Jeffrey Kripal
PersonJeffrey Kripal
PersonJeffrey J. Kripal: J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy & Religious Thought at Rice University; scholar of esotericism,
Jeffrey J. Kripal: J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy & Religious Thought at Rice University; scholar of esotericism,
Jeffrey J. Kripal is a scholar whose work lies at the intersection of religion, consciousness, and the so-called “impossible.” He holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy & Religious Thought at Rice University. His research ventures beyond conventional academic boundaries: he investigates mystical and esoteric traditions, extreme religious states, and paranormal phenomena with rigor.
Kripal directs and co-founded several institutional programs—such as Rice’s GEM (Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism) doctoral concentration and Rice’s Archives of the Impossible—that aim to place experiences traditionally marginalized by religion and science into scholarly view. His recent books—“The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities” (2022) and “How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else” (2024)—together with forthcoming multi-volume work “The Super Story,” reveal a trajectory toward reimagining academic discipline around phenomena often deemed anomalous.
His training is verifiable: B.A. in Religion (Conception Seminary College), Ph.D. in History of Religions from the University of Chicago. He spent years exploring tantric and mystical traditions in South Asia; his first major monograph, Kali’s Child (1995), argued for profound interactions among mysticism, sexuality, and subjectivity. That work won the American Academy of Religion’s History of Religions Prize for Best First Book. Subsequent scholarship has expanded to American metaphysical religion, superhero and science fiction culture, Near-Death Experiences, and experiments with consciousness.
Key institutional roles:
- Founder or co-director of significant archives and centers: Rice’s Archives of the Impossible; Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory and Research.
- Creator of GEM program, reportedly “the largest program of its kind in the world,” for doctoral work in Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism.
- Editor-in-Chief of multi-volume Macmillan Handbook Series on Religion.
Areas of inquiry often blend philosophical theory, history, and experiential report. He posits that concepts like consciousness, imagination, and belief must be part of any future religious studies that take the paranormal seriously. Yet his approach carries contested premises—especially the claim that paranormal or mystical experiences are fundamental to the structure of consciousness, not merely epiphenomenal. Kripal treats such claims with both imaginative openness and self-awareness of their speculative status.
Twelve 1994 interviews of children/witnesses, transcripts running 104 pages, supposedly sit in the Archives of the Impossible at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University. I doubt they'd have anything especially juicy, but hey, a gal can dream. Does anyone here have access? Amanda Focke, Jeffrey Kripal and Karin Austin seem to be the most useful people on this, along with Will Bueché at the John Mack Institute. If anyone has links or downloads and can post the transcripts...
Today's the day! The Anomalous Coalition presents an experiencer-centric multi-subreddit livestream AMA with Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean — discussing Disclosure Day, what disclosure means to experiencers, the stigma experiencers have faced, and how the conversation has changed over the years. 🕐 Live at 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT 📺 Watch live: YouTube: ...
Today's the day! The Anomalous Coalition presents an experiencer-centric multi-subreddit livestream AMA with Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean — discussing Disclosure Day, what disclosure means to experiencers, the stigma experiencers have faced, and how the conversation has changed over the years. 🕐 Live at 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT 📺 Watch live: YouTube: ...
Today's the day! The Anomalous Coalition presents an experiencer-centric multi-subreddit livestream AMA with Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean — discussing Disclosure Day, what disclosure means to experiencers, the stigma experiencers have faced, and how the conversation has changed over the years. 🕐 Live at 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT 📺 Watch live: YouTube: ...
We're excited to announce a new multi-subreddit livestream AMA centered on the experiencer perspective, featuring Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean. Our guests will share their impressions of Disclosure Day and dig into what disclosure actually means to experiencers - the people who have been living with these questions long before they reached the mainstream. They'll also discuss the stigma so many experiencers have face...
Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, and Host Leslie Kean here — LIVESTREAM AMA — Saturday, July 18, 2026 @ 1 PM ET / 12 PM CT / 11 AM MT / 10 AM PT We're excited to announce a new multi-subreddit livestream AMA centered on the experiencer perspective, featuring Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean. Our guests will share their impressions of Disclosure Day and dig into what disclosure actually means to expe...
Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, and Host Leslie Kean here — LIVESTREAM AMA — Saturday, July 18, 2026 @ 1 PM ET / 12 PM CT / 11 AM MT / 10 AM PT We're excited to announce a new multi-subreddit livestream AMA centered on the experiencer perspective, featuring Whitley Strieber, Elizabeth Krohn, and Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, hosted by investigative journalist Leslie Kean. Our guests will share their impressions of Disclosure Day and dig into what disclosure actually means to expe...
RT @jfrickingfaulk: #ufoX This Friday, I’m hosting the John Mack Institute’s Summer Symposium, a free day-long online event featuring Jeffr…
Truly disgusting stuff from Michael here. I used to have a little respect for the thoughtful conversations he had with people like James Fox & Prof. Jeffrey Kripal. But this made me lose complete respect for him; it's a shame we can't be respectful to each other in spite of any disagreements we might have. This t-shirt is already quite poor taste for mocking a horrible event in the topic's history. Now he decides to draw a similar comparison to David Grusch. You need to do much better than th...
