Smells and Bells

  Storytelling and The Sixth Sense “ A story that makes sense is one that stirs the senses from their slumber, one that opens the eyes and the ears to their real surroundings, tuning the tongue to the actual tastes in the air and sending chills of recognition along the surface of the skin. To  make sense  is to release the body from the constraints imposed by outworn ways of speaking, and hence to renew and rejuvenate one's felt awareness of the world. It is to make the senses wake up to where they are,” (265, Abram). We look to the senses to tell us about the world around us, but what happens when those senses are being to us in writing? I find that the senses are most clearly depicted in work like poetry, especially prose. This semester was a semester of poetic exploration for me as I was working extremely heavily with the sense to display story. Although fairly abstract when we are experiencing them I have found that most people actually have an easier time identifying...

  Ah, the sixth sense. The catch all. The scapegoat. Long recognized, barely defined. My perspective on the sixth sense has changed quite a bit from the beginning of class to the end. I’ll admit that at first I thought the addition of the sixth sense was quite unnecessary and just detracted from the five “real” senses. After all, scientists have agreed for centuries that there are five primary senses, proven through empirical examination and utilized frequently in our day to day lives. It seemed to me that people used this sixth sense as a sort of catch all for any feeling they had which didn’t fit neatly into the five established senses. And so, after a semester of learning about this sixth sense, do I support its nomination into the Mount Olympus of senses? Well, kinda. Here’s the thing about senses: The idea that there are five of them is kinda a lie. I’ll probably touch on this more in my final post so I won’t belabor the point here, but the concept of having five distinct and ...

      There is nothing a people person loves more than an unplanned reunion with a friend from long ago. Or seeing a loved one after a long period of no holidays. For humans, the sight of a loved one, to be in their presence, is essential. Diana Eck argues that in Hinduism,  Darśan is a type of communion between deities and worshippers; seeing in this way must be essential for Hindus to reconnect with their beloved gods. Eck also mentions that Darśan is never solely a visual experience but rather involves all senses. The communication between worshipper and deity provides an experience beyond the five senses, reaching into the sixth...     David Abram argues that humans have lost their touch with the living earth, resulting in devastation of our natural word. While some consider the gift of  shamans and sorcerers to be a supernatural one, connecting our human world to another dimension, Abrams argues that their power lies within their ability to c...

  This post is definitely going to be the hardest for me to write. I do not believe in ghosts or the supernatural, I am not horribly invested in astrology, and I’m barely able to collect my thoughts on a day-to-day basis, never mind think about how my every minuscule action could affect me down the line. I can count on two hands the number of dreams that I’ve had that I’ve remembered and on one hand the number of dreams that I could actually recall now and explain. When I was little, however, I had one recurring nightmare that I can still vividly remember.  The nightmare had a few key plot points that always happened whenever I would get it. It always started out with me wandering my house alone, with it ominously empty and eerily quiet. Eventually, I would end up in my younger brother’s room, searching everywhere for a sign of him. After I had checked everywhere else, I would get to the closet. I would open it up and a huge bear would emerge and start to chase me. It was ...

Reading Abram’s Spell of the Sensuous made me think about the way I consider nature itself to be magic. I see the sixth sense as any sensation that cannot be explained by the other five senses, which includes all magical and supernatural experiences. While I see the supernatural as unexplainable the same way I do magic, I see magic as something that is unexplainable but inherently natural. The ways plants, and all other living things communicate with each other and work together to create the world in all its beauty is magic to me. And yes I know most of that can be explained by science, but I feel like science is just a means to explain things that are known to be magic. I don’t want to be that guy, but I think science is kind of dumb. I see the benefits of science in every aspect of it, but I also think it’s kind of unnecessary; we don’t have to have an explanation for everything. While this goal to be able to explain everything has led to some incredible discoveries, it has also led...

If someone came into my room and found me on the floor, blindfolded, with one arm tied to my shoulder, the other hand raised into the air, both ankles bound, with noise-canceling headphones on, they would probably assume something very strange was happening. Meanwhile, I would be in a blissful state of nothingness, filled with peace and serenity and a great deal of happiness. I wouldn't feel stupid or silly -- no matter how I might look in that moment. Sensory deprivation is a key part of my meditation practice. The blindfold and noise-canceling headphones have clear purposes, while the bondage limits, though it can’t fully suppress,  my sense of touch. I might also smudge some essential oil directly under my nose, having the same effect that the bondage does, but on my sense of smell rather than touch. This type of meditation can be a time for creativity and problem-solving, allowing me to think through essays or stories without any kind of distraction. It can be both elevating --...

Kripal's mention of the concept of "the great forgetting" really struck me. My biggest fear has always been forgetting. Forgetting my friends or family, forgetting my past, even the simple idea of having a memory that I just can't remember terrifies me. I had never heard the term "the great forgetting", but the concept which Kripal describes is relatively familiar to me. The idea of society enforcing a belief onto people that forces them to forget a truth or identity through social structures we are taught to believe.  "We do not think. We are thought." This idea of forgetting due to the engrained structure and beliefs of society made me think about stories of people remembering “past lives”. The concept of a past life is a fascinating belief that is ingrained in many religions and cultures, but the thought of remembering a past life is much stranger than just the idea of being reincarnated and to many people both of these are truly impossible e...

Credit: Health Matters, Stories of Science, Care & Wellness (NewYork-Presbyterian) David Abram’s Spell of the Sensuous reading made me think of how magic is portrayed in the media, like in movies, books, and TV shows, and how that is often different from the ideas and beliefs Abram talks about. One way he defines magic is:      “Magic, then, in its perhaps most primordial sense, is the experience of existing in a world made up of multiple intelligences, the intuition that every form one perceives…is an experiencing form, an entity with its own predilections and sensations, albeit sensations that are very different from our own” (16). I think that this definition differs from popular definitions of magic because it allows for the possibility of anyone experiencing magic and assumes that magic is natural and existing, rather than super -natural or brought on by special, impossible powers that only some people have. The concept of “multiple intelligences” and intuitions...

 An important through line throughout Jeffrey J. Kripal's discussion of the paranormal in his text Authors of the Impossible is the idea that the paranormal experiences that the work explores, from seances to alien encounters, are concepts which bridge between an objective reality and a subjective one. Many of these experiences, alien encounters in particular can be fairly monumental or life altering experiences. I am curious how the phenomenon of the objective and subjective coming together can be found in more subtle ways. Tarot, is I feel, a good example of this. (And other similar methods of divination but I will keep my focus on tarot here because I practice it myself so I can speak on it better.) On my personal experience with tarot, I've only been practicing it for a few months myself, but I grew up with tarot decks being a common sight, since both of my parents read tarot in college. It was so normal a sight for me in fact that it didn't occur to me until I was a te...

I saw Kripal’s discussion surrounding Meheust’s book about abduction narratives at the very beginning of this section of “Authors of the Impossible” as the perfect opportunity to start a tangential discussion about sleep paralysis in the context of the sixth sense or paranormal experience in general. Both as a psychology student and an individual that has experienced sleep paralysis on a fairly regular basis, I find this phenomenon fascinating and a really useful example through which the sixth sense can be discussed. Last semester in the psychology senior seminar, we read a book titled “Neurologic, The Brain's Hidden Rationale Behind Our Irrational Behavior,” by Elizier J. Sternberg. This book surveyed a number of different neurological and psychological anomalies and unusual conditions, one of which was sleep paralysis. Sternberg wrote of individuals that had given vivid reports of being abducted by aliens in the night, held down, and experimented upon in some way before being re...

While reading The Spell of the Sensuous, I was reminded of my time abroad specifically when Abram wrote that “nonhuman nature can be perceived and experienced with far more intensity and nuance than is generally acknowledged in the West” (25). Although Denmark is still considered The West, the cultural concept of “hygge” exemplifies how Danes are much more in touch with their senses than Americans. Cherishing, acknowledging, and savoring are frequent actions for them. Abram wrote, “To be sure, our obliviousness to nonhuman nature is today held in place by ways of speaking that simply deny intelligence to other species and to nature in general, as well as by the very structures of our civilized existence—by the incessant drone of motors that shut out the voices of birds and of the winds; by electric lights that eclipse not only the stars but the night itself; by air “conditioners” that hide the seasons; by offices, automobiles, and shopping malls that finally obviate any need to step ou...

  Image by Gage Skidmore @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bruce_Willis_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg So after reading David Abram’s The Spell of the Sensuous, I came to find myself having a new perspective on a lot of things. In regards to the sixth sense specifically, I never really believed or looked into how it works. For the most part, the words “Sixth Sense” were always just a reminder of that one movie with the ghost and Bruce Willis. Or at least I think that’s the right movie, I still haven’t seen it yet but thanks to the internet I know how it ends so that kind of sucks. ANYWAYS, after reading this book, I got a whole new definition for the word sixth sense and what it can actually mean for both me and other people. Now instead of thinking about ghosts or actors, I can think about all the different abstract concepts that never really crossed my mind until now. In fact, the one concept that really stood out to me the most while reading this was the sections on time and spa...

In Jeffery Kripal’s book, Author of the Impossible , he analyzes the supernatural and the sacred, and how they have a unique relationship, and how as humans, we have unique perspectives and attitudes to the supernatural. I found his point on the “Great Forgetting,” especially interesting as he speaks on how humans believe that thoughts and society are created through “social construction," and original thinking but he argues that our thoughts have already been laid out for a long while. I pondered on this for a while, because my first instinct is to rebel against this, as I want to believe all my thoughts are from me and my experiences and creativity, but when we look at any social movements, we usually see a pattern throughout history. Social movements, such as feminism, or abolition, or even just rebelling against governments have been seen for centuries, so maybe Kripal is right, maybe our thoughts aren't as original as we would like to think. I think this is an interestin...

