Reviewed by Michael Daw
Phoenix of the Heart chronicles the origin and rationale of the Psi Games, an exciting initiative conceptually similar to the Olympic Games, in which competitions between ‘psychic athletes’ aim to provide tangible demonstrations of psi. Events include ‘mindsight’ (the apparent ability to retain the sense of sight when the eyes are masked), precognition, psychokinesis, remote viewing, and other forms of ESP. As well as his role as ‘founding steward’ of the Games, the author Hakim Isler has a background in integrative health, has practised various esoteric techniques such as the Eight Limbs of Yoga and Ninjutsu, and was previously a sergeant in the US Army’s psychological operations group.
Several prominent parapsychologists have suggested ventures similar to the Games as a way of showcasing the reality of psi and providing an incentive for participants to improve their psi skills to levels that leave little room for doubt. These include Rupert Sheldrake and, notably, Jeffrey Mishlove, who has served as a judge at the Games and who also wrote one of the book’s forewords (the other is by consciousness researcher Thomas Campbell). Isler and his team are to be heartily congratulated for being the first actually to pull this off, with the inaugural Psi Games held in Virginia in 2025, a follow-up in North Carolina in the summer of 2026, and another scheduled for 2027.
Isler expresses his desire that the Games might help to shape our culture by bringing psi “into living relevance … experienced, not merely explained” (p. 45). He suggests that the event might offer a form of democratic ‘peer review’ in contrast (or perhaps as complement) to the pursuit of parapsychology, where there are just a “few who guard the gates of scientific dogma” (p. 45). He suggests that public demonstrations at the Games could help break down perceived barriers of human potential, similar to how leading runners now routinely complete a mile in under four minutes, a feat thought to be impossible before Roger Bannister’s historic achievement in 1954.
Isler describes the historical and spiritual context for the Games from wisdom traditions such as Yoga and shamanism, in which psi abilities are taken for granted. He suggests that such lineages offer guidance for the integration of psi within a holistic view of humanity, incorporating physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. He writes, “psi doesn’t make us psychic superhumans – it makes us better humans” (p. 64), enabling us to experience for ourselves how consciousness extends beyond the brain.
The Games is set up to provide a forum for friendly competition, and Isler is at pains to stress his vision that psi should work against the division and polarisation all too prevalent in our world, and instead promote “empathy, integrity and unity” (p. 65). It was interesting to read how some have warned him that the Games may open the door for psi to be co-opted by those with nefarious commercial or military ends. However, his belief is that psi is intrinsically good. He writes that “it is extremely difficult to feel the interconnectedness of life and remain indifferent to suffering” (p. 65).
Perhaps Isler’s most convincing rationale for the Games is his suggestion that “intellectualized lectures or abstract discussions that primarily engage the left brain” are ultimately insufficient to persuade anyone of the reality of psi. Instead, a much more effective approach is to provoke “curiosity, exploration, [and] play” (p. 95), such as that offered by the Games.
Whilst one of its closing chapters is titled a Unity Manifesto for the Games, I felt that the book as a whole might best be viewed as Isler’s manifesto, a sort of prospectus for the Psi Games. When viewed from this perspective, the book makes its case effectively and succinctly. However, given the transformative and exciting potential of the Psi Games, I found it disappointingly dry and lacking in colour.
What would have spiced up the account for me would have been to describe in more detail what the events actually involved, perhaps too the inclusion of interviews and responses from competitors and audience, and details of the most significant achievements from the psi athletes (a list of record holders, perhaps?). Instead, only one event was described in any detail – that of a mindsight challenge where the participant (‘perceptualist’) was apparently able to sort 24 coloured rings whilst blindfolded. To describe only this event left me wondering whether this was the only impressive result. If so, then what might this mean? For example, might this confirm Thomas Campbell’s ‘uncertainty principle’, where psi demonstrations can never be definitive because otherwise our dimension of consciousness would lose its purpose as a teaching environment for our souls’ evolution? The sceptic in me would also have liked to know more about what controls were put in place to prevent cheating – my guess is that hostile sceptics might otherwise be dismissive of such events as mere trickery regardless of Isler’s assertions to the contrary. Or perhaps I’m missing the point and I just needed to be there…
All that said, I found Isler’s book a concise and readable account of the origin and motivation for establishing the Psi Games. For me, the main purpose of Phoenix of the Heart may be to serve as background to the events and to help raise funding for future similar events. I wish the Psi Games well and will be watching with interest.