THEFIELDTHEQUESTFORTHESECRETFORCEOFTHEUNIVERSE

LYNNEMcTAGGART

Lynne

McTaggart

Thewebsiteaddressis:www.thorsonselement.com

FirstpublishedbyHarperCollinsPublishers2001

Thisedition2003

FORCAITLIN

YOUNEVERWEREALONE

Physicsmaybeabouttofacearevolutionsimilartothatwhichoccurredjustacenturyago...

ArthurC.Clarke

WhenWilltheRealSpaceAgeBegin?

Ifanangelweretotellusabouthisphilosophy...

Manyofhisstatementsmightwell

soundlike2x2=13.

GeorgChristopheLichtenberg

Aphorisms

Tableofcontents

AbouttheAuthor

Acknowledgements

PROLOGUETheComingRevolution

Part1TheResonatingUniverse

CHAPTERONE:LightintheDarkness

CHAPTERTWO:TheSeaofLight

CHAPTERTHREE:'BeingsofLight’

CHAPTERFOUR:TheLanguageoftheCell

CHAPTERFIVE:ResonatingwiththeWorld

Part2TheExtendedMind

CHAPTERSIX:TheCreativeObserver

CHAPTERSEVEN:Sharing'Dreams

CHAPTEREIGHT:TheExtendedEye

CHAPTERNINE:TheEndlessHereandNow

Part3TappingintotheField

CHAPTERTEN:TheHealingField

CHAPTERELEVEN:TelegramfromGaia

CHAPTERTWELVE:TheZeroPointAge

NOTESInthetext,notenumbersareindicatedbysuperscriptsinboldprint

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AbouttheAuthor

LynneMcTaggartisanaward‐winningjournalistandauthorofthebestsellingbook

WhatDoctorsDon'tTellYou.Sheandherhusband,BryanHubbard,areexecutivedirectorsof

WhatDoctorsDon'tTellYou,plc,apublishingcompanyofnewslettersandbookson

conventionalandalternativemedicine.

Aseditorandco‐founderofWhatDoctorsDon'tTellYouandProof!!WhatWorksin

AlternativeMedicine,theUK'smostsuccessfulhealthnewsletters,shehasbecomeawell‐

respectednationalspokespersononthepracticesofconventionalandalternativemedicine.

MsMcTaggartisauthoroftwoearlierbooks,

TheBabyBrokers:TheMarketingofWhiteBabiesinAmerica(TheDialPress)

and

KathleenKennedy:HerLifeandTimes(TheDialPress/Weidenfeld&Nicolson).

SheandherhusbandliveandworkinLondonwiththeirtwodaughters.

Acknowledgements

Thisbookgotstartedeightyearsago,wheninthecourseofmyworkIkeptbumping

upagainstmiracles.Notmiraclesintheordinarysenseoftheterm,wheretheseaspartor

loavesofbreadexponentiallymultiply,butmiracles,nonetheless,intheirutterviolationof

thewaywethinktheworldworks.Themiraclesthat1cameacrosshadtodowithhard

scientificevidenceconcerningmethodsofhealingthatflouteverynotionwehaveaboutour

ownbiology.

Idiscovered,forinstance.somegoodstudiesabouthomeopathy.Randomized,double‐

blind,placebo‐controlledstudies—thegoldstandardofmodernscientificmedicine—

showedthatyoucouldtakeasubstance.diluteitsomuchthatnotasinglemoleculeofthe

substanceremained.givethisdilution—nownothingmorethanwater—toapatientand

thepatientwouldgetbetter.'Idiscoveredsimilarstudiesforacupuncture;pokingtheskin

withfineneedlesatcertainpointsofthebodyalongso‐calledenergymeridianswasshown,

ingoodsolidstudies,toworkforcertainconditions.

Asforspiritualhealing,althoughsomestudieswereofpoorquality,anumberwere

goodenoughtoindicatethatsomethinginterestingwasgoingonhere,andtheremightbe

somethingmoretodistanthealingthanjustaplaceboorfeel‐goodeffect.Inmanyofthe

studies,patientsdidn'tevenknowanybodywasattemptingtohealthem.Nonetheless,here

wasevidencethatcertainpeoplecouldconcentrateonapatientatadistance,andsomehow

thatpersonwouldgetbetter.

Thesediscoveriesleftmewithwonderbutalsoprofoundlyunsettled.Allthese

practiceswerebasedonanentirelydifferentparadigmofthehumanbodyfromthatof

modernscience.

Theseweremedicalsystems,whichpurportedtoworkon'energeticlevels',butIkept

wonderingpreciselywhichenergyitmightbethattheyweretalkingabout.

Inthealternativecommunity,wordslike'subtleenergy'wereoftenbandiedabout,but

thedebunkerinmewasleftdissatisfied.Wherewasthisenergycomingfrom?Wheredidit

reside?Whatwassosubtleaboutit?Weretheresuchthingsashumanenergyfields?Anddid

theyaccountnotonlyforthesealternativeformsofhealingbutalsoformanyoflife's

mysteriesthatcouldn'tbeexplained?Wasthereanenergysourcethatwedidn'treally

understand?

Ifsomethinglikehomeopathyworked,itupendedeverythingwebelieveaboutourphysical

andbiologicalreality.Oneofthetwo—homeopathyorstandardmedicalscience—hadtobe

wrong.Nothinglessthananewbiology,anewphysics,seemednecessarytoembracewhat

appearedtobetrueaboutso‐calledenergymedicine.

Ibeganapersonalquesttofindoutwhetheranyscientistsweredoingworkthatsuggested

analternativeviewoftheworld.Itraveledtomanyareasaroundtheglobe,meetingwith

physicistsandothertopfrontierscientistsinRussia,Germany,France,England,South

America,CentralAmericaandtheUSA.Icorrespondedwithandphonedmanyother

scientistsinothercountries.Iattendedconferencesatwhichradicallynewfindingswere

presented.Inthemain,Idecidedtosticktoscientistswithsolidcredentialsoperating

accordingtorigorousscientificcriteria.Enoughspeculationhadalreadybeenmadeinthe

alternativecommunityaboutenergyandhealing,andIwantedanynewtheoriestobefirmly

rootedinwhatwasprovable,mathematicallyorexperimentally—preciseequations,areal

physicstograpplewithandunderstandAsI'dlookedtosciencetoproveconventionalor

alternativemedicine,soIwantedthescientificcommunitytoprovidemewith—inasense

—anewscience.

OnceIbegandigging,Idiscoveredasmallbutcohesivecommunityoftop‐gradescientists

withimpressivecredentials,alldoingsomesmallaspectofthesamething.Theirdiscoveries

wereincredible.Whattheywereworkingonseemedtooverthrowthecurrentlawsof

biochemistryandphysics.Theirworknotonlyofferedanexplanationofwhyhomeopathy

andspiritualhealingmightwork.Theirtheoriesandexperimentsalsocompoundedintoa

newscience,anewviewoftheworld.TheFieldhaslargelyresultedfrominterviewswithall

themajorscientistsmentionedinthebook,plusareadingoftheirmajorpublishedwork.

Theseincludechiefly:JacquesBenveniste,WilliamBraud,BrendaDunne,BernhardHaisch,

BasilHiley,RobertJahn,EdMay,PeterMarcer,EdgarMitchell,RogerNelson,Fritz‐Albert

Popp,KarlPribram,HalPuthoff,DeanRadin,AlfonsoRueda,WalterSchempp,MarilynSchlitz,

HelmutSchmidt,ElisabethTarg,RussellTarg,CharlesTartandMaeWan‐Ho.Ireceiveda

herculeanamountofhelpandsupportfromeachoneoftheminperson,bytelephoneand

throughthepost.Mostoftheindividualscientistswereinvolvedinmultipleinterviews—

manyteninterviewsormore.Iamindebtedtothemforconsentingtosomanyconsultations

andforallowingmetocheckfactslaboriously.Theyputupwithmyconstantintrusionand

alsomyignorance,andtheirassistancehasbeenincalculable.ImustespeciallythankDean

Radinforeducatingmeinstatistics,HalPuthoff,FritzPoppandPeterMarcerforwhat

amountedtoacourseinphysics,KarlPribramforaneducationinbrainneurodynamicsand

EdgarMitchellforsharingthemostup‐to‐datedevelopments.

Iamalsogratefultothefollowing,allofwhomIspokeorcorrespondedwith:Andrei

Apostol,HansBetz,DickBierman,MarcoBischof,ChristenBlom‐Dahl,RichardBroughton,

ToniBunnell,WilliamCorliss,DeborahDelanoy,SuitbertErtel,GeorgeFarr,PeterFenwick,

PeterGariaev,ValerieHunt,EzioInsinna,DavidLorimer,HughMacPherson,RobertMorris,

RichardObousy,MarcelOdier,BeverlyRubik,RupertSheldrake,DennisStillings,William

Tiller,MarcelTruzzi,DieterVaitl,HaraldWalach,HansWendtandTomWilliamson.Although

scoresofbooksandpaperscontributedinsomewaytomythoughtsandconclusions,Iam

indebtedtoDeanRadin'sTheConsciousUniverse:TheScientificTruthofPsychicPhenomena

(NewYork:HarperEdge,1997)andRichardBroughton'sParapsychology:TheControversial

Science(NewYork:Ballantine,1991)fortheircompilationofevidenceforpsychic

phenomena;LarryDossey,whosevariousbookswerehighlyusefulforevidenceofspiritual

healing;andErvinLaszlo,forhisfascinatingtheoriesofthevacuuminTheInterconnected

Universe:ConceptualFoundationsofTransdisciplinaryUnifiedTheory(Singapore:World

Scientific,1995).

IwouldespeciallyliketoacknowledgethecontributionofElisabethTarg,who

tragicallydiedafterTheFieldwasfirstpublished.

Onceagain,IoweaspecialdebtofgratitudetotheentireteamatHarperCollins,

particularlymyeditor,WandaWhiteley,forimmediatelyunderstandingwhatthisbookwas

allaboutandsupportingmewithsuchenthusiasm.IamespeciallygratefultoAndrew

Coleman,forhispainstakingsubeditingofthemanuscript.Iamalsoindebtedtomyteamat

WhatDoctorsDon'tTellYoufortheirsupportofthisproject.JulieMcLeanandSharynWong

inparticularofferedvitalaidattheeleventhhour,andKathyMingo'sunfailingassistance

enabledmetojugglehomeandwork.

IoweaspecialthankstoPeterRobinson,myUKagent,andDanielBenor,myinternational

agent,fortakinguptheprojectwithsuchenthusiasm.Ishouldalsoparticularlyliketothank

myagentinAmerica,RussellGalen,whosededicationandunflaggingbeliefinthisprojecthas

beennothingshortofastonishing.

Specialmentionmustbemadeofmychildren,CaitlinandAnya,throughwhomIdaily

experienceTheFieldfirsthand.Asever,thisbookowesitslargestdebttomyhusbandBryan

Hubbard,forhelpingmetounderstandthetruemeaningofthisbookandalsothetrue

meaningofinterconnection.

PROLOGUE

TheComingRevolution

Wearepoisedonthebrinkofarevolution—arevolutionasdaringandprofoundas

Einstein'sdiscoveryofrelativity.Attheveryfrontierofsciencenewideasareemergingthat

challengeeverythingwebelieveabouthowourworldworksandhowwedefineourselves.

Discoveriesarebeingmadethatprovewhatreligionhasalwaysespoused—thathuman

beingsarefarmoreextraordinarythananassemblageoffleshandbones.Atitsmost

fundamental,thisnewscienceanswersquestionsthathaveperplexedscientistsforhundreds

ofyears.Atitsmostprofound,thisisascienceofthemiraculous.Foranumberofdecades

respectedscientistsinavarietyofdisciplinesallovertheworldhavebeencarryingoutwell‐

designedexperimentswhoseresultsflyinthefaceofcurrentbiologyandphysics.Together,

thesestudiesofferuscopiousinformationaboutthecentralorganizingforcegoverningour

bodiesandtherestofthecosmos.

Whattheyhavediscoveredisnothinglessthanastonishing.Atourmostelemental,we

arenotachemicalreaction,butanenergeticcharge.Humanbeingsandalllivingthingsarea

coalescenceofenergyinafieldofenergyconnectedtoeveryotherthingintheworld.This

pulsatingenergyfieldisthecentralengineofourbeingandourconsciousness,thealphaand

theomegaofourexistence.

Thereisno'me'and'not‐me'dualitytoourbodiesinrelationtotheuniverse,butone

underlyingenergyfield.Thisfieldisresponsibleforourmind'shighestfunctions,the

informationsourceguidingthegrowthofourbodies.Itisourbrain,ourheart,ourmemory

—indeed,ablueprintoftheworldforalltime.Thefieldistheforce,ratherthangermsor

genes,thatfinallydetermineswhetherwearehealthyorill,theforcewhichmustbetapped

inordertoheal.Weareattachedandengaged,indivisiblefromourworld,andouronly

fundamentaltruthisourrelationshipwithit.'Thefield,'asEinsteinoncesuccinctlyputit,'is

theonlyreality!!

Upuntilthepresent,biologyandphysicshavebeenhandmaidensofviewsespousedby

IsaacNewton,thefatherofmodernphysics.Everythingwebelieveaboutourworldandour

placewithinittakesitsleadfromideasthatwereformulatedintheseventeenthcentury,but

stillformthebackboneofmodernscience—theoriesthatpresentalltheelementsofthe

universeasisolatedfromeachother,divisibleandwhollyself‐contained.

These,attheiressence,createdaworldviewofseparateness.Newtondescribeda

materialworldinwhichindividualparticlesofmatterfollowedcertainlawsofmotion

throughspaceandtime—theuniverseasmachine.BeforeNewtonformulatedhislawsof

motion,FrenchphilosopherReneDescarteshadcomeupwithwhatwasthenarevolutionary

notion,thatwe—representedbyourminds—wereseparatefromthislifelessinertmatter

ofourbodies,whichwerejustanothertypeofwell‐oiledmachine.Theworldwascomposed

ofaloadoflittlediscreteobjects,whichbehavedpredictably.Themostseparateofthesewas

thehumanbeing.Wesatoutsidethisuniverse,lookinginEvenourbodiesweresomehow

separateandotherfromtherealus,theconsciousmindsdoingtheobserving.

TheNewtonianworldmighthavebeenlaw‐abiding,butultimatelyitwasalonely,

desolateplace.Theworldcarriedon,onevastgearbox,whetherwewerepresentornot.With

afewdeftmoves,NewtonandDescarteshadpluckedGodandlifefromtheworldofmatter,

andusandourconsciousnessfromthecentreofourworld.Theyrippedtheheartandsoul

outoftheuniverse,leavinginitswakealifelesscollectionofinterlockingparts.Most

importantofall,asDanahZoharobservedinTheQuantumSelf,'Newton'svisiontoreusout

fromthefabricoftheuniverse.'2

Ourself‐imagegrewevenbleakerwiththeworkofCharlesDarwin.Histheoryof

evolution—tweakedslightlynowbytheneo‐Darwinists—isofalifethatisrandom,

predatory,purposelessandsolitary.Bethebestordon'tsurvive.Youarenomorethanan

evolutionaryaccident.Thevastcheckerboardbiologicalheritageofyourancestorsisstripped

downtoonecentralfacet:survivalEatorbeeaten.Theessenceofyourhumanityisagenetic

terrorist,efficientlydisposingofanyweakerlinks.Lifeisnotaboutsharingand

interdependence.Lifeisaboutwinning,gettingtherefirst.Andifyoudomanagetosurvive,

youareonyourownatthetopoftheevolutionarytree.

Theseparadigmstheworldasmachine,manassurvivalmachine—haveledtoa

technologicalmasteryoftheuniverse,butlittlerealknowledgeofanycentralimportanceto

us.Onaspiritualandmetaphysicallevel,theyhaveledtothemostdesperateandbrutalsense

ofisolation.Theyalsohavegotusnoclosertounderstandingthemostfundamental

mysteriesofourownbeing:howwethink,howlifebegins,whywegetill,howasinglecell

turnsintoafullyformedperson,andevenwhathappenstohumanconsciousnesswhenwe

die.Weremainreluctantapostlesoftheseviewsoftheworldasmechanizedandseparate,

evenifthisisn'tpartofourordinaryexperience.Manyofusseekrefugefromwhatweseeas

theharshandnihilisticfactofourexistenceinreligion,whichmayoffersomesuccorinits

idealsofunity,communityandpurpose,butthroughaviewoftheworldthatcontradictsthe

viewespousedbyscience.Anyoneseekingaspirituallifehashadtowrestlewiththese

opposingworldviewsandfruitlesslytrytoreconcilethetwo.

Thisworldoftheseparateshouldhavebeenlaidwasteonceandforallbythe

discoveryofquantumphysicsintheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury.Asthepioneersof

quantumphysicspeeredintotheveryheartofmatter,theywereastoundedbywhatthey

saw.Thetiniestbitsofmatterweren'tevenmatter,asweknowit,notevenasetsomething,

butsometimesonething,sometimessomethingquitedifferent.Andevenstranger,theywere

oftenmanypossiblethingsallatthesametime.Butmostsignificantly,thesesubatomic

particleshadnomeaninginisolation,butonlyinrelationshipwitheverythingelse.Atits

mostelemental,mattercouldn'tbechoppedupintoself‐containedlittleunits,butwas

completelyindivisible.Youcouldonlyunderstandtheuniverseasadynamicwebof

interconnection.Thingsonceincontactremainedalwaysincontactthroughallspaceandall

time.Indeed,timeandspacethemselvesappearedtobearbitraryconstructs,nolonger

applicableatthisleveloftheworld.Timeandspaceasweknowthemdidnot,infact,exist.

Allthatappeared,asfarastheeyecouldsee,wasonelonglandscapeofthehereandnow.

ThepioneersofquantumphysicsErwinSchrödinger,WernerHeisenberg,NielsBohr

andWolfgangPauli—hadsomeinklingofthemetaphysicalterritorytheyhadtrespassed

into.Ifelectronswereconnectedeverywhereatonce,thisimpliedsomethingprofoundabout

thenatureoftheworldatlarge.Theyturnedtoclassicphilosophicaltextsintheirattemptto

graspthedeepertruthaboutthestrangesubatomicworldtheywereobserving.Pauli

examinedpsychoanalysisandarchetypesandtheQabbalah;Bohr,theTaoandChinese

philosophy;Schrödinger,Hinduphilosophy;andHeisenberg,thePlatonictheoryofancient

Greece.;Nevertheless,acoherenttheoryofthespiritualimplicationsofquantumphysics

remainedbeyondtheirgrasp.NielsBohrhungasignonhisdoorsaying'Philosopherskeep

out.Workinprogress.'Therewasother,quitepractical,unfinishedbusinesswithquantum

theory.Bohrandhiscolleaguesonlygotsofarintheirexperimentsandunderstanding.The

experimentsthey'dconducteddemonstratingthesequantumeffectshadoccurredinthe

laboratory,withnon‐livingsubatomicparticles.Fromthere,scientistsintheirwakenaturally

assumedthatthisstrangequantumworldonlyexistedintheworldofdeadmatter.Anything

alivestilloperatedaccordingtothelawsofNewtonandDescartes,aviewthathasinformed

allofmodernmedicineandbiology.EvenbiochemistrydependsuponNewtonianforceand

collisiontowork.

Andwhatofus?Suddenly,wehadgrowncentraltoeveryphysicalprocess,butnoone

hadfullyacknowledgedthis.Thequantumpioneershaddiscoveredthatourinvolvement

withmatterwascrucial.Subatomicparticlesexistedinallpossiblestatesuntildisturbedby

us—byobservingormeasuring—atwhichpoint,they'dsettledown,atlonglast,into

somethingreal.Ourobservation—ourhumanconsciousness—wasutterlycentraltothis

processofsubatomicfluxactuallybecomingsomesetthing,butweweren'tinanyofthe

mathematicsofHeisenbergorSchrödinger.Theyrealizedthatweweresomehowkey,but

theydidn'tknowhowtoincludeus.Asfarassciencewasconcerned,wewerestillonthe

outsidelookingin.

Alltheloosestrandsofquantumphysicswerenevertiedupintoacoherenttheory,

andquantumphysicsgotreducedtoanextremelysuccessfultooloftechnology,vitalfor

makingbombsandmodernelectronics.Thephilosophicalimplicationswereforgotten,and

allthatremainedwereitspracticaladvantages.Therankandfileoftoday'sphysicistswere

willingtoacceptthebizarrenatureofthequantumworldatfacevaluebecausethe

mathematics,suchastheSchrödingerequation,workssowell,butshooktheirheadsatthe

counter‐intuitivenessofitall.;Howcouldelectronsbeintouchwitheverythingatonce?How

couldanelectronnotbeasetsinglethinguntilitisexaminedormeasured?How,infact,

couldanythingbeconcreteintheworld,ifitwasawillo'thewisponceyoustartedlooking

closeratit?

Theiranswerwastosaythattherewasasingletruthforanythingsmallandanother

truthforsomethingmuchbigger,onetruthforthingsthatwerealive,anotherforthingsthat

weren't,andtoaccepttheseapparentcontradictionsjustasonemightacceptabasicaxiomof

Newton's.Theseweretherulesoftheworldandtheyshouldjustbetakenatfacevalue.The

mathworks,andthat'sallthatcounts.

Asmallbandofscientistsdottedaroundtheglobewasnotsatisfiedtosimplycarryonwith

quantumphysicsbyrote.Theyrequiredabetteranswertomanyofthelargequestionsthat

hadbeenleftunanswered.Intheirinvestigationsandexperimentation,theypickedupwhere

thepioneersofquantumphysicshadleftoff,andtheybeganprobingdeeper.

Severalthoughtagainaboutafewequationsthathadalwaysbeensubtractedoutin

quantumphysics.TheseequationsstoodfortheZeroPointField—anoceanofmicroscopic

vibrationsinthespacebetweenthings.IftheZeroPointFieldwereincludedinour

conceptionofthemostfundamentalnatureofmatter,theyrealized,theveryunderpinningof

ouruniversewasaheavingseaofenergy—onevastquantumfield.Ifthisweretrue,

everythingwouldbeconnectedtoeverythingelselikesomeinvisibleweb.

Theyalsodiscoveredthatweweremadeofthesamebasicmaterial.Onourmost

fundamentallevel,livingbeings,includinghumanbeings,werepacketsofquantumenergy

constantlyexchanginginformationwiththisinexhaustibleenergysea.Livingthingsemitteda

weakradiation,andthiswasthemostcrucialaspectofbiologicalprocesses.Information

aboutallaspectsoflife,fromcellularcommunicationtothevastarrayofcontrolsofDNA,was

relayedthroughaninformationexchangeonthequantumlevel.Evenourminds,thatother

supposedlysooutsideofthelawsofmatter,operatedaccordingtoquantumprocesses.

Thinking,feeling—everyhighercognitivefunctionhadtodowithquantuminformation

pulsingsimultaneouslythroughourbrainsandbody.Humanperceptionoccurredbecauseof

interactionsbetweenthesubatomicparticlesofourbrainsandthequantumenergysea.We

literallyresonatedwithourworld.

Theirdiscoverieswereextraordinaryandheretical.Inastroke,theyhadchallenged

manyofthemostbasiclawsofbiologyandphysics.Whattheymayhaveuncoveredwasno

lessthanthekeytoallinformationprocessingandexchangeinourworld,fromthe

communicationbetweencellstoperceptionoftheworldatlarge.They'dcomeupwith

answerstosomeofthemostprofoundquestionsinbiologyabouthumanmorphologyand

livingconsciousness.Here,inso‐called'dead'space,possiblylaytheverykeytolifeitself.

Mostfundamentally,theyhadprovidedevidencethatallofusconnectwitheachother

andtheworldattheveryundercoatofourbeing.Throughscientificexperimentthey'd

demonstratedthattheremaybesuchathingasalifeforceflowingthroughtheuniverse—

whathasvariouslybeencalledcollectiveconsciousnessor,astheologianshavetermedit,the

HolySpirit.Theyprovidedaplausibleexplanationofallthoseareasthatoverthecenturies

mankindhashadfaithinbutnosolidevidenceoforadequateaccountingfor,fromthe

effectivenessofalternativemedicineandevenprayertolifeafterdeath.Theyofferedus,ina

sense,ascienceofreligion.UnliketheworldviewofNewtonorDarwin,theirswasavision

thatwaslife‐enhancing.Thesewereideasthatcouldempowerus,withtheirimplicationsof

orderandcontrol.Wewerenotsimplyaccidentsofnature.Therewaspurposeandunityto

ourworldandourplacewithinit,andwehadanimportantsayinit.Whatwedidand

thoughtmattered—indeed,wascriticalincreatingourworld.Humanbeingswerenolonger

separatefromeachother.Itwasnolongerusandthem.Wewerenolongerattheperiphery

ofouruniverse—ontheoutsidelookingin.Wecouldtakeourrightfulplace,backinthe

centreofourworld.

Theseideaswerethestuffoftreason.Inmanycases,thesescientistshavehadtofighta

rearguardactionagainstanentrenchedandhostileestablishment.Theirinvestigationshave

goneonforthirtyyears,largelyunacknowledgedorsuppressed,butnotbecauseofthe

qualityofthework.Thescientists,allfromcredibletop‐rankinginstitutions—Princeton

University,StanfordUniversity,topinstitutionsinGermanyandFrance—haveproduced

impeccableexperimentation.Nevertheless,theirexperimentshaveattackedanumberof

tenetsheldtobesacredandattheveryheartofmodernscience.Theydidnotfitthe

prevailingscientificviewoftheworld—theworldasmachine.Acknowledgingthesenew

ideaswouldrequirescrappingmuchofwhatmodernsciencebelievesinand,inasense,

startingoverfromscratch.Theoldguardwashavingnoneofit.Itdidnotfittheworldview

andsoitmustbewrong.

Nevertheless,itistoolate.Therevolutionisunstoppable.Thescientistswhohavebeen

highlightedinTheFieldaremerelyafewofthepioneers,asmallrepresentationofalarger

movementsManyothersarerightbehindthem,challenging,experimenting,modifyingtheir

views,engagedintheworkthatalltrueexplorersengagein.Ratherthandismissingthis

informationasnotfittinginwiththescientificviewoftheworld,orthodoxsciencewillhave

tobeginadaptingitsworldviewtosuit.ItistimetorelegateNewtonandDescartestotheir

properplaces,asprophetsofahistoricalviewthathasnowbeensurpassed.Sciencecanonly

beaprocessofunderstandingourworldandourselves,ratherthanafixedsetofrulesforall

time,andwiththeusheringinofthenew,theoldmustoftenbediscarded.

TheFieldisthestoryofthisrevolutioninthemakingLikemanyrevolutions,itbeganwith

smallpocketsofrebellion,whichgatheredindividualstrengthandmomentum—a

breakthroughinonearea,adiscoverysomewhereelse—ratherthanonelarge,unified

movementofreform.Althoughawareofeachother'swork,thesearemenandwomeninthe

laboratory,whooftendislikeventuringbeyondexperimentationtoexaminethefull

implicationsoftheirfindingsordon'talwayshavethetimenecessarytoplacethemin

contextwithotherscientificevidencecomingtolightEachscientisthasbeenonavoyageof

discovery,andeachhasdiscoveredabucketofearth,butnoonehasbeenboldenoughto

declareitacontinent.TheFieldrepresentsoneofthefirstattemptstosynthesizethis

disparateresearchintoacohesivewhole.Intheprocess,italsoprovidesascientific

validationofareasthathavelargelybeenthedomainofreligion,mysticism,alternative

medicineorNewAgespeculation.

Althoughallofthematerialinthisbookisgroundedinthehardfactofscientific

experimentation,attimes,withthehelpofthescientistsconcerned,I'vehadtoengagein

speculationastohowallthisfitstogether.Consequently,Imuststressthatthistheoryis,as

PrincetonDeanEmeritusRobertJahnisfondofsaying,aworkinprogress.Inafewinstances,

someofthescientificevidencepresentedin“TheField”,hasnotyetbeenreproducedby

independentgroups.Aswithallnewideas,TheFieldhastobeseenasanearlyattempttoput

individualfindingsintoacoherentmodel,portionsofwhicharehoundtoberefinedinfuture.

Itisalsowisetokeepinmindthewell‐knowndictumthatarightideacanneverget

definitivelyproven.Thebestthatsciencecaneverhopetoachieveistodisprovewrongideas.

Therehavebeenmanyattemptstodiscreditthenewideaselaboratedinthisbookby

scientistswithgoodcredentialsandtestingmethods,butthusfar,noonehasbeensuccessful.

Untiltheyaredisprovenorrefined,thefindingsofthesescientistsstandasvalid.Thisbookis

intendedforalayaudience,andinordertomakequitecomplicatednotionscomprehensible,

I'veoftenhadtoreachformetaphors,whichrepresentonlyacrudeapproximationofthe

truth.Attimes,theradicalnewideaspresentedinthisbookwillrequirepatience,andI

cannotpromisethatthiswillalwaysbeaneasyread.Anumberofnotionsarequitedifficult

fortheNewtoniansandCartesiansamongus,accustomed,aswearetothinkingofeverything

intheworldasseparateandinviolate.Itisalsoimportanttostressthatnoneofthisismy

discovery.Iamnotascientist.Iamonlythereporterandoccasionallytheinterpreter.The

plauditsgotothelargelyunknownmenandwomeninthelaboratorywhohaveunearthed

andgraspedtheextraordinaryinthecourseoftheeveryday.Often,withouttheirevenfully

comprehendingit,theirworktransformedintoaquestforthephysicsoftheimpossible.

LynneMcTaggartLondon,July2001

Part1TheResonatingUniverse

NowIknowwe'renotinKansas.

Dorothy,TheWizardofOz

CHAPTERONE:LightintheDarkness

PERHAPSWHATHAPPENEDTOEdMitchellwasduetothelackofgravity,ormaybeto

thefactthatallhissenseshadbeendisoriented.Hehadbeenonhiswayhome,whichatthe

momentwasapproximately250,000milesaway,somewhereonthesurfaceoftheclouded

azureandwhitecrescentappearingintermittentlythroughthetriangularwindowofthe

commandmoduleoftheApollo14.1

Twodaysbefore,hehadbecomethesixthmantolandonthemoon.Thetriphadbeen

atriumph:thefirstlunarlandingtocarryoutscientificinvestigations.The94poundsofrock

andsoilsamplesintheholdattestedtothat.Althoughheandhiscommander,AlanShepard,

hadn'treachedthesummitofthe750‐foot‐highancientConeCrater,therestoftheitemson

themeticulousscheduletapedtotheirwrists,detailingvirtuallyeveryminuteoftheirtwo‐

dayjourneyhadbeenmethodicallytickedoff.

Whattheyhadn'tfullyaccountedforwastheeffectofthisuninhabitedworld,lowin

gravity,devoidofthedilutingeffectofatmosphere,onthesenses.Withoutsignpostssuchas

treesortelephonewires,orindeedanythingotherthantheAntares,thegoldinsect‐likelunar

module,onthefullsweepofthedust‐greylandscape,allperceptionsofspace,scale,distance

ordepthwerehorriblydistorted;Edhadbeenshockedtodiscoverthatanypointsof

navigationwhichhadbeencarefullynotedonhigh‐resolutionphotographswereatleast

doublethedistanceexpected.ItwasasthoughheandAlanhadshrunkduringspacetravel

andwhatfromhomehadappearedtobetinyhumpsandridgesonthemoon'ssurfacehad

suddenlyswollentoheightsofsixfeetormore.Andyetiftheyfeltdiminishedinsize,they

werealsolighterthanever.He'dexperiencedanoddlightnessofbeing,fromtheweak

gravitationalpull,anddespitetheweightandbulkofhisungainlyspacesuit,feltbuoyedat

everystep.

Therehadalsobeenthedistortingeffectofthesun,pureandunadulteratedinthis

airlessworld.Intheblindingsunlight,evenintherelativelycoolmorning,beforethehighs

thatmightreach27o°F,craters,landmarks,soilandtheeartheventheskyitself—allstood

outinabsoluteclarity.Foramindaccustomedtothesoftfilterofatmosphere,thesharp

shadows,thechangeablecolorsoftheslate‐greysoilallconspiredtoplaytricksontheeye.

UnknowinglyheandAlanhadbeenonly61feetfromConeCrater'sedge,about10seconds

away,whentheyturnedback,convincedthattheywouldn'treachitintime—afailurethat

wouldbitterlydisappointEd,who'dlongedtostareintothat1100‐footdiameterholeinthe

midstofthelunaruplandsTheireyesdidn'tknowhowtointerpretthishyperstateofvision.

Nothinglived,butalsonothingwashiddenfromview,andeverythinglackedsubtlety.Every

sightoverwhelmedtheeyewithbrilliantcontrastsandshadows.Hewasseeing,inasense,

moreclearlyandlessclearlythanheeverhad.

Duringtherelentlessactivityoftheirschedule,therehadbeenlittletimeforreflection

orwonder,orforanythoughtsofalargerpurposetothetrip.Theyhadgonefartherinthe

universethananymanbeforethem,andyet,weigheddownbytheknowledgethattheywere

costingtheAmericantaxpayers$200,000aminute,theyfeltcompelledtokeeptheireyeson

theclock,tickingoffthedetailsofwhatHoustonhadplannedintheirpackedschedule.Only

afterthelunarmodulehadreconnectedwiththecommandmoduleandbegunthetwo‐day

journeybacktoearthcouldEdpulloffhisspacesuit,nowfilthywithlunarsoil,sitbackinhis

longjohnsandtrytoputhisfrustrationandhisjumbleofthoughtsintosomesortoforder.

TheKittyhawkwasslowlyrotating,likeachickenonaspit,inordertobalancethe

thermaleffectoneachsideofthespacecraft;andinitsslowrevolution,earthwas

intermittentlyframedthroughthewindowasatinycrescentinanall‐engulfingnightofstars.

Fromthisperspective,astheearthtradedplacesinandoutofviewwiththerestofthesolar

system,skydidn'texistonlyabovetheastronauts,asweordinarilyviewit,butasanall‐

encompassingentitythatcradledtheearthfromallsides.

Itwasthen,whilestaringoutofthewindow,thatEdexperiencedthestrangestfeeling

hewouldeverhave:afeelingofconnectedness,asifalltheplanetsandallthepeopleofall

timewereattachedbysomeinvisibleweb.Hecouldhardlybreathefromthemajestyofthe

moment.Althoughhecontinuedtoturnknobsandpressbuttons,hefeltdistancedfromhis

body,asthoughsomeoneelseweredoingthenavigating.Thereseemedtobeanenormous

forcefieldhere,connectingallpeople,theirintentionsandthoughts,andeveryanimateand

inanimateformofmatterforalltime.Anythinghedidorthoughtwouldinfluencetherestof

thecosmos,andeveryoccurrenceinthecosmoswouldhaveasimilareffectonhim.Timewas

justanartificialconstruct.Everythinghe'dbeentaughtabouttheuniverseandthe

separatenessofpeopleandthingsfeltwrong.Therewerenoaccidentsorindividual

intentions.Thenaturalintelligencethathadgoneonforbillionsofyears,thathadforgedthe

verymoleculesofhisbeing,wasalsoresponsibleforhisownpresentjourney.Thiswasn't

somethinghesimplycomprehendedinhismind,butanoverwhelminglyvisceralfeeling,as

thoughhewerephysicallyextendingoutofthewindowtotheveryfurthestreachesofthe

cosmos.

