Despite the apparently curious and fantastic dreams and claims of spiritual mediums and Spiritualists, many well-known writers embraced a level of truth in such beliefs. This may not seem so difficult to believe. Writers and artists have historically been associated with the esoteric. Their creative minds think -out-of-the-box' or go against the grain of the status quo.

Consider Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He devised the logical and rational Sherlock Holmes detective. Holmes became a respected novelist and committed Spiritualist who believed in connections to "The Other Side." He participated in seances and incorporated his spiritual beliefs into some of his many best-selling books.  Doyle was adamant about focusing on concepts that redirect attention from materialism. The famous character Sherlock Holmes himself questions the existence of the soul.

At the base of all this is a fundamental question: why would we desire a religion we can prove if the point of religions appears to be to shroud human existence in perpetual mystery?

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." -Oscar Wilde

"Without mysteries, life would be very dull indeed.  What would be left to strive for if everything were known?" -Charles de Lint