Portals of the Paranormal World
“The
word “belief” is a difficult thing for me. I don’t believe. I must have
a reason for a certain hypothesis. Either I know a thing, and then I
know it – I don’t need to believe it.” — Carl Jung
The following is a quote from a website titled Paranormal Portals. It is a gorgeous website and, since they said it better than I could have, I quote them here:
"Beware
those “experts” who give you all the answers, marching you down their
path of certainty, creating doubt in your own conclusions. No one has
all the answers, and most don’t even know all the questions, and if they
tell you they do, smile and walk the other way. Many well-meaning
enthusiasts become bogged down in ego or fantasy, and mistake patterns
in evidence for reality of phenomenon.
Belief
is not fact, and in order to see the contrast we must keep an open
mind. We must listen to all sides, weigh the evidence, compare the
differences, consider the sources, and come up with our own conclusions.
If you are on the right path you will see that the more you know, the
more you really don’t know.
I
am not a skeptic, nor am I a believer. I am on a quest for the truth,
whether that truth be normal or paranormal. To be honest, most of the
time the solution resides in the realm of the normal, but it is that
rare phenomenon that cannot be explained in normal terms that keeps me
exploring and curious."
If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” — Albert Einstein
Portals
The paranormal community uses the term "portal" to mean a sort of spiritual doorway that can be opened to another, alternate universe or spiritual realm. It most often refers to the realm of the dead, and sometimes to Hell. It has been common to read about paranormal teams of investigators, and, especially psychics and mediums, to sense these portals; where they are, and whether or not they are opened and can be closed.
Where did this term "portals" and the belief in them originate? I am fascinated with the origins of language, especially the origins of slang words and phrases. In the paranormal community I have noticed that we have our own, unique vocabulary that is a combination of science, the occult, and popular culture, all mixed up and recycled.
So with the term portal. Where did it originate?
I found reference to the term portal in the book of Enoch, which is a book that is not in the original cannon of scripture, but is recognized by some Catholics as one of the Holy Books. In it there are references to various portals to Heaven. Here I quote:
CHAPTER XXXVI.
1. "And from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, and wind. 2. And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals above them. 3. Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them. "
Moving forward, in the literature of the 20th century we have C.S.Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia. In those Chronicles, a portal exists inside of an old wardrobe. As you pass through the wardrobe you enter Narnia. It is an alternate universe existing beside our own, only time runs at a different speed. You can spend a hundred years in Narnia, but when you return to your own world through the wardrobe, only an hour has passed and you become a child again.
Lewis did not originate the idea of a portal. It has also been referred to in Norse mythology and other culture's myth for eons. A portal to another universe is a great way to introduce science fiction and fantasy themes and places in an uncomplicated and flowing way.
Then there is science. Einstein and quantum physics has introduced us to alternate space/time continuum. Perhaps there are thousands of parallel universes where we live different lives. Perhaps, when we catch an evp that sounds like our own voice (which is quite common and disturbing to hear) it really is us living our lives parallel to this one, and, in a moment in time, we cross our own path and intersect. We see and hear ourselves. Creepy.
So there is the origin of the term portal. It is most often used in fiction and fantasy. Even the quantum physics theory has no hypothesis about portals. The parallel universes exist but there are no doors between them, or we would have chaos. That idea lies squarely in the realm of fantasy.
And that is what I want to make the serious, science-minded investigator aware of. The loose, free and common use of the term portal and the idea of spiritual portals being doorways through which spiritual beings gain entry into our world is based entirely on fiction and fantasy literature. The psychics and mediums out there, (and I believe most of the self-proclaimed psychics, mediums and sensitives are as phoney as orbs) are way off base this time in proclaiming that a building, a young boy's bedroom, a dark and creepy basement, a child's closet, is a portal to hell in which demonic entities move freely into and out of our world. It's absolute nonsense. It scares people half to death unnecessarily.