Hehadn'tseenthefaceofGod.Itdidn'tfeellikeastandardreligiousexperienceso

muchasablindingepiphanyofmeaning—whattheEasternreligionsoftenterman'ecstasy

ofunits'ItwasasthoughinasingleinstantEdMitchellhaddiscoveredandfeltTheForce.

HestoleaglanceatAlanandStuRoosa,theotherastronautontheApollo14mission.to

seeiftheywereexperiencinganythingremotelysimilar.Therehadbeenamomentwhen

they'dfirststeppedofftheAntaresandintotheplainsofFraMauro.Ahighlandregionofthe

moon.WhenAlan,aveteranofthefirstAmericanspacelaunch,ordinarilysohard‐boiled,

withlittletimeforthiskindofmysticalmumbo‐jumbo,strainedinhisbulkyspacesuittolook

upabovehimandweptatthesightoftheearth,soimpossiblybeautifulintheairlessskyBut

nowAlanandStuappearedtobeautomaticallygoingabouttheirbusiness,andsohewas

afraidtosayanythingaboutwhatwasbeginningtofeellikehisownultimatemomentof

truth.

He'dalwaysbeenabitoftheoddmanoutinthespaceprogramandcertainly,at41,

althoughyoungerthanShepard,hewasoneoftheseniormembersofApollo.Oh,helooked

andactedthepartallright,withhissandy‐haired,broad‐faced,Midwesternlooksandthe

languiddrawlofacommercialairlinepilot.Buttotheothers,hewasabitofanintellectual:

theonlyoneamongthemwithbothaPhDandtest‐pilotcredentials.Thewayhe'dentered

thespaceprogramhadbeendecidedlyleftfield.Gettinghisdoctorateinastrophysicsfrom

MITwasthewayhethoughthe'dbeindispensable—that'showdeliberatelyhe'dplottedhis

pathtowardNASA—andonlyafterwarddiditoccurtohimtoboosttheflyingtimehe'd

gainedoverseastoqualify.Nevertheless,Edwasnoslouchwhenitcametoflying.Likeallthe

otherfellows,he'dputinhistimeatChuckYeager'sflyingcircusintheMojaveDesert,getting

airplanestodothingsthey'dneverbeendesignedtodo.Atonepoint,he'devenbeentheir

instructor.Buthelikedtothinkofhimselfasnotsomuchatestpilotasanexplorer:akindof

modern‐dayseekeraftertruths.Hisownattractiontowardscienceconstantlywrestledwith

thefierceBaptistfundamentalismofhisyouth.Itseemednoaccidentthathe'dgrownupin

Roswell,NewMexico,wherethefirstaliensightingssupposedlyhadoccurred—justamile

downtheroadfromthehomeofRobertGoddard,thefatherofAmericanrocketscience,and

justafewmilesacrossthemountainsfromthefirsttestingsoftheatomicbomb.Scienceand

spiritualitycoexistedinhim,jockeyingforposition,butheyearnedforthemtosomehow

shakehandsandmakepeace.Therewassomethingelsehe'dkeptfromthem.Laterthat

evening,asAlanandStusleptintheirhammocks,Edsilentlypulledoutwhathadbeenan

ongoingexperimentduringthewholeofhisjourneytoandfromthemoon.Lately,he'dbeen

dabblinginexperimentsinconsciousnessandextrasensoryperception,spendingtime

studyingtheworkofDrJosephB.Rhine,abiologistwho'dconductedmanyexperimentson

theextrasensorynatureofhumanconsciousness.Twoofhisnewestfriendsweredoctors

who'dbeenconductingcredibleexperimentsonthenatureofconsciousness.Togetherthey'd

realizedthatEd'sjourneytothemoonpresentedthemwithauniqueopportunitytotest

whetherhumantelepathycouldbeachievedatgreaterdistancesthanithadinDrRhine's

laboratory.Herewasaonce‐in‐a‐lifetimechancetoseeifthesesortsofcommunications

couldstretchwellbeyondanydistancespossibleonearth.

Forty‐fiveminutespastthestartofthesleepperiod,ashehaddoneinthetwodays

travellingtothemoon,Edpulledoutasmallflashlightand,onthepaperonhisclipboard,

randomlycopiednumbers,eachofwhichstoodforoneofDrRhine'sfamousZenersymbols

—square,circle,cross,star,andpairofwavylines.He'dthenconcentratedintenselyonthem,

methodically,onebyone,attemptingto'transmit'hischoicestohiscolleaguesbackhome.As

excitedashewasaboutit,hekepttheexperimenttohimself.Oncehe'dtriedtohavea

discussionwithAlanaboutthenatureofconsciousness,buthewasn'treallyclosetohisboss

anditwasn'tthesortofissuethatburnedintheotherslikeitdidinhim.Someofthe

astronautshadthoughtaboutGodwhiletheywereoutinspace,andeverybodyintheentire

spaceprogrammeknewtheywerelookingforsomethingnewaboutthewaytheuniverse

worked.ButifAlanandStuhadknownthathewastryingtotransmithisthoughtstopeople

onearth,theywouldhavethoughthimmoreofanoddballthantheydidalready.

Edfinishedthenight'sexperimentandwoulddoanotheronethefollowingeveningBut

afterwhathadhappenedtohimearlier,ithardlyseemednecessaryanymore;henowhadhis

owninnerconvictionthatitwastrue.Humanmindswereconnectedtoeachother,justas

theywereconnectedtoeverythingelseinthisworldandeveryotherworld.Theintuitivein

himacceptedthat,butforthescientistinhimitwasn'tenough.Forthenext25yearshe'dbe

lookingtosciencetoexplaintohimwhatonearthitwasthathadhappenedtohimoutthere.

EdgarMitchellgothomesafely.Nootherphysicalexplorationonearthcouldpossibly

comparewithgoingtothemoon.WithinthenexttwoyearsheleftNASAwhenthelastthree

lunarflightswerecancelledforlackoffunds,andthatwaswhentherealjourneybegan

Exploringinnerspacewouldproveinfinitelylongerandmoredifficultthanlandingonthe

moonorsearchingoutConeCrater.

HislittleexperimentwithESPwassuccessful,suggestingthatsomeformof

communicationdefyingalllogichadtakenplaceEdhadn'tbeenabletodoallsixexperiments

asplannedandittooksometimetomatchthefourhe'dmanagedwiththesixsessionsof

guessingwhichhadbeenconductedonearth.ButwhenthefoursetsofdataEdhadamassed

duringthenine‐dayjourneywerefinallymatchedwiththoseofhissixcolleaguesonearth,

thecorrespondencebetweenthemwasshowntohesignificant,withaonein3000

probabilitythatthiswasduetochance.2Theseresultswereinlinewiththousandsofsimilar

experimentsconductedonearthbyRhineandhiscolleaguesovertheyears.

EdgarMitchell'slightning‐boltexperiencewhileinspacehadlefthairlinecracksina

greatnumberofhisbeliefsystems.ButwhatbotheredEdmostabouttheexperiencehehad

inouterspacewasthecurrentscientificexplanationforbiologyandparticularly

consciousness,whichnowseemedimpossiblyreductive.Despitewhathe'dlearnedin

quantumphysicsaboutthenatureoftheuniverse,duringhisyearsatMIT,itseemedthat

biologyremainedmiredina400‐year‐oldviewoftheworld.Thecurrentbiologicalmodel

stillseemedtobebasedonaclassicalNewtonianviewofmatterandenergy,ofsolid,separate

bodiesmovingpredictablyinemptyspace,andaCartesianviewofthebodyasseparatefrom

thesoul,ormind.Nothinginthismodelcouldaccuratelyreflectthetruecomplexityofa

humanbeing,itsrelationtoitsworldor,mostparticularly,itsconsciousness;humanbeings

andtheirpartswerestilltreated,forallintentsandpurposes,asmachinery.Mostbiological

explanationsofthegreatmysteriesoflivingthingsattempttounderstandthewholeby

breakingitdownintoevermoremicroscopicparts.Bodiessupposedlytaketheshapetheydo

becauseofgeneticimprinting,proteinsynthesisandblindmutation.Consciousnessresided,

accordingtotheneuroscientistsoftheday,inthecerebralcortex—theresultofasimplemix

betweenchemicalsandbraincells.Chemicalswereresponsibleforthetelevisionsetplaying

outinourbrain,andchemicalswereresponsibleforthe'it'thatisdoingtheviewing.3We

knowtheworldbecauseoftheintricaciesofourownmachinery.Modernbiologydoesnot

believeinaworldthatisultimatelyindivisible.

InhisownworkonquantumphysicsatMIT,EdMitchellhadlearnedthatatthe

subatomiclevel,theNewtonian,orclassical,view—thateverythingworksinacomfortably

predictablemanner—hadlongbeenreplacedbymessierandmoreindeterminatequantum

theories,whichsuggestthattheuniverseandthewayitworksarenotquiteastidyas

scientistsusedtothink.

Matteratitsmostfundamentallevelcouldnotbedividedintoindependentlyexisting

unitsorevenbefullydescribed.Subatomicparticlesweren'tsolidlittleobjectslikebilliard

balls,butvibratingandindeterminatepacketsofenergythatcouldnotbepreciselyquantified

orunderstoodinthemselves.Instead,theywereschizophrenic,sometimesbehavingas

particles—asetthingconfinedtoasmallspace—andsometimeslikeawave—avibrating

andmorediffusethingspreadoutoveralargeregionofspaceandtime—andsometimes

likebothawaveandaparticleatthesametime.Quantumparticleswerealsoomni‐present.

Forinstance,whentransitingfromoneenergystatetoanother,electronsseemedtobetrying

outallpossibleneworbitsatonce,likeapropertybuyerattemptingtoliveineveryhouseon

theblockatthesameinstantbeforechoosingwhichonetofinallysettlein.Andnothingwas

certain.Therewerenodefinitelocations,butonlyalikelihoodthatanelectron,say,mightbe

atacertainplace,nosetoccurrencebutonlyaprobabilitythatitmighthappen.Atthislevel

ofreality,nothingwasguaranteed;scientistshadtobecontentwithonlybeingabletobeton

theodds.Thebestthatevercouldbecalculatedwasprobability—thelikelihood,whenyou

takeacertainmeasurement,thatyouwillgetacertainresultacertainpercentageofthetime.

Cause‐and‐effectrelationshipsnolongerheldatthesubatomiclevel.Stable‐lookingatoms

mightsuddenly.Withoutapparentcause,experiencesomeinternaldisruption:electronsfor

noreason.Electtotransitfromoneenergystatetoanother.Onceyoupeeredcloserand

closeratmatter.Itwasn'tevenmatter.Notasinglesolidthingyoucouldtouchordescribe

butahostoftentativeselves.Allbeingparadedaroundatthesametimeratherthana

universeofstaticcertaintyatthemostfundamentallevelofmatter.Theworldandits

relationshipswereuncertainandunpredictable.Astateofpurepotentialofinfinite

possibilityScientistsdidallowforauniversalconnectednessintheuniverse,butonlyinthe

quantumworld:whichwastosaytherealmoftheinanimateandnottheliving.Quantum

physicistshaddiscoveredastrangepropertyinthesubatomicworldcalled'nonlocality'This

referstotheabilityofaquantumentitysuchasanindividualelectrontoinfluenceanother

quantumparticleinstantaneouslyoveranydistancedespitetherebeingnoexchangeofforce

orenergy.Itsuggestedthatquantumparticlesonceincontactretainaconnectionevenwhen

separated,sothattheactionsofonewillalwaysinfluencetheother.Nomatterhowfarthe

getseparated.AlbertEinsteindisparagedthis'spookyactionatadistance,anditwasoneof

themajorreasonshesodistrustedquantummechanicsbutithasbeendecisivelyverifiedbya

numberofphysicistssince1962.4

Nonlocalityshatteredtheveryfoundationsofphysics.Mattercouldnolongerbe

consideredseparate.Actionsdidnothavetohaveanobservablecauseoveranobservable

space.Einsteinsmostfundamentalaxiomwasn'tcorrect:atacertainlevelofmatter,things

couldtravelfasterthanthespeedoflight.Subatomicparticleshadnomeaningasisolated

entitiesbutcouldonlybeunderstoodintheirrelationships.Theworld,atitsmostbasic,

existedasacomplexwebofinterdependentrelationships,foreverindivisible.

Perhapsthemostessentialingredientofthisinterconnecteduniversewastheliving

consciousnessthatobservedit.Inclassicalphysics,theexperimenterwasconsidereda

separateentity,asilentobserverbehindglass,attemptingtounderstandauniversethat

carriedon,whetherheorshewasobservingitornot.Inquantumphysics,however,itwas

discovered,thestateofallpossibilitiesofanyquantumparticlecollapsedintoasetentityas

soonasitwasobservedorameasurementtaken.Toexplainthesestrangeevents,quantum

physicistshadpostulatedthataparticipatoryrelationshipexistedbetweenobserverand

observed—theseparticlescouldonlybeconsideredas*probably'existinginspaceandtime

untiltheywere'perturbed',andtheactofobservingandmeasuringthemforcedthemintoa

setstate—anactakintosolidifyingjelly.Thisastoundingobservationalsohadshattering

implicationsaboutthenatureofreality.Itsuggestedthattheconsciousnessoftheobserver

broughttheobservedobjectintobeing.Nothingintheuniverseexistedasanactual‘thing'

independentlyofourperceptionofit.Everyminuteofeverydaywewerecreatingourworld.

ItseemedacentralparadoxtoEdthatphysicistswouldhaveyoubelievethatsticks

andstoneshaveadifferentsetofphysicalrulesfromtheatomicparticleswithinthem,that

thereshouldbeoneruleforthetinyandoneforthelarge,onerulefortheliving,anotherfor

theinert.Classicallawswereundoubtedlyusefulforfundamentalpropertiesofmotion,in

describinghowskeletonsholdusuporhowourlungsbreathe,ourheartspump,ourmuscles

carryheavyweights.Andmanyofthebody'sbasicprocesses—eating,digestion,sleeping,

sexualfunction—areindeedgovernedbyphysicallaws.

Butclassicalphysicsorbiologycouldnotaccountforsuchfundamentalissuesashow

wecanthinkinthefirstplace;whycellsorganizeastheydo;howmanymolecularprocesses

proceedvirtuallyinstantaneously;whyarmsdevelopasarmsandlegsaslegs,eventhough

theyhavethesamegenesandproteins;whywegetcancer;howthismachineofourscan

miraculouslyhealitself;andevenwhatknowingis—howitisthatweknowwhatweknow.

Scientistsmightunderstandinminutedetailthescrews,bolts,jointsandvariouswheels,but

nothingabouttheforcethatpowerstheengine.Theymighttreatthesmallestmechanicsof

thebodybutstilltheyappearedignorantofthemostfundamentalmysteriesoflife.Ifitwere

truethatthelawsofquantummechanicsalsoapplytotheworldatlarge,andnotjustthe

subatomicworld,andtobiologyandnotjusttheworldofmatter,thentheentireparadigm

forbiologicalsciencewasflawedorincomplete.JustasNewton'stheorieshadeventually

beenimproveduponbythequantumtheorists,perhapsHeisenbergandEinsteinthemselves

hadbeenwrong,oratleastonlypartiallyright.Ifquantumtheorywereappliedtobiologyon

alargerscale,wewouldbeviewedmoreasacomplexnetworkofenergyfieldsinsomesort

ofdynamicinterplaywithourchemicalcellularsystems.Theworldwouldexistasamatrixof

indivisibleinterrelation,justasEdhadexperienceditinouterspace.Whatwassoevidently

missingfromstandardbiologywasanexplanationfortheorganizingprinciple—forhuman

consciousness.

Edbegandevouringbooksaboutreligiousexperiences,Easternthoughtandthelittle

scientificevidencethatexistedonthenatureofconsciousness.Helaunchedearlystudies

withanumberofscientistsinStanford;hesetuptheInstituteofNoeticSciences,anon‐profit

organizationwhoserolewastofundthistypeofresearch;hebeganamassingscientific

studiesofconsciousnessintoabook.Beforelong,itwasallhecouldthinkofandtalkabout,

andwhathadturnedintoanobsessiontorehismarriageapart.Edgar'sworkmaynothavelit

arevolutionaryfire,buthecertainlystokedit.Inprestigiousuniversitiesaroundtheworld

tinypocketsofquietrebellionweresproutingupagainsttheworldviewofNewtonand

Darwin,thedualisminphysicsandthecurrentviewofhumanperception.Duringhissearch,

Edbeganmakingcontactwithscientistswithimpressivecredentialsatmanyofthebig

reputableuniversities—Yale,Stanford,Berkeley,Princeton,theUniversityofEdinburgh—

whowerecomingupwithdiscoveriesthatjustdidn'tfit.

UnlikeEdgar,thesescientistshadn'tundergoneanepiphanytoarriveatanewworld

view.Itwassimplythatinthecourseoftheirworkthey'dcomeacrossscientificresults

whichweresquarepegstotheroundholeofestablishedscientifictheory,andmuchasthey

mighttrytojamthemintoplace—andinmanycases,thescientistswished,indeedwilled,

themtofit—theywouldstubbornlyresist.Mostofthescientistshadarrivedattheir

conclusionsaccidentally,and,asifthey'dlandedatthewrongrailwaystation,oncethey'dgot

there,theyfiguredthattherewasnootherpossibilitybuttogetoutandexplorethenew

terrain.Tobeatrueexploreristocarryonyourexplorationevenifittakesyoutoaplaceyou

didn'tparticularlyplantogoto.

Themostimportantqualitycommontoalltheseresearcherswasasimplewillingness

tosuspenddisbeliefandremainopentotruediscovery,evenifitmeantchallengingthe

existingorderofthings,alienatingcolleaguesoropeningthemselvesuptocensureand

professionalruin.Tobearevolutionaryinsciencetodayistoflirtwithprofessionalsuicide.

Muchasthefieldpurportstoencourageexperimentalfreedom,theentirestructureof

science,withitshighlycompetitivegrantsystem,coupledwiththepublishingandpeer

reviewsystem,largelydependsuponindividualsconformingtotheacceptedscientificworld

view.Thesystemtendstoencourageprofessionalstocarryoutexperimentationwhose

purposeisprimarilytoconfirmtheexistingviewofthings,ortofurtherdeveloptechnology

forindustry,ratherthantoserveuptrueinnovation.5

Everyoneworkingontheseexperimentshadthesensethattheywereonthevergeof

somethingthatwasgoingtotransformeverythingweunderstoodaboutrealityandhuman

beings,butatthetimetheyweresimplyfrontierscientistsoperatingwithoutacompass.A

numberofscientistsworkingindependentlyhadcomeupwithasinglebitofthepuzzleand

werefrightenedtocomparenotes.Therewasnocommonlanguagebecausewhattheywere

discoveringappearedtodefylanguage.

Nevertheless,asMitchellmadecontactwiththem,theirseparateworkbeganto

coalesceintoanalternativetheoryofevolution,humanconsciousnessandthedynamicsofall

livingthings.Itofferedthebestprospectforaunifiedviewoftheworldbasedonactual

experimentationandmathematicalequations,andnotsimplytheory.Ed'smajorrolewas

makingintroductions,fundingsomeoftheresearchand,throughhiswillingnesstousehis

celebritystatusasanationalherotomakethisworkpublic,convincingthemthattheywere

notalone.

Alltheworkconvergedonasinglepoint—thattheselfhadafieldofinfluenceonthe

worldandviceversa.Therewasoneotherpointofcommonagreement:alltheexperiments

beingcarriedoutdroveastakeintotheveryheartofexistingscientifictheory.

CHAPTERTWO:TheSeaofLight

Billchurchwasoutofgas.Ordinarily,thiswouldnotbeasituationthatcouldruinan

entireday.Butin1973,inthegripofAmerica'sfirstoilcrisis,gettingyourcarfilledupwith

gasdependedupontwothings:thedayoftheweekandthelastnumberofyourlicenseplate.

ThosewhoseplatesendedinanoddnumberwereallowedtofilluponMondays,

WednesdaysorFridays;evennumbersonTuesdays,ThursdaysandSaturdays,withSundaya

gas‐freedayofrest.BillhadanoddnumberandthedaywasTuesday.Thatmeantthatno

matterwherehehadtogo,nomatterhowimportanthismeetings,hewasstuckathome,held

hostagebyafewMiddleEasternpotentatesandOPEC.Evenifhislicenseplatenumber

matchedthedayoftheweek,itstillcouldtakeuptotwohourswaitinginlinesthatzigzagged

aroundcornersmanyblocksaway.Thatis,ifhecouldfindagasstationthatwasstillopen.

Twoyearsbefore,therehadbeenplentyoffueltosendEdgarMitchelltothemoonand

back.Nowhalfthecountry'sgasstationshadgoneoutofbusiness.PresidentNixonhad

recentlyaddressedthenation,urgingallAmericanstoturndowntheirthermostats,formcar

poolsandusenomorethan10gallonsaweek.Businesseswereaskedtohalvethelightingin

workareasandtoturndownlightsinhallsandstorageareas.Washingtonwouldsetthe

examplebykeepingthenationalChristmastreeontheWhiteHousefrontlawnturnedoff.

Thenation,fatandcomplacent,usedtoconsumingenergylikesomanycheeseburgers,wasin

shock,forced,forthefirsttime,togoonadiet.Therewastalkofrationingbooksbeing

printed.FiveyearslaterJimmyCarterwouldtermitthe'moralequivalentofwar',anditfelt

thatwaytomostmiddle‐agedAmericans,whohadn'thadtorationgassincetheSecond

WorldWar.

BillstormedbackinsideandgotonthephonetoHalPuthofftocomplain.Hal,alaser

physicist,oftenactedasBill'sscientificalter‐ego.'Therehasgottobeabetterway,’Bill

shoutedfrustratedly.

Halagreedthatitwastimetostartlookingforsomealternativestofossilfueltodrive

transportation—somethingbesidescoal,woodornuclearpower.

'Butwhatelseisthere?'saidBill.

Haltickedoffalitanyofcurrentpossibilities.Therewasphotovoltaic(usingsolar

cells),orfuelcells,orwaterbatteries(anattempttoconvertthehydrogenfromwaterinto

electricityinthecell).Therewaswind,orwasteproducts,orevenmethane.Butnoneof

these,eventhemoreexoticamongthem,wereturningouttoherobustorrealistic.

BillandHalagreedthatwhatwasreallyneededwasanentirelynewsource:acheap,

endless,perhapsasyetundiscovered,supplyofenergy.Theirconversationsoftenveeredoff

inthiskindofspeculativedirection.Hal,inthemain,likedcutting‐edgetechnology—the

morefuturistic,thebetter.Hewasmoreaninventorthanyourcommonorgardenphysicist,

andat35alreadyhadapatentonatunableinfraredlaser.Halwaslargelyself‐madeandhad

puthimselfthroughschoolafterhisfatherdiedwhenhewasinhisearlyteens.He'd

graduatedfromtheUniversityofFloridain1958,theyearafterSputnikIwentup,buthe'd

comeofageduringtheKennedyadministration.Likemanyyoungmenofhisgeneration,he'd

takentoheartKennedy'scentralmetaphoroftheUSAembarkingonanewfrontier.Through

theyearsandevenaftertheUSspaceprogrammehadfallenawayduetolackofinterestas

wellaslackoffunding,Halwouldretainahumbleidealismabouthisworkandthecentral

rolescienceplayedinthefutureofmankind.Halfirmlybelievedthatsciencedrove

civilization.Hewasasmall,sturdymanwithapassingresemblancetoMickeyRooneyanda

sweepofthickchestnuthair,whoseseethinginnerlifeoflateralthoughtandwhat‐if

possibilityhidbehindaphlegmaticandunassumingexterior.Atfirstglance,hehardlylooked

thepartofthefrontierscientist.Nevertheless,itwasHal'ssincereviewthatfrontierwork

wasvitalforthefutureoftheplanet,toprovideinspirationforteachingandforeconomic

growth.Healsolikedgettingoutofthelaboratory,tryingtoapplyphysicstosolutionsinreal

life.

BillChurchmightbeasuccessfulbusinessman,buthesharedmuchofHal'sidealism

aboutscienceimprovingcivilization.HewasamodestMedicitoHal'sDaVinci.Billhadcuthis

owncareerinscienceshortwhenhewasdraftedtorunthefamilybusiness,Church'sFried

Chicken,theTexananswertoKentuckyFriedChicken.He'dspenttoyearsatitandrecently

he'dtakenChurch'stothemarket.He'dmadehismoneyandnowhewasinthemoodto

returntohisyouthfulaspirations—butwithnoeducation,he'dhadtodoitbyproxy.InHal

he'dfoundhisperfectcounterpart—agiftedphysicistwillingtopursueareasthatordinary

scientistsmightdismissoutofhand.InSeptember1982,BillwouldpresentHalwithagold

watchtomarktheircollaboration:‘ToGlacierGeniusfromSnow',itread.Theideawasthat

Halwasthequietinnovator;tenaciousandcoolasaglacier,withBillas'Snow',throwingnew

challengesathimlikeaconstantbarrageoffinenewpowder.

'Thereisonegiantreservoirofenergywehaven'ttalkedabout,'Halsaid.Every

quantumphysicist,heexplained,iswellawareoftheZeroPointField.Quantummechanics

haddemonstratedthatthereisnosuchthingasavacuum,ornothingness.Whatwetendto

thinkofasasheervoidifallofspacewereemptiedofmatterandenergyandyouexamined

eventhespacebetweenthestarsis,insubatomicterms,ahiveofactivity.

TheuncertaintyprincipledevelopedbyWernerHeisenberg,oneofthechiefarchitects

ofquantumtheory,impliesthatnoparticleeverstayscompletelyatrestbutisconstantlyin

motionduetoagroundstatefieldofenergyconstantlyinteractingwithallsubatomicmatter.

Itmeansthatthebasicsubstructureoftheuniverseisaseaofquantumfieldsthatcannotbe

eliminatedbyanyknownlawsofphysics.

Whatwebelievetobeourstable,staticuniverseisinfactaseethingmaelstromof

subatomicparticlesfleetinglypoppinginandoutofexistence.AlthoughHeisenberg's

principlemostfamouslyreferstotheuncertaintyattachedtomeasuringthephysical

propertiesofthesubatomicworld,italsohasanothermeaning:thatwecannotknowboththe

energyandthelifetimeofaparticle,soasubatomiceventoccurringwithinatinytimeframe

involvesanuncertainamountofenergy.LargelybecauseofEinstein'stheoriesandhis

famousequationE=mc2,relatingenergytomass,allelementaryparticlesinteractwitheach

otherbyexchangingenergythroughotherquantumparticles,whicharebelievedtoappear

outofnowhere,combiningandannihilatingeachotherinlessthananinstant,tentothe

minustwenty‐threeseconds,tobeexact—causingrandomfluctuationsofenergywithout

anyapparentcause.Thefleetingparticlesgeneratedduringthisbriefmomentareknownas

'virtualparticles'.Theydifferfromrealparticlesbecausetheyonlyexistduringthatexchange

—thetimeof'uncertainty'allowedbytheuncertaintyprinciple.Hallikedtothinkofthis

processasakintothespraygivenofffromathunderingwaterfall.1

Thissubatomictango,howeverbrief,whenaddedacrosstheuniverse,givesriseto

enormousenergy,morethaniscontainedinallthematterintheentireworld.Alsoreferred

tobyphysicistsas'thevacuum',theZeroPointFieldwascalled‘zero'becausefluctuationsin

thefieldarestilldetectableintemperaturesofabsolutezero,thelowestpossibleenergy

state,whereallmatterhasbeenremovedandnothingissupposedlylefttomakeanymotion.

Zero‐pointenergywastheenergypresentintheemptieststateofspaceatthelowestpossible

energy,outofwhichnomoreenergycouldheremoved—theclosestthatmotionof

subatomicmatterevergetstozero.2Butbecauseoftheuncertaintyprincipletherewill

alwaysbesomeresidualjigglingduetovirtualparticleexchange.Ithadalwaysbeenlargely

discountedbecauseitisever‐present.Inphysicsequations,mostphysicistswouldsubtract

troublesomezero‐pointenergyaway—aprocesscalled‘renormalization'.3Becausezero‐

pointenergywasever‐present,thetheorywent,itdidn'tchangeanything.Becauseitdidn't

changeanything,itdidn'tcount.4

HalhadbeeninterestedintheZeroPointFieldforanumberofyears,eversincehe'd

stumbledonthepapersofTimothyBoyerofCityUniversityinNewYorkinaphysicslibrary.

Boyerhaddemonstratedthatclassicalphysics,alliedwiththeexistenceoftheceaseless,

randomenergyoftheZeroPointField,couldexplainmanyofthestrangephenomena

attributedtoquantumtheory.5IfBoyerweretobebelieved,itmeantthatyoudidn'tneedtwo

typesofphysics—theclassicalNewtoniankindandthequantumlaws—toaccountforthe

propertiesoftheuniverse.Youcouldexplaineverythingthathappenedinthequantumworld

withclassicalphysics—solongasyoutookaccountoftheZeroPointField.

ThemoreHalthoughtaboutit,themorehebecameconvincedthattheZeroPointField

fulfilledallthecriteriahewaslookingfor:itwasfree;itwasboundless;itdidn'tpollute

anything.TheZeroPointFieldmightjustrepresentsomevastunharnessedenergysource.'If

youcouldjusttapintothis,'HalsaidtoBill,'youcouldevenpowerspaceships.'

Billlovedtheideaandofferedtofundsomeexploratoryresearch.Itwasn'tasthough

hehadn'tfundedcrazierschemesofHal'sbefore.InasensethetimingwasrightforHal.At

36,hewasatabitofalooseend.Hisfirstmarriagehadbrokenup,he'djustfinishedco‐

authoringwhathadbecomeanimportanttextbookonquantumelectronics.He'dgothisPhD

inelectricalengineeringfromStanfordjustfiveyearsbefore,andhadmadehismarkin

lasers.Whenacademiahadprovedtedioustohim,he'dmovedon,andwaspresentlyalaser

researcheratStanfordResearchInstitute(SRI),agiganticfarmers'marketofaresearchsite,

atthetimeaffiliatedwithStanfordUniversity.SRIstoodlikeitsownvastuniversityof

interlockingrectangles,squaresandZsofthree‐storeyredbrickbuildingshiddeninasleepy

littlecornerofMenloPark,sandwichedbetweenStPatrick'sseminaryandthecityof

Spanish‐tiledroofsrepresentingStanfordUniversityitself.Atthetime,SRIwasthesecond

largestthink‐tankintheworld,whereanyonecouldstudyvirtuallyanythingsolongasthey

wereabletogetthefundingforit.

Haldevotedseveralyearstoreadingthescientificliteratureanddoingsome

elementarycalculations.Helookedatotherrelatedaspectsofthevacuumandgeneral

relativityinamorefundamentalway.Hal,whotendedtowardthetaciturn,attemptedtokeep

himselfwithintheconfinesofthepurelyintellectual,butoccasionallyhecouldn'tpreventhis

mindfromgiddilyracingahead.Eventhoughthesewereearlydays,heknewhe'dstumbled

ontosomethingofmajorsignificanceforphysics.Thiswasanincrediblebreakthrough,

possiblyevenawaytoapplyquantumphysicstotheworldonalargescale,orperhapsitwas

anewsciencealtogether.Thiswasbeyondlasersoranythingelsehehadeverdone.Thisfelt,

initsownmodestway,alittlelikebeingEinsteinanddiscoveringrelativity.Eventually,he

realizedjustwhatitwasthathehad:hewasonthevergeofthediscoverythatthe'new'

physicsofthesubatomicworldmightbewrong—oratleastrequiresomedrasticrevision.

Hal'sdiscovery,inasense,wasnotadiscoveryatall,butasituationthatphysicistshave

takenforgrantedsince1926anddiscardedasimmaterial.Tothequantumphysicist,itisan

annoyance,tobesubtractedawayanddiscounted.Tothereligiousorthemystic,itisscience

provingthemiraculous.Whatquantumcalculationsshowisthatweandouruniverselive

andbreatheinwhatamountstoaseaofmotion—aquantumseaoflight.Accordingto

Heisenberg,whodevelopedtheuncertaintyprinciplein1927,itisimpossibletoknowallthe

propertiesofaparticle,suchasitspositionanditsmomentum,atthesametimebecauseof

whatseemtobefluctuationsinherentinnature.Theenergylevelofanyknownparticlecan't

bepinpointedbecauseitisalwayschanging.Partofthisprinciplealsostipulatesthatno

subatomicparticlecanbebroughtcompletelytorest,butwillalwayspossessatinyresidual

movement.Scientistshavelongknownthatthesefluctuationsaccountfortherandomnoise

ofmicrowavereceiversorelectroniccircuits,limitingtheleveltowhichsignalscanhe

amplified.Evenfluorescentstriplightingreliesonvacuumfluctuationstooperate.

Imaginetakingachargedsubatomicparticleandattachingittoalittlefrictionless

spring(asphysicistsarefondofdoingtoworkouttheirequations).Itshouldbounceupand

downforawhileandthen,atatemperatureofabsolutezero,stopmoving.Whatphysicists

sinceHeisenberghavefoundisthattheenergyintheZeroPointFieldkeepsactingonthe

particlesothatitnevercomestorestbutalwayskeepsmovingonthespring.6

Againsttheobjectionsofhiscontemporaries,whobelievedinemptyspace,Aristotle

wasoneofthefirsttoarguethatspacewasinfactaplenum(abackgroundsubstructurefilled

withthings).Then,inthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,scientistMichaelFaraday

introducedtheconceptofafieldinrelationtoelectricityandmagnetism,believingthatthe

mostimportantaspectofenergywasnotthesourcebutthespacearoundit,andtheinfluence

ofoneontheotherthroughsomeforce.7Inhisview,atomsweren'thardlittlebilliardballs,

butthemostconcentratedcentreofaforcethatwouldextendoutinspace.

Afieldisamatrixormediumwhichconnectstwoormorepointsinspace,usuallyviaa

force,likegravityorelectromagnetism.Theforceisusuallyrepresentedbyripplesinthe

field,orwaves.Anelectromagneticfield,tousebutoneexample,issimplyanelectricalfield

andamagneticfieldwhichintersect,sendingoutwavesofenergyatthespeedoflight.An

electricandmagneticfieldformsaroundanyelectriccharge(whichis,mostsimply,asurplus

ordeficitofelectrons).Bothelectricalandmagneticfieldshavetwopolarities(negativeand

positive)andbothwillcauseanyotherchargedobjecttobeattractedorrepelled,depending

onwhetherthechargesareopposite(onepositive,theothernegative)orthesame(both

positiveorbothnegative).Thefieldisconsideredthatareaofspacewherethischargeandits

effectscanbedetected.

