The Lonely Sense

A curious review here which should be followed up on.  I have not read this as yet but what is indicated is that everyone has such sensitivity and most flounder with it if they detect it at all.  Obviously it would be worthwhile to open detailed interviews with such sensitives to determine a series of exercises able to bring out the skills of others.

It appears plausible that this could be possible.

Perhaps it is time to pull the loose ends together and discover if it is possible to create such a program.

The Lonely Sense: A Fascinating Look at the Psychic Lifestyle

Filed under: Book Reviews — Tags: Robert Cracknell, The Lonely Sense — Micah @ 6:10 pm May 3, 2011

http://gralienreport.com/book-reviews/the-lonely-sense-a-fascinating-look-at-the-psychic-lifestyle/

When it comes to my personal views on the unexplained, or more specifically, my greatest interests among those areas of science we call “supernatural,” often the study of reports of strange or out-of-place animals (cryptozoology) and UFOs rank the highest. However, I recently decided to play my proverbial hand and picked up a book sent along to me byAnomalist Books, titled The Lonely Sense: The Autobiography of a Psychic Detective by Robert Cracknell. If you were to read no further than the end of this sentence, I’d want to leave you with this as a final thought: the book is well worth picking up, and might even change your life.

As for the rest of you who’ve elected to continue along with me and delve into the world of a man who, arguably, may be one of the world’s most gifted psychics, allow me to first explain why I rest such importance on this particular tome. Initially, you may be asking yourself the same thing I did when I first removed the book from the mailer and gazed at it’s retro-looking cover art: who is Robert Cracknell?

Indeed, a Google search for this enigmatic character reveals the same sentiment in a number of online forums: though he has a website and a few articles about him, there is a general lack of knowledge (particularly in the U.S.) as to who exactly Robert Cracknell is. Strange for a man hailed as “Britain’s Number One Psychic Detective,” we might ask.

 But something else you’ll fail to discover is the kind of criticism that so many professional “psychics” have leveled against them by skeptics; Cracknell’s record is rather inconspicuous, but highly reputable… and if the sorts of things he mentions in his autobiography are indeed true, he might not be the best psychicdetective in Britain after all. We damn well may have to accept he’s the best anywhere.

Cracknell’s story is a lonely one… but not filled with the sorts of solemn ruminations and stark realizations of an extraordinary “gift” that pepper the claims of many in various areas of spiritualism. Up front and frank at all times, Cracknell describes his wild early years in service with the RAF, as well as his dismissal on medical grounds after what would later reveal themselves to be the beginnings of his “lonely sense.” Cracknell even divulges the time he spent as a young vagrant, moving around parts of Europe and living day-to-day, from highway to hostel… or occasionally under an overpass, snuggled under the coats of strangers for warmth. It was around this time that Cracknell began to ask himself (often tearfully) the sorts of questions every person eventually will consider: “who am I, really?” As he came to find answers to life’s mysteries, he also began learning to accept that he didn’t merely feel lonely because he was missing family, friends, or any of the various flames he describes from his youth. There was indeed something deeper resounding in this man’s soul, and something which he maintains throughout the book is nestled deep within all of us.

There are a number of funny stories Cracknell relates, as well as the vivid honesty behind a few embarrassing adventures with his associates in the spiritual movement; so honest, in fact, that that parts of the book might even be a bit uncomfortable for a few folks. But this is Robert Cracknell uncensored… and since we’re being frank, I must say he’s pretty quick not to give a shit; he doesn’t candy-coat his commentary with hope of making himself look more sagely or admirable as a psychic, but he’s certainly not crude or outrageous, either. As the story of Cracknell’s life continues, the reader will almost feel a sense that they are growing and aging with him, and his eloquence and vibrant character begins to reveal itself more and more often as the author reflects on his own maturation (both mentally and as a mentalist). By the end, Cracknell often has managed to be sage-like, but always without inflating himself to sound like something he isn’t. His realistic and bare-bones approaches to his psychic facilities, in addition to his opposition to what he labels as phonies in the spiritualist movement, have brought him the attention of researchers the likes of Colin Wilson (having penned the foreword), who states with certain admiration that, “To encounter Cracknell is a refreshing, or possibly a traumatic, experience…He is totally down-to-earth, blunt, aggressive and impatient; he is also intelligent, honest, and obsessively, almost self-destructively, devoted to his own vision of the truth.” True, when it’s Cracknell’s visions we’re dealing with, his “truth” is sometimes even unsettling.

Throughout his years, Cracknell shares his experiences, ranging from employment under a wealthy Italian businessman whose daughter had been kidnapped, to British police who were often amazed at the accuracy of his predictions, and even his meetings with controversial psychicentertainer Uri Geller. He also makes a few bold claims: at one point, Cracknell describes being pinned to a wall by a table upon which an Ouija board had rested; during another, he claims he has managed to concentrate on a pint glass and cause it to shatter using only his mental abilities; and during one of his many religious-meditations, he says a crucifix physically lifted from his hand, and remained suspended in midair before him. But even while making extraordinary claims such as these, Cracknell manages to approach the subjects with certain honesty and clarity. Even the occasional skeptic (something I consider myself to be in most cases) may find themselves unable to wrestle themselves from Cracknell’s wide-open delivery, and may begin questioning whether such extraordinary feats of psychic prowess might indeed be real after all.

But perhaps the most rewarding aspect about The Lonely Sense is the fact that Cracknell manages to keep a bright, positive outlook throughout the ups and downs, and in the end, his message is clear: anyone can do this, not just those who claim to have psychic powers. However, should one manage to learn to wield these talents in ways exceeding the normal capability of the senses, they must task themselves with always using their abilities for good. Some of the most intriguing instances throughout the book deal with Cracknell’s own conflicts with those who were less scrupulous with their abilities, ranging from occult groups and their leaders, to the occasional misguided youth who, much like Robert once wrestled with, has yet to understand the full responsibility associated with the psychic gift.

If you’re interested in psychic phenomenon, you will enjoy this book, and perhaps even learn something new from it. If you’re a novice or you’re altogether inexperienced with matters of psychic phenomena, this book will serve as a great introduction. On the other hand, if you are neither of these, and you’re just looking for an exciting read, you too will appreciate this unique narrative of Robert Cracknell’s life and experiences as a psychic detective. The Lonely Sense is a fine read almost any way you look at it… and you’ll undoubtedly come away from it wanting to explore methods of tapping your own hidden psychic potential.