Reincarnation - Fact or Fantasy?
18th Congress for the fringe areas of science in Basel
Basel, Switzerland
November 25, 2000
Neue Zueriche Zeitung
Since 1983, the Basel Psi-convention has been a scheduled part of the calendar
at the Basel Fair. Ridiculed at first, now and again put in question, it has
turned out to be the "most significant public congress worldwide for fringe
areas of science" according to the arrangers. The congress was and is more
than just a forum for alien esoterics: lectures, seminars and work shops offer
all kinds of opportunity to delve into various cultures on individual themes,
such as spiritual healing, altered states of consciousness, spiritism or, like
this year, in reincarnation. The congress which starts today was already making
headlines several months ago: the Swedish woman Barbro Karlen had been invited
to be a speaker because she supposedly had memories of being Anne Frank in a
prior life. "Based on the reactions," stated Leonhard E. Loew,
organization manager of the congress center, the business management of the
Basel Fair had cancelled her invitation. They wanted to avoid making the
Holocaust into a theme.
Facts, Testimonies, Sense
Reincarnation - Fact or Fantasy? Three areas of focus delineate the theme. Are
there facts which prove reincarnation? Are there testimonies to that effect?
Does it make sense? From there, in accordance with the congress schedule, come
a number of other questions: if we were reincarnated, do we incarnate in the
literal sense, that means in the flesh, as human, animal, plant, or in spiritual
form? What incarnates or lives again? Many people believe that something about
us survives, regardless of their religious convictions. But what is this
something? The theme of reincarnation is, as Alex Schneider said in his
introductory speech, "complex, confusing and muddled." That, so the
president of the Basler Psi-convention suspects," could possibly be traced
back to the disinterest in the theme in academic circles. This year, however,
the interest of the public as well as the media has also had its limits.
Reincarnation is being researched nevertheless, as can be seen from contextual
contributions to the convention, empirically and acerbically. So it appears,
according to the numbers presented by sociologist Edgar Wunder, that more people
in the West now believe in life after death. Yet does this belief have an
influence upon behavior in life here and now? According to an International
Social Survey carried out in 30 countries, that is not absolutely the case.
Belief in life after death does not make one happier, nor does it raise morale.
Recollections of past lives
Cases of people who recall past lives or what they did in past lives are also
researched in detail. Since 1988, Icelandic parapsychologist Erlendur
Haraldsson has investigated 64 former lives in Sri Lanka which were described by
children. In 22 cases the identity of the past personality could be verified.
A study on reincarnation is currently being carried out with participants from
Austria, German and Switzerland at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau. One
of the methods being investigated for evidence of reincarnation is the
going-back - under hypnosis or not hypnotically. Parapsychologist Paola
Giovette looks for "indices" of reincarnation; she sees them in
descriptions of mother or birth and the Italian woman also sees them in child
prodigies who bring specific abilities with them from past lives.
In the event we are reincarnated - why? Is one life conditional upon the next
or are they cosmic coincidence? These questions will also be answered in
various ways at the congress. Parallel to the congress, the associated "Aura"
exhibition is taking place until Sunday. There people can find out about the
effectiveness of crystals, have their horoscope read, poke about in esoteric
literature and go to presentations and demonstrations.
Swiss canton licenses spiritual healing for infertile women
Basel, Switzerland
October 31, 2000
dpa
Basel (dpa) - Basel Canton of Switzerland intends to license a project
with a spiritual healer which is supposed to help infertile women get pregnant.
On Tuesday, a spokesman from the health department verified a report to that
effect for the "Basler Zeitung," according to which 34 to 36 women,
who are childless in spite of all medical efforts, will participate for the next
two years in the project by the cantonal Psychiatric Out-Patient Service (EPD).
Jakob Boesch, the lead doctor of EPD, will hire a suitable medium for the
attempt, said the spokesman. "Doctor Boesch is very involved in
alternative methods and has organized the funding for the project by sponsors
and foundations." Besides the project with infertile women, Boesch has
also gotten involved in controversial healing in medical circles with severely
mentally ill patients, the newspaper reported on Tuesday. However the
inter-regional ethics commission, a committee of the Swiss Science Advisory
council, had only approved the women's project.