Thenotionofanelectromagneticfieldissimplyaconvenientabstractioninventedby

scientists(andrepresentedbylinesofforce',indicatedbydirectionandshape)totrytomake

senseoftheseeminglyremarkableactionsofelectricityandmagnetismandtheirabilityto

influenceobjectsatadistance—and,technically,intoinfinity—withnodetectablesubstance

ormatterinbetween.Simplyput,afieldisaregionofinfluence.Asonepairofresearchers

aptlydescribedit:'Everytimeyouuseyourtoaster,thefieldsarounditperturbcharged

particlesinthefarthestgalaxieseversoslightly.'8

JamesClerkMaxwellfirstproposedthatspacewasanetherofelectromagneticlight,

andthisideaheldswayuntildecisivelydisprovedbyaPolish‐bornphysicistnamedAlbert

Michelsonin1881(andsixyearslaterincollaborationwithanAmericanchemistryprofessor

calledEdwardMorley)withalightexperimentthatshowedthatmatterdidnotexistina

massofether.9Einsteinhimselfbelievedspaceconstitutedatruevoiduntilhisownideas,

eventuallydevelopedintohisgeneraltheoryofrelativity,showedthatspaceindeedhelda

plenumofactivity.Butitwasn'tuntil1911,withanexperimentbyMaxPlanck,oneofthe

foundingfathersofquantumtheory,thatphysicistsunderstoodthatemptyspacewas

burstingwithactivity.

Inthequantumworld,quantumfieldsarenotmediatedbyforcesbutbyexchangeof

energy,whichisconstantlyredistributedinadynamicpattern.Thisconstantexchangeisan

intrinsicpropertyofparticles,sothateven'real'particlesarenothingmorethanalittleknot

ofenergywhichbrieflyemergesanddisappearsbackintotheunderlyingfield.Accordingto

quantumfieldtheory,theindividualentityistransientandinsubstantial.Particlescannotbe

separatedfromtheemptyspacearoundthem.Einsteinhimselfrecognizedthatmatteritself

was'extremelyintense'—adisturbance,inasense,ofperfectrandomness—andthatthe

onlyfundamentalrealitywastheunderlyingentity—thefielditself.10

Fluctuationsintheatomicworldamounttoaceaselesspassingbackandforthof

energylikeaballinagameofpingpong.Thisenergyexchangeisanalogoustoloaning

someoneapenny:youareapennypoorer,heisapennyricher,untilhereturnsthepenny

andtherolesreverse.Thissortofemissionandreabsorptionofvirtualparticlesoccursnot

onlyamongphotonsandelectrons,butwithallthequantumparticlesintheuniverse.The

ZeroPointFieldisarepositoryofallfieldsandallgroundenergystatesandallvirtual

particles—afieldoffields.Everyexchangeofeveryvirtualparticleradiatesenergy.The

zero‐pointenergyinanyoneparticulartransactioninanelectromagneticfieldis

unimaginablytiny—halfaphoton'sworth.

Butifyouaddupalltheparticlesofallvarietiesintheuniverseconstantlypoppingin

andoutofbeing,youcomeupwithavast,inexhaustibleenergysource—equaltoorgreater

thantheenergydensityinanatomicnucleus—allsittingthereunobtrusivelyinthe

backgroundoftheemptyspacearoundus,likeoneall‐pervasive,superchargedbackdrop.It

hasbeencalculatedthatthetotalenergyoftheZeroPointFieldexceedsallenergyinmatter

byafactorof1040,or1followedby40zeros.11AsthegreatphysicistRichardFeynmanonce

described,inattemptingtogivesomeideaofthismagnitude,theenergyinasinglecubic

metreofspaceisenoughtoboilalltheoceansoftheworld.12

TheZeroPointFieldrepresentedtwotantalizingpossibilitiestoHal.Ofcourse,it

representedtheHolyGrailofenergyresearch.Ifyoucouldsomehowtapintothisfield,you

mighthavealltheenergyyouwouldeverneed,notsimplyforfuelonearth,butforspace

propulsiontodistantstars.Atthemoment,travellingtotheneareststaroutsideoursolar

systemwouldrequirearocketaslargeasthesuntocarrythenecessaryfuel.

Buttherewasalsoalargerimplicationofavastunderlyingseaofenergy.Theexistence

oftheZeroPointFieldimpliedthatallmatterintheuniversewasinterconnectedbywaves,

whicharespreadoutthroughtimeandspaceandcancarryontoinfinity,tyingonepartof

theuniversetoeveryotherpart.TheideaofTheFieldmightjustofferascientificexplanation

formanymetaphysicalnotions,suchastheChinesebeliefinthelifeforce,orch'i,describedin

ancienttextsassomethingakintoanenergyfield.ItevenechoedtheOldTestament'saccount

ofGod'sfirstdictum:'Lettherebelight',outofwhichmatterwascreated.13

HalwaseventuallytodemonstrateinapaperpublishedbyPhysicalReview,oneof

world'smostprestigiousphysicsjournals,thatthestablestateofmatterdependsforitsvery

existenceonthisdynamicinterchangeofsubatomicparticleswiththesustainingzero‐point

energyfield.14Inquantumtheory,aconstantproblemwrestledwithbyphysicistsconcerns

theissueofwhyatomsarestable.Invariably,thisquestionwouldbeexaminedinthe

laboratoryormathematicallytackledusingthehydrogenatom.Withoneelectronandone

proton,hydrogenisthesimplestatomintheuniversetodissect.Quantumscientistsstruggled

withthequestionofwhyanelectronorbitsaroundaproton,likeaplanetorbitingaroundthe

sun.Inthesolarsystem,gravityaccountsforthestableorbit.Butintheatomicworld,any

movingelectron,whichcarriesacharge,wouldn'tbestablelikeanorbitingplanet,butwould

eventuallyradiateaway,orexhaust,itsenergyandthenspiralintothenucleus,causingthe

entireatomicstructureoftheobjecttocollapse.

DanishphysicistNielsBohr,anotherofthefoundingfathersofquantumtheory,sorted

theproblembydeclaringthathewouldn'tallowit.15Bohr'sexplanationwasthatan

electronradiatesonlywhenitjumpsfromoneorbittoanotherandthatorbitshavetohave

theproperdifferenceinenergytoaccountforanyemissionofphotonlight.Bohrmadeuphis

ownlaw,whichsaid,ineffect,'thereisnoenergy,itisforbidden.Iforbidtheelectronto

collapse.'Thisdictumanditsassumptionsledtofurtherassumptionsaboutmatterand

energyhavingbothwave‐andparticle‐likecharacteristics,whichkeptelectronsintheirplace

andinparticularorbits,andultimatelytothedevelopmentofquantummechanics.

Mathematicallyatleast,thereisnodoubtthatBohrwascorrectinpredictingthisdifference

inenergylevels.16

ButwhatTimothyBoyerhaddone,andwhatHalthenperfected,wastoshowthatif

youtakeintoaccounttheZeroPointField,youdon'thavetorelyonBohr'sdictum.Youcan

showmathematicallythatelectronsloseandgainenergyconstantlyfromtheZeroPointField

inadynamicequilibrium,balancedatexactlytherightorbit.Electronsgettheirenergyto

keepgoingwithoutslowingdownbecausetheyarerefuellingbytappingintothese

fluctuationsofemptyspace.Inotherwords,theZeroPointFieldaccountsforthestabilityof

thehydrogenatom—and,byinference,thestabilityofallmatter.Pulltheplugonzero‐point

energyHaldemonstrated,andallatomicstructurewouldcollapse.17

HalalsoshowedbyphysicscalculationsthatfluctuationsoftheZeroPointFieldwaves

drivethemotionofsubatomicparticlesandthatallthemotionofalltheparticlesofthe

universeinturngeneratestheZeroPointHeld,asortofself‐generatingfeedbackloopacross

thecosmos.18InHal'smind,itwasnotunlikeacatchasingitsowntail.19Ashewroteinone

paper,

theZPFinteractionconstitutesanunderlying,stable'bottomrung'vacuumstatein

whichfurtherZPFinteractionsimplyreproducestheexistingstateonadynamic‐equilibrium

basis.20

Whatthisimplies,saysHal,isa'kindofself‐regeneratinggrandgroundstateoftheuniverse',

21whichconstantlyrefreshesitselfandremainsaconstantunlessdisturbedinsomeway.It

alsomeansthatweandallthematteroftheuniverseareliterallyconnectedtothefurthest

reachesofthecosmosthroughtheZeroPointFieldwavesofthegrandestdimensions.22

Muchliketheundulationsoftheseaorripplesonapond,thewavesonthesubatomic

levelarerepresentedbyperiodicoscillationsmovingthroughamedium—inthisinstance

theZeroPointField.TheyarerepresentedbyaclassicsidewaysS,orsinecurve,likea

skippingropebeingheldatbothendsandwiggledupanddown.Theamplitudeofthewaveis

halftheheightofthecurvefrompeaktotrough,andasinglewavelength,orcycle,isone

completeoscillation,orthedistancebetween,say,twoadjacentpeaksortwoadjacent

troughs.Thefrequencyisthenumberofcyclesinonesecond,usuallymeasuredinhertz,

where1hertzequalsonecyclepersecond.IntheUK,ourmainselectricityisdeliveredata

frequencyof50hertzorcyclespersecond;inAmerica,itis60hertz.Mobilephonesoperate

on900or1800megahertz.

Whenphysicistsusetheterm'phase',theymeanthepointthewaveisatonits

oscillatingjourney.Twowavesaresaidtobeinphasewhentheyareboth,ineffect,peaking

ortroughingatthesametime,eveniftheyhavedifferentfrequenciesoramplitudes.Getting

'inphase'isgettinginsynch.

Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofwavesisthattheyareencodersandcarriersof

information.Whentwowavesareinphase,andoverlapeachother—technicallycalled

'interference'—thecombinedamplitudeofthewavesisgreaterthaneachindividual

amplitude.Thesignalgetsstronger.Thisamountstoanimprintingorexchangeof

information,called'constructiveinterference'.Ifoneispeakingwhentheotheristroughing,

theytendtocanceleachotherout—aprocesscalled'destructiveinterference'.Oncethey've

collided,eachwavecontainsinformation,intheformofenergycoding,abouttheother,

includingalltheotherinformationitcontains.Interferencepatternsamounttoaconstant

accumulationofinformation,andwaveshaveavirtuallyinfinitecapacityforstorage.

Ifallsubatomicmatterintheworldisinteractingconstantlywiththisambientground‐

stateenergyfield,thesubatomicwavesofTheFieldareconstantlyimprintingarecordofthe

shapeofeverything.Astheharbingerandimprinterofallwavelengthsandallfrequencies,

theZeroPointFieldisakindofshadowoftheuniverseforalltime,amirrorimageandrecord

ofeverythingthateverwas.Inasense,thevacuumisthebeginningandtheendofeverything

intheuniverse.23

Althoughallmatterissurroundedwithzero‐pointenergy,whichbombardsagiven

objectuniformly,therehavebeensomeinstanceswheredisturbancesinthefieldcould

actuallybemeasured.OnesuchdisturbancecausedbytheZeroPointFieldistheLambshift,

namedafterAmericanphysicistWillisLambanddevelopedduringthe1940susingwartime

radar,whichshowsthatzero‐pointfluctuationscauseelectronstomoveahitintheirorbits,

leadingtoshiftsinfrequencyofabout1000megahertz.24

Anotherinstancewasdiscoveredinthe1940s,whenaDutchphysicistnamedHendrik

Casimirdemonstratedthattwometalplatesplacedclosetogetherwillactuallyforman

attractionthatappearstopullthemclosertogether.Thisisbecausewhentwoplatesare

placedneareachother,thezero‐pointwavesbetweentheplatesarerestrictedtothosethat

essentiallyspanthegap.Sincesomewavelengthsofthefieldareexcluded,thisleadstoa

disturbanceintheequilibriumofthefieldandtheresultisanimbalanceofenergy,withless

energyinthegapbetweentheplatesthanintheoutsideemptyspace.Thisgreaterenergy

densitypushesthetwometalplatestogether.

AnotherclassicdemonstrationoftheexistenceoftheZeroPointFieldisthevander

Waalseffect,alsonamedafteritsdiscoverer,DutchphysicistJohannesDiderikvanderWaals.

Hediscoveredthatforcesofattractionandrepulsionoperatebetweenatomsandmolecules

becauseofthewaythatelectricalchargeisdistributedand,eventually,itwasfoundthatthis

againhastodowithalocalimbalanceintheequilibriumofTheField.Thispropertyallows

certaingasestoturnintoliquids.Spontaneousemission,whenatomsdecayandemit

radiationfornoknownreason,hasalsobeenshowntoheaZeroPointFieldeffect.

TimothyBoyer,thephysicistwhosepapersparkedPuthoffinthefirstplace,showed

thatmanyoftheThrough‐the‐Looking‐Glasspropertiesofsubatomicmatterwrestledwithby

physicistsandleadingtotheformulationofasetofstrangequantumrulescouldbeeasily

accountedforinclassicalphysics,solongasyoualsofactorintheZeroPointField.

Uncertainty,wave‐particleduality,thefluctuatingmotionofparticles:allhadtodowiththe

interactionofmatterandtheZeroPointField.Halevenbegantowonderwhetheritcould

accountforwhatremainsthatmostmysteriousandvexatiousofforces:gravity.

GravityistheWaterlooofphysics.Attemptingtoworkoutthebasisforthis

fundamentalpropertyofmatterandtheuniversehasbedevilledthegreatestgeniusesof

physics.EvenEinstein,whowasabletodescribegravityextremelywellthroughhistheoryof

relativity,couldn'tactuallyexplainwhereitcamefrom.Overtheyears,manyphysicists,

includingEinstein,havetriedtoassignitanelectromagneticnature,todefineitasanuclear

force,oreventogiveititsownsetofquantumrules—allwithoutsuccess.Then,in1968,the

notedSovietphysicistAndreiSakharovturnedtheusualassumptiononitshead.Whatif

gravityweren'taninteractionbetweenobjects,butjustaresidualeffect?Moretothepoint,

whatifgravitywereanafter‐effectoftheZeroPointField,causedbyalterationsinthefield

duetothepresenceofmatter?25

Allmatteratthelevelofquarksandelectronsjigglesbecauseofitsinteractionwiththe

ZeroPointField.Oneoftherulesofelectrodynamicsisthatafluctuatingchargedparticlewill

emitanelectromagneticradiationfield.ThismeansthatbesidestheprimaryZeroPointField

itself,aseaofthesesecondaryfieldsexists.Betweentwoparticles,thesesecondaryfields

causeanattractivesource,whichSakharovbelievedhadsomethingtodowithgravity.26

Halbeganponderingthisnotion.Ifthisweretrue,wherephysicistsweregoingwrong

wasinattemptingtoestablish'font‐family:"Georgia";color:black'>gravityasanentityinits

ownright.Instead,itshouldbeseenasasortofpressure.Hebegantothinkofgravityasa

kindoflong‐rangeCasimireffect,withtwoobjectswhichblockedsomeofthewavesofthe

ZeroPointFieldbecomingattractedtoeachother27,orperhapsitwasevenalong‐rangevan

derWaalsforce,liketheattractionoftwoatomsatcertaindistances.28AparticleintheZero

PointFieldbeginsjigglingduetoitsinteractionwiththeZeroPointField;twoparticlesnot

onlyhavetheirownjiggle,butalsogetinfluencedbythefieldgeneratedbyotherparticles,all

doingtheirownjiggling.Therefore,thefieldsgeneratedbytheseparticles—whichrepresent

apartialshieldingoftheall‐pervasivegroundstateZeroPointField—causetheattraction

thatwethinkofasgravity.

'font‐family:"Georgia";color:black'>Sakharovonlydevelopedtheseideasasa

hypothesis;Puthoffwentfurtherandbeganworkingthemoutmathematically.He

demonstratedthatgravitationaleffectswereentirelyconsistentwithzero‐pointparticle

motion,whattheGermanshaddubbed`zitterbewegung'or'tremblingmotion'.29Tying

gravityinwithzero‐pointenergysolvedanumberofconundrumsthathadconfounded

physicistsformanycenturies.Itanswered,forinstance,thequestionofwhygravityisweak

andwhyitcan'tbeshielded(theZeroPointField,whichisever‐present,can'tbecompletely

shieldeditself).Italsoexplainedwhywecanhavepositivemassandnotnegativemass.

Finally,itbroughtgravitytogetherwiththeotherforcesofphysics,suchasnuclearenergy

andelectromagnetism,intoonecogentunifiedtheory—somethingphysicistshadalways

beeneagertodobuthadalwayssingularlyfailedat.

Halpublishedhistheoryofgravitytopoliteandrestrainedapplause.Althoughnoone

wasrushingtoduplicatehisdata,atleasthewasn'tbeingridiculed,eventhoughwhathe'd

beensayinginthesepapersinessenceunsettledtheentirebedrockoftwentieth‐century

physics.Quantumphysicsmostfamouslyclaimsthataparticlecanalsosimultaneouslybea

waveunlessobservedandthenmeasured,whenallitstentativepossibilitiescollapseintoa

setentity.WithHal'stheory,aparticleisalwaysaparticlebutitsstatejustseems

indeterminatebecauseitisconstantlyinteractingwiththisbackgroundenergyfield.Another

qualityofsubatomicparticlessuchaselectronstakenasagiveninquantumtheoryis

'nonlocality'—Einstein's'spookyactionatadistance'.Thisqualitymayalsobeaccountedfor

bytheZeroPointField.ToHal,itwasanalogoustotwosticksplantedinthesandattheedge

oftheoceanabouttohehitbyarollingwave.Ifyoudidn'tknowaboutthewave,andboth

sticksfelldownbecauseofitoneaftertheother,youmightthinkonestickhadaffectedthe

otheratadistanceandcallthatanon‐localeffect.Butwhatifitwerezero‐pointfluctuation

thatwastheunderlyingmechanismactingonquantumentitiesandcausingoneentityto

affecttheother?30Ifthatweretrue,itmeanteverypartoftheuniversecouldheintouch

witheveryotherpartinstantaneously.

WhilecontinuingwithotherworkatSRI,HalsetupasmalllabinPescadero,inthe

foothillsofthenorthernCaliforniacoastline,withinthehomeofKenShoulders,abrilliantlab

engineerhe'dknownfromyearsbeforewhomhe'dlatelyrecruitedtohelphim.HalandKen

beganworkingoncondensed‐chargetechnology,asophisticatedversionofscuffingyourfoot

acrossacarpetandthengettingashockwhenyoutouchmetal.Ordinarily,electronsrepel

eachotheranddon'tliketobepushedtoocloselytogether.However,youcantightlycluster

electronicchargeifyoucalculateintheZeroPointField,whichatsomepointwillbeginto

pushelectronstogetherlikeatinyCasimirforce.Thisenablesyoutodevelopelectronics

applicationsinverytinyspaces.

HalandKenbegancomingupwithgadgetapplicationsthatwouldusethisenergyand

thenpatentingtheirdiscoveries.Eventuallytheywouldinventaspecialdevicethatcouldfit

anX‐raydeviceattheendofahypodermicneedle,enablingmedicstotakepicturesofbody

partsintinycrevices,andthenahigh‐frequencysignalgeneratorradardevicethatwould

allowradartobegeneratedfromasourcenolargerthanaplasticcreditcard.Theywould

alsobeamongthefirsttodesignaflat‐paneltelevision,thewidthofahangingpicture.All

theirpatentswereacceptedwiththeexplanationthattheultimatesourceofenergy'appears

tobethezero‐pointradiationofthevacuumcontinuum'.31

HalandKen'sdiscoveriesweregivenanunexpectedboostwhenthePentagon,which

ratesnewtechnologiesinorderofimportancetothenation,listedcondensed‐charge

technology,aszero‐pointenergyresearchwasthentermed,asnumber3ontheNational

CriticalIssueList,onlyafterstealthbombersandopticalcomputing.Ayearlater,condensed‐

chargetechnologywouldmoveintothenumbertwoslot.TheInteragencyTechnological

AssessmentGroupwasconvincedthatHalwasontosomethingimportanttothenational

interestandthataerospacecoulddevelopfurtheronlyifenergycouldbeextractedfromthe

vacuum.

WiththeUSgovernmentendorsingtheirwork,PuthoffandShoulderscouldhavehad

theirpickofprivatecompanieswillingtofundtheirresearch.Eventually,in1989,theywent

withBoeing,whichwasinterestedintheirtinyradardeviceandplannedtofundits

developmentonthebackofalargeproject.Theprojectlanguishedforacoupleofyears,and

thenBoeinglostthefunding.Mostoftheothercompaniesdemandedafull‐scaleprototype

beforetheywouldfundtheproject.HaldecidedtosetuphisowncompanytodeveloptheX‐

raydevice.Hegothalfwayalongthatroutebeforeitoccurredtohimthathewasaboutto

takeanunwelcomedetour.Itmightmakehimalotofmoney,buthewasonlyinterestedin

theprojectforthemoneyhecouldusetofundhisenergyresearch.Settingupandrunning

thiscompanywouldtakeatleasti0yearsoutofhislife,hefigured,muchasBill'sfamily

businesshadconsumedadecadeofhis.Farbetter,hethought,simplytolookforfundingfor

theenergyresearchitself.Halmadethedecisionthenandthere.Hewouldkeephiseyefirmly

onthealtruisticgoalhe'dstartedwith—andwouldeventuallybethisentirecareeronit.

Firstservice,thengloryandlast,ifatall,remuneration.

Halwouldwaitnearly20yearsforanyoneelsetoreplicateandexpandhistheories.His

confirmationcamewithatelephonemessage,leftat3a.m.,thatwouldseembraggardly,

ridiculouseven,tomostphysicists.BernieHaischhadbeenwrappingupafewlastdetailsin

hisLockheedofficeinPaloAlto,gettingreadytoembarkonaresearchfellowshiphe'dgotat

theMaxPlanckInstituteatGarching,Germany.AnastrophysicistatLockheed,Berniewas

lookingforwardtospendingtherestofhissummerdoingresearchontheX‐rayemissionof

starsandconsideredhimselfluckytohavelandedtheopportunity.Berniewasanoddhybrid,

aformalandcautiousmannerbelyingaprivateexpressivenesswhichfounditsoutletin

writingfolksongs.Butinthelaboratoryhewasaslittlegiventohyperboleashisfriend

AlfonsoRueda,anotedphysicistandappliedmathematicianattheCaliforniaStateUniversity

inLongBeach,who'dleftthemessage.Physicistswerehardlynotedforasenseofhumour

abouttheirwork,andtheColombianwasaquietdetailman,certainlynotgivento

boastfulness.MaybeitwasRueda'sideaofapracticaljoke.

ThemessageleftonHaisch'sansweringmachinehadsaid,‘OhmyGod,IthinkI'vejust

derivedF=ma.'

Toaphysicist,thisannouncementwasanalogoustoclaimingtohaveworkedouta

mathematicalequationtoproveGod.Inthiscase,GodwasNewtonandF=matheFirst

Commandment.F=mawasacentraltenetinphysics,postulatedbyNewtoninhisPrincipia,

theHolyBibleofclassicalphysics,in1687,asthefundamentalequationofmotion.Itwasso

centraltophysicaltheorythatitwasagiven,apostulate,notsomethingprovable,butsimply

assumedtobetrue,andneverarguedwith.Forceequalsmass(orinertia)timesacceleration.

Or,theaccelerationyougetisinverselyproportionaltomassforanygivenforce.Inertia—

thetendencyofobjectstostayputandbehardtogetmoving,andthenoncemoving,hardto

stop—fightsyourabilitytoincreasethespeedofanobject.Thebiggertheobject,themore

forceisneededtogetitmoving.Theamountofeffortittakestosendafleaflyingacrossa

tenniscourtwillnotbegintoshiftahippopotamus.

Thepointwas,noonemathematicallyprovedacommandment.Youuseittobuildan

entirereligionupon.EveryphysicistsinceNewtontookthattobeafundamentalassumption

andbuilttheoryandexperimentbaseduponthisbedrock.Newton'spostulateessentiallyhad

definedinertialmassandlaidthefoundationofphysicalmechanicsforthelast300years.We

allknowittohetrue,eventhoughnobodycouldactuallyproveit.32

AndnowAlfonsoRuedawasclaiming,inhisphonemessage,thatthisveryequation,

themostfamousinallofphysicsbesidesE=mc2,wastheendresultofafevered

mathematicalcalculationthathehadbeengrindingawayatlateintothenightformany

months.HewouldmaildetailstoBernieinGermany.

Althoughhewasembroiledinhisaerospacework,BerniehadreadsomeofHal

Puthoff'spapersandhimselfgotinterestedintheZeroPointField,largelyasasourceof

energyfordistantspacetravel.BerniehadbeeninspiredbytheworkofBritishphysicistPaul

DaviesandWilliamUnruhoftheUniversityofBritishColumbia.Thepairhadfoundthatif

youmoveataconstantspeedthroughthevacuum,italllooksthesame.Butassoonasyou

starttoaccelerate,thevacuumbeginstoappearlikealukewarmseaofheatradiationfrom

yourperspectiveasyoumove.Berniebeganwonderingifinertia—likethisheatradiation—

iscausedbyaccelerationthroughthevacuum.33

Then,ataconference,he'dmetRueda,awell‐knownphysicistwithanextensive

backgroundinhigh‐levelmathematics,andaftermuchencouragementandproddingfrom

Bernie,theordinarilydourRuedabegantoworkthroughtheanalysisinvolvingtheZero

PointFieldandanidealizedoscillator,afundamentaldeviceusedtoworkthroughmany

classicproblemsinphysics.AlthoughBerniehadhisowntechnicalexpertise,heneededa

high‐levelmathematiciantodothecalculations.He'dbeenintriguedbyHal'sworkongravity

andconsideredthattheremightbeaconnectionbetweeninertiaandtheZeroPointField.

Aftermanymonths,Ruedahadfinishedthecalculations.Whathefoundwasthatan

oscillatorforcedtoacceleratethroughtheZeroPointFieldwillexperienceresistance,and

thatthisresistancewillbeproportionaltoacceleration.Itlooked,foralltheworld,asthough

they'djustbeenabletoshowwhyF=ma.NolongerwasitsimplybecauseNewtonhad

deignedtodefineitassuch.IfAlfonsowasright,oneofthefundamentalaxiomsoftheworld

hadbeenreducedtosomethingyoucouldderivefromelectrodynamics.Youdidn'thaveto

assumeanything.YoucouldprovethatNewtonwasrightsimplybytakingaccountofthe

ZeroPointField.

OnceBerniehadreceivedRueda'scalculations,hecontactedHalPuthoff,andthethree

ofthemdecidedtoworktogether.Berniewroteitupasaverylongpaper.Aftersomefoot‐

dragging,PhysicalReview,averyprestigiousmainstreamphysicsjournal,publishedthepaper

unchangedinFebruary1994.34Thepaperdemonstratedthatthepropertyofinertia

possessedbyallobjectsinthephysicaluniversewassimplyresistancetobeingaccelerated

throughtheZeroPointField.Intheirpapertheyshowedthatinertiaiswhatistermeda

Lorentzforce—aforcethatslowsparticlesmovingthroughamagneticfield.Inthisinstance,

themagneticfieldisacomponentoftheZeroPointField,reactingwiththecharged

subatomicparticles.Thelargertheobject,themoreparticlesitcontainsandthemoreitis

heldstationarybythefield.

Whatthiswasbasicallysayingisthatthecorporealstuffwecallmatterandtowhichall

physicistssinceNewtonhaveattributedaninnatemasswasanillusion.Allthatwas

happeningwasthatthisbackgroundseaofenergywasopposingaccelerationbygrippingon

tothesubatomicparticleswheneveryoupushedonanobject.Mass,intheireyes,wasa

'bookkeeping'device,a'temporaryplaceholder'foramoregeneralquantumvacuum

reactioneffect.35

HalandBerniealsorealizedthattheirdiscoveryhadabearingonEinstein'sfamous

equationE=mc2.Theequationhasalwaysimpliedthatenergy(onedistinctphysicalentityin

theuniverse)turnsintomass(anotherdistinctphysicalentity).Theynowsawthatthe

relationshipofmasstoenergywasmoreastatementabouttheenergyofquarksand

electronsinwhatwecallmattercausedbyinteractionwiththeZeroPointFieldfluctuations.

Whattheywereallgettingat,inthemild‐mannered,neutrallanguageofphysics,wasthat

matterisnotafundamentalpropertyofphysics.TheEinsteinequationwassimplyarecipe

fortheamountofenergynecessarytocreatetheappearanceofmass.Itmeansthatthere

aren'ttwofundamentalphysicalentities—somethingmaterialandanotherimmaterial—

butonlyone:energy.Everythinginyourworld.anythingyouholdinyourhand,nomatter

howdense,howheavy,howlarge,onitsmostfundamentallevelboilsdowntoacollectionof

electricchargesinteractingwithabackgroundseaofelectromagneticandotherenergetic

fields—akindofelectromagneticdragforce.Astheywouldwritelater,masswasnot

equivalenttoenergy;masswasenergy.36Or,evenmorefundamentally,thereisnomass.

Thereisonlycharge.

NotedsciencewriterArthurC.ClarkelaterpredictedthattheHaisch—Rueda—Puthoffpaper

wouldonedayberegardedasalandmark'37,andin3001:TheFinalOdyssey,gaveanodto

theircontributionbycreatingaspacecraftpoweredbyaninertia‐cancellingdriveknownas

theSHARPdrive(anacronymfor'Sakharov,Haisch,AlfonsoRuedaandPuthoff').38AsClarke

wrote,injustifyinghisimmortalizationoftheirtheory:

Itaddressesaproblemsofundamentalthatitisnormallytakenforgranted,witha

that's‐just‐the‐way‐the‐universe‐is‐madeshrugoftheshoulders.

ThequestionHR&Paskedis:'Whatgivesanobjectmass(orinertia)sothatitrequires

anefforttostartitmoving,andexactlythesameefforttorestoreittoitsoriginalstate?'

Theirprovisionalanswerdependsontheastonishingand—outsidethephysicists'

ivorytowers—little‐knownfactthatso‐calledemptyspaceisactuallyacauldronofseething

energies—theZeroPointField...

HR&Psuggestthatbothinertiaandgravitationareelectromagneticphenomena

resultingfrominteractionwiththisfield.

Therehavebeencountlessattempts,goingallthewaybacktoFaraday,tolinkgravity

andmagnetism,andalthoughmanyexperimentershaveclaimedsuccess,noneoftheirresults

haseverbeenverified.However,ifHR&P'stheorycanbeproved,itopensuptheprospect—

howeverremote—ofanti‐gravity‘spacedrives'andtheevenmorefantasticpossibilityof

controllinginertia.Thiscouldleadtosomeinterestingsituations:ifyougavesomeonethe

gentlesttouch,theywouldpromptlydisappearatthousandsofkilometresanhour,untilthey

bouncedofftheothersideoftheroomafractionofamillisecondlater.Thegoodnewsisthat

trafficaccidentswouldbevirtuallyimpossible:automobiles—andpassengers—could

collideharmlesslyatanyspeed.39

Elsewhere,inanarticleaboutfuturespacetravel,Clarkewrote:IfIwasaNASA

administrator...I'dgetmybest,brightestandyoungest(nooneover25needapply)totakea

long,hardlookatPuthoffetal.'sequations.'40Later,Haisch,RuedaandDanielColeofIBM

wouldpublishapapershowingthattheuniverseowesitsverystructuretotheZeroPoint

Field.Intheirview,thevacuumcausesparticlestoaccelerate,whichinturncausesthemto

agglutinateintoconcentratedenergy,orwhatwecallmatter.41

Inasense,theSHARPteamhaddonewhatEinsteinhimselfhadnotdone.42Theyhad

provedoneofthemostfundamentallawsoftheuniverse,andfoundanexplanationforoneof

itsgreatestmysteries.TheZeroPointFieldhadbeenestablishedasthebasisofanumberof

fundamentalphysicalphenomena.BernieHaisch,withhisNASAbackground,hadhissights

firmlyonthepossibilitiesopentospacetravelofhavinginertia,massandgravityalltiedto

thisbackgroundseaofenergy.BothheandHalreceivedfundingtodevelopanenergysource

extractedfromthevacuum,inBernie'scasefromaNASAeagertoadvancespacetravel.

IfyoucouldextractenergyfromtheZeroPointFieldwhereveryouareintheuniverse,

youwouldn'thavetocarryfuelwithyou,butcouldjustsetsailinspaceandtapintotheZero

PointField—akindofuniversalwind—wheneveryouneededto.HalPuthoffhadshowedin

anotherpaper,alsowithDanielColefromIBM,thatinprincipletherewasnothinginthelaws

ofthermodynamicstoexcludethepossibilityofextractingenergyfromit.,Theotherideawas

tomanipulatethewavesoftheZeroPointField,sothattheywouldactlikeaunilateralforce,

pushingyourvehiclealong.Bernieimaginedthatatsomepointinthefuture,youmightbe

abletojustsetyourzero‐pointtransducer(wavetransformer)andgo.Butperhapseven

moreexotic,ifyoucouldmodifyorturnoffinertiayoumightbeabletosetoffarocketwith

verylowenergy,butjustmodifytheforcesthatstopitfrommoving.Oruseaveryfastrocket,

butmodifytheinertiaoftheastronautssothattheywouldn'tbeflattenedbyGforces.Andif

youcouldsomehowturnoffgravity,youcouldchangetheweightoftherocketortheforce

requiredtoaccelerateit.44Thepossibilitieswereendless.

Butthatwasn'ttheonlyaspectofzero‐pointenergywithpotential.Insomeofhisother

work,Halhadcomeacrossstudiesoflevitation.Themoderncynicalviewwasthatthesefeats

wereperformedbysleightofhand,orwerethehallucinationsofreligiousfanatics.

Nevertheless,manyofthepeoplewho'dattemptedtodebunkthesefeatshadfailed.Hal

foundexquisitenotesabouttheevents.Tothephysicistinhim,whoalwaysneededtotakea

givensituationapartandexaminethepieces,ashehadinhisyouthwithhamradios,what

wasbeingdescribedappearedtobearelativisticphenomenon.Levitationiscategorizedas

psychokinesis,theabilityofhumanstomakeobjects(orthemselves)moveintheabsenceof

anyknownforce.TherecordedinstancesoflevitationthatHalhadstumbledacrossonly

seemedpossibleinaphysicssenseifgravityhadsomehowbeenmanipulated.Ifthese

vacuumfluctuations,consideredsomeaninglessbymostquantumphysicists,didamountto

somethingthatcouldbeharnessedatwill,whetherforautomobilefuelortomoveobjects

justbyfocusingone'sattentiononthem,thentheimplicationsnotonlyforfuelbutforevery

aspectofourliveswereenormous.ItmightbetheclosestwehavetowhatinStarWarswas

called'TheForce'.

Inhisprofessionalwork,Halwascarefultostayfirmlywithintheconfinesof

conservativephysicstheory.Nevertheless,privatelyhewasbeginningtounderstandthe

metaphysicalimplicationsofabackgroundseaofenergy.Ifmatterwasn'tstable,butan

essentialelementinanunderlyingambient,randomseaofenergy,hethought,thenitshould

bepossibletousethisasablankmatrixonwhichcoherentpatternscouldbewritten,

particularlyastheZeroPointFieldhadimprintedeverythingthateverhappenedintheworld

throughwaveinterferenceencoding.Thiskindofinformationmightaccountforcoherent

particleandfieldstructures.Buttheremightalsobeanascendingladderofotherpossible

informationstructures,perhapscoherentfieldsaroundlivingorganisms,ormaybethisacts

asanon‐biochemical'memory'intheuniverse.Itmightevenbepossibletoorganizethese

fluctuationssomehowthroughanactofwill.45AsClarkehadwritten,‘Wemayalreadybe

tappingthisinaverysmallway:itmayaccountforsomeoftheanomalous'over‐unity'

resultsnowbeingreportedfrommanyexperimentaldevices,byapparentlyreputable

engineers.'46

Hal,likeBernie,wasfirstandlastaphysicistwhodidn'tlethismindrunawaywith

itself,butwhenhedidallowhimselfafewmomentsofspeculation,herealizedthatthis

representednothinglessthanaunifyingconceptoftheuniverse,whichshowedthat

everythingwasinsomesortofconnectionandbalancewiththerestofthecosmos.The

universe'sverycurrencymightbelearnedinformation,asimprinteduponthisfluid,mutable

fieldofinformation.TheFielddemonstratedthattherealcurrencyoftheuniverse—thevery

reasonforitsstability—isanexchangeofenergy.IfwewereallconnectedthroughTheField,

thenitjustmightbepossibletotapintothisvastreservoirofenergyinformationandextract

informationfromit.Withsuchavastenergybanktobeharnessed,virtuallyanythingwas

possible—thatis,ifhumanbeingshadsomesortofquantumstructureallowingthemaccess

toit.Buttherewasthestumblingblock.Thatwouldrequirethatourbodiesoperated

accordingtothelawsofthequantumworld.

CHAPTERTHREE'BeingsofLight’

Fritz‐AlbertPoppThoughthehaddiscoveredacureforcancer.Itwas1970,ayear

beforeEdgarMitchellhadflowntothemoon,andPopp,atheoreticalbiophysicistatthe

UniversityofMarburginGermany,hadbeenteachingradiology,theinteractionof

electromagneticradiationonbiologicalsystems.He'dbeenexaminingbenzo[a]pyrene,a

polycyclichydrocarbonknowntoheoneofthemostlethalcarcinogenstohumansandhad

illuminateditwithultravioletlight.

Poppplayedaroundwithlightalot.He'dbeenfascinatedbytheeffectof

electromagneticradiationonlivingsystemseversincehe'dbeenastudentattheUniversity

ofWürzburg.Duringhistimeasanundergraduatehe'dstudiedinthehouse,sometimeseven

intheveryroom,whereWilhelmRöntgenhadaccidentallystumbledonthefactthatraysofa

certainfrequencycouldproducepicturesofthehardstructuresofthebody.Popphadbeen

tryingtodeterminewhateffectyou'dgetifyouexcitedthisdeadlycompoundwithultraviolet

(UV)light.Whathediscoveredwasthatbenzo[a]pyrenehadacrazyopticalproperty.It

absorbedthelightbutthenre‐emitteditatacompletelydifferentfrequency,likesomeCIA

operativeinterceptingacommunicationsignalfromtheenemyandjumblingitup.Thiswasa

chemicalwhichdoubledasabiologicalfrequencyscrambler.Poppthenperformedthesame

testonbenzo[e]pyrene,anotherpolycyclichydrocarbon,whichisvirtuallyidenticalinevery

waytobenzo[e]pyrenesaveforatinyalterationinitsmolecularmakeup.Thistinydifference

inoneofthecompoundringswascriticalasitrenderedbenzo[e]pyreneharmlesstohumans.

Withthisparticularchemical,thelightpassedrightthroughthesubstanceunaltered.Popp

keptpuzzlingoverthisdifferenceandkeptplayingaroundwithlightandcompounds.He

performedhistestonthirty‐sevenotherchemicals,somecancer‐causing,somenot.Aftera

while,itgotsothathecouldpredictwhichsubstancescouldcausecancer.Ineveryinstance,

thecompoundsthatwerecarcinogenictooktheUVlight,absorbedit,andchangedthe

frequency.

Therewasanotheroddpropertyofthesecompounds.Eachofthecarcinogensreacted

onlytothelightataspecificwavelength—380nanometres.Poppkeptwonderingwhya

cancer‐causingsubstancewouldbealightscrambler.Hebeganreadingthescientific

literature,specificallyabouthumanbiologicalreactions,andcameacrossinformationabouta

phenomenoncalled'photo‐repair'.Itisverywellknownfrombiologicallaboratory

experimentsthatifyoucanblastacellwithUVlightsothat99percentofthecell,including

itsDNA,isdestroyed,youcanalmostentirelyrepairthedamageinasingledayjustby

illuminatingthecellwiththesamewavelengthofaveryweakintensity.Tothisday,

conventionalscientistsdon'tunderstandthisphenomenon,butnobodyhasdisputedit.Popp

alsoknewthatpatientswithaskinconditioncalledxerodermapigmentosumeventuallydie

ofskincancerbecausetheirphoto‐repairsystemdoesn'tworkandsodoesn'trepairsolar

damage.Poppwasshockedtolearnthatphoto‐repairworksmostefficientlyat380

nanometres—theverysamewavelengththecancer‐causingcompoundswouldreacttoand

scramble.

ThiswaswherePoppmadehislogicalleap.Naturewastooperfectforthistobesimple

coincidence.Ifthecarcinogensonlyreacttothiswavelength,itmustsomehowbelinkedto

photo‐repair.Ifso,thiswouldmeanthattheremustbesomelightinthebodyresponsiblefor

photo‐repair.Acancerouscompoundmustcausecancerbecauseitpermanentlyblocksthis

lightandscramblesit,sophoto‐repaircan'tworkanymore.

Poppwasprofoundlytakenabackbythethoughtofitall.Hedecidedthereandthen

thatthiswaswherehisfutureworkwouldlie.Hewrotethepaperup,buttoldfewpeople

aboutit,andwaspleased,butnotreallysurprised,whenaprestigiousjournaloncancer

agreedtopublishit.1Inthemonthsbeforehispaperwaspublished,Poppwashighly

impatient,worriedthathisideawouldbestolen.Anycarelessdisclosureofhistothecasual

observermightsendthelistenerofftopatentPopp'sdiscovery.Assoonasthescientific

communityrealizedhehaddiscoveredacureforcancer,hewouldbeoneofthemost

celebratedscientistsofhisday.Itwashisfirstforayintoanewareaofscience,anditwas

goingtolandhimtheNobelprize.

Popp,afterall,wasusedtoaccolades.Upuntilthatpointhe'dwonnearlyeveryprize

youcouldbeawardedinacademiclife.He'devenpickeduptheRöntgenprizeforhis

undergraduatediplomawork,whichconsistedofbuildingasmallparticleaccelerator.This

prize,namedafterPopp'shero,WilhelmRöntgen,isgiveneachyeartothetopundergraduate

inphysicsattheUniversityofWürzburg.Popphadstudiedlikeayoungmanpossessed.He'd

finishedhisexaminationsfarearlierthantheotherstudents.HewasawardedhisPhDin

theoreticalphysicsinrecordtime.ThepostgraduateworkrequiredforGerman

professorships,afive‐yearpropositionformostacademics,tookPoppjustalittlemorethan

twoyears.Atthetimeofhisdiscovery,Poppwasalreadycelebratedamonghispeersfor

beingawhizkid,notonlybecauseofhisabilitybutalsobecauseofhisdashing,youthful

looks.

Whenhispaperwaspublished,Poppwas33andgood‐looking,withthesetjawand

directsteel‐bluegazeofaHollywoodswashbucklerandaboyishfacealwaysassumedtobe

yearsyounger.Evenhiswife,whowassevenyearsyoungerthanhim,wasoftenmistakenas

theseniorpartner.Andindeed,therewassomethingoftheswashbucklerabouthim;hehada

reputationamonghisfellowstudentsasthebestfenceroncampus—areputationwhichhad

beentestedinvariousduels,oneofwhichhadlefthimwithagashallalongtheleftsideofhis

head.

Popp'slooksandmannerbeliedhisseriousnessofpurpose.LikeEdgarMitchell,hewas

aphilosopherasmuchasascientist.Evenasatinychildhe'dbeentryingtomakesenseofthe

world,tofindsomegeneralsolutionhecouldapplytoeverythinginhislife.He'deven

plannedtostudyphilosophyuntilateacherpersuadedhimthatphysicsmightbeamore

fertileterritoryifherequiredsomesingleequationthatheldthekeytolife.Nevertheless,

classicalphysics,withitsassertionofrealityasaphenomenonindependentoftheobserver,

hadlefthimprofoundlysuspicious.PopphadreadKantandbelieved,likethephilosopher,

thatrealitywasthecreationoflivingsystems.Theobservermustbecentraltothecreationof

hisworld.

Poppwascelebratedforhispaper.TheDeutscheKrebsforschungszentrum(German

CancerResearchCentre)inHeidelberginvitedhimtospeakbeforefifteenoftheworld's

leadingcancerspecialistsduringaneight‐dayconferenceonallaspectsofcancer.The

invitationtospeakamongsuchexclusivecompanywasanincredibleopportunity,andit

increasedhisprestigeonhisuniversitycampus.Hearrivedinabrandnewsuit,themost

elegantpresenceatthecolloquium,buthewasthepoorestspeaker,strugglingwithhis

Englishtomakehisvoiceheard.

Inhispresentationaswellashispaper,Popp'ssciencewasunassailable,saveforone

detail:itassumedthataweaklightof380nanometreswassomehowbeingproducedinthe

body.Tothecancerresearchers,thisonedetailwassomekindofajoke.Don'tyouthinkif

therewerelightinthebody,theytoldhim,somebody,somewherewouldhavenoticeditby

now?

Onlyasingleresearcher,aphotochemistfromtheMadameCurieInstitute,workingon

thecarcinogenicactivityofmolecules,wasconvincedthatPoppwasright.SheinvitedPoppto

workwithherinParis,butwouldherselfdieofcancerbeforehecouldjoinher.

ThecancerresearcherschallengedPopptocomeupwithevidence,andhewasready

withacounterchallenge.Iftheywouldhelphimbuildtherightequipment,thenhewould

showthemwherethelightwascomingfrom.Notlongafter,Poppwasapproachedbya

studentnamedBernhardRuth,whoaskedPopptosupervisehisworkforhisPhD

dissertation.

Sure,'saidPopp,'ifyoucanshowthatthereislightinthebody.'

Ruththoughtitaridiculoussuggestion.Ofcourse,thereisn'tlightinthebody.'Okay,'

saidPopp.'Soshowmeevidencethatthereisn'tlight,andyoucangetyourPhD.'

ThismeetingwasfortuitousforPoppbecauseRuthhappenedtobeanexcellent

experimentalphysicist.Hesettoworkbuildingequipmentwhichwoulddemonstrate,once

andforall,thatnolightwasemanatingfromthebody.Withintwoyearshe'dproduceda

machineresemblingabigX‐raydetector(EMI9558QAselectedtyped),whichemployeda

photo‐multiplier,enablingittocountlight,photonbyphoton.Tothisdayitisstilloneofthe

bestpiecesofequipmentinthefield.Themachinehadtobehighlysensitivebecauseitwould

bemeasuringwhatPoppassumedwouldbeextremelyweakemissions.

In1976,theywerereadyfortheirfirsttest.They'dgrowncucumberseedlings,which

areamongtheeasiestofplantstocultivate,andputtheminthemachine.Thephotomultiplier

pickedupthatphotons,orlightwaves,ofasurprisinglyhighintensitywerebeingemitted

fromtheseedlings.Ruthwashighlysceptical.Thishadsomethingtodowithchlorophyll,he

argued—apositionPoppshared.Theydecidedthatwiththeirnexttest—somepotatoes—

theywouldgrowtheseedlingplantsinthedark,sotheycouldnotundergophotosynthesis.

Nevertheless,whenplacedinthephotomultiplier,thesepotatoesregisteredanevenhigher

intensityoflight.2Itwasimpossiblethattheeffecthadanythingtodowithphotosynthesis,

Popprealized.What'smore,thesephotonsinthelivingsystemshe'dexaminedweremore

coherentthananythinghe'deverseen.

Inquantumphysics,quantumcoherencemeansthatsubatomicparticlesareableto

cooperate.Thesesubatomicwavesorparticlesnotonlyknowabouteachother,butalsoare

highlyinterlinkedbybandsofcommonelectromagneticfields,sothattheycancommunicate

together.Theyarelikeamultitudeoftuningforksthatallbeginresonatingtogether.Asthe

wavesgetintophaseorsynch,theybeginactinglikeonegiantwaveandonegiantsubatomic

particle.Itbecomesdifficulttotellthemapart.Manyoftheweirdquantumeffectsseenina

singlewaveapplytothewhole.Somethingdonetooneofthemwillaffecttheothers.

Coherenceestablishescommunication.It'slikeasubatomictelephonenetwork.The

betterthecoherence,thefinerthetelephonenetworkandthemorerefinedwavepatterns

haveatelephone.Theendresultisalsoabitlikealargeorchestra.Allthephotonsareplaying

togetherbutasindividualinstrumentsthatareabletocarryonplayingindividualparts.

Nevertheless,whenyouarelistening,it'sdifficulttopickoutanyoneinstrument.

WhatwasevenmoreamazingwasthatPoppwaswitnessingthehighestlevelof

quantumorder,orcoherence,possibleinalivingsystem.Usually,thiscoherence—calleda

Bose—Einsteincondensate—isonlyobservedinmaterialsubstancessuchassuperfluidsor

superconductorsstudiedinthelaboratoryinverycoldplaces—justafewdegreesabove

absolutezero—andnotinthehotandmessyenvironmentofalivingthing.

Poppbeganthinkingaboutlightinnature.Light,ofcourse,waspresentinplants,the

sourceofenergyusedduringphotosynthesis.Whenweeatplantfoods,itmustbe,he

thought,thatwetakeupthephotonsandstorethem.Saythatweconsumesomebroccoli.

Whenwedigestit,itismetabolizedintocarbondioxide(CO2)andwater,plusthelightstored

fromthesunandpresentinphotosynthesis.WeextracttheCO2andeliminatethewater,but

thelight,anelectromagneticwave,mustgetstored.Whentakeninbythebody,theenergyof

thesephotonsdissipatessothatitiseventuallydistributedovertheentirespectrumof

electromagneticfrequencies,fromthelowesttothehighest.Thisenergybecomesthedriving

forceforallthemoleculesinourbody.

Photonsswitchonthebody'sprocesseslikeaconductorlaunchingeachindividual

instrumentintothecollectivesound.Atdifferentfrequenciestheyperformdifferent

functions.Poppfoundwithexperimentationthatmoleculesinthecellswouldrespondto

certainfrequenciesandthatarangeofvibrationsfromthephotonswouldcauseavarietyof

frequenciesinothermoleculesofthebody.Lightwavesalsoansweredthequestionofhow

thebodycouldmanagecomplicatedfeatswithdifferentbodypartsinstantaneouslyordotwo

ormorethingsatonce.These‘biophotonemissions',ashewasbeginningtocallthem,could

provideaperfectcommunicationsystem,totransferinformationtomanycellsacrossthe

organism.Butthesinglemostimportantquestionremained:whereweretheycomingfrom?

Aparticularlygiftedstudentofhistalkedhimintotryinganexperiment.Itisknown

thatwhenyouapplyachemicalcalledethidiumbromidetosamplesofDNA,thechemical

squeezesitselfintothemiddleofthebasepairsofthedoublehelixandcausesittounwind.

Thestudentsuggestedthat,afterapplyingthechemical,heandPopptrymeasuringthelight

comingoffthesample.Poppdiscoveredthatthemoreheincreasedtheconcentrationofthe

chemical,themoretheDNAunwound,butalsothestrongertheintensityoflight.Thelesshe

putin,thelowerthelightemission.3HealsofoundthatDNAwascapableofsendingouta

largerangeoffrequenciesandthatsomefrequenciesseemedlinkedtocertainfunctions.If

DNAwerestoringthislight,itwouldnaturallyemitmorelightonceitwasunwound.

TheseandotherstudiesdemonstratedtoPoppthatoneofthemostessentialstoresof

lightandsourcesofbiophotonemissionswasDNA.DNAmustbelikethemastertuningfork

inthebody.Itwouldstrikeaparticularfrequencyandcertainothermoleculeswouldfollow.

Itwasaltogetherpossible,herealized,thathemighthavestumbleduponthemissinglinkin

currentDNAtheorythatcouldaccountforperhapsthegreatestmiracleofallinhuman

biology:themeansbywhichasinglecellturnsintoafullyformedhumanbeing.

Oneofthegreatestmysteriesofbiologyishowweandeveryotherlivingthingtake

geometricshape.Modernscientistsmostlyunderstandhowwehaveblueeyesorgrowtosix

footone,andevenhowcellsdivide.Whatisfarmoreelusiveisthemannerbywhichthese

cellsknowexactlywheretoplacethemselvesineachstageofthebuildingprocess,sothatan

armbecomesanarmratherthanaleg,aswellastheverymechanismwhichgetsthesecells

toorganizeandassemblethemselvestogetherintosomethingresemblingathree‐

dimensionalhumanform.

Theusualscientificexplanationhastodowiththechemicalinteractionsbetween

moleculesandwithDNA,thecoileddoublehelixofgeneticcodingthatholdsablueprintof

thebody'sproteinandaminoacids.EachDNAhelixorchromosome—andtheidentical

twenty‐sixpairsexistineveryoneofthethousandmillionmillioncellsinyourbody4—

containsalongchainofnucleotides,orbases,offourdifferentcomponents(shortenedto

ATCG)arrangedinauniqueorderineveryhumanbody.Themostfavouredideaisthatthere

existsagenetic'programme'ofgenesoperatingcollectivelytodetermineshape,or,inthe

viewofneo‐DarwinistssuchasRichardDawkins,thatruthlessgenes,likeChicagothugs,have

powerstocreateformandthatweare‘survivalmachines'—robotvehiclesblindly

programmedtopreservetheselfishmoleculesknownasgenes.5

ThistheorypromotesDNAastheRenaissancemanofthehumanbody—architect,

masterbuilderandcentralengineroom—whosetoolforallthisamazingactivityisahandful

ofthechemicalswhichmakeproteins.ThemodernscientificviewisthatDNAsomehow

managestobuildthebodyandspearheadallitsdynamicactivitiesjustbyselectivelyturning

offandoncertainsegments,orgenes,whosenucleotides,orgeneticinstructions,select

certainRNAmolecules,whichinturnselectfromalargealphabetofaminoacidsthegenetic

‘words'whichcreatespecificproteins.Theseproteinssupposedlyareabletobothbuildthe

bodyandtoswitchonandoffallthechemicalprocessesinsidethecellwhichultimately

controltherunningofthebody.

Undoubtedlyproteinsdoplayamajorroleinbodilyfunction.WheretheDarwinistsfall

shortisinexplainingexactlyhowDNAknowswhentoorchestratethisandalsohowthese

chemicals,allblindlybumpingintoeachother,canoperatemoreorlesssimultaneously.Each

cellundergoes,onaverage,some100,000chemicalreactionspersecond—aprocessthat

repeatsitselfsimultaneouslyacrosseverycellinthebody.Atanygivensecond,billionsof

chemicalreactionsofonesortoranotheroccur.Timingmustbeexquisite,forifanyoneof

theindividualchemicalprocessesinallthemillionsofcellsinthebodyisoffbyafraction,

humanswouldblowthemselvesupinamatterofseconds.Butwhattherankandfileamong

geneticistshavenotaddressedisthatifDNAisthecontrolroom,whatisthefeedback

mechanismwhichenablesittosynchronizetheactivitiesofindividualgenesandcellsto

carryoutsystemsinunison?Whatisthechemicalorgeneticprocessthattellscertaincellsto

growintoahandandnotafoot?Andwhichcellprocesseshappenatwhichtime?

Ifallthesegenesareworkingtogetherlikesomeunimaginablybigorchestra,whoor

whatistheconductor?Andifalltheseprocessesareduetosimplechemicalcollisionbetween

molecules,howcanitworkanywherenearrapidlyenoughtoaccountforthecoherent

behavioursthatlivebeingsexhibiteveryminuteoftheirlives?

Whenafertilizedeggstartstomultiplyandproducedaughtercells,eachbegins

adoptingastructureandfunctionaccordingtoitseventualroleinthebody.Althoughevery

daughtercontainsthesamechromosomeswiththesamegeneticinformation,certaintypesof

cellsimmediately'know'tousedifferentgeneticinformationtobehavedifferentlyfrom

othersandsocertaingenesmust'know'thatitistheirturntobeplayed,ratherthantherest

ofthepack.Furthermore,somehowthesegenesknowhowmanyofeachtypeofcellmustbe

producedintherightplace.Eachcell,furthermore,needstobeabletoknowaboutits

neighbouringcellstoworkouthowitfitsintotheoverallscheme.Thisrequiresnothingless

thananingeniousmethodofcommunicationbetweencellsataveryearlystageofthe

embryo'sdevelopmentandthesamesophisticationeverymomentofourlives.

Geneticistsappreciatethatcelldifferentiationutterlydependsoncellsknowinghowto

differentiateearlyonandthensomehowrememberingthattheyaredifferentandpassingon

thisvitalpieceofinformationtosubsequentgenerationsofcells.Atthemoment,scientists

shrugtheirshouldersastohowthismightallbeaccomplished,particularlyatsucharapid

pace.

Dawkinshimselfadmits:'Exactlyhowthiseventuallyleadstothedevelopmentofa

babyisastorywhichwilltakedecades,perhapscenturies,forembryologiststoworkout.But

itisafactthatitdoes.’6

Inotherwords,likepolicemendesperatetocloseacase,scientistshavearrestedthe

mostlikelysuspectwithoutbotheringwiththepainstakingprocessofgatheringproof.The

detailsofthisabsolutecertainty,ofhowproteinsmightaccomplishthisallontheirown,are

leftdecidedlyimprecise.7

Asfortheorchestrationofcellprocesses,biochemistsneveractuallyaskthequestion.8

BritishbiologistRupertSheldrakehasmountedoneofthemostconstantand

vociferouschallengestothisapproach,arguingthatgeneactivationandproteinsnomore

explainthedevelopmentofformthandeliveringbuildingmaterialstoabuildingsiteexplains

thestructureofthehousebuiltthere.Currentgenetictheoryalsodoesn'texplain,hesays,

howadevelopingsystemcanself‐regulate,orgrownormallyinthecourseofdevelopmentif

apartofthesystemisaddedorremoved,anddoesn'texplainhowanorganismregenerates

—replacingmissingordamagedstructures.9

InarushoffeveredinspirationwhileatanashraminIndia,Sheldrakeworkedouthis

hypothesisofformativecausation,whichstatesthattheformsofself‐organizinglivingthings

—everythingfrommoleculesandorganismstosocietiesandevenentiregalaxies—are

shapedbymorphicfields.Thesefieldshaveamorphicresonance—acumulativememory

—ofsimilarsystemsthroughculturesandtime,sothatspeciesofanimalsandplants

'remember'notonlyhowtolookbutalsohowtoact.RupertSheldrakeusestheterm

‘morphicfields'andanentirevocabularyofhisownmakingtodescribetheself‐organizing

propertiesofbiologicalsystems,frommoleculestobodiestosocieties.‘Morphicresonance',

is,inhisview,'theinfluenceoflikeuponlikethroughspaceandtime'.Hebelievesthesefields

(andhethinkstherearemanyofthem)aredifferentfromelectromagneticfieldsbecause

theyreverberateacrossgenerationswithaninherentmemoryofthecorrectshapeandform.

10Themorewelearn,theeasieritisforotherstofollowinourfootsteps.

Sheldrake'stheoryisbeautifullyandsimplyworkedout.Nevertheless,byhisown

admission,itdoesn'texplainthephysicsofhowthismightallbepossible,orhowallthese

fieldsmightstorethisinformation.11

Inbiophotonemissions,Poppbelievedthathehadananswertothequestionof

morphogenesisaswellas‘gestaltbildung'—cellcoordinationandcommunication—which

onlycouldoccurinaholisticsystem,withonecentralorchestrator.Poppshowedinhis

experimentsthattheseweaklightemissionsweresufficienttoorchestratethebody.The

emissionshadtobeoflowintensitybecausethesecommunicationswereoccurringona

quantumlevel,andhigherintensitieswouldbefeltonlyintheworldofthelarge.

WhenPoppbeganresearchingthisarea,herealizedhewasstandingontheshoulders

ofmanyothers,whoseworksuggestedafieldofelectromagneticradiationwhichsomehow

guidesthegrowthofthecellularbody.ItwastheRussianscientistAlexanderGurwitschwho

hadtobecreditedwithfirstdiscoveringwhathecalled'mitogeneticradiation'inonionroots

inthe1920s.Gurwitschpostulatedthatafield,ratherthanchemicalsalone,wasprobably

responsibleforthestructuralformationofthebody.AlthoughGurwitsch'sworkwaslargely

theoretical,laterresearcherswereabletoshowthataweakradiationfromtissuesstimulates

cellgrowthinneighbouringtissuesofthesameorganism.12

Otherearlystudiesofthisphenomenon—nowrepeatedbymanyscientists—were

carriedoutinthe1940sbyneuroanatomistHaroldS.BurrfromYaleUniversity,whostudied

andmeasuredelectricalfieldsaroundlivingthings,specificallysalamanders.Burrdiscovered

thatsalamanderspossessedanenergyfieldshapedlikeanadultsalamander,andthatthis

blueprintevenexistedinanunfertilizedegg.13

Burralsodiscoveredelectricalfieldsaroundallsortsoforganisms,frommoulds,to

salamandersandfrogs,tohumans.14Changesintheelectricalchargesappearedtocorrelate

withgrowth,sleep,regeneration,light,water,storms,thedevelopmentofcancer—eventhe

waxingandwaningofthemoon.15Forinstance,inhisexperimentswithplantseedlings,he

discoveredelectricalfieldswhichresembledtheeventualadultplant.

Anotheroftheearlyinterestingexperimentswascarriedoutintheearly1920sby

ElmerLund,aresearcherattheUniversityofTexas,onhydras,thetinyaquaticanimal

possessinguptotwelveheadscapableofregenerating.Lund(andlaterothers)foundthathe

couldcontrolregenerationbyapplyingtinycurrentsthroughthehydra'sbody.Byusinga

currentstrongenoughtooverridetheorganism'sownelectricalforce,Lundcouldcausea

headtoformwhereatailshouldbe.Inlaterstudiesinthe1950s,G.MarshandH.W.Beams

discoveredthatifvoltageswerehighenough,evenanintactflatwormwouldbegin

reorganizing—theheadwouldturnintoatailandviceversa.Yetotherstudieshave

demonstratedthatveryyoungembryos,shornoftheirnervoussystem,andgraftedontoa

healthyembryo,willactuallysurvive,likeaSiamesetwin,onthebackofthehealthyembryos.

Stillotherexperimentshaveshownthatregenerationcanevenbereversedbypassingasmall

currentthroughasalamander'sbody.16

OrthopaedistRobertO.Beckermainlyengagedinworkconcerningattemptsto

stimulateorspeedupregenerationinhumansandanimals.However,hehasalsopublished

manyaccountsofexperimentsintheJournalofBoneandJointSurgerydemonstratinga

'currentofinjury'—whereanimalssuchassalamanderswithamputatedlimbsdevelopa

changeofchargeatthesiteofthestump,whosevoltageclimbsuntilthenewlimbappears.17

Manybiologistsandphysicistshaveadvancedtheideathatradiationandoscillating

wavesareresponsibleforsynchronizingcelldivisionandsendingchromosomalinstructions

aroundthebody.Perhapsthebestknownofthese,HerbertFröhlich,oftheUniversityof

Liverpool,recipientoftheprestigiousMaxPlanckMedal,anannualawardoftheGerman

PhysicalSocietytohonourthecareerofanoutstandingphysicist,wasoneofthefirstto

introducetheideathatsomesortofcollectivevibrationwasresponsibleforgettingproteins

tocooperatewitheachotherandcarryoutinstructionsofDNAandcellularproteins.Fröhlich

evenpredictedthatcertainfrequencies(nowtermed'Fröhlichfrequencies')justbeneaththe

membranesofthecellcouldbegeneratedbyvibrationsintheseproteins.Wave

communicationwassupposedlythemeansbywhichthesmalleractivitiesofproteins,the

workofaminoacids,forinstance,wouldbecarriedoutandagoodwaytosynchronize

activitiesbetweenproteinsandthesystemasawhole.18

Inhisownstudies,Fröhlichhadshownthatonceenergyreachesacertainthreshold,

moleculesbegintovibrateinunison,untiltheyreachahighlevelofcoherence.Themoment

moleculesreachthisstateofcoherence,theytakeoncertainqualitiesofquantummechanics,

includingnonlocality.Theygettothepointwheretheycanoperateintandem.19

TheItalianphysicistRenatoNobilioftheUniversitadegliStudidiPadovaamassed

experimentalproofthatelectromagneticfrequenciesoccurinanimaltissues.Inexperiments

hefoundthatthefluidincellsholdscurrentsandwavepatternsandthatthesecorrespond

withwavepatternspickedupbyelectroencephalogram(EEC)readingsinthebraincortex

andscalp.20RussianNobelprizewinnerAlbertSzentGyorgyipostulatedthatproteincellsact

assemiconductors,preservingandpassingalongtheenergyofelectronsasinformation.21

However,mostofthisresearch,includingGurwitsch'sinitialwork,hadlargelybeen

ignored,mostlybecausetherewasnoequipmentsensitiveenoughtomeasurethesetiny

particlesoflightbeforetheinventionofPopp'smachine.Furthermore,anynotionsoftheuse

ofradiationincellularcommunicationwereutterlysweptasideinthemiddleofthe

twentiethcentury,withthediscoveryofhormonesandthebirthofbiochemistry,which

proposedthateverythingcouldheexplainedbyhormonesorchemicalreactions.22

BythetimethatPopphadhislightmachine,hewasmoreorlessonhisownwith

regardtoaradiationtheoryofDNA.Nevertheless,hedoggedlypressedonwithhis

experiments,learningmoreaboutthepropertiesofthismysteriouslight.Themorehetested,

themorehediscoveredthatalllivingthings—fromthemostbasicofplantsoranimals,to

humanbeingsinalltheirsophisticatedcomplexity—emittedapermanentcurrentof

photons,fromonlyafewtohundreds.Thenumberofphotonsemittedseemedtobelinkedto

anorganism'spositionontheevolutionaryscale:themorecomplextheorganism,thefewer

photonsbeingemitted.Rudimentaryanimalsorplantstendedtoemit100photonsper

squarecentimetrepersecond,atawavelengthof200to800nanometres,correspondingtoa

veryhighfrequencyofelectromagneticwave,wellwithinthevisiblelightrange,whereas

humanswouldemitonlytenphotonsinthesamearea,timeandfrequency.Healso

discoveredsomethingelsecurious.Whenlightwasshoneonlivingcells,thecellswouldtake

thislightandafteracertaindelay,shineintensely—aprocesscalled‘delayedluminescence'.

ItoccurredtoPoppthatthiscouldbeacorrectivedevice.Thelivingsystemhadtomaintaina

delicateequilibriumoflight.Inthisinstance,whenitwasbeingbombardedwithtoomuch

light,itwouldrejecttheexcess.

Veryfewplacesintheworldcanclaimtobepitchblack.Theonlyappropriatecandidates

wouldbeanenclosurewhereonlyahandfulofphotonsremain.Popppossessedsuchaplace,

aroomsodarkthatonlythebarestfewphotonsoflightperminutecouldbedetectedinit.

Thiswastheonlyfitlaboratoryinwhichtomeasurethelightofhumanbeings.Hebegan

studyingthepatternsofbiophotonemissionsofsomeofhisstudents.Inoneseriesofstudies,

hehadoneofhisexperimenters—a27‐year‐oldhealthyyoungwoman—sitintheroom

everydayforninemonths,whilehetookphotonreadingsofasmallareaofherhandand

forehead.Poppthenanalysedthedata,anddiscovered,tohissurprise,thatthelight

emissionsfollowedcertainsetpatterns—biologicalrhythmsat7,14,32,80and270days,

whentheemissionswereidentical,evenafteroneyear.Emissionsforboththeleftandright

handswerealsocorrelated.Iftherewasanincreaseinthephotonscomingofftherighthand,

sotherewouldbeasimilarincreaseinthoseofthelefthand.Onasubatomiclevel,thewaves

ofeachhandwereinphase.Intermsoflight,therighthandknewwhatthelefthandwas

doing.

Emissionsalsoseemedtofollowothernaturalbiologicalrhythms;similaritieswere

notedbydayornight,byweek,bymonth,asthoughthebodywerefollowingtheworld's

biorhythmsaswellasitsown.

Sofar,Popphadstudiedonlyhealthyindividualsandfoundanexquisitecoherenceat

thequantumlevel.Butwhatkindoflightwaspresentinapersonwhowasill?Hetriedout

hismachineonaseriesofcancerpatients.Ineveryinstance,thecancerpatientshadlost

thesenaturalperiodicrhythmsandalsotheircoherence.Thelinesofinternalcommunication

werescrambled.Theyhadlosttheirconnectionwiththeworld.Ineffect,theirlightwasgoing

out.

Justtheoppositeoccurredwithmultiplesclerosis:MSwasastateoftoomuchorder.

Individualswiththisdiseaseweretakingintoomuchlight,andthiswasinhibitingtheability

ofcellstodotheirjob.Toomuchcooperativeharmonypreventedflexibilityandindividuality:

itisliketoomanysoldiersmarchinginstepwhentheycrossabridge,causingittocollapse.

Perfectcoherenceisanoptimumstatejustbetweenchaosandorder.Withtoomuch

cooperativity,itwasasthoughindividualmembersoftheorchestrawerenolongerableto

improvise.MSpatientsweredrowninginlight.23

Poppalsoexaminedtheeffectofstress.Inastressedstate,therateofbiophoton

emissionswentup—adefencemechanismdesignedtotrytoreturnthepatientto

equilibrium.

AllofthesephenomenaledPopptothinkofbiophotonemissionsasasortofcorrection

byalivingsystemofZeroPointFieldfluctuations.Everysystemlikestoachieveaminimum

offreeenergy.Inaperfectworld,allwaveswouldcanceleachotheroutbydestructive

interference.However,thisisimpossiblewiththeZeroPointField,wherethesetiny

fluctuationsofenergyconstantlydisturbthesystem.Emittingphotonsisacompensatory

gesture,tostopthisdisturbanceandattemptasortofenergyequilibrium.AsPoppthoughtof

it,theZeroPointFieldforcesahumanbeingtobeacandle.Thehealthiestbodywouldhave

thelowestlightandbeclosesttozerostate,themostdesirablestate—theclosestliving

thingscouldgettonothingness.

Poppnowrecognizedthatwhathe'dbeenexperimentingwithwasevenmorethana

cureforcancerorgestaltbildung.Herewasamodelwhichprovidedabetterexplanationthan

thecurrentneo‐Darwinisttheoryforhowalllivingthingsevolveontheplanet.Ratherthana

systemoffortunatebutultimatelyrandomerror,ifDNAusesfrequenciesofallvarietyasan

informationtool,thiswouldsuggestinsteadafeedbacksystemofperfectcommunication

throughwaveswhichencodeandtransferinformation.

Itmightalsoaccountforthebody'scapacityforregeneration.hebodiesofnumerous

speciesofanimalshavedemonstratedtheabilitytoregeneratealostlimb.Experimentswith

salamandersasfarbackasthe1930shaveshownthatanentirelimb,ajaw—eventhelens

ofaneye—couldbeamputatedbutentirelyregenerateasthoughahiddenblueprintwere

beingfollowed.

Thismodelmightalsoaccountforthephenomenonofphantomlimbs,thestrong

physicalsenseamongamputeesthatamissingarmorlegisstillpresent.Manyamputeeswho

complainofutterlyrealisticcramps,achesortinglingsinthemissinglimbmaybe

experiencingatruephysicalitywhichstillexists—ashadowofthelimbasimprintedonthe

ZeroPointField.24

Poppcametorealizethatlightinthebodymightevenholdthekeytohealthand

illness.Inoneexperimenthecomparedthelightemittedfromfree‐rangeeggstothose

producedbybatteryhens.Thephotonsintheeggsproducedbythefree‐rangechickenswere

farmorecoherentthanthoseinthebatteryeggs.Hewentontousebiophotonemissionsasa

toolformeasuringthequalityoffood.Thehealthiestfoodhadthelowestandmostcoherent

intensityoflight.Anydisturbanceinthesystemwouldincreasetheproductionofphotons.

Healthwasastateofperfectsubatomiccommunication,andillhealthwasastatewhere

communicationbreaksdown.Weareillwhenourwavesareoutofsynch.

OncePoppbeganpublishinghisfindings,hebegantoattracttheenmityofthescientific

community.ManyofhisfellowGermanscientistsbelievedthatPopp'sbrightsparkhadfinally

goneout.Athisuniversity,studentswantingtostudybiophotonemissionsbegantobe

censured.By1980,whenPopp'scontractasanassistantprofessorwasfinished,the

universityhadanexcusetoaskhimtoleave.Twodaysbeforetheendofhisterm,university

officialsmarchedintohislaboratoryanddemandedthathesurrenderallhisequipment.

Fortunately,Popphadbeentippedoffabouttheraidandhadhiddenhisphotomultiplierin

thebasementofthelodgingsofasympatheticstudent.Whenheleftcampus,heleftwithhis

preciousequipmentintact.

Popp'streatmentatthehandsoftheUniversityofMarburgresembledthatofa

criminalwithoutafairtrial.Asanassistantprofessorofsomeyearsstanding,Poppwas

entitledtosubstantialcompensationforhisyearsofservice,buttheuniversityrefusedtopay

him.Hehadtosuetheuniversitytogetthe40,000marksthatwereduehim.Hewonhis

money,buthiscareerlayinashes.Hewasamarriedmanwiththreeyoungchildrenandno

apparentmeansofemployment.Nouniversityatthetimewaspreparedtotouchhim.

ItlookedasthoughPopp'sacademiccareerwasfinished.Hespenttwoyearsinprivate

industrywithRoedler,apharmaceuticalmanufacturerofhomeopathicremedies,oneofthe

feworganisationstoentertainhiswildtheories.Nevertheless,Popp,astubbornautocratin

hisownlabs,wasequallystubborninpersistingwithhiswork,convincedofitsvalidity.

Eventually,hegainedapatroninProfessorWalterNagloftheUniversityofKaiserslautern,

whoaskedPopptoworkwithhim.Onceagain,Popp'sresearchcausedarevoltamongthe

faculty,whodemandedhisresignationonthegroundsthathisworkwassullyingthe

university'sreputation.

EventuallyPoppgainedemploymentfromtheTechnologyCentreinKaiserslautern,

whichislargelysponsoredbygovernmentgrantsforapplicationresearch.Itwouldtake

some25yearsforhimtogatherconvertsfromamongthescientificcommunity.Slowlyafew

selectscientistsfromaroundtheglobebegantoconsiderthatthebody'scommunication

systemmightbeacomplexnetworkofresonanceandfrequency.Eventuallytheywouldform

theInternationalInstituteofBiophysics,composedoffifteengroupsofscientistsfrom

internationalcentresallaroundtheworld.PopphadfoundofficesforhisnewgroupinNeuss,

nearDüsseldorf.ThebrotherofaNobelprizewinner,thegrandsonofAlexanderGurwitsch,a

nuclearphysicistfromBostonUniversityandthenuclearresearchlaboratory,CERNin

Geneva,twoChinesebiophysicists—notedscientistsfromaroundtheglobeatlastwere

beginningtoagreewithhim.Popp'sfortuneswerebeginningtoturn.Suddenlyhewas

receivingoffersandcontractsforprofessorshipsfromreputableuniversitiesaroundthe

world.

Poppandhisnewcolleagueswentontostudythelightemissionsofseveralorganisms

ofthesamespecies,firstwithanexperimentwithatypeofwaterfleacalledDaphnia.What

theyfoundwasnothingshortofastonishing.Testswithaphotomultipliershowedthatthe

waterfleasweresuckingupthelightemittedfromeachother.Popptriedthesame

experimentonsmallfishandfoundthattheyweredoingthesame.Accordingtohis

photomultiplier,sunflowerswerelikeabiologicalvacuumcleaner,movinginthedirectionof

themostsolarphotonsinordertohooverthemup.Evenbacteriawouldswallowphotons

fromthemediumtheyhadbeenplacedin.25

ItbegantodawnonPoppthattheseemissionshadapurposeoutsidethebody.Wave

resonancewasn'tsimplybeingusedtocommunicateinsidethebody,butbetweenliving

things.Twohealthybeingswereengagedin'photonsucking',ashecalledit,byexchanging

photons.Popprealizedthatthisexchangemightunlockthesecretofsomeoftheanimal

kingdom'smostpersistentconundrums:howschoolsoffishorflocksofbirdscreateperfect

andinstantaneouscoordination.Manyexperimentsonthehomingabilityofanimals

demonstratethatithasnothingtodowithfollowinghabitualtrailsorscentsoreventhe

electromagneticfieldsoftheearth,butsomesilentcommunication,actinglikeaninvisible

rubberband,evenwhenanimalsareseparatedbymilesfromhumans.26Forhumansthere

wasanotherpossibility.Ifwecouldtakeinthephotonsofotherlivingthings,wealsomight

beabletousetheinformationfromthemtocorrectourownlightifitwentawry.

Popphadbegunexperimentingwithsuchanidea.Ifsomecancer‐causingchemicals

couldalterthebody'sbiophotonemissions,thenitmightbethecasethatothersubstances

couldreintroducebettercommunication.Poppwonderedwhethercertainplantextracts

couldchangethecharacterofbiophotonemissionsofcancercells,sothattheywouldbeginto

communicateagainwiththerestofthebody.Hebeganexperimentingwithanumberofnon‐

toxicsubstancespurportedtobesuccessfulintreatingcancer.Inallbutoneinstance,the

substancesonlyincreasedthephotonsfromtumourcells,makingitevenmoredeadlytothe

body.Thesinglesuccessstorywasmistletoe,whichseemedtohelpthebodyto'resocialize'

thephotonemissionoftumourcellsbacktonormal.Inoneofnumerouscases,Poppcame

acrossawomaninherthirtieswithbreastandvaginalcancer.Popptriedmistletoeandother

plantextractsonsamplesofhercanceroustissueandfoundthatoneparticularmistletoe

remedycreatedcoherenceinthetissuesimilartothatofthebody.Withtheagreementofher

doctor,thewomanbeganforgoinganytreatmentotherthanthismistletoeextract.Aftera

year,allherlaboratorytestswerevirtuallybacktonormal.Awomanwhowasgivenupasa

terminalcancercasehadherproperlightrestored,justbytakingaherb.27

ToFritz‐AlbertPopp,homeopathywasanotherexampleofphotonsucking.Hehad

beguntothinkofitasa'resonanceabsorber'.Homeopathyrestsuponthenotionthatlikeis

treatedwithlike.Aplantextractthatatfullstrengthcancausehivesinthebodyisusedinan

extremelydiluteformtocurethem.Ifaroguefrequencyinthebodycouldproducecertain

symptoms,itfollowedthatthehighdilutionofasubstancewhichwouldproducethesame

symptomswouldstillcarrythoseoscillations.Likeatuningforkinresonance,asuitable

homeopathicsolutionmightattractandthenabsorbthewrongoscillations,allowingthebody

toreturntonormal.

Poppthoughtthatelectromagneticmolecularsignallingmightevenexplain

acupuncture.AccordingtothetheoryoftraditionalChinesemedicine,thehumanbodyhasa

meridiansystemrunningdeepinthetissuesofthebodythroughwhichflowsaninvisible

energywhichtheChineseterm'theqi',orlifeforce.Theqisupposedlyentersthebody

throughtheseacupuncturepointsandflowstodeeperorganstructures(whichdonot

correspondtothoseofWesternhumanbiology),providingenergy(andthusthelifeforce).

Illnessoccurswhenthereisablockageofthisenergyanywherealongthepathways.

AccordingtoPopp,themeridiansystemmayworklikewaveguidestransmittingparticular

bodilyenergytospecificzones.

Scientificstudiesshowthatmanyacupuncturepointsonthebodyhavedramatically

decreasedelectricalresistancecomparedwithpointsontheskinsurroundingit(10kilo‐

ohmsatthecentreofapoint,comparedwith3mega‐ohmsinthesurroundingskin).28

Researchhasalsoshownthatpainkillingendorphinsandthesteroidcortisolarereleased

throughthebodywhenthepointsarestimulatedatlowfrequency,andimportantmood‐

regulatingneurotransmitterslikeserotoninandnorepinephrine,athighfrequency.Thesame

doesn'toccurwhentheskinsurroundingthesepointsisstimulated.29Otherresearchhas

provedthatacupuncturecancausebloodvesselstodilateandincreasebloodflowtodistant

organsinthebody.30Yetotherresearchdemonstratestheexistenceofmeridiansaswellas

theeffectivenessofacupunctureforavarietyofconditions.OrthopaedicsurgeonDrRobert

Becker,whoperformedagreatdealofresearchonelectromagneticfieldsinthebody,

designedaspecialelectroderecordingdevicewhichwouldrollalongthebodylikeapizza

cutter.Aftermanystudiesitshowedupelectricalchargesonthesameplacesoneveryoneof

thepeopletested,allcorrespondingtoChinesemeridianpoints.31

Thereweremanypossibilitiestoexplore,someofwhichmightpanout,andsomenot.

ButPoppwasconvincedofonething:histheoryofDNAandbiophotonemissionwascorrect

andthisdrovetheprocessesofthebody.Therewasnodoubtinhismindthatbiologywas

drivenbythequantumprocesshe'dobserved.Allheneededwereotherscientistswith

experimentalevidencetoshowhowitmightbeso.

CHAPTERFOURTheLanguageoftheCell

INAWHITEPORTAKABINinClamart,intheunfashionableoutskirtsofParis,atiny

heart,proppedatopabitofpurpose‐builtscaffolding,carriedonbeating.Itwasbeingkept

alivecourtesyofasmallteamofFrenchscientists,whoadministeredtherightcombinationof

oxygenandcarbondioxide,partofthetypeofstate‐of‐the‐artsurgicaltechniqueusedfor

hearttransplants.Inthisinstance,therewasnodonororrecipient;thehearthadlongbeen

divestedofitsowner,aprimemaleHartleyguineapig,andthescientistswereonlyinterested

intheorganitselfandhowitwasabouttoreact.They'dappliedacetylcholineandhistamine,

twoknownvasodilators,thenatropineandmepyramine,bothagoniststotheothers,and

finallymeasuredcoronaryflow,plussuchmechanicalchangesasbeatrate.

Therewerenosurpriseshere.Asexpected,thehistamineandacetylcholineproduced

increasedbloodflowinthecoronaryarteries,whilethemepyramineandatropineinhibited

it.Theonlyunusualaspectoftheexperimentwasthattheagentsofchangeweren'tactually

pharmacologicalchemicalsbutlow‐frequencywavesoftheelectromagneticsignalsofthe

cellsrecordedusingapurpose‐designedtransducerandacomputerequippedwithasound

card.Itwasthesesignals,whichtaketheformofelectromagneticradiationoflessthan20

kilohertz,whichwereappliedtotheguineapigheart,andwereresponsibleforspeedingit

up,justasthechemicalsthemselveswould.1

Thesignaleffectivelycouldtaketheplaceofthechemicals,forthesignalisthe

molecule'ssignature.Thescientificteam,whichhadsuccessfullysubstituteditforthe

original,werequietlyawareoftheexplosivenatureoftheirachievement.Throughtheir

efforts,theusualtheoriesofmolecularsignallingandhowcells'talk'toeachotherhadbeen

profoundlymodified.TheywerebeginningtodemonstrateinthelaboratorywhatPopphad

justproposed—thateachmoleculeintheuniversehadauniquefrequencyandthelanguage

itusedtospeaktotheworldwasaresonatingwave.

AsPoppwasponderingthelargerimplicationsofbiophotonemissions,aFrench

scientisthadbeenexaminingthereverse:theeffectofthislightonindividualmolecules.Popp

believedthatbiophotonemissionsorchestratedallbodilyprocesses,andtheFrenchscientist

wasfindingouttheexquisitewayinwhichitworked.ThebiophotonvibrationsPopphad

observedinthebodycausedmoleculestovibrateandcreatetheirownsignaturefrequency,

whichactedasitsuniquedrivingforceandalsoitsmeansofcommunication.TheFrench

scientisthadpausedtolistentothesetinyoscillationsandheardthesymphonyofthe

universe.Everymoleculeofourbodieswasplayinganotethatwasbeingheardroundthe

world.

ThisdiscoveryrepresentedapermanentandarduousdetourinthecareerofFrench

scientistJacquesBenveniste,whichhad,upuntilthe1980s,followedadistinguished,

predictablearc.Benveniste,adoctorofmedicine,hadputinhisresidencyintheParis

hospitalsystem,andthenmovedintoresearchintoallergies,becomingaspecialistinthe

mechanismsofallergyandinflammation.He'dbeenappointedresearchdirectoratthe

FrenchNationalInstituteforHealthandMedicalResearch(INSERM)anddistinguished

himselfbydiscoveringPAF,orplateletactivatingfactor,whichisinvolvedinthemechanism

ofallergiessuchasasthma.

At50,Benvenistehadtheworldathisfeet.Therewasnodoubtthathewouldlook

forwardtointernationalacclaimamongtheestablishment.HewasproudofbeingFrenchina

fieldnotnecessarilywellrepresentedbyhiscountrymensinceDescartes.Rumoursabounded

aboutthepossibilitythatBenvenistewouldbeoneofthefewFrenchbiologiststobe

consideredasapossiblerecipientfortheNobelprize.Hispaperswereamongthosemost

oftencitedbyscientistsatINSERM,ameasureofdistinctionandstanding.He'devenreceived

theSilverMedalfromCNRS,oneofthemostprestigiousFrenchscientifichonours.

Benvenistepossessedcraggygoodlooks,aregalbearing,andarakishsenseofhumour,and

he'dbeenmarriedfor30years.Nevertheless,neitherhismaritalstatusnorhispresent

contentmentintheslightestcurbedatendencytoinnocentlyflirt,anattributethat,asa

Frenchman,heconsideredmoreorlessmandatory.

Andthen,in1984,thisbrightandassuredfuturewasaccidentallyderailedbywhat

turnedouttobeasmallerrorincomputation.Benveniste'slaboratoryatINSERMhadbeen

studyingbasophildegranulation—thereactionofcertainwhitebloodcellstoallergens.One

day,ElisabethDavenas,oneofhisbestlaboratorytechnicians,cametohimandreportedthat

she'dseenandrecordedareactioninthewhitebloodcells,eventhoughtherehadbeentoo

fewmoleculesoftheallergeninthesolution.Thishadallcomeaboutastheresultofasimple

errorincalculation.Shehadthoughtthestartingsolutionwasmoreconcentratedthanitwas.

Indilutingittowhatshethoughtwastheusualconcentration,shehadinadvertentlydiluted

thesolutiontothepointwhereveryfewoftheoriginalantigenmoleculesremained.

Afterexaminingthedata,Jacquesvirtuallyshooedheroutofhisoffice.Theresultsyou

areclaimingareimpossible,hedeclared,becausetherearenomoleculeshere.

‘Youhavebeenexperimentingwithwater,'hetoldher.'Gobackanddotheworkover.'

Itwasonlywhenshetriedtorepeattheexperimentwiththesamedilutionandcame

upwiththesameresultsthatherealizedthatElisabeth,ameticulousworker,mighthave

stumbledontosomethingworthinvestigating.Forseveralweeks,Elisabethkeptreturningto

hisofficewiththesameinexplicabledata,showingpowerfulbiologicaleffectsfromasolution

soweakenedthatitcouldn'thaveenoughoftheantigentohavecausedthem,andJacques

attemptedtocomeupwithevermorefar‐fetchedexplanationstofittheseresultstosome

recognizablebiologicaltheory.Perhapsitwasthepresenceofasecondantibodyreacting

later,ormaybethereactiontoanundisclosedsecondantigen,hethought.Afterobserving

theseresults,oneofthetutorsinhislaboratory,adoctorwhowasalsoahomeopath,

happenedtoremarkthattheseexperimentswerequitesimilartotheprincipleof

homeopathy.Inthatsystemofmedicine,solutionsofactivesubstancearedilutedtothepoint

wherethereisvirtuallynoneoftheoriginalsubstanceleft,onlyits'memory'.Atthetime,

Jacquesdidn'tevenknowwhathomeopathywas—that'showclassicaladoctorhewas—

buttheresearchscientistinhimhadhadhisappetitesufficientlywhetted.HeaskedElisabeth

todilutethesolutionsevenmore,sothatabsolutelynoneoftheoriginalactivesubstance

remained.Inthesenewstudies,nomatterhowdilutethesolution,whichwas,bynow,just

plainwater,Elisabethkeptgettingconsistentresults,asiftheactiveingredientwerestill

there.

Becauseofhisbackgroundasanallergyspecialist,Jacqueshadusedastandardallergy

testforhisstudies,thepurposeofwhichwastoeffectatypicalallergicresponseinhuman

cells.Heisolatedbasophils,atypeofwhitebloodcellwhichcontainsantibodiesof

immunoglobulinE(IgE)typeonitssurface.Itisthesecellswhichareresponsiblefor

hypersensitivityreactionsinpeoplewithallergies.

JacqueschoseIgEcellsbecausetheyeasilyrespondtoallergenssuchaspollenordust

mites,releasinghistaminefromtheirintracellulargranules,andalsotocertainanti‐IgE

antibodies.Ifthiskindofacellisaffectedbysomething,you'renotlikelytomissit.Another

advantageoftheIgEisthathecouldtesttheirstainingpropertiesthroughatesthe'd

developedandpatentedatINSERM.Becausebasophils,likemostcells,haveajelly‐like

appearance,whenyou'restudyingthematalab,youneedtostaintheminordertoseethem.

Butstaining,evenwithastandarddyesuchastoluidineblue,issubjecttochange,depending

uponmanyfactors—thehealthofthehost,say,andtheinfluenceofothercellsuponthe

original.WhentheseIgEcellsareexposedtoanti‐IgEantibodies,itchangestheirabilityto

absorbthedye.Anti‐IgEhasbeenreferredtoasakindof'biologicalpaint‐stripper'2because

itsabilitytoinhibitthedyeissoeffectivethatitcanvirtuallyrenderthebasophilsinvisible

again.

ThefinallogicinBenveniste'schoiceofanti‐IgEhadtodowiththefactthatthese

particularmoleculesareespeciallybig.Ifyouareattemptingtoseeifwaterretaineditseffect

evenwhenallanti‐IgEmoleculeshadbeenfilteredoutofit,therewouldbenochancethat

anyofthemmightbeaccidentallyleftbehind.

Inthestudies,conductedoverfouryearsbetween1985and1989,andpainstakingly

recordedinthelaboratorybooksofElisabethDavenas,Benveniste'steamcreatedhigh

dilutionsoftheanti‐IgEbypouringone‐tenthoftheprevioussolutionintothenexttubeand

fillingitupbyaddingninepartsofastandardsolvent.Eachdilutionwasthenvigorously

shaken(orsuccussed,asitistechnicallyknown),asitisinhomeopathicpreparations.In

total,theteamuseddilutionslikethese,ofonepartsolutiontoninepartssolvent,thenkept

dilutinguntiltherewasonepartofsolutiontoninety‐ninepartssolventandevenonepart

solutiontoninehundredandninety‐ninepartssolvent.

Eachoneofthehighdilutionswassuccessivelyaddedtothebasophils,whichwere

thencountedunderthemicroscope.ToJacques'surprise,asmuchasanyone's,they

discoveredthattheywererecordingeffectsininhibitingdyeabsorptionbyupto66percent,

evenwithdilutionswatereddowntoonepartin10tothe60.Inlaterexperiments,whenthe

dilutionswereseriallydilutedahundred‐fold,eventuallytoonepartin10tothe120,where

therewasvirtuallynopossibilitythatasinglemoleculeoftheIgEwasleft,thebasophilswere

stillaffected.

Themostunexpectedphenomenonwasyettocome.Althoughthepotencyoftheanti‐

IgEwasatitshighestatconcentrationsofonepartin1000(thethirddecimaldilution)and

thenstartedtodecreasewitheachsuccessivedilution,asyoumightlogicallyexpect,the

experimenttookaU‐turnattheninthdilution.TheeffectofthehighlydiluteIgEbegan

increasingatthispointandcontinuedtoincrease,themoreitwasdiluted.3Ashomeopathy

hadalwaysclaimed,theweakerthesolution,themorepowerfulitseffect.

Benvenistejoinedforceswithfivedifferentlaboratoriesinfourcountries,France,

Israel,ItalyandCanada,allofwhomwereabletoreplicatehisresults.Thethirteenscientists

thenjointlypublishedtheresultsoftheirfour‐yearcollaborationina1988editionofthe

highlyprestigiousNaturemagazine,showingthatifsolutionsofantibodieswerediluted

repeatedlyuntiltheynolongercontainedasinglemoleculeoftheantibody,theystill

producedaresponsefromimmunecells.4Theauthorsconcludedthatnoneofthemolecules

they'dstartedwithwerepresentincertaindilutionsandthat:

specificinformationmusthavebeentransmittedduringthedilution/shakingprocess.

Watercouldactasatemplateforthemolecule,forexample,byaninfinitehydrogen‐bonded

network,orelectricandmagneticfields...Theprecisenatureofthisphenomenonremains

unexplained.

Tothepopularpress,whichpouncedonthepublishedpaper,Benvenistehad

discoveredthememoryofwater',andhisstudieswerewidelyregardedasmakingavalid

caseforhomeopathy.Benvenistehimselfrealizedthathisresultshadrepercussionsfar

beyondanytheoryofalternativemedicine.Ifwaterwereabletoimprintandstore

informationfrommolecules,thiswouldhaveanimpactonourunderstandingofmolecules

andhowthey'talk'tooneanotherinourbodies,asmoleculesinhumancells,ofcourse,are

surroundedbywater.Inanylivingcell,therearetenthousandmoleculesofwaterforeach

moleculeofprotein.

Naturealsoundoubtedlyunderstoodthepossiblerepercussionsofthisfindingonthe

acceptedlawsofbiochemistry.Theeditor,JohnMaddox,hadconsentedtopublishthearticle,

buthedidsoaftertakinganunprecedentedstep—placinganeditorialaddendumatthe

bottomofthearticle:

Editorialreservation

Readersofthisarticlemaysharetheincredulityofthemanyrefereeswhohave

commentedonseveralversionsofitduringthepastseveralmonths.Theessenceoftheresult

isthatanaqueoussolutionofanantibodyretainsitsabilitytoevokeabiologicalresponse

evenwhendilutedtosuchanextentthatthereisanegligiblechanceoftheirbeingasingle

moleculeinanysample.Thereisnophysicalbasisforsuchanactivity.Withthekind

collaborationofProfessorBenveniste,Naturehasthereforearrangedforindependent

investigatorstoobserverepetitionsoftheexperiments.Areportofthisinvestigationwill

appearshortly.

Inhisowneditorial,MaddoxalsoinvitedreaderstopickholesintheBenvenistestudy.

5

Benvenistewasaproudman,notafraidtowaveafistinthefaceoftheEstablishment.

Hewasnotonlywillingtostickhisheadabovetheparapetinchoosingtopublishinoneof

themostconservativejournalsinthewholeofthescientificcommunity,butthen,whenthey

doubtedhim,heeagerlysnatchedupthegauntletthey'dthrowndownbyagreeingtotheir

requesttoreproducehisresultsathislaboratory.

Fourdaysafterpublication,MaddoxhimselfarrivedwithwhatBenvenistedescribedas

ascientific'fraudsquad',composedofWalterStewart,awell‐knownquackbuster,andJames

Randi,aprofessionalmagicianwhotendedtobecalledintoexposescientificworkthathad

actuallybeenarrivedatbysleightofhand.Wereamagician,ajournalistandaquack‐buster

thebestpossibleteamtoassessthesubtlechangesinbiologicalexperimentation,wondered

Benveniste.Undertheirwatchfuleye,ElisabethDavenasperformedfourexperiments,one

blinded,allofwhich,Benvenistesaid,weresuccessful.Nevertheless,Maddoxandhisteam

disputedthefindingsanddecidedtochangetheexperimentalprotocolandtightenthecoding

procedures,even,inamelodramaticgesture,tapingthecodetotheceiling.Stewartinsisted

oncarryingoutsomeoftheexperimentshimselfandchangedsomeoftheirdesigneven

though,Benvenisteclaimed,hewasuntrainedintheseparticularexperiments.

Undertheirnewprotocol,andamidachargedatmosphereimplyingthattheINSERM

teamwerehidingsomething,threemoretestsweredoneandshownnottowork.Atthis

point,Maddoxandhisteamhadtheirresultsandpromptlyleft,firstaskingforphotocopiesof

1500ofBenveniste'spapers.

Soonaftertheirfive‐dayvisit,Naturepublishedareportentitled‘Highdilution

experimentsadelusion'.ItclaimedthatBenveniste'slabhadnotobservedgoodscientific

protocol.Itdiscountedsupportingdatafromotherlabs.Maddoxexpressedsurprisethatthe

studiesdidn'tworkallthetime,whenthisisstandardinbiologicalstudies—onereason

Benvenistehadconductedmorethan300trialsbeforepublishing.TheMaddoxjudgement

alsofailedtonotethatthestainingtestishighlysensitiveandcanbetippedwiththeslightest

changeinexperimentalcondition,sothatsomedonorbloodisn'taffectedbyevenhigh

concentrationsofanti‐IgE.TheyexpresseddismaythattwoofBenveniste'sco‐authorswere

beingfundedbyamanufacturerofhomeopathicmedicines.Industryfundingisstandardin

scientificresearch,counteredBenveniste.Weretheyimplyingthattheresultswerealteredto

pleasethesponsor?

Benvenistefoughtbackwithanimpassionedresponseandapleaforscientificopen‐

mindedness:

SalemwitchhuntsorMcCarthy‐likeprosecutionswillkillscience.Scienceflourishes

onlyinfreedom...Theonlywaydefinitivelytoestablishconflictingresultsistoreproduce

them.Itmaybethatallofusarewrongingoodfaith.Thisisnocrimebutscienceasusual.6

Nature'sresultshadadevastatingeffectuponBenveniste'sreputationandhisposition

atINSERM.AscientificcouncilofINSERMcensuredhiswork,claiminginnearunanimous

statementsthatheshouldhaveperformedotherexperiments‘beforeassertingthatcertain

phenomenahaveescapedtwohundredyearsofchemicalresearch’.7INSERMrefusedto

listentoBenveniste'sobjectionsaboutthequalityoftheNatureinvestigationandprevented

himfromcontinuing.Rumourscirculatedaboutmentalimbalanceandfraud.Letterspoured

intoNatureandotherpublications,callinghiswork‘dubiousscience',a'cruelhoax'and

‘pseudo‐science'.8

Benvenistewasgivenseveralchancestogracefullybowoutofthisworkandno

professionalreasontocontinuetopursueit.Bystandingbyhisoriginalwork,hewascertain

todestroythecareerhe'dbeenbuilding.Benvenistehadgottothetopofhispositionat

INSERMandhadnodesiretobedirector.He'dneverhadambitionforacareer,butonly

wishedtocarryonwithhisresearch.Bythattime,healsofelthehadnochoice—thegenie

wasalreadyoutofthebottle.Hehaduncoveredevidencethatdemolishedeverythinghehad

beentaughttobelieveaboutcellcommunication,andtherewasnownoturningback.But

alsotherewastheundeniablethrillofit.Herewasthemostcompellingresearchhecould

thinkof,themostexplosiveofresultshecouldimagine.Thiswaslike,asheenjoyedputtingit,

peeringundertheskirtofnature.BenvenisteleftINSERM,andsoughtsupportfromprivate

sourcessuchasDigiBio,whichenabledhimandDidierGuillonnet,agiftedengineerfrom

EcoleCentraleParis,whojoinedhimin1997,tocarryontheirwork.AftertheNaturefiasco,

theymovedonto‘digitalbiology',adiscoverytheymadenotinasinglemomentof

inspiration,butaftereightyearsoffollowingalogicaltrailofcautiousexperimentation:9

ThememoryofwaterstudieshadpromptedBenvenistetoexaminethemannerin

whichmoleculescommunicatewithinalivingcell.Inallaspectsoflife,moleculesmustspeak

toeachother.Ifyouareexcited,youradrenalspumpoutmoreadrenaline,whichmusttell

specificreceptorstogetyourhearttobeatfaster.Theusualtheory,calledtheQuantitative

Structure‐ActivityRelationship(QSAR),isthattwomoleculesthatmatcheachother

structurallyexchangespecific(chemical)information,whichoccurswhentheybumpinto

eachother.It'sratherlikeakeyfindingitsownkeyhole(whichiswhythistheoryisoftenalso

calledthekey—keyhole,orlock‐and‐key‐interactionmodel).Biologistsstilladheretothe

mechanisticnotionsofDescartesthattherecanonlybereactionthroughcontact,somesortof

impulsiveforce.Althoughtheyacceptgravity,theyrejectanyothernotionsofactionata

distance.

Iftheseoccurrencesareduetochance,there'sverylittlestatisticalhopeoftheir

happening,consideringtheuniverseofthecell.Intheaveragecell,whichcontainsone

moleculeofproteinforeverytenthousandmoleculesofwater,moleculesjostlearoundthe

celllikeahandfuloftennisballsfloatingaboutinaswimmingpool.Thecentralproblemwith

thecurrenttheoryisthatitistoodependentuponchanceandalsorequiresagooddealof

time.Itcan'tbegintoaccountforthespeedofbiologicalprocesses,likeanger,joy,sadnessor

fear.Butifinsteadeachmoleculehasitsownsignaturefrequency,itsreceptorormolecule

withthematchingspectrumoffeatureswouldtuneintothisfrequency,muchasyourradio

tunesintoaspecificstation,evenovervastdistances,oronetuningforkcausesanother

tuningforktooscillateatthesamefrequency.Theygetinresonance—thevibrationofone

bodyisreinforcedbythevibrationofanotherbodyatornearitsfrequency.Asthesetwo

moleculesresonateonthesamewavelength,theywouldthenbegintoresonatewiththenext

moleculesinthebiochemicalreaction,thuscreating,inBenveniste'swords,a'cascade'of

electromagneticimpulsestravellingatthespeedoflight.This,ratherthanaccidental

collision,wouldbetterexplainhowyouinitiateavirtuallyinstantaneouschainreactionin

biochemistry.ItalsoisalogicalextensionoftheworkofFritzPopp.Ifphotonsinthebody

excitemoleculesalongtheentirespectrumofelectromagneticfrequencies,itislogicalthat

theywouldhavetheirownsignaturefrequency.

Benveniste'sexperimentsdecisivelydemonstratedthatcellsdon'trelyonthe

happenstanceofcollisionbutonelectromagneticsignallingatlowfrequency(lessthan20

kHz)electromagneticwaves.TheelectromagneticfrequenciesthatBenvenistehasstudied

correspondwithfrequenciesintheaudiorange,eventhoughtheydon'temitanyactualnoise

thatwecandetect.Allsoundsonourplanet—thesoundofwaterripplinginastream,a

crackofthunder,ashotfired,abirdchirping—occuratlowfrequency,between20hertzand

20kilohertz,therangeinwhichthehumanearcanhear.

AccordingtoBenveniste'stheory,twomoleculesarethentunedintoeachother,even

atlongdistance,andresonatetothesamefrequency.Thesetworesonatingmoleculeswould

thencreateanotherfrequency,whichwouldthenresonatewiththenextmoleculeorgroupof

molecules,inthenextstageofthebiologicalreaction.Thiswouldexplain,inBenveniste's

view,whytinychangesinamolecule—theswitchingofapeptide,forexample—would

havearadicaleffectonwhatthatmoleculeactuallydoes.

Thisisnotsofarfetched,consideringwhatwealreadyknowabouthowmolecules

vibrate.Bothspecificmoleculesandintermolecularbondsemitcertainspecificfrequencies

whichcanbedetectedbillionsoflight‐yearsaway,throughthemostsensitiveofmodern

telescopes.Thesefrequencieshavelongbeenacceptedbyphysicists,butnooneinthe

biologicalcommunitysaveFritz‐AlbertPoppandhispredecessorshaspausedtoconsider

whethertheyactuallyhavesomepurpose.OthersbeforeBenveniste,suchasRobertO.

BeckerandCyrilSmith,hadconductedextensiveexperimentationonelectromagnetic

frequenciesinlivingthings.Benveniste'scontributionwastoshowthatmoleculesandatoms

hadtheirownuniquefrequenciesbyusingmoderntechnologybothtorecordthisfrequency

andtousetherecordingitselfforcellularcommunication.

From1991,Benvenistedemonstratedthatyoucouldtransferspecificmolecular

signalssimplybyusinganamplifierandelectromagneticcoils.Fouryearslater,hewasable

torecordandreplaythesesignalsusingamultimediacomputer.Overthousandsof

experiments,BenvenisteandGuillonnetrecordedtheactivityofthemoleculeonacomputer

andreplayedittoabiologicalsystemordinarilysensitivetothatsubstance.Ineveryinstance,

thebiologicalsystemhasbeenfooledintothinkingithasbeeninteractingwiththesubstance

itselfandactedaccordingly,initiatingthebiologicalchainreaction,justasitwouldifinthe

actualpresenceofthegenuinemolecule10OtherstudieshavealsoshownthatBenveniste's

teamcoulderasethesesignalsandstopactivityinthecellsthroughanalternatingmagnetic

field,worktheyperformedincollaborationwithCentreNationaldelaRechercheScientifique

inMedudon,France.Theinescapableconclusion:asFritz‐AlbertPopptheorized,molecules

speaktoeachotherinoscillatingfrequencies.ItappearedthattheZeroPointFieldcreatesa

mediumenablingthemoleculestospeaktoeachothernonlocallyandvirtually

instantaneously.

TheDigiBioteamtestedoutdigitalbiologyonfivetypesofstudies:basophilic

activation;neutrophilicactivation;skintesting;oxygenactivity;and,mostrecently,plasma

coagulation.Likewholeblood,plasma,theyellowyliquidoftheblood,whichcarriesprotein

andwasteproducts,willcoagulate.Tocontrolforthatability,youmustfirstremovethe

calciumintheplasma,bychelating—chemicallygrabbing—it.Ifyouthenaddwaterwith

calciumtotheblood,itwillcoagulate,orclot.Addingheparin,aclassicanti‐coagulantdrug,

willpreventthebloodfromclotting,eveninthepresenceofthecalcium.

