Through a glass, darkly
Book Description
In the aftermath of America's bloodiest conflict, as families mourned countless lost loved ones, an extraordinary spiritual movement emerged from the depths of collective grief. Spiritualism swept across both America and Europe, drawing millions who desperately sought connection with those who had passed beyond the veil.
At the heart of this fascinating exploration stands one of history's most intriguing contradictions: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the brilliant mind behind literature's most logical detective, Sherlock Holmes. Stefan Bechtel uses Doyle's remarkable journey as a window into understanding how a master of rational thought could abandon his celebrated devotion to cold logic and embrace the supernatural realm.
What evidence could be so compelling that it would transform the creator of deductive reasoning's greatest champion into Spiritualism's most prominent advocate? Bechtel navigates this complex spiritual landscape with careful attention to both its documented frauds and its genuinely puzzling phenomena that resist easy dismissal.
This thoughtful examination reveals how profound loss can open doorways to spiritual seeking, and how even the most analytical minds can find themselves drawn toward mysteries that transcend conventional understanding. Through Doyle's transformation, readers encounter questions about consciousness, survival after death, and the boundaries between the seen and unseen worlds.
For those curious about how grief shapes spiritual exploration and how extraordinary circumstances can reshape our fundamental beliefs about reality, this investigation offers compelling insights into one of history's most widespread spiritual movements.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 303 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Spiritualism
- ✓ Explore Spiritualists
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore Biography
- ✓ Explore BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary
- ✓ Explore Spiritual life
- ✓ Explore Literature and spiritualism
- ✓ Explore Scottish Authors