I do not know when the idea of high EMF (electro-magnetic field) suddenly alerts us to a portal. Again, nonsense. High EMF usually means faulty wiring. Even if there is high EMF that cannot be traced to bad wiring, it may be that it signals the presence of something paranormal. But a portal? When did we jump through that doorway?
There is no evidence and certainly no proof that they exist. Perhaps these so-called psychic/mediums have read too much H.P. Lovecraft, where a portal to another universe is where horrific aliens live and move back and forth to our world in order to take over our planet. H.P.Lovecraft novels have gained renewed popularity recently. I believe that renewed interest in his works has opened the doorway to the portal idea moving into the paranormal realm. Popular culture seeps into our own belief system so easily without our noticing. It happens, and we don't know when or how or why. We simply start to believe something because we hear about it from someone else, or we read about it and think it must be true if he/she says so.
So, next time someone tells you that there is a portal in their house, explain to them that portals are myth, fiction, fantasy. There is nothing to fear. No monster is going to crawl out of your closet or from under your bed and eat you.
However...
It's always a good idea to sleep with the light on.
P.J.
1. "And from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, and wind. 2. And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals above them. 3. Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them. "
Moving forward, in the literature of the 20th century we have C.S.Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia. In those Chronicles, a portal exists inside of an old wardrobe. As you pass through the wardrobe you enter Narnia. It is an alternate universe existing beside our own, only time runs at a different speed. You can spend a hundred years in Narnia, but when you return to your own world through the wardrobe, only an hour has passed and you become a child again.
Lewis did not originate the idea of a portal. It has also been referred to in Norse mythology and other culture's myth for eons. A portal to another universe is a great way to introduce science fiction and fantasy themes and places in an uncomplicated and flowing way.
Then there is science. Einstein and quantum physics has introduced us to alternate space/time continuum. Perhaps there are thousands of parallel universes where we live different lives. Perhaps, when we catch an evp that sounds like our own voice (which is quite common and disturbing to hear) it really is us living our lives parallel to this one, and, in a moment in time, we cross our own path and intersect. We see and hear ourselves. Creepy.
So there is the origin of the term portal. It is most often used in fiction and fantasy. Even the quantum physics theory has no hypothesis about portals. The parallel universes exist but there are no doors between them, or we would have chaos. That idea lies squarely in the realm of fantasy.
And that is what I want to make the serious, science-minded investigator aware of. The loose, free and common use of the term portal and the idea of spiritual portals being doorways through which spiritual beings gain entry into our world is based entirely on fiction and fantasy literature. The psychics and mediums out there, (and I believe most of the self-proclaimed psychics, mediums and sensitives are as phoney as orbs) are way off base this time in proclaiming that a building, a young boy's bedroom, a dark and creepy basement, a child's closet, is a portal to hell in which demonic entities move freely into and out of our world. It's absolute nonsense. It scares people half to death unnecessarily.
I do not know when the idea of high EMF (electro-magnetic field) suddenly alerts us to a portal. Again, nonsense. High EMF usually means faulty wiring. Even if there is high EMF that cannot be traced to bad wiring, it may be that it signals the presence of something paranormal. But a portal? When did we jump through that doorway?
There is no evidence and certainly no proof that they exist. Perhaps these so-called psychic/mediums have read too much H.P. Lovecraft, where a portal to another universe is where horrific aliens live and move back and forth to our world in order to take over our planet. H.P.Lovecraft novels have gained renewed popularity recently. I believe that renewed interest in his works has opened the doorway to the portal idea moving into the paranormal realm. Popular culture seeps into our own belief system so easily without our noticing. It happens, and we don't know when or how or why. We simply start to believe something because we hear about it from someone else, or we read about it and think it must be true if he/she says so.
So, next time someone tells you that there is a portal in their house, explain to them that portals are myth, fiction, fantasy. There is nothing to fear. No monster is going to crawl out of your closet or from under your bed and eat you.
However...
It's always a good idea to sleep with the light on.
P.J.
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