InBenveniste'smostrecentstudy,hetookatest‐tubeofthisplasmawithcalcium

chelatedout,thenaddedwatercontainingcalciumwhichhasbeenexposedtothe'sound'of

heparintransmittedviathesignaturedigitizedelectromagneticfrequency.Aswithallhis

otherexperiments,thesignaturefrequencyofheparinworksasthoughthemoleculesof

heparinitselfwerethere:initspresence,thebloodismorereluctantthanusualtocoagulate.

Inperhapsthemostdramaticofhisexperiments,Benvenisteshowedthatthesignal

couldbesentacrosstheworldbyemailormailedonafloppydisk.Colleaguesofhisat

NorthwesternUniversityinChicagorecordedsignalsfromovalbumin(Ova),acetylcholine

(Ach),dextranandwater.Thesignalsfromthemoleculeswererecordedonapurpose‐

designedtransducerandacomputerequippedwithasoundcard.Thesignalwasthen

recordedonafloppydiskandsentbyregularmailtotheDigiBioLaboratoryinClamart.In

laterexperiments,thesignalswerealsosentbyemailasattacheddocuments.TheClamart

teamthenexposedordinarywatertothesignalsofthisdigitalOvaorAchorordinarywater

andinfusedeithertheexposedwaterortheordinarywatertoisolatedguineapighearts.All

thedigitizedwaterproducedhighlysignificantchangesincoronaryflow,comparedwiththe

controls—whichjustcontainedordinary,non‐exposedwater.Theeffectsfromthedigitized

waterwereidenticaltoeffectsproducedontheheartbytheactualsubstancesthemselves.11

GiulianoPreparataandhiscolleagueEmilioDelGiudice,twoItalianphysicistsattheMilan

InstituteforNuclearPhysics,wereworkingonaparticularlyambitiousproject—toexplain

whycertainmatterintheworldstaysinonepiece.Scientistsunderstandgasestoalarge

extentthroughthelawsofclassicalphysics,butarestilllargelyignorantoftheactual

workingsofliquidsandsolids—thatis,anysortofcondensedmatter.Gasesareeasy

becausetheyconsistofindividualatomsormoleculeswhichbehaveindividuallyinlarge

spaces.Wherescientistshavetroubleiswithatomsormoleculespackedtightlytogetherand

howtheybehaveasagroup.Anyphysicistisatalosstotellyouwhywaterdoesn'tjust

evaporateintogasorwhyatomsinachairoratreestaythatway,particularlyiftheyareonly

supposedtocommunicatewiththeirmostimmediateneighbourandbeheldtogetherby

short‐rangeforces.12

Waterisamongthemostmysteriousofsubstances,becauseitisacompoundformed

fromtwogases,yetitisliquidatnormaltemperaturesandpressures.Intheirstudies,Del

GiudiceandPreparatahavedemonstratedmathematicallythatwhencloselypackedtogether,

atomsandmoleculesexhibitacollectivebehaviour,formingwhattheyhavetermed'coherent

domains'.Theyareparticularlyinterestedinthisphenomenonasitoccursinwater.Ina

paperpublishedinPhysicalReviewLetters,PreparataandDelGiudicedemonstratedthat

watermoleculescreatecoherentdomains,muchasalaserdoes.Lightisnormallycomposed

ofphotonsofmanywavelengths,likecoloursinarainbow,butphotonsinalaserhaveahigh

degreeofcoherence,asituationakintoasinglecoherentwave,likeoneintensecolour.13

Thesesinglewavelengthsofwatermoleculesappeartobecome'informed'inthepresenceof

othermolecules—thatis,theytendtopolarizearoundanychargedmolecule—storingand

carryingitsfrequencysothatitmaybereadatadistance.Thiswouldmeanthatwaterislike

ataperecorder,imprintingandcarryinginformationwhethertheoriginalmoleculeisstill

thereornot.Theshakingofthecontainers,asisdoneinhomeopathy,appearstoactasa

methodofspeedingupthisprocess.14Sovitaliswatertothetransmissionofenergyand

informationthatBenveniste'sownstudiesactuallydemonstratethatmolecularsignals

cannotbetransmittedinthebodyunlessyoudosointhemediumofwater.15InJapan,a

physicistcalledKunioYasueoftheResearchInstituteforInformationandScience,Notre

DameSeishinUniversityinOkayama,alsofoundthatwatermoleculeshavesomeroletoplay

inorganizingdiscordantenergyintocoherentphotons—aprocesscalled‘superradiance'.16

Thissuggeststhatwater,asthenaturalmediumofallcells,actsastheessential

conductorofamolecule'ssignaturefrequencyinallbiologicalprocessesandthatwater

moleculesorganizethemselvestoformapatternonwhichcanbeimprintedwave

information.IfBenvenisteisright,waternotonlysendsthesignalbutalsoamplifiesit.

Themostimportantaspectofscientificinnovationisnotnecessarilytheoriginal

discovery,butthepeoplewhocopythework.Itisonlythereplicationofinitialdatathat

legitimizesyourresearchandconvincestheorthodoxscientificcommunitythatyoumightbe

ontosomething.DespitethevirtuallyuniversalderisionofBenveniste'sresultsbythe

Establishment,reputableresearchslowlybegantoappearelsewhere.In1992,FASEB(the

FederationofAmericanSocietiesforExperimentalBiology)heldasymposium,organizedby

theInternationalSocietyforBioelectricity,examiningtheinteractionsofelectromagnetic

fieldswithbiologicalsystems.17Numerousotherscientistshavereplicatedhigh‐dilution

experiments,18andseveralothershaveendorsedandsuccessfullyrepeatedexperiments

usingdigitizedinformationformolecularcommunication.19Benveniste'slateststudieswere

replicatedeighteentimesinanindependentlabinLyon,France,andinthreeother

independentcentres.

SeveralyearsafterthememoryofwaterNatureepisode,scientificteamsstilltriedto

proveBenvenistewrong.ProfessorMadeleneEnnisofQueen'sUniversityinBelfastjoineda

largepan‐Europeanresearchteam,withhopesofshowing,onceandforall,thathomeopathy

andwatermemorywereutternonsense.Aconsortiumoffourindependentlaboratoriesin

Italy,France,BelgiumandHolland,ledbyProfessorM.RoberfroidoftheCatholicUniversity

ofLouvain,inBrussels,carriedoutavariationofBenveniste'soriginalexperimentwith

basophildegranulation.Theexperimentwasimpeccable.Noneoftheresearchersknew

whichwasthehomeopathicsolutionandwhichpurewater.Allthesolutionshadevenbeen

preparedbylabswhichhadnothingfurthertodowiththetrial.Resultswerealsocodedand

decodedandtabulatedbyanindependentresearcheralsounconnectedwiththestudy.

Intheend,threeoffourlabsgotstatisticallysignificantresultswiththehomeopathic

preparations.ProfessorEnnisstilldidn'tbelievetheseresultsandputthemdowntohuman

error.Toeliminatethepossiblevagariesofhumans,sheappliedanautomatedcounting

protocoltothefiguresshehad.Nevertheless,eventheautomatedresultsshowedthesame.

Thehighdilutionsoftheactiveingredientworked,whethertheactiveingredientwasactually

presentorwatersodilutethatnoneoftheoriginalsubstanceremained.Enniswasforcedto

concede:'Theresultscompelmetosuspendmydisbeliefandtostartsearchingforrational

explanationsforourfindings.'20

ThisrepresentedthelaststrawtoBenveniste.IfEnnis'sresultswerenegative,they

wouldhavebeenpublishedinNature,therebyforeverconsigninghisworktothetrashheap.

Becausetheirresultsagreedwithhis,theywerepublishedinarelativelyobscurejournal,a

fewyearsaftertheevent,aguaranteethatnoonewouldreallynotice.

BesidesEnnis'sresults,therewereallthescientificstudiesofhomeopathywhichlent

supporttoBenveniste'sfindings.Excellent,double‐blind,placebo‐controlledtrialsshowed

thathomeopathyworksfor,amongmanyconditions,asthma,21diarrhoea,22upper

respiratorytractinfectionsinchildren23andevenheartdisease.24Ofatleast105trialsof

homeopathy,81showedpositiveresults.

ThemostunassailablewerecarriedoutinGlasgowbyDrDavidReilly,whosedouble‐

blind,placebo‐controlledstudiesshowedthathomeopathyworksforasthma,withallthe

usualchecksandbalancesofapristinescientificstudy.25Despitethescientificdesignofthe

trial,aneditorialinTheLancet,redolentofNature'sresponsetoBenveniste'sinitialfindings,

agreedtopublishtheresultsbutsimplyrefusedtoacceptthem:

Whatcouldbemoreabsurdthanthenotionthatasubstanceistherapeuticallyactivein

dilutionssogreatthatthepatientisunlikelytoreceiveasinglemoleculeofit?[saidthe

editorial].Yes,thedilutionprincipleofhomeopathyisabsurd;sothereasonforany

therapeuticeffectpresumablylieselsewhere.26

OnreadingTheLancet'son‐goingdebateontheReillystudies,Benvenistecouldn't

resistresponding:

Thisrecalls,inexorably,thewonderfullyself‐sufficientcontributionofanineteenth‐

centuryFrenchacademiciantotheheateddebateovertheexistenceofmeteorites,which

animatedthescientificcommunityatthetime:'Stonesdonotfallfromtheskybecausethere

arenostonesinthesky.'27

Benvenistewassotiredoflaboratoriestryingandsometimesfailingtoreplicatehis

workthathehadGuillonnetbuildhimarobot.Nothingmuchmorethanaboxwithanarm

whichmovesinthreedirections,therobotcouldhandleeverythingbuttheinitialmeasuring.

Allonehadtodowastohanditthebareingredientsplusabitofplastictubing,pushthe

buttonandleave.Therobotwouldtakethewatercontainingcalcium,placeitintoacoil,play

theheparinsignalforfiveminutes,sothatthewaterisInformed',thenmixtheinformed

waterinitstest‐tubewiththeplasma,putthemixtureinameasuringdevice,readtheresults

andofferthemuptowhoeverisdoingtheinvestigation.Benvenisteandhisteamcarriedout

hundredsofexperimentsusingtheirrobot,butthemainideawastohandoutabatchofthese

devicestootherlabs.Inthisway,boththeothercentresandtheClamartteamcanensure

thattheexperimentisuniversallystandardizedandanidenticalprotocolcarriedout

correctly.

Whileworkingwithhisrobot,BenvenistediscoveredonalargescalewhatPopphad

witnessedinthelaboratorywithhiswaterfleas—evidencethattheelectromagneticwaves

fromlivingthingswerehavinganeffectontheirenvironment.

OnceBenvenistehadgothisrobotupandworking,hediscoveredthatgenerallyit

workedwell,exceptforcertainoccasions.Thoseoccasionswerealwaysthedayswhena

particularwomanwaspresentinthelab.Cherchezlafemme,Benvenistethought,althoughin

theLyonlab,whichwasreplicatingtheirresults,asimilarsituationoccurred,thistimewitha

man.Inhisownlab,Benvenisteconductedseveralexperiments,byhandandbyrobot,to

isolatewhatitwasthewomanwasdoingwhichpreventedtheexperimentfromworking.Her

scientificmethodwasimpeccableandshefollowedtheprotocoltotheletter.Thewoman

herself,adoctorandbiologist,wasanexperienced,meticulousworker.Nevertheless,onno

occasiondidshegetanyresults.Aftersixmonthsofsuchstudiestherewasonlyasingle

conclusion:somethingaboutherverypresencewaspreventingapositiveresult.

Itwasvitalthathegottothenuboftheproblem,forJacquesknewwhatwasatstake.

HemightsendhisrobottoalaboratoryinCambridge,andiftheygotpoorresultsasaresult

ofaparticularperson,thelabwouldconcludethattheexperimentitselfwasatfault,when

theproblemhadtodowithsomethingorsomeoneintheenvironment.

Thereisnothingsubtleaboutbiologicaleffects.Changethestructureorshapeofa

moleculeonlyslightlyandyouwillcompletelyaltertheabilityofthemoleculetoslotinwith

itsreceptorcells.Onoroff,successorfailure.Adrugworksoritdoesn't.Inthiscase,

somethinginthewomaninquestionwascompletelyinterferingwiththecommunicationof

cellsinhisexperiment.

Benvenistesuspectedthatthewomanmustbeemittingsomeformofwavesthatwere

blockingthesignals.Throughhisworkhedevelopedameansoftestingforthese,andhesoon

discoveredthatshewasemittingelectromagneticfieldswhichwereinterferingwiththe

communicationsignallingofhisexperiment.LikePopp'scarcinogenicsubstances,shewasa

frequencyscrambler.Thisseemedtooincredibletobelieve—moretherealmofwitchcraft

thanscience,Benvenistethought.Hethenhadtheparticularwomanholdatubeof

homeopathicgranulesinherhandforfiveminutes,andthentestedthetubewithhis

equipment.Allactivity—allmolecularsignalling—hadbeenerased.28

Benvenistewasn'tatheorist.Hewasn'tevenaphysicist.He'daccidentallytrespassed

intotheworldofelectromagnetismandnowwasstuckhere,experimentinginwhatforhim

wascompletelyforeignterritory—thememoryofwaterandtheabilityofmoleculesto

vibrateatveryhighandverylowfrequencies.Thesewerethetwomysteriesthathewas

gettingnoclosertosolving.Allthathecoulddowastocarryonwherehefeltmost

comfortable—withhislaboratoryexperiments—showingthattheseeffectswerereal.But

onethingdidseemcleartohim.Forsomeunknownreasonthathedidn'tdwellupon,these

signalsalsoappearedtohesentoutsidethebodyandsomehowwerebeingtakeninand

listenedto.

CHAPTERFIVEResonatingwiththeWorld

Virtuallyeveryexperimenthadbeenafailure.Theratswerenotperformingas

expected.Theentirepointoftheexercise,asfarasKarlLashleywasconcerned,hadbeento

findwheretheengramswere—thepreciselocationinthebrainwherememorieswere

stored.Thename‘engram'hadbeencoinedbyWilderPenfieldinthe1920safterhethought

he'ddiscoveredthatmemorieshadanexactaddressinthebrain.Penfieldhadperformed

extraordinaryresearchonepilepticpatientswithanaesthetizedscalpswhiletheywerefully

conscious,showingthatifhestimulatedcertainpartsoftheirbrainswithelectrodes,specific

scenesfromtheirpastcouldbeevokedinlivingcolourandexcruciatingdetail.Evenmore

amazingly,wheneverhehadstimulatedthesamespotinthebrain(oftenunbeknownsttothe

patient)itseemedtoelicitthesameflashback,withthesamelevelofdetail.

Penfield,andanarmyofscientistsafterhim,naturallyconcludedthatcertainportions

ofthebrainwereallottedtoholdcaptivespecificmemories.Everylastdetailofourliveshad

beencarefullyencodedinspecificspotsinthebrain,likeguestsatarestaurantplacedat

certaintablesbyaparticularlyexactingmaitred'.Allweneededtofindwaswhowassitting

where—and,perhapsasabonus,whothemaitred'was.

Fornearly30yearsLashley,arenownedAmericanneuropsychologist,hadbeen

lookingforengrams.Itwas1946,andathislaboratoryattheYerkesLaboratoryofPrimate

BiologyinFlorida,he'dbeensearchingacrossallsortsofspeciestofindoutwhatitwasinthe

brain—orwhereitwas—thatwasresponsibleformemory.He'dthoughtthathewouldbe

amplifyingPenfield'sfindings,whenallheseemedtobedoingwasprovinghimwrong.

Lashleytendedtothehypercritical,andsmallwonder.Itwasasthoughhislife'sentire

oeuvrehadasingularlynegativepurpose:todisprovealltheworkofhisforebears.Theother

gospelofthetimethatstillheldthescientificcommunityinthrall,butwhichLashleywas

busilydisproving,wasthenotionthateverypsychologicalprocesshadameasurablephysical

manifestation—themoveofamuscle,thesecretionofachemical.Onceagain,thebrainwas

simply,fussily,themaitred'.Althoughhe'dmainlybeenworkinginprimateresearchinhis

earlywork,he'dthenmovedontorats.He'dbuiltthemajumpingstand,wheretheylearned

tojumpthroughminiaturedoorstoreacharewardoffood.Tounderscoretheobjectofthe

exercise,thosethatdidn'trespondcorrectlyfellintopondwater.1

Oncehewasconvincedthatthey'dlearnedtheroutine,Lashleysystematicallyset

abouttryingtosurgicallyblotoutthatmemory.Forallhiscriticismofthefailingsofother

researchers,Lashley'sownsurgicaltechniquewasamess—amakeshiftandhurried

operation.Hiswasalaboratoryprotocolthatwouldhaveincensedanymodern‐dayanimal‐

rightschampion.Lashleydidn'temployaseptictechnique,largelybecauseitwasn't

considerednecessaryforrats.Hewasacrudeandsloppysurgeon,byanymedicalstandard,

possiblydeliberatelyso,sewingupwoundswithasimplestitch—aperfectrecipeforbrain

infectioninlargermammals—butnocruderthanmostbrainresearchersoftheday.After

all,noneofIvanPavlov'sdogssurvivedhisbrainsurgery,allsuccumbingtobrainabscesses

orepilepsy.2Lashleysoughttodeactivatecertainportionsofhisrats'brainstofindwhich

partheldthepreciouskeytospecificmemories.Toaccomplishthisdelicatetaskhechoseas

hissurgicalinstrumenthiswife'scurlingiron—acurlingiron!—andsimplyburnedoffthe

parthewishedtoremove.3

Hisinitialattemptstofindtheseatofspecificmemoriesfailed;therats,though

sometimesevenphysicallyimpaired,rememberedexactlywhatthey'dbeentaught.Lashley

friedmoreandmoresectionsofbrain;theratsstillseemedtomakeitthroughthejumping

stand.Lashleybecameevenmoreliberalwiththecurlingiron,workingthroughonepartof

thebraintothenext,butstillitdidn'tseemtohaveanyeffectontherat'sabilityto

remember.Evenwhenhe'dinjuredthevastmajorityofthebrainsofindividualrats—anda

curlingironcausedmuchmoredamagetothebrainthananycleansurgicalcut—theirmotor

skillsmightbeimpaired,andtheymightstaggerdisjointedlyalong,buttheratsalways

rememberedtheroutine.

Althoughtheyrepresentedafailureofsorts,theresultsappealedtotheiconoclastin

Lashley.Theratshadconfirmedwhathehadlongsuspected.Inhis1929monographBrain

MechanismsandIntelligence,asmallworkthathadfirstgainedhimnotorietywithitsradical

notions,Lashleyhadalreadyelucidatedhisviewthatcorticalfunctionappearedtobeequally

potenteverywhere.4Ashewouldlaterpointout,thenecessaryconclusionfromallhis

experimentalwork'isthatlearningjustisnotpossibleatall'.5Whenitcametocognition,for

allintentsandpurposes,thebrainwasamush.6

ForKarlPribram,ayoungneurosurgeonwho'drelocatedtoFloridajusttodoresearch

withthegreatman,Lashley'sfailuresweresomethingofarevelation.Pribramhadbought

Lashley'smonographfortencentssecondhand,andwhenhefirstarrivedinFlorida,he

hadn'tbeenshyaboutchallengingitwiththesamefervourLashleyhadreservedformanyof

hispeers.Lashleyhadbeenstimulatedbyhisbrightupstartapprentice,whomhewould

eventuallyregardastheclosestheeverhadtoason.

AllofPribram'sownviewsaboutmemoryandthebrain'shighercognitiveprocesses

werebeingturnedontheirheads.Iftherewasnoonesinglespotwherespecificmemories

werestored—andLashleyhadburnt,variously,everypartofarat'sbrain—thenour

memoriesandpossiblyotherhighercognitiveprocesses—indeed,everythingthatweterm

'perception'—mustsomehowbedistributedthroughoutthebrain.

In1948,Pribram,whowas29atthetime,acceptedapositionatYaleUniversity,which

hadthebestneurosciencelaboratoryintheworld.Hisintentionwastostudythefunctionsof

thefrontalcortexofmonkeys,inanattempttounderstandtheeffectsoffrontallobotomies

beingperformedonthousandsofpatientsatthetime.Teachingandcarryingoutresearch

appealedtohimfarmorethanthelucrativelifeofaneurosurgeon;atonepointsomeyears

laterhewouldturndowna$100,000salaryatNewYork'sMtSinaifortherelatively

impoverishedsalaryofaprofessor.LikeEdgarMitchell,Pribramalwaysthoughtofhimselfas

anexplorer,ratherthanadoctororhealer;asaneight‐year‐oldhe'dreadoverandover—at

leastadozentimes—theexploitsofAdmiralByrdinnavigatingtheNorthPole.America

itselfrepresentedanewfrontiertoconquerfortheboy,who'darrivedatthatagefrom

Vienna.Pribramwasthesonofafamousbiologistwho'drelocatedhisfamilytotheUSAin

1927becausehe'dfeltthatEurope,war‐tornandimpoverishedaftertheFirstWorldWar,

wasnoplacetoraiseachild.Asanadult,possiblybecausehe'dbeensoslightofbuildandnot

reallythestuffofheartyphysicalexploration(inlaterlifehe'dresembleanelfinversionof

AlbertEinstein,withthesamemajesticdraperyofwhiteshoulder‐lengthhair)Karlchosethe

humanbrainashisexploratoryterrain.

AfterleavingLashleyandFlorida,Pribramwouldspendthenext20yearspondering

themysteriessurroundingtheorganizationofthebrain,perceptionandconsciousness.He

wouldsetuphisownexperimentsonmonkeysandcats,painstakinglycarryingoutsystems

studiestoworkoutwhatpartofthebraindoeswhat.Hislaboratorywasamongthefirstto

identifythelocationofcognitiveprocesses,emotionandmotivation,andhewas

extraordinarilysuccessful.Hisexperimentsclearlyshowedthatallthesefunctionshada

specificaddressinthebrain—afindingthatLashleywashard‐pressedtobelieve.

Whatpuzzledhimmostwasafundamentalparadox:cognitiveprocessinghadvery

preciselocationsinthebrain,butwithintheselocations,theprocessingitselfseemedtobe

determinedby,asLashleyhadputit,'massesofexcitations...withoutregardtoparticular

nervecells'.7Itwastruethatpartsofthebrainperformedspecificfunctions,buttheactual

processingoftheinformationseemedtobecarriedoutbysomethingmorebasicthan

particularneurons—certainlysomethingthatwasnotparticulartoanygroupofcells.For

instance,storageappearedtobedistributedthroughoutaspecificlocationandsometimes

beyond.Butthroughwhatmechanismwasthispossible?

LikeLashley,muchofPribram'searlyworkonhigherperceptionappearedto

contradictthereceivedwisdomoftheday.Theacceptedviewofvision—forthemostpart

stillacceptedtoday—isthattheeye'sees'byhavingaphotographicimageofthesceneor

objectreproducedontothecorticalsurfaceofthebrain,thepartwhichreceivesand

interpretsvisionlikeaninternalmovieprojector.Ifthisweretrue,theelectricalactivityin

thevisualcortexshouldmirrorpreciselywhatisbeingviewed—andthisistruetosome

extentataverygrosslevel.Butinanumberofexperiments,Lashleyhaddiscoveredthatyou

couldsevervirtuallyallofacat'sopticnervewithoutapparentlyinterferingwhatsoeverwith

itsabilitytoseewhatitwasdoing.Tohisastonishment,thecatapparentlycontinuedtosee

everydetailasitwasabletocarryoutcomplicatedvisualtasks.Ifthereweresomethinglike

aninternalmoviescreen,itwasasthoughtheexperimentershadjustdemolishedallbuta

fewinchesoftheprojector,andyetallofthemoviewasasclearasithadbeenbefore.8

Inotherexperiments,Pribramandhisassociateshadtrainedamonkeytopressa

certainbarifhewasshownacardwithacircleonitandanotherbarifshownacardwith

stripes.Plantedinthemonkey'svisualcortexwereelectrodeswhichwouldregisterthebrain

waveswhenthemonkeysawacircleorstripes.WhatPribramwastestingforwassimplyto

seeifthebrainwavesdifferedaccordingtotheshapeonthecard.Whathediscoveredinstead

wasthatthemonkey'sbrainnotonlyregisteredadifferencerelatedtothedesignonthecard,

butalsowhetherhe'dpressedtherightbarandevenhisintentiontopressthebarbeforehe

did.ThisresultconvincedPribramthatcontrolwasbeingformulatedandsentdownfrom

higherareasinthebraintothemoreprimaryreceivingstations.Thismustmeanthat

somethingfarmorecomplicatedwashappeningthanwhatwaswidelybelievedatthetime,

whichwasthatweseeandrespondtooutsidestimulithroughasimpletunnelflowof

information,whichflowsinfromoursenseorganstothebrainandflowsoutfromthebrain

toourmusclesandglands.9

Pribramspentanumberofyearsconductingstudiesmeasuringthebrainactivitiesof

monkeysastheyperformedcertaintasks,toseeifhecouldisolateanyfurthertheprecise

locationwherepatternsandcolourswerebeingperceived.Hisstudieskeptcomingupwith

yetmoreevidencethatbrainresponsewasdistributedinpatchesallacrossthecortex.In

anotherstudy,thistimeofnewborncats,whichhadbeengivencontactlenseswitheither

verticalorhorizontalstripes,Pribram'sassociatesfoundthatthebehaviourofthe

horizontallyorientedcatswasn'tmarkedlydifferentfromthatoftheverticallyorientedones,

eventhoughtheirbraincellswerenoworientedeitherhorizontallyorvertically.Thismeant

thatperceptioncouldn'tbeoccurringwithlinedetection.10Hisexperimentsandthoseof

otherslikeLashleywereatoddswithmanyoftheprevailingneuraltheoriesofperception.

Pribramwasconvincedthatnoimageswerebeingprojectedinternallyandthattheremust

hesomeothermechanismallowingustoperceivetheworldaswedo.11

PribramhadmovedfromYaletotheCenterforAdvancedStudyintheBehavioral

SciencesatStanfordUniversityin1958.Hemightneverhaveformulatedanyalternativeview

ifhisfriendJackHilgard,anotedpsychologistatStanford,hadn'tbeenupdatingatextbookin

1964andneededsomeup‐to‐dateviewofperception.Theproblemwasthattheoldnotions

aboutelectrical'image'formationinthebrain—thesupposedcorrespondencebetween

imagesintheworldandthebrain'selectricalfiring—hadbeendisprovedbyPribram,and

hisownmonkeystudiesmadehimextremelydubiousaboutthelatest,mostpopulartheory

ofperception—thatweknowtheworldthroughlinedetectors.Justtofocusonafacewould

requireanewhugecomputationbythebrainanytimeyoumovedafewinchesawayfromit.

Hilgardkeptpressinghim.Pribramhadn'taclueastowhatkindoftheoryhecouldgivehis

friend,andhekeptrackinghisbraintoofferupsomepositiveangle.Thenoneofhis

colleagueschancedacrossanarticleinScientificAmericanbySirJohnEccles,thenoted

Australianphysiologist,whopostulatedthatimaginationmighthavesomethingtodowith

microwavesinthebrain.Justaweeklater,anotherarticleappeared,writtenbyEmmetLeith,

anengineerattheUniversityofMichigan,aboutsplitlaserbeamsandopticalholography,a

newtechnology.12

Ithadbeenrightthere,allalong,rightinfrontofhisnose.Thiswasjustthemetaphor

he'dbeenlookingfor.Theconceptofwavefrontsandholographyseemedtoholdtheanswer

toquestionshe'dbeenposingfor20years.Lashleyhimselfhadformulatedatheoryofwave‐

interferencepatternsinthebrainbutabandoneditbecausehecouldn'tenvisionhowthey

couldhegeneratedinthecortex.13Eccles'ideasappearedtosolvethatproblem.Pribram

nowthoughtthatthebrainmustsomehow'read'informationbytransformingordinary

imagesintowave‐interferencepatterns,andthentransformthemagainintovirtualimages,

justasalaserhologramisableto.Theothermysterysolvedbytheholographicmetaphor

wouldbememory.Ratherthanpreciselylocatedanywhere,memorywouldbedistributed

everywhere,sothateachpartcontainedthewhole.

DuringaUNESCOmeetinginParis,PribrammetupwithDennisGabor,who'dwonthe

Nobelprizeinthe1940sforhisdiscoveryofholographyinhisquesttoproduceamicroscope

powerfulenoughtoseeanatom.Gabor,thefirstengineertowintheNobelprizeinphysics,

hadbeenworkingoverthemathematicsoflightraysandwavelengths.Intheprocesshe'd

discoveredthatifyousplitalightbeam,photographobjectswithitandstorethisinformation

aswave‐interferencepatterns,youcouldgetabetterimageofthewholethanyoucouldwith

theflattwodimensionsyougetbyrecordingpoint‐to‐pointintensity,themethodusedin

ordinaryphotography.Forhismathematicalcalculations,Gaborhadusedaseriesofcalculus

equationscalledFouriertransforms,namedaftertheFrenchmathematicianJeanFourier,

who'ddevelopedthemearlyinthenineteenthcentury.Fourierfirstbeganworkonhis

systemofanalysis,whichhasgoneontobeanessentialtoolofmodern‐daymathematicsand

computing,whenworkingout,atNapoleon'srequest,theoptimumintervalbetweenshotsof

acannonsothatthebarrelwouldn'toverheat.Fourier'smethodwaseventuallyfoundtobe

abletobreakdownandpreciselydescribepatternsofanycomplexityintoamathematical

languagedescribingtherelationshipsbetweenquantumwaves.Anyopticalimagecouldbe

convertedintothemathematicalequivalentofinterferencepatterns,theinformationthat

resultswhenwavessuperimposeoneachother.Inthistechnique,youalsotransfer

somethingthatexistsintimeandspaceinto'thespectraldomain'—akindoftimeless,

spacelessshorthandfortherelationshipbetweenwaves,measuredasenergy.Theotherneat

trickoftheequationsisthatyoucanalsousetheminreverse,totakethesecomponents

representingtheinteractionsofwaves—theirfrequency,amplitudeandphase—anduse

themtoreconstructanyimage.14

Theeveningtheyweretogether,PribramandGabordrankaparticularlymemorable

bottleofBeaujolaisandcoveredthreenapkinswithcomplicatedFourierequations,towork

outhowthebrainmightbecapableofmanagingthisintricatetaskofrespondingtocertain

wave‐interferencepatternsandthenconvertingthisinformationintoimages.15Therewere

numerousfinepointstobeworkedoutinthelaboratory;thetheorywasn'tcomplete.But

theywereconvincedofonething:perceptionoccurredasaresultofacomplexreadingand

transformingofinformationatadifferentlevelofreality.

Tounderstandhowthisispossible,it'susefultounderstandthespecialpropertiesof

waves,whicharebestillustratedinalaseropticalhologram,themetaphorthatsocaptured

Pribram'simagination.Inaclassiclaserhologram,alaserbeamissplit.Oneportionis

reflectedoffanobject—achinateacup,say—theotherisreflectedbyseveralmirrors.They

arethenreunitedandcapturedonapieceofphotographicfilm.Theresultontheplate—

whichrepresentstheinterferencepatternofthesewaves—resemblesnothingmorethana

setofsquigglesorconcentriccircles.

However,whenyoushinealightbeamfromthesamekindoflaserthroughthefilm,

whatyouseeisafullyrealized,incrediblydetailed,three‐dimensionalvirtualimageofthe

chinateacupfloatinginspace(anexampleofthisistheimageofPrincessLeiawhichgets

generatedbyR2D2inthefirstmovieoftheStarWarsseries).Themechanismbywhichthis

workshastodowiththepropertiesofwavesthatenablesthemtoencodeinformationand

alsothespecialqualityofalaserbeam,whichcastsapurelightofonlyasinglewavelength,

actingasaperfectsourcetocreateinterferencepatterns.Whenyoursplitbeamsbotharrive

onthephotographicplate,onehalfprovidesthepatternsofthelightsourceandtheother

picksuptheconfigurationoftheteacupandbothtogetherinterfere.Byshiningthesametype

oflightsourceonthefilm,youpickuptheimagethathasbeenimprinted.Theotherstrange

propertyofholographyisthateachtinyportionoftheencodedinformationcontainsthe

wholeoftheimage,sothatifyouchoppedupyourphotographicplateintotinypieces,and

shonealaserbeamonanyoneofthem,youwouldgetafullimageoftheteacup.

AlthoughthemetaphoroftheholographwasimportanttoPribram,thereal

significanceofhisdiscoverywasnotholographyperse,whichconjuresupamentalimageof

thethree‐dimensionalghostlyprojection,orauniversewhichisonlyourprojectionofit.It

wastheuniqueabilityofquantumwavestostorevastquantitiesofinformationinatotality

andinthreedimensions,andforourbrainstobeabletoreadthisinformationandfromthis

tocreatetheworld.Herewasfinallyamechanicaldevicethatseemedtoreplicatetheway

thatthebrainactuallyworked:howimageswereformed,howtheywerestoredandhowthey

couldberecalledorassociatedwithsomethingelse.Mostimportant,itgaveacluetothe

biggestmysteryofallforPribram:howyoucouldhavelocalizedtasksinthebrainbut

processorstorethemthroughoutthelargerwhole.Inasense,holographyisjustconvenient

shorthandforwaveinterference—thelanguageofTheField.

ThefinalimportantaspectofPribram'sbraintheory,whichwouldcomealittlelater,

hadtodowithanotherdiscoveryofGabor.He'dappliedthesamemathematicsusedby

Heisenberginquantumphysicsforcommunications—toworkoutthemaximumamount

thatatelephonemessagecouldbecompressedovertheAtlanticcable.Pribramandsomeof

hiscolleagueswentontodevelophishypothesiswithamathematicalmodeldemonstrating

thatthissamemathematicsalsodescribestheprocessesofthehumanbrain.Hehadcomeup

withsomethingsoradicalthatitwasalmostunthinkable—ahot,livingthinglikethebrain

functionedaccordingtotheweirdworldofquantumtheory.

Whenweobservetheworld,Pribramtheorized,wedosoonamuchdeeperlevelthanthe

sticks‐and‐stonesworldoutthere'.Ourbrainprimarilytalkstoitselfandtotherestofthe

bodynotwithwordsorimages,orevenbitsorchemicalimpulses,butinthelanguageof

waveinterference:thelanguageofphase,amplitudeandfrequency—the'spectraldomain'.

Weperceiveanobjectby'resonating'withit,getting'insynch'withit.Toknowtheworldis

literallytobeonitswavelength.

Thinkofyourbrainasapiano.Whenweobservesomethingintheworld,certain

portionsofthebrainresonateatcertainspecificfrequencies.Atanypointofattention,our

brainpressesonlycertainnotes,whichtriggerstringsofacertainlengthandfrequency.16

Thisinformationisthenpickedbytheordinaryelectrochemicalcircuitsofthebrain,justas

thevibrationsofthestringseventuallyresonatethroughtheentirepiano.

