ABSTRACT
At the heart of many religious movements, particularly new religions, lie primal experiences — unexpected vivid encounters that are considered to be other than normal. Such experiences take many forms. Above all, they not only shock those who experience them but also bring about a change in their attitude toward the material world. Primal experiences involve such things as dreams, visions, voices, tongues, spiritual healing, a sense of presence, notions of destiny, fate, sightings of ghosts, inexplicable spiritual phenomena, and other occult events. As it turns out, primal experiences are remarkably common. David Hay became interested in the phenomenon when some postgraduate students surveyed at the University of Nottingham, England, admitted that they had primal experiences that profoundly affected their outlooks. Shamans and diviners universally report primal experiences. Poewe noted much the same phenomenon among the Herero of Namibia, especially among those who became "prophets" in African independent churches.
