Magic Paranormal

Sunday, 30 December 2012

James Randi exposes Uri Geller and Peter Popoff

Mysteries, Magic and Miracles: Episode 1

Mysteries, Magic and Miracles: Episode 2

2012 Magic Cancun Riviera Maya (official video)

NPH Magic trick on Live with Kelly AMAZING!!

2012 Blackpool Magic Convention - Ponta the Smith

Open Collage in a new Window

Email the Collage

Loading suggestions ...

Babylon
Coordinates: 32°32′11″N 44°25′15″E / 32.53639°N 44.42083°E / 32.53639; 44.42083
Babylon (Arabic: بابل, Babil; Akkadian: Bābili(m);Sumerian logogram: KÁ.DINGIR.RA^KI;Hebrew: בָּבֶל, Bābel;Greek: Βαβυλών, Babylōn) was an Akkadian city-state (founded in 1867 BC by an Amorite dynasty) of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babylon Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south of Baghdad. All that remains of the original ancient famed city of Babylon today is a mound, or tell, of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The city itself was built upon the Euphrates, and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with steep embankments to contain the river's seasonal floods.
Available historical resources suggest that Babylon was at first a small town which had sprung up by the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The town flourished and attained independence with the rise of the First Amorite Babylonian Dynasty in 1894 BC. Claiming to be the successor of the ancient Eridu, Babylon eclipsed Nippur as the "holy city" of Mesopotamia around the time an Amorite king named Hammurabi first created the short lived Babylonian Empire; this quickly dissolved upon his death and Babylon spent long periods under Assyrian, Kassite and Elamite domination. Babylon again became the seat of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 to 539 BC which was founded by Chaldeans and whose last king was an Assyrian. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After the fall of Babylon it came under the rules of the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Roman and Sassanid empires.

wn.com/Babylon
Egypt
Egypt ⁱ/ˈiːdʒɪpt/ (Arabic: مصر, Miṣr, Egyptian Arabic: [mɑsˤɾ] ; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, Kīmi ; Sahidic Coptic: ⲕⲏⲙⲉ, Kēme), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: جمهوريّة مصر العربيّة (help·info), is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its over 81 million people live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

wn.com/Egypt
Friuli

Friuli (Italian: [friˈuːli], Friulian: Friûl listen (help·info), Venetian: Friul, German: Friaul, Slovene: Furlanija) is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province (administrative provinces) of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste. The historical capital and most important city of Friuli is Udine, it was also the capital in the Middle Ages of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. Other important towns are Pordenone, Gorizia, Sacile, Codroipo, Cervignano del Friuli, Cividale del Friuli, Gemona del Friuli, Monfalcone, and Tolmezzo.

wn.com/Friuli
Ghana
Ghana ⁱ/ˈɡɑːnə/ is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire.
Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms, including the inland Ashanti Empire, the Akwamu, the Akyem, the Bonoman, the Denkyira, and the Fante among others. Non-Akan states created by the Ga also existed as did states by the Dagomba. Prior to contact with Europeans trade between the Akan and various African states flourished due to Akan's gold wealth. Trade with European states began after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874 over parts but not all of the country.
The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the First sub-Saharan African nation to do so from European Colonialism. The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa.

wn.com/Ghana
Kheda district
Kheda district (Gujarati: ખેડા જિલ્લો) is one of the 26 districts of Gujarat state in western India. Kheda city is the administrative headquarters of the district.
Kurmi/Kanbi Kshatriyas of Punjab established many villages in this area. Groups of Jats had settled here from Greater Punjab (including Rajesthan and modern day Haryana).
It covers an area of 3,943 km². The district has over 600 villages. It is bounded by the districts of Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha to the north, Panchmahal to the east, Ahmedabad to the west, and Anand and Vadodara to the south.Anand district was carved out of Kheda district on 2 October 1997.
Balasinor Fossil Park is one of the three largest dinosaur sites in the world.
The main crops include bajra, cotton and tobacco. Commerce in the district includes trade in cotton and tobacco. The district is home to a thermal power station, near Dhuvran.
The major towns of the district include Kheda, Nadiad, Karamsad, Anand , Balasinor, and Dakor.
According to the 2011 census Kheda district has a population of 2,298,934, roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 197th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 541 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,400 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.81 %. Kheda has a sex ratio of 937 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 84.31 %.

wn.com/Kheda_district
Scotland
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba ([ˈalˠ̪apə] listen (help·info))) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.

wn.com/Scotland
Suriname
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname, Dutch pronunciation: [ˌrepyˈblik ˌsyriˈnaːmə]), is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the British, and captured by the Dutch in 1667, who governed it as the colony of Suriname until 1954. The country of Suriname achieved independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in which Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Netherlands itself cooperated on a basis of equality since 1954, on 25 November 1975.
At just under 165,000 km² (64,000 sq mi) Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America (French Guiana comprises less territory, but is French territory). It has an estimated population of approximately 560,000, most of whom live on the country's north coast, where the capital Paramaribo is located.
The name Suriname may derive from a Taino (Arawak-speaking) group called "Surinen" who first inhabited the region prior to European arrival.

wn.com/Suriname
Uruk
Coordinates: 31°19′20″N 45°38′10″E / 31.32222°N 45.63611°E / 31.32222; 45.63611 Uruk (Cuneiform: 𒌷𒀔,^URU UNUG; Sumerian: Unug; Akkadian: Uruk; Aramaic: Erech; Hebrew: Erech; Greek: Ὀρχόη Orchoē, Ὠρύγεια Ōrugeia; Arabic: وركاء‎, Warkā') was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the ancient dry former channel of the Euphrates River, some 30 km east of modern As-Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.
Uruk gave its name to the Uruk period, the protohistoric Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age period in the history of Mesopotamia spanning c. 4000 to 3100 BC, succeeded by the Jemdet Nasr period of Sumer proper. Uruk played a leading role in the early urbanization of Sumer in the mid 4th millennium BC. At its height c 2900 BC, Uruk probably had 50,000–80,000 residents living in 6 km² of walled area; making it the largest city in the world at the time. The semi-mythical king Gilgamesh, according to the chronology presented in the Sumerian king list, ruled Uruk in the 27th century BC. The city lost its prime importance around 2000 BC, in the context of the struggle of Babylonia with Elam, but it remained inhabited throughout the Seleucid and Parthian periods until it was finally abandoned shortly before or after the Islamic conquest.

wn.com/Uruk

Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus, O.P. (1193/1206 – November 15, 1280), also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl and Joachim R. Söder have referred to him as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages, an opinion supported by contemporaries such as Roger Bacon. The Catholic Church honours him as a Doctor of the Church, one of only 34 persons with that honor.
Albertus was born sometime between 1193 and 1206 to the Count of Bollstädt in Lauingen in Bavaria. Contemporaries such as Roger Bacon applied the term "Magnus" to Albertus during his own lifetime, referring to his immense reputation as a scholar and philosopher.
Albertus was educated principally at Padua, where he received instruction in Aristotle's writings. A late account by Rudolph de Novamagia refers to Albertus' encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary, who convinced him to enter Holy Orders. In 1223 (or 1221) he became a member of the Dominican Order, against the wishes of his family, and studied theology at Bologna and elsewhere. Selected to fill the position of lecturer at Cologne, Germany, where the Dominicans had a house, he taught for several years there, at Regensburg, Freiburg, Strasbourg and Hildesheim. In 1245 he went to Paris, received his doctorate and taught for some time as a master of theology with great success. During this time Thomas Aquinas began to study under Albertus.

wn.com/Albertus_Magnus
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (/ˈkroʊli/ KROH-lee; 12 October 1875–1 December 1947), born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, mystic, ceremonial magician, poet and mountaineer, who was responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. In his role as the founder of the Thelemite philosophy, he came to see himself as the prophet who was entrusted with informing humanity that it was entering the new Aeon of Horus in the early 20th century.
Born into a wealthy upper class family, as a young man he became an influential member of the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn after befriending the order's leader, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. Subsequently believing that he was being contacted by his Holy Guardian Angel, an entity known as Aiwass, while staying in Egypt in 1904, he "received" a text known as The Book of the Law from what he believed was a divine source, and around which he would come to develop his new philosophy of Thelema. He would go on to found his own occult society, the A∴A∴ and eventually rose to become a leader of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), before founding a religious commune in Cefalù known as the Abbey of Thelema, which he led from 1920 through till 1923. After abandoning the Abbey amid widespread opposition, Crowley returned to Britain, where he continued to promote Thelema until his death.

wn.com/Aleister_Crowley
Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and a broadcasting narrator. S. T. Joshi has stated that "his work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer's except Dunsany's" and that his short story collection Incredible Adventures (1914) "may be the premier weird collection of this or any other century".
Blackwood was born in Shooter's Hill (today part of south-east London, but then part of northwest Kent) and educated at Wellington College. His father was a Post Office administrator who, according to Peter Penzoldt, "though not devoid of genuine good-heartedness, had appallingly narrow religious ideas". Blackwood had a varied career, working as a milk farmer in Canada, operating a hotel, as a newspaper reporter in New York City, bartender, model, journalist for the New York Times, private secretary, businessman, and violin teacher.

wn.com/Algernon_Blackwood
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen ( /ˈmækən/; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella "The Great God Pan" (1890; 1894) has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language"). He is also well known for his leading role in creating the legend of the Angels of Mons.
Machen was born Arthur Llewelyn Jones in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, though he usually referred to the county by its Welsh name Gwent. The house of his birth, opposite the Olde Bull Inn in The Square at Caerleon, is adjacent to the Priory Hotel and is today marked with a commemorative blue plaque. The beautiful landscape of Monmouthshire, with its associations of Celtic, Roman, and medieval history, made a powerful impression on him, and his love of it is at the heart of many of his works.
Machen was descended from a long line of clergymen, the family having originated in Carmarthenshire. In 1864, when Machen was two, his father John Edward Jones, became vicar of the parish of Llanddewi Fach with Llandegveth, about five miles north of Caerleon, and Machen was brought up at the rectory there. Jones had adopted his wife's maiden name, Machen, to inherit a legacy, legally becoming "Jones-Machen"; his son was baptised under that name and later used a shortened version of his full name, Arthur Machen, as a pen name.

wn.com/Arthur_Machen
Bronisław Malinowski
Bronisław Kasper Malinowski (Polish: [ˌmaliˈnɔfski]; 1884–1942) was a Polish-born- British-naturalized anthropologist, one of the most important 20th-century anthropologists.
From 1910, Malinowski studied exchange and economics at the London School of Economics under Seligman and Westermarck, analysing patterns of exchange in aboriginal Australia through ethnographic documents. In 1914 he was given a chance to travel to New Guinea accompanying anthropologist R. R. Marett, but as war broke out and Malinowski was an Austrian subject, and thereby an enemy of the British commonwealth, he was unable to travel back to England. The Australian government nonetheless provided him with permission and funds to undertake ethnographic work within their territories and Malinowski chose to go to the Trobriand Islands, in Melanesia where he stayed for several years, studying the indigenous culture. Upon his return to England after the war he published his main work Argonauts of the Western Pacific which established him as one of the most important anthropologists in Europe of that time. He took posts as lecturer and later as a chair in Anthropology at the LSE, attracting large numbers of students and exerting great influence on the development of British Social Anthropology. Among his students in this period were such prominent anthropologists as Raymond Firth, E.E. Evans-Pritchard, Hortense Powdermaker, Edmund Leach and Meyer Fortes. From 1933 he visited several American universities and when the second World War broke out he decided to stay there, taking an appointment at Yale. Here he stayed the remainder of his life, also influencing a generation of American anthropologists.

wn.com/Bronisław_Malinowski
Carl Reichenbach
Baron Dr. Carl (Karl) Ludwig von Reichenbach (full name: Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach) (February 12, 1788 – January 1869) was a notable chemist, geologist, metallurgist, naturalist, industrialist and philosopher, and a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences. He is best known for his discoveries of several chemical products of economic importance, extracted from tar, such as eupione, waxy paraffin, pittacol (the first synthetic dye) and phenol (an antiseptic). He also dedicated himself in his last years to research an unproved field of energy combining electricity, magnetism and heat, emanating from all living things, which he called the Odic force.
Reichenbach was educated at the University of Tübingen, where he obtained the degree of doctor of philosophy. At the age of 16 he conceived the idea of establishing a new German state in one of the South Sea Islands, and for five years he devoted himself to this project.
Afterwards, directing his attention to the application of science to the industrial arts, he visited manufacturing and metallurgical works in France and Germany, and established the first modern metallurgical company, with forges of his own in Villingen and Hausach in the Black Forest region of Southern Germany and later in Baden.

wn.com/Carl_Reichenbach
Christian Thomasius
Christian Thomasius (January 1, 1655 – September 23, 1728) was a German jurist and philosopher.
He was born at Leipzig and was educated by his father, Jakob Thomasius (1622–1684), at that time head master of Thomasschule zu Leipzig. Through his father's lectures, Christian came under the influence of the political philosophy of Hugo Grotius and Samuel Pufendorf, and continued the study of law at Frankfurt an der Oder in 1675, completing his doctorate in 1679. In 1680, he married Anna Christine Heyland and started a legal practice in Leipzig; the following year he began teaching at the university’s law school as well. In 1684 he became professor of natural law, soon attracting attention by his abilities, and particularly by his attack on traditional prejudices, in theology and jurisprudence. In 1685 he published a provocative dissertation, De crimine bigamiae (The crime of bigamy), in which he argued that bigamy is permissible under natural law.
In 1687 he made the daring innovation of lecturing in German instead of Latin and gave a lecture on the topic "How One Should Emulate the French Way of Life," referring to the French use of their native language not only in everyday life but in scholarship as well; according to scholar Klaus Luig, this event marks the real beginning of the Enlightenment in Germany. In the following year he began publishing a monthly periodical (Scherzhafte und ernsthafte, vernüftige und einfältige Gedanken über allerhand lustige und nutzliche Bücher und Fragen) in which he ridiculed the pedantic weaknesses of the learned, taking the side of the Pietists in their controversy with the orthodox, and defending mixed marriages of Lutherans and Calvinists; he also published a volume on natural law which emphasized natural reason and a paper defending marriage between Lutherans and members of the Reformed church.

wn.com/Christian_Thomasius
Democritus
Democritus (Greek: Δημόκριτος, Dēmokritos, "chosen of the people") (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. He was an influential pre-Socratic philosopher and pupil of Leucippus, who formulated an atomic theory for the cosmos.
His exact contributions are difficult to disentangle from his mentor Leucippus, as they are often mentioned together in texts. Their speculation on atoms, taken from Leucippus, bears a passing and partial resemblance to the nineteenth-century understanding of atomic structure that has led some to regard Democritus as more of a scientist than other Greek philosophers; however their ideas rested on very different bases. Largely ignored in ancient Athens, Democritus was nevertheless well known to his fellow northern-born philosopher Aristotle. Plato is said to have disliked him so much that he wished all his books burned. Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science".
Democritus was born in the city of Abdera in Thrace, an Ionian colony of Teos, although some called him a Milesian. He was born in the 80th Olympiad (460–457 BC) according to Apollodorus of Athens, and although Thrasyllus placed his birth in 470 BC, the later date is probably more likely.John Burnet has argued that the date of 460 is "too early", since according to Diogenes Laërtius ix.41, Democritus said that he was a "young man (neos)" during Anaxagoras' old age (circa 440–428). It was said that Democritus' father was so wealthy that he received Xerxes on his march through Abdera. Democritus spent the inheritance which his father left him on travels into distant countries, to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He traveled to Asia, and was even said to have reached India and Ethiopia.

wn.com/Democritus
Ebenezer Sibly
Ebenezer Sibly (1751–c.1799) was an English physician, astrologer and writer on the occult.
He was the son of a mechanic, born in Bristol, and brother of Manoah Sibly. He early devoted himself to medicine, and also to astrology. He studied surgery in London.
In 1794 he was living in Portsmouth, and became a Freemason there. In 1785 he was working as an astrologer in Bristol; and by about 1788 had moved to London. In 1790 he was temporarily in Ipswich, supporting at the general election Sir John Hadley D'Oyly, the Whig member. On 20 April 1792 he graduated M.D. from King's College, Aberdeen.
As a student of medicine, he became interested in the theories on animal magnetism of Anton Mesmer, joining Mesmer's Harmonic Philosophical School, and later also theosophy.
Sibly died in London in about 1799.
Sibly is celebrated for the natal horoscope he cast of the United States of America, published in 1787 and still cited.
Ebenezer Sibly used an eclectic mixture of early modern esoteric works. His brother Manoah Sibly (1757–1840) was a linguist, as well as a Swedenborgian preacher. Under Manoah's name appeared texts including a revision of John Whalley's translation of the Tetrabiblos, and a translation of Placidus de Titis; as an astrologer, Ebenezer is said to have used the Placidian system of houses;^{[citation needed]} as a student of alchemy, he translated Bernard of Treviso (the fountain allegory). It has been said that experts of the time would have seen that Sibly was not very discriminating about the sources he chose, and drew on unpublished translations that he had borrowed. He knew the Book of Enoch via Charles Rainsford.

wn.com/Ebenezer_Sibly
Edward Burnett Tylor
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor (2 October 1832 – 2 January 1917), was an English anthropologist.
Tylor is representative of cultural evolutionism. In his works Primitive Culture and Anthropology, he defined the context of the scientific study of anthropology, based on the evolutionary theories of Charles Lyell. He believed that there was a functional basis for the development of society and religion, which he determined was universal. E. B. Tylor is considered by many to be a founding figure of the science of social anthropology, and his scholarly works are seen as important and lasting contributions to the discipline of anthropology that was beginning to take shape in the 19th century. He believed that "research into the history and prehistory of man [...] could be used as a basis for the reform of British society."
He reintroduced the term animism (the faith in the individual soul or anima of all things, and natural manifestations) into common use. He considered animism as the first phase of development of religions.

wn.com/Edward_Burnett_Tylor
Empedocles
Empedocles (pronounced: /ɛmˈpɛdəkliːz/; Ancient Greek: Ἐμπεδοκλῆς; Empedoklēs; Ancient Greek: [empedoklɛ̂ːs]; ca. 490–430 BC) was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of Agrigentum, a Greek city in Sicily. Empedocles' philosophy is best known for being the originator of the cosmogenic theory of the four Classical elements. He also proposed powers called Love and Strife which would act as forces to bring about the mixture and separation of the elements. These physical speculations were part of a history of the universe which also dealt with the origin and development of life. Influenced by the Pythagoreans, he supported the doctrine of reincarnation. Empedocles is generally considered the last Greek philosopher to record his ideas in verse. Some of his work survives, more than in the case of any other Presocratic philosopher. Empedocles' death was mythologized by ancient writers, and has been the subject of a number of literary treatments.
Empedocles was born, c. 490 BC, at Agrigentum (Acragas) in Sicily to a distinguished family. Very little is known about his life. His father Meto seems to have been instrumental in overthrowing the tyrant of Agrigentum, presumably Thrasydaeus in 470 BC. Empedocles continued the democratic tradition of his house by helping to overthrow the succeeding oligarchic government. He is said to have been magnanimous in his support of the poor; severe in persecuting the overbearing conduct of the aristocrats; and he even declined the sovereignty of the city when it was offered to him.

wn.com/Empedocles
Guido Bonatti
Guido Bonatti (died between 1296 and 1300) was an Italian astronomer and astrologer from Forlì. He was the most celebrated astrologer in Europe in his century.
His dates of birth and death are unknown, the latter probably occurring between 1296 and 1300. In 1233 he is known as the winner of a dispute in Bologna with the friar Giovanni Schio from Vicenza, who maintained the non-scientificity of astrology.
He was advisor of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ezzelino da Romano III, Guido Novello da Polenta and Guido I da Montefeltro. He served also the communal governments of Florence, Siena and Forlì. His book Liber Astronomiae, written around 1277, was reputed "the most important astrological work produced in Latin in the 13th century".
He also appears in Dante's Divine Comedy, where he is in hell as punishment for his astrology.
There is a tradition that Bonatti, towards the end of his life, took the friar's habit of the Franciscan Order. This has been contested as Bonati, expressed great disdain for Franciscans in his early period. However, the Franciscan Order, in its annual publication, Franciscan Studies, lay claim to Fra Guido Bonati. The 1924 inaugural issue of Franciscan Studies captioned its monologue as "Science in the Franciscan Order: a historical sketch" by John M. Lenhart, O.F.M. Cap. Lenhart states the following:

wn.com/Guido_Bonatti
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus (Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος—Hērákleitos ho Ephésios; c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. From the lonely life he led, and still more from the riddling nature of his philosophy and his contempt for humankind in general, he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".
Heraclitus is famous for his insistence on ever-present change in the universe, as stated in the famous saying, "No man ever steps in the same river twice" (see panta rhei, below). He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same", all existing entities being characterized by pairs of contrary properties. His cryptic utterance that "all entities come to be in accordance with this Logos" (literally, "word", "reason", or "account") has been the subject of numerous interpretations.

wn.com/Heraclitus
History of astrology
Astrology, the belief in a connection between the cosmos and terrestrial matters has played an important part in human history.
Regional branches of astrology include Western astrology, Indian astrology, and Chinese or East Asian astrology.
Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. It has therefore been argued that astrology began as a study as soon as human beings made conscious attempts to measure, record, and then predict, seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles.
Early evidence of such practices appears as markings on bones and cave walls, which show that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25,000 years ago; the first step towards recording the Moon’s influence upon tides and rivers, and towards organizing a communal calendar. Agriculture needs were also met by increasing knowledge of constellations, whose appearances change with the seasons, allowing the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities. By the third millennium BCE, widespread civilizations had developed sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles, and are believed to have consciously oriented their temples to create alignment with the heliacal risings of the stars.

wn.com/History_of_astrology
Huld
In Scandinavian mythology, Huld is only referenced by völva or seiðkona, that is a woman who practiced the seiðr. She is mentioned in the Ynglinga saga, Sturlunga saga and a late medieval Icelandic tale. In the latter source, she is Odin's mistress and the mother of the demi-goddesses Þorgerðr and Irpa. As her name suggests, Huld may be in origin the same being as the Huldra and the German Holda.
In the Ynglinga saga it is related that she was first hired to kill the Swedish king Vanlade, by his wife Drífa. She "hag-rode" him to death.
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal composed in the 9th century:
Later she was hired by Vanlade's grandchildren to kill his son Visbur.
It is said in Sturlunga saga that Sturla Þórðarson entertained King Magnús lagabœtir with a story about Huld in 1263, which he told "better and more cleverly than any of those present had heard before" (betr ok fróðligar en nokkurr þeira hafði fyrr heyrt, er þar váru). According to Sturlunga saga, the story was about a great troll-woman and was well received by the king's followers and by the queen; it took a good part of the day to tell.

wn.com/Huld
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as "indigenous" according to one of the various definitions of the term, though there is no universally accepted definition.
In the late twentieth century, the term began to be used primarily to refer to ethnic groups that have historical ties to groups that existed in a territory prior to colonization or formation of a nation state, and which normally preserve a degree of cultural and political separation from the mainstream culture and political system of the nation state within the border of which the indigenous group is located. The political sense of the term defines these groups as particularly vulnerable to exploitation and oppression by nation states. As a result, a special set of political rights in accordance with international law have been set forth by international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. The United Nations have issued a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to protect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and natural resources. Depending on which precise definition of "indigenous people" used, and on the census, estimates of a world total population of Indigenous people range from 220 million Indigenous peoples in 1997 to 350 million in 2004.

wn.com/Indigenous_peoples
Jacob Philadelphia
Jacob Philadelphia was a Jewish magician, physicist, mechanic, juggler, astrologer, alchemist, and Kabbalist.
He is believed to have been born on August 14, 1735 and given the name Jacob Meyer.
Dr. Christopher Witt, the associate of Johannes Kelpius, was chiefly responsible for his education. Meyer's patron in England was Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, for whom he performed astrology, magic, and alchemy.
When he converted to Christianity, Jacob Meyer took the name of Jacob Philadelphia in homage to the home city of the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. He was also known by the names Meyer Philadelphia and Philadelphus Philadelphia. Meyer became a member of the occult Rosicrucian order. After the death of his patron in 1756, Meyer began to perform in public. He exhibited his skills in Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. In 1771, he performed in St. Petersburg for Catherine II of Russia. Also, in Constantinople, he had Sultan Mustapha III as an audience. 1773 found him chasing away ghosts for Kaiser Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna at a charge of 300 Thalers. In Potsdam and Berlin, he had difficulty with Friedrich the Great, who was alarmed after Meyer read his mind. Friedrich was also averse to Meyer's Rosicrucianism and subsequently banished the magician from Prussia.

wn.com/Jacob_Philadelphia
James George Frazer
Sir James George Frazer FRS FRSE FBA OM (1 January 1854, Glasgow – 7 May 1941, Cambridge), was a Scottish social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion. He is often considered one of the founding fathers of modern anthropology.
His most famous work, The Golden Bough (1890), documents and details similar magical and religious beliefs across the globe. Frazer posited that human belief progressed through three stages: primitive magic, replaced by religion, in turn replaced by science.
Born in Glasgow, Frazer attended school at Springfield Academy and Larchfield Academy in Helensburgh. He studied at the University of Glasgow and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with honours in Classics (his dissertation would be published years later as The Growth of Plato's Ideal Theory) and remained a Classics Fellow all his life. He went on from Trinity to study law at the Middle Temple and yet never practised. He was four times elected to Trinity's Title Alpha Fellowship, and was associated with the college for most of his life, except for a year, 1907–1908, spent at the University of Liverpool. He was knighted in 1914, and a public lectureship in social anthropology at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Glasgow and Liverpool was established in his honour in 1921. He was, if not blind, then severely visually impaired from 1930 on. He and his wife, Lily, died within a few hours of each other. They are buried at the Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge, England.

wn.com/James_George_Frazer
Jews
The Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים‎‎ ISO 259-3 Yhudim Israeli pronunciation [jehuˈdim]), also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an ethnoreligious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation.Converts to Judaism, whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos is equal to those born into it, have been absorbed into the Jewish people throughout the millennia.
In Jewish tradition, Jewish ancestry is traced to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the second millennium BCE. The modern State of Israel defines itself as a Jewish state in its Basic Laws, and Israel's Law of Return states: "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh." Israel is the only country where Jews are a majority of the population. Jews achieved political autonomy twice before in ancient history. The first of these periods lasted from 1350 to 586 BCE, and encompassed the periods of the Judges, the United Monarchy, and the Divided Monarchy of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, ending with the destruction of the First Temple. The second was the period of the Hasmonean Kingdom spanning from 140 to 37 BCE. Since the destruction of the First Temple, most Jews have lived in diaspora. A minority in every country in which they live (except Israel), they have frequently experienced persecution throughout history, resulting in a population that has fluctuated both in numbers and distribution over the centuries.

