Joan Grant
Encyclopedia
Joan Grant was an author
of historical novels and reincarnation
ist. Her first and most famous novel was Winged Pharaoh
(1937). Grant shot to unexpected fame upon publication. The New York Times hailed it as "A book of fine idealism, deep compassion and a spiritual quality pure and bright as flame'" a sentiment echoed in countless reviews the world over. What her readers did not officially know for almost another twenty years, was that Joan claimed to have recalled the events in Winged Pharaoh while in a hypnotic
or trance-like state, dictating piecemeal the lifetime that she believed herself to have lived. The book is still considered a cult classic by believers in the New Age
religion. It was followed by other historical fantasies, or as Grant called them, "Far Memory books," or "previous life autobiographies". This book was initially accepted as a novel; Grant's first husband, a barrister and Egyptologist spent many years prior to WW11 working on excavations in Egypt and as Joan accompanied him on some of these expeditions she was quite aware of many facets of Egyptian history. "Winged Pharaoh" was claimed by some to in fact be a re-incarnationist autobiography. Historians claimed that the calendar used in the book had never existed and also that there was no evidence whatsoever for the existence of an avenue of trees referred to in the book. After WW11 a text was found which when translated proved to be the calendar referred to by Grant in the 1937 book.
Joan Grant's father was of dual US-British nationality - a real tennis player who won his place in the semi- finals of the World Championship for each country and, thus needing to play against himself. He also carried out at his own expense valuable pioneering work on the Anopheles Mosquito for which purpose he had installed a full research unit on Hayling Island.
Joan Grant spent her early years on Hayling Island in Hampshire and as a young woman won the Hampshire Ladies Golf finals - having never before played golf!
Grant strove to disabuse herself and her readers of preconceptions, to eschew what she called 'group-think'. She was not interested in blind faith and blind belief, but in what could be perceived as true by the five senses. She claimed to have an unusual gift of "far memory" -- the ability to remember previous lives, and something she referred to as "sensory awareness". She said that she experienced many realities that are not available to most people.
A collection of previously unknown writings by Grant was published as Speaking from the Heart: Ethics, Reincarnation & What it Means to Be Human in 2007 by Overlook Press in the USA and Duckworth Press in the UK. It was edited by her granddaughter Nicola Bennett, with anthologist Jane Lahr and Joan's closest friend Sophia Rosoff. The book contains poetry, essays and a series of lectures she gave at Edgar Cayce
's Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach. She had a reputation for talking and writing with clear certainty about her belief in other realities, past lives, and death. She said that for her, the veil between the "worlds" simply did not exist.
With her third husband, Denys Kelsey, she wrote Many Lifetimes, in which she explained how she supposedly remembered her own and others' past lives. Prior to her marriage with Dr Kelsey Joan Grant was married to Charles Beatty, also a writer, first manager of the Montague Motor Museum in Beaulieu and one of the first announcers on Radio Luxembourg. Charles Beatty transcribed some of Joan Grant's earlier books from a wire voice recorder.
She also wrote several children's books which contain stories she claimed she was told in past lives.
Some of her books were published under the names Joan M. Grant and Joan Marshall Grant.
Her books have been translated and published in many languages.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of historical novels and reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
ist. Her first and most famous novel was Winged Pharaoh
Winged Pharaoh
Winged Pharaoh is a novel by Joan Grant first published in 1937. Grant attributed the source of her information in this novel to her "Far Memory" extrasensory abilities, particularly the ability to remember her own past lives....
(1937). Grant shot to unexpected fame upon publication. The New York Times hailed it as "A book of fine idealism, deep compassion and a spiritual quality pure and bright as flame'" a sentiment echoed in countless reviews the world over. What her readers did not officially know for almost another twenty years, was that Joan claimed to have recalled the events in Winged Pharaoh while in a hypnotic
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
or trance-like state, dictating piecemeal the lifetime that she believed herself to have lived. The book is still considered a cult classic by believers in the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
religion. It was followed by other historical fantasies, or as Grant called them, "Far Memory books," or "previous life autobiographies". This book was initially accepted as a novel; Grant's first husband, a barrister and Egyptologist spent many years prior to WW11 working on excavations in Egypt and as Joan accompanied him on some of these expeditions she was quite aware of many facets of Egyptian history. "Winged Pharaoh" was claimed by some to in fact be a re-incarnationist autobiography. Historians claimed that the calendar used in the book had never existed and also that there was no evidence whatsoever for the existence of an avenue of trees referred to in the book. After WW11 a text was found which when translated proved to be the calendar referred to by Grant in the 1937 book.
Joan Grant's father was of dual US-British nationality - a real tennis player who won his place in the semi- finals of the World Championship for each country and, thus needing to play against himself. He also carried out at his own expense valuable pioneering work on the Anopheles Mosquito for which purpose he had installed a full research unit on Hayling Island.
Joan Grant spent her early years on Hayling Island in Hampshire and as a young woman won the Hampshire Ladies Golf finals - having never before played golf!
Grant strove to disabuse herself and her readers of preconceptions, to eschew what she called 'group-think'. She was not interested in blind faith and blind belief, but in what could be perceived as true by the five senses. She claimed to have an unusual gift of "far memory" -- the ability to remember previous lives, and something she referred to as "sensory awareness". She said that she experienced many realities that are not available to most people.
A collection of previously unknown writings by Grant was published as Speaking from the Heart: Ethics, Reincarnation & What it Means to Be Human in 2007 by Overlook Press in the USA and Duckworth Press in the UK. It was edited by her granddaughter Nicola Bennett, with anthologist Jane Lahr and Joan's closest friend Sophia Rosoff. The book contains poetry, essays and a series of lectures she gave at Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce was an American psychic who allegedly had the ability to give answers to questions on subjects such as healing or Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance...
's Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach. She had a reputation for talking and writing with clear certainty about her belief in other realities, past lives, and death. She said that for her, the veil between the "worlds" simply did not exist.
With her third husband, Denys Kelsey, she wrote Many Lifetimes, in which she explained how she supposedly remembered her own and others' past lives. Prior to her marriage with Dr Kelsey Joan Grant was married to Charles Beatty, also a writer, first manager of the Montague Motor Museum in Beaulieu and one of the first announcers on Radio Luxembourg. Charles Beatty transcribed some of Joan Grant's earlier books from a wire voice recorder.
She also wrote several children's books which contain stories she claimed she was told in past lives.
Some of her books were published under the names Joan M. Grant and Joan Marshall Grant.
Her books have been translated and published in many languages.
Links
- http://www.joangrant.net-joangrant.net - website dedicated to the life and work of Joan Grant, established by her Grand Daughter Nicola Bennett, along with Jane Lahr, Sophia Rosoff (Grant's greatest friend) and Martha Crego, October 2009
- "Mind over matter", review by Claire Armitstead, The Guardian, Saturday 29 September 2007.
- Joan Grant and the Winged Pharaoh "Far Memory" Essay on Reincarnation and Reasons Blocking its Recall, Sunday 2, May 2010