Imagine constantly and simultaneously living in multiple worlds. These worlds do not occupy separate physical locations, but exist roughly as alternate dimensions, realms, or planes of existence, vibrating at different energetic frequencies like the visible spectrum of light. Cynthia, a Jewish Spiritualist Reverend and psychic medium, explained to me that these worlds are \"like a parallel universe.\" The realm most familiar to incarnate humans, of course, is the physical one, which is home to fleshly bodies, objects, landscapes, and more. All other realms or dimensions constitute the metaphysical, where discarnate energies, consciousnesses, and spiritual beings are said to reside. During my research, I spoke with nine American Jewish mediums who claim to communicate with those in both the physical and the metaphysical planes of existence. These mediums believe their purpose in life is to serve as conduits, translators, and ambassadors for entities in the metaphysical, to allow them to commune with and heal incarnate humans. This, according to Grace, a Jewish Shamanic Medium, is to \"serve the highest good of all concerned.\" The overarching subject at hand in this thesis is religious authority. How do these mediums decide who to listen to, and what to believe? How does the answer to the prior question shape their religious identities and practice? And, how do they ensure their spirit messages will bring about healing in the living? In this thesis, I argue that my interlocutors' mediumship is a modern attempt at reconceiving modes of Jewish religious authority. As we will see, it represents a shift away from placing authority on communal religious beliefs and practices, and toward placing authority on individual religious experience. While the studies of metaphysical practitioners, religious amalgamations, and Judaism are not new to the academic study of religion, to my knowledge the specific combination of these topics represented by my interlocutors' religious situations has not been studied before. Therefore, this thesis brings to light a new specific modern religious situation which is of interest not only to scholar of the modern Jewish experience but also to those working on new religious movements, and metaphysical experiences. I hope that my work regarding Jewish mediums proves useful to future scholars and that it provides them new ways of understanding modern religious phenomena like the work of Jewish mediums.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 23795