wn.com/Jews
Johannes Hartlieb
Johannes Hartlieb (ca. 1410 – 18 May 1468) was a physician of Late Medieval Bavaria, probably of a family from Neuburg an der Donau. He was in the employment of Louis VII of Bavaria and Albert VI of Austria in the 1430s, and of Albert III of Bavaria from 1440, and of the latter's son Sigismund from 1456. In 1444, he married Sibilla, possibly the daughter of Albert and Agnes Bernauer Hartlieb wrote a compendium on herbs in ca. 1440, and in 1456 the puch aller verpoten kunst, ungelaubens und der zaubrey (book on all forbidden arts, superstition and sorcery) on the artes magicae, containing the oldest known description of witches' flying ointment. Hartlieb also produced German translations of various classical authors (Trotula, Macrobius, Gilbertinus, Muscio).
Works:

wn.com/Johannes_Hartlieb
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes,CB FBA ( /ˈkeɪnz/ KAYNZ; 5 June 1883–21 April 1946) was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments. He greatly refined earlier work on the causes of business cycles, and advocated the use of fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the adverse effects of economic recessions and depressions. His ideas are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian economics, as well as its various offshoots.
In the 1930s, Keynes spearheaded a revolution in economic thinking, overturning the older ideas of neoclassical economics that held that free markets would, in the short to medium term, automatically provide full employment, as long as workers were flexible in their wage demands. Keynes instead argued that aggregate demand determined the overall level of economic activity, and that inadequate aggregate demand could lead to prolonged periods of high unemployment. Following the outbreak of World War II, Keynes's ideas concerning economic policy were adopted by leading Western economies. During the 1950s and 1960s, the success of Keynesian economics resulted in almost all capitalist governments adopting its policy recommendations.

wn.com/John_Maynard_Keynes
Leo Ruickbie
Leo Ruickbie is an historian and sociologist of magic, witchcraft and Wicca. He is the author of several books, beginning with Witchcraft Out of the Shadows, a 2004 publication outlining the history of witchcraft from ancient Greece until the modern day. Ruickbie was born in Scotland and took a Master's degree in Sociology and Religion at the University of Lancaster. He then studied at King's College London and was an awarded a PhD for his thesis entitled The Re-Enchanters: Theorising Re-Enchantment and Testing for its Presence in Modern Witchcraft. On Samhain 2007 he launched Open Source Wicca, a project inspired by the Open Source software movement aimed at making the founding texts of Wicca more readily available by releasing them under a Creative Commons licence. In 2008 and 2009 he exhibited on the subject of witchcraft in France.
Witchcraft Out of the Shadows begins with a survey of historical influences from classical times, northern European paganism, and medieval and early modern Europe. It then describes the roots of modern neopagan witchcraft in groups such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and individuals such as Aleister Crowley and Doreen Valiente. Particularly important is the critical analysis of the claims made by Gerald Gardner about Wicca, as well as a detailed discussion of the liturgical content of Gardner's Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical and its sources.

wn.com/Leo_Ruickbie
List of occultists
List of notable occultists and mystics.
This is a list of notable people, whether contemporary, historical or legendary, who are or were involved in any of the following practices and traditions:
Since this subject has attracted hoaxes, folklore, and tall tales, the inclusion of historical persons is limited based on considerations of accepted historical fact - a restriction which obviously does not apply to legendary or mythological figures.
For a list of sleight of hand artists and practitioners of stage magic, see: List of magicians.

wn.com/List_of_occultists
Lynn Thorndike
Lynn Thorndike (born 24 July 1882, in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA; died 28 December 1965, at Columbia University Club, New York City) was an American historian of medieval science and alchemy. He was the younger brother of Ashley Horace Thorndike.
Thorndike studied at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut (Bachelor of Arts, 1902), and then medieval history at Columbia University (Master of Arts 1903, Doctorate 1905). Thorndike's doctoral dissertation (1905) was about "The Place of Magic in the Intellectual History of Europe", which he went on to link with the historical development of experimental science. He began teaching medieval history at Northwestern University in 1907. He moved to Western Reserve University in 1909 and stayed there until 1924. Columbia University lured him away in fall 1924 and he taught there until he retired from teaching in 1950. Thorndike continued to publish for an additional ten years and in 1957 received the Sarton Medal from the History of Science Society. He also served as president of the American Historical Association.

wn.com/Lynn_Thorndike
Marcel Mauss
Marcel Mauss (10 May 1872 – 10 February 1950; pronounced /mo:s/) was a French sociologist. The nephew of Émile Durkheim, Mauss' academic work traversed the boundaries between sociology and anthropology. Today, he is perhaps better recognised for his influence on the latter discipline; particularly with respect to his analyses of topics such as magic, sacrifice and gift exchange in different cultures around the world. Mauss had a significant influence upon the founder of structural anthropology, Claude Lévi-Strauss. His most famous book is The Gift (1923).
Mauss was born in Épinal, Vosges to a Jewish family, and studied philosophy at Bordeaux, where his uncle Émile Durkheim was teaching at the time, and aggregated in 1893. Instead of taking the usual route of teaching at a lycée, however, Mauss moved to Paris and took up the study of comparative religion and the Sanskrit language. His first publication in 1896 marked the beginning of a prolific career that would produce several landmarks in the sociological literature.

wn.com/Marcel_Mauss
Margot Adler
Margot Adler (born April 16, 1946) is an author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City. Her grandfather, Alfred Adler, was a noted Austrian Jewish psychotherapist, collaborator with Sigmund Freud and the founder of the school of individual psychology.
Adler received a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York in 1970. She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1982.
Adler first worked for WBAI, FM 99.5, the Pacifica Radio outlet in New York City. She created the talk shows Hour of the Wolf in 1972 (still on the air as hosted by Jim Freund) and later Unstuck in Time.
Adler joined NPR in 1979 as a general assignment reporter, after spending a year as an NPR freelance reporter covering New York City, and has since worked on a great many pieces dealing with subjects as diverse as the death penalty, the right to die movement, the response to the war in Kosovo, computer gaming, the drug ecstasy, geek culture, children and technology, and Pokémon. Since 9/11, she has focused much of her work on stories exploring the human factors in New York City, from the loss of loved ones, homes and jobs, to work in the relief effort. She was the host of Justice Talking up until the show ceased production on July 3, 2008. She is a regular voice on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She is also co-producer of an award-winning radio drama, War Day.

wn.com/Margot_Adler
Mauss
Mauss is a surname that may refer to the following people:

wn.com/Mauss
Māori people
The Māori (Māori pronunciation: [ˈmaːɔɾi], English: /ˈmaʊəri/) are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Māori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time before 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Māori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Māori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organisation. Horticulture flourished using plants they introduced, and later a prominent warrior culture emerged.
The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand starting from the 17th century brought enormous change to the Māori way of life. Māori people gradually adopted many aspects of Western society and culture. Initial relations between Māori and Europeans were largely amicable, and with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 the two cultures coexisted as part of a new British colony. Rising tensions over disputed land sales led to conflict in the 1860s. Social upheaval, decades of conflict and epidemics of introduced disease took a devastating toll on the Māori population, which went into a dramatic decline. But by the start of the 20th century the Māori population had begun to recover, and efforts were made to increase their standing in wider New Zealand society. Traditional Māori culture has enjoyed a revival, and a protest movement emerged in the 1960s advocating Māori issues.

wn.com/Māori_people
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their equestrian culture and resistance to domination by Canada and the United States have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere. Plains Indians are usually divided into two broad classifications which overlap to some degree. The first group were fully nomadic during the 16th to 19th centuries, following the vast herds of buffalo, although some tribes occasionally engaged in agriculture; growing tobacco and corn primarily. These include the Blackfoot, Arapaho, Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kiowa, Lakota, Lipan, Plains Apache (or Kiowa Apache), Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwe, Sarsi, Nakoda (Stoney), and Tonkawa.
The second group of Plains Indians includes the aboriginal peoples of the Great Plains, as well as the Prairie Indians who come from as far east the Mississippi River. These tribes were semi-sedentary, and, in addition to hunting buffalo, they lived in villages, raised crops, and actively traded with other tribes. These include the Arikara, Hidatsa, Iowa, Kaw (or Kansa), Kitsai, Mandan, Missouria, Omaha, Osage, Otoe, Pawnee, Ponca, Quapaw, Santee, Wichita, and Yankton Dakota.

wn.com/Plains_Indians
Plato
Plato ( /ˈpleɪtoʊ/; Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, "broad"; 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. In the words of A. N. Whitehead:
The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them.
Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts. Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and mathematics.

wn.com/Plato
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos (Ancient Greek: Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος [Πυθαγόρης in Ionian Greek] Pythagóras ho Sámios "Pythagoras the Samian", or simply Πυθαγόρας; b. about 570 – d. about 495 BC) was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. Most of the information about Pythagoras was written down centuries after he lived, so very little reliable information is known about him. He was born on the island of Samos, and might have travelled widely in his youth, visiting Egypt and other places seeking knowledge. Around 530 BC, he moved to Croton, a Greek colony in southern Italy, and there set up a religious sect. His followers pursued the religious rites and practices developed by Pythagoras, and studied his philosophical theories. The society took an active role in the politics of Croton, but this eventually led to their downfall. The Pythagorean meeting-places were burned, and Pythagoras was forced to flee the city. He is said to have ended his days in Metapontum.

wn.com/Pythagoras
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton (born 1953) is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio. He has held a fellowship at Magdalen College, Oxford and is a Commissioner of English Heritage.
Born in Ootacamund, India into a middle class English family, Hutton subsequently returned to England, attending a school in Illford and getting particularly interested in archaeology, taking part in a number of excavations until 1976 and touring the country's chambered tombs. Ultimately he decided to study history at Pembroke College, Cambridge and then Magdalen College, Oxford before gaining employment as a reader in history at the University of Bristol in 1981. Focusing his efforts on Early Modern Britain, he published a trio of books on the subject during that decade; The Royalist War Effort (1981), The Restoration (1985) and Charles the Second (1989).

wn.com/Ronald_Hutton
Siddhar
Siddhars (Tamil: சித்தர்) are saints in India, mostly of the Saivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Yogic powers called Siddhis are acquired by constant practice of certain yogic disciplines. Those who acquire these Siddhis are called Siddhas. These sidhars can be compared to Mystics of the western civilization. Siddhars are people who are believed to control and transcend the barriers of time and space by meditation (Yoga), after the use of substances called Rasayanas that transform the body to make it potentially deathless, and a particular breathing-practice, a type of Pranayama. Through their practices they are believed to have reached stages of insight which enabled them to tune into the powers hidden in various material substances and practices, useful for suffering and ignorant mankind. Typically Siddhars were saints, doctors, alchemists and mysticists all at once. They wrote their findings, in the form of poems in Tamil language, on palm leaves which are collected and stored in what are known today as Palm leaf manuscript, today still owned by private families in Tamil Nadu and handed down through the generations, as well as public institutions such as Universities all over the world (India, Germany, Great Britain, U.S.A.).

wn.com/Siddhar
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud (German pronunciation: [ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt]), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939), was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. Freud's family and ancestry were Jewish. Freud always considered himself a Jew even though he rejected Judaism and had a critical view of religion. Freud's parents were poor, but ensured his education. Freud was an outstanding pupil in high school, and graduated the Matura with honors in 1873. Interested in philosophy as a student, Freud later turned away from it and became a neurological researcher into cerebral palsy, Aphasia and microscopic neuroanatomy.
Freud went on to develop theories about the unconscious mind and the mechanism of repression, and established the field of verbal psychotherapy by creating psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient (or "analysand") and a psychoanalyst. Though psychoanalysis has declined as a therapeutic practice, it has helped inspire the development of many other forms of psychotherapy, some diverging from Freud's original ideas and approach. Freud postulated the existence of libido (an energy with which mental process and structures are invested), developed therapeutic techniques such as the use of free association (in which patients report their thoughts without reservation and make no attempt to concentrate while doing so), discovered the transference (the process by which patients displace on to their analysts feelings based on their experience of earlier figures in their lives) and established its central role in the analytic process, and proposed that dreams help to preserve sleep by representing as fulfilled wishes that would otherwise awake the dreamer. He was also a prolific essayist, drawing on psychoanalysis to contribute to the interpretation and critique of culture.

wn.com/Sigmund_Freud
Solomon
Solomon (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Modern Shlomo Tiberian Šəlōmō ISO 259-3 Šlomo; Arabic: سليمان‎ Sulaymān, also colloquially: Silimān; Greek: Σολομών Solomōn), according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah (Hebrew יְדִידְיָהּ) in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah split; following the split his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone. In the Qur'an, he is considered as a major Prophet, known as Sulaiman, son of David.
The Hebrew Bible credits Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, and portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power, but ultimately as a king whose sin, including idolatry and turning away from Yahweh, leads to the kingdom being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam. Solomon is the subject of many other later references and legends.

wn.com/Solomon
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kremer, (Hebrew: ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן‎) known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu") or Elijah Ben Solomon, (Vilnius April 23, 1720 – Vilnius October 9, 1797), was a Talmudist, halachist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of non-hasidic Jewry of the past few centuries. He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha'Gaon ha'Chasid mi'Vilna, "the saintly genius from Vilnius."
He was one of the most influential Rabbinic authorities since the Middle Ages, and—although he is counted among the sages known as the Acharonim—he is held by many authorities after him as belonging to the Rishonim (Rabbinic authorities of the Middle Ages). Large groups of people, including many yeshivas, uphold the set of Jewish customs and rites (minhag), the "minhag ha-Gra," which is named for him, and which is also considered by many to be the prevailing Ashkenazi minhag in Jerusalem.
Born in Vilnius, capital city of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Gaon displayed extraordinary talent while still a child. By the time he was twenty years old, rabbis were submitting their most difficult halakhic problems to him for legal rulings. He was a voluminous author, writing such works as glosses on the Babylonian Talmud and Shulchan Aruch known as Biurei ha-Gra ("Elaboration by the Gra"), a running commentary on the Mishnah (Shenoth Eliyahu ("The Years of Elijah"), and insights on the Pentateuch entitled Adereth Eliyahu ("The Splendor of Elijah"). Various Kabbalistic works have commentaries in his name, and commentaries on the Proverbs and other books of the Tanakh were written later on in his life. None were published in his lifetime.

wn.com/Vilna_Gaon
Witch of Endor
The witch of Endor, sometimes called the medium of Endor, was a woman who apparently called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter 28:3–25. The witch is absent from the version of that event recounted in the deuterocanonical Book of Sirach (47:19–20).
After Samuel had died, he was buried in Ramah. After Samuel's death Saul received no answer from God from dreams, prophets, or the Urim and Thummim as to his best course of action against the assembled forces of the Philistines. Consequently Saul, who had earlier driven out all necromancers and magicians from Israel, sought out a medium, anonymously and in disguise. Following the instruction of her visitor, the woman claims that she sees the ghost of Samuel rising from the abode of the dead. The voice of the prophet's ghost, after complaining of being awakened from his long sleep, berates Saul for disobeying God, and predicts Saul's downfall, with his whole army, in battle the next day, then adds that Saul and his sons will join him, then, in the abode of the dead. Saul is shocked and afraid, and following the encounter his army is defeated and Saul commits suicide after being wounded.

wn.com/Witch_of_Endor
Éva Pócs
Éva Pócs (born 1936) is associate professor in the Department of Ethnography and Cultural Anthropology at Janus Pannonius University, Pécs, Hungary, and president of the Folklore Section of the Hungarian Ethnographic Society. She is an author of several books dealing with supernatural beliefs and patterns of communication in early modern Europe. In 2004 she was awarded the Herder Prize. She received her PhD degree in 1982 and her DSc in 1998.
Her publications in English include:

wn.com/Éva_Pócs

James Randi exposes Uri Geller and Peter Popoff

www.rationalresponders.com James Randi is a leader in the skeptical community who has been...

published: 16 Nov 2006

author: RationalResponse

Mysteries, Magic and Miracles: Episode 1

Facts and fiction of UFO sightings, Qi Gong and the magic behind witchcraft....

published: 21 Apr 2010

author: paranormaltvchannel

magic paranormal activity

magic wd d e4t fa poor sensored 1.3 mp cellfone.... Fraz...

published: 08 Feb 2009

author: punk1tual

Paul Pierce Mix - Lose Yourself

Thanks To Everyone For Helping Me Hit 10000+ views on this video!!! Much Love Paul Pierce ...

published: 15 Jan 2012

author: KidFromChicago

Paranormal Ponies

20000 views? Just.....wow. I have no words. Thank you so much, guys. This means a lot to m...

published: 30 Oct 2011

author: Mperce

Mysteries, Magic and Miracles: Episode 2

Near death events, natural disasters and prophecies....

published: 21 Apr 2010

author: paranormaltvchannel

Alexander Radulov - "Magic" Full HD

Thanks for the watching Please like and subscribe on channel :) vkontakte.ru Especial for ...

published: 06 Feb 2012

author: UfaGreenMachineTV

"Tebow Magic" by dj steve porter

saw this today on NFL Countdown...

published: 18 Dec 2011

author: sportsremixes

2012 Magic Cancun Riviera Maya (official video)

When you visit the awesome Mayan ruins on the Riviera Maya and the rest of Mexico's Yucata...

published: 15 Dec 2011

author: Leah Campbell

Paranormal Activity Prank

Learn Magic at www.penguinmagic.com Twitter twitter.com Facebook Group: www.facebook.com...

published: 24 Oct 2011

author: MagicofRahat

NPH Magic trick on Live with Kelly AMAZING!!

NPH does an amazing magic trick on Live! with Kelly! 12/2/2011...

published: 02 Dec 2011

author: MisterTylerTV

2012 Blackpool Magic Convention - Ponta the Smith

...

published: 20 Feb 2012

author: chingjinwei

Jay Jay Okocha - The King of Magic Football / MrFCS10

My favorite player is Ronaldinho .. but I think few appreciate this player without being a...

published: 27 May 2011

author: MrFCS10

The Rubberbandits Trick - Shane Gillen Magic

Invited The Rubberbandits along to mess a little bit with their heads. www.shanegillen.com...

published: 07 Jun 2012

author: GillenMagic

THE MONKEY'S PAW

A short film. 29 mins. England, 1936. On a wicked stormy night, in the foggy Moors, the...

published: 16 Feb 2011

author: Ricky Lewis Jr

Fortune Cookie Magic - Vignette I

Fortune Cookie Magic Blurb Meeting for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, Jill’s friends are ...

published: 04 Jan 2010

author: Dee Dawning

The Monkey's Paw (Trailer)

England, 1936. A family comes into possession of a cursed talisman said to grant its owne...

published: 20 Dec 2010

author: Ricky Lewis Jr

Illuminati,Black Magic & The Necronomicon 1/4

info @ http://www.HollywoodInsiders.net Hollywood Insiders Magick and The Matrix is about ...

published: 15 Dec 2009

author: Going Etheric

<li class="playlistitemli thumbnail border_color">
        <div class="video_facebook">
            <a href="http://web.archive.org./web/20121230172613/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://wn.com/magic_(paranormal)&t=<%= title %>" title="Share this video" data-title="Share this video" target="_blank" style="target-name: new; target-new: tab;"></a>
        </div>

photo: AP / Altaf Qadri

Indian anti-riot personnel stand guard at a check point after security was beefed up following the death of a young woman who was recently gang-raped in a moving bus in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.

India appeal for calm after Delhi gang-rape victim dies

BBC News

29 Dec 2012

Police in India have sealed off much of the capital, Delhi, and issued an appeal for calm after the death of a woman who was gang-raped in the city. The 23-year old woman, who has not been identified, died early on Saturday at a hospital in Singapore, where she had been taken for specialist treatment. Her body is to be flown back to India for burial ... Gatherings of more than five people have been banned in the city centre ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)

photo: US Navy / HMC Josh Ives

U.S. Army Spc. Jacob Bobbe, security force team member for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah, maintains security on the street during a key leader engagement in the Lash-e Juwayn district of Farah province, Afghanistan, Dec. 11 2012.

Imperial Lockstep

CounterPunch

27 Dec 2012

Imperial adventures are nothing new in the Middle East. Neither is their glorification, as Peter O’Toole’s pained Lawrence of Arabia eternally reminds us. But for a decade or so now, things have been heating up, as if to coincide with climate change and fears of declining petroleum reserves ... The Belly for Belligerence? ... The question loomed over beltway intelligentsia like an ephemeral Gordian knot ... We’re All Hawks Now ... While George W ... ....(size: 9.3Kb)

photo: AP / Ben Curtis

In this Sunday, April 29, 2012 file photo, troops from the Central African Republic stand guard at a building used for joint meetings between them and U.S. Army special forces, in Obo, Central African Republic, where U.S. special forces have paired up with local troops and Ugandan soldiers to seek out Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

CAR seeks foreign help against rebels

Al Jazeera

28 Dec 2012

The president of Central African Republic (CAR) has urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital. Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Francois Bozize on Thursday pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler ... 516 Share ... News ... ....(size: 19.5Kb)

photo: AP / Itsuo Inouye

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) employees at the emergency operation center in the building used as crisis management headquarters at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.

Japan: The More Things Change, The More They Remain the Same

WorldNews.com

29 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. A millennium before the English statesmen Edmund Burke, regarded as the father of Western Conservatism and who wrote, "good order is the foundation of all things," Japan's Seventeen-Article Constitution began with this conservative principle. "Harmony is to be cherished, and opposition for opposition's sake must be avoided as a matter of principle." ... militarism, those protesting U.S....(size: 9.7Kb)

photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba

Galaxy Note 2 vs. iPhone 5: Do The Companies Have Their Game Plans Right?

The Verge

28 Dec 2012

Galaxy Note 2 vs. iPhone 5. Do The Companies Have Their Game Plans Right?. Posted by Jay099 on December 28, 2012 02.15 pm 0. via. Mountain View at California seems to be a busy center now. Google is stepping up the gas on the march towards a holistic environment and experience for the consumers ... My Blog . My FB Page ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)

timeline:
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001

joshk1986's Best & Worst Horror Movies of 2012!

IMDb

30 Dec 2012

Top 3 Best Horror Films Of 2012 3. Paranormal Activity 4 I am a huge fan of this serie… ». ....(size: 0.5Kb)

John Dies At The End Behind The Scenes Featurette

IMDb

30 Dec 2012

To get in the mood, head iside ... On the street, they call it ‘soy sauce.’ It’s a paranormal, psychoactive drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit ... - Nick Martin . ....(size: 1.1Kb)

The relationship works, with the free gift of righteousness: A new year’s resolu

The Examiner

30 Dec 2012

The relationship works, with the free gift of righteousness. A new year’s resolution. This is the time of the year many contemplate improving themselves in the coming year. Clear doctrine might be helpful. There is a fundamental misunderstanding of what position works have in the Christian way of life ... God’s word is broad and includes them in his salvation process ... Let’s illustrate ... Whate are UFOs, paranormal events, ghosts?. ....(size: 2.3Kb)

'Tears of Min Brock' by J. E. Lowder -- a Book Review

The Examiner

30 Dec 2012

In his new book "Tears of Min Brock," author J. E. Lowder has created an intricate fantasy world full of despair and darkness as well as hope and luminous beauty. Although darkness defeated the light at Min Brock, young Elabea's spirit is not quenched like those around her ... I await the next book eagerly ... E ... Related ... WRITERS ... paranormal Christian fiction from Ted Dekker - a book reviewThe Last Operative ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)

Denton's Dish: Saturday's Recap vs. Raptors (Orlando Magic)

noodls

30 Dec 2012

Orlando Magic). ORLANDO - Their margin for error slim even when they were winning a season-best four games in a row more than a week ago, the Orlando Magic now have more questions than answers after a series of debilitating injuries that have gutted the roster ... Playing with a chance at getting to .500 as recently as late last week, the Magic (12-18) have now lost five games in a row....(size: 7.1Kb)

Denton: Injuries Piling Up (Orlando Magic)

noodls

30 Dec 2012

Orlando Magic) ORLANDO - Just as the Orlando Magic finally got Hedo Turkoglu back Saturday night following an eight-week absence, they lost two more crucial pieces in point guards Jameer Nelson and E'Twaun Moore ... The injuries to the two point guards left the Magic with just one point guard on the roster - Ish Smith - and J.J ... The hope is that by resting on Saturday, he will be back by Monday when the Magic host the Miami Heat....(size: 4.2Kb)

Notebook: Raptors 123, Magic 88 (NBA - National Basketball Association)

noodls

30 Dec 2012

Raptors 123, Magic 88 ... Mickael Pietrus, Jose Calderon, Alan Anderson and Terrence Ross made 3-point shots during an early 30-7 run and the Toronto Raptors went on to a 123-88 rout of the Orlando Magic ... Rookie Andrew Nicholson scored a game-high 22 points in his second start for the Magic, who never got the lead under 11 in the second half. Their fifth straight loss dropped the Magic to 12-18 ... For the Magic....(size: 4.7Kb)

Ish Smith starts in place of injured Jameer Nelson and E'Twaun Moore on Saturday

Orlando Sentinel

30 Dec 2012

Injuries forced the Orlando Magic to field their 11th different starting lineup of the season Saturday, employing Ish Smith, Arron Afflalo, Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson and Nik Vucevic against the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center ... The Magic activated Hedo Turkoglu on Saturday, but coach Jacque Vaughn decided to keep Harkless, the 19-year-old rookie, in the starting lineup....(size: 3.9Kb)

Magic's defensive woes continue in 123-88 loss to the Raptors

Orlando Sentinel

30 Dec 2012

Glen Davis sat at the end of the Orlando Magic bench Saturday night as he watched the sequence unfold on the other end of the court ... Buy Orlando Magic T-shirts, hats and more Topics Toronto Raptors Orlando Magic Injuries and Wounds See more topics » X ....(size: 3.1Kb)

Magic Recap: Savage's Six Sideline Statements Magic vs. Raptors (Orlando Magic)

noodls

30 Dec 2012

Orlando Magic) December 29, 2012. There's no doubt that Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan has a long-term vision to rebuild this franchise and bring Orlando back to championship contention ... Talk to nearly any former member of the Magic and chances are they'll praise the city, staff and organization as a whole ... The Magic recently hosted two key former members of their franchise, New Orleans' Ryan Anderson and Toronto's Mickael Pietrus....(size: 3.3Kb)

Jessica Simpson Magic Sweater Worn During Oahu Beach Vacation

The Inquisitr

30 Dec 2012

Oahu, HI – Jessica Simpson was spotted wearing her “magic sweater” during a recent Christmas vacation in Hawaii ... Jessica Simpson has been spotted in public many times wearing that magic sweater ... The presence of Jessica Simpson’s magic sweater was thought to cover the presence of her baby bump since temperatures on the island beach reached a high of 82 degrees....(size: 7.2Kb)

Jessica Simpson Magical Sweater Worn During Oahu Beach Vacation

The Inquisitr

30 Dec 2012

Oahu, HI – Jessica Simpson was spotted wearing her “magical sweater” during a recent Christmas vacation in Hawaii ... Jessica Simpson has been spotted in public many times wearing that magical sweater ... The presence of Jessica Simpson’s magical sweater was thought to cover the presence of her baby bump since temperatures on the island beach reached a high of 82 degrees....(size: 7.7Kb)

DeRozan leads Raptors to win over Magic

The News & Observer

30 Dec 2012

-- DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and Jose Calderon added 15 points and 10 assists, helping the Toronto Raptors to an easy 123-88 victory over the injury-depleted Orlando Magic on Saturday night ... Orlando cut the deficit to 76-65 after two free throws by Nicholson with 5.16 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Magic would get the rest of the game ... Orlando Magic guard J.J....(size: 12.4Kb)

timeline:
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001

For related ideas, see Magic (disambiguation).

"Magia" redirects here. For other uses, see Magia (disambiguation).

"Magical" redirects here. For the song, see Magical (song).

It has been suggested that Magician (paranormal) be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2011.

"Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses" by John William Waterhouse

Magic is the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.^[1] Magic has been practiced in many cultures, and utilizes ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world somewhat akin to those offered by religion, though it is sometimes regarded as more focused on achieving results than religious worship.^[2] Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is commonly practiced in isolation and secrecy.^[3]

Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth.^[4] Modern perspectives on the theory of magic broadly follow two views, which also correspond closely to ancient views.^{[citation needed]} The first sees magic as a result of a universal sympathy within the universe, where if something is done here a result happens somewhere else. The other view sees magic as a collaboration with spirits who cause the effect.^[5]

1 Etymology
2 Common features of magical practice
3 Theories of magic
- 3.1 Anthropological and psychological origins
- 3.2 Theories on the relationship of magic to religion
4 History
5 Magic in various cultural contexts
6 Varieties of magical practice
- 6.1 Magical traditions
7 See also
8 Notes
9 Bibliography
10 External links

Etymology [link]

Through late 14th century Old French magique, the word "magic" derives via Latin magicus from the Greek adjective magikos (μαγικός) used in reference to the "magical" arts of the Magicians (Greek: magoi, singular mágos, μάγος); the Zoroastrian astrologer priests. Greek mágos is first attested in Heraclitus (6th century BC, apud. Clement Protrepticus 12) who curses the Magians and others for their "impious rites".

Likewise, sorcery was taken in ca. 1300 from Old French sorcerie, which is from Vulgar Latin *sortiarius, from sors "fate", apparently meaning "one who influences fate".

Common features of magical practice [link]

Rituals [link]

Magical rituals are the precisely defined actions (including speech) used to work magic. Bronisław Malinowski describes ritual language as possessing a high "coefficient of weirdness", by which he means that the language used in ritual is archaic and out of the ordinary, which helps foster the proper mindset to believe in the ritual.^[6] S. J. Tambiah notes, however, that even if the power of the ritual is said to reside in the words, "the words only become effective if uttered in a very special context of other action."^[7] These other actions typically consist of gestures, possibly performed with special objects at a particular place or time. Object, location, and performer may require purification beforehand. This caveat draws a parallel to the felicity conditions J. L. Austin requires of performative utterances.^[8] By "performativity" Austin means that the ritual act itself achieves the stated goal. For example, a wedding ceremony can be understood as a ritual, and only by properly performing the ritual does the marriage occur. Émile Durkheim stresses the importance of rituals as a tool to achieve "collective effervescence", which serves to help unify society. Psychologists, on the other hand, describe rituals in comparison to obsessive-compulsive rituals, noting that attentional focus falls on the lower level representation of simple gestures.^[9] This results in goal demotion, as the ritual places more emphasis on performing the ritual just right than on the connection between the ritual and the goal. However, the purpose of ritual is to act as a focus and the effect will vary depending on the individual.

Magical symbols [link]

Helm of Awe (ægishjálmr) - magical symbol worn by Vikings for invincibility. Modern day use by Ásatrú followers for protection.

Magic often utilizes symbols that are thought to be intrinsically efficacious. Anthropologists, such as Sir James Frazer (1854–1938), have characterized the implementation of symbols into two primary categories: the "principle of similarity", and the "principle of contagion." Frazer further categorized these principles as falling under "sympathetic magic", and "contagious magic." Frazer asserted that these concepts were "general or generic laws of thought, which were misapplied in magic."^[10]

Principle of similarity [link]

The principle of similarity, also known as the "association of ideas", which falls under the category of sympathetic magic, is the thought that if a certain result follows a certain action, then that action must be responsible for the result. Therefore, if one is to perform this action again, the same result can again be expected. One classic example of this mode of thought is that of the rooster and the sunrise. When a rooster crows, it is a response to the rising of the sun. Based on sympathetic magic, one might interpret these series of events differently. The law of similarity would suggest that since the sunrise follows the crowing of the rooster, the rooster must have caused the sun to rise.^[11] Causality is inferred where it might not otherwise have been. Therefore, a practitioner might believe that if he is able to cause the rooster to crow, he will be able to control the timing of the sunrise. Another use of the principle of similarity is the construction and manipulation of representations of some target to be affected (e.g. voodoo dolls), believed to bring about a corresponding effect on the target (e.g. breaking a limb of a doll will bring about an injury in the corresponding limb of someone depicted by the doll).

Principle of contagion [link]

Another primary type of magical thinking includes the principle of contagion. This principle suggests that once two objects come into contact with each other, they will continue to affect each other even after the contact between them has been broken. One example that Tambiah gives is related to adoption. Among some American Indians, for example, when a child is adopted his or her adoptive mother will pull the child through some of her clothes, symbolically representing the birth process and thereby associating the child with herself.^[12] Therefore, the child emotionally becomes hers even though their relationship is not biological. As Claude Lévi-Strauss would put it: the birth "would consist, therefore, in making explicit a situation originally existing on the emotional level and in rendering acceptable to the mind pains which the body refuses to tolerate…the woman believes in the myth and belongs to a society which believes in it."^[13]

Symbols, for many cultures that use magic, are seen as a type of technology. Natives might use symbols and symbolic actions to bring about change and improvements, much like Western cultures might use advanced irrigation techniques to promote soil fertility and crop growth. Michael Brown discusses the use of nantag stones among the Aguaruna as being similar to this type of "technology."^[14] These stones are brought into contact with stem cuttings of plants like manioc before they are planted in an effort to promote growth. Nantag are powerful tangible symbols of fertility, so they are brought into contact with crops to transmit their fertility to the plants.

Others argue that ritualistic actions are merely therapeutic. Tambiah cites the example of a native hitting the ground with a stick. While some may interpret this action as symbolic (i.e. the man is trying to make the ground yield crops through force), others would simply see a man unleashing his frustration at poor crop returns. Ultimately, whether or not an action is symbolic depends upon the context of the situation as well as the ontology of the culture. Many symbolic actions are derived from mythology and unique associations, whereas other ritualistic actions are just simple expressions of emotion and are not intended to enact any type of change.

Magical language [link]

The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Whether spoken out loud or unspoken, words are frequently used to access or guide magical power. In "The Magical Power of Words" (1968) S. J. Tambiah argues that the connection between language and magic is due to a belief in the inherent ability of words to influence the universe. Bronisław Malinowski, in Coral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man's basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."^[15] Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts.^[16]

Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.^[17] Magical language, according to C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards's (1923) categories of speech, is distinct from scientific language because it is emotive and it converts words into symbols for emotions; whereas in scientific language words are tied to specific meanings and refer to an objective external reality.^[18] Magical language is therefore particularly adept at constructing metaphors that establish symbols and link magical rituals to the world.^[19]

Malinowski argues that "the language of magic is sacred, set and used for an entirely different purpose to that of ordinary life."^[20] The two forms of language are differentiated through word choice, grammar, style, or by the use of specific phrases or forms: prayers, spells, songs, blessings, or chants, for example. Sacred modes of language often employ archaic words and forms in an attempt to invoke the purity or "truth" of a religious or a cultural "golden age". The use of Hebrew in Judaism is an example.^[21]

Another potential source of the power of words is their secrecy and exclusivity. Much sacred language is differentiated enough from common language that it is incomprehensible to the majority of the population and it can only be used and interpreted by specialized practitioners (magicians, priests, shamans, even mullahs).^[22]^[23] In this respect, Tambiah argues that magical languages violate the primary function of language: communication.^[24] Yet adherents of magic are still able to use and to value the magical function of words by believing in the inherent power of the words themselves and in the meaning that they must provide for those who do understand them. This leads Tambiah to conclude that "the remarkable disjunction between sacred and profane language which exists as a general fact is not necessarily linked to the need to embody sacred words in an exclusive language."^[21]

Magicians [link]

Main article: Magician (paranormal)

Magician. Pierpont Morgan, Visconti Sforza

A magician is any practitioner of magic; therefore a magician may be a specialist or a common practitioner, even if he or she does not consider himself a magician.^[25] All that is required is the possession of esoteric knowledge, traits, or expertise that are culturally acknowledged to harbor magical powers.

Magical knowledge is usually passed down from one magician to another through family or apprenticeships, though in some cultures it may also be purchased.^[26] The information transferred usually consists of instructions on how to perform a variety of rituals, manipulate magical objects, or how to appeal to gods or to other supernatural forces. Magical knowledge is often well guarded, as it is a valuable commodity to which each magician believes that he has a proprietary right.^[27]

Yet the possession of magical knowledge alone may be insufficient to grant magical power; often a person must also possess certain magical objects, traits or life experiences in order to be a magician. Among the Azande, for example, in order to question an oracle a man must have both the physical oracle (poison, or a washboard, for example) and knowledge of the words and the rites needed to make the object function.^[26]

A variety of personal traits may be credited to magical power, though frequently they are associated with an unusual birth into the world.^[28] For example, in 16th century Friuli, babies born with the caul were believed to be good witches, benandanti, who would engage evil witches in nighttime battles over the bounty of the next year's crops.^[29]

Certain post-birth experiences may also be believed to convey magical power. For example a person's survival of a near-death illness may be taken as evidence of their power as a healer: in Bali a medium's survival is proof of her association with a patron deity and therefore her ability to communicate with other gods and spirits.^[30] Initiations are perhaps the most commonly used ceremonies to establish and to differentiate magicians from common people. In these rites the magician's relationship to the supernatural and his entry into a closed professional class is established, often through rituals that simulate death and rebirth into a new life.^[31]

Given the exclusivity of the criteria needed to become a magician, much magic is performed by specialists.^[32] Laypeople will likely have some simple magical rituals for everyday living, but in situations of particular importance, especially when health or major life events are concerned, a specialist magician will often be consulted.^[33] The powers of both specialist and common magicians are determined by culturally accepted standards of the sources and the breadth of magic. A magician may not simply invent or claim new magic; the magician is only as powerful as his peers believe him to be.^[34]

In different cultures, various types of magicians may be differentiated based on their abilities, their sources of power, and on moral considerations, including divisions into different categories like sorcerer, witch, healer and others.

Witchcraft [link]

Main article: Witchcraft

In non-scientific societies, perceived magical attack is an idea sometimes employed to explain personal or societal misfortune.^[35] In anthropological and historical contexts this is often termed witchcraft or sorcery, and the perceived attackers 'witches' or 'sorcerers'. Their maleficium is often seen as a biological trait or an acquired skill.^[36] Known members of the community may be accused as witches, or the witches may be perceived as supernatural, non-human entities.^[37] In early modern Europe and Britain such accusations led to the executions of tens of thousands of people, who were seen to be in league with Satan. Those accused of being satanic 'witches' were often practitioners of (usually benign) folk magic,^[38] and the English term 'witch' was also sometimes used without its pejorative sense to describe such practitioners.^[39]

Theories of magic [link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2006)

Anthropological and psychological origins [link]

Definitions of relevant terminology [link]

The foremost perspectives on magic in anthropology are functionalist, symbolist and intellectualist. These three perspectives are used to describe how magic works in a society. The functionalist perspective, usually associated with Bronisław Malinowski, maintains that all aspects of society are meaningful and interrelated.^[40] In the functionalist perspective, magic performs a latent function in the society. The symbolist perspective researches the subtle meaning in rituals and myths that define a society^[41] and deals with questions of theodicy -- why do bad things happen to good people. Finally the intellectualist perspective, associated with Edward Burnett Tylor and Sir James Frazer, regard magic as logical, but based on a flawed understanding of the world.

Magical thinking [link]

Main article: Magical thinking

The term 'magical thinking' in anthropology, psychology, and cognitive science refers to causal reasoning often involving associative thinking, such as the perceived ability of the mind to affect the physical world (see the philosophical problem of mental causation) or correlation mistaken for materialist causation. Perceived causal associations between actions or events may derive from symbolic associations such as metaphor, metonym, "As above, so below" from Hermeticism and apparent synchronicity (coincidental magic).

Psychological theories of magic [link]

Main article: Psychological theories of magic

Psychological theories treat magic as a personal phenomenon intended to meet individual needs, as opposed to a social phenomenon serving a collective purpose. The explanatory power of magic should not be underestimated, however. Both in the past and in the modern world magical belief systems can provide explanations for otherwise difficult or impossible to understand phenomena while providing a spiritual and metaphysical grounding for the individual. Furthermore, as both Brian Feltham and Scott E. Hendrix argue, magical beliefs need not represent a form of irrationality, nor should they be viewed as incompatible with modern views of the world.^[42]^[43]

Intellectualist perspectives [link]

Further information: Myth and ritual and Shamanism

The belief that one can influence supernatural powers, by prayer, sacrifice or invocation goes back to prehistoric religion and is present in early records such as the Egyptian pyramid texts and the Indian Vedas.^[44]

James George Frazer asserted that magical observations are the result of an internal dysfunction: "Men mistook the order of their ideas for the order of nature, and hence imagined that the control which they have, or seem to have, over their thoughts, permitted them to exercise a corresponding control over things."^[45]

Others, such as N. W. Thomas^[46] and Sigmund Freud have rejected this explanation. Freud explains that "the associated theory of magic merely explains the paths along which magic proceeds; it does not explain its true essence, namely the misunderstanding which leads it to replace the laws of nature by psychological ones".^[47] Freud emphasizes that what led primitive men to come up with magic is the power of wishes: "His wishes are accompanied by a motor impulse, the will, which is later destined to alter the whole face of the earth in order to satisfy his wishes. This motor impulse is at first employed to give a representation of the satisfying situation in such a way that it becomes possible to experience the satisfaction by means of what might be described as motor hallucinations. This kind of representation of a satisfied wish is quite comparable to children's play, which succeeds their earlier purely sensory technique of satisfaction. [...] As time goes on, the psychological accent shifts from the motives for the magical act on to the measures by which it is carried out—that is, on to the act itself. [...] It thus comes to appear as though it is the magical act itself which, owing to its similarity with the desired result, alone determines the occurrence of that result."^[48]

Theories on the relationship of magic to religion [link]

Main articles: Magic and religion and Myth and ritual

Magic and religion are categories of beliefs and systems of knowledge used within societies. While generally considered distinct categories in western cultures, the interactions, similarities, and differences have been central to the study of magic for many theorists in sociology and anthropology, including Frazer, Mauss, S. J. Tambiah, Malinowski and Isabelle Sarginson. From the intellectualist and functionalist perspectives, magic is often considered most analogous to science and technology.

Marcel Mauss [link]

In A General Theory of Magic,^[49] Marcel Mauss classifies magic as a social phenomenon, akin to religion and science, but yet a distinct category. In practice, magic bears a strong resemblance to religion. Both use similar types of rites, materials, social roles and relationships to accomplish aims and engender belief. They both operate on similar principles, in particular those of consecration and sanctity of objects and places, interaction with supernatural powers mediated by an expert, employment of symbolism, sacrifice, purification and representation in rites, and the importance of tradition and continuation of knowledge. Magic and religion also share a collective character and totality of belief. The rules and powers of each are determined by the community's ideals and beliefs and so may slowly evolve. Additionally neither supports partial belief. Belief in one aspect of the phenomena necessitates belief in the whole, and each incorporates structural loopholes to accommodate contradictions.

The distinction Mauss draws between religion and magic is both of sentiment and practice. He portrays magic as an element of pre-modern societies and in many respects an antithesis of religion. Magic is secretive and isolated, and rarely performed publicly in order to protect and to preserve occult knowledge. Religion is predictable and prescribed and is usually performed openly in order to impart knowledge to the community. While these two phenomena do share many ritual forms, Mauss concludes that "a magical rite is any rite that does not play a part in organized cults. It is private, secret, mysterious and approaches the limit of prohibited rite."^[3] In practice, magic differs from religion in desired outcome. Religion seeks to satisfy moral and metaphysical ends, while magic is a functional art which often seeks to accomplish tangible results. In this respect magic resembles technology and science. Belief in each is diffuse, universal, and removed from the origin of the practice. Yet, the similarity between these social phenomena is limited, as science is based in experimentation and development, while magic is an "a priori belief."^[50] Mauss concludes that though magical beliefs and rites are most analogous to religion, magic remains a social phenomenon distinct from religion and science with its own characteristic rules, acts and aims.

Tambiah [link]

According to Tambiah, magic, science, and religion all have their own "quality of rationality", and have been influenced by politics and ideology.^[51] Tambiah also believes that the perceptions of these three ideas have evolved over time as a result of Western thought. The lines of demarcation between these ideas depend upon the perspective of a variety of anthropologists, but Tambiah has his own opinions regarding magic, science, and religion.

According to Tambiah, religion is based on an organized community, and it is supposed to encompass all aspects of life. In religion, man is obligated to an outside power and he is supposed to feel piety towards that power. Religion is effective and attractive because it is generally exclusive and strongly personal. Also, because religion affects all aspects of life, it is convenient in the sense that morality and notions of acceptable behavior are imposed by God and the supernatural. Science, on the other hand, suggests a clear divide between nature and the supernatural, making its role far less all-encompassing than that of religion.

As opposed to religion, Tambiah suggests that mankind has a much more personal control over events. Science, according to Tambiah, is "a system of behavior by which man acquires mastery of the environment."^[52] Whereas in religion nature and the supernatural are connected and essentially interchangeable, in science, nature and the supernatural are clearly separate spheres. Also, science is a developed discipline; a logical argument is created and can be challenged. The base of scientific knowledge can be extended, while religion is more concrete and absolute. Magic, the less accepted of the three disciplines in Western society, is an altogether unique idea.

Tambiah states that magic is a strictly ritualistic action that implements forces and objects outside the realm of the gods and the supernatural. These objects and events are said to be intrinsically efficacious, so that the supernatural is unnecessary. To some, including the Greeks, magic was considered a "proto-science." Magic has other historical importance as well.

Much of the debate between religion and magic originated during the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic Church was attacked for its doctrine of transubstantiation because it was considered a type of sacramental magic. Furthermore, the possibility of anything happening outside of God's purpose was denied. Spells^[53] were viewed as ineffective and blasphemous, because religion required belief in "a conscious agent who could be deflected from this purpose by prayer and supplication."^[54] Prayer was the only way to effectively enact positive change. The Protestant Reformation was a significant moment in the history of magical thought because Protestantism provided the impetus for a systematic understanding of the world. In this systematic framework, there was no room for magic and its practices. Besides the Reformation, the Renaissance was an influential epoch in the history of thought concerning magic and science.

During the Renaissance, magic was less stigmatized even though it was done in secret and therefore considered "occult". Renaissance magic was based on cosmology, and its powers were said to be derived from the stars and the alignment of the planets. Newton himself began his work in mathematics because he wanted to see "whether judicial astrology had any claim to validity."^[55]

The lines of demarcation between science, magic, and religion all have origins dating to times when established thought processes were challenged. The rise of Western thought essentially initiated the differentiation between the three disciplines. Whereas science could be revised and developed through rational thought, magic was seen as less scientific and systematic than science and religion, making it the least respected of the three.

Bronisław Malinowski [link]

Main article: Bronisław Malinowski

In his essay "Magic, Science and Religion", Bronisław Malinowski contends that every person, no matter how primitive, uses both magic and science. To make this distinction he breaks up this category into the "sacred" and the "profane"^[56] or "magic/religion" and science. He theorizes that feelings of reverence and awe rely on observation of nature and a dependence on its regularity. This observation and reasoning about nature is a type of science. Magic and science both have definite aims to help "human instincts, needs and pursuits."^[57] Both magic and science develop procedures that must be followed to accomplish specific goals. Magic and science are both based on knowledge; magic is knowledge of the self and of emotion, while science is knowledge of nature.

According to Malinowski, magic and religion are also similar in that they often serve the same function in a society. The difference is that magic is more about the personal power of the individual and religion is about faith in the power of God. Magic is also something that is passed down over generations to a specific group while religion is more broadly available to the community.

To end his essay, Malinowski poses the question, "why magic?" He writes, "Magic supplies primitive man with a number of ready-made rituals, acts and beliefs, with a definite mental and practical technique which serves to bridge over the dangerous gaps in every important pursuit or critical situation."^[58]

Robin Horton [link]

In "African Traditional Thought and Western Science,"^[59] Robin Horton compares the magical and religious thinking of non-modernized cultures with western scientific thought. He argues that both traditional beliefs and western science are applications of "theoretical thinking." The common form, function, and purpose of these theoretical idioms are therefore structured and explained by eight main characteristics of this type of thought:

In all cultures the majority of human experience can be explained by common sense. The purpose then of theory is to explain forces that operate behind and within the commonsense world. Theory should impose order and reason on everyday life by attributing cause to a few select forces.^[60]
Theories also help place events in a causal context that is greater than common sense alone can provide, because commonsense causation is inherently limited by what we see and experience. Theoretical formulations are therefore used as intermediaries to link natural effects to natural causes.^[61]
"Common sense and theory have complementary roles in everyday life."^[62] Common sense is more handy and useful for a wide range of everyday circumstances, but occasionally there are circumstances that can only be explained using a wider causal vision, so a jump to theory is made.
"Levels of theory vary with context."^[63] There are widely and narrowly encompassing theories, and the individual can usually chose which to use in order to understand and explain a situation as is deemed appropriate.
All theory breaks up aspects of commonsense events, abstracts them and then reintegrates them into the common usage and understanding.^[64]
Theory is usually created by analogy between unexplained and familiar phenomena.^[65]
When theory is based on analogy between explained and unexplained observations, "generally only a limited aspect of the familiar phenomena is incorporated into (the) explanatory model".^[66] It is this process of abstraction that contributes to the ability of theories to transcend commonsense explanation. For example, gods have the quality of spirituality by omission of many common aspects of human life.
Once a theoretical model has been established, it is often modified to explain contradictory data so that it may no longer represent the analogy on which is was based.^[67]

While both traditional beliefs and western science are based on theoretical thought, Horton argues that the differences between these knowledge systems in practice and form are due to their states in open and closed cultures.^[68] He classifies scientifically oriented cultures as ‘open’ because they are aware of other modes of thought, while traditional cultures are ‘closed’ because they are unaware of alternatives to the established theories. The varying sources of information in these systems results in differences in form which, Horton asserts, often blinds observers from seeing the similarities between the systems as two applications of theoretical thought.

History [link]

Further information: History of astrology and History of religions

Ancient Egypt [link]

Egyptians believed that with Heka, the activation of the Ka, an aspect of the soul of both gods and humans, (and divine personification of magic), they could influence the gods and gain protection, healing and transformation. Health and wholeness of being were sacred to Heka. There is no word for religion in the ancient Egyptian language as mundane and religious world views were not distinct; thus, Heka was not a secular practice but rather a religious observance. Every aspect of life, every word, plant, animal and ritual was connected to the power and authority of the gods.^[69]

In ancient Egypt, magic consisted of four components; the primeval potency that empowered the creator-god was identified with Heka, who was accompanied by magical rituals known as Seshaw held within sacred texts called Rw. In addition Pekhret, medicinal prescriptions, were given to patients to bring relief. This magic was used in temple rituals as well as informal situations by priests. These rituals, along with medical practices, formed an integrated therapy for both physical and spiritual health. Magic was also used for protection against the angry deities, jealous ghosts, foreign demons and sorcerers who were thought to cause illness, accidents, poverty and infertility.^[70] Temple priests used wands during magical rituals.^{[citation needed]}

Mesopotamia [link]

This section requires expansion.

In parts of Mesopotamian religion, magic was believed in and actively practiced. At the city of Uruk, archaeologists have excavated houses dating from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE in which cuneiform clay tablets have been unearthed containing magical incantations.^[71]

Classical antiquity [link]

Main article: Magic in the Greco-Roman world

Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of magic.

In ancient Greece magic was involved in practice of religion, medicine, and divination. ^[72]^{[not in citation given]}

The Greek mystery religions had strongly magical components,^{[citation needed]} and in Egypt, a large number of magical papyri, in Greek, Coptic, and Demotic, have been recovered.^{[citation needed]} They contain early instances of:

the use of "magic words" said to have the power to command spirits;^{[citation needed]}
the use of wands and other ritual tools;^{[citation needed]}
the use of a magic circle to defend the magician against the spirits that he is invoking or evoking;^{[citation needed]} and
the use of mysterious symbols or sigils which are thought to be useful when invoking or evoking spirits.^[73]

The practice of magic was banned in the Roman world, and the Codex Theodosianus states:^[74]

If any wizard therefore or person imbued with magical contamination who is called by custom of the people a magician...should be apprehended in my retinue, or in that of the Caesar, he shall not escape punishment and torture by the protection of his rank.

Middle Ages [link]

Several medieval scholars were considered to be magicians in popular legend, notably Gerbert d'Aurillac and Albertus Magnus: both men were active in the scientific research of their day as well as in ecclesiastical matters, which was enough to attach to them a nimbus of the occult.

Magical practice was actively discouraged by the church, but it remained widespread in folk religion throughout the medieval period. The demonology and angelology contained in the earliest grimoires assume a life surrounded by Christian implements and sacred rituals. The underlying theology in these works of Christian demonology encourages the magician to fortify himself with fasting, prayers, and sacraments, so that by using the holy names of God in the sacred languages, he could use divine powers to coerce demons into appearing and serving his usually lustful or avaricious magical goals.^[75]

13th century astrologers include Johannes de Sacrobosco and Guido Bonatti.

Renaissance [link]

Further information: Renaissance magic

Renaissance humanism saw resurgence in hermeticism and Neo-Platonic varieties of ceremonial magic. The Renaissance, on the other hand, saw the rise of science, in such forms as the dethronement of the Ptolemaic theory of the universe, the distinction of astronomy from astrology, and of chemistry from alchemy.^[76]

The seven artes magicae or artes prohibitae or arts prohibited by canon law by Johannes Hartlieb in 1456 were: nigromancy (which included "black magic" and "demonology"), geomancy, hydromancy, aeromancy, pyromancy, chiromancy, and scapulimancy and their sevenfold partition emulated the artes liberales and artes mechanicae. Both bourgeoisie and nobility in the 15th and 16th century showed great fascination with these arts, which exerted an exotic charm by their ascription to Arabic, Jewish, Gypsy and Egyptian sources. There was great uncertainty in distinguishing practices of superstition, occultism, and perfectly sound scholarly knowledge or pious ritual. The intellectual and spiritual tensions erupted in the Early Modern witch craze, further reinforced by the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation, especially in Germany, England, and Scotland.^[76]

Baroque [link]

Further information: 17th-century philosophy and natural magic

A talisman from the Black Pullet, a late grimoire containing instructions on how a magician might cast rings and craft amulets for various magical applications, culminating in the Hen that Lays Golden Eggs.

Study of the occult arts remained intellectually respectable well into the 17th century, and only gradually divided into the modern categories of natural science, occultism, and superstition. The 17th century saw the gradual rise of the "age of reason", while belief in witchcraft and sorcery, and consequently the irrational surge of Early Modern witch trials, receded, a process only completed at the end of the Baroque period circa 1730. Christian Thomasius still met opposition as he argued in his 1701 Dissertatio de crimine magiae that it was meaningless to make dealing with the devil a criminal offence, since it was impossible to really commit the crime in the first place. In Britain, the Witchcraft Act of 1735 established that people could not be punished for consorting with spirits, while would-be magicians pretending to be able to invoke spirits could still be fined as con artists.