Dealing with Sects not taboo for the state
Basel, Switzerland
September 22, 2000
Basler Zeitung
by Stefan Hotz
The state is not condemned to idleness in dealing with the sect phenomenon. That
is the message in a new book by the private information and counseling center, "Infosekta."
The neighboring country of Austria has a good example for a decisive, yet
protective procedure against the sect presence.
Zurich. At the end of June the Federal Assembly categorically denied
the call for a sect politic. It did that in its answer to a report in which the
Business Review Commission (GPK) of the National Assembly urged stronger
involvement in 1999. In a book which has just appeared, various experts
question the administration's defensive attitude. The book's distributer is the
private information and counselling center, "Infosekta," in Zurich,
which has been observing assimilative groups with modest yet effective means.
This is doubtlessly a delicate area for state action. The concept of "sect"
is not clearly delineated, and it touches upon questions of freedom of religion
and conscience. That is enough reason - or excuse - for the federal assembly to
keep its hands out of it. The authors express opposition to that attitude:
indeed they comment that the state does not have to get involved primarily with
content of belief, but more with abuse of power and methods which lead people
into dependency. From the viewpoint of German law professor Rolf B. Abel, the
practice of freedom of religion is under the proviso that individual human
dignity and the state legal system be maintained. When those are put into
question, he says, then there exists sufficient legitimization basis to take
steps against sects and psycho-cults.
Although the social consequences are undisputed, the state barely reacts at all.
Austria is an exception. There the federal assembly called into being a
documentation and information center on issues of sects in 1998. According to
its business manager, German Mueller, our neighboring country considers
information work by the state legitimate when the threshold of crime has not yet
been reached if a founded suspicion exists that the psychic and physical health,
the free development of the personality, the integrity of family life, the
financial self-determination or the mental or physical development of children
or young people are put at risk. 400,000 copies of the booklet, "Sects -
Knowledge Protects," from the Youth and Families Ministry, have been
distributed.
But Austria is also trying to influence its own system. So-called confessional
denominations are able to be entered in a public register, thereby gaining
limited recognition insofar as they fulfil transparency in certain requirements
(such as financing.)
There are also initiatives to protect fellow citizens here at home from
organizational assimilation. In Basel, recruiting on the street has been
prohibited for two years. The cantons of western Switzerland want to get
together with Bern and Tessin to establish an information center. Munich went a
different route: there the police created a commission for prevention and
protection of victims, which, among other things, is explicitly involved in the
area of sects and the occult. Their experts, in meetings with people involved
or their relatives, explain whether suspicion of criminality exists and give
advice for those seeking help.
In the book, the distributer formulates a thesis for the creation of a federal
information and counselling center for sect issues. The forward states
convincingly that the "no" from the feds was not the last word on the
topic. In its documentation section, the book gives a comprehensive look into
the difficult material. Most helpful is the augmentation of the detailed
bibliography with a list of important internet addresses on the theme.
Infosekta (distributor) of the German-language book: «Sekten»,
Psychogruppen und vereinnahmende Bewegungen. Wie der Einzelne sich schützen
kann. Was der Staat tun kann. NZN Buchverlag Zürich, 328 pages, 37 Swiss
franks.
Niklaus Stoecklin:
"Weihnachtskugeln
(1939), oil on canvas, 33x41 cm (privately owned).
Photo from: Niklaus
Stoecklin 1896 - 1982 by Christoph Voegele, Wiese Verlag, Basel
[In this article, a "Christmas bulb" is a spherical Christmas
ornament which is usually hung from Christmas trees.]
Basel, Switzerland
December 24, 1999
Basler Zeitung
Christmas in the times of the blown-out Christmas candles
by Lukas Schmutz
What does Christmas mean in a time in which Christianity in the Occident has
lost its radiance, and Christmas is associated less and less with religion? Two
pictures by Basel painter Niklaus Stoecklin from 1939 thematize this question in
a manner which is still relevant today.
In 1939, Niklaus Stoecklin painted "Christmas Bulbs" [a picture of a
box of a dozen round Christmas tree ornaments, one of which was broken]. At
that time the European lights were going out. Hitler's regime of terror was
established and his war machine was already rolling eastward. At that time,
nobody could paint the complete horror of the following year, but the
premonition was unsettling enough.
So it surprised few people that the Basel painter used the Christmas motif as a
sign that something was broken. The candle was blown out and a Christmas tree
ornament was broken. The fine, round glass surface of the burst bulb is
splintered into small, sharp, pointed pieces. Both of these objects completely
fit in with the atmosphere of the gray coldness of the background upon which
Stoecklin set the picture, and it contrasts conspicuously with the bright
colors of the ten other bulbs in the nearby package of twelve. From this
contrast forcefully arises Stoecklin's theme: on Christmas in 1939, forbearance
and wholeness as such -- even in a seemingly closed system -- had become
questionable.
The Stoecklin study, not unjustly, indicated that the box probably also stood
for a Switzerland -- so one would like to add in view of the actual historical
discussion - which would have liked to pull the cover over itself. In any case,
the picture's tension includes the unanswered question of whether the broken
ornament comes from one of the two compartments in the box which are hidden by
the lid which partly covers it, perhaps it was already broken inside the box, or
whether the possibility of destruction came only from outside and could not be
imagined to have taken place internally. Despite the burning historical
context, the "Christmas Bulbs" are not simply a political picture. By
using the extinguished candle, Stoecklin was following an ancient motif. In
countless depictions of Christian art in the Occident, the candle is one of the
most important symbols of the past. In Stoecklin's modern form of
communication, the symbol appears in a chilling nakedness. With an exact
science he detached it from the traditional context of a picture and presented
it with great objectivity. That absolutely also goes for the Christmas bulbs.
He brought out their objective character as if doing a geometric exhibition.
Closeness and Distance to Tradition
Several years before, in "The Three Bodies" he had set a cone, a cube
and a ball in a small display case to create an icon of fascination for pure,
spatial form, which point he brought out in a letter to Georg Reinhart: "All
dead bodies which I intend to bring to life. A modern display case for children
and philosophers. It takes time, because a virginity lives in these objects
which one may not rape." The coolness of the composition, therefore, does
not just come from the massive unease of the approaching political storm, but
from the modernness of Stoecklin's interpretation of art. In today's view, this
double access to the Christmas motif is informative. For one, Stoecklin used
Christian symbolic speech to profoundly and cryptically present a non-religious
context. In the other, he removed himself by using his exact, scientific style.
The objective, measured look which Stoecklin cast on the symbolic objects of
Christmas anticipates the distancing from religious content in the second half
of this century in Occidental society. There is nothing provokingly
anti-religious about it; the observation of reality is solely a result of new
circumstances.
The Christmas candle has been extinguished
So Stoecklin's picture becomes two in one: an example of the unprecedented
durability and renovation of the Christian symbolic language, so much it is
almost indispensable when it comes to sensible expression about "final"
things. And at the same time it is a clear sign of the forcing aside of
religious background which any symbolic language has produced and long born in
its obligatory position in the middle of Occidental society. It sets itself
apart that the reference to Christianity has forfeited its importance and the
reference to where it survives has become manifold, heterogeneous and
individual.
Today we have advanced a great deal further in this process. At the end of the
second millennium, Christianity -- at least in the Occident itself -- has widely
lost its radiance. The people who maintain Christmas as a hinge point of their
religious orientation are, here at home, turning into a smaller minority. Their
celebrations which take place practically in social niches appear to the great
majority as non-contemporary obligations. Even the culturally pessimistic
warnings of the decay of values and the criticisms of Christmas consumer orgies
which were with us ten years ago have largely faded. The Christmas candle, it
appears, has now really gone out.
Paradox of the Present time
To that extent the picture "Christmas Bulbs" - regarded from an
up-to-date viewpoint - is also very appropriate to our times. The "new
objectivity," the expression, the epoch and style reproduced so admirably
by Stoecklin and his contemporaries has since become outdated, so much so that
the picture, which was so eminently modern in its time, could appear to one
quickly glancing in the past as a nostalgic reminiscence for the good, old
Christmas era. The paradox to today's concept of Christmas, though, is that the
objectivity which one has enthusiastically developed has not at all influenced
real-life behavior. It appears more the trend that the glittering opulence of
the holiday is inversely proportional to inner participation.