WhathadoccurredtoPribramisthatwhenwelookatsomething,wedon't'see'the

imageofitinthebackofourheadsoronthebackofourretinas,butinthreedimensionsand

outintheworld.Itmustbethatwearecreatingandprojectingavirtualimageoftheobject

outinspace,inthesameplaceastheactualobject,sothattheobjectandourperceptionof

theobjectcoincide.Thiswouldmeanthattheartofseeingisoneoftransforming.Inasense,

antheactofobservation,wearetransformingthetimeless,spacelessworldofinterference

patternsintotheconcreteanddiscreteworldofspaceandtime—theworldoftheveryapple

youseeinfrontofyou.Wecreatespaceandtimeonthesurfaceofourretinas.Aswitha

hologram,thelensoftheeyepicksupcertaininterferencepatternsandthenconvertsthem

intothree‐dimensionalimages.Itrequiresthistypeofvirtualprojectionforyoureachoutto

touchanapplewhereitreallyis,notinsomeplaceinsideyourhead.Ifweareprojecting

imagesallthetimeoutinspace,ourimageoftheworldisactuallyavirtualcreation.

AccordingtoPribram'stheory,whenyoufirstnoticesomething,certainfrequencies

resonateintheneuronsinyourbrain.Theseneuronssendinformationaboutthese

frequenciestoanothersetofneurons.ThesecondsetofneuronsmakesaFouriertranslation

oftheseresonancesandsendstheresultinginformationtoathirdsetofneurons,whichthen

beginstoconstructapatternthateventuallywillmakeupthevirtualimageyoucreateofthe

appleoutinspace,ontopofthefruitbowl.17Thisthree‐foldprocessmakesitfareasierfor

thebraintocorrelateseparateimages—whichiseasilyachievedwhenyouaredealingwith

waveinterferenceshorthandbutextremelyawkwardwithanactualreal‐lifeimage.

Afterseeing,Pribramreasoned,thebrainmustthenprocessthisinformationinthe

shorthandofwave‐frequencypatternsandscatterthesethroughoutthebraininadistributed

network,likealocalareanetworkcopyingallmajorinstructionsformanyemployeesinthe

office.Storingmemoryinwaveinterferencepatternsisremarkablyefficient,andwould

accountforthevastnessofhumanmemory.Wavescanholdunimaginablequantitiesofdata

—farmorethanthe280quintillion(280,000,000,000,000,000,000)bitsofinformation

whichsupposedlyconstitutetheaveragehumanmemoryaccumulatedthroughanaverage

lifespan.18It'sbeensaidthatwithholographicwave‐interferencepatterns,alloftheUS

LibraryofCongress,whichcontainsvirtuallyeverybookeverpublishedinEnglish,wouldfit

ontoalargesugarcube.19Theholographicmodelwouldalsoaccountfortheinstantrecallof

memory,oftenasathree‐dimensionalimage.

Pribram'stheoriesaboutthedistributedroleofmemoryandthewavefrontlanguageof

thebrainmetwithagreatdealofdisbelief,especiallyinthe1960s,whentheywerefirst

published.ChiefamongthoseridiculingthetheoryofdistributedmemorywasIndiana

UniversitybiologistPaulPietsch.Inearlierexperiments,Pietschhaddiscoveredthathecould

removethebrainofasalamanderandalthoughtheanimalbecamecomatose,itwould

resumefunctioningoncethebrainwasputbackin.IfPribramwereright,thensomeofthe

salamander'sbraincouldberemoved,orreshuffled,anditshouldn'taffectitsordinary

function.ButPietschwascertainthatPribramwaswrongandhewasfierceinhis

determinationtoproveitso.Inmorethan700experiments,Pietschcutoutscoresof

salamanderbrains.Beforeputtingthembackin,hebegantamperingwiththem.Insuccessive

experimentshereversed,cutout,slicedaway,shuffledandevensausage‐groundhistest

subjects'brains.Butnomatterhowbrutallymangled,ordiminishedinsize,whenever

whateverwasleftofthebrainswerereturnedtohissubjectsandthesalamandershad

recovered,theyreturnedtonormalbehaviour.Frombeingacompletesceptic,Pietschturned

converttoPribram'sviewthatmemoryisdistributedthroughoutthebrain.20

Pribram'stheorieswerealsovindicatedin1979byahusband‐and‐wifeteamof

neurophysiologistsattheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley.RussellandKarenDeValois

convertedsimpleplaidandcheckerboardpatternsintoFourierwavesanddiscoveredthat

thebraincellsofcatsandmonkeysrespondednottothepatternsthemselvesbuttothe

interferencepatternsoftheircomponentwaves.Countlessstudies,elaboratedonbythe

DeValoisteamintheirbookSpatialVision,21showthatnumerouscellsinthevisualsystem

aretunedintocertainfrequencies.OtherstudiesbyFergusCampbellofCambridgeUniversity

inEngland,aswellasbyanumberofotherlaboratories,alsoshowedthatthecerebralcortex

ofhumansmaybetunedtospecificfrequencies.22Thiswouldexplainhowwecanrecognize

thingsasbeingthesame,evenwhentheyarevastlydifferentsizes.

Pribramalsoshowedthatthebrainisahighlydiscriminatingfrequencyanalyser.He

demonstratedthatthebraincontainsacertain'envelope',ormechanism,whichlimitsthe

otherwiseinfinitewaveinformatronavailabletoit,sothatwearenotbombardedwith

limitlesswaveinformationcontainedintheZeroPointField.23

Inhisownstudiesinthelaboratory,Pribramconfirmedthatthevisualcortexofcats

andmonkeysrespondedtoalimitedrangeoffrequencies.24RussellDeValoisandhis

colleaguesalsoshowedthatthereceptivefieldsintheneuronsofthecortexweretunedtoa

verysmallrangeoffrequencies.25Inhisstudiesofbothcatsandhumans,Campbellat

Cambridgealsodemonstratedthatneuronsinthebrainrespondedtoalimitedbandof

frequencies.26Atonepoint.PribramcameacrosstheworkoftheRussianNikolaiBernstein.

Bernsteinhadmadefilmsofhumansubjectsdressedentirelyinblackcostumesonwhich

whitetapesanddotshadbeenplacedtomarkthelimbs—notunliketheclassicHalloween

skeletoncostume.Theparticipantswereaskedtodanceagainstablackbackgroundwhile

beingfilmed.Whenthefilmwasprocessed,allthatcouldheseenwasaseriesofwhitedots

movinginacontinuouspatterninawaveform.Bernsteinanalysedthewaves.Tohis

astonishment,alltherhythmicmovementscouldherepresentedinFouriertrigonometric

sumstosuchanextentthathefoundthathecouldpredictthenextmovementsofhisdancers

toanaccuracyofwithinafewmillimetres’27.

ThefactthatmovementcouldsomehowberepresentedformallyintermsofFourier

equationsmadePribramrealizethatthebrain'sconversationswiththebodymightalsobe

occurringintheformofwavesandpatterns,ratherthanasimages.28Thebrainsomehow

hadthecapacitytoanalysemovement,breakitdownintowavefrequenciesandtransmitthis

wave‐patternshorthandtotherestofthebody.Thisinformation,transmittednon‐locally,to

manypartsatonce,wouldexplainhowwecanfairlyeasilymanagecomplicatedglobaltasks

involvingmultiplebodyparts,suchasridingabicycleorrollerskating.Italsoaccountsfor

howwecaneasilyimitatesometask.Pribramalsocameacrossevidencethatourother

senses—smell,tasteandhearing—operatebyanalysingfrequencies.29

InPribram'sownstudieswithcats,inwhichherecordedfrequenciesfromthemotor

cortexofcatswhiletheirrightforepawwasbeingmovedandupdown,hediscoveredthat,

likethevisualcortex,individualcellsinthecat'smotorcortexrespondedtoonlyalimited

numberoffrequenciesofmovement,justasindividualstringsinapianorespondtoalimited

rangeoffrequencies.30.

Pribramstruggledwithwherethisintricateprocessofwave‐frontdecodingand

transformationcouldpossiblytakeplace.Itthenoccurredtohimthattheoneareaofthe

brainwherewave‐interferencepatternsmightbecreatedwasnotinanyparticularcell,but

inthespacesbetweenthem.Attheendofeveryneuron,thebasicunitofabraincell,are

synapses,wherechemicalchargesbuildup,eventuallytriggeringelectricalfiringacrossthese

spacestotheotherneurons.Inthesamespaces,dendrites—tinyfilamentsofnerveendings

waftingbackandforth,likeshaftsofwheatinaslowbreeze—communicatewithother

neurons,sendingoutandreceivingtheirownelectrical‐waveimpulses.These'slow‐wave

potentials',astheyarecalled,flowthroughtheglia,orglue,surroundingneurons,togently

touchorevencollidewithotherwaves.Itisatthisbusyjuncture,aplaceofaceaseless

scrambleofelectromagneticcommunicationsbetweensynapsesanddendrites,whereitwas

mostlikelythatwavefrequenciescouldbepickedupandanalysed,andholographicimages

formed,sincethesewavepatternscriss‐crossingallthetimearecreatinghundredsand

thousandsofwave‐interferencepatterns.

Pribramconjecturedthatthesewavecollisionsmustcreatethepictorialimagesinour

brain.Whenweperceivesomething,it'snotduetotheactivityofneuronsthemselvesbutto

certainpatchesofdendritesdistributedaroundthebrain,which,likearadiostation,areset

toresonateonlyatcertainfrequencies.Itislikehavingavastnumberofpianostringsallover

yourhead,onlysomeofwhichwouldvibrateasaparticularnoteisplayed.

Pribramlargelyleftittootherstotesthisviewssothathewouldn'tjeopardizehis

moretraditionallaboratoryworkbybeingassociatedwithhisownrevolutionarynotions.For

someyearshistheorylanguished.Hewouldhavetowaitseveraldecadesafterhisinitial

proposalforotherpioneersinthescientificcommunitytocatchupwithhim.Hismost

importantsupportwasfromanunlikelysource:aGermantryingtomakeamedical

diagnosticmachineworkbetter.

WalterSchempp,amathematicsprofessorfromtheUniversityofSiegeninGermany,believed

hewassimplycarryingontheworkofhisancestorJohannesKepler,anastronomerworking

inthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturies.KeplerfamouslyclaimedinhisbookHarmonice

mundi,thatpeopleonearthcouldhearthemusicofthestars.Atthetime,Kepler's

contemporariesthoughthimcrazy.ItwasfourhundredyearsbeforeapairofAmerican

scientistsshowedthatthereisindeedamusicoftheheavens.In1993,HulseandTaylor

landedtheNobelprizefordiscoveringbinarypulsars—starswhichsendout

electromagneticwavesinpulses.Themostsensitiveofequipmentlocatedinoneofthe

world'shighestplaces,highonamountaintopinArecibo,PuertoRico,picksupevidenceof

theirexistencethroughradiowaves.

Asanodtohisforebear,Walterhimselfhadspecializedinthemathematicsof

harmonicanalysis,orthefrequencyandphaseofsoundwaves.Itoccurredtohimoneday,

sittingathomeinhisgarden—histhree‐year‐oldsonwasillatthetime—thatyoumightbe

abletoextractthree‐dimensionalimagesfromsoundwaves.WithoutreadingofGabor,he'd

workedouthisownholographictheory,reconstructedfrommathematicaltheory.He'd

consultedhisownbooksinmathematicstonoavail,butafterlookingupwhathadbeendone

inopticaltheory,hecameacrossGabor'swork.

By1986,Walterhadpublishedabookwhichprovedmathematicallyhowyoucouldget

ahologramfromtheechoesoftheradiowavesreceivedinradar,whichcametoberegarded

asaclassicinstate‐of‐theartradar.Schemppbeganthinkingthatthesameprinciplesofwave

holographymightapplytomagneticresonanceimaging(MRI),amedicaltoolusedto

examinethesofttissuesofthebody,whichwasstillinitsinfancy.Butwhenheinquired

aboutit,hesoonrealizedthatthepeoplewho'ddevelopedandwererunningthemachines

hadlittleideahowMRIworked.Thetechnologywassoprimitivethatitwassimplybeing

usedintuitively.Patientswouldhavetositstillforfourhoursormorewhilepictureswere

slowlytaken,bywhatmeansnobodywasexactlysure.Walterwasutterlydissatisfiedwith

MRItechnologyasitthenstoodandrealizedthatitwasarelativelysimpleprospecttomake

sharperimages.

Todoso,however,requiredanincrediblecommitmentfromthethen50‐year‐old,

who,despitehavingayoungfamily,withhisgreyinghairandmelancholicnaturealready

lookedmorematurethanhisyears.Hehadtostudymedicine,biologyandradiologyinorder

tobecometrainedasadoctorbeforebeingabletousetheequipment.Heacceptedaplace

offeredatJohnsHopkinsMedicalSchoolinBaltimore,Maryland,whichhasthebest

outpatientradiologydepartmentintheUSA,andlatertrainedatMassachusettsGeneral

Hospital,whichisaffiliatedwithMIT.AfterafellowshipinradiologyinZurich,Walterwas

finallyabletoreturntoGermany,wherehenowhadtheappropriatequalificationsto

officiallylayhandsonthemachine.

TakingpicturesofthebrainandsofttissuesofthebodywithMRIisordinarilyamatter

ofgettingtothewaterlurkinginthevariousnooksandcrevices.Todoso,youneedtobeable

tofindthenucleiofthewatermoleculesscatteredthroughoutthebrain.Becauseprotons

spin,likelittlemagnets,locatingthemisoftenmostsimplyaccomplishedbyapplyinga

magneticfield.Thiscausesthespintoaccelerate,eventuallytothepointwherethenuclei

behavelikemicroscopicgyroscopesspinningoutofcontrol.Allthismolecularmanipulation

makesthewatermoleculesthatmuchmoreconspicuous,enablingtheMRImachinetolocate

themandultimatelytoextractanimageofthebrain'ssofttissues.

Asthemoleculesslowdown,theygiveoffradiation.WhatWalterdiscoveredisthat

thisradiationcontainedencodedwaveinformationaboutthebody,whichthemachinecan

captureandeventuallyusetoreconstructathree‐dimensionalimageofthebody.The

informationthatyouextractisanencodedhologramofasliceofthebrainorbodypartthat

youwishtoexamine.ThroughtheuseofFouriertransforms,andmanyslicesofthebody,you

combineandeventuallyturnthisinformationintoanopticalpicture.

SchemppwentontohelprevolutionizetheconstructionofMRImachinesandwrotea

textbookonthesubject,showingthatimagingworkedasholographydid,andhewouldsoon

becometheworldauthorityonthemachineandfunctionalMRI,whichallowsyoutoactually

observebrainactivityelicitedbysensorystimuli.31Hisimprovementscutdownthetime

requiredforapatienttositstillfrom4hoursto20minutes.Buthebegantowonderwhether

themathematicsandtheoryofhowthismachineworkedcouldbeappliedtobiological

systems.Hehadcalledhistheory'quantumholography',becausewhathe'dreallydiscovered

wasthatallsortsofinformationaboutobjects,includingtheirthree‐dimensionalshape,is

carriedinthequantumfluctuationsoftheZeroPointField,andthatthisinformationcanbe

recoveredandreassembledintoathree‐dimensionalimage.Schempphaddiscovered,as

Puthoffhadpredicted,thattheZeroPointFieldwasavastmemorystore.ThroughFourier

transformation,MRImachinescouldtakeinformationencodedintheZeroPointFieldand

turnitintoimages.Therealquestionhewasposingwentfarbeyondwhetherhecouldcreate

asharperimageinMRI.Whathewasreallytryingtofindoutwaswhetherhismathematical

equationsunlockedtothekeytothehumanbrain.

Inhisquesttoapplyhistheoriestosomethinglarger,Waltercameacrosstheworkof

PeterMarcer,aBritishphysicistwho'dworkedasastudentandcolleagueofDennisGabor

andgoneontoCERNinSwitzerland.Marcerhimselfhadbeendoingsomeworkona

computationbasedonwavetheoryinsound,andhewassittingtherewithatheory,whichhe

intuitivelysensedcouldbeappliedtothehumanbrain.Theproblemwasthatthetheorywas

abstractandgeneral,andneededmoremathematicalrootingtomakeitconcrete.Intheearly

1990s,hereceivedacallfromWalterSchempp,whoseworkthrewalifejackettohistheory.

Itgroundedhisownworkintosomethingtidyandmathematical.

InMarcer'smind,Walter'smachineworkedonthesameprinciplethatKarlPribram

hadworkedoutforthehumanbrain:byreadingnaturalradiationandemissionsfromthe

ZeroPointField.NotonlydidWalterhaveamathematicalmapofhowinformation

processinginthebrainmaywork,whichamountedtoamathematicaldemonstrationofthe

theoriesofKarlPribram.Healsohad,asPetersawit,amachinewhichworkedaccordingto

thisprocess.LikePribram'smodelofthebrain,Schempp'sMRImachineunderwentastaged

process,combiningwave‐interferenceinformationtakenfromdifferentviewsofthebody

andtheneventuallytransformingitintoavirtualimage.MRIwasexperimentalverification

thatPeter'sownquantummechanicaltheoryactuallyworked.

AlthoughWalterhadwrittensomegeneralpapersabouthowhisworkcouldbe

appliedtobiologicalsystems,itwasonlyinpartnershipwithPeterthathebegantoapplyhis

theorytoatheoryofnatureandtheindividualcell.Theywrotepaperstogether,eachtime

refiningtheirtheories.Twoyearslater,PeterwasataconferenceandheardEdgarMitchell

speakabouthisowntheoryofnatureandhumanperception,whichsoundedserendipitously

similartohisown.Theyspentseveralexcitedlunchescomparingnotesanddecidedthatall

threeofthemneededtocollaborate.WalterwouldalsocorrespondwithPribram,trading

information.WhattheyalldiscoveredwassomethingthatPribram'sworkhadalwayshinted

at:perceptionoccurredatamuchmorefundamentallevelofmatter—thenetherworldof

thequantumparticle.Wedidn'tseeobjectsperse,butonlytheirquantuminformationand

outofthatconstructedourimageoftheworld.Perceivingtheworldwasamatteroftuning

intotheZeroPointField.

StuartHameroff,ananaesthesiologistfromtheUniversityofArizona,hadbeenthinking

abouthowanaestheticgasesturnoffconsciousness.Itfascinatedhimthatgaseswithsuch

disparatechemistryasnitrousoxide(N20),ether(CH3CH2OCH2CH3)'halothane(CF3CHC1Br),

chloroform(CHC13)andisoflurane(CHF2OCHC1CF3)couldallbringaboutlossof

consciousness.32Itmusthavesomethingtodowithsomepropertybesideschemistry.

Hameroffguessedthatgeneralanaestheticsmustinterferewiththeelectricalactivitywithin

themicrotubules,andthisactivitywouldturnoffconsciousness.Ifthiswerethecase,then

thereversewouldalsobetrue:electricalactivityofmicrotubulesthatcomposedtheinsides

ofdendritesandneuronsinthebrainmustsomehowbeattheheartofconsciousness.

Microtubulesarethescaffoldingofthecell,maintainingitsstructureandshape.These

microscopichexagonallatticesoffinefilamentsofprotein,calledtubulins,formtinyhollow

cylindersofindefinitelength.Thirteenstrandsoftubuleswraparoundthehollowcoreina

spiral;andallthemicrotubulesinacellradiateoutwardfromthecentretothecell

membrane,likeacartwheel.Weknowthattheselittlehoneycombstructuresactastracksin

transportingvariousproductsalongcells,particularlyinnervecells,andtheyarevitalfor

pullingapartchromosomesduringcelldivision.Wealsoknowthatmostmicrotubulesare

constantlyremakingthemselves,assemblinganddisassembling,likeanendlesssetofLego.

Inhisownexperimentswiththebrainsofsmallmammals,Hamerofffound,likeFritz

Popp,thatlivingtissuewastransmittingphotonsandthatgoodpenetrationof'light'occurred

incertainareasofthebrain.33

Microtubulesappearedtobeexceptionalconductorsofpulses.Pulsessentinoneend

travelledthroughpocketsofproteinandarrivedunchangedattheother.Hameroffalso

discoveredagreatdegreeofcoherenceamongneighbouringtubules,sothatavibrationin

onemicrotubulewouldtendtoresonateinunisonthroughitsneighbours.

ItoccurredtoHameroffthatthemicrotubuleswithinthecellsofdendritesandneurons

mightbe'lightpipes',actingas‘waveguides'forphotons,sendingthesewavesfromcelltocell

throughoutthebrainwithoutanylossofenergy.Theymightevenactastinytracksforthese

lightwavesthroughoutthebody.34

BythetimethatHameroffbeganformulatinghistheory,manyofPribram'sideas,

whichhadbeensooutrageouswhenhehadfirstformulatedthem,werebeingtakenupin

manyquarters.Scientistsinresearchcentresaroundtheglobewerebeginningtoconcurthat

thebrainmadeuseofquantumprocesses.KunioYasue,aquantumphysicistfromKyoto,

Japan,hadcarriedoutmathematicalformulationstohelpunderstandtheneural

microprocess.LikePribram,hisequationsshowedthatbrainprocessesoccurredatthe

quantumlevel,andthatthedendriticnetworksinthebrainwereoperatingintandem

throughquantumcoherence.Theequationsdevelopedinquantumphysicsprecisely

describedthiscooperativeinteraction.35IndependentlyofHameroff,Yasueandhiscolleague

MariJibu,oftheDepartmentofAnesthesiology,OkayamaUniversity,inJapan,hadalso

theorizedthatthequantummessagingofthebrainmusttakeplacethroughvibrationalfields,

alongthemicrotubulesofcells.36Othershadtheorizedthatthebasisofallthebrain's

functionshadtodowiththeinteractionbetweenbrainphysiologyandtheZeroPointField.37

AnItalianphysicist,EzioInsinnaoftheBioelectronicsResearchAssociation,inhisown

experimentalworkwithmicrotubules,discoveredthatthesestructureshadasignalling

mechanism,thoughttobeassociatedwiththetransferofelectrons.38

Eventually,manyofthesescientists,eachofwhomseemedtohaveonepieceofthe

puzzle,decidedtocollaborate.Pribram,Yasue,HameroffandScottHaganfromthe

DepartmentofPhysicsatMcGillUniversityassembledacollectivetheoryaboutthenatureof

humanconsciousness.39Accordingtotheirtheory,microtubulesandthemembranesof

dendritesrepresentedtheInternetofthebody.Everyneuronofthebraincouldlogonatthe

sametimeandspeaktoeveryotherneuronsimultaneouslyviathequantumprocesses

within.

Microtubuleshelpedtomarshaldiscordantenergyandcreateglobalcoherenceofthe

wavesinthebody—aprocesscalled‘superradiance'—thenallowedthesecoherentsignals

topulsethroughtherestofthebody.Oncecoherencewasachieved,thephotonscouldtravel

allalongthelightpipesasiftheyweretransparent,aphenomenoncalled'self‐induced

transparency'.Photonscanpenetratethecoreofthemicrotubuleandcommunicatewith

otherphotonsthroughoutthebody,causingcollectivecooperationofsubatomicparticlesin

microtubulesthroughoutthebrain.Ifthisisthecase,itwouldaccountforunityofthought

andconsciousness—thefactthatwedon'tthinkofloadsofdisparatethingsatonce.40

Throughthismechanism,thecoherencebecomescontagious,movingfromindividual

cellstocellassemblies—andinthebrainfromcertainneuroncellassembliestoothers.This

wouldprovideanexplanationfortheinstantaneousoperationofourbrains,whichoccursat

betweenoneten‐thousandthandone‐thousandthofasecond,requiringthatinformationbe

transmittedat100—1000metrespersecond—aspeedthatexceedsthecapabilitiesofany

knownconnectionsbetweenaxonsordendritesinneurons.Superradiancealongthelight

pipesalsocouldaccountforaphenomenonthathaslongbeenobserved—thetendencyof

EEGpatternsinthebraintogetsynchronized.41

Hameroffobservedthatelectronsglideeasilyalongtheselightpipeswithoutgetting

entangledintheirenvironment—thatis,settlingintoanysetsinglestate.Thismeansthey

canremaininaquantumstate—aconditionofallpossiblestates—enablingthebrain

eventuallytofinallychooseamongthem.Thismightbeagoodexplanationforfreewill.At

everymoment,ourbrainsaremakingquantumchoices,takingpotentialstatesandmaking

themactualones.42

Itwasonlyatheory—ithadn'tundergonetheexhaustivetestingofPoppandhis

biophotonemissions—butsomegoodmathematicsandcircumstantialevidencegaveit

weight.TheItalianphysicistsDelGiudiceandPreparatahadalsocomeupwithsome

experimentalevidenceofHameroff'stheorythatlightpipescontainedcoherentenergyfields

insidethem.

Microtubulesarehollowandemptysaveforsomewater.Ordinarywater,fromatapor

inariver,isdisordered,withmoleculesthatmoverandomly.Butsomeofthewater

moleculesinbraincellsarecoherent,theItalianteamdiscovered,andthiscoherenceextends

asfaras3nanometresormoreoutsidethecell'scytoskeleton.Sincethisisthecase,itis

overwhelminglylikelythatthewaterinsidethemicrotubulesisalsoordered.Thisoffered

indirectevidencethatsomesortofquantumprocess,creatingquantumcoherence,was

occurringinside.43They'dalsoshownthatthisfocusingofwaveswouldproducebeams15

nanometresindiameter—preciselythesizeofthemicrotubule'sinnercore.44

Allofthisledtoahereticalthought,whichhadalreadyoccurredtoFritz‐AlbertPopp.

Consciousnesswasaglobalphenomenonthatoccurredeverywhereinthebody,andnot

simplyinourbrains.Consciousness,atitsmostbasic,wascoherentlight.

Althougheachofthescientists—Puthoff,Popp,BenvenisteandPribram—hadbeen

workingindependently,EdgarMitchellwasoneofthefewtorealizethat,asatotality,their

workpresenteditselfasaunifiedtheoryofmindandmatter—evidenceofphysicistDavid

Bohm'svisionofaworldof'unbrokenwholeness'.45Theuniversewasavastdynamic

cobwebofenergyexchange,withabasicsubstructurecontainingallpossibleversionsofall

possibleformsofmatter.Naturewasnotblindandmechanistic,butopen‐ended,intelligent

andpurposeful,makinguseofacohesivelearningfeedbackprocessofinformationbeingfed

backandforthbetweenorganismsandtheirenvironment.Itsunifyingmechanismwasnota

fortunatemistakebutinformationwhichhadbeenencodedandtransmittedeverywhereat

once.46

Biologywasaquantumprocess.Alltheprocessesinthebody,includingcell

communication,weretriggeredbyquantumfluctuations,andallhigherbrainfunctionsand

consciousnessalsoappearedtofunctionatthequantumlevel.WalterSchempp'sexplosive

discoveryaboutquantummemorysetoffthemostoutrageousideaofall:short‐andlong‐

termmemorydoesn'tresideinourbrainatall,butinsteadisstoredintheZeroPointField.

AfterPribram'sdiscoveries,anumberofscientists,includingsystemstheoristErvinLaszlo,

wouldgoontoarguethatthebrainissimplytheretrievalandread‐outmechanismofthe

ultimatestoragemedium—TheField.47Pribram'sassociatesfromJapanwouldhypothesize

thatwhatwethinkofasmemoryissimplyacoherentemissionofsignalsfromtheZeroPoint

Field,andthatlongermemoriesareastructuredgroupingofthiswaveinformation.48Ifthis

weretrue,itwouldexplainwhyonetinyassociationoftentriggersariotofsights,soundsand

smells.Itwouldalsoexplainwhy,withlong‐termmemoryinparticular,recallis

instantaneousanddoesn'trequireanyscanningmechanismtosiftthoughyearsandyearsof

memory.

Iftheyarecorrect,ourbrainisnotastoragemediumbutareceivingmechanismin

everysense,andmemoryissimplyadistantcousinofordinaryperception.Thebrain

retrieves'old'informationthesamewayitprocesses'new'information—through

holographictransformationofwaveinterferencepatterns.49Lashley'sratswiththefried

brainswereabletoconjureuptheirruninitsentiretybecausethememoryofitwasnever

burnedawayinthefirstplace.Whateverreceptionmechanismwasleftinthebrain—andas

Pribramhaddemonstrated,itwasdistributedalloverthebrain—wastuningbackintothe

memorythroughTheField.

Somescientistswentasfarastosuggestthatallofourhighercognitiveprocesses

resultfromaninteractionwiththeZeroPointField.50Thiskindofconstantinteraction

mightaccountforintuitionorcreativity—andhowideascometousinburstsofinsight,

sometimesinfragmentsbutoftenasamiraculouswhole.Anintuitiveleapmightsimplybea

suddencoalescenceofcoherenceinTheField.

Thefactthatthehumanbodywasexchanginginformationwithamutablefieldof

quantumfluctuationsuggestedsomethingprofoundabouttheworld.Ithintedathuman

capabilitiesforknowledgeandcommunicationfardeeperandmoreextendedthanwe

presentlyunderstand.Italsoblurredtheboundarylinesofourindividuality—ourvery

senseofseparateness.Iflivingthingsboildowntochargedparticlesinteractingwithafield

andsendingoutandreceivingquantuminformation,wheredidweendandtherestofthe

worldbegin?Wherewasconsciousness—encasedinsideourbodiesoroutthereinThe

Field?Indeed,therewasnomoreoutthere'ifweandtherestoftheworldwereso

intrinsicallyinterconnected.

Theimplicationsofthisweretoohugetoignore.Theideaofasystemofexchangedand

patternedenergyanditsmemoryandrecallintheZeroPointFieldhintedatallmannerof

possibilityforhumanbeingsandtheirrelationtotheirworld.Modernphysicistshadset

mankindbackformanydecades.InignoringtheeffectoftheZeroPointField,they'd

eliminatedthepossibilityofinterconnectednessandobscuredascientificexplanationfor

manykindsofmiracles.Whatthey'dbeendoing,inrenormalizingtheirequations,wasalittle

likesubtractingoutGod.

Part2TheExtendedMind

Youaretheworld.

Krishnamurti

CHAPTERSIXTheCreativeObserver

ITISSTRANGEWHATCLINGStoyourmindfromtheflotsamandjetsamofthe

everyday.ForHelmutSchmidtitwasanarticlein,ofallplaces,Reader'sDigest.He'dreaditas

azo‐year‐oldstudentin1948,attheUniversityofCologne,afterGermanyhadjustemerged

fromtheSecondWorldWar.Itlodgedinhismemoryfornearlytwentyyears,surviving

throughtwoemigrations,fromGermanytoAmericaandfromacademiatoindustry—froma

professorshipattheUniversityofColognetoapositionasaresearchphysicistatBoeing

ScientificResearchLaboratoriesinSeattle,Washington.

Throughallhischangesofcountryandcareer,Schmidtponderedthemeaningofthe

article,asthoughsomethinginhimknewthatitwascentraltohislife'sdirectionevenbefore

hewasconsciouslyawareofit.Everysooftenhewouldengageinabitmorereflection,take

outthearticleinhismind'seyeandexamineitinthelight,turningitthiswayandthat,before

filingitawayagain,abitofunfinishedbusinesshewasn'tyetsurehowtotendto.1

Thearticlehadbeennothingmorethananabridgedversionofsomewritingbythe

biologistandparapsychologistJ.B.Rhine.Itconcernedhisfamousexperimentson

precognitionandextrasensoryperception,includingthecardtestswhichwouldlaterbeused

byEdgarMitchellinouterspace.Rhinehadconductedallofhisexperimentsundercarefully

controlledconditionsandtheyhadyieldedinterestingresults.2Thestudieshadshownthatit

waspossibleforapersontotransmitinformationaboutcardsymbolstoanotherorincrease

theoddsofacertainnumberbeingrolledwithasetofdice.

SchmidthadbeendrawntoRhine'sworkforitsimplicationsinphysics.Evenasa

student,Schmidthadhadacontrarystreak,whichratherlikedtestingthelimitsofscience.In

hisprivatemoments,heregardedphysicsandmanyofthesciences,withtheirclaimtohave

explainedmanyofthemysteriesoftheuniverse,asexceedinglypresumptuous.He'dbeen

mostinterestedinquantumphysics,buthefoundhimselfperverselydrawntothoseaspects

ofquantumtheorywhichpresentedthemostpotentialproblems.

WhatheldthemostfascinationofallforSchmidtwastheroleoftheobserver.3Oneof

themostmysteriousaspectsofquantumphysicsistheso‐calledCopenhageninterpretation

(sonamedbecauseNielsBohr,oneofthefoundingfathersofquantumphysics,resided

there).Bohr,whoforcefullypushedthroughavarietyofinterpretationsinquantumphysics

withoutthebenefitofaunifiedunderlyingtheory,setoutvariousdictumsaboutthe

behaviourofelectronsasaresultofthemathematicalequationswhicharenowfollowedby

workadayphysicistsallovertheworld.Bohr(andWernerHeisenberg)notedthat,according

toexperiment,anelectronisnotapreciseentity,butexistsasapotential,asuperposition,or

sum,ofallprobabilitiesuntilweobserveormeasureit,atwhichpointtheelectronfreezes

intoaparticularstate.Oncewearethroughlookingormeasuring,theelectrondissolvesback

intotheetherofallpossibilities.

Partofthisinterpretationisthenotionof'complementarity'—thatyoucannever

knoweverythingaboutaquantumentitysuchasanelectronatthesametime.Theclassic

exampleispositionandvelocity;ifyoudiscoverinformationaboutoneaspectofit—where

itis,forinstance—youcannotalsodetermineexactlywhereit'sgoingoratwhatspeed.

Manyofthearchitectsofquantumtheoryhadgrappledwiththelargermeaningofthe

resultsoftheircalculationsandexperiments,makingcomparisonswithmetaphysicaland

Easternphilosophicaltexts.4Buttherankandfileofphysicistsintheirwakecomplained

thatthelawsofthequantumworld,whileundoubtedlycorrectfromamathematicalpointof

view,beggaredordinarycommonsense.FrenchphysicistandNobelprizewinnerLouisde

Brogliedevisedaningeniousthoughtexperiment,whichcarriedquantumtheorytoitslogical

conclusion.Onthebasisofcurrentquantumtheory,youcouldplaceanelectronina

containerinParis,dividethecontainerinhalf,shiponehalftoTokyoandtheothertoNew

York,and,theoretically,theelectronshouldstilloccupyeithersideunlessyoupeerinside,at

whichpointadefinitepositioninonehalfortheotherwouldfinallybedetermined.5

WhattheCopenhageninterpretationsuggestedwasthatrandomnessisabasicfeature

ofnature.Physicistsbelievethisisdemonstratedbyanotherfamousexperimentinvolving

lightfallingonasemi‐transparentmirror.Whenlightfallsonsuchamirror,halfofitis

reflectedandtheotherhalfistransmittedthroughit.However,whenasinglephotonarrives

atthemirror,itmustgoonewayortheother.butthewayitwillgo—reflectedor

transmitted—cannotbepredicted.Aswithanysuchbinaryprocess,wehavea50‐50chance

ofguessingtheeventualrouteofthephoton.6Onthesubatomiclevel,thereisnocausal

mechanismintheuniverse.

Ifthatwereso,Schmidtwondered,howwasitthatsomeofRhine'ssubjectswereable

tocorrectlyguesscardsanddice—implements,likeaphoton,ofrandomprocesses?If

Rhine'sstudieswerecorrect,somethingfundamentalaboutquantumphysicswaswrong.So‐

calledrandombinaryprocessescouldbepredicted.eveninfluenced.

