An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural

by James Randi

  A multimillionaire as a result of her many books on Ramtha, the thirty-five-thousand-year-old warrior from Atlantis whose ghost she is said to channel, Knight resides on a huge ranch and breeds horses when she is not busy grunting out platitudes for Ramtha's adoring fans.

  Knots

  Various knots have long been considered essential to magic ritual. The basic topological aspects appear somewhat mysterious and lend themselves to mystical interpretation. The knot design is common on talismans, and knots of multicolored thread or string are attached to the necks of persons afflicted with spells, to release them from that bondage. Such a remedy is mentioned in the Satyricon of Petronius, a writer in the time of Emperor Nero.

  Koestler, Arthur

  (1905-1983) A prominent political novelist and science writer, Arthur Koestler was born in Hungary and became a British subject in 1945. He became world famous upon the publication of his best-known work, Darkness at Noon, in 1941.

  In 1972, he brought out The Roots of Coincidence, a startling book in which he ascribed some sort of psychic significance to remarkable examples of chance, apparently unable to believe that these were mathematically possible and also inevitable. He began to believe in ESP because he saw in the developing modern ideas of the sciences — mainly quantum physics with its almost-mystical view of the universe — the possible admission of otherwise unthinkable notions that were being put forward by parapsychological theorists. He wrote:

  The apparent absurdities of quantum physics . . . make the apparent absurdities of parapsychology a little less preposterous and more digestible.

  Dr. Koestler died in a double suicide with his wife, Cynthia, in 1983. He had been suffering from leukemia and Parkinson's disease, while his wife was in apparently good health.

  Koreshan Unity

  A semireligious sect, originated by Cyrus Reed Teed (1839-1908) preaching that the entire universe is inside a sphere, with the Sun at the center and the other stars and planets circling about it. It was a favorite idea of the German Nazi party. See also Hollow Earth theory.

  The name David Koresh was adopted in 1990 by cult leader Vernon Wayne Howell (1959-1993), who followed all these eccentric notions of Teed and fancied himself a Christ figure. He and many of his followers perished by fire at Waco, Texas.

  Krafft, Karl Ernst

  (1900-1945) In late 1938, German Minister of Propaganda Goebbels began to consider the possible uses of astrology as a weapon of psychological warfare against the Allies. He chose astrologer Karl Ernst Krafft for the task. Krafft was described as a tiny, pale man with black hair and a sinister look.

  Young Krafft had become an astrologer against his family's wishes, especially since he had proven to be an excellent student at the University of Basel, showing great promise in science and mathematics. He had written a Treatise in Astrobiology, full of tables and calculations, following a long period of study with an English authority on “biometrics,” which concerned itself with measuring various physical aspects of humans and thereby determining their characteristics. (This “science” in itself was apt to bring him to the attention of the Nazis, who were actively seeking proof of their racial superiority through every sort of pseudoscience.)

  Krafft opened an office in Zurich, casting horoscopes and advising on investments. It was the latter practice that brought the collapse of his business, since his advice proved as bad as the economic depression in 1931. Krafft's own investments, decided by means of his occult divinations, collapsed as well, and the failure drove him into an asylum for a short time.

  In 1935, at the invitation of the Nazis, he moved to Germany, and the Ministry of Propaganda endorsed him enthusiastically. In response, Krafft became a Nazi and introduced into his writings and lectures a line of violently anti-Semitic ideas. In 1937 Goebbels established a counterintelligence group (Section VI of the RHSA) concerned solely with occult warfare. Astrologer Krafft made a sensational prediction on November 2, 1939, before a meeting of the Berlin Astrological Society. He said that between the seventh and tenth of November, an attempt would be made on Hitler's life. On November 8, an explosion nearly killed the Führer during a celebration of the anniversary of the famous Beer Hall Putsch.

  The Gestapo questioned Krafft at length, and only the intercession of Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, spared the astrologer from further terrors. Hess was an ardent follower of every sort of occult claim, especially those related to prophecy and health quackery. Krafft thus became personal astrologer to Hess.

  He immediately began a reinterpretation of the prophecies of Nostradamus, in which he had always been very interested. Since it was easy to obtain from the ambiguous Centuries any needed meaning, Krafft found good news there for the Nazi cause. His discoveries were published widely, in French, Dutch, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, and English.

  Krafft, exultant over his new position and success, was further thrilled to learn that Hitler himself had become interested in his skills. He predicted a glorious victory for Germany in 1943.

  Then it was learned by the Gestapo that Krafft was telling others a different story than that he was supplying to the Nazis; he was prophesying eventual doom for the Nazi cause. The Gestapo prepared to pounce on him.