That does not just relate to general welfare and buying power. Much more it has
to do with the symbolism and the tradition of Christmas not just coming from
Christian roots. The celebration of Christmas arose from blending diverse
traditions together. The celebration of the birth of Christ was originally
associated with the the Roman state holiday of December 25, the birth of the sun
god; in the Germanic areas Christianity redesignated the festival of the winter
solstice. The central symbol of the Christmas tree and its ornaments took place
in the 16th century and primarily in the 19th century. Therefore the Christian
tradition continues to bear strong underlying elements taken from natural
religion.
Return to natural religion
The successively growing wave of sects, therapies and all sorts of other
adventurous spiritual offers with the upcoming turn of the millennium shows
unmistakably that new power is arising from this archeological stratum of
European cultural history. Therefore much in today's behavior around the
Christmas tree may be interpreted more from this source and less as the
appearance of decadence. Of course anybody who -- as artist or as a generally
reflective person -- goes back into European spiritual history looking for a
reference to the world will find little. In today's necessarily individual
attempt for self-reassurance, the symbolic language of the Christian tradition
provides an instrument of inestimable value. A second picture by Niklaus
Stoecklin shows this with the author's own precision.
For the poster of the Basel Christmas exhibition in 1939 he latterly selected
the Christmas bulb as a motif. But this time it [the ball] was a projection
surface for a reflected self portrait. Stoecklin showed himself in his loft at
work: he was painting a Christmas bulb. The entire finesse of the presentation
lies in the duplication of the motif: Stoecklin showed that he could not
exactly reproduce the ornament, but that his observation of the distortion is
what the ornament forces him to look at.
The ball in which he reflected himself represents the entire world which is
meaningful to his artistic work. The Christian symbol world is unmistakably a
part of it. The fish and the cross over the heat radiator leave no doubt as to
their significance to the artist. But they do not emanate meaning for him nor
do they even serve as a source of inspiration. Stoecklin imparts their meaning
in that he, as he does everything else in the picture, submerses them in a cool
blue with his palette and brush. For the self-assurance of the modern artist
they are indispensable, though solely in the sense of a mental tool.
And Stoecklin uses them with a measured eye: the almost defiant seriousness of
Stoecklin's persistent search for meaning of the Christmas season is as
appropriate today as it was in winter 1939: the models of Occidental origins of
meaning have forfeited their power to build reality and are, at the end of the
millennium, only going around in circles. And nowhere can a substitute for them
be recognized in the stockholder plans which are cheerfully offered except in
silhouette.
From: "Basler Zeitung"
February 25, 1999
Pure Nonsense
Concerning the article "Police investigate Harnecker, Baz Nr. 44
The power of positive thought does not originate from the controversial
caretaker of Patty Schnyder, R. Harnecker. This concept comes from the American
Norman Vincent Peale, who put about it in book form in 1953.
The alleged Harnecker System of only talking over the positive experiences after
a match, while he understands nothing about tennis itself, is pure nonsense.
Mental training must be carried out by the person himself!
Today Patty Schnyder harbors an ego-dependency for her caretaker. A psychiatrist
would say that her mental trainer has guided her into the I-catastrophe. His
ego - or I - can not be lent out or imparted to someone, because it concerns the
individual Self. And Patty Schnyder's caretaker is a beginner who is only
bumbling about for the time being.
An unwritten law of creation goes, "He who makes his hypothetical healing
powers public will lose these powers rather quickly."
Th. Kurrus, Arlesheim
Hysteria
Concerning the article on Schnyder and Harnecker in BaZ Nr. 43
The story about Patty Schnyder shows one again how very quickly rumors can be
spread when it comes to minority religions, rumors which can produce an
artificial hysteria. The tennis player's new caretaker has obviously - contrary
to certain assertions - nothing to do with any religious congregation. He
developed a couple of alternative methods and was immediately hit with the "sect
bat." It is a pity that this theme continues to be discussed along these
lines, even if he had been a member of one of those type of groups: what would
that have changed? Or are members of minority religions, such as, for example,
Jehova's Witnesses, Mormons or Scientologists, people of the second class who
may not take part in leading sports? Would this sort of fuss have been made if
he and Patty Schnyder were to pray before every game? Apparently some people
get nervous when different ideas appear in leading sports.
Patrick Venzin, Basel
http://www.baz.ch/frontseite/rub_2.html#53486