The Mind at Large

“The Mind at Large” aims to bring to the attention of a wider audience knowledge about the current state of parapsychology, the history of scientific research into clairvoyance and telepathy, and credible examples of these phenomena. Parapsychology, research into human psychic abilities, has already behind it 150 years of experimentation and observation, based on methods generally accepted in psychology. This material is often rejected today as anomalies that do not fit into the physicalist interpretation of the world, which assumes that it is impossible to access knowledge other than physically. However, phenomena regarded as anomalies play an important role in scientific understanding of the world, they can guide the direction of enquiry. Now, when the nature and role of consciousness, and the causal power of information, are becoming firmly anchored in scientific mainstream, and the range of scientific theories and knowledge of the subject are expanding, anomalies regarded as paranormal have a chance to make a significant contribution to that knowledge.

Evidence of experimental parapsychology indicates that abilities regarded as paranormal are a universal feature that escapes our notice in everyday life, and such a model fits in with mainstream experimental psychology, although it goes beyond it. However, in their book the authors focus on spectacular examples that come mainly, but not only, from Poland. They provide a panorama of thoroughly documented cases which have profound implications for our understanding of these phenomena. The authors also draw attention to cultural context and its influence on the phenomena themselves as well as their interpretation.

Evidential material reaches back to the first half of the twentieth century and the activities of the most famous Polish clairvoyant Stefan Ossowiecki, who was the subject of experiments conducted by the Nobel-prize winner Charles Richet and dr Gustave Geley. Ossowiecki’s achievements provide the background for contemporary clairvoyants: Joe McMoneagle, one of the main participants of the secret programme of remote viewing conducted by the American military, and Krzysztof Jackowski, whose collaboration with the police provides some of the best documented evidential material. The co-author of this book, young policeman Krzysztof Janoszka who is passionate about seeking out truth, verified and confirmed this material.