A psychomanteum, is in a sense an
adjunct to scrying (see post: Scrying).
The psychomanteum is the mirrored room used by practitioners to contact the
spirit world. The practice of using a psychomanteum is often called 'mirror-gazing'
and has been used in one form or another for thousands of years.
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| Dodona, North-West Greece |
A natural pool of water or water
collected in a bowl, even the reflection of a pool of blood have been the
mediums used for this practice. The psychomanteum has also been called the
'apparition booth', found at oracle sites in ancient Greece. One of the
earliest sites of a psychomanteum has been discovered at Dodona in
north-western Greece, a site famous for its oracles and one that probably
pre-dated Zeus as the patriarchal god of the Greeks with the worship of the
'mother goddess'.
Near-darkness, a flickering light and
mirrors aim to place the practitioner into a trance-like state. The lack of
depth when gazing into a reflective surface, such as a mirror, decreases mental
alertness, promotes relaxation and allows visions or hallucinations to be more
easily induced. 'Catapromancy' was the term used to describe the use of
mirrors for divination in ancient Rome and ancient Greece.
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| Mirror-Gazing |
One such catapromancy center was
described by an ancient traveller: 'Before the Temple of Ceres (Roman
goddess of agriculture, grains, fertility and motherly relationships) at
Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple by a wall, and there
was an oracle, very truthful, not for all events, but for the sick only. The
sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread till its base touched the
surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered
incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the presage of death or
recovery, according as the face appeared fresh and healthy, or of a ghastly aspect.'
There were even specialists in the
priesthood of Rome who gazed into mirrors, known as the 'speculari'.
But the use of a psychomanteum is not a
phenomenon that died with ancient civilizations. The Ganzfeld Experiment (see
post: Scrying) is a more modern technique that, in effect, creates
an environment of sensory deprivation and has been used to investigate
parapsychological phenomena. Several researchers, including those who
examine near-death experiences (Dr. Raymond Moody) have used the psychomanteum
as a tool to examine the 'para-normal' as well as altered states of
consciousness (see post: Altered States of
Consciousness).
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| Ganzfeld Experiment |
The 'Institute of Transpersonal
Psychology' (ITP) in Palo Alto, California has been given large grants for
research into the use of psychomanteum, especially as a tool for coping with
the grief of a deceased loved one. According to researcher, Dr. Arthur
Hastings: 'More than half the participants feel they have had some kind of
contact with their departed, most often through a mental conversation or feeling
their presence. Sometimes it is visually or through touch. Sometimes the
departed is not present, yet nine out of ten participants feel a sense of
resolution.'
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| ITP |
Is the use of a psychomanteum just
another technique similar to others used in various societies to contact the
dead? Does the altered state produced when using a psychomanteum give the
practitioner the same experience as the Bwiti of Central Africa when they
consume ibogaine and become the 'seers of the dead' (see post: A Drug to See the Dead)?
For an interesting interview with Dr. Raymond Moody and 'near-death' experiences, click on the link below.
*Paranormal experience: subject of research for the novel The Tao of the Thirteenth God - Amazon Kindle.
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