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Imprisoned Splendour
Raynor Johnson -- the author of many scientific papers and books -- wrote this, his first philosophical work 'in an attempt to order my own thinking'. Such thinking was always original, searching and bold; The book, bridging as it does the data of natural science, physical research and mystical experience, is now rightly regarded as a classic in its field.
424 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1953
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About the author
Raynor Carey Johnson
19 books1 followerFrom Wikipedia:
Raynor Carey Johnson (5 April 1901 – 15 May 1987) was an English-born Australian parapsychologist, physicist and author.[1]
Life and career
Johnson was born in Leeds, England on 5 April 1901[2] and educated at Bradford Grammar School. He earned an MA at the University of Oxford and, in 1922, a PhD in physics at the University of London. He lectured in natural philosophy at the Queen's University, Belfast between 1923 and 1927.[3] He published scientific works on spectroscopy.[2]
He became increasingly interested in parapsychology and became connected with the Society for Psychical Research in London.[4]
Johnson's religious background led to work in Australia, where he was master of the Methodist Queen's College at the University of Melbourne from 1934 to 1964.[5] By this time he was married with two young daughters; his wife Mary held a Master of Science from the University of London.[3]
Johnson published several books on mysticism and psychical research during the 1950s and 1960s. His beliefs and writings eventually created concern within the Methodist Church and he retired from his university position in 1964. In the early 1960s Johnson visited India, where he met Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and lectured on spirituality. He also met the Indian mystics Vinoba Bhave and Swami Pratyagatmananda.[2]
Johnson was an advocate of Douglas Fawcett's philosophy of Imaginism which he believed could explain God and the purpose of human life.[6]
He owned a property called "Santiniketan" ("abode of peace") at Ferny Creek in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. There he hosted regular meetings of a religious and philosophical discussion group led by the yoga teacher Anne Hamilton-Byrne. This group became known as "The Family",[7] a cult that adopted a large number of children and treated them cruelly until Victoria police rescued them on 14 August 1987. Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill were extradited from the United States six years later and faced criminal charges.
Twenty years after his death, an authorised biography was published, Raynor Johnson – A Biographical Memoir (2007). Two further books authored by Johnson were published after his death – Mysticism and Life (2010) and a collection of miscellaneous writings, A Late Lark Singing (2012).
Raynor Carey Johnson (5 April 1901 – 15 May 1987) was an English-born Australian parapsychologist, physicist and author.[1]
Life and career
Johnson was born in Leeds, England on 5 April 1901[2] and educated at Bradford Grammar School. He earned an MA at the University of Oxford and, in 1922, a PhD in physics at the University of London. He lectured in natural philosophy at the Queen's University, Belfast between 1923 and 1927.[3] He published scientific works on spectroscopy.[2]
He became increasingly interested in parapsychology and became connected with the Society for Psychical Research in London.[4]
Johnson's religious background led to work in Australia, where he was master of the Methodist Queen's College at the University of Melbourne from 1934 to 1964.[5] By this time he was married with two young daughters; his wife Mary held a Master of Science from the University of London.[3]
Johnson published several books on mysticism and psychical research during the 1950s and 1960s. His beliefs and writings eventually created concern within the Methodist Church and he retired from his university position in 1964. In the early 1960s Johnson visited India, where he met Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and lectured on spirituality. He also met the Indian mystics Vinoba Bhave and Swami Pratyagatmananda.[2]
Johnson was an advocate of Douglas Fawcett's philosophy of Imaginism which he believed could explain God and the purpose of human life.[6]
He owned a property called "Santiniketan" ("abode of peace") at Ferny Creek in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. There he hosted regular meetings of a religious and philosophical discussion group led by the yoga teacher Anne Hamilton-Byrne. This group became known as "The Family",[7] a cult that adopted a large number of children and treated them cruelly until Victoria police rescued them on 14 August 1987. Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill were extradited from the United States six years later and faced criminal charges.
Twenty years after his death, an authorised biography was published, Raynor Johnson – A Biographical Memoir (2007). Two further books authored by Johnson were published after his death – Mysticism and Life (2010) and a collection of miscellaneous writings, A Late Lark Singing (2012).
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August 6, 2022DATA
December 10, 2019
This book is a classic in the field of rational consideration of psychic and mystical experiences — written by a British-born physicist and master of a college in an Australian university. Many references to the book have appeared in the text and footnotes of later books. Johnson surveys the best of scientific, anecdotal, and theoretical sources, offering insights from this material. I’ve re-read it from time to time since maybe 1995 or so, and found it absorbing. Yet, being a serious book, solidly packed with information, it may seem a bit dry to some readers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews