Speak with the Dead

Speak with the Dead:  Seven Methods for Spirit Communication by Konstantinos is exactly what it sounds like - kind of a how-to manual on communicating with the dead.  He outlines seven different methods, detailing what kind of equipment would be needed, if any, and what kinds of results one could expect.  He also talks about his own experiences with using these methods.  The methods themselves start out with the "easiest" and most well-known - using a tape recorder to capture electronic voice phenomena, or EVP, and increase in involvement or difficulty until you get to the seventh method, holding a séance.  He also provides a list of suggested further reading on the subject of spirit communication, and directs the reader to his website for some of the audio and visual samples he's collected himself.

I know this is a kind of book that people will give you side-eye for reading, but I'm really interested in this kind of thing, and I absolutely believe in the existence of an afterlife and ghosts.  Do I believe all of the descriptions of the afterlife Konstantinos has claimed to receive from the dead?  I take it with a grain of salt.  It sounds reasonable, but it seems unlikely for someone to get such detailed information like this.  Of course, he has been doing this for quite a long time now, and I haven't seriously tried it for myself, so what do I know?  Most of my knowledge of spirit communication is from watching the TAPS investigators on Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International, which is a little different.  They use only the scientific methods, which Konstantinos begins with in the book, but the later chapters deal with more spiritual methods that rely heavily on your mental focus, such as scrying and telepathy.

Another thing I feel should be taken with a grain of salt while reading this book is how Konstantinos discusses the ability to communicate directly with a specific individual in the hereafter, like a loved one who has passed on.  I'm not so sure about the success rate for something like that, but it seems like it would be pretty low.  Though, if you are getting yourself into the mindset he describes, and your intent is strong, who knows?  Maybe it's more possible than I would think.

The whole calling-on-a-specific-loved-one thing kind of smacks of people like John Edward who are perhaps just cold-reading the audience.  The first part of the book, however, is all about knowing when you're dealing with a cold reader, and he does stress the fact that you shouldn't expect great results, if any, every time when you use one of the methods.

Overall, I think this book was really interesting, and I like the detailed information on set-up and equipment that can be used.  The history of spirit communication given in the beginning chapters was kind of fascinating as well.  It was very informative in these respects.  The anecdotes of his own experiences make me more curious to try the methods for myself and see what I'm able to come up with.  I haven't tried any of them yet, but maybe whenever I get a chance to, if I get anything, I'll update this post and let you all know how they worked for me in application.  

ISBN:
0738705225

ASIN:
B0022NGRGO

Publisher:
Llewellyn Publications

See what others are saying about it, or buy it now:
Amazon
Better World Books