The Lantern In The Skull: Consciousness and marginal zones of the extraordinary (Mystical Encounters in Aotearoa New Zealand)

2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Book Finalist2020 Ashton Wylie Best Mind Body Spirit Book Awards: Best Book FinalistEach of us is a conscious individual living in the world. Most daily experiences are predictable and humdrum. Occasionally we have a deliciously or shockingly intense experience. Very occasionally we have a profound experience that leads us to change our life. Then there are marginal experiences so bizarre we have difficulty understanding what occurred. The Lantern In The Skull explores a selection of these unsettling yet intriguing experiences. A camera previously in perfect working order which inexplicably wont photograph a fetish in an African village chiefs basement provides the first stop on Hugh Majors engaging survey. Using his own experiences as a springboard he considers telepathy psychic perceptions psychedelic insights artistic transports near death experiences and much else. Human consciousness is sufficiently elastic to accommodate all these experiences. Yet the nature of consciousness itself is a conundrum and the evidence for marginal experiences remains contentious. Hugh Major provides a timely snapshot of current research into marginal zones of the extraordinary. In precise jargon-free language he indicates the territory being explored and outlines major directions researchers are travelling. There are numerous captivating and surprising discoveries along the way.