  At this time, Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland after fleeing Germany. The Gestapo once more brought Krafft in for examination, blamed him for Hess's flight, and locked him up.

  He was first held at Berlin's Lehrterstrasse Prison. Transferred to Oranianburg Concentration Camp, he awaited a trial that never took place. His predicted date for a glorious Nazi victory in the war came and went, and things only got worse for Germany. Scheduled for the gas chambers at Buchenwald, Karl Ernst Krafft died of malnutrition and typhus on January 8, 1945, in a cattle car on the way to his execution.

  See also Louis de Wohl.

  Kreskin

  (George Joseph Kresge, Jr., 1935- ) Mentalist Kreskin, most of whose act was taken from the work of Joseph Dunninger, has trod the thin line between conjuror and psychic. He often firmly denies that his tricks are of a psychic origin, then the next moment seems to imply that they are. In a recent book, Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin, he claimed that well-known effects in the conjuring trade are actually accomplished by unknown means:

  Some day, hopefully soon, researchers will be able to identify the force that is at play when, for example, I am able to tell a total stranger the number on his Social Security card or predict in advance, in writing, the headline on next week's newspaper.

  This implies that “researchers” are in some way concerned with his performances as matters of scientific interest. For someone so accomplished as an artist, it is puzzling why Mr. Kreskin insists on these small peccadillos.

  Krippner, Dr. Stanley Curtis

  (1932- ) A highly respected parapsychologist who has served as the president of the Parapsychological Association (1982/3). He was the director of the Maimonides Medical Center Dream Laboratory in Brooklyn, studying psi at work during the sleep state. His writings include authorship and coauthorship of a number of books, and over five hundred articles in various journals. Dr. Krippner has lectured on parapsychology in Brazil, Colombia, Russia, and China and is presently with the Saybrook Institute in San Francisco as professor of psychology.

  Outside of the parapsychology field, Dr. Krippner has also contributed to research on the treatment of children with reading and general learning disabilities.

  Krishn

  See Hare Krishna.

  Krishnamurti, Jiddu

  (né Alcyone, 1895-1986) The “World Teacher” discovered by the Theosophists in 1909, the fourteen-year-old son of a Brahmin employee of the Theosophical Society in India.

  Black-eyed and exceedingly handsome, Jiddu was made the charge of the Theosophical Society after bitter court battles with his parents. The intent of the society was to announce a “second coming” based on this charismatic, intelligent star.

  Krishnamurti was so personally popular that a separate organization known as the Order
of the Star in the East formed around him, with some thirty thousand members. Then, at the peak of his popularity in 1929, at age thirty-four, he disowned the group and the Theosophists. He went on to become a very popular leader in his own right and a leading yogic philosopher, and he is the subject of many books.

  Kulagina, Nina

  (1925-1990) This Russian psychic made a handsome career of reading while blindfolded, using the standard methods. She was also famous for making a compass needle move, and moving small objects like matchboxes, using a very fine nylon thread.

  In 1978, the USSR Academy of Sciences was so convinced of her powers that they declared her genuine, in spite of the simple and obvious solutions for her conjuring tricks.

  When the newspaper Pravda declared her to be a trickster, she sued the editors and won, largely on the basis of testimony given by Soviet parapsychologists.

  In films made in the 1950s by the parapsychologists, Kulagina can be seen standing with her back to a wall while experimenters place very large letters, numbers, and shapes on the wall. She holds her right hand up to her eyes for a while, then announces what is on the cards. See dermo-optical perception for an explanation of the trick.

  Kuleshova, Rosa A.

  (1955-1978) As with Kulagina, this psychic was declared genuine by the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1978. She began her blindfold reading at the age of five, and though she was many times caught cheating, she was widely believed to be real. She died at age twenty-three of a brain tumor.

  See also dermo-optical perception.

  Kundalini

  From the Sanskrit meaning “serpent power.” This is the fiery snake said to sleep, coiled up, at the base of the human spine. Diligent searches by anatomists have so far failed to locate the kundalini.

  Kundalini Yoga

  A form of yoga that preaches breath control and various physical exercises — “ansanas” — to sublimate sexual energy. The theory says that the process, through contraction of the anus, causes the semen to rise through the body into the seventh chakra (at the top of the head), at which point the ultimate union between matter and energy takes place. At this point, it says, the individual soul merges with the universal soul, obtains the powers of a god and becomes immortal.

  As of this date, it is not known whether anyone has achieved the required physical situation, let alone the immortality. The former condition is obviously beyond the reach of females.

  L

  Lady Wonder

  A horse in Richmond, Virginia, that in 1927 was investigated by Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine when it was claimed that the animal had extrasensory perception (ESP) powers. It was Rhine's first encounter with, and interest in, such claims, and he readily accepted that the horse could answer questions and make predictions by pushing over children's toy alphabet blocks to spell out responses, because he could not solve the puzzle, but he believed it was due to telepathy.

