Mysteries : an investigation into the occult, the paranormal, and the supernatural

A major work... An extraordinary tour de force...' - New Scientist Colin Wilson came to realize, through his own cathartic experiences, that all of us are in fact manifold personalities, that we each consist of a ladder or hierarchy of selves, and that the upper members may be called upon at will. He explains how these discoveries led him to the view that our integral multiple personalities are the explanation for a wide diversity of paranormal phenomena, from dowsing and demonic possession to precognition and spoon-bending. "Man's being is like a vast mansion, yet he seems to live in a single room in the basement." Through his own cathartic experiences, Colin Wilson discovered that human beings consist of a ladder or hierarchy of selves, whose upper members may be called on at will for personal transformation and deep knowledge. "Mysteries" attempts to explain all paranormal phenomena - from precognition to Uri Geller's spoon bending - in terms of this theory. Included are detailed studies of haunting, possession, and " demonic hypnosis, " and also of magic, the Kabbalah, and astrology. At the heart of the book is a fascinating chapter on the " Great Secret" of the alchemists, which Wilson sees as the key to the mystery of the " ladder of selves." An investigation into life's unfathomable enigmas. The author came to realize, through his own cathartic experiences, that all of us are in fact manifold personalities. He explains how these discoveries led him to the view that our integral multiple personalities are the explanation for a diversity of paranormal phenomena.