YULETIDE ghosts may not have been flitting around St Tewdric's church at Mathern just before Christmas, but interest in the supernatural there could not have been greater.

An audience of clergy and Anglican lay-ministers had gathered for a talk by local psychical researcher Tony Utting, who writes under the pen-name Newton Green.

"There are many strange, wonderful and unexplained things going on around us in everyday life," he says.

"From time to time these alarm people, and then they cry 'spooks!' It is at that point that people are apt to turn to the church to deal with them. But, actually, the church has little better idea about such matters than the average citizen."

This is strong stuff, coming from someone who is himself a licensed lay-reader who regularly officiates to lead services in churches around the Chepstow area. But he is also a member of the Society for Psychical Research, and so has access to the results of the latest experiments and investigations into what is termed 'the paranormal'.

"Beyond doubt there is much more to human beings than bones, flesh and tubing. We are right at the top of the evolutionary tree, and put all other conscious life in the shade. Our consciousness is made up of brain and 'mind' (the me-ness of 'me') acting together.

"When our brains die, there is no doubt that our minds endure, and can be perceived in certain circumstances by living brains. In fact, at Mathern, I spoke of a mind which has been making itself known for at least 1,600 years.  

"Is 'mind' the same as our soul? I don't think so. I see the soul as something greater, more wonderful, transcendent, and in communion with God; definitely not available for day-to-day work on Earth!

"'Mind' on the other hand, is likely to be as much detectable by physics as by neurology and psychology. I only wish science was less dominated by atheistic materialists, and was prepared to address the great mass of supernatural phenomena which are on record.

"That way we could learn a lot more about the human condition, and our place in the universe. At present our worthwhile supernatural knowledge is still stuck almost in the condition it enjoyed in the 15th century.Given the progress made in other fields of human understanding, this is surely inexcusable. It is time for all intellectual disciplines to join forces to make some progress in this field."

Under his pen-name of Newton Green, the former Government worker has, in fact, pushed the boundaries a bit in his new book God,Ghosts, and Independent Minds (Penpress, on Amazon, Kindle, and via all good booksellers). It is already gaining a favourable word-of-mouth reputation he says.