Thursday, March 24, 2011

Google doodle celebrates magician Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts. He was also a skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.

Harry Houdini was born as Erik Weisz (he later spelled his birth name as Ehrich Weiss) in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874.[1] From 1907 on, however, Houdini would claim in interviews to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1874.


His parents were Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss (1829–1892) and his wife, Cecelia (née Steiner; 1841–1913). Houdini was one of seven children.
Weiss came to the United States on July 3, 1878, sailing on the SS Fresia with his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers.[3] The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname into Weiss (the German spelling) and the spelling of their son's name into Ehrich. Friends called him "Ehrie" or "Harry".

Houdini began his magic career in 1891.[6] At the outset, he had little success. He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as "The Wild Man" at a circus. Houdini focused initially on traditional card tricks. At one point, he billed himself as the "King of Cards". But he soon began experimenting with escape acts.


Debunking spiritualists :

Houdini demonstrates how a photographer could produce fraudulent "spirit photographs" that documented the apparition and social interaction of deceased individuals[33]In the 1920s, after the death of his mother, Cecelia, he turned his energies toward debunking self-proclaimed psychics and mediums, a pursuit that would inspire and be followed by later-day conjurers. Houdini's training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He was a member of a Scientific American committee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities. None were able to do so, and the prize was never collected. The first to be tested was medium George Valentine of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. As his fame as a "ghostbuster" grew, Houdini took to attending séances in disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer. Possibly the most famous medium whom he debunked was Mina Crandon, also known as "Margery".
Houdini chronicled his debunking exploits in his book, A Magician Among the Spirits. These activities cost Houdini the friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle, a firm believer in Spiritualism during his later years, refused to believe any of Houdini's exposés. Doyle came to believe that Houdini was a powerful spiritualist medium, had performed many of his stunts by means of paranormal abilities and was using these abilities to block those of other mediums that he was 'debunking' (see Conan Doyle's The Edge of The Unknown, published in 1931). This disagreement led to the two men becoming public antagonists.[citation needed]

Before Houdini died, he and his wife, Bess, agreed that if Houdini's spirit came back to earth, he would utter "Rosabelle believe" as a secret codeword to prove that it was actually him. This was a phrase from a play that Bess performed in when the couple first met. Bess held yearly séances on Halloween for ten years after Houdini's death, but Houdini's spirit never appeared. In 1936, after a last unsuccessful séance on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel, she put out the candle that she had kept burning beside a photograph of Houdini since his death, later saying in 1943 that "ten years is long enough to wait for any man." The tradition of holding a séance for Houdini continues by magicians throughout the world to this day; the Official Houdini Séance is currently organized by Sidney Hollis Radner, a Houdini aficionado from upstate New York.[34] Yearly Houdini Séances are also conducted in Chicago at the Excaliber nightclub by "necromancer" Neil Tobin on behalf of the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians;[35] and at the Houdini Museum in Scranton by magician Dorothy Dietrich who previously held them at New York's famous Magic Towne House with such magical notables as Houdini biographers Walter B. Gibson and Milbourne Christopher. Gibson was asked by Bess Houdini to carry on the tradition. Before he died, Walter passed on the tradition to Dorothy Dietrich.

Read more at Wikpedia

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

How to Heal by Harry Edwards

How to Heal by Harry Edwards

Healing is a state of attunement of the helper's spirit mind with the spirit doctors, the patient and the healing effort being made The act of holding forth the hands is symbolic of the desire, but has no practical use.

Healing takes place because a spirit remedial force is directed from the spirit doctors to the patient. This force is not a physical force but a spirit force. Therefore the physical hands are not needed as a conveyor of the force. The actual "healing time" may be a fraction of a second, and the best service contact healing can give is to gently see, by movement of limbs, etc.. the extent to which the ill condition has yielded. Healing is yielding. One cannot make a poker spine become flexible by pushing it. The cause of the spastic condition must first be removed, then it will yield and become flexible. Thus the main advantage in contact healing is to show the patient the extent of the yielding. If the trouble is not eased as much as the patient or healer would wish, it is useless for the healer to try and carry on for himself. The maximum spirit effort is always given and is continuously given so that the further yielding will come as the healing pursues its course. If immediate success is not seen, don't blame the patient or the spirit doctor and, above all, don't lose faith in your efforts as not being a good healer - for you do not heal. You are only the instrument. What the healer needs to become a better instrument is to develop the art of attunement with his spirit doctors, and this should be sought by constant desire in the developing circle and in the act of healing. Remember "attunement" comes with practice and experience, and the more experience a healer can get the surer will the attunement be, whilst also giving his spirit doctors experience in using him. Study all you do in the light of the fundamental postulate, the healing comes from spirit sources: not from the mind or body of the healer. With the greater attention our healers are receiving from the Press. the investigating Commissions, etc., it is time that our healing was freed from traditional extravagances, and conducted with simplicity and understanding, dignity and common sense.


- With acknowledgement to The Spiritual Healer

Saturday, March 12, 2011

A Night Not To Be Missed

Broadcaster Barry Eaton is giving a talk next Tuesday night at the Heavenly Energies centre in Willoughby- March 15th at 6.30pm.
Entry is by gold coin which goes charity.

He is also doing a one day workshop at the centre on Saturday titled Life Between Lives. 
 Any enquiries :  Robyn Stephens at Heavenly Energies on 9967 9415.
 
## Barry has wide international experience in all areas of the media and entertainment industries. He is a well known radio and TV presenter, having spent many years with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and various commercial radio and TV stations. His profile embraces news and sports anchoring, lifestyle shows, current affairs, talk back radio and in what feels like an earlier incarnation, was even a DJ.

As a writer he has scripted and narrated many documentary films and corporate presentations and wrote the screenplay for a feature film with his son Matt. He has also now written a book tracing the afterlife journey in between incarnations, which is published by Allen and Unwin in Australia and New Zealand and in Hungary later in 2011.

Based on his own amazing experiences of life between lives and his numerous communications with those who have passed over, Barry Eaton answers many questions about the spirit world you’ve been longing to ask.

* What happens when someone dies and what does it feel like?
* Do we all go to the same place?
* Can we communicate with those in the afterlife?
* What is the tunnel experience all about?
* Are we reunited with family and friends after we die?
* How does our grief impact on those who have passed on?
* Do people in the afterlife watch over us?
* How do people who die in accidents and other sudden deaths fare?

These questions and a lot more are addressed in Afterlife
This new and exciting book is now available from bookstores in Australia and New Zealand. Published by Allen & Unwin - Inspired Living
For more details go to www.afterlifebarryeaton.com

Barry also appears on  the internet radio station RadioOutThere.com.

You can listen to the latest show and all the previous broadcasts-check it out !

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The boy who claims he went to Heaven...

The boy who claims he went to Heaven...and met dead sister his parents never told him about
A boy who almost died from a ruptured appendix has said he met the dead sister he did not know existed.


The extraordinary claims by Colton Burpo, aged four, came after he was misdiagnosed with flu while his family, from Imperial, Nebraska, were on a trip to Colorado. By the time they returned home he was seriously ill and had to undergo emergency surgery twice.

While he was in the operating theatre his parents, Todd and Sonya, prayed, believing they were going to lose their son. However, Colton soon recovered and then told his astonished parents that he had met the sister his mother had miscarried a year before his own birth.

What made this even more remarkable was his parents had never spoken to him about her.

read the story at the Mail OnLine

Followers