[The] wonderful power of sympathy, which exists throughout the whole system of nature, where everything is excited to beget or love its like, and is drawn after it, as the loadstone draws iron… There is … such natural accord and discord, that some will prosper more luxuriantly in another's company; while some, again, will droop and die away, being planted near each other. The lily and the rose rejoice by each other's side; whilst … fruits will neither ripen nor grow in aspects that are inimical to them. In stones likewise, in minerals, … the same sympathies and antipathies are preserved. Animated nature, in every clime, in every corner of the globe, is also pregnant with similar qualities… Thus we find that one particular bone … in a hare's foot instantly mitigates the most excruciating tortures of the cramp; yet no other bone nor part of that animal can do the like… From what has been premised, we may readily conclude that there are two distinct species of magic; one whereof, being inherent in the occult properties of nature, is called natural magic; and the other, being obnoxious and contrary to nature, is termed infernal magic, because it is accomplished by infernal agency or compact with the devil…^[77]

Under the veil of natural magic, it hath pleased the Almighty to conceal many valuable and excellent gifts, which common people either think miraculous, or next to impossible. And yet in truth, natural magic is nothing more than the workmanship of nature, made manifest by art; for, in tillage, as nature produceth corn and herbs, so art, being nature's handmaid, prepareth and helpeth it forward… And, though these things, while they lie hid in nature, do many of them seem impossible and miraculous, yet, when they are known, and the simplicity revealed, our difficulty of apprehension ceases, and the wonder is at an end; for that only is wonderful to the beholder whereof he can conceive no cause nor reason… Many philosophers of the first eminence, as Plato, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, &c. travelled through every region of the known world for the accomplishment of this kind of knowledge; and, at their return, they publicly preached and taught it. But above all, we learn from sacred and profane history, that Solomon was the greatest proficient in this art of any either before or since his time; as he himself hath declared in Ecclesiastes and the Book of Wisdom, where he saith,

"God hath given me the true science of things, so as to know how the world was made, and the power of the elements, the beginning, and the end, and the midst of times, the change of seasons, the courses of the year, and the situation of the stars, the nature of human beings, and the quality of beasts, the power of winds, and the imaginations of the mind; the diversities of plants, the virtues of roots, and all things whatsoever, whether secret or known, manifest or invisible."^[78]

And hence it was that the magi, or followers of natural magic, were accounted wise, and the study honourable; because it consists in nothing more than the most profound and perfect part of natural philosophy, which defines the nature, causes, and effects, of things.^[78]

How far such inventions as are called charms, amulets, periapts, and the like, have any foundation in natural magic, may be worth our enquiry; because, if cures are to be effected through their medium, and that without any thing derogatory to the attributes of the Deity, or the principles of religion, I see no reason why they should be rejected with that inexorable contempt which levels the works of God with the folly and weakness of men. Not that I would encourage superstition, or become an advocate for a ferrago of absurdities; but, when the simplicity of natural things, and their effects, are rejected merely to encourage professional artifice and emolument, it is prudent for us to distinguish between the extremes of bigoted superstition and total unbelief.^[79]

It was the opinion of many eminent physicians, of the first ability and learning, that such kind of charms or periapts as consisted of certain odoriferous herbs, balsamic roots, mineral concretions, and metallic substances, might have, and most probably possessed, by means of their strong medicinal properties, the virtue of curing… though without the least surprise or admiration; because the one appears in a great measure to be the consequence of manual operation, which is perceptible and visible to the senses, whilst the other acts by an innate or occult power, which the eye cannot see, nor the mind so readily comprehend; yet, in both cases, perhaps, the effect is produced by a similar cause; and consequently all such remedies… are worthy of our regard, and ought to excite in us not only a veneration for the simple practice of the ancients in their medical experiments, but a due sense of gratitude to the wise Author of our being, who enables us, by such easy means, to remove the infirmities incident to mankind. Many reputable authors … contend that not only such physical alligations, appensions, periapts, amulets, charms, &c. which, from their materials appear to imbibe and to diffuse the medical properties above described, ought in certain obstinate and equivocal disorders to be applied, but those likewise which from their external form and composition have no such inherent virtues to recommend them; for harm they can do none, and good they might do, either by accident or through the force of imagination. And it is asserted, with very great truth, that through the medium of hope and fear, sufficiently impressed upon the mind or imagination… Of the truth of this we have the strongest and most infallible evidence in the hiccough, which is instantaneously cured by any sudden effect of fear or surprise; … Seeing, therefore, that such virtues lie hid in the occult properties of nature, united with the sense or imagination of man… without any compact with spirits, or dealings with the devil; we surely ought to receive them into our practice, and to adopt them as often as occasion seriously requires, although professional emolument and pecuniary advantage might in some instances be narrowed by it.^[80]^[81]

— Ebenezer Sibly (1751–1800), An Illustration of the Celestial Science of Astrology, Part the Fourth.
Containing the Distinction between Astrology and the Wicked Practice of Exorcism.
with a General Display of Witchcraft, Magic, and Divination,
founded upon the Existence of Spirits Good and Bad and their Affinity with the Affairs of this World.

Further information: Isaac Newton's occult studies

"Newton was not the first of the age of reason, he was the last of the magicians." — John Maynard Keynes

Romanticism [link]

From 1776 to 1781 AD, Jacob Philadelphia performed feats of magic, sometimes under the guise of scientific exhibitions, throughout Europe and Russia. Baron Carl Reichenbach's experiments with his Odic force appeared to be an attempt to bridge the gap between magic and science. More recent periods of renewed interest in magic occurred around the end of the 19th century, where Symbolism and other offshoots of Romanticism cultivated a renewed interest in exotic spiritualities. European colonialism put Westerners in contact with India and Egypt and re-introduced exotic beliefs. Hindu and Egyptian mythology frequently feature in 19th century magical texts.^[82] The late 19th century spawned a large number of magical organizations, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, and specifically magical variants on Freemasonry. The Golden Dawn represented perhaps the peak of this wave of magic, attracting cultural celebrities like William Butler Yeats, Algernon Blackwood, and Arthur Machen.^[83]

Magic in various cultural contexts [link]

Animism and folk religion [link]

An 1873 Victorian illustration of a "Ju-ju house" on the Gold Coast showing fetishised skulls and bones.

File:Juju charm protecting dugout canoe on riverbank, 1954.jpg

Juju charm protecting dugout canoe on riverbank, in Suriname.1954.

Appearing in various tribal peoples from Aboriginal Australia and Māori New Zealand to the Amazon, African savannah, and pagan Europe, some form of shamanic contact with the spirit world seems to be nearly universal in the early development of human communities. Much of the Babylonian and Egyptian pictorial writing characters appear derived from the same sources.

Although indigenous magical traditions persist to this day, very early on some communities transitioned from nomadic to agricultural civilizations, and with this shift, the development of spiritual life mirrored that of civic life. Just as tribal elders were consolidated and transformed into kings and bureaucrats, so too were shamans and adepts changed into priests and a priestly caste.

This shift is by no means in nomenclature alone. While the shaman's task was to negotiate between the tribe and the spirit world, on behalf of the tribe, as directed by the collective will of the tribe, the priest's role was to transfer instructions from the deities to the city-state, on behalf of the deities, as directed by the will of those deities. This shift represents the first major usurpation of power by distancing magic from those participating in that magic. It is at this stage of development that highly codified and elaborate rituals, setting the stage for formal religions, began to emerge, such as the funeral rites of the Egyptians and the sacrifice rituals of the Babylonians, Persians, Aztecs and Mayans.

In 2003, Sinafasi Makelo, a representative of Mbuti pygmies, told the UN's Indigenous People's Forum that during the Congo Civil War, his people were hunted down and eaten as though they were game animals. Both sides of the war regarded them as "subhuman" and some say their flesh can confer magical powers.^[84]^[85]

On April, 2008, Kinshasa, the police arrested 14 suspected victims (of penis snatching) and sorcerers accused of using black magic or witchcraft to steal (make disappear) or shrink men's penises to extort cash for cure, amid a wave of panic.^[86] Arrests were made in an effort to avoid bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 alleged penis snatchers were beaten to death by mobs.^[87]

Native American medicine [link]

Main article: Shamanism#Americas

The Shamanism practiced by the indigenous peoples of the Americas was called "medicine" and was practiced by medicine men. In addition to healing, medicine served many other purposes, for example among the Cheyenne, one of Plains Indians that lived in the Great Plains of North America, medicine such as war paint, war shields, war shirts, and war bonnets, such as the famous war bonnet of Roman Nose, served to protect a warrior from wounding during battle.^[88]^[89]

Magic in Hinduism [link]

Traditional welcome performance, Mitral, Kheda district, Gujarat

The Atharva Veda is a veda that deals with mantras that can be used for both good and bad. The word mantrik in India literally means "magician" since the mantrik usually knows mantras, spells, and curses which can be used for or against forms of magic. Tantra is likewise employed for ritual magic by the tantrik. Many ascetics after long periods of penance and meditation are alleged to attain a state where they may utilize supernatural powers. However, many say that they choose not to use them and instead focus on transcending beyond physical power into the realm of spirituality. Many siddhars are said to have performed miracles that would ordinarily be impossible to perform. The Aghoris consume human flesh in pursuit of immortality and the supernatural. They distinguish themselves from other Hindu sects and priests by their alcoholic and cannibalistic rituals.^[90]

Western magic [link]

Further information: Western esotericism

In general, the 20th century has seen a sharp rise in public interest in various forms of magical practice, and the foundation of a number of traditions and organisations, ranging from the distinctly religious to the philosophical.

In England, a further revival of interest in magic was heralded by the repeal of the last Witchcraft Act in 1951. In 1954 Gerald Gardner published a book, Witchcraft Today, in which he claimed to reveal the existence of a witch-cult that dated back to pre-Christian Europe. Although many of Gardner's claims have since come under intensive criticism from sources both within and without the Neopagan community, his works remain the most important founding stone of Wicca.

Gardner's newly created religion, and many others, took off in the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s, when the counterculture of the hippies also spawned another period of renewed interest in magic, divination, and other occult practices.^[91] The various branches of Neopaganism and other Earth religions that have emerged since Gardner's publication tend to follow a pattern in combining the practice of magic and religion, although this combination is not exclusive to them. Following the trend of magic associated with counterculture, some feminists launched an independent revival of goddess worship. This brought them into contact with the Gardnerian tradition of magical religion (or religious magic), and deeply influenced that tradition in return.^[83]

The pentagram, an ancient geometrical symbol known from many cultures, is often associated with magic. In Europe, the Pythagoreans first used the pentagram as a symbol of their movement.

Some people in the West believe in or practice various forms of magic. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley's Thelema and their subsequent offshoots, influenced by Eliphas Levi, are most commonly associated with the resurgence of magical tradition in the English speaking world of the 20th century. Other, similar resurgences took place at roughly the same time, centered in France and Germany. The western traditions acknowledging the natural elements, the seasons, and the practitioner's relationship with the Earth, Gaia, or a primary Goddess have derived at least in part from these magical groups, and are mostly considered Neopagan. Long-standing indigenous traditions of magic are regarded as Pagan.

Allegedly for gematric reasons Aleister Crowley preferred the spelling magick, defining it as "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will." By this, he included "mundane" acts of change as well as ritual magic. In Magick in Theory and Practice, Chapter XIV, Crowley says:

What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass by Will. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. Let us take a very simple example of a Magical Act: that of a man blowing his nose.

Western magical traditions include hermetic magic and its many offshoots predominantly inspired by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as Wicca and some other Neopagan religions. Definitions, concepts and uses of magic tend to vary even within magical traditions and indeed often between individuals.

Wicca is one of the more publicly known traditions within Neopaganism, a magical religion inspired by medieval witchcraft, with influences including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Crowley. Ruickbie (2004:193-209) shows that Wiccans and witches define magic in many different ways and use it for a number of different purposes. Despite that diversity of opinion, he concludes that the result upon the practitioner is generally perceived as a positive one.

The belief in Magic is often considered superstitious, although it could be argued that some magical practices rely upon widely accepted psychological principles and are only intended to promote internal personal changes within the practitioner themselves.^{[citation needed]} Visualization techniques, for instance, widely used by magicians, are also used in somewhat different contexts in fields such as clinical psychology and sports training.^[92]

Theories of adherents [link]

Adherents to magic believe that it may work by one or more of the following basic principles:^{[citation needed]}

A mystical force or energy that is natural, but cannot be detected by science at present, and which may not be detectable at all. Common terms referring to such magical energy include mana, numen, chi or kundalini. These are sometimes regarded as fluctuations of an underlying primary substance (akasha, aether) that is present in all things and interconnects and binds all. Magical energy is thus also present in all things, though it can be especially concentrated in magical objects. Magical energies are typically seen as being especially responsive to the use of symbols, so that a person, event or object can be affected by manipulating an object that symbolically represents them or it (as in sigil magic, for instance). This corresponds to James Frazer's theory of sympathetic magic.

Intervention of spirits, similar to hypothetical natural forces, but with their own consciousness and intelligence. Believers in spirits will often describe a whole cosmos of beings of many different kinds, sometimes organized into a hierarchy.

Manipulation of the Elements, by using the will of the magician and symbols or objects which are representative of the element(s). Western practitioners typically use the Classical elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.

Concentration or meditation. A certain amount of focusing or restricting the mind to some imagined object (or will), according to Aleister Crowley, produces mystical attainment or "an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object" (Book Four, Part 1: Mysticism). Magic, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a god, one might memorize a system of correspondences (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees "correspond" to said god.

Aleister Crowley wrote that ". . . the exaltation of the mind by means of magickal practices leads (as one may say, in spite of itself) to the same results as occur in straightforward Yoga." Crowley's magick thus becomes a form of mental, mystical, or spiritual discipline, designed to train the mind to achieve greater concentration. Crowley also made claims for the paranormal effects of magick, suggesting a connection with the first principle in this list. However, he defined any attempt to use this power for a purpose other than aiding mental or mystical attainment as "black magick".

The magical power of the subconscious mind. To believers who think that they need to convince their subconscious mind to make the changes that they desire, all spirits and energies are projections and symbols that make sense to the subconscious. A variant of this belief is that the subconscious is capable of contacting spirits, who in turn can work magic.

The Oneness of All. Based on the fundamental concepts of monism and Non-duality, this philosophy holds that Magic is little more than the application of one's own inherent unity with the universe. Hinging upon the personal realization, or "illumination", that the self is limitless, one may live in unison with nature, seeking and preserving balance in all things.

Many more theories exist. Practitioners will often mix these concepts, and sometimes even invent some themselves. In the contemporary current of chaos magic in particular, it is not unusual to believe that any concept of magic works.

Key principles of utilizing Magic are often said to be Concentration and Visualization. Many of those who purportedly cast spells attain a mental state called the "Trance State" to enable the spell. The Trance State is often described as an emptying of the mind, akin to meditation.

Magic and monotheism [link]

Officially, Christianity and Islam characterize magic as forbidden witchcraft, and have often prosecuted alleged practitioners of it with varying degrees of severity. Other religions, such as Judaism and Zoroastrianism have rather more ambiguous positions towards it. Trends in monotheistic thought have dismissed all such manifestations as trickery and illusion, nothing more than dishonest gimmicks.

In Judaism [link]

Further information: Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah

In Judaism the Torah prohibits Jews from being superstitious or engaging in astrology (Lev. 19, 26); from muttering incantations (Deut. 18, 11); from consulting an ov (mediums), yidoni (seers), or attempting to contact the dead (Deut. 18, 11); from going into a trance to foresee events, and from performing acts of magic (Deut. 18, 10). See 613 Mitzvot. The general theme of these commandments is a prohibition to channel and utilise forces of impurity for personal gain. That is, a prohibition against practicing Black Magic.

A different type of magic can be achieved using knowledge of the kabbalah. Because the kabbalah provides knowledge of the spiritual and conceptual underpinnings of physical existence, one who possesses kabbalistic knowledge is able to produce physical effects by directly addressing the spiritual basis of the affected physical object. This is called 'practical kabbalah' and is a type of White Magic.

The practice of practical kabbalah was banned by the Vilna Gaon due to the decreasing spiritual sensitivity of later generations.

In Christianity [link]

Further information: Renaissance magic, Grimoire, Christian views on witchcraft, and Theurgy

Magia was viewed with suspicion by Christianity from the time of the Church fathers. It was, however, never completely settled whether there may be permissible practices, e.g. involving relics or holy water as opposed to "blasphemous" necromancy (nigromantia) involving the invocation of demons (goetia). The distinction became particularly pointed and controversial during the Early Modern witch-hunts, with some authors such as Johannes Hartlieb denouncing all magical practice as blasphemous, while others portrayed natural magic as not sinful.

The position taken by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, one of the foremost Renaissance magicians, is ambiguous. The character of Faustus, likely based on a historical 16th century magician or charlatan, became the prototypical popular tale of a learned magician who succumbs to a pact with the devil.

The current Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses divination and magic under the heading of the First Commandment.^[93]

It is careful to allow for the possibility of divinely inspired prophecy, but it rejects "all forms of divination":

(2116) All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

The section on "practices of magic or sorcery" is less absolute, specifying "attempts to tame occult powers" in order to "have supernatural power over others". Such are denounced as "gravely contrary to the virtue of religion", notably avoiding a statement on whether such attempts can have any actual effect^{[citation needed]} (that is, attempts to employ occult practices are identified as violating the First Commandment because they in themselves betray a lack of faith, and not because they may or may not result in the desired effect).

The Catechism expresses skepticism towards widespread practices of folk Catholicism without outlawing them explicitly:

(2117) [...] Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

Some argue that the recent popularity of the prosperity gospel constitutes a return to magical thinking within Christianity. Note also that Gnostic Christianity has a strong mystical current, but shies away from practical magic and focuses more on theurgy.

In Islam [link]

Any discussion of Muslim magic poses a double set of problems. On the one hand, like its counterpart in predominantly Christian cultures, magic is forbidden by orthodox leaders and legal opinions. On the other hand, translating various Arabic terms as ‘magic’ causes another set of problems with no clear answers.

As with any question regarding the behavior of Muslims in relation to authorized practices, theological decisions begin by consulting the Qur’an. The second chapter introduces an explanation for the introduction of magic into the world:

They followed what the evil ones gave out (falsely) against the power of Solomon: the blasphemers were, not Solomon, but the evil ones, teaching men magic, and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Harut and Marut. But neither of these taught anyone (such things) without saying: "We are only for trial; so do not blaspheme." They learned from them the means to sow discord between man and wife. But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's permission. And they learned what harmed them, not what profited them. And they knew that the buyers of (magic) would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. And vile was the price for which they did sell their souls, if they but knew! (Q 2:102).

Though it presents a generally contemptuous attitude towards magic (Muhammad was accused by his detractors of being a magician),^[94] the Qur’an distinguishes between apparent magic (miracles sanctioned by Allah) and real magic. The first is that used by Solomon, who being a prophet of Allah, is assumed to have used miraculous powers with Allah's blessing.^[95] Muslims also believe that Allah made an army of Djinn obedient to him. The second form is the magic that was taught by the "evil ones", or al-shayatin. Al-shayatin has two meanings; the first is similar to the Christian Satan. The second meaning, which is the one used here, refers to a djinn of superior power.^[96] The al-shayatin taught knowledge of evil and "pretended to force the laws of nature and the will of Allah . . ."^[97] According to this belief, those who follow this path turn themselves from Allah and cannot reach heaven.

The Arabic word translated in this passage as "magic" is sihr. The etymological meaning of sihr suggests that "it is the turning . . . of a thing from its true nature . . . or form . . . to something else which is unreal or a mere appearance . . ."^[98]

By the first millennium CE, sihr became a fully developed system in Islamic society. Within this system, all magicians "assert[ed] that magic is worked by the obedience of spirits to the magician."^[99] The efficacy of this system comes from the belief that every Arabic letter, every word, verse, and chapter in the Qur’an, every month, day, time and name were created by Allah a priori, and that each has an angel and a djinn servant.^[100] It is through the knowledge of the names of these servants that an actor is able to control the angel and djinn for his or her purposes.^[101]

The Sunni and Shia sects of Islam typically forbid all use of magic. The Sufis within these two sects are much more ambiguous about its use as seen in the concept of "Barakah". If magic is understood in terms of Frazer's principle of contagion, then barakah is another term that can refer to magic. Barakah, variously defined as "blessing", or "divine power", is a quality one possesses rather than a category of activity. According to Muslim conception, the source of barakah is solely from Allah; it is Allah's direct blessing and intervention conferred upon special, pious Muslims.^[102] Barakah has a heavily contagious quality in that one can transfer it by either inheritance or contact. Of all the humans who have ever lived, it is said that the Prophet Muhammad possessed the greatest amount of barakah and that he passed this to his male heirs through his daughter Fatima.^[103] Barakah is not just limited to Muhammad's family line; any person who is considered holy may also possess it and transfer it to virtually anyone else. In Morocco, barakah transfer can be accomplished by sharing a piece of bread from which the possessor has eaten because saliva is the vessel of barakah in the human body.^[104] However, the transference of barakah may also occur against the will of its possessor through other forms of physical contact such as hand shaking and kissing.^[105] The contagious element of barakah is not limited to humans as it can be found in rocks, trees, water, and even in some animals, such as horses.^[106]

Just how the actor maintained obedience depended upon the benevolence or malevolence of his practice. Malevolent magicians operated by enslaving the spirits through offerings and deeds displeasing to Allah. Benevolent magicians, in contrast, obeyed and appeased Allah so that Allah exercised His will upon the spirits.^[107] Al-Buni provides the process by which this practice occurs:

First: the practitioner must be of utterly clean soul and garb. Second, when the proper angel is contacted, this angel will first get permission from God to go to the aid of the person who summoned him. Third: the practitioner "must not apply . . .[his power] except to that purpose [i.e. to achieve goals] which would please God."^[108]

However, not all Islamic groups accept this explanation of benevolent magic. The Salafis particularly view this as shirk, denying the unity of Allah. Consequently, the Salafis renounce appellations to intermediaries such as saints, angels, and djinn, and renounce magic, fortune-telling, and divination.^[109] This particular brand of magic has also been condemned as forbidden by a fatwa issued by Al-Azhar University.^[110] Further, Egyptian folklorist Hasan El-Shamy, warns that scholars have often been uncritical in their application of the term sihr to both malevolent and benevolent forms of magic. He argues that in Egypt, sihr only applies to sorcery. A person who practices benevolent magic "is not called saahir or sahhaar (sorcerer, witch), but is normally referred to as shaikh (or shaikha for a female), a title which is normally used to refer to a clergyman or a community notable or elder, and is equal to the English title: ‘Reverend.’"^[111]

Varieties of magical practice [link]

File:RWS Tarot 01 Magician.jpg

The Magician, a Tarot card

The best-known type of magical practice is the spell, a ritualistic formula intended to bring about a specific effect. Spells are often spoken or written or physically constructed using a particular set of ingredients. The failure of a spell to work may be attributed to many causes, such as a failure to follow the exact formula, to the general circumstances being unconducive, to a lack of magical ability, to a lack of willpower or to fraud.

Another well-known magical practice is divination, which seeks to reveal information about the past, present or future. Varieties of divination include: astrology, augury, cartomancy, chiromancy, dowsing, extispicy, fortune telling, geomancy, I Ching, omens, scrying, and tarot reading.

Necromancy is a practice which claims to involve the summoning of, and conversation with, spirits of the dead. This is sometimes done simply to commune with deceased loved ones; it can also be done to gain information from the spirits, as a type of divination; or to command the aid of those spirits in accomplishing some goal, as part of casting a spell.

Varieties of magic can also be categorized by the techniques involved in their operation. One common means of categorization distinguishes between contagious magic and sympathetic magic, one or both of which may be employed in any magical work. Contagious magic involves the use of physical ingredients which were once in contact with the person or a thing which the practitioner intends to influence. Sympathetic magic involves the use of images or physical objects which in some way resemble the person or thing that one hopes to influence; voodoo dolls are an example. This dichotomy was proposed by Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough.

Other common categories given to magic include High and Low Magic (the appeal to divine powers or spirits respectively, with goals lofty or personal, according to the type of magic). Another distinction is between "manifest" and "subtle" magic. Subtle magic typically refers to magic of legend, gradually and sometimes intangibly altering the world, whereas manifest magic is magic that immediately appears as a result.

Academic historian Richard Kieckhefer divides the category of spells into psychological magic, which seeks to influence other people's minds to do the magician's will, such as with a love spell, or illusionary magic, which seeks to conjure the manifestation of various wonders. A spell that conjures up a banquet, or that confers invisibility on the magician, would be examples of illusionary magic. Magic that causes objective physical change, in the manner of a miracle, is not accommodated in Kieckhefer's categories.

Magical traditions [link]

Another method of classifying magic is by "traditions", which in this context typically refer to complexes or "currents" of magical belief and practice associated with various cultural groups and lineages of transmission. Some of these traditions are highly specific and culturally circumscribed. Others are more eclectic and syncretistic. These traditions can compass both divination and spells.

When dealing with magic in terms of "traditions", it is a common misconception for outsiders to treat any religion in which clergy members make amulets and talismans for their congregants as a "tradition of magic", even though what is being named is actually an organized religion with clergy, laity, and an order of liturgical service. This is most notably the case when Voodoo, Palo, Santería, Taoism, Wicca, and other contemporary religions and folk religions are mischaracterized as forms of "magic", or even as "sorcery."

Examples of magical, folk-magical, and religio-magical traditions include:

Notes [link]

^ magic. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/magic (accessed: May 24, 2012).
^ Mauss, Tambiah, Malinowski (see below); Hutton, Ronald (1991). Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles. pp. 289–291, 335. ISBN 0-631-18946-7.
^ ^a ^b Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). p. 24
^ Cicero, Chic & Sandra Tabatha () The Essential Golden Dawn: An Introduction to High Magic. pp. 87–9. Regardie, Israel (2001) The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study of Magic, St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, p. 17. Crowley, Aleister Magic Without Tears Ch. 83.
^ Everett Ferguson (1999). Christianity in relation to Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Taylor & Francis. pp. 254–. ISBN 978-0-8153-3069-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=gB7NgObOBE0C&pg=PA254. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
^ Malinowski, Bronisław. Coral Gardens and Their Magic, "The Language of Magic and Gardening." Dover. New York (1935).
^ Tambiah, S. J. (June 1968). The Magical Power of Words. New Series, Vol. 3, No. 2. University of Cambridge. pp. 175–208. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2798500. Retrieved accessdate=21 November 2010.
^ Austin, J. L. How to Do Things With Words. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1962).
^ Boyer, Pascal and Pierre Liénard. "Ritual behavior in obsessive and normal individuals." Association for Psychological Science (2008).
^ Tambiah, S. J. Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 52
^ Tambiah, S. J. Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 45
^ Tambiah, S. J. Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 59
^ Lévi-Strauss, C. The Effectiveness of Symbols. Garden City, New York, 192
^ Brown, Michael. Tsewa's Gift. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 118
^ Malinowski, B. K. (1935) Coral Gardens and their Magic, Dover, New York, 235
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1968). "The Magical Power of Words". Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 175-176
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1968). "The Magical Power of Words". Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 176
^ Ogden, C. K. & Richards, I. A. (1923). The Meaning of Meaning. Discussed in Tambiah, S. J. (1968). "The Magical Power of Words". Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 188
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1968). "The Magical Power of Words". Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 189
^ Malinowski, B. K. (1935) Coral Gardens and their Magic, Dover, New York, 213
^ ^a ^b Tambiah, S. J. (1968). The Magical Power of Words. Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 182
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1968). The Magical Power of Words. Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 178
^ Malinowski, B. K. (1935) Coral Gardens and their Magic, Dover, New York, 228
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1968). The Magical Power of Words. Man. Cambridge, UK. 3. 179
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0. p. 25
^ ^a ^b Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1976) Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande. Abridged Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original Work Published 1937)
^ , Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0. p. 25
^ Glucklich, A. (1997). The End of Magic. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 87
^ Ginzburg, C. (1992) The Night Battles (J. & A. Tedeshci, Trans.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press
^ Connor, L., Asch, T., & Asch, P. (1983) "A Balinese trance seance ; Jero on Jero, a Balanese trance seance observed [videorecording]." Watertown, Massachusetts : Documentary Educational Resources
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0. p. 41-44
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0. p. 26
^ Glucklich, A. (1997). The End of Magic. Oxford: Oxford University Press
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0. p. 33, 40
^ Pócs, Éva (1999). Between the Living and the Dead: A perspective on Witches and Seers in the Early Modern Age. Budapest: Central European University Press. pp. 9–12. ISBN 963-9116-19-X.
^ Crawford, J. R. (1967) Witchcraft and Sorcery in Rhodesia pp. 5, 8, 73; Appendix II.
^ Pócs (1999) pp. 10–11.
^ Many English and Scottish 'witches' were cunning folk whose fairy familiars were interpreted as demons (Wilby, Emma 2005 Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits p. 123; Macfarlane, A. 1970 Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England p. 127; Maxwell-Stuart, P. G. 2001 Witchcraft in Europe and the New World, 1400–1800 p. 27); many French devins-guerisseurs were accused of witchcraft (E. William Monter 1976 Witchcraft in France and Switzerland ch. 7); over half the accused witches in Hungary seem to have been healers (Pócs 1999 p. 12); persisting pagan religion and magic was one of the prime targets of witchcraft accusations in Scandinavia from the 1600s (Maxwell-Stuart 2001 pp. 78–80); in Russia most trials were aimed at eradicating popular magical practices amongst a barely Christianised population (Maxwell-Stuart 2001 83–4); and until the 18th century in Transylvania practitioners of traditional healing and fertility magic were the majority of accused witches (Maxwell-Stuart 2001 p. 85).
^ Macfarlane 1970 p. 130; also Appendix 2.
^ Winthrop, Robert H. Dictionary of concepts in cultural anthropology. New York: Greenwood P, 1991.
^ Dictionary of anthropology. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997.
^ Feltham, Brian (2011). "Magic and Practical Agency", in Rational Magic. Oxford: Fisher Imprints. ISBN 1-84888-061-8.
^ Hendrix, Scott E. (2011). Preface to Rational Magic: Cultural and Historical Studies in Magic. Oxford: Fisher Imprints. ISBN 1-84888-061-8.
^ magic in ancient India (page 51).
^ Freud (1950, 83), quoting Frazer (1911, 1, 420).
^ Thomas (1910–11),^{[page needed]}
^ Freud (1950, 83).
^ Freud (1950, 84).
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). ISBN 0-393-00779-0
^ Mauss, Marcel (1972) A General Theory of Magic (R. Brain, Trans.). New York: Norton Library. (Original work published 1903). p. 92
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1990). Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 2
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1990). Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 8
^ Spell Casters Certified Association, California, January 18, 1997.
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1990). Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 19
^ Tambiah, S. J. (1990). Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 28
^ Maliowski, Bronisław. Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays. USA: Anchor Books, 1954.(pg 17)
^ Maliowski, Bronisław. Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays. USA: Anchor Books, 1954. (pg 86)
^ Maliowski, Bronisław. Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays. USA: Anchor Books, 1954. (pg 90)
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 132
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 135
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 140
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 143
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 144
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 146
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 147
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 148
^ Horton, R. (1967) "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Africa 37(1-2), 50-71, 155-187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." Rationality. Ed. Bryan R. Wilson. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. p. 153
^ Asante, M.K.; Mazama, Ama (2009). "Heka". Encyclopedia of African Religion. II. pp. 342–343. ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1. LCCN 2008027578. http://books.google.com/books?id=B667ATiedQkC&pg=PT342.
^ Pinch, Dr Geraldine (15 October 2010). "Ancient Egyptian Magic". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/magic_01.shtml. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
^ Davies (2009:8)
^ Bengt Ankarloo; Stuart Clark (1999). Witchcraft and magic in Europe: Ancient Greece and Rome. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 231–. ISBN 978-0-8122-1705-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=C80ooPNa0nEC&pg=PA231. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
^ Hutton (2003),^{[page needed]}
^ Jan Willem Drijvers; Edward David Hunt (1999). The late Roman world and its historian: interpreting Ammianus Marcellinus. Psychology Press. pp. 208–. ISBN 978-0-415-20271-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=ks_cMZBEVb4C&pg=PA208. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
^ Waite (1913),^{[page needed]}
^ ^a ^b Kiekhefer (1998),^{[page needed]}
^ Sibly M.D., Ebenezer (1822). A New and Complete Illustration of the Celestial Science of Astrology; or, The Art of Foretelling Future Events and Contingencies. vol. 2 part 4 (12 ed.). pp. 1116–1117. http://books.google.com/books?id=36tCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1116.
^ ^a ^b Sibly (1822) p.1118
^ Sibly (1822) p.1119
^ Sibly (1822) p.1120
^ Peterson, Joseph H. (April 2001). "A New and Complete Illustration of the Occult Sciences — Book 4". Esoteric Archives. http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/sibly4.htm. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
^ Greer (1996),^{[page needed]}
^ ^a ^b Hutton (2001),^{[page needed]}
^ DR Congo Pygmies 'exterminated'
^ Pygmies struggle to survive
^ Penis theft panic hits city.., Reuters
^ 7 killed in Ghana over 'penis-snatching' episodes, CNN, January 18, 1997.
^ Hyde, George E. (1968). Lottinville, Savoie. ed. Life of George Bent: Written From His Letters. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 207, 213, 214, 221, 239, 240, 303. ISBN 0-8061-1577-7, ISBN 978-0-8061-1577-1.
^ Monnett, John H. (1992). The Battle of Beecher Island and the Indian War of 1867–1869. University Press of Colorado. pp. 46–48. ISBN 0-87081-347-1.
^ Aghoris, ABC
^ Adler (1987),^{[page needed]}
^ Journal of the American Medical Association "The psychology of chess". JAMA, October 20, 2004; 292: 1900
^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, English version, section 3.2.1.1.3
^ "Magic" in Oxford Islamic Studies Online
^ The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an. Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Amana Publications. 2001. Ali supports this assumption in his commentary on this passage ". . . Solomon dealt in no arts of evil" (Q 2:102, note 103)
^ Gibb, H.A.R. and J.H. Kramerst. 1965. Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam. Ithaca: Cornell. pp 523-524. The djinn are intelligent beings, or spirits, created by Allah from fire, as opposed to humans and angels who are created from clay and light (Q 15:26-27 ; 55:15).
^ Ali, Q 2:102, note 103.
^ Gibb, p 545.
^ Gibb, p 546.
^ This is also a subcategory of Muslim magic called simiya, often translated as natural magic. For a complete discussion of simiya, see ibn Khaldun, The Muqaddimah: an Introduction to History. Franz Rosenthal, translator. 2nd edition, 1967. Vol. 3 pp 171-227.
^ El-Shamy, Hasan. Unpublished Manuscript. Folk Beliefs and Practices in Egypt. p. 28.
^ Westermarck, Edward Alexander. 1926. Ritual and Belief in Morocco. London: Macmillan. p. 35
^ Westermarck, p. 36. Though Westermarck did not elaborate on this statement, the emphasis on the male lineage through Fatima appears to be of Sufi or Shi’ia origin rather than Sunni.
^ Westermarck, pp. 41-93.
^ Westermarck, pp. 42-43.
^ Westermarck, p. 97.
^ al-Nadim, Muhammad ibn Ishaq. The Fihrist of al-Nadim. Edited and translated by Bayard Dodge. New York: Columbia, 1970. pp. 725-726.
^ El-Shamy. Folk Beliefs and Practices in Egypt. p. 34.
^ Doumato, Eleanor Abdella. 2000 Getting God's Ear: Women, Islam, and Healing in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. New York: Columbia. p. 34.
^ El-Shamy. Personal communication
^ El-Shamy. Folk Beliefs and Practices in Egypt. p. 33.

Bibliography [link]

Adler, Margot (1987). Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. ISBN 0-14-019536-X
Clifton, Dan Salahuddin (1998). Myth Of The Western Magical Tradition. C&GCHE. ISBN 0-393-00143-1.
Frazer, J. G. (1911). The Magic Art (2 vols.) (The Golden Bough, 3rd ed., Part II). London.
Freud, Sigmund (1950). Totem and Taboo: Some Points of Agreement between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics. trans. Strachey. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-00143-1.
Greer, Mary K. (1996) Women of the Golden Dawn. Llewellyn. ISBN 0-89281-607-4
de Givry, Grillot (1954). Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy, trans. J. Courtney Locke. Frederick Pub.
Hutton, Ronald (2001). The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford. ISBN 0-19-285449-6.
Hutton, Ronald (2006). Witches, Druids, and King Arthur. Hambledon. ISBN 1-85285-555-X
Kampf, Erich (1894). The Plains of Magic. Konte Publishing.
Kiekhefer, Richard (1998). Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century. Pennsylvania State University. ISBN 0-271-01751-1.
Ruickbie, Leo (2004). Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7090-7567-7.
Thomas, N. W. (1910–11). "Magic". Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 26, p. 337.
Thorndike, Lynn (1923–1958) (8 volumes). A History of Magic and Experimental Science. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-231-08794-2.
Waite, Arthur E. (1913) The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts, London. J.B. Haze

External links [link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Magic

Wikiversity has learning materials about A Psychological Interpretation of the Tarot

v t e Witchcraft and magic

Types	African witchcraft Witch smeller Vodun Asian witchcraft Kulam European witchcraft Akelarre Benandanti Brujería Cunning folk Seid Völva White witch Witch Cult North American witchcraft Appalachian Granny Magic Hoodoo Huna Pow-wow Santería Vodou Voodoo South American witchcraft Australasian witchcraft Makutu Contemporary witchcraft Feri Tradition Hedge witchcraft Stregheria Wicca

Practices	Animism Coven Divination Familiar animal Familiar spirit Flying ointment Herbcraft Magic Necromancy Occultism Poppet Potions Satanism Spiritism Spiritualism Sigils Shamanism Witch ball Witch's ladder

Folklore and mythology	Agamede Aradia Baba Yaga Circe Drude Elbow witch Hecate Huld Kalku Medea Obayifo Witch of Endor Sorginak Spearfinger Weird sisters Sea witch

Major historic treatises	Formicarius Malleus Maleficarum Summis desiderantes affectibus

Documentary film	Häxan The Burning Times

http://wn.com/Magic_(paranormal)

http://it.wn.com/Magia

http://cs.wn.com/Magie

http://id.wn.com/Sihir

http://es.wn.com/Magia

http://ru.wn.com/Магия

http://nl.wn.com/Magie

http://pl.wn.com/Magia

http://fr.wn.com/Magie (surnaturel)

http://de.wn.com/Magie

http://hi.wn.com/जादू

http://pt.wn.com/Magia

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_(paranormal)

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Look up magic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Magic may refer to:

Magic (illusion), the art of appearing to perform supernatural feats using sleight of hand or other methods
Magic (paranormal), the use of paranormal methods to manipulate natural forces, such as witchcraft
- Ceremonial magic, a ritual system of esoteric spiritual development using occult techniques
- Magick, a specific system of ritual magic deriving from the religious philosophy of Thelema
- Magic and religion, which may involve the intercession of deities or other spirits, such as prayer
- Magic in fiction, the treatment of magic in fictional works

1 Computing
2 Gaming
3 Film
4 Music
- 4.1 Albums
- 4.2 Songs
5 Persons and organizations
6 Publications
7 Science and mathematics
8 Radio stations
9 Ships
10 Other uses
11 See also

Computing [link]

Gibson MaGIC a network audio protocol
Magic (programming), an informal term for the use of code that handles complex tasks while hiding that complexity to present a simple interface
Magic number (programming), a number at a special position of a file that identifies its file type
Magic quotes, a PHP feature
Magic, a programming language developed by MEDITECH
Magic (software), a layout tool
Magic Software Enterprises, a software company
MagiC, a commercial operating system for the Atari ST range of computers
MAJC, a microprocessor design
Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge, a robotics competition

Gaming [link]

Magic (gaming), the portrayal of magic in roleplaying games
Magic: The Gathering, a collectible card game by Wizards of the Coast

Film [link]

Magic (1917 film), a silent Hungarian film directed by Alexander Korda
Magic (1978 film)
Magic (2010 film)

Music [link]

(Listed alphabetically by item, then by author)

Albums [link]

Magic (B'z album)
Magic (Gillan album)
Magic (The Jets album)
Magic, an album by Paul Mauriat
Magic (Axel Rudi Pell album)
Magic (Shakatak album)
Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)
Magic (Amii Stewart album)
Magic (Jolin Tsai album), 2003 studio album by Taiwanese Mandopop artist Jolin Tsai
Magic (T-Connection album)
Magic (Twins album)

Songs [link]

"Magic," a song by Aiuchi Rina
"Magic," by Ben Folds Five on the album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
"Magic" (B.o.B song)
"Magic" (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Magic," by Colbie Caillat on the album Coco
"Magic" (The Cars song)
"Magic" (Disco Montego song)
"Magic" (Ladyhawke song)
"Magic" (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Magic" (Pilot song)
"Magic," by Pussycat Dolls on the album Doll Domination
"Magic" (Robin Thicke song)
"Magic" (Secret song)
"Magic," by Selena Gomez on the album Wizards of Waverly Place (soundtrack)
"Magick" (Klaxons song)
"Magick" by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals from Cardinology
"M.A.G.I.C, " a song by The Sound of Arrows

Persons and organizations [link]

Magic (rapper)
Magic, Inc. (organization), an educational think tank in Palo Alto, California
Magic Johnson (born 1959), American basketball player and businessman
Orlando Magic, professional NBA basketball team
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, a netball team

Publications [link]

Magic (Asimov), a 1996 story collection by Isaac Asimov
Magic (magazine), a magazine for magicians
Magic (music magazine)
Magic (novel), a 1976 novel by William Goldman
Magyk, a 2005 fantasy novel by Angie Sage
The Magic Comic, a short lived comic first published by DC Thomson in 1939

Science and mathematics [link]

Magic (cryptography), a World War II Allied effort to break Japanese codes
"Magic", Magnesium injection cycle, an engine design
MAGIC (postgraduate mathematics)
MAGIC (telescope)
Magic number (chemistry)
Magic number (physics)
R.550 Magic, a missile

Radio stations [link]

Ordered by "Magic" name, then by city:

In the United States

WMGS (Magic 93), in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
KTIK-FM (Magic 93.1), in Boise, Idaho, formerly KZMG
WTHZ (Majic 94.1), in Greensboro, North Carolina
WAJI (Majic 95.1), in Fort Wayne, Indiana
KKMJ-FM (Majic 95.5), in Austin, Texas
KNEV (Magic 95.5), in Reno, Nevada
WMJJ (Magic 96.5), in Birmingham, Alabama
WMGN (Magic 98.1), in Madison, Wisconsin
WMGQ (Magic 98.3), in New Brunswick, New Jersey
KKMG (Magic 98.9), in Colorado Springs, Colorado
WDYK (Magic 100.5), in Cumberland, Maryland
WLTB (Magic 101.7), in Binghamton, New York
WMGC-FM (Magic 105.1), in Detroit, Michigan
WMJI (Majic 105.7), in Cleveland, Ohio
WMJX (Magic 106.7), in Boston, Massachusetts
WMGF (Magic 107.7), in Orlando, Florida
KMAJ-FM (Majic 107.7), in Topeka, Kansas
WROW (Magic 590), in Albany, New York

Rest of world

DWTM (Magic 89.9), in Manila, Philippines
CIMJ-FM (Majic 106.1), in Guelph, Canada
CJMK-FM (Magic 98.3), in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
CJUK-FM (Magic 99.9), in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Magic 1278 (3EE), in Melbourne, Australia
Magic Radio, a radio network in the United Kingdom

Ships [link]

Disney Magic, a cruise ship
HMS Magic, the name of several Royal Navy ships
Carnival Magic, the second of three members of the Dream class, operated by Carnival Cruise Lines

Other uses [link]

HTC Magic, a mobile phone
Magic (trade show), an annual show hosted by the Men's Apparel Guild in California
Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside, a mapping service offered by the UK government

http://wn.com/Magic

http://it.wn.com/Magic

http://cs.wn.com/Magie (rozcestník)

http://ru.wn.com/Магия (значения)

http://nl.wn.com/Magic

http://pt.wn.com/Magic

http://pl.wn.com/Magic

http://fr.wn.com/Magie

http://de.wn.com/Magic

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

James Randi

Born	Randall James Hamilton Zwinge (1928-08-07) August 7, 1928 (age 83) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian American
Occupation	Magician, illusionist, writer, skeptic
Religion	None (atheist)^[1]
Website
www.randi.org

James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928^[2]) is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic^[3]^[4] best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician named The Amazing Randi, but after retiring at age 60, he began investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively calls "woo-woo".^[5]

Although often referred to as a "debunker", Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator".^[6] He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and was occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. The JREF sponsors The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge offering a prize of US$1,000,000 to eligible applicants^[7] who can demonstrate evidence of any paranormal, supernatural or occult power or event under test conditions agreed to by both parties.^[8]

Early life [link]

Randi was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and has a younger brother and sister.^[9] He took up magic after seeing Harry Blackstone, Sr^[10] and reading magic books while spending 13 months in a body cast following a bicycle accident. He confounded doctors who expected he would never walk again.^[11] Although a brilliant student, Randi often skipped school, and he dropped out of high school at 17 to perform as a conjurer in a carnival roadshow.^[12] In his twenties, Randi posed as a psychic to establish that they were actually doing simple tricks and briefly wrote an astrological column in the Canadian tabloid Midnight under the name "Zo-ran," by simply shuffling up items from newspaper astrology columns and pasting them randomly into a column.^[13]^[14] In his thirties, Randi worked in Philippine night clubs and all across Japan.^[15] He witnessed many tricks that were presented as being supernatural. One of his earliest reported experiences is that of seeing an evangelist using a version of the "one-ahead"^[16] routine to convince churchgoers of his divine powers.^[17]

Career [link]

Magician [link]

File:RandiFork.jpg

Fork bent by Randi

Randi worked as a professional stage magician, or "conjurer" as he prefers to be called,^[18] and escapologist beginning in 1946, initially under his birth name, Randall Zwinge, and then as The Amazing Randi. Early in his career, Randi was part of numerous stunts involving his escape from jail cells and safes. On February 7, 1956, he appeared live on The Today Show, remaining in a sealed metal coffin submerged in a hotel swimming pool for 104 minutes, breaking what was said to be Houdini's record of 93 minutes.^[19]^[20]

Randi was the host of The Amazing Randi Show on New York radio station WOR in the mid 1960s.^[21] This radio show, which filled Long John Nebel's old slot with similar content after Nebel went to WNBC in 1962, had frequent pro-paranormal guests, including Randi's then-friend James Moseley. Randi, in turn, spoke at Moseley's 1967 Fourth Congress of Scientific Ufologists in New York City,^[22] stating, "Let's not fool ourselves. There are some garden variety liars involved in all this. But in among all the trash and nonsense perpetrated in the name of Ufology, I think there is a small grain of truth."^[23]

Randi also hosted numerous television specials and went on several world tours. Then Randi appeared as "The Amazing Randi" on a television show titled Wonderama from 1967 to 1972,^[24] and as host of a failed revival of the 1950s children's show The Magic Clown in 1970.^[25] In the February 2, 1974, issue of Abracadabra (a British conjuring magazine), Randi defined the magic community, saying, "I know of no calling which depends so much upon mutual trust and faith as does ours." In the December 2003 issue of The Linking Ring, the monthly publication of The International Brotherhood of Magicians, Points to Ponder: Another Matter of Ethics, p. 97, it is stated, "Perhaps Randi's ethics are what make him Amazing" and "The Amazing Randi not only talks the talk, he walks the walk."

During Alice Cooper's 1973–1974 tour, Randi performed as the dentist and executioner on stage,^[26] and designed and built several of the stage props, including the guillotine.^[27]^[28] Shortly after that, in February 1975, Randi escaped from a straitjacket while suspended upside-down over Niagara Falls in the winter on the Canadian TV program World of Wizards.^[29]

Randi was once accused of actually using "psychic powers" to perform acts such as spoon bending. James Alcock relates this incident, which occurred at a meeting where Randi was duplicating the performances of Uri Geller: A professor from the University at Buffalo shouted out that Randi was a fraud. Randi said, "Yes, indeed, I'm a trickster, I'm a cheat, I'm a charlatan, that's what I do for a living. Everything I've done here was by trickery." The professor shouted back: "That's not what I mean. You're a fraud because you're pretending to do these things through trickery, but you're actually using psychic powers and misleading us by not admitting it."^[30] The famous author and believer in spiritualism Arthur Conan Doyle had years earlier made a similar accusation against the magician Harry Houdini.^[31] A similar event involved Senator Claiborne Pell. Pell believed in psychic phenomena. When Randi demonstrated viewing a hidden drawing by using trickery, Pell refused to believe that it was a trick, saying, "I think Randi may be a psychic and doesn't realize it." Randi has consistently denied having any paranormal powers or abilities.^[32]

Author [link]

Randi is author of Conjuring (1992), a biographical history of noted magicians. The book is subtitled: Being a Definitive History of the Venerable Arts of Sorcery, Prestidigitation, Wizardry, Deception, & Chicanery and of the Mountebanks & Scoundrels Who have Perpetrated these Subterfuges on a Bewildered Public, in short, MAGIC!. The book selects the most influential magicians and explains their history in the context of strange deaths and careers on the road. This work expanded on the 1976 book Houdini, His Life and Art, co-authored with Bert Randolph Sugar, which focused on Houdini and his cohorts. Randi also wrote a children's book in 1989 titled The Magic World of the Amazing Randi, which introduced children to magic tricks. In addition to his magic books, he has written several educational works about the paranormal and pseudoscientific. These include biographies of Uri Geller and Nostradamus as well as reference material on other major paranormal figures. He is currently working on A Magician in the Laboratory, which recounts his application of skepticism to science,^[33] though in January 2011, he expressed doubts as to whether it would be finished. James Randi has since confirmed the that the book will be sent to publishers by May 20, 2012.^[34] He is a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers.^[35]

Skeptic [link]

File:Thetruthuri.jpg

James Randi's The Truth About Uri Geller (1982)

Randi entered the international spotlight in 1972 when he publicly challenged the claims of Uri Geller. Randi accused Geller of being nothing more than a charlatan and a fraud who used standard magic tricks to accomplish his allegedly paranormal feats, and he supported his claims in the book The Truth About Uri Geller.^[17]^[36] Geller sued Randi for $15 million in 1991 and lost.^[37] Geller's suit against the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) was thrown out in 1995, and he was ordered to pay $120,000 for filing a frivolous lawsuit.^[38]

Randi was a founding fellow and prominent member of CSICOP.^[39] During the period when Geller was filing numerous civil suits against him, CSICOP's leadership, wanting to avoid becoming a target of Geller's litigation, requested that Randi refrain from commenting on Geller. Randi refused and resigned. However, he still maintains a respectful relationship with the group and frequently writes articles for its magazine.

Randi has gone on to write several books criticizing beliefs and claims regarding the paranormal.^[40] He has also demonstrated flaws in studies suggesting the existence of paranormal phenomena; in his Project Alpha hoax, Randi revealed that he had been able to orchestrate a three-year-long compromise of a privately funded psychic research experiment.^[41] The hoax became a scandal and demonstrated the shortcomings of many paranormal research projects at the university level.

Randi has appeared on numerous TV shows, sometimes to directly debunk the claimed abilities of fellow guests. In a 1981 appearance on That's My Line, Randi appeared opposite psychic James Hydrick, who claimed that he could move things with his mind and demonstrated this ability on live television by apparently turning a page in a telephone book without touching it.^[42] Randi, having determined that Hydrick was surreptitiously blowing on the book, arranged packaging peanuts (polystyrene foam shapes) on the table in front of the telephone book for the demonstration, preventing Hydrick from demonstrating his abilities, which would have been exposed when the blowing moved the packaging.^[43] Many years later, Hydrick admitted his fraud.^[44]

Randi was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius award in 1986. The money was used for Randi's comprehensive exposé of faith healers, including Peter Popoff, W.V. Grant and Ernest Angley. When Popoff was exposed, he was forced to declare bankruptcy within the year.^[45]

In 1988, Randi tested the gullibility of the media by perpetrating a hoax of his own. By teaming up with Australia's 60 Minutes program and by releasing a fake press package, he built up publicity for a spirit channeler named Carlos who was actually artist Jose Alvarez, a friend of Randi's. Randi would tell him what to say through sophisticated radio equipment. The media and the public were taken in, as no reporter bothered to check Carlos's credentials and history, which were all fabricated. The hoax was exposed on 60 Minutes; Carlos and Randi explained how they pulled it off.^[46]^[47]

In the book The Faith Healers, Randi explains his anger and relentlessness as arising out of compassion for the helpless victims of frauds. Randi has also been critical of João de Deus (John of God), a self-proclaimed psychic surgeon who has received international attention.^[48] Randi observed, referring to psychic surgery, "To any experienced conjurer, the methods by which these seeming miracles are produced are very obvious."^[49]

In 1982, Randi verified the abilities of Arthur Lintgen, a Philadelphia physician who is able to determine the classical music recorded on a vinyl LP solely by examining the groove on the record. However, Lintgen does not claim to have any paranormal ability, merely knowledge of the way that the groove forms patterns on particular recordings.^[50]

James Randi stated that Daniel Dunglas Home, who allegedly could play an accordion that was locked in a cage, without touching it, was caught cheating on a few occasions, but the episodes were never made public, and that the accordion in question was a one-octave mouth organ that Home concealed under his large moustache. James Randi writes that one-octave mouth organs were found in Home's belongings after his death.^[51] According to Randi 'around 1960' William Lindsay Gresham told Randi he had seen these mouth organs in the Home collection at the Society for Psychical Research.^[52] Eric Dingwall, who catalogued Home's collection on its arrival at the SPR does not record the presence of the mouth organs. According to Peter Lamont, the author of an extensive Home biography, "It is unlikely Dingwall would have missed these or did not make them public."^[53]

James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF)[link]

Main article: James Randi Educational Foundation

The offices of the JREF in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In 1996, Randi established the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi and his colleagues update JREF's blog, Swift. Topics have included the mathematics of the one-seventh area triangle. Randi also contributes a regular column, titled "'Twas Brillig," to The Skeptics Society's Skeptic Magazine. In his weekly commentary, Randi often gives examples of what he considers the nonsense that he deals with every day.^[54]

He has regularly featured on many podcasts, including The Skeptics Society's official podcast Skepticality^[55]^[56] and the Center for Inquiry's official podcast Point of Inquiry.^[57] From September 2006 onwards, he has occasionally contributed to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast with a column titled "Randi Speaks."^[58] In addition, "The Amazing Show" is a podcast in which Randi shares various anecdotes in an interview format.