Whatappearedtoputahalttorandomnesswasalivingobserver.Oneofthe

fundamentallawsofquantumphysicssaysthataneventinthesubatomicworldexistsinall

possiblestatesuntiltheactofobservingormeasuringit'freezes'it,orpinsitdown,toa

singlestate.Thisprocessistechnicallyknownasthecollapseofthewavefunction,where

'wavefunction'meansthestateofallpossibilities.InSchmidt'smind,andthemindsofmany

others,thiswaswherequantumtheory.forallitsmathematicalperfection,felldown.

Althoughnothingexistedinasinglestateindependentlyofanobserver,youcoulddescribe

whattheobserversees,butnottheobserverhimself.Youincludedthemomentof

observationinthemathematics,butnottheconsciousnessdoingtheobserving.Therewasno

equationforanobserver.7

Therewasalsotheephemeralnatureofitall.Physicistscouldn'tofferanyreal

informationaboutanygivenquantumparticle.Alltheycouldsaywithcertaintywasthat

whenyoutookacertainmeasurementatacertainpoint,thisiswhatyouwouldfind.Itwas

likecatchingabutterflyonthewing.

Classicalphysicsdidn'thavetotalkaboutanobserver;accordingtoNewton'sversion

ofreality,achairorevenaplanetwassittingthere,whetherornotwewerelookingatit.The

worldexistedoutthereindependentlyofus.

Butinthestrangetwilightofthequantumworld,youcouldonlydetermineincomplete

aspectsofsubatomicrealitywithanobserverpinningdownasinglefacetofthenatureofan

electrononlyatthatmomentofobservation,notforalltime.Accordingtothemathematics,

thequantumworldwasaperfecthermeticworldofpurepotential,onlymadereal—and,in

asense,lessperfect—wheninterruptedbyanintruder.

Itseemstobeatruismofimportantshiftsinthinkingthatmanymindsbegintoaskthesame

questionatroughlythesametime.Intheearly1960s,nearlytwentyyearsafterhe'dfirst

readRhine'sarticle,Schmidt,likeEdgarMitchell,KarlPribramandtheothers,wasoneofa

growingnumberofscientiststryingtogetsomemeasureofthenatureofhuman

consciousnessinthewakeofthequestionsposedbyquantumphysicsandtheobserver

effect.Ifthehumanobserversettledanelectronintoasetstate,towhatextentdidheorshe

influencerealityonalargescale?Theobservereffectsuggestedthatrealityonlyemerged

fromaprimordialsoupliketheZeroPointFieldwiththeinvolvementoflivingconsciousness.

Thelogicalconclusionwasthatthephysicalworldonlyexistedinitsconcretestatewhilewe

wereinvolvedinit.Indeed,Schmidtwondered,wasittruethatnothingexisted

independentlyofourperceptionofit?

AfewyearsafterSchmidtwasponderingallthis,MitchellwouldheadofftoStanford

ontheWestCoastoftheUSA,gatheringfundingforhisownconsciousnessexperimentswith

anumberofgiftedpsychics.ForMitchell,likeSchmidt,theimportanceofRhine'sfindings

wouldbewhattheyappearedtoshowaboutthenatureofreality.Bothscientistswondered

towhatextentorderintheuniversewasrelatedtotheactionsandintentionsofhuman

beings.

Ifconsciousnessitselfcreatedorder—orindeedinsomewaycreatedtheworld—

thissuggestedmuchmorecapacityinthehumanbeingthanwascurrentlyunderstood.Italso

suggestedsomerevolutionarynotionsabouthumansinrelationtotheirworldandthe

relationbetweenalllivingthings.WhatSchmidtwasalsoaskingwashowfarourbodies

extended.Didtheyendwithwhatwealwaysthoughtofasourownisolatedpersona,or

'extendout'sothatthedemarcationbetweenusandourworldwaslessclear‐cut?Didliving

consciousnesspossesssomequantum‐field‐likeproperties,enablingittoextenditsinfluence

outintotheworld?Ifso,wasitpossibletodomorethansimplyobserve?Howstrongwasour

influence?Itwasonlyasmallstepinlogictoconcludethatinouractofparticipationasan

observerinthequantumworld,wemightalsobeaninfluencer,acreator.8Didwenotonly

stopthebutterflyatacertainpointinitsflight,butalsoinfluencethepathitwilltake—

nudgingitinaparticulardirection?

ArelatedquantumeffectsuggestedbyRhine'sworkwasthepossibilityofnonlocality,

oractionatadistance:thetheorythattwosubatomicparticlesonceincloseproximity

seeminglycommunicateoveranydistanceaftertheyareseparated.IfRhine'sESP

experimentsweretobebelieved,actionatadistancemightalsobepresentintheworldat

large.

Schmidtwas37beforehefinallygottheopportunitytotestouthisideas,in1965,

duringhistenureatBoeing.Atall,thinpresencewithapronounced,angularintensity,his

hairheavilyrecededoneithersideofanexaggeratedwidow'speak,Schmidtwasinthehappy

circumstanceofbeingemployedtopursuepureresearchintheBoeinglaboratory,whether

ornotitwasconnectedtoaerospacedevelopment.Boeingwasinalullinitsfortunes.The

aerospacegianthadcomeupwiththesupersonicbuthadshelvedit,andhadn'tyetinvented

the747,soSchmidthadtimeonhishands.

Anideaslowlybegantakingshape.Thesimplestwaytotestalltheseideaswastoseeif

humanconsciousnesscouldaffectsomesortofprobabilisticsystem,asRhinehaddone.Rhine

hadusedhisspecialcardsfortheESP'forcedchoice'guessing,or'precognition',exercises

anddicefor'psychokinesis'—testsofwhethermindcouldinfluencematter.Therewere

certainlimitationswithbothmedia.Youcouldnevertrulyshowthatatossofthedicehad

beenarandomprocessaffectedbyhumanconsciousness,orthatacorrectguessofthefaceof

acardhadn'tbeenpurelydowntochance.Cardsmightnotbeshuffledperfectly,adiemight

beshapedorweightedtofavouracertainnumber.TheotherproblemwasthatRhinehad

recordedtheresultsbyhand,aprocessthatcouldbepronetohumanerror.Andfinally,

becausetheyweredonemanually,theexperimentstookalongtime.

SchmidtbelievedhecouldcontributetoRhine'sworkbymechanizingthetesting

process.Becausehewasconsideringaquantumeffect,itmadesensetobuildamachine

whoserandomnesswouldbedeterminedbyaquantumprocess.Schmidthadreadabouttwo

Frenchmen,namedRemyChauvinandJean‐PierreGenthon,who'dconductedstudiestoseeif

theirtestsubjectscouldinsomewaychangethedecayrateofradioactivematerials,which

wouldberecordedbyaGeigercounter.9

Nothingmuchismorerandomthanradioactiveatomicdecay.Oneoftheaxiomsof

quantumphysicsisthatnoonecanpredictexactlywhenanatomwilldecayandanelectron

consequentlybereleased.IfSchmidtmadeuseofradioactivedecayinthemachine'sdesign,

hecouldproducewhatwasalmostacontradictioninterms:aprecisioninstrumentbuilt

uponquantummechanicaluncertainty.

Withmachinesusingaquantumdecayprocess,you'redealingintherealmof

probabilityandfluidity—amachinegovernedbyatomicparticles,inturngovernedbythe

probabilisticuniverseofquantummechanics.Thiswouldheamachinewhoseoutput

consistedofperfectlyrandomactivity,whichinphysicsisviewedasastateof‘disorder'.The

Rhinestudiesinwhichparticipantshadapparentlyaffectedtherollofthedicesuggestedthat

someinformationtransferororderingmechanismwasgoingon—whatphysicistsliketo

term'negativeentropy',or'negentropy'forshort—themoveawayfromrandomness,or

disarray,toorder.Ifitcouldheshownthatparticipantsinastudyhadalteredsomeelement

ofthemachine'soutput,they'dhavechangedtheprobabilitiesofevents—thatis,shiftedthe

oddsofsomethinghappeningoralteredthetendencyofasystemtobehaveinacertainway.

10Itwaslikepersuadingapersonatacrossroads,momentarilyundecidedabouttakinga

walk,toheaddownoneroadratherthananother.Theywould,inotherwords,havecreated

order.

Asmostofhisworkhadconsistedoftheoreticalphysics,Schmidtneededtobrushup

onhiselectronicsinordertoconstructhismachine.Withthehelpofatechnician,he

producedasmall,rectangularbox,slightlylargerthanafathardbackbook,withfour

colouredlightsandbuttonsandathickcableattachedtoanothermachinepunchingcoding

holesinastreamofpapertape.Schmidtdubbedthemachinea'randomnumbergenerator',

whichhecametorefertoasRNG.TheRNGhadthefourcolouredlightsontopofit—red,

yellow,greenandblue—whichwouldflashonrandomly.

Intheexperiment,aparticipantwouldpressabuttonunderoneofthelights,which

registeredapredictionthatthelightaboveitwouldlightup.11Ifyouwerecorrect,you'd

scoreahit.Ontopofthedeviceweretwocounters.Onewouldcountthenumberof'hits'—

thetimestheparticipantcouldcorrectlyguesswhichlampwouldlight—andtheother

wouldcountthenumberoftrials.Yoursuccessratewouldbestaringatyouasyoucontinued

withtheexperiment.

Schmidthademployedasmallamountoftheisotopestrontium‐9o,placednearan

electroncountersothatanyelectronsejectedfromtheunstable,decayingmoleculeswould

beregisteredinsideaGeiger‐Mullertube.Atthepointwhereanelectronwasflungintothe

tube—atarate,onaverage,ofToasecond—itstoppedahigh‐speedcounterbreathlessly

racingthroughnumbersbetweenoneandfouratamillionpersecond,andthenumber

stoppedatwouldlightthecorrespondinglynumberedlamp.Ifhisparticipantswere

successful,itmeantthattheyhadsomehowintuitedthearrivaltimeofthenextelectron,

resultinginthelightingoftheirdesignatedlamp.

Ifsomeonewasjustguessing,he'dhavea25percentchanceofgettingtheright

results.MostofSchmidt'sfirsttestsubjectsscorednobetterthanthis,untilhecontacteda

groupofprofessionalpsychicsinSeattleandcollectedsubjectswhowentontobesuccessful.

Thereafter,Schmidtwasmeticulousinhisrecruitmentofparticipantswithanapparent

psychicgiftforguessingcorrectly.Theeffectswerelikelytobesominuscule,hefigured,that

hehadtomaximizehischancesofsuccess.Withhisfirstsetofstudies,Schmidtgot27per

cent—aresultthatmayappearinsignificant,butwhichwasenoughofadeviationin

statisticaltermsforhimtoconcludethatsomethinginterestingwasgoingon.12

Apparently,there'dbeensomeconnectionbetweenthemindofhissubjectsandhis

machine.Butwhatwasit?Didhisparticipantsforeseewhichlightswouldbelit?Ordidthey

makeachoiceamongthecolouredlampsandsomehowmentally'force'thatparticularlamp

tolight?Wastheeffectprecognitionorpsychokinesis?

Schmidtdecidedtoisolatetheseeffectsfurtherbytestingpsychokinesis.Whathehad

inmindwasanelectronicversionofRhine'sdicestudies.Hewentontobuildanothertypeof

machine—atwentieth‐centuryversionoftheflipofacoin.Thismachinewasbasedona

binarysystem(asystemwithtwochoices:yesorno;onoroff;oneorzero).Itcould

electronicallygeneratearandomsequenceof'heads'and'tails'whichweredisplayedbythe

movementofalightinacircleofninelamps.Onelightwasalwayslit.Withthetoplamplitat

thestart,foreachgeneratedheadortailthelightmovedbyonestepinaclockwiseor

anticlockwisedirection.If'heads'weretossed,thenextlightinclockwiseorderwouldlight.If

'tails',thenextlightintheanticlockwisedirectionwouldlightinstead.Lefttoitsowndevices,

themachinewouldtakearandomwalkaroundthecircleofninelights,withmovementsin

eachdirectionroughlyhalfthetime.Afterabouttwominutesand128moves,therunstopped

andthenumbersofgeneratedheadsandtailsweredisplayed.Thefullsequenceofmoves

wasalsorecordedautomaticallyonpapertape,withthenumberofheadsortailsindicatedby

counters.

Schmidt'sideawastohavehisparticipantswillthelightstotakemorestepsina

clockwisedirection.Whathewasaskinghisparticipantstodo,onthemostelementarylevel,

wastogetthemachinetoproducemoreheadsthantails.

Inonestudy,Schmidtworkedwithtwoparticipants,anaggressive,extrovertedNorth

AmericanwomanandareservedmaleresearcherinparapsychologyfromSouthAmerica.In

preliminarytests,theNorthAmericanwomanhadscoredconsistentlymoreheadsthantails,

whiletheSouthAmericanmanhadscoredthereverse—moretailsthanheads—even

thoughhe'dbeentryingforagreaternumberofheads.Duringalargertestofmorethan100

runsapiece,bothkepttothesamescoringtendencies—thewomangotmoreheads,theman

moretails.Whenthewomandidhertest,thelightshowedapreferenceforclockwisemotion

52.5percentofthetime.Butwhenthemanconcentrated,themachineonceagaindidthe

oppositeofwhatheintended.Intheend,only47.75percentofthelitlightsmovedina

clockwisedirection.

Schmidtknewhehadcomeupwithsomethingimportant,evenifhecouldn'tyetput

hisfingeronhowanyknownlawofphysicscouldexplainthis.Whenheworkeditout,the

oddsagainstsuchalargedisparityinthetwoscoresoccurringbychanceweremorethan10

milliontoone.Thatmeanthe'dhavetoconduct10millionsimilarstudiesbeforehe'dgetthe

resultsbychancealone.13

Schmidtgatheredtogethereighteenpeople,themosteasilyavailablehecouldfind.In

theirfirststudies,hefoundthat,aswithhisSouthAmericanfellow,theyseemedtohavea

reverseeffectonthemachine.Iftheytriedtomakethemachinemoveclockwise,ittendedto

moveintheotherdirection.

Schmidtwasmainlyinterestedinwhethertherewasanyeffectatall,nomatterwhat

thedirection.Hedecidedtoseewhetherhecouldsetupanexperimenttomakeitmorelikely

thathissubjectsgotanegativescore.Iftheseparticipantsordinarilyhadanegativeeffect,

thenhe'ddohisbesttoamplifyit.Heselectedonlythoseparticipantswho'dhadareverse

effectonthemachine.Hethencreatedanexperimentalatmospherethatmightencourage

failure.Hisparticipantswereaskedtoconducttheirtestinasmalldarkclosetwherethey'd

behuddledwiththedisplaypanel.Schmidtstudiouslyavoidedgivingthemtheslightestbitof

encouragement.Heeventoldthemtoexpectthattheyweregoingtofail.

Notsurprisingly,theteamhadasignificantlynegativeeffectontheRNG.Themachine

movedmoreintheoppositewaythanwhatthey'dintended.Butthepointwasthatthe

participantswerehavingsomeeffectonthemachine,evenifitwasacontraryone.Somehow,

they'dbeenabletoshiftthemachines,eversoslightly,awayfromtheirrandomactivity;their

resultswere49.1percentagainstanexpectedresultof50percent.Instatisticalterms,this

wasaresultofmajorsignificance—athousandtoonethattheresulthadoccurredby

chance.SincenoneofhissubjectsknewhowtheRNGworked,itwasclearthatwhateverthey

weredoingmusthavebeengeneratedbysomesortofhumanwill.14

Schmidtcarriedonwithsimilarstudiesforanumberofyears,publishinginNew

Scientistandotherjournals,meetingwithlike‐mindedpeopleandachievinghighlysignificant

scoresinhisstudies—sometimesashighas54percentagainstanexpectedresultof50per

cent.15By1970,theyearbeforeMitchell'smoonwalk,Boeingsufferedasetbackinprofits

andneededtocutbacksharplyonstaff.Schmidt,alongwithhundredsofothers,wasoneof

itscasualties.BoeinghadbeensuchakeysourceofR&Djobsintheareathatwithoutthe

aerospacegiant,therewasvirtuallynoworktohehad.AsignattheborderofSeattleread,

'WillthelastonetoleaveSeattlepleaseturnoffthelights?'Schmidtmadehisthirdandfinal

careermove.Hewouldcontinueonwithhisconsciousnessresearch,aphysicistamong

parapsychologists.HerelocatedtoDurham,NorthCarolina,andsoughtworkatRhine's

laboratory,theFoundationforResearchontheNatureofMan,carryingonhisRNGresearch

withRhinehimself.

Afewyearslater,wordofSchmidt'smachinesfilteredthroughtoPrincetonUniversityand

cametotheattentionofayounguniversitystudentintheschoolofengineering.Shewasan

undergraduate,asophomore,studyingelectricalengineering,andsomethingabouttheidea

ofmindbeingabletoinfluenceamachineheldacertainromanticappeal.In1976,she

decidedtoapproachthedeanoftheengineeringschoolaboutthepossibilityofreplicating

HelmutSchmidt'sRNGstudiesasaspecialproject.16

RobertJahnwasatolerantman.WhencampusunresthaderuptedatPrinceton,asit

didatmostuniversitiesacrossAmericainresponsetotheescalationoftheVietnamWar,

Jahn,thenaprofessorofengineering,hadfoundhimselfanunwittingapologistforhigh

technology,atapointwhenitwasbeingblamedforAmerica'sstarkpolarization.Jahnhad

arguedpersuasivelytothePrincetonstudentbodythattechnologyactuallyofferedthe

solutiontothisdivisiveness.Hisconciliatorylinenotonlyhadsettleddownthecampus

unrestbutalsohadhelpedtocreateanacceptingatmosphereforstudentswithtechnical

interestsatwhatwasessentiallyaliberalartsuniversity.Jahn'sskillatdiplomacymayhave

beenonereasonhe'dbeenaskedtoserveasdeanin1971.

Nowhisfamoustolerancewasbeingstretchednearlytoitslimit.Jahnwasanapplied

physicistwhohadinvestedhisentirelifeintheteachinganddevelopmentoftechnology.All

ofhisowndegreescamefromPrinceton,andhisworkinadvancedspacepropulsionsystems

andhightemperatureplasmadynamicshadwonhimhiscurrentdistinguishedposition.

He'dreturnedtoPrincetonintheearly1960swiththemissionofintroducingelectric

propulsiontotheaeronauticalengineeringdepartment.Theprojecthewasnowbeingasked

tosuperviseessentiallybelongedtothecategoryofpsychicphenomena.Jahnwasn't

convinceditwasaviabletopic,butthesophomorewassuchabrilliantstudentwhowas

alreadyonafasttrackthroughherprogrammethatheeventuallyrelented.Heagreedto

subsidizeasummerprojectforheroutofhisdiscretionaryfunds.Hertaskwastoresearch

theexistingscientificliteratureonRNGstudiesandotherformsofpsychokinesisandtocarry

outafewpreliminaryexperiments.

IfshecouldconvinceJahnthatthefieldheldsomecredibilityand,moreimportantly,

couldheapproachedfromatechnicalperspective,hetoldher,thenhe'dagreetosupervise

herindependentwork.

Jahntriedtoapproachthetopicasanopen‐mindedscholarmight.Overthesummer,

hisstudentwouldleavephotocopiesoftechnicalpapersonhisdeskandevenmanagedto

coaxhimintoaccompanyinghertoameetingoftheParapsychologicalAssociation.Hetried

togetafeelforthepeopleinvolvedinstudyingwhathadalwaysbeendismissedasafringe

science.Jahnratherhopedthattheentiresubjectwouldgoaway.Muchashewasamusedby

theproject,particularlybythenotionthathesomehowmighthavethepowertoinfluenceall

thecomplicatedarrayofequipmentaroundhim,heknewthatthiswassomething,inthelong

run,thatmightmeantroubleforhim,particularlyamonghisfellowfacultymembers.How

wouldheeverexplainitasaserioustopicofstudy?

Jahn'sstudentkeptreturningwithmoreconvincingproofthatthisphenomenon

existed.Therewasnodoubtthatthepeopleinvolvedinthestudiesandtheresearchitself

hadacertaincredibility.Heagreedtosuperviseatwo‐yearprojectforher,andwhenshe

beganreturningwithherownsuccessfulresults,hefoundhimselfmakingsuggestionsand

tryingtorefinetheequipment.

Bythesecondyearofthestudent'sproject,Jahnhimselfbegandabblinginhisown

LINGexperiments.Itwasbeginningtolookasthoughtheremightbesomethinginteresting

here.ThestudentgraduatedandleftherHNC;workbehind,anintriguingthought

experiment,andnomore,theresultsofwhichhadsatisfiedhercuriosity.Nowitwastimeto

getseriousandreturntothemoretraditionallineshe'doriginallychosenforherself.She

embarkedonwhatwouldturnouttobealucrativecareerinconventionalcomputerscience,

leavinginherwakeabodyoftantalizingdataandalsoabombacrossBobJahn'spaththat

wouldchangethecourseofhislifeforever.

Jahnrespectedmanyoftheinvestigatorsintoconsciousnessresearch,butprivatelyhe

feltthattheyweregoingaboutitthewrongway.WorklikeRhine's,nomatterhowscientific,

tendedtobeplacedunderthegeneralumbrellaofparapsychology,whichwaslargely

dismissedbythescientificestablishmentastheprovinceofconfidencetrickstersand

magicians.Clearlywhatwasneededwasahighlysophisticated,solidlybasedresearch

programme,whichwouldgivethestudiesamoretemperateandscholarlyframework.Jahn,

likeSchmidt,realizedtheenormousimplicationsoftheseexperiments.EversinceDescartes

hadpostulatedthatmindwasisolatedanddistinctfromthebody,allthevariousdisciplines

ofsciencehadmadeacleardistinctionbetweenmindandmatter.Theexperimentswith

Schmidt'smachinesseemedtobesuggestingthatthisseparationsimplydidn'texist.The

workthatJahnwasabouttoembarkonrepresentedfarmorethanresolvingthequestionof

whetherhumanbeingshadthepowertoaffectinanimateobjects,whetherdice,spoonsor

microprocesses.Thiswasstudyintotheverynatureofrealityandthenatureofliving

consciousness.Thiswasscienceatitsmostwondrousandelemental.

Schmidthadtakengreatcaretofindspecialpeoplewithexceptionalabilitieswho

mightbeabletogetespeciallygoodresults.Schmidt'swasaprotocoloftheextraordinary—

abnormalfeatsperformedbyabnormalpeoplewithapeculiargift.Jahnbelievedthat

thisapproachfurthermarginalizedthetopic.Themoreinterestingquestion,inhismind,was

whetherthiswasacapacitypresentineveryhumanbeing.

Healsowonderedwhatimpactthismighthaveonoureverydaylives.Fromhis

positionasdeanofanengineeringschoolinthe1970s,Jahnrealizedthattheworldstood

poisedonthebrinkofamajorcomputerrevolution.Microprocessortechnologywas

becomingincreasinglysensitiveandvulnerable.Ifitweretruethatlivingconsciousnesscould

influencesuchsensitiveequipment,thisinitselfwouldhaveamajorimpactonhowthe

equipmentoperated.Thetiniestdisturbancesinaquantumprocesscouldcreatesignificant

deviationsfromestablishedbehaviour,theslightestmovementsenditsoaringina

completelydifferentdirection.

Jahnknewthathewasinapositiontomakeauniquecontribution.Ifthisresearch

weregroundedintraditionalsciencebackedbyaprestigiousuniversity,theentiretopic

mightbeairedinamorescholarlyway.

Hemadeplansforsettingupasmallprogramme,andgaveitaneutralname:Princeton

EngineeringAnomaliesResearch,whichwouldthereafteralwaysbeknownasPEAR.Jahn

alsoresolvedtotakealow‐keyandlone‐wolfapproachbydeliberatelydistancinghimself

fromthevariousparapsychologicalassociationsandstudiouslyavoidinganypublicity.

Beforelong,privatefundingbeganrollingin,launchingaprecedentthatJahnwould

followthereafterofnevertakingadimeoftheUniversity'smoneyforhisPEARwork.Largely

becauseofJahn'sreputation,PrincetontoleratedPEARlikeapatientparentwithaprecocious

butunrulychild.Hewasofferedatinyclusterofroomsinthebasementoftheengineering

school,whichwastoexistasitsownlittleuniversewithinoneofthemoreconservative

disciplinesonthisAmericanIvyLeaguecampus.

AsJahnbeganconsideringwhathemightneedtogetaprogrammeofthissizeoffthe

ground,hemadecontactwithmanyoftheothernewexplorersinfrontierphysicsand

consciousnessstudies.Intheprocess,hemetandhiredBrendaDunne,adevelopmental

psychologistattheUniversityofChicago,whohadconductedandvalidatedanumberof

experimentsinclairvoyance.

InDunne,Jahnhaddeliberatelychosenacounterpointtohimself,whichwasobviousat

firstsightbytheirgapingphysicaldifferences.Jahnwasspareandgaunt,oftenneatlyturned

outinatidycheckedshirtandcasualtrousers,theinformaluniformofconservative

academia,andinbothhismannerandhiseruditespeechgaveoffasenseofcontainment—

neverasuperfluouswordorunnecessarygesture.Dunnehadthemoreeffusivepersonal

style.Shewasoftendrapedinflowingclothes,herimmensemaneofsalt‐and‐pepperhair

hunglooseorpony‐tailedlikeaNativeAmerican.Althoughalsoaseasonedscientist,Dunne

tendedtoleadfromtheinstinctive.Herjobwastoprovidethemoremetaphysicaland

subjectiveunderstandingofthematerialtobolsterJahn'slargelyanalyticalapproach.He

woulddesignthemachines;shewoulddesignthelookandfeeloftheexperiments.Hewould

representPEAR'sfacetotheworld;shewouldrepresentalessformidablefacetoits

participants.

Thefirsttask,inJahn'smind,wastoimproveupontheRNGtechnology.Jahndecided

thathisRandomEventGenerators,orREGs(hard‘G'),astheycametobecalled,shouldbe

drivenbyanelectronicnoisesource,ratherthanatomicdecay.Therandomoutputofthese

machineswascontrolledbysomethingakintothewhitenoiseyouhearwhenthedialofyour

radioisbetweenstations—atinyroaringsurfoffreeelectrons.Thisprovidedamechanism

tosendoutarandomlyalternatingstringofpositiveandnegativepulses.Theresultswere

displayedonacomputerscreenandthentransmittedon‐linetoadatamanagementsystem.

Anumberoffailsafefeatures,suchasvoltageandthermalmonitors,guardedagainst

tamperingorbreakdown,andtheywerecheckedreligiouslytoensurethatwhennot

involvedinexperimentsofvolition,theywereproducingeachoftheirtwopossibilities,1or

0,moreorless50percentofthetime.

Allthehardwarefailsafedevicesguaranteedthatanydeviationfromthenormal50‐50

chanceheadsandtailswouldnotbeduetoanyelectronicglitches,butpurelytheresultof

someinformationorinfluenceactinguponit.Eventhemostminuteeffectscouldbequickly

quantifiedbythecomputer.Jahnalsosoupedupthehardware,gettingittoworkfarfaster.

Bythetimehewasfinished,itoccurredtohimthatinasingleafternoonhecouldcollectmore

datathanRhinehadamassedinhisentirelifetime.

DunneandJahnalsorefinedthescientificprotocol.TheydecidedthatalltheirREG

studiesshouldfollowthesamedesign:eachparticipantsittinginfrontofthemachinewould

undergothreetestsofequallength.Inthefirst,theywouldwillthemachinetoproducemore

isthen0s(or'HI's,asPEARresearchersputit).Inthesecond,theywouldmentallydirectthe

machinetoproducemore0sthanis(more10's).

Inthethird,theywouldattemptnottoinfluencethemachineinanyway.Thisthree‐

stageprocesswastoguardagainstanybiasintheequipment.Themachinewouldthen

recordtheoperator'sdecisionsvirtuallysimultaneously.

Whenaparticipantpressedabutton,hewouldsetoffatrialof200binary'hits'of1or

0,lastingaboutone‐fifthofasecond,duringwhichtimehewouldholdhismentalintention

(toproducemorethanthe100'I's,say,expectedbychance).UsuallythePEARteamwould

askeachoperatortocarryoutarunof50trialsatonego,aprocessthatmightonlytakehalf

anhourbutwhichwouldproduce10,000hitsof1or0.DunneandJahntypicallyexamined

scoresforeachoperatorofblocksof50or100runs(2,500to5,000trials,or500,000toone

millionbinary'hits')—theminimumchunkofdata,theydetermined,forreliablypinpointing

trends.17

Fromtheoutsetitwasclearthattheyneededasophisticatedmethodofanalysingtheir

results.Schmidthadsimplycountedupthenumberofhitsandcomparedthemtochance.

JahnandDunnedecidedtouseatried‐and‐testedmethodinstatisticscalledcumulative

deviation,whichentailedcontinuallyaddingupyourdeviationfromthechancescore—100

—foreachtrialandaveragingit,andthenplottingitonagraph.

Thegraphwouldshowthemean,oraverage,andcertainstandarddeviations—

marginswhereresultsdeviatefromthemeanbutarestillnotconsideredsignificant.Intrials

of200binaryhitsoccurringrandomly,yourmachineshouldthrowanaverageof100heads

and100tailsovertime—soyourbellcurvewillhave100asitsmean,representedbya

verticallineinitiatedfromtopofitshighestpoint.Ifyouweretoploteachresulteverytime

yourmachineconductedatrial,youwouldhaveindividualpointsonyourbellcurve—101,

103,95,104—representingeachscore.Becauseanysingleeffectissotiny,itisdifficult,

doingitthatway,toseeanyoveralltrend.Butifyoucontinuetoaddupandaverageyour

resultsandarehavingeffects,nomatterhowslight,yourscoresshouldleadtoasteadily

increasingdeparturefromexpectation.Cumulativeaveragingshowsoffanydeviationinbold

relief.18

ItwasalsocleartoJahnandDunnethattheyneededavastamountofdata.Statistical

glitchescanoccurevenwithapoolofdataaslargeas25,000trials.Ifyouarelookingata

binarychanceeventlikecointossing,instatisticaltermsyoushouldbethrowingheadsor

tailsroughlyhalfthetime.Sayyoudecidedtotossacoin200timesandcameupwith102

heads.Giventhesmallnumbersinvolved,yourslightfavouringofheadswouldstillbe

consideredstatisticallywellwithinthelawsofchance.

Butifyoutossedthatsamecoin2milliontimes,andyoucameupwith1,020,000

heads,thiswouldsuddenlyrepresentahugedeviationfromchance.Withtinyeffectslikethe

REGtests,itisnotindividualorsmallclustersofstudiesbutthecombiningofvastamountsof

datawhich'compounds'tostatisticalsignificance,byitsincreasingdeparturefrom

expectation.19

Aftertheirfirst5000studiesJahnandDunnedecidedtopulloffthedataandcompute

whatwashappeningthusfar.ItwasaSundayeveningandtheywereatBobJahn'shouse.

Theytooktheiraverageresultsforeachoperatorandbeganplottingthemonagraph,using

littlereddotsforanytimetheiroperatorshadattemptedtoinfluencethemachinetohavea

HI(heads)andlittlegreendotsfortheLOintentions(tails).

Whentheyfinished,theyexaminedwhattheyhad.Iftherehadbeennodeviationfrom

chance,thetwobellcurveswouldbesittingrightontopofthebellcurveofchance,with100

asthemean.

Theirresultswerenothinglikethat.Thetwotypesofintentionhadeachgoneina

differentdirection.Theredbellcurve,representingthe'HI'intentions,hadshiftedtotheright

ofthechanceaverage,andthegreenbellcurvehadshiftedtotheleft.Thiswasasrigorousa

scientificstudyastheycome,andyetsomehowtheirparticipants—allordinarypeople,no

psychicsuperstarsamongthem—hadbeenabletoaffecttherandommovementofmachines

simplybyanactofwill.

Jahnlookedupfromthedata,satbackinhischairandmetBrenda'seye.'That'svery

nice,'hesaid.

Dunnestaredathimindisbelief.Withscientificrigourandtechnologicalprecisionthey

hadjustgeneratedproofofideasthatwereformerlytheprovinceofmysticalexperienceor

themostoutlandishsciencefiction.They'dprovedsomethingrevolutionaryabouthuman

consciousness.Maybeonedaythisworkwouldheraldarefinementofquantumphysics.

Indeed,whattheyhadintheirhandswasbeyondcurrentscience—wasperhapsthe

beginningsofanewscience.

‘Whatdoyoumean,"that'sverynice"?'shereplied.Thisisabsolutely...incredible!'

EvenBobJahn,inhiscautiousanddeliberatemanner,hisdislikeofbeingimmoderate

orwavingafistintheair,hadtoadmit,staringatthegraphssprawledacrosshisdining‐room

table,thattherewerenowordsinhiscurrentscientificvocabularytoexplainthem.

ItwasBrendawhofirstsuggestedthattheymakethemachinesmoreengagingandthe

environmentmorecosyinordertoencouragethe'resonance'whichappearedtobe

occurringbetweenparticipantsandtheirmachines.Jahnbegancreatingahostofingenious

randommechanical,opticalandelectronicdevices—aswingingpendulum;aspoutingwater

fountain;computerscreenswhichswitchedattractiveimagesatrandom;amoveableREG

whichskittledrandomlybackandforthacrossatable;andthejewelinthePEARlab'scrown,

arandommechanicalcascade.Atrestitappearedlikeagiantpinballmachineattachedtothe

wall,a6‐by10‐footframedsetof330pegs.Whenactivated,ninethousandpolystyreneballs

tumbledoverthepegsinthespanofonly12minutesandstackedinoneofnineteen

collectionbins,eventuallyproducingaconfigurationresemblingabell‐shapedcurve.Brenda

putatoyfrogonthemoveableREGsandspenttimeselectingattractivecomputerimages,so

thatparticipantswouldbe'rewarded'iftheychoseacertainimagebyseeingmoreofit.They

putupwoodpanelling.Theybeganacollectionofteddybears.Theyofferedparticipants

snacksandbreaks.

Yearinandyearout,JahnandDunnecarriedonthetediousprocessofcollectinga

mountainofdata—whichwouldeventuallyturnintothelargestdatabaseeverassembledof

studiesintoremoteintention.Atvariouspoints,theywouldstoptoanalysealltheyhad

amassedthusfar.Inone12‐yearperiodofnearly2.5milliontrials,itturnedoutthat52per

centofallthetrialswereintheintendeddirectionandnearlytwo‐thirdsoftheninety‐one

operatorshadoverallsuccessininfluencingthemachinesthewaythey'dintended.Thiswas

true,nomatterwhichtypeofmachinewasused.20Nothingelse‐whetheritwasthewaya

participantlookedatamachine,thestrengthoftheirconcentration,thelighting,the

backgroundnoiseoreventhepresenceofotherpeople‐seemedtomakeanydifferenceto

theresults.Solongastheparticipantwilledthemachinetoregisterheadsortails,heorshe

hadsomeinfluenceonitasignificantpercentageofthetime.

Theresultswithdifferentindividualswouldvary(somewouldproducemoreheads

thantails,evenwhentheyhadconcentratedontheexactopposite).Nevertheless,many

operatorshadtheirown'signature'outcome‐Peterwouldtendtoproducemoreheadsthan

tails,andPaulviceversa.21Resultsalsotