchell's
PsychicExploration:AChallengeforScienceyoudiscovertheseedsoforganizationthat
eventuallybranchedoutintothecoordinatedresearchfundedbythepsychicwarfare
programs.Youcanfindfullexpressionsofitinperiodephemerasuchasjournalarticles
publishedintheJournalofParapsychologyduringthelate1970'sandearly1980's.Within
thiscontextwefindspiritualwarfareandcountercultapologeticswritersprovidingan
alternativesociologicalcritiquethatgoesfarbeyondtheopenimplicationsofthismaterial
whoseweaponizedpotentialwasobscuredwithinthelanguageofpopularutopianismin
thepublicmedia,andundertheauspicesoftranspersonalpsychology,noetichumanism
andinvestigationsofappliedhumansystemsintheacademicandindustrialresearch.With
afocusonthedevelopmentandshepherdingofthesoul,akeyaspectoftheChristianfaith,
writerssuchasHuntallowustoinvestigatetheimplicationsofallthisfromalternateangles
thanwenormallyapproachthem.

WhilethelargestpublicleakcamewiththeclosingoftheStargateproject,Hunt'snovel
showsclearlythatenoughinformationwasseepingoutincertaincirclespriortoofficial
disclosureforanoveltobewrittenonit.Oneofthekeyplotpointsmightgiveaclueasto
howthishappenedwithinthenovel'sstorylineanFBIdirectorisakeyplayerinthedrama
ashesharesinformationwithalocalprayercirclethatincludesoneoftheformerscientists
workingonhighlevelpsychicalresearch.TheFBIdirectorandscientistarebothconcerned
overtheimplicationsoftheresearch,andopenlydiscusstheclandestinelabworkwiththeir
weeklyprayergroupinordertoseekdivineaidinspiritualwarfareagainstthedaimonic
forcesthathavebeenunleashedthroughthemachinationsofunwaryscientistsandgreedy
officialsformthefieldsofmilitaryintelligence.
ThePerilsofCosmicConsciousness
EdgarMitchellinhisintroductiontothebookPsychicExplorations:AChallengefor
Science,inachaptertitledFromOuterSpacetoInnerSpacedefinestheideological
impetusfornoeticandtranspersonalresearchintopsychicfunctioningwhenhesaysthat
"onlywhenmanmovesfromhisegocenteredselfimagetoanewimageofuniversalman
willtheperennialproblemsthatplagueusbesusceptibleofresolution.Humanitymustrise
frommantomankind,fromthepersonaltothetranspersonal,fromselfconsciousnessto
cosmicconsciousness."Thisprometheanquestfitswellwithinthenewageparadigm
flowingoutofthepopularizedesotericismthatbegantotakerootinthe1960's,itselfa
floweringofearliermovementsassociatedwithNewThought,MindScienceand
Theosophy.

Thepotentcombinationofappliedresearchintopsychismwithpantheisticsociopolitical
philosophiestriggeredanumberofChristianresearcherstolookdeeperintothe
influencesunderlyingthesesocialchanges,inturndevelopingasubspeciesof
apologeticalspiritualwarfareresearchthatdealsdirectlywithanomalisticscienceand
psychicalresearch.Christianapologeticshavefoughtpantheisticoutlookssincethe1
st

century,aswellasthemodelofmind,the'cosmicconsciousness'mentionedbyMitchell,
thatisthelogicaloutcomeofthepantheisticmetaphysics.

Whilecontemporaryneopaganphilosophieshavefoughtagainstthiscritique,the
underlyingdangersofpantheismhavebeenignoredinplaceofreligiopoliticalstances
basedonshorttermactivism.Inhisbook,ThePentagonofPower,LewisMumford,a
historianandsocialcriticwhoexaminedthegrowthoftechnocraticcontrolinthe20th
century,illustratesthehiddendangersofcosmicconsciousnesswhenhestates"Physical
power,appliedtocoerceotherhumanbeings,reachesnaturallimitsatanearlystage:if
oneappliestoomuch,thevictimdies.So,too,withthecommandofpurelymaterialgoods
orsensualpleasures.Ifoneeatstoomuch,onesuffersfromindigestionorisovertaxedby
corpulenceifoneseekssensualpleasuretooconstantly,thecapacityforenjoyment
decreasesandeventuallybecomesexhausted.Butwhenhumanfunctionsareconverted
intoabstract,uniformunits,ultimatelyunitsofenergyormoney,therearenolimitstothe
amountofpowerthatcanbeseized,converted,andstored."Incultivatingaculturethat
focusesonalaxideologicalconceptof'cosmicconsciousness'especiallywhenthisis
tiedappliedresearchintranspersonaldevelopmentandsocialengineeringthereisthe
dangerthat,ratherthanfosteringfreedomthe'abstract,uniformunits'idealforanultimate
totalitarianismarecreated.
PrincipalitiesandPowers
Manyscoffattheimplicationsof'spiritualwarfare'anddeliveranceministries.Yetwhenwe
considerthattheriseinofficiatedpsychicalresearch,whoseanditsparallelsupports
throughsocialdevelopmentsintherealmofentertainmentandmediawhichfeedbackinto
theculture,suchaspsychedelicmusic,theuseofavantgardefilmtechniquesin
advertisingandpopularcartoonswefindreasontopauseandconsiderwhatHuntand
otherapologeticresearchershavetosay.Theresultsofpsychicalresearcharereportedto
provideproofofaunifiedfieldofmind,theabstract,uniformunitneededforlimitless
powerinMumfordscritique.Todaysmediawithitsfocusonpsychedelicimagery,
discordanteditingtechniquesandtechnologicalefficiencyallcoercethemindtowardsa
shatteredworldviewthatsupportsambientdisconnectionandimmersionintoabstraction,
whichinturnallowstechnologicalmethodologiesandmechanismsroomtointerpenetrate
theenvironmentwithmoreintimacy.

InHunt'snovelthe'archon'inthetitleisareferencetothecontrollingentityorentitiesthat
manipulatesthepsychicalresearchersintoprovidingapublicvenueforthespreadoftheir
influence.Archonisthesingularofthesamewordwhichistranslatedasprincipalitiesin
theNewTestament.Theseprincipalitiesarerulingspiritsthatdominatethecultural
consciousnessthroughthemanipulationofemotion.Humanagentsactingonemotive
impetusspurredbytheseillspiritscreatemediatedworksidolsifyouwillwhichinturn
spreadandpropagatetheinfluenceofthesespiritsintotheculture.Herewehaveto
understandspiritasalargerunitwithinaholisticsenseofmindameaningwhichis
consistentwithhowitisusedintheBiblicalcontextthatHuntandotherChristiancriticsare
workingwithin.
Tofullyunderstandtheimplicationshereweneedtoconsiderthebasicstructuresof
influencethatflowerintothephysicalrealmthroughhumanaction,andthetripartitedivision
ofexistencebody,soul,spiritwhichformsoneelementofChristianbeliefprovidesa
deceptivelysimplemodelthatallowsforaverynuancedunderstandingofsocialinfluence.
ThisisepitomizedinEphesians6:12,oneofthesectionsintheNewTestamentwherewe
findthewordarchonreferenced,whenPaulofTarsusstates,"wewrestlenotagainstflesh
andblood,butagainstprincipalities,againstpowers,againsttherulersofthedarknessof
thisworld,againstspiritualwickednessinhighplaces."Itisjusttheseprincipalities,powers
andrulersofthedarknessthatHunt,andotherChristiancritics,feelareinfluencingthe
culturalmovetowardspsychism.Theyrepresentideologicaldrivers,mathematically
interactiveclustersofpsychospiritualpotentials,thatactthroughinfluencinghuman
agency.
TheSubtleWar?
Coulditbethattheoccultrevivalandincreasedpopularityofpsychicalscienceskimsthe
surfaceofasubtlewarforthesoulsofhumanity?Inthenextarticleinthisserieswellopen
thedoortoesotericinterpretationsandocculthistoryuncoveringasurprisingvisionof
contemporaryangelicwarfarehiddenbehindthemundanefaadeofeverydaylife.Werner
VonBraunwillreturntoguideusintothestrangelandsfrequentedbysexmagicians,
militarycontractorsandChristiandemonologists,wherethelustofangelicunionmaybea
keytounderstandingtheatmosphereofhopeandterrorthatdefinesthe21
st
century.