INTRODUCTION

In times past, entire civilizations saw the earth as a magical place filled with spirits and miracles of the gods. Gradually, the world changed. Science and rationalism began to give natural explanations for processes that used to be regarded as supernatural.

Our modern world is again thinking about the supernatural. TV programs based on unsolved mysteries probe whether claims for angels, ESP, and conversations with “the other side” are true. Yet, as RBC research editor Dennis Fisher shows in the following pages, there are more serious issues about magic and the supernatural than just “Is it true?” These issues need to be addressed—for our well-being, and for the sake of those we love.

Martin R. De Haan II