  The magician Milbourne Christopher, who looked into the matter, determined that when Lady Wonder's trainer was unaware of the answer required of the horse, results dropped to zero. It was a case of ideomotor reaction and has become a prime example of that phenomenon in psychology.

  Such trained horse acts are well-known, another famous case being that of Clever Hans (which see) though there is no evidence that Hans was purposely trained for this task.

  Lapis Philosophicus

  See philosopher's stone.

  Leadbeater, Charles Webste

  See Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna.

  Lemegeton

  (“Lesser Key of Solomon”) A grimoire from the seventeenth century mostly concerned with who's who in the world of demons. Full of hierarchial lists, and of no use whatsoever.

  Solomon's magic circle and triangle, from the Lemegeton.

  Lemuria

  Named for the lemur, a small mammal from Madagascar, this mythical ancient continent was concocted to explain certain striking similarities between features of different landmasses. Now that continental drift has been confirmed, these correspondences are much, much better explained. As with other imaginary continents such as Atlantis and Mu, Lemuria was said to be the home of a highly advanced civilization who used ESP, psychokinesis, prophecy and other such supernatural powers, flew through the air in glass vehicles, knew the secret of eternal life, had abundant, free energy, and in general were far superior to mere citizens of today.

  We're told that all of this information, along with the artifacts and the books, was unfortunately lost without a trace in an unknown cataclysm. Bad luck.

  Lévi, Éliphas

  (1810-1875) (Abbé Alphonse-Louis Constant) The son of a French shoemaker who was educated for the priesthood but was expelled for various interesting reasons. He thereupon took the name Lévi, became a mystic, and wrote on the subjects of magic and the kabala. He was a great admirer of Paracelsus. About 1850 he wrote Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (translated as “Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Ritual”) and History of Witchcraft. Those books brought about one of the periodic revivals of interest in the Rosicrucians. Sir William Crookes was an ardent disciple of Lévi, for whatever value that may have.

  Levy, Dr. Walter

  (1948- ) Hired by Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine as director of his Institute for Parapsychology in Durham, North Carolina in 1973, Dr. Levy was a medical student who had an avid interest in parapsychology and had previously worked during his vacations at the institute, starting in 1969. As soon as he began his experiments at the institute's lab, it was evident that he had a knack for getting positive results.

  Rhine had long been under fire for sticking with his statistical studies of extrasensory perception (ESP) rather than going into the more exciting aspects of examining “gifted subjects” such as Peter Hurkos and Uri Geller, who appeared to be able to produce paranormal wonders on demand. Levy, under Rhine's direction, began a series of psi tests on wired-up rats designed to discover whether the rodents were able to influence a random generator, through a computer, to deliver to their brains certain strong pleasure pulses, more often than chance would call for. He also used fertilized chicken eggs in tests to discover if the developing embryos could turn on the incubator lights with psi pulses.

  The results of Levy's work were sensational, and the rats, too, seemed satisfied with this line of work; nothing was heard from the eggs. Rhine was well pleased and the institute was prepared to issue a press release on their success. Then suspicious lab workers discovered that Levy was cleverly manipulating the apparatus in order to produce positive results; an auxiliary recorder showed that the rats had no psi powers at all. Nor did the eggs.

  Levy resigned his position and went into a medical field.

  Ley Lines

  These are imaginary magical lines traced on maps of England and are said to connect places of power — such as churches, ancient monuments, archaeological sites, and megaliths — in straight lines, thus forming “power grids.” The Stonehenge structure (and, in fact, almost any structure or random location) can be shown to lie at the intersection of at least a pair of ley lines.

  Those of the lines that are actually straight (most are not) can be shown to fall within expected chance occurrence on a map of a heavily populated area, especially when features no longer in existence can be included.

  A similar notion was developed by the ancient Chinese far before the English came up with it. The Chinese called their lines “dragon tracks,” and they used them for weather forecasting. They were somewhat less successful in that field than today's average TV meteorologist.

  The term “ley line” was invented by British author Alfred Watkins.

  Lilith

  (queen of the demons) see Adam and Asmodeus.

  Lindsay, Hal

  This author's list of books pretty well explains his taste: The Late Great Planet Earth, Countdown to Armageddon, Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth, and The Rapture. The ageless public fascination with disaster has been well served by Mr. Lindsay. His theories are based on pondero
us arithmetical calculations that entertain numerous hilarious excuses for failure along the way.

  In spite of the sparseness of the evidence he presents, Hal Lindsay's books continue to sell worldwide.