Rosemary Brown

[Jim]

I would propose a third possibility: that Rosemary Brown was accessing the Akashic Records. Having read Brown's book, she does seem genuine as others have said.

If you do not remember the autistic savant Daniel Tammet, do look him up. There were articles in the papers seven or eight years back, and I recall he featured in a TV programme about savants. Incredibly he could solve difficult mathematical problems effortlessly without having studied the subject. He saw shapes in his mind's eye which coalesced into an answer somehow. It isn't a huge leap to imagine that a similar process could bring a composition together.

[Balapoel]

For those who don't know "the akashic records are described as containing all knowledge of human experience and the history of the cosmos." Genuine may negate 'fraud', but not 'deluded'.

I'm not sure if the comparison to savant syndrome is apt. It would merely mean she was developmentally challenged but excelled at a single art: music. This does not seem to be the case here.

[Jim]

I did mean by 'genuine' that my impression is that she was not a fraud, but then I would have to be an open-minded sceptic (see My big TOE by Thomas Campbell) on who is really deluded: her or those who believe her to be.
I should have expounded more on my point about savants: if it is possible at all to display such incredible abilities because of a neurological disorder, might it not be possible for some individuals to do this by some other means, and having psychic abilities might be an aid to this? RR Bennett did spot the fingerprints of some of Brown's composers in the music she produced, so something similar seems to be going on - both may be accessing akashic records as clearly in either case there has been no study of each discipline.

[Balapoel]

I should have expounded more on my point about savants: if it is possible at all to display such incredible abilities because of a neurological disorder, might it not be possible for some individuals to do this by some other means, and having psychic abilities might be an aid to this?

I would suggest that the difference between heightened musical ability as a result of a neurological disorder and actually hearing the spirits of the dead is vast. To be taken seriously, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and as far as I know, these types of claims have nearly none.

Regarding 'akashic records', what evidence do we have that such an asserted entity exists?

[TerraEpon]

Well, it could mean that she was a 'savant' in the sense that she was able to write all that music somewhat imitating various composers' styles without realizing she was doing it herself, as it were.

[Jim]

I have merely added another postulate. I don't need evidence for one of those, if I had some it would be called a theory. Science starts at points such as this does it not?

So we have:
1) Fraud
2) Real communication with discarnate entities
3) Delusion - it is a neurological disorder triggering savant syndrome
4) The ability is a result of communication with the Akashic records

What we need is to hear some of the music. Can anyone help?

[Balapoel]

Actually, science would not start with 2 or 4.

[Alan Howe]

I still think we have to start with RB the medium as science is not going to get anywhere with this one. Trouble is, that's likely to be fraught with spiritual dangers.
Christian theology maintains that the spiritual world is populated by discarnate entities - either angels, who are true messengers of God (such as Gabriel), or demons, who rebelled against God under the leadership of Lucifer/Satan. Theology also maintains that the dead cannot be contacted and that any attempted communications will actually be with demons intent on deception by impersonating the dead (whether composers or Great Aunt Flo!) These demons have immense knowledge and could without any doubt communicate musical compositions good enough to deceive even experts.
However, this activity is extremely dangerous and is not to be encouraged. My own advice as a practising Christian would be to steer well clear.
The standard Christian answer explained at greater length is to be found here:
http://www.gotquestions.org/demonic-activity.html

[Jim]

Actually, science would not start with 2 or 4.

Now, I did not specify which postulate you might begin investigating, only that science has to start with a postulate or theory. From what we know about RB, fraud doesn't seem likely. There is no evidence to suggest that the music was ghost-written (you know what I mean! as opposed to ghost-dictated LOL), and Rosemary Brown had never studied style-composition, neither had she advanced pianistic ability. A scientific materialist approach would then consider investigating 3), but then RB was ordinary in every respect except mediumship. So do you then reject 3 & 4 because it does not fit in with your world-view? If so, I concur with Alan's earlier point that your world-view then dictates the possible outcomes.

Composers have often described the creative process as being a kind of channel, receiving the music from elsewhere. And when one of the native singers of English folk-song was asked where the wonderful melodies came from, he replied, 'If you can get the words, the almighty sends you the tune' This common inner experience leads me to postulate that the Akashic Records could be a very real possibility.

[Alan Howe]

This debate is going to remain pretty academic since the lady herself is dead and her activities cannot be investigated at first-hand. I really do think that this thread has run its course and is unlikely to get much further.

As for the so-called Akashic records, well that's going well into the realms of the esoteric, not to say occult anyway...
http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/JesusNAM.html

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, this has been an interesting thread but I too think that it's got to the stage where it ceases to be about music and so there it should end.

[Jim]

It would be nice to round off this thread with some music, so here goes:

Grübelei by Rosemary Brown's Liszt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sLqPFw1rU4

The lady herself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpxV-zu7LnY&feature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyEgYgy6OLQ

[Mark Thomas]

OK. Enough, now.