Greening the Paranormal: Exploring the Ecology of Extraordinary Experience

by Jack Hunter (Editor), Paul Devereaux (Foreword), Cody Meyocks (Contributor)

We are at a critical moment in the history of humankind's relationship with the Earth, and all the species that co-inhabit with us. This is a time of climate change, species loss and ecological collapse on a scale that has never been seen before. New ways of thinking will be required if we hope to overcome these global problems and develop a more harmonious relationship between the human and non-human worlds. In the spirit of creative exploration this book suggests that approaches emerging from the study of (and engagement with) the super-natural may ultimately help us to re-connect with the natural, and in so doing develop innovative approaches to confronting the eco-crisis. Greening the Paranormal explores parallels between anomalistics (the study of the paranormal in all its guises, incorporating parapsychology, paranthropology, cryptozoology, religious studies, and so on), and ecology (the study of living systems), not just for the sake of exploring interesting intersections (of which there are many), but for the essential task of contributing towards a much broader - necessary - change of perspective concerning our relationship to the living planet. The chapters collected in this book demonstrate that we have much to learn from exploring the ecology of extraordinary experience. FEATURING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM Paul Devereux, Cody Meyocks, Nancy Wissers, Amba J. Sepie, Lance M. Foster, Jacob W. Glazier, Christine Simmonds-Moore, Mark A. Schroll, Viktória Duda, Maya Ward, Simon Wilson, David Luke, Brian Taylor, Silvia Mutterle, Susan Marsh, Timothy Grieve-Carlson, Elorah Fangrad, Rick Fehr, and Christopher Laursen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

332 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2019

About the author

Dr. Jack Hunter is an anthropologist exploring the borderlands of consciousness, religion and the paranormal, living in the hills of Mid-Wales. His doctoral research with the University of Bristol examined the experiences of spirit mediums and their influence on the development of self-concepts and models of consciousness, and is an effort towards a non-reductive anthropology of the paranormal. He is the founder and editor of Paranthropology: Journal of Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal. He is the author of Why People Believe in Spirits, Gods and Magic (2012) and Engaging the Anomalous (2018), editor of Strange Dimensions: A Paranthropology Anthology (2015), Damned Facts: Fortean Essays on Religion, Folklore and the Paranormal (2016), and co-editor with Dr. David Luke of Talking With the Spirits: Ethnographies from Between the Worlds (2014).

To find out more about his research and publications visit http://www.jack-hunter.webstarts.com

Reviews

[Eric Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another remarkable—and timely—book from August Night Press, the essays collected in Greening the Paranormal: Exploring the Ecology of Extraordinary Experience, address the paranormal within the context of holistic environmentalism. Following a robust foreword by Paul Devereaux, managing editor of Time & Mind, this gathering of strong, insightful, and incisive essays examine topics as diverse as sacred places, animism, earth lights, psychedelia, psychic phenomena, the trickster, cryptozoology, and other forms of esotericism, from both Western and non-Western perspectives. The contributors agree on the central premise: the currently unfolding environmental catastrophe that presents civilization with an immediate, existential threat is the result of a dichotomous subject-object/normal-paranormal split that fails to engage with nativistic and holistic ecological perspectives. Such dualist thinking has similarly frustrated the ability to grasp the paranormal, one that treats anomalous events and experiences as a deviation from a scientific, rationalistic-based concept of “normality” as opposed to a vibrant and crucial component of natural phenomena. The current harrowing degradation of our biosphere demands a change in human consciousness, specifically our position as a component in the web of life, as opposed to a dominant species that views nature as other, something to be technologically controlled and exploited. Greening the Paranormal is a necessary, engaging, and fascinating addition to a burgeoning literature of progressive environmentalism. Questions provided at the end of each essay make this volume the perfect pedagogical resource.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This, as with Jack Hunter's other books, has a mix of anecdote and explanation (which I enjoy) and methodology and academic discussion (which is a little too dry for me).

Notable chapters explored: cryptozoology in a ever shrinking world, end of life experiences and butterflies/birds, indigenous views on the paranormal, and trickster phenomena.

[Leda Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, engaging, and accessible collection of essays on a variety of topics; if one doesn't interest you can always move onto the next, but I found myself interested in all of them. Particularly I wished to note that this collection has several essays by native/indigenous writers who approach ecology and the experience of the paranormal within that context with a different view than the traditional Western idea of separating para- and normal. None of the essays I felt were too "out there" to be enjoyable, but were all generally on the same level of belief and understanding about the problems and insights surrounding eco-consciousness and the natural world. The forward and first chapter contains the best overview for the uninitiated, but if I were to choose only one chapter for someone to read it would be chapter 6, "Piercing the Veil with the Trickster" by Jacob W. Glazier. Anyone interested in paranormal experiences would benefit from reading this collection, but also anyone interested in indigenous narratives as well as how we write or understand ourselves within the natural world would also find any of these essays beneficial to themselves or their writing/work.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of articles on ecology and the paranormal. The topics covered were varied, from psi to cryptids, to energy work and healing, Gaia, etc. All included bits about how the experience/study/understanding of the paranormal can be impacted by ecology and the natural world, and vice versa. There is much about accepting the 'paranormal' as just part of the natural order, especially with authors coming from or working with indigenous communities around the world. There are also several entries connecting our current ecological crisis to our rejection of the mysterious.

As expected from and anthology, some entries suited my reading tastes and thoughts better than others. A couple articles were way too academic and jargon-y. One or two had hints of woo woo, and a couple more had some very questionable 'facts,' though that specifically is often true of paranormal writing. But these things together made me round my 3.5 rating down to 3, instead of up to 4.

Overall though, I found the volume thought provoking and an interesting read.

[Rosemary Thorne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a pity that Jack Hunter hasn't been as ambitious as to further research other authors dealing with this critical matter. "The teachings of Don Juan" comes first to my mind, but there are other essential anthropological studies that describe the "green" aspect of the paranormal. It's like he was in a hurry to produce this book and had no curiosity about what was already around. Not only literature from the late 60s & beginning of the '70s but also books published nowadays. For instance, "The book of shadows of Ji Yun" is about the constant state of wonder of a civil servant paid to research and keep a record of all the paranormal and extraordinary events in China in the 18th century. Hunter is not discovering anything nor adding information either. I wished the book had been a bit more informed, as it can't stand as a reference book.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the widening of perspective this book presents, with a very impactful introduction about the value of anomalies to expand the horizons of our understanding. Also the wide diversity of essays, each with a valuable and unique perspective on how the paranormal shows up for people who are nature-connected.