THE SOCIETY for Psychical Research (SPR) was fortunate enough in its early days to be able to call upon the services of highly intelligent, well-educated sensitives with open minds, whose names are still household words among psychical researchers: Mrs Piper, Mrs Thompson, Mrs 'Willett' (a pseudonym for Mrs Coombe-Tennant), Mrs Leonard, Mrs Garrett, among others.

Some of these were 'physical' mediums but most 'mental' - which may be significant, for physical mediums have become progressively rarer as methods of investigation have become more sophisticated. Cynics may leap to the conclusion that the likelihood of being caught as a fraud is so great these days that few dare attempt  'physical' mediumship. But an alternative view is that the very act of setting up the elaborate apparatus necessary for the investigation may inhibit the delicate, barely understood mechanism that produces the phenomena. There also seems occasionally to be an 'experimenter effect' whereby sceptical and even merely objective experimenters may have a dampening effect on the activities of the seance room.

Although the SPR's team of mediums produced some very convincing results, members of the Society were divided over the major question of proof of the afterlife. But they did agree that thought transference - including the communication of thoughts, feelings, images, sounds, even scents - had been proved beyond reasonable doubt. And although more than three decades were to pass before J. B. Rhine's work shifted the emphasis from psychical research (the scientific study of the paranormal) to parapsychology (treating psychic phenomena as expressions of little-known mental activity), extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis and general (super) ESP were already being taken as alternative explanations for the mediums' 'proof' of survival.

Left: Persephone and Pluto, in a detail from a Greek vase. Pluto was the ruler of Hades, or the realm of the underworld, believed by the Greeks to be a real geographical location that the dead souls reached through caves. It was a shadowy and sinister abode but not a place of active judgement or punishment. However, at a popular level there was a widespread suspicion that Hades was a much more fearsome place

It is alleged that ESP explains all uncannily accurate information a medium might give a sitter, purporting to come from a dead relative. For by ESP a human mind can - almost literally - 'pick the brains' of others, without being conscious of doing so. And PK- 'mind over matter' - is the mysterious force exerted by certain gifted minds over inanimate objects. This would explain the so-called 'spirit' table turnings, rappings and so on in terms of a natural, if rare, function of the human mind. And the theory of general or super ESP is that some human minds can glean information not only from other human minds but also from any written,printed or other kind of record (including presumably, microfilm), arrange it and produce it as a coherent account. Such a concept, if true, destroys any chance of proving survival as a fact, for any message from a deceased person - no matter how accurate or how personal the information given - could theoretically be the result of GESP. Put in Theosophical terms, this store of the sum of human knowledge is called the 'Akashic records' (see page 353) and certain sensitive people have long been believed to have access to its 'files'. So it could be that, in some unknown way, the cross-referencing necessary for a medium to produce a convincing story of someone's life on Earth has already been done.

There are two other major arguments against evidence for survival as provided by mediums. The first is that a sensitive's so-called 'control' or 'spirit guide' may be no more than an example of the dissociated or multiple personalities that are occasionally discovered by psychiatrists. These seem to be personalities apparently formed by the splitting off of some mental processes from the mainstream of consciousness. If these 'other selves' come to the surface, they can take over completely and the condition becomes a serious illness. (There have been cases where over a dozen completely distinct personalities have inhabited the same body, either taking over in turns or fighting among themselves for possession.) And such manifestations have sometimes happened unexpectedly when apparently normal people have been hypnotised. So perhaps a sensitive, by her very nature, may be more susceptible to the development of secondary personalities than more down-to-earth, or openly sceptical, people.

The versatile forger

Add to this another extraordinary power of the human mind - mythopoeia. This is the extraordinary ability to create myths or detailed stories that are strikingly convincing and frequently surface during hypnotic regression as 'past lives'. It can also result in subconscious forgery, enabling some sensitives to imitate the voices, mannerisms, handwriting and even the style of musical composition or drawing of the (sometimes famous) dead. All this may be at second hand, drawn from the minds of others. Mythopoeia may also be responsible for the ability of people in trances to sing or pour out a flood of unintelligible language, known as 'speaking in tongues (see page 444). It is a theory that provides an alternative explanation for the many bizarre phenomena that have been taken as 'proof' of survival.

	Left: funerary model of bakery and brewery slaves from an ancient Egyptian tomb. The model slaves were believed to assume real duties in the afterlife in the service of the master in whose tomb they were put Below: a soul farming in the Elysian fields. The ancient Egyptians believed the afterlife to be very similar to earthly life but more pleasurable

Cross-correspondences The deaths of the SPR's founder members, notably that of F. W. H. Myers in 1901, were followed bv a new phenomenon, that of the cross-correspondences' (see page 478). These were fragmentary messages received at different times and places through two or more sensinves unconnected with each other. The messages, often apparently nonsensical taken separately, made perfect sense when fitted together, The compiling of the cross-correspondences took over 30 years. The timing oftheir beginning, coinciding as it did with the deaths of those whose main preoccupation in life had been to understand the mysteries of death, seems to manv investigators to prove beyond doubt who was behind the experiment. It seemed as if the founders of the SPR had a meeting beyond the grave and said, 'Any normal message we send will be ascribed to thought transference. Let us devise a method of communication that will not be open to such an interpretation.'

Certainly no messages easily ascribable to thought transference had ever been communicated in fragments to different mediums before. And the subject matter of the messages - poetry and erudite classical allusions - was highly characteristic of the group of dead SPR members. Although to a certain extent (ESP could account for much of the material of the cross-correspondences, many researchers believe that they are the best evidence yet of survival. But even so, all they do is attempt to convince us, in as many ingenious ways as possible, of the continued existence of certain individuals. (The dead Myers is alleged to have found the effort of communication trying, and 'endlessly presenting my credentials' frustrating in the extreme. But even assuming its authenticity, this massive, painstaking experiment tells us little of what happens when we die except that we retain something of our earthly habits of thought and some traits of personality.

'Drop-in' communicators Some seances have been interrupted by 'drop-in' spirits who are unknown to anyone present, yet who give information about themselves that is later discovered to be substantially correct. Again, this phenomenon can be explained by GESP, but why should a sensitive pick up information about someone in whom no one present has any interest?

'Welcoming' Phantoms Witnesses of the dying often report that dead friends and relatives are apparently seen by them just before death - coming to welcome them to the 'other side'. Perhaps these are hallucinations, a mechanism of nature to ease the passing from life. But this does not explain the cases where the dying have exclaimed at the 'visit' of a relative whose own death was unknown to them.

Below: an early 15th-century view of heaven as a peaceful garden. In days when life was short (and youth and beauty tragically brief), and Man very much at the mercy of the raw elements. an eternal period of relaxation in beautiful surroundings had an obvious, emotive appeal. Here the garden of heaven is shown peopled with young, healthy and attractive souls among them a winged angel. They relax in each other's company, reading, picking choice fruits, playing musical instruments, and holding pleasant conversations. They are all dressed in the finest and most fashionable clothes. The wall suggests the exclusivity of heaven and a sense of security after the fears of life

Above: the medieval hell was a place of brutal torment, believed to be both 'physical' and spiritual. Although sophisticated theologians of the day argued that the real anguish of hell was the knowledge that one was eternally denied the presence of God, most ordinary people believed that hell was the proverbial fiery pit. Paradoxically, it was for them a world in which the physical pain of lingering tortures was the only sort of punishment, although it was admined that one no longer had a physical body. Sinners suffered tortures of the most sadistic nature without any hope of mercy or cessation of their pain

Clinical death Since the 1960s research has been carried out into the experiences of people who have clinically 'died' - often on the operating table - and who have come back to life. They nearly all report approximately similar experiences, whether they had previously believed in survival or not. They were conscious of leaving their bodies and passing through a dark tunnel with a light at the end. When they emerged from the tunnel they were met by a radiant figure, often too bright to be seen clearly. This being they identified differently, according to their religious 'vocabulary'; for the Westerner he is usually taken to be Christ. They may also be aware of the presence of dead friends or relatives, and are filled with tremendous peace and joy. Yet they are told that their time has not yet come and they have to return. With the greatest unwillingness they re-enter their body. Significantly, people who have had this experience are never afraid of death again, seeing it as something to look forward to.

Out-of-the-body-experiences Another mass of evidence that we exist apart from our physical bodies concerns out-of-the-body-experiences, also referred to as OOBEs (see page 101). Many people have had the curious experience of finding themselves hovering over their sleeping - or unconscious - bodies:

frequently this happens in moments of crisis; during accidents, torture, or while undergoing an operation. Some people later astonish surgeons and nurses by telling them exactly what they had done and said while carrying out the operation. A few claim to be able to leave their bodies at will: and this, to them, is certain proof that they exist apart from their bodies and that this aspect of them will survive bodily death.

Ciphers and combination-lock tests A few tests have been arranged by the living so that, after their deaths, they might prove their continued existence by revealing, through mediums or friends, the solutions to puzzles. So far, none of these has been successful, though the number of the tests arranged may be too small to be significant.

Appearance pacts Lovers or friends have made pacts that the one who died first should appear to the other, perhaps under certain specific circumstances. Allegedly they have done so. But grief frequently produces hallucinations of the deceased - indeed, it seems part of the natural mourning process, acting as a comfort. Such appearances can also be categorised as crisis apparitions (see page 574) or similar manifestations of ESP.

Reincarnation Evidence for reincarnation not only indicates that we survive and are reborn (perhaps many times), but also offers clues as to why we are born at all. Hypnotic regression into 'past lives'; some children's spontaneous memories of being someone else; the 'far memory' of some adults; some déjà vu experiences; all these, though amenable to other explanations, point to reincarnation as a possibility. Many people believe that we must submit to a string of different earthly lives until we have achieved near perfection of soul, then we become gods or progress on a purely spiritual plane of existence. Some think that not everyone is reincarnated but that we do not understand the rules governing the selection process involved.

Above left: Buddha sits in the midst of the blessed. Stylised lotus flowers (symbols of enlightenment), peacocks, pagodas, elegant shrubs and a decorative pool are reminiscent of the Christian conception of heaven as a garden Above right: this ancient Chinese painting depicts the Buddhist seventh hell, where the souls of the condemned are chased by ferocious dogs and devils into a deadly river

Dr Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia in the United States has made a detailed and scholarly investigation into the evidence for reincarnation. He has amassed hundreds of cases of alleged 'past lives' and came to the conclusion that 'a rational man . . . can believe in reincarnation on the basis of evidence.' However, for the majority of people such a belief will remain a matter of faith alone.

Electronic voice phenomena Since the 1960s tape recorders have allegedly been picking up voices of the dead. The phenomenon was discovered by Jurgenson and Raudive (see page 398) and has since become something of a cult. However, all that can be said of it so far is that, whatever the source of the voices, they do not add to our information about the afterlife.

Despite the fast-growing interest in the paranormal and psychical research, it is true to say that the majority of believers in survival of the spirit belong to a religion, and  for them, a belief in the afterlife is entirely a matter of faith.

And this faith goes back a very long way; the oldest known burial customs show that ancient Man believed in survival. Even today, primitive religions take survival of bodily death for granted.

The world's more sophisticated religions, however, differ widely in their concept of Man's ultimate goal. Hindus and Buddhists teach that we escape from the miseries of earthly incarnations into a mystical and blissful unity with Brahma, the Supreme Principle, or entry into Nirvana, in which the self is lost in the infinite.

In the ancient world Greeks, Romans and Hebrews believed the spirit departed to an unsatisfactory existence in a shadowy Hades or sheol. Later Jews accepted the concept of the resurrection of the righteous to companionship with the patriarchs, but even today Judaism does not teach a certain doctrine of eternal life for everyone.

Further reading Peter Bander, Carry on Talking, RColin Smythe 1972 Jeffrey Iverson,More lives than one?, Souvenir Press 1976 Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, On death and dying, Macmillian (New York)1969 H.F. Saltmarsh,Evidence of personal survival,Bell 1938

From ancient Egypt and Zoroastrianism the idea of judgement descended to Judaism, Christianity and Mohammedanism, with consequent doctrines of rewards and punishments, heaven, purgatory, limbo and hell.

But believer or atheist, philosopher or materialist,each one of us must die. And only then will we find out the truth for certain.