     The sixth sense is controversial and hard to describe. I am intrigued by the idea that the sixth sense could have many possible meanings or could be multiple senses at once. After reading JBK’s post about whether or not speech and imagination are sixth senses, that got me thinking about both of those concepts. In my mind, it makes sense for speech and imagination to be sixth senses, at least in some ways. Speech is interesting to me because it involves hearing and touch (hearing oneself and feeling our mouths move as we speak), yet it is distinct from those two senses as well, particularly because speech involves creating output and with our traditional five senses, we tend to interpret sensory input. Imagination is a bit different because it seems like such an internal process, one where we individually use our brains, memories, and experiences to create something new. I see speech and imagination as being related, though, because they both create new, sensory outpu...

 The dreaded creative block, all artists cross space and time have at some point experienced a creative block, the loss of inspiration, the lack of a concept gripping enough to unleash creativity, the feeling of staring into a blank hole and not knowing what to do next. In such cases, almost always we go in search for new ideas to feel new things. Reading Ackermans account of synesthesia and all that follows, made me realize that art, in its essence is a pursuit of feelings. Feelings that find themselves impregnated in out hearts through our senses.  Humans are in a never ending chase to 'feel'. I think this is born out of the limitations of our physical bodies. Which is another interesting thought that came to me. The various drugs that humans take, are all with the aim of feeling things that we are not able to usually. The heightened vision, increased perception, bright colors/ patters, omnipresent sounds, all cause sensory overloads that we are unable to experience when in ...

      Immediately upon reading this chapter the first thing that shocked me was the common belief that people with synesthesia are "primitive". While I understand this description in an evolutionary sense, I don't agree with labeling it as "primitive". To be able to see color in things that don't have color such as letters and music is something that many dream of, people will even go as far as to take drugs to achieve this (much like those who took LSD and watched fantasia). Of course synesthesia has its downsides, being constantly overloaded with senses must be overwhelming.      Which segues into my next point I wanted to make regarding the authors comments in the postscript. One particular quote that Ackerman wrote that caught my attention was " Ecstasy means being flung out of your usual self, but that  is  still to feel a commotion inside". It made me realize that the same could be said for any drug theoretically, everyone takes drugs in ...

  Courtesy: iStock The Smoke Ghost. October 2018 Ever since I was little, I have always enjoyed watching movies and TV shows and reading books about paranormal phenomena. For one of my birthdays as a kid, I got a book all about New England ghost stories, and was obsessed with looking at the creepiest, grittiest photos that it featured. Jeffrey Kripal’s chapter from Authors of the Impossible included just the sorts of stories, theories and concepts that I obsessed over as a child. I was really intrigued by the idea that there is more to our world than what we see every day, and especially intrigued by those who frequently experience the paranormal.  Haunted New England by Charles G. Waugh.  Published: Yankee Books, 1988 I’ll come out and say it: I was and still am a believer!! I have heard stories from loved ones (who I consider to be reliable narrators) that send shivers up my spine, and while I haven’t seen a ghost or alien right in front of me (as far as I know), I hav...

       I found when reading Kripal's Author's of the Impossible that many of the unexplainable circumstances that he examines as a possible sixth sense sounded very familiar. I too have found myself often in weird circumstances I assumed was a coincidence. As Kripal discussed in his story about the assassination of Robert Kennedy I have felt that some of these incidences would have to have been a hell of a coincidence to come to be. In his case Kripal notes that so many factors and elements would have had to have happened for him to 1) wake up so instantaneously 2) feel the urge to turn on the radio 3) have the radio one the exact station that tuned into California news, five minutes before Kennedy was shot. The circumstances are too bizarre and complex to simply be a coincidence. I have found myself in situations myself where this sort of "gut instinct" tells me I should do something a particular way or maybe opt out of something I should do for no obvious reason. ...

Cover of Jeffrey Kripal's book Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred "If, however, paranormal phenomena are meaning events the work and look a great deal like texts, then it follows that texts can also work and look a great deal like paranormal phenomena. Writing and reading , that is, can replicate and realize  [my emphasis] paranormal processes, just as paranormal processes can replicate and realize textual processes.  This is what I finally mean by the phrase 'authors of the impossible.'  It is also what I am trying to effect with this text." (Jeffrey Kripal, Authors of the Impossible , p. 26) This passage really struck me.  What do you think he means by it?   I think in it (and throughout his book) Kripal is offering some very provocative suggestions for what "the sixth sense" might be. Is it speech, as some have proposed both in the Western intellectual tradition  and in non-Western cultures, as David Howe and Constance Classe...

  I grew up going to a Catholic church, and I attended a religious conference the year after I made my Confirmation. Everyone called it “Jesus Camp.” These conferences happen all over the U.S. (they originated in Steubenville, Ohio), but as I read this piece for class, I was reminded of my time at “Jesus Camp” during adoration the first year I went.  The priest was bringing the Eucharist around the entire sports/performing arena and music was playing, and that in and of itself was a different experience than the adoration that I experienced at my home church where we sat in silence and stared at the Eucharist on the altar. My group was sitting in one of the last sections of the arena, and while we watched him weave in and out of the rows throughout the rest of the center, things started to happen.  Kripal writes “...the sacred is the mysterium tremendum et fascinans, that is, the mystical (mysterium) as both fucking scary (tremendum) and utterly fascinating (fascinans).” ...