Views on religion [link]

In his essay "Why I Deny Religion, How Silly and Fantastic It Is, and Why I'm a Dedicated and Vociferous Bright", Randi, who identifies himself as an atheist,^[1] has stated that many accounts in religious texts, including the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus Christ, and the parting of the Red Sea by Moses, are not believable. For example, Randi refers to the Virgin Mary as being "impregnated by a ghost of some sort, and as a result produced a son who could walk on water, raise the dead, turn water into wine, and multiply loaves of bread and fishes" and questions how Adam and Eve "could have two sons, one of whom killed the other, and yet managed to populate the earth without committing incest." He writes that, compared to the Bible, "The Wizard of Oz is more believable. And more fun."^[59] In An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural, he looks at a variety of spiritual practices skeptically. Of the meditation techniques of Guru Maharaj Ji (Prem Rawat) he writes: "Only the very naive were convinced that they had been let in on some sort of celestial secret."^[60]

The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge [link]

Main article: The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) currently offers a prize of one million U.S. dollars to eligible applicants who can demonstrate a supernatural ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. Similar to the paranormal challenges of John Nevil Maskelyne and Houdini, in 1964, Randi put up $1,000 of his own money payable to anyone who could provide objective proof of the paranormal.^[61] Since then, the prize money has grown to the current $1,000,000, and has formal published rules. No one has progressed past the preliminary test, which is set up with parameters agreed to by both Randi and the applicant. He refuses to accept any challengers who might suffer serious injury or death as a result of the testing.

On Larry King Live, March 6, 2001, Larry King asked Sylvia Browne if she would take the challenge and she agreed.^[62] Then Randi appeared with Browne on Larry King Live on September 3, 2001, and she again accepted the challenge.^[63] However, she has refused to be tested and Randi keeps a clock on his website recording the number of weeks that have passed since Browne accepted the challenge without following through.^[64] During Larry King Live on June 5, 2001, Randi challenged Rosemary Altea to undergo testing for the million dollars. However, Altea would not even address the question.^[65] Instead Altea, in part, replied "I agree with what he says, that there are many, many people who claim to be spiritual mediums, they claim to talk to the dead. There are many people, we all know this. There are cheats and charlatans everywhere."^[65] Then on January 26, 2007, Altea and Randi again appeared on Larry King Live. Once again, she refused to answer whether or not she would take the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge.^[66]

Starting on April 1, 2007, only those with an already existing media profile and the backing of a reputable academic were allowed to apply for the challenge.^[67] The resources freed up by not having to test obscure and possibly mentally ill claimants will then be used to more aggressively challenge notorious high-profile alleged psychics and mediums such as Sylvia Browne, Allison DuBois and John Edward with a campaign in the media.^[67]

JREF maintains a public log of past participants in the Million Dollar Challenge.^[68]

Legal disputes [link]

Randi has been involved in a variety of legal disputes but claims that he has "never paid even one dollar or even one cent to anyone who ever sued me."^[5] However, he says, he has paid out large sums to personally defend himself in these suits.

Eldon Byrd [link]

A Baltimore District Court found Randi liable for defaming Byrd for calling him a "convicted child molester" because, although Byrd had been found guilty of child pornography offences and admitted to molestation, the admission was part of a plea bargain so he was not actually convicted.^[69] No damages were awarded to Byrd.^[70]

Uri Geller [link]

According to Randi, Geller tried to sue Randi a number of times,^[why?] but never won, save for a ruling in a Japanese court that ordered Randi to pay Geller one third of one percent of what Geller had demanded, but this ruling was canceled, and the matter dropped when Geller decided to concentrate on another legal matter.^[71]^[72]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Geller v. Randi

In 1991, Randi commented that Uri Geller's public performances were of the same quality as those found on the backs of cereal boxes. Geller sued both Randi and CSICOP. CSICOP argued that the organization was not responsible for Randi's statements. The court agreed that including CSICOP was frivolous and dropped them from the action, leaving Randi to face the action alone. Geller was ordered to pay substantial damages to CSICOP.^[73]^[74] Randi and Geller subsequently settled their dispute out of court, the details of which have been kept confidential. The settlement also included an agreement that Geller would not pursue Randi for the award in the Japanese case or other outstanding cases.

Other [link]

Allison DuBois, on whose life the television series Medium was based, threatened Randi with legal action for using a photo of her from her website in his December 17, 2004, commentary without her permission.^[75] Randi removed the photo and now uses a caricature of DuBois when mentioning her on his site, beginning with his December 23, 2005, commentary.^[76]

Late in 1996, Randi launched a libel suit against a Toronto-area psychic named Earl Gordon Curley.^[77] Curley had made multiple objectionable comments about Randi on Usenet. Despite prodding Randi via Usenet to sue (Curley's comments had implied that if Randi did not sue, then his allegations must be true), Curley seemed entirely surprised when Randi actually retained Toronto's largest law firm and initiated legal proceedings. The suit was eventually dropped in 1998 when Earl Curley died at the age of 51.^[78]

Sniffex, producer of a dowsing bomb detection device, sued Randi and the JREF in 2007 and lost.^[79] Sniffex sued Randi for his comments regarding a government test in which the Sniffex device failed. The company was later investigated and charged with fraud.^[79]

Personal life [link]

In 1987, Randi became a naturalized citizen of the United States.^[80] Randi has said that one reason he became an American citizen was an incident while on tour with Alice Cooper where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police searched the band's lockers during a performance. Nothing was found, yet the RCMP destroyed the room.^[81]

In February 2006, Randi underwent coronary artery bypass surgery.^[82] In early February 2006, he was declared to be in stable condition and "receiving excellent care" with his recovery proceeding well. The weekly commentary updates to his website were made by guests while he was hospitalized.^[83] Randi recovered after his surgery and was able to help organize and attend the 2007 Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada (an annual convention of scientists, magicians, skeptics, atheists and freethinkers).^[84]

Randi was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in June 2009.^[85] He had a ping pong ball-sized tumor removed from his intestines during laparoscopic surgery. He announced this a week later at the July 2009 The Amazing Meeting as well as the fact that he was scheduled to begin chemotherapy in the following weeks.^[86] He also said at the conference: "One day, I'm gonna die. That's all there is to it. Hey, it's too bad, but I've got to make room. I'm using a lot of oxygen and such—I think it's good use of oxygen myself, but of course, I'm a little prejudiced on the matter."^[86] Randi also said that after he is gone he does not want his fans to bother with a museum of magic named after him or burying him in a fancy tomb. Instead, he said, "I want to be cremated, and I want my ashes blown in Uri Geller's eyes."^[86] Randi underwent his final chemotherapy session on December 31, 2009, as he explained in a January 12, 2010 video in which he related that his chemotherapy experience was not as unpleasant as he had imagined.^[85] In a video posted April 12, 2010, Randi stated that he has been given a clean bill of health.[3]

In a March 21, 2010, blog entry, Randi came out as gay, a move he explained was inspired by seeing the 2008 biographical drama film Milk, in which Sean Penn portrayed Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.^[87]^[88]

The Independent Investigations Group IIG tribute to James Randi TAM9

Awards and honors [link]

In 1981, asteroid 3163 Randi was named after Randi, who has always been an active amateur observer. His friend Carl Sagan encouraged his interest.^[11]
MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for his investigations of the claims of Uri Geller and TV "faith healers." 1986^[89]
American Physical Society Joseph A. Burton Forum Award 1989^[90]
Richard Dawkins Award 2003
Philip J. Klass Award 2007^[91]
Independent Investigations Group (IIG) awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, August 2007. Previous recipients Carl Sagan and Harry Houdini.^[92]
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry In Praise of Reason Award, 2009
Elected a Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Fellow, 2010^[93]
Academy of Magical Arts Lifetime Achievement Fellowship, April 2012^[94]

World records [link]

The following are Guinness records:

Randi was in a sealed casket underwater for an hour and 44 minutes, which broke Harry Houdini's record of one hour and 33 minutes set on August 5, 1926.^[11]
Randi was encased in a block of ice for 55 minutes.^[11]

Bibliography [link]

An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural, 1995, St. Martin's Press ISBN 0-312-15119-5 OCLC 32167512 (Online Version)
Conjuring, 1992 St. Martin's Press ISBN 0-312-09771-9
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions, 1982, Prometheus Books, ISBN 0-87975-198-3
Houdini, His Life and Art. Co-authored. Putnam Pub Group (November 1976) ISBN 0-448-12552-8
James Randi: Psychic Investigator, 1991, companion book to the UK Granada TV series. ISBN 1-85283-144-8
Test Your ESP Potential. Dover Publications Inc. (December 31, 1982) ISBN 0-486-24269-2
The Faith Healers, 1987, Prometheus Books, ISBN 0-87975-369-2. (ISBN 0-87975-535-0 1989 edition) (Foreword by Carl Sagan)
The Magic of Uri Geller, 1982, ISBN 0-345-24796-5 (later renamed The Truth About Uri Geller ISBN 0-87975-199-1)
The Magic World of the Amazing Randi. Adams Media Corporation (September 1989) ISBN 1-55850-982-8
The Mask of Nostradamus: The Prophecies of the World's Most Famous Seer, 1990, Charles Scribner's Sons ISBN 0-684-19056-7 or ISBN 0-87975-830-9.
Wrong! (Forthcoming^[95])
A Magician in the Laboratory. (Forthcoming^[95])

TV and film [link]

Actor [link]

Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper (1974) as the Dentist/Executioner
Ragtime (1981) (stunt coordinator: Houdini)
Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread (1987) (TV)
Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989) as the 3rd Rope Holder
Beyond Desire (1994) as the Coroner

Himself [link]

Wonderama (1955) (TV) as The Amazing Randi
I've Got a Secret (1965) (TV) as The Amazing Randi
Happy Days – "The Magic Show" (1978) as the Amazing Randi
Zembla, 'De trucs van Char' (The tricks Char uses). (March 2008) "De trucs van Char, het medium – 23 maart 2008: ZEMBLA:". http://zembla.vara.nl/Voorpagina.1975.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=5316&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1974&cHash=0e36f258ac.
ZDF German TV (2007)
Wild Wild Web (1999)
West 57th (1980s)
Welt der Wunder – Kraft der Gedanken (January 2008)
Today on NBC (1980s)
The Don Lane Show (1980)
That's My Line (1980) (Appeared with James Hydrick)
The View ABC TV (1999)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (32 appearances between 1973 and 1993)
The Secret Cabaret (produced by Open Media for Channel 4 in the UK)
The Power of Belief (October 6, 1998) (ABC News Special) (TV)
People are Talking (1980s)
The Patterson Show (1970s)
The Art of Magic (1998) (TV)
The Ultimate Psychic Challenge (Discovery Channel/Channel 4) (2003)
Spotlight on James Randi (2002) (TV)
Secrets of the Super Psychics (Channel 4/The Learning Channel), produced by Open Media, 1997/8
Scams, Schemes, and Scoundrels (A&E Special) (March 30, 1997)
Raitre TV Italy (1991)
Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
- End of the World (2003) TV Episode
- ESP (2003) TV Episode
- Signs from Heaven (2005) TV Episode
Oprah Winfrey
Lawrence Leung Unbelievable TV Episode
NOVA: Secrets of the Psychics (1993)
Mitä ihmettä? (Finland) (2003) TV Series
Midday Show (Australia) (1990s)
Magic or Miracle (1983)
Magic (2004) (mini) TV Series
Larry King Live of CNN (June 5, 2001, September 3, 2001, and January 26, 2007)
James Randi: Psychic Investigator (1991) (Open Media series for the ITV network)
James Randi Budapesten – Hungarian documentary (free download for schools)
Inside Edition – (1991, 2006, and 2007) TV
Horizon – Homeopathy: The Test (2002) TV Episode
Houdini Dead Men Talking (Biography Channel)
Fornemmelse for snyd (2003) TV Series (also archive footage)
Extraordinary People – The Million Dollar Mind Reader (September 2008)."home – extraordinary people". five.tv. http://www.five.tv/programmes/extraordinarypeople/. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
Exploring Psychic Powers Live (June 7, 1989) (Hosted by Bill Bixby)
CBS This Morning (1990s)
Anderson Cooper 360, CNN (January 19, 2007 and January 30, 2007)
A Question of Miracles (HBO) (1999)
20/20 ABC TV (May 11, 2007) Avila, Jim (May 11, 2007). "Selling Salvation?". 20/20. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164858&page=1. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
Dilbert (TV series) parodied in "The Infomercial" (1999) TV Episode

Other media [link]

James Randi can be heard speaking an introduction on Tommy Finkes song "Poet der Affen/Poet of the Apes", released on the album of the same name in 2010. The message was recorded by James Randi and sent to Tommy Finke via email.^[96]

Notes [link]

^ ^a ^b Randi, James. "Our Stance on Atheism", "Swift", JREF, August 5, 2005, Accessed January 27, 2011.
^ H.W. Wilson Company (1987). Current Biography Yearbook. Silverplatter International. p. 455.
^ "Sullivan", Walter (July 27, 1988). "Water That Has a Memory? Skeptics Win Second Round". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/27/us/water-that-has-a-memory-skeptics-win-second-round.html.
^ Cohen, Patricia (February 17, 2001). "Poof! You’re a Skeptic: The Amazing Randi’s Vanishing Humbug". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/17/arts/17RAND.html. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Randi, James (February 9, 2007). "More Geller Woo-Woo". SWIFT Newsletter. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-02/020209morebrowne.html#i6. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
^ One-Million-Dollar Challenge from MIT Media Lab: Affective Computing Group
^ JREF Challenge Application Form, Rule 12, accessed November 23, 2010
^ "One Million Dollar Challenge – Challenge Info". James Randi Educational Foundation. October 30, 2008. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ Randi, James (May 9, 2008). "How Wrong Can You Get?". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/192-swift-may-9-2008.html#i3. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJMTyK0VfdY&feature=g-u&context=G2f4081cFUAAAAAAASAA
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Orwen, Patricia (August 23, 1986). "The Amazing Randi". The Toronto Star.
^ "Floridian: The 'quack' hunter". Sptimes.com. April 14, 1998. http://www.sptimes.com/Floridian/41498/The__quack__hunter.html. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ Randi, James (1982). The Truth About Uri Geller. Prometheus Books. pp. 230–231. Randi reprints two newspaper columns from the Toronto Evening Telegram of August 28, 1950 and August 14, 1950 by Wessely Hicks about Randall Zwinge's psychic predictions. The earlier column states that "Mr. Zwinge said he first became aware that he possessed Extra Sensory Perception when he was nine years old."
^ Randi, James (1982). Flim-flam!. Prometheus Books. pp. 61–62.
^ "Filipino Justice". Randi.org. May 19, 2006. http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-05/051906sylvia.html#i13. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ Jaroff, Leon (June 24, 2001). "Fighting Against Flimflam". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,149448,00.html?iid=chix-sphere. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Philip B., Jr., Taft (July 5, 1981). "A Charlatan in Pursuit of Truth". New York Times.
^ Randi explained in a February 2007 presentation that he believes the word "magician" implies one who has actual magical abilities, whereas a conjurer is one who uses skills to merely play the part of one. "James Randi's fiery takedown of psychic fraud" TED; Accessed April 24, 2010.
^ Sinclair, Gordon, "Television & radio column", Toronto Star, February 7, 1956.
^ Bryant, George, "Handcuffs no problem Toronto-born magician laughs at locksmiths", Toronto Star, June 21, 1956.
^ "James Randi Biography". James Randi Educational Foundation. 2007. http://randi.org/jr/bio.html. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ Moseley, James W. (2002). Shockingly Close to the Truth! Confessions of a Grave-Robbing Ufologist. Prometheus Books. pp. 189, 204.
^ Clopton, Willard (June 27, 1967). "Air Force's UFO Expert Meets the Man From S.A.U.C.E.R.S.". The Washington Post.
^ "Wonderama!". TVparty On!. http://www.tvparty.com/lostwonder1.html. Retrieved April 5, 2007. "Sonny Fox hosted another 'Wonderama Thanksgiving Day Party' on Thursday afternoon, November 23, 1961, with guests ventriloquist and cartoon voiceover performer Paul Winchell, magician/escape artist and magic historian The Amazing James Randi and folk singer Pat Woodell." [1]
^ Kevin S. Butler. "Bonamo, The Magic Clown". TVparty On!. http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2bonamo.html. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
^ "Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper," Live 1973 (DVD 2005), "Billion Dollar Babies Tour"
^ Pettigrew, Emily (2007). "Alice Cooper". St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200281. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ "The Amazing Randi". sickthingsuk.co.uk. 2007. http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/people/p-randi.php. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ Randi, James (2007). "Hilarious Name-Dropping". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/050302.html. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ Alcock, James (2001). "Science vs. Pseudoscience, Nonscience, and Nonsense". In Kurtz, Paul. Skeptical Odysseys: Personal accounts by the world's leading paranormal inquirers. Prometheus Books. p. 42. ISBN 1-57392-884-4.
^ Arthur Conan Doyle (1930) The Edge of the Unknown, Putnam's
^ Martin Gardner, Did Adam and Eve have Navels, 2000, Norton, ISBN 978-0-393-04963-3, p. 178
^ "JAMES RANDI – Bio Information", randi.org, accessed January 21, 2011.
^ Randi, James. "Teleportation Magic Established By Science, At Last!", randi.org, January 19, 2011
^ Asimov 1994, I. Asimov, chapter "120. The Trap Door Spiders".
^ Rensberger, Boyce (December 13, 1975). "Magicians Term Israeli 'Psychic' a Fraud". New York Times: p. 29.
^ Petit, Charles (May 23, 1991). "Bay Magicians Back Uri Geller's Critic". San Francisco Chronicle: p. A27.
^ Levy, Michael (March 13, 1995). "Group Gets $40,000 From 'psychic' Geller Starts Paying Debunkers $120,000". The Buffalo News. http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/BN/lib00142,0EAF986A6473E6E1.html. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
^ Michael Kernan, "God's Chariot! Science Looks at the New Occult," The Washington Post, June 11, 1978
^ "About James Randi". jref.org. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/bio.html. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
^ Philip J. Hilts, "Magicians Score a Hit On Scientific Researchers," Washington Post March 1, 1983, First Section; A1
^ "A Look at the Past". James Randi Educational Foundation. September 22, 2006. http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-09/092206bad.html#i11. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^ Video of Hydrick's page turning debunking from Google Video
^ Korem, Dan (1983). Psychic Confession. (also transcript)
^ "A Profitable Prophet". Inside Edition. February 27, 2007. http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/reports/story.aspx?storyid=639. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^ ""Carlos" hoax of Jose Alvarez". Skepdic.com. http://www.skepdic.com/carlos.html. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ "Randi talking about Carlos hoax". Abc.net.au. 1998. http://www.abc.net.au/science/correx/archives/randi4.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ Randi, James (February 18, 2005). "The ABC-TV Infomercial for John of God". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/021805a.html#1. Retrieved November 18, 2006.
^ Randi, James (2006). "An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural: Psychic surgery". St. Martin's Press. http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/psychic%20surgery.html. Retrieved November 18, 2006.
^ Randi, James (November 1, 2002). "Myth vs. Reality, A Different Danish, Reading Records, Tests in the Loo, UFO Fakery, MEG Censorship, An Australian Reading, Exeter Sinking?, Sniper Snooping, Houdini Exhibit, Fox Moon Scam — Again, and Bearden Gets Even Sillier....". Swift: Online newsletter of the JREF. http://www.randi.org/jr/110102.html. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
^ Randi, James. "An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Home,%20Daniel%20Dunglas.html. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
^ The First Psychic: The Peculiar Mystery of a Notorious Victorian Wizard by Peter Lamont, Little, Brown, 2005 p 302
^ Lamont 2005 p 302
^ Randi, James (July 2005). "Fakers and Innocents". Skeptical Inquirer 29 (4). ISSN 0194-6730. Archived from the original on October 27, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061027131225/http://www.csicop.org/si/2005-07/randi.html. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ Swoopy; Colanduno, Derek (June 30, 2005), "Ep. #10 - Interview: James Randi (JREF)", Skepticality (Skeptic Magazine), http://www.skepticality.com/the-james-randi-educational-foundation/, retrieved November 27, 2011
^ Swoopy; Colanduno, Derek (December 25, 2007), "Ep. #067a: X-Mas Episode - Interview: James Randi", Skepticality (Skeptic Magazine), http://www.skepticality.com/xmas-2007/, retrieved November 27, 2011
^ "Point of Inquiry". http://www.pointofinquiry.org/. Retrieved June 30, 2006.
^ "The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe". http://theskepticsguide.org/. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ "Commentary, July 25, 2003 — Why I Deny Religion, How Silly and Fantastic It Is, and Why I'm a Dedicated and Vociferous Bright.". http://www.randi.org/jr/072503.html.
^ "James Randi Educational Foundation — An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural". http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Maharaj%20Ji.html. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
^ Poulsen, Kevin (January 12, 2007). "Skeptic Revamps $1M Psychic Prize". Wired. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/01/72482. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
^ Are Psychics for Real? appeared with John Edward March 6, 2001, on Larry King Live CNN
^ King, Larry (September 3, 2001). "Are Psychics Real?". Larry King Live (CNN). http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/03/lkl.00.html. Retrieved August 18, 2006.
^ The Sylvia Browne Clock from the James Randi Educational Foundation website
^ ^a ^b Spiritual Medium Versus Paranormal Skeptic (Rosemary Altea verses Randi) on Larry King Live June 5, 2001
^ "Altea and James Randi". Larry King Live. January 26, 2007. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/26/lkl.01.html. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Poulsen, Kevin (January 12, 2007). "Skeptic Revamps $1M Psychic Prize". Wired. http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72482-0.html?tw=wn_index_1. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
^ "Challenge Applications". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=43. Retrieved July 13, 2007.
^ "James Randi: Action initiated . . .". skeptictank.org. December 3, 1996. http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/curley2.htm.
^ James Randi (June 9, 1993). "Randi found guilty of defamation". The Miami Herald. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4CD802FEBC248&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
^ Randi, James (February 9, 2007). "More Geller Woo-Woo". Swift (James Randi Educational Foundation). http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-02/020209morebrowne.html#i7. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
^ Marcello Truzzi, An End to the Uri Geller vs. Randi & CSICOP Litigations? [2]
^ "Uri Geller Libel Suit Dismissed". www.csicop.org. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. August 1994. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070406080201/http://www.csicop.org/articles/uri_dis.html. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
^ ""Lawsuit Against CSICOP Dismissed" (CSICOP press release)". Skeptic Tank Text Archive File. http://www.skepticfiles.org/skeptic/randi032.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
^ Randi, James (December 17, 2004). "Another Medium Well Done". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/121704no.html#5. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ Randi, James; Paul Hatchman (December 23, 2005). "Medium Well Done". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/200512/122305hallelujah.html#i2. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ Randi, James (December 4, 1996). "Action initiated . . .". James Randi Educational Foundation Info List. http://www.randi.org/hotline/1996/0085.html. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ Randi, James (July 8, 1998). "Curley Confirmation + Sony Corp. and ESP, More on Theremin". James Randi Educational Foundation Info List. http://www.randi.org/hotline/1998/0025.html. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Randi, James (July 25, 2008). "An Encouraging Development". James Randi Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822214803/http://www.randi.org/joom/content/view/204/1/#i1. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
^ Randi, James (September 17, 2001). "Commentary: Etc.". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/091701.html. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ "On the Soap Box". James Randi Educational Foundation. July 15, 2005. http://www.randi.org/jr/071505on.html#1. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ "Randi Update". James Randi Educational Foundation. February 10, 2006. http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-02/021006busted.html#i1. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ Randi, James; Paul Hatchman (February 17, 2006). "introductory paragraph". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-02/021706hal.html. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
^ Randi, James (February 2, 2007). "In Conclusion...". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-02/020207geller.html#i11. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Thorp, Brandon K. "Randi On (and Off) Chemotherapy" Swift randi.org; January 12, 2010
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Demystifying Adventures of the Amazing Randi". http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-08-26/news/the-demystifying-adventures-of-the-amazing-randi/1. Retrieved September 5, 2009. SF Weekly, August 24, 2009, lengthy article by Michael J. Mooney, which reported: "He has intestinal cancer and may not have long to live."
^ Randi, James. "How To Say It?", "Swift", March 21, 2010
^ "James Randi – A Skeptic Comes Out at 81 (podcast)". For Good Reason. March 21, 2010. http://www.forgoodreason.org/james_randi_a_skeptic_comes_out_at_81. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
^ "MacArthur Fellows". MacArthur Foundation. August 1986. http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.1142693/k.79E6/Fellows_List__August_1986.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
^ "Joseph A. Burton Forum Award". Aps.org. http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/awards/burton.cfm. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
^ Randi, James (March 23, 2007). "In Closing". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-03/032307tx.html#i11. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
^ "IIG | The IIG Awards". Iigwest.com. 2010-08-21. http://www.iigwest.com/iigawards/2006/index.html. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
^ Bupp, Nathan (January 12, 2010). "Sixteen Notable Figures in Science and Skepticism Elected CSI Fellows". Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/sixteen_notable_figures_in_science_and_skepticism_elected_csi_fellows. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
^ McMaster, Shawn (2 April 2012). "The Academy of Magical Arts Awards Results". The Mandala. http://themandalamag.com/2012/04/02/the-academy-of-magical-arts-awards-results/. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b "JAMES RANDI – Bio Information", accessed December 20, 2010
^ Video by Tommy Finke about the album (German)

External links [link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (February 2012)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Randi

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Randi

Works by or about James Randi in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Official

James Randi Educational Foundation – Official website
James Randi Educational Foundation official YouTube channel
Video of short talk by Randi in 2007 at TED

Supportive

Media

James Randi interview (May 2009) from the podcast of MagicNewswire.com in which Mr. Randi discusses his career in magic, his feud with Uri Geller and more
James Randi interview (November 2007) from the BSAlert.com radio show where Mr. Randi discusses the TV show "Phenomenon," the current status of Uri Geller and his thoughts about whether society is becoming more or less superstitious.
Malmgren, Jeanne (April 14, 1998). "Randi, the quack hunter". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/Floridian/41498/The__quack__hunter.html.
"Homeopathy: The Test — webchat with James Randi". BBC. November 26, 2002. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2002/homeopathyrandi.shtml.
"20 Major Aspects of Liars, Cheats, and Frauds" by James Randi"
The Power of Belief (Video clip) from ABC News
Randi's Internet Audio Show from the James Randi Educational Foundation
Skepticality Internet Radio

Transcripts

"Official transcript: Psychic Powers Debunked in Shawn Hornbeck Case". Anderson Cooper 360. January 19, 2007. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/19/acd.01.html. (Sylvia Browne and Randi)
"Official transcript: Psychic Psychic Reality Check". Anderson Cooper 360. January 30, 2007. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/30/acd.01.html. (Sylvia Browne's manager and Randi)
"Official transcript: Have Psychics Gone Too Far?". Larry King Live. January 26, 2007. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/26/lkl.01.html. (Altea and James Randi)
"Official transcript: Spiritual Medium Versus Paranormal Skeptic". Larry King Live. June 5, 2001. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0106/05/lkl.00.html. (Rosemary Altea and Randi)
"Official transcript: Are Psychics Real?". Larry King Live. September 3, 2001. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/03/lkl.00.html. (Sylvia Browne and Randi)

Criticism

A Skeptical Look At James Randi Michael Prescott
James Randi's response to criticism James Randi Educational Foundation
Benveniste, Jacques, and Peter Jurgens. On the Role of Stage Magicians in Biological Research The Anomalist 1998
Thalbourne, Michael A, “Science versus showmanship: A history of the Randi hoax,” American Society for Psychical Research 89 (4) October 1995

v t e Parapsychology

Topics	Apparitional experience Astral Projection Clairvoyance Cold reading Extrasensory perception Ganzfeld experiment Near-death experience Past life regression Plant perception (paranormal) Precognition Psychic Psychic reading Psychokinesis Psychometry Reincarnation research Remote viewing Telepathy

Organizations	American Society for Psychical Research International Association for Near-Death Studies National Laboratory of Psychical Research Parapsychological Association Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory Society for Psychical Research

People	Loyd Auerbach Daryl Bem Hans Bender Susan Blackmore Stephen E. Braude Richard Broughton Etzel Cardeña Whately Carington Hereward Carrington Robert Crookall Théodore Flournoy Nandor Fodor Randall Fontes George P. Hansen László Harasztosi Alister Hardy Hans Holzer Charles Honorton James Hurtak James H. Hyslop Thomson Jay Hudson Alexander Imich Brian David Josephson Stanley Krippner Lawrence LeShan Rufus Osgood Mason R. A. McConnell James Hewat McKenzie Michel Moine Raymond Moody Robert L. Morris Thelma Moss Gardner Murphy Frederic William Henry Myers Andrew Nichols Ciarán O'Keeffe Tommaso Palamidessi Joseph Gaither Pratt Dean Radin James Randi Konstantin Raudive Carl Reichenbach Joseph Banks Rhine Kenneth Ring D. Scott Rogo William G. Roll Rupert Sheldrake Henry Sidgwick Matthew Smith Ian Stevenson Russell Targ Charles Tart Michael Thalbourne Rudolf Tischner Jim B. Tucker Jessica Utts René Warcollier Karl Zener

Publications	Extrasensory Perception Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century Journal of Consciousness Studies Journal of Near-Death Studies Journal of Parapsychology Journal of Scientific Exploration Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon—Survival of Bodily Death Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives Old Souls: The Scientific Evidence For Past Lives Parapsychology: Frontier Science of the Mind The Roots of Coincidence Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation

Category Commons

Authority control: PND: 123344905 | LCCN: n80062980 | VIAF: 17290510 | WorldCat

Persondata
Name	Randi, James
Alternative names	Zwinge, Randall James Hamilton (birth name); The Amazing Randi (stage name)
Short description	Magician, skeptic, writer
Date of birth	August 7, 1928
Place of birth	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of death
Place of death

http://wn.com/James_Randi

http://it.wn.com/James Randi

http://id.wn.com/James Randi

http://es.wn.com/James Randi

http://ru.wn.com/Рэнди, Джеймс

http://nl.wn.com/James Randi

http://pt.wn.com/James Randi

http://pl.wn.com/James Randi

http://fr.wn.com/James Randi

http://de.wn.com/James Randi

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Randi

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Uri Geller
Uri Geller in 2009
Born	(1946-12-20) 20 December 1946 (age 65) Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine
Residence	Berkshire, England & Cyprus - (Tel Aviv - Israel)
Occupation	performer, self-proclaimed psychic
Spouse	Hanna Geller

Uri Geller (Hebrew: אורי גלר‎; born 20 December 1946) is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to simulate the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy. Geller's career as an entertainer has spanned almost four decades, with television shows and appearances in many countries.^[1] Geller used to call his abilities "psychic" but now prefers to refer to himself as a "mystifier" and entertainer.^[2]

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Personal life
4 Paranormal claims
- 4.1 Parallels to stage magic
- 4.2 Scientific testing
5 The Tonight Show
6 Controversial performances
7 Litigation
8 Copyright claims
9 Lamb Island, Scotland
10 Bibliography
11 References
12 External links

Early life [link]

Born in Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine, to Hungarian Jewish parents, Geller is the son of Itzhaak Geller (Gellér Izsák), a retired army sergeant major, and Manzy Freud (Freud Manci). It is claimed that Geller is a distant relative of Sigmund Freud on his mother's side.^[3]

At the age of 11, Geller's family moved to Nicosia, Cyprus, where he attended a high school, The Terra Santa College and learned English. At the age of 18^[4] he served in the a Israeli Army's Paratroopers Brigade,^[5] and was wounded in action during the 1967 Six-Day War.^[6]^[7] He worked as a photographic model in 1968 and 1969; during that time, he began to perform for small audiences as a nightclub entertainer,^[8] becoming well known in Israel.^[9]

Geller first started to perform in theatres, public halls, auditoriums, military bases and universities in Israel.^[10] By the 1970s, Geller had become known in the United States and Europe. He also received attention from the scientific community, whose members were interested in examining his reported psychic abilities. At the peak of his career in the 1970s, he worked full-time, performing for television audiences worldwide.

Career [link]

Geller gained notice for demonstrating on television what he claimed to be psychokinesis, dowsing, and telepathy.^[11] His performance included bending spoons, describing hidden drawings, and making watches stop or run faster. Geller said he performs these feats through will power and the strength of his mind.^[12] Magicians have said that his performances can be duplicated using stage magic tricks.^[13]

In 1975 Geller published his first autobiography, My Story, and acknowledged that, in his early career, his manager talked him into adding a magic trick to make his performances last longer.^[14] This trick involved Geller appearing to guess audience members' license plate numbers, when in fact his manager had given them to him ahead of time. One of Geller's most prominent critics is the skeptic James Randi, who has accused Geller repeatedly of trying to pass off magic tricks as paranormal displays. Randi often duplicated Geller's performances using stage magic techniques.

Geller bending a spoon in a mall in Switzerland, 2005

Geller starred in the 2001 horror film Sanitarium, directed by Johannes Roberts and James Eaves. In May 2002, he appeared as a contestant on the first series of the British reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, where he finished in eighth place. In 2005, Geller starred in Uri's Haunted Cities: Venice, a XI Pictures/Lion TV production for Sky One, which led to a behind the scenes release in early 2008 called Cursed; both productions were directed by Jason Figgis. In early 2007, Geller hosted a reality show in Israel called The Successor (היורש), where the contestants supposedly displayed supernatural powers; Israeli magicians criticized the program saying that it was all magic tricks.^[15] In July 2007 NBC signed Geller and Criss Angel for Phenomenon, to search for the next great mentalist; contestant Mike Super won the position.^[16] In January 2008, Geller began hosting the TV show The Next Uri Geller, broadcast by Pro7 in Germany.^[17]

In February 2008, Geller began a show on Dutch television called De Nieuwe Uri Geller, which shares a similar format to its German counterpart. The goal of the programme is to find the best mentalist in the Netherlands. In March 2008, he started the same show in Hungary (A kiválasztott in Hungarian). During the show, Geller speaks in both Hungarian and English. Geller also performs his standard routines of allegedly making stopped watches start, spoons jump from televisions, and tables move. Geller co-produced the TV show Book of Knowledge, released in April 2008.^[18] In October 2009, a similar show, called The Successor of Uri Geller.^[19] began on Greek television.

Personal life [link]

Geller lives in Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. He claims to have been a vegetarian since 1976; however, he still eats fish making him a pescetarian.^[20] He is also trilingual, speaking English, Hebrew, and Hungarian.^[21] In an appearance on Esther Rantzen's 1996 television talk show Esther, Geller claimed to have suffered from anorexia nervosa for several years.^[22]^[23] In addition, he has written 16 fiction and non fiction books.

Geller owns a 1976 Cadillac adorned with thousands of pieces of bent tableware given to him by celebrities or otherwise having significance to him. This includes spoons from such people as John Lennon and the Spice Girls, as well as those with which Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy supposedly ate. His friend Michael Jackson was best man when Geller renewed his wedding vows in 2001.^[24] Geller also claimed on a BBC Radio 5 Live interview with Nicky Campbell on the morning after Michael Jackson's death (25 June 2009) that Jackson had agreed to let Geller hypnotise him to help him with a problem. Geller said that he did something "highly unethical" by asking him whether he had ever "touched a child in an inappropriate way." Geller says that Jackson immediately denied it under hypnosis.^{[citation needed]} Geller also negotiated the famous TV interview between Jackson with the journalist Martin Bashir: Living with Michael Jackson.^[25]

Geller is president of International Friends of Magen David Adom, a group that lobbied the International Committee of the Red Cross to recognise Magen David Adom ("Red Star of David") as a humanitarian relief organisation.^{[citation needed]} After in 1997 trying to help Coca-Cola League One football club Exeter City win a crucial end of season game by placing "energy-infused" crystals behind the goals at Exeter's ground (Exeter lost the game 5–1), he was appointed co-chairman of the club in 2002. The club were relegated to the Nationwide Conference in May 2003, where they remained for five years. He has since severed formal ties with the club.

Following the death of Michael Jackson, the British television station ITV announced plans to screen an interview with Geller regarding his relationship with Jackson, entitled My Friend Michael Jackson: Uri's Story.^[26]

Paranormal claims [link]

Geller has claimed his feats are the result of paranormal powers^[11] given to him by extraterrestrials,^[27] but critics such as James Randi argue and have demonstrated that Geller's tricks can be replicated with stage magic and are simply "parlour tricks".^[13]

In the early 1970s, an article in The Jerusalem Post accused Geller of being a fraud for claiming that his feats were telepathic.^[9] In addition, a 1974 article also hints at Geller's abilities being trickery.^[28] The article alleged that his manager Shipi Shtrang (whom he called his brother at the time)^{[clarification needed]} and Shipi's sister Hannah Shtrang secretly helped in Geller's performances.^[28] Eventually, Geller married Hannah and they had children.^[29]

In 1975, two scientists (Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff from the Stanford Research Institute) said they were convinced that Geller's demonstrations were genuine.^[30] Since that time, however, notable scientists, various magicians, and skeptics have suggested possible ways in which Geller could have tricked the scientists using misdirection techniques.^[13]^[31] These critics, who include Richard Feynman, James Randi and Martin Gardner, have accused him of using his demonstrations fraudulently outside of the entertainment business.^[32]^[33] Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, who was an amateur magician, wrote in Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (1985) that Geller was unable to bend a key for him and his son.^[34] Some of his claims have been described by watchmakers as restarting stopped mechanical clocks by moving them around.^[35]

Geller is well known for making predictions regarding sporting events. Skeptic James Randi and British tabloid newspaper The Sun have demonstrated the teams and players he chooses to win most often lose.^[36] John Atkinson explored "predictions" Geller made over 30 years and concluded "Uri more often than not scuppered [i.e., destroyed] the chances of sportsmen and teams he was trying to help."^[36] This was pointed out by one of Randi's readers, who called it "The Curse of Uri Geller."^[37]

During the Euro 96 football game between Scotland and England at Wembley, Geller, who was hovering overhead in a helicopter, claimed that he managed to move the ball from the penalty spot when Scotland's Gary McAllister was about to take a penalty kick,^[38] something that, if true, would be against the rules of Association football, as the ball would then have been "Out of Play". The player ended up missing the chance to equalise for Scotland.

In another notable instance, in 1992, Geller was asked to investigate the kidnapping of Hungarian model Helga Farkas; after he predicted she would be found alive and in good health, she was found to have been murdered by her kidnappers.^[39]^[40] Geller was a friend of Bruce Bursford and helped him "train his mind" during some cycling speed record-breaking bids in the 1990s.^[41]

In 2007, skeptics observed that Geller appeared to have dropped his claims that he does not perform magic tricks. Randi highlighted a quotation from the November 2007 issue of the magazine Magische Welt (Magic World) in which Geller said: "I'll no longer say that I have supernatural powers. I am an entertainer. I want to do a good show. My entire character has changed."^[42]

In a later interview, Geller told Telepolis, "I said to this German magazine, so what I did say, that I changed my character, to the best of my recollection, and I no longer say that I do supernatural things. It doesn't mean that I don't have powers. It means that I don't say 'it's supernatural', I say 'I'm a mystifier!' That's what I said. And the sceptics turned it around and said, 'Uri Geller said he's a magician!' I never said that."^[43] In that interview, Geller further explained that when he is asked how he does his stunts, he tells children to "Forget the paranormal. Forget spoon bending! Instead of that, focus on school! Become a positive thinker! Believe in yourself and create a target! Go to university! Never smoke! And never touch drugs! And think of success!"^[43]

In February 2008, Geller stated in the TV show The Next Uri Geller (a German version of The Successor) that he did not have any supernatural powers, before winking to the camera.^[44]

Parallels to stage magic [link]

Geller admits, "Sure, there are magicians who can duplicate [my performances] through trickery."^[45] He has claimed that even though his spoon bending can be repeated using trickery, he uses psychic powers to achieve his results.^[45] Skeptic James Randi has stated that if Geller is truly using his mind to perform these feats, "He is doing it the hard way."^[46]

Stage magicians note several methods of creating the illusion of a spoon spontaneously bending. Most common is the practice of misdirection, an underlying principle of many stage magic tricks.^[47] There are many ways in which a bent spoon can be presented to an audience as to give the appearance it was manipulated using supernatural powers. One way is through brief moments of distraction in which a magician can physically bend a spoon unseen by the audience,^[46] before gradually revealing the bend to create the illusion that the spoon is bending before the viewers' eyes.^[46] Another way is to pre-bend the spoon, perhaps by heating it, reducing the amount of force that needed to be applied to bend it manually.^[46] It is also possible to chemically bend the spoon by applying a corrosive to one edge so that the spoon weakens and bends in a set period of time.^{[citation needed]}

During telepathic drawing demonstrations, Geller claimed the ability to read the minds of subjects as they draw a picture. Although in these demonstrations he cannot see the picture being drawn, he is sometimes present in the room, and on these occasions can see the subjects as they draw. Critics argue this may allow Geller to infer common shapes from pencil movement and sound, with the power of suggestion doing the rest.^[47]

Watchmakers have noted that "many supposedly broken watches had merely been stopped by gummy oil, and simply holding them in the hand would warm the oil enough to soften it and allow watches to resume ticking."^[35]

In 1978, Yasha Katz, who had been Geller's manager in Britain, said that all performances by Geller were simply stage tricks, and he explained how they were really done.^[48]

In November 2008, Geller accepted an award during a convention of magicians, the Services to Promotion of Magic Award from the Berglas Foundation. In his acceptance speech, Geller said that if he hadn't had psychic powers then he "must be the greatest" to have been able to fool journalists, scientists and Berglas himself.^[49]

Scientific testing [link]

Geller's performances of drawing duplication and cutlery bending usually take place under informal conditions such as television interviews. During his early career he allowed some scientists to investigate his claims. A study by Stanford Research Institute (now known as SRI International) conducted by researchers Harold E. Puthoff and Russell Targ concluded^[50] that he had performed successfully enough to warrant further serious study, and the "Geller-effect" was coined to refer to the particular type of abilities they felt had been demonstrated.^[51]

In An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural, Randi wrote: "Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ, who studied Mr. Geller at the Stanford Research Institute were aware, in one instance at least, that they were being shown a magician's trick by Geller."^[52] Moreover, Randi explained, "Their protocols for this 'serious' investigation of the powers claimed by Geller were described by Dr. Ray Hyman, who investigated the project on behalf of the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency, as 'sloppy and inadequate.'"^[52] Puthoff and Targ complained in a book about Hyman's procedures. They had suggested that Hyman and co. visit SRI and conduct their own experiments on Geller. This they did, and Hyman and his two colleagues spent ‘a couple of hours’ performing their own experiments on Geller. Hyman would not have observed any testing by Puthoff and Targ. Hyman's experiments were observed and video taped by Puthoff and Targ, who said that they were conducted in an ‘informal manner’ and ‘largely uncontrolled’.^[53]

Critics of this testing include psychologists Dr. David Marks and Dr. Richard Kammann, who published a description of how Geller could have cheated in an informal test of his so-called psychic powers in 1977.^[54] Their 1978 article in Nature and 1980 book The Psychology of the Psychic (2nd ed. 2000) described how a normal explanation was possible for Geller's alleged powers of telepathy. Marks and Kammann found evidence that while at SRI Geller was allowed to peek through a hole in the laboratory wall separating Geller from the drawings he was being invited to reproduce. The drawings he was asked to reproduce were placed on a wall opposite the peep hole which the investigators Targ and Puthoff had stuffed with cotton gauze. In addition to this error, the investigators had also allowed Geller access to a two-way intercom enabling Geller to listen to the investigators' conversation during the time when they were choosing and/or displaying the target drawings. These basic errors indicate the high importance of ensuring that psychologists, magicians or other people with an in-depth knowledge of perception, who are trained in methods for blocking sensory cues, be present during the testing of psychics.

In 1974, William E. Cox organized a committee within the Society of American Magicians to 'investigate false claims of ESP'. Geller was tested by Cox, who was impressed by some positive test results which his scrutiny could find no fraud. For example, William E. Cox held a robust key with one finger on a table and watched as it bent with Geller in view, and noticed no trickery.^[55]^[56] Geller was to be tested by other two magicians from the Society.

[edit] The Tonight Show

Geller was unable to bend any tableware during a 1973 appearance on The Tonight Show in which the spoons he was to bend had been pre-selected by Johnny Carson. Earlier in his career, Carson had been an amateur stage magician, and he consulted James Randi for advice on how to thwart potential trickery.^[27] In 1993 Randi explained in "Secrets of the Psychics" for the NOVA television series: "I was asked to prevent any trickery. I told them to provide their own props and not to let Geller or his people anywhere near them." A clip of this incident was televised on the NBC show Phenomenon. This two-minute clip has been widely circulated on the Internet since James Randi acquired permission to use it from NBC, and Carson paid for the videotape transfer.^[57] In his television special Secrets of the Psychics, Geller is shown failing at psychic "hand dowsing" (i.e. locating sealed vessels containing water without touching them), not metal bending.^{[clarification needed]}

Controversial performances [link]

Wikinews has related news: Criss Angel challenges Uri Geller and Jim Callahan over paranormal claims

As part of a mass demonstration, Geller’s photograph appeared on the cover of the magazine ESP with the caption “On Sept. 1, 1976 at 11pm E.D.T. THIS COVER CAN BEND YOUR KEYS." According to editor Howard Smukler, over 300 positive responses were received, many including bent objects and detailed descriptions of the surrounding circumstances including the bending of the key to the city of Providence, Rhode Island.^[58]

Noel Edmonds was a television prankster who often used hidden cameras to record celebrities in Candid Camera-like situations for his television programme Noel's House Party. In 1996, Edmonds planned a stunt in which shelves would fall from the walls of a room while Geller was in it. The cameras recorded footage of Geller from angles he was not expecting, and they showed Geller grasping a spoon firmly with both hands as he stood up to display a bend in it.^[59]

In late 2006 and early 2007, Geller starred in The Successor, an Israeli television show to find his "successor." During one segment, a compass was made to move, purportedly as a result of Geller's paranormal abilities. However, critics say slow motion footage of the episode showed Geller attaching a magnet to his thumb immediately prior to the compass's movement.^[60]^[61] Geller denied that this was sleight of hand, and said he welcomed the "mystical aura" that the publicity gave him.^[62]

Geller performed the same compass trick in 2000 on ABC TV's The View, which was later duplicated by Randi on the same show the following week.^[63]

Litigation [link]

Geller has litigated or threatened legal action against some of his critics with mixed success.^[64] These included libel allegations against Randi and illusionist Gérard Majax.

In 1971, a mechanical engineering student called Uri Goldstein attended one of Geller's shows, and subsequently sued the show's promoters for breach of contract. The case came before the civil court in Beersheba,^[65] Geller was not present as the summons had been sent to the office of the promoter Miki Peled, who had ignored it as being trivial. As Geller nor Peled were there to defend themselves, Goldstein was awarded 27.5 lira (around $5) for breach of contract. Later, Goldstein admitted that he went to the show specifically with the intent of suing to get his money back, and he had already found a lawyer to represent him prior to attending the performance.^[66]^{[unreliable source?]}

In the early 1990s, Geller filed suits against Prometheus Books, Victor J. Stenger, and Paul Kurtz for statements in their skeptical books; Geller eventually settled, paying more than $20,000 in costs to the publisher.^[64]^[67]

In a 1989 interview with a Japanese newspaper, Randi was quoted as saying that Geller had driven a scientist to "shoot himself in the head" after finding out that Geller had fooled him. Randi afterwards claimed it was a metaphor lost in translation.^[68] However, in a previous interview with a Canadian newspaper, Randi said essentially the same thing: "One scientist, a metallurgist, wrote a paper backing Geller's claims that he could bend metal. The scientist shot himself after I showed him how the key bending trick was done."^[69] In 1990, Geller sued Randi in a Japanese court over the statements Randi had made in the Japanese newspaper. Randi claims that he could not afford to defend himself, therefore he lost the case by default. The court declared Randi's statement an "insult" as opposed to libel, and awarded a judgment against Randi for ¥500,000 (at the time about US$4400). Randi feels that, since the charge of "insult" is not recognized by American Law, he was not required to pay, and maintains that he has "never paid even one dollar or even one cent to anyone who ever sued" him.^[70]^[71]^[72]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Uri Geller vs. James Randi decision

In 1991, Geller sued Timex Corporation and the advertising firm Fallon McElligott for millions in Geller v. Fallon McElligott^[73] over an ad showing a person bending forks and other items, but failing to stop a Timex watch. Geller was sanctioned $149,000 for filing a frivolous lawsuit.^[74]

In 1998, the Broadcasting Standards Commission in the United Kingdom rejected a complaint made by Geller, saying that it "wasn't unfair to have magicians showing how they duplicate those "psychic feats'" on the UK Equinox episode "Secrets of the Super Psychics" (this film, made by Open Media, was known on first transmission as Secrets of the Psychics but should not be confused with the earlier NOVA film of the same name).^[75] The full text of the BSC adjudication is available online here^[76].

He also considered a suit against IKEA over a furniture line featuring bent legs that was called the "Uri" line.^[77]

Copyright claims [link]

Wikinews has related news: Judge dismisses copyright lawsuit against Uri Geller

In November 2000, Geller sued video game company Nintendo for £60 million (the equivalent of US $100 million) over the Pokémon character "Yungerer," localized in English as "Kadabra", which he claimed was an unauthorised appropriation of his identity.^[78]^[79] The Pokémon in question has psychic abilities and carries a bent spoon. Geller also claimed that the star on Kadabra's forehead and the lightning patterns on its abdomen are symbolisms popular with the Waffen SS of Nazi Germany.^[79] The katakana for the character's name, ユンゲラー, is visually similar to the transliteration of Geller's own name into Japanese (ユリゲラー). He is quoted as saying: "Nintendo turned me into an evil, occult Pokémon character. Nintendo stole my identity by using my name and my signature image." The lawsuit was thrown out of court.

In 2007, Geller issued a DMCA notice to YouTube to remove a video uploaded by Brian Sapient of the "Rational Response Squad" which was excerpted from an episode of the Nova television program titled "Secrets of the Psychics". The video included footage of Geller failing to perform. In response, Sapient contacted the Electronic Frontier Foundation, issued a DMCA counter-notice, and sued Geller for misuse of the DMCA. Geller's company, Explorologist, filed a counter-suit. Both cases were settled out of court; a monetary settlement was paid (but it is not clear by and to whom) and the eight seconds of footage owned by Explorologist were licensed under a noncommercial Creative Commons license.^[80]

Lamb Island, Scotland [link]

On 11 February 2009, Geller purchased the uninhabited 100 yard-by-50 yard Lamb Island off the eastern coast of Scotland, previously known for its witch trials, and beaches that Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have described in his novel Treasure Island. Geller claims that buried on the island is Egyptian treasure, brought there by Scota, the half-sister of Tutankhamen 3,500 years ago and that he will find the treasure through dowsing. Geller also claimed to have strengthened the mystical powers of the island by burying there a crystal orb once belonging to Albert Einstein.^[81]^[82]

Bibliography [link]

Books by Geller, sold as fiction

Ella. Martinez Roca, March 1999. ISBN 0-7472-5920-8
Shawn. Goodyer Associates Ltd. ISBN 1-871406-09-9
Pampini. World Authors, 1980. ISBN 0-89975-000-1
Dead Cold. ISBN 0-7472-5921-6

Books by Geller, sold as nonfiction

My Story. Henry Holt & Company, Inc. (April 1975) ISBN 0-03-030196-3
Uri Geller and Guy Lyon Playfair. The Geller Effect. Grafton, Jonathan Cape, Hunter Publishing, (1988) ISBN 0-586-07430-9 ISBN 978-0-586-07430-5
Uri Geller and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Confessions of a Psychic and a Rabbi. (Foreword by Deepak Chopra) Element Books Ltd (March 2000) ISBN 1-86204-724-3
Uri Geller and Lulu Appleton. Mind Medicine. Element Books Ltd (October 1999) ISBN 1-86204-477-5
Uri Geller's Little Book of Mind Power. Robson Books (August 1999) ISBN 1-86105-193-X
Uri Geller's Mind Power Kit. Penguin USA (1996) ISBN 0-670-87138-9
Uri Geller's Fortune Secrets. (Edited with Simon Turnbull) Psychic Hotline Pty Limited (21 May 1987) ISBN 0-7221-3812-1
Unorthodox Encounters. Chrysalis Books (2001) ISBN 1-86105-366-5

Books about Geller

Colin, Jim. The Strange Story of Uri Geller. Raintree, 1975 ISBN 0-8172-1037-7 (48 pages)
Ebon, Martin. The Amazing Uri Geller. Signet 1975. ISBN 0-451-06475-5
Ben Harris Gellerism Revealed. Micky Hades International 1985 ISBN 0-919230-92-X
Margolis, Jonathan. Uri Geller Magician or Mystic?. Welcome Rain / Orion ISBN 0-7528-1006-5
Gardner, Martin. Confessions of a Psychic. (under the pseudonym "Uriah Fuller" (an allusion to Geller) that purport to explain "how fake psychics perform seemingly incredible paranormal feats.") Karl Fulves, 1975.
Gardner, Martin. Further Confessions of a Psychic. (under the pseudonym "Uriah Fuller") 1980.
Panati, Charles. The Geller Papers. Houghton Mifflin.
Puharich, Andrija, Uri: A Journal of the Mystery of Uri Geller. Anchor Press / Doubleday
Randi, James, The Magic of Uri Geller. (Later editions are titled The Truth About Uri Geller). New York: Prometheus Books, Ballintine, 1982. ISBN 0-87975-199-1
Taylor, John G.. Superminds. Macmillian/Picador
Wilhelm, John. In Search of Superman. Pocket Books, 1976. ISBN 0-671-80590-8
Wilson, Colin. The Geller Phenomenon. Aldus Books, 1976. ISBN 0-7172-8105-1

References [link]

^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0312414/
^ "TP: "Forget the paranormal!"". Heise.de. http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/27/27217/1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Jonathan Margolis, Uri Geller Magician or Mystic, Orion Media, 1998, ISBN 0-7528-1006-5, p.13
^ James Randi, The Truth About Uri Geller, New York: Prometheus Books (1982) page 9
^ Margolis, Jonathan (1999-12-29). "Nintendo faces £60m writ from Uri Geller". Guardian Unlimited (London: Guardian News and Media Limited). http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3945740,00.html. Retrieved 2006-12-09. "... the 53-year-old former Israeli paratrooper has always guarded unlicensed use of his name."
^ Friedman, Matti (2006-12-28). "Bend it like Geller". The Age (Melbourne: AP). http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/bend-it-like-geller/2006/12/25/1166895234851.html. Retrieved 2011-02-15. "He served in the Israeli paratroops, was wounded in 1967’s Six-Day War..." (also in MSNBC [1] and possibly other sites)
^ Uri Geller and Guy Lyon Playfair, Uri Geller, The Geller Effect, pp. 6, 27, 79, 133, "(p. 6) He served as a paratrooper during his military service in the Israeli Army and fought in the Six Day was of 1967, during which he was wounded in action. (p. 27) I am not particularly found of guns as weapons, having been wounded by one (...) (p. 79) In 1979 I finally married Hanna, whom I had known for more than ten years since we first met while I was convalescing from the wounds I received during the Six Day War of 1967. (p. 133) He showed me the large scar where he had been operated on after being wounded in the Six Day War. It was close to his left elbow joint, and the stitch marks were easily visible. 'I'm not strong in this arm at all,' he added. 'I can't even lift a heavy suitcase with it'"
^ The Magician And the Think Tank, Time (magazine) Mar. 12, 1973
^ ^a ^b "Telepathist Geller Termed a Fraud," Jerusalem Post 5 October 1970
^ Margolis, Jonathan (1998). Uri Geller. Magician or Mystic?: Orinon Media.ISBN 0-7528-1006-5. pages 92,103,107, 112,118,
^ ^a ^b Geller, Uri (November 8, 2000). "Geller: I can bend metal". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4087777,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
^ "Cyberspace Psychic". Totally Jewish. 2000-07-25. http://www.uri-geller.com/totallyjewish1.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The skeptic's Dictionary: Uri Geller". Skepdic.com. http://skepdic.com/geller.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "13". Uri-geller.com. http://www.uri-geller.com/books/my-story/ms13.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "Uri Geller accused of TV trickery". BBC. 21 January 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6285005.stm. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
^ "NBC Offers Reality Show For Wanna-Be Mentalists With Uri Geller, Criss Angel". Tampa Tribune. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20071020050232/http://www.tbo.com/entertainment/tv/MGBYA18H74F.html. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
^ "The Next Uri Geller". Pro7. http://www.prosieben.de/show_comedy/next_uri_geller/. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
^ Hopewell, John (2008-03-31). "Knowledge powers Mip TV slate". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983237.html?categoryid=19&cs=1&nid=2562.
^ "UriGeller". Antenna.gr. http://www.antenna.gr/urigeller/. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Charalambous, Anthi (2011-03-08). "Uri Geller under the microscope". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1364003/Uri-Geller-microscope.html. "It's not unusual for me to climb 40 flights to the top of a building, come down and go back up again several times in a day."
^ "TV2V". Webcast.tv2.hu. http://webcast.tv2.hu/dynamic/f.html?video_id=374195. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "Anorexic men are suffering in silence". Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland). 1999-09-01. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60353334.html.
^ Geller, Uri (2008-04-20). "Uri Geller: Bingeing is an addictive drug". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/21/nprescott321.xml.
^ "Jackson fans await Geller wedding". BBC. 2001-03-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1206918.stm. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
^ "Jackson interview seen by 14m". BBC. 4 February 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2719763.stm. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
^ "ITV announce ‘My Friend Michael Jackson: Uri’s Story’ @ Unreality Primetime". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 2009-07-17. http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/itv-announce-my-friend-michael-jackson-uris-story/. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ ^a ^b Frum, David (2000). How We Got Here: The '70s. New York, New York: Basic Books. p. 132. ISBN 0-465-04195-7.
^ ^a ^b "Uri Geller Twirls the Entire World on His Little Finger; Only His Closest Acquaintances Know His Methods," Haolam Hazeh, 1974-02-20
^ Randi, James (2004-04-30). "Boring, Boring, Boring". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/043004bad.html#4. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
^ "Information transmission under conditions of sensory shielding". Nature.com. 1974-10-18. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v251/n5476/abs/251602a0.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "Richard Feynman on Uri Geller". Indian-skeptic.org. 1997-10-23. http://www.indian-skeptic.org/html/fey2.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Geller v. Randi, US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, 1994.
^ Gardner, Martin (1989) [1981]. Science: Good, Bad & Bogus. ISBN 0-87975-573-3.
^ Richard Feynman. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (1985), page 339
^ ^a ^b Boyce Rensberger, "Magicians Term Israeli 'Psychic' a Fraud," The New York Times. 13 December 1975, page 59
^ ^a ^b Lorraine, Veronica (2007-04-01). "The Curse of Uri Geller". The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006120265,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
^ "The Curse of Uri Geller". James Randi Educational Foundation. 2003-07-27. http://www.randi.org/jr/062703.html. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
^ "Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Scots pyramid island a bargain for psychic Uri". Express.co.uk. 2009-02-12. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/84410/Scots-pyramid-island-a-bargain-for-psychic-Uri. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "Commentary, 7 September 2001 — Reluctant Wizard, Sylvia Browne — At Last, and Geller in Hungary". Randi.org. http://www.randi.org/jr/090701.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "psi-missing". Skepdic.com. http://skepdic.com/psimiss.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Record-breaking cyclist killed
^ Randi, James (2008-01-18). "Geller Reversal". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/149-swift-january-18-2008.html#i1.
^ ^a ^b "Forget the paranormal!". Telepolis. 2008-02-05. http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/27/27217/1.html.
^ "The next Uri Geller - Unglaubliche Phänomene Live". 2008-02-05. ProSieben.
^ ^a ^b "Uri Geller - A Sceptical Perspective". WordSmith. October 1996. http://simon-jones.org.uk/uri-geller-sceptical-interview/. Retrieved 2006-10-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Interview with James Randi in NOVA episode, "Secrets of the Psychics".
^ ^a ^b Ben Harris,The Second Coming Psychics: All the Best from Skeptic 1986–1990, page 8
^ James Randi (6 April 1978), "Geller a fake says ex-manager", New Scientist 78 (1097): p. 11, http://books.google.com/books?id=ko7Yy08C1PUC&pg=PA11&dq=geller+a+fake+says+ex-manager&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LuHsTrzWFILAhAeLubyhCA&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=geller%20a%20fake%20says%20ex-manager&f=false Letter reply in issue 1105, vol 78, 1 June 1978, page 614.
^ Service To Magic Award [2], accessed 3rd December 2008. "Lets say I wasn’t real, lets say for the last years I’ve fooled the journalists, the scientists, my family, my friends... You... If I managed to fool them, I must be the greatest...I cannot bend spoons like some of the magicians, you, can, it blows my mind when I see that, I have no idea. I had the idea and cheekiness to call it psychic, in fact all I wanted was to be rich and famous."
^ Targ R & Puthoff H, "Information transmission under conditions of sensory shielding," Nature, 251, 18 October 1974, pp.602–607.
^ "The Geller Papers". UriGeller.com. 2007. http://www.uri-geller.com/books/geller-papers/gpap.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
^ ^a ^b Randi, James (1995). "An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural". St. Martin's Press. http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Geller,%20Uri.html. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
^ “Mind Reach – Scientists look at psychic abilities” by Russell Targ and Harold E.Puthoff, p.173 (2005 edition)
^ David Marks & Richard Kammann. "The Non-Psychic Powers of Uri Geller." Skeptical Inquirer, Summer 1977, Vol. 1 No. 2, p.9–17.
^ A preliminary scrutiny of Uri Geller, William E. Cox
^ COX, William. E., "A scrutiny of Uri Geller", in J. D. Morris, W. G. Roll, & R. L. Morris, Research in Parapsychology 1974: Abstracts and Papers from the 17th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1974, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, pp. 63–66, http://www.zem.demon.co.uk/cox.htm
^ "Swift - March 30, 2007". 2007-03-30. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-03/032307hope.html. Retrieved 2007-12-22. James Randi discusses obtaining the clip of Uri Geller on The Tonight Show.
^ "Geller Experiment Successful - ESP Magazine". Zem.demon.co.uk. http://www.zem.demon.co.uk/espsucc.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "James Randi exposes Uri Geller date=". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdTqpscvaw4&feature=related. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
^ Uri Geller Exposed on Rffi Reshef with Compass Trick Youtube
^ "James Randi's Swift - February 09, 2007". Randi.org. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-02/020209morebrowne.html#i7. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ "Entertainment | Uri Geller accused of TV trickery". BBC News. 2007-01-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6285005.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Randi, James (2000-01-26). "The Moving Compass Trick". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/01-26-2000.html. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
^ ^a ^b Truzzi, M (1996) from the Parapsychological Association newsletter http://66.221.71.68/psir.htm
^ An Apology from James Randi Urigeller.com
^ Jonathan Margolis, Uri Geller Magician or Mystic, Orion Media, 1998, ISBN 0-7528-1006-5, p.113
^ Geller, Uri. "Uri Geller Libel Suit Dismissed". Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20080211180550/csicop.org/articles/uri_dis.html. Retrieved 2006-12-08. "Self proclaimed "psychic" Uri Geller had to dismiss a multi-million dollar libel suit and has to pay over $90,000 in sanctions in an action he brought against skeptical book publisher Prometheus Books of Amherst, New York."
^ Cuckoos and Cocoa Puffs by Carol Krol http://www.skepticfiles.org/randi/legal.htm
^ Patricia Orwen, James Randi August 23, 1986, Toronto Star.
^ "PSI Researcher". Uri-geller.com. http://www.uri-geller.com/psir.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Randi, James (2007-02-09). "More Geller Woo-Woo". SWIFT Newsletter. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-02/020209morebrowne.html#i6. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
^ "Randi's Geller Hotline for 1994: Recent Legal Developments". Randi.org. 1994-12-11. http://www.randi.org/hotline/1994/0048.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ (No. 90-Civ-2839, 22 July 1991)
^ "Recent Legal Developments". James Randi Educational Foundation. 1994-12-11. http://www.randi.org/hotline/1994/0048.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
^ Blackmore, Susan (November–December, 1998). "UK broadcast commission rejects Geller's 'Secrets of the Psychics' complaint". Skeptical Inquirer. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_n6_v22/ai_21275515. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
^ "BSC". Openmedia.co.uk. http://www.openmedia.co.uk/urigeller.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
^ Margolis, Jonathan (1999-12-29). "Nintendo faces £60m writ from Uri Geller". London: Guardian Unlimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3945740,00.html. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
^ "Uri Geller sues Pokemon". http://news.zdnet.co.uk/emergingtech/0,1000000183,2076058,00.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
^ ^a ^b "Geller sues Nintendo over Pokémon". BBC News. 2000-11-02. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1003454.stm. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
^ Sapient v. Geller, Electronic Frontier Foundation
^ Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2010, 1. The article quoted Geller as saying that "I'm certain there are ancient Egyptian artifacts there. It's only a matter of time until we find them."
^ "Spoon-bender buys Scottish island". BBC News. 2009-02-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7883836.stm.

External links [link]

Find more about Uri Geller on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

Media

v t e I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! UK Series 1

Tony Blackburn Tara Palmer-Tomkinson Christine Hamilton Nell McAndrew Rhona Cameron Darren Day Nigel Benn Uri Geller

Persondata
Name	Geller, Uri
Alternative names
Short description	performer and author
Date of birth	20 December 1946
Place of birth	Tel Aviv, Israel
Date of death	living
Place of death

http://wn.com/Uri_Geller

http://it.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://es.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://ru.wn.com/Геллер, Ури

http://nl.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://pt.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://pl.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://fr.wn.com/Uri Geller

http://de.wn.com/Uri Geller

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uri_Geller

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Peter Popoff
Born	(1946-07-02) July 2, 1946 (age 65) Berlin, Germany
Occupation	President and Senior Pastor, People United For Christ
Years active	1977 - present
Religion	Charismatic Christian
Spouse	Elizabeth Popoff (1970 - present)
Children	Amy, Nickolas and Alex

Peter Popoff (born July 2, 1946) is a televangelist and self-proclaimed prophet and faith healer. He conducts revival meetings and has a national television program. He initially rose to prominence in the 1980s. He went bankrupt in 1987 after skeptics James Randi and Alexander (Alec) Jason ^[1] exposed his method of receiving information about revival attendees from his wife via an in-ear receiver.^[2]^[3] According to Fred M. Frohock, "the case of Peter Popoff is one of many egregious instances of fake healing".^[4] Popoff has since returned to public ministry.

1 Early life
2 Exposed as a fraud by James Randi
3 Resurgence
4 Financial details
5 Publications
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Early life [link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2011)

Peter Popoff was born in Berlin, Germany on July 2, 1946. He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1950. His father George, a Pentecostal minister and pastor, toured the U.S. preaching in some of the nation's largest churches. He began a radio ministry and also pastored several churches in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Peter traveled with his family much of the time, finishing high school by correspondence school. He also helped his father with the preaching and radio ministry.

He married Elizabeth in 1971. Together, they traveled as evangelists for 5 years. When their daughter Amy was born, they bought a house in Upland, California and Peter began a radio ministry.

Exposed as a fraud by James Randi [link]

During his appearances at church conventions in the 1970s, Popoff routinely and accurately stated the home addresses and specific illnesses of his audience members, a feat many believed was due to divine revelation and "God given ability".^[5] In 1986 when members of CSICOP reported that Popoff was using a radio to receive messages, Popoff denied it and said the messages came from God.^[6] At the time of his popularity, skeptic groups across the United States printed and handed out pamphlets explaining how Popoff's feats could be done.^[2] Popoff would tell his audience that the pamphlets were "tools of the devil".^[2]

Popoff's earlier claims were debunked in 1986 when noted skeptic James Randi and his assistant Steve Shaw researched Popoff by attending revival meetings across the country for months. Randi asked investigator and crime scene analyst Alexander Jason ^[1] for technical assistance and he was able to use a high-tech (at the time) computerized scanner during a Popoff appearance in San Francisco. Jason identified and intercepted the radio transmissions^[7] that were being sent by Peter's wife Elizabeth Popoff who was backstage reading information which she and her aides (Reeford Sherrill) had gathered from earlier conversations with members of the audience. Popoff would listen to these promptings with an in-ear receiver and repeat what he heard to the crowd.^[8]

Randi then went on to plant imposters in the audience, including a man dressed as a woman pretending to have uterine cancer, of which "she" was "cured".^[9] Jason produced video segments showing several Popoff "healings" which included the previously secret audio. After these were shown on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Popoff's popularity and viewing audiences declined sharply.^[2] In September 1987, sixteen months after the Carson airing, Popoff declared bankruptcy, with more than 790 creditors having claims against him.^[10]

As Randi explained in The Faith Healers, he originally took his research to the United States Attorney's office, but never heard back from them.^[2] This led Johnny Carson to invite Randi on the show to explain how Popoff operated. Popoff at first denied that he used the tactics Randi claimed, even asserting "NBC hired an actress to impersonate Mrs. Popoff on a 'doctored' videotape."^[2] However, as the media pressed with more questions, "on day three Reverend Popoff admitted the existence of the radio device, claiming, that 'almost everybody' knew about the 'communicator.' And, he added, 'My wife occasionally gives me the name of a person who needs special prayers'."^[2]

Popoff's shows also featured audience members who were brought on stage in wheelchairs and then rose dramatically to walk without support. These were some of Popoff's most incredible "healings", but what believing audience members and television viewers did not know was that wheelchairs were used by Popoff to seat people who were already able to walk.^[11]

Popoff wrote several paperback books in the early 1980s that were published by Faith Messenger Publications. He was also known for collecting donations to be sent to the Soviet Union, which earned him a profit.^[2]

In 1991, the NOVA episode "Secrets of the Psychics" aired footage of Popoff with his wife's radio transmission dubbed in. Since then, that episode was released on video to teach critical thinking.^[12]

Resurgence [link]

In 1998 The Washington Post reported that Popoff was making a recovery, and that "Popoff is seeking to jump-start his ministry by repackaging himself for an African American audience, buying time on the Black Entertainment Television network".^[13] Consequently, Popoff, along with Don Stewart and Robert Tilton, received "criticism from those who say that preachers with a long trail of disillusioned followers have no place on a network that holds itself out as a model of entrepreneurship for the black community."^[13] Popoff's infomercials can be seen late nights and early mornings in the US and Canada on BET, Discovery Networks, The Travel Channel, The Learning Channel (TLC), Global Television, TV One, The Word Network and Vision TV.^[14] This includes television in Australia on Nine, in the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.^[14]

In February 2007, Inside Edition broadcast a feature on Popoff's continued faith healing and Miracle Spring Water. The show claimed that Popoff's new television programs feature him "healing the sick" in a manner identical to his method prior to James Randi's exposé. The investigation, led by Matt Meagher, featured clips from The Tonight Show episode, an interview with Randi, and Inside Edition seeking comment from Popoff.^[15] Meagher confronted Popoff as he got into his car, but his microphone was accidentally damaged as Popoff attempted to shut the door of the car.^[15] Asking Popoff why he took thousands of dollars from a desperate married couple, Popoff refused to answer questions and declined to be interviewed. The interview ended with Randi saying "flim flam is his profession; that's what he does best. He's very good at it, and naturally he's going to go back to it."^[15]

In May 2007, ABC's 20/20 focused on Popoff's comeback and explored the lives of a few people who felt cheated.^[16] Various media outlets have run stories critical of Popoff's comeback.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20] In July 2008, a Nanaimo, British Columbia resident was reimbursed by Popoff after the woman took her concerns over his fundraising public.^[21]

In 2008, the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom gave serious warnings to broadcasters for transmitting Popoff's material, which the regulator felt promoted his products "in such a way as to target potential susceptible and vulnerable viewers". These programs included offers of free Miracle Manna that allegedly provide health and financial miracles. If viewers asked for the so-called manna, they were subsequently sent letters asking for money.^[22]

In 2009, advertisements appeared in the UK press offering a free cross which contained "blessed water" and "holy sand". The blessed water was supposedly from a source near Chernobyl (the site of a nuclear accident). Animals drinking from this source were purportedly free from any radiation sickness. The cross also bore the inscription 'Jerusalem'. Requests for donations accompanied the cross and follow-up requests for money from Popoff were also sent out. However, when Senator Grassley from Iowa singled out 6 US televangelists for investigation regarding mishandling of finances in the same year, Popoff's ministry was not included. ^[23]^[24]

Popoff was designated by the James Randi Educational Foundation, (JREF) to be one of the recipients of the 2011 Pigasus Award, which exposes fraud, along with Mehmet Oz from (The Dr. Oz Show) and CVS Pharmacy.^[25] “Debt cancellation is part of God’s plan,” according to Popoff. Popoff teaches that God will respond to prayer and seed-faith by providing financial blessing. Credit.com wrote a blog concerning Popoff's claims.^[26]

Financial details [link]

At Popoff's peak in 1987, according to James Randi, he took in $4.3 million a month.^[27] After his exposure on the Tonight Show he declared bankruptcy in 1987.^[10]

In 2003, Popoff's ministry received over $9.6 million and by 2005 the amount had risen to over $23 million. In that year he and his wife were paid a combined total of nearly $1 million, while two of his children were receiving over $180,000 each.^[28] Popoff purchased a home in Bradbury, California for $4.5 million in 2007.^[29]^[30] Some reporters are urging those who have donated money to Popoff in hopes of receiving "miracles" to report to the Attorney General in their state.^[5]

Publications [link]

3 Steps to Answered Prayer. Faith Messenger Publications (1981) ISBN 0-938544-10-1 (91 pages)
Calamities, Catastrophes, and Chaos. Faith Messenger Publications (1980) ISBN 0-938544-01-2
Dreams: God's Language for Life More Abundantly. Publisher: People United For Christ (1989)ASIN: B000NSMW2S (88 pages)
Forecasts for 1987. (1984) ASIN: B000B8K0MY (33 page booklet)
God Has Promised You Divine Wealth
God's Abundant Blessings
Prosperity Thinking
Releasing the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life
Guaranteed Answered Prayer
Demons At Your Doorstep. Faith Messenger Publications (May 1982) ISBN 0-938544-13-6 (50 pages)
Six Things Satan Uses to Rob You of Gods Abundant Blessings. Faith Messenger Publications (April 1982) ISBN 0-938544-11-X (93 pages)

References [link]

^ ^a ^b Randi, James (2008-02-22). "James Randi Educational Foundation daily blog for February 22, 2008". http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/166-swift-february-22-2008.html#i7. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Randi, James (1989). The Faith Healers. Prometheus Books. pp. 2, 147. ISBN 978-0-87975-535-5.
^ Blackmore, Susan J. (2000). The Meme Machine. Oxford University Press. p. 193.
^ Frohock, Fred M. (2000). Lives of the Psychics: The Shared Worlds of Science and Mysticism. University of Chicago Press. pp. 76–77.
^ ^a ^b ^{[Full citation needed]}Friedman, Jason (2006-05-08). "Reverend Rip-Off". WDAF Fox 4 News.
^ "TV EVANGELIST DENIES USE OF RADIO IN HEALING SERVICE". Philadelphia Inquirer. July 15, 1986. http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/PI/lib00187,0EB29B46A4187CFC.html. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
^ Amazing Signs (2008-09-20). "False Prophet And Faith Healer -- Peter Popoff". http://amazingsigns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=70. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
^ http://www.lysator.liu.se/skeptical/newsletters/BASIS/BASISOCT.92
^ http://casa.colorado.edu/~dduncan/pseudoscience/PeterPopoff.htm
^ ^a ^b Dart, John (September 26, 1987). "Evangelist Popoff Off Air, Files Bankruptcy Petitions". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/58706407.html?dids=58706407:58706407&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+26%2C+1987&author=JOHN+DART&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Evangelist+Popoff+Off+Air%2C+Files+Bankruptcy+Petitions&pqatl=google.
^ Seckel, Al (1987). "God's Frequency is 39.17 MHz: The Investigation of Peter Popoff". Science and the Paranormal. http://www.skeptictank.org/popoff2.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
^ NOVA Teachers (19 October 1993). "Secrets of the Psychics. Program Overview". PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/2012_psychics.html.
^ ^a ^b "White Preachers Born Again on Black Network; TV Evangelists Seek to Resurrect Ministries". The Washington Post. September 3, 1998. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-669259.html?refid=gg_x_02. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Peter Popoff Worldwide TV Schedule". Peter Popoff Ministries. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20080405004116/http://www.peterpopoff.org/tv.php. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c "A Profitable Prophet". Inside Edition. February 27, 2007. http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/reports/story.aspx?storyid=639. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^ Avila, Jim (11 May 2007). "Selling Salvation?". 20/20. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164858&page=1. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^ "Miracle Water: Ripoff or For Real Part II". KIDK. November 5, 2007. http://www.kidk.com/news/local/11041621.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
^ "Prophet or profit?". KOMO-TV. October 9, 2007. http://www.komotv.com/news/10404072.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
^ "Prophet or profit? Televangelist makes comeback". KATU. October 10, 2007. http://www.katu.com/news/10422457.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
^ Sedensky, Matt (21 July 2007). "Abracadabra! The fraud is exposed". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/living/article/236959. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
^ Bellaart, Darrell (July 21, 2007). "Televangelist gives back woman's cash: Nanaimo resident was concerned about Peter Popoff's fundraising methods". Nanaimo Daily News. http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/story.html?id=c646f380-3796-41a6-821d-5e29c54e0b98. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
^ http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/prog_cb/obb117/ Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin
^ "Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500690_162-3456977.html.
^ "Sen. Grassley probes televangelists' finances". USA Today. 2007-11-07. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-11-07-televangelist-probe_N.htm.
^ http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/1260-pigasus-2011.html
^ Maag, Christopher (21 September 2011). "Scam Everlasting: After 25 Years, Debunked Faith Healer Still Preaching Debt Relief Scam". http://www.credit.com/blog/2011/09/scam-everlasting-after-25-years-debunked-faith-healer-still-preaching-debt-relief-scam/. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
^ James Randi in a speech made at the Australian Skeptics Convention in 2000. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3178853788754765978 (at 50:57 mark)
^ "Selling Salvation?". ABC News. May 11, 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164858&page=2. Retrieved 20011-4-20.
^ http://losangeles.blockshopper.com/property/8527004003/430_long_canyon
^ http://www.redfin.com/CA/Bradbury/430-Long-Canyon-Rd-91008/home/7974289

External links [link]

Find more about Peter Popoff on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

Official and critical

Peter Popoff Ministries – Official website (Warning: sound)
More of Popoff's Secrets by James Randi (James Randi Educational Foundation, 2007)
Listing on the West Australian ScamNet

Media

Inside Edition from James Randi Educational Foundation, 2007
A video presentation by Randi, the second half of which shows Popoff's use of an-ear radio (Windows Media format)
Video with fm interception

v t e Con artists by century of birth

17th century and earlier	William Chaloner · Thomas Dangerfield · William Sharington

18th century	Barbara Erni · Astafy Dolgopolov · Jean Henri Latude · Gregor MacGregor · Philip Nolan · James Wilkinson

19th century	Alves dos Reis · John Bodkin Adams · Philip Arnold · Nicky Arnstein · Lou Blonger · Horatio Bottomley · Helga de la Brache · John R. Brinkley · Ed "Big Ed" Burns · Cassie Chadwick · Horace de Vere Cole · Louis Enricht · Arthur Furguson · Lord Gordon-Gordon · Oscar Hartzell · Bertha Heyman · Hungry Joe · Ignaz Karl Hummel · Sharmel Iris · Canada Bill Jones · Henri Lemoine · Victor Lustig · William McCloundy · Charles Miller · Phillip Musica · Tom O'Brien · George C. Parker · Charles Ponzi · William Roupell · Death Valley Scotty · Henry More Smith · Soapy Smith · Titanic Thompson · William Thompson · Eduardo de Valfierno · Reed Waddell · Joseph Weil

20th century	Alan Conway · Dona Branca · Bernard Cornfeld · John George Haigh · Archibald Hall · David Hampton · Konrad Kujau · Don Lapre · Dorothea Helen Puente · Kenneth Lay · Henri Lemoine · Danny Pang

Alive today	Frank Abagnale · Tino De Angelis · Du Jun · David "Race" Bannon · Philippe Berre · Matthew Cox · Steve Comisar · James M. Davis · Edward Davenport · Frank DiPascali · Marc Dreier · Solomon Dwek · Maria Duval · Billie Sol Estes · Peter Foster · Kevin Foster · Robert Hendy-Freegard · David G. Friehling · Christian Gerhartsreiter · Mark Hofmann · James Hogue · Laura Pendergest-Holt · Norman Hsu · Clifford Irving · Samuel Israel III · Hasan Ali Khan · Sante Kimes · Russell King · Nick Leeson · Bon Levi · Bernard Madoff · Matt the Knife · Sergei Mavrodi · Barry Minkow · Richard Allen Minsky · Semion Mogilevich · Lou Pearlman · Ronald Pellar · Tom Petters · Peter Popoff · Gert Postel · Ron Rewald · John Edward Robinson · Scott W. Rothstein · Steven Jay Russell · Michael Sabo · Casey Serin · Charles Sobhraj · Gary Sorenson · Allen Stanford · Omid Tahvili · Kevin Trudeau · Frank Vennes · Sholam Weiss

Confidence trick · List of confidence tricks (in books and literature · in television and movies) · Fictional con artists

Persondata
Name	Popoff, Peter
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1946-07-02
Place of birth	Berlin, Germany
Date of death
Place of death

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Popoff

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Branches of Mathematics

Pure mathematics

Applied mathematics

Related Topics

Make changes yourself !

Contents

Related pages:

Contents

Related pages:

Contents

Related pages:

Contents

[edit] The Tonight Show

Related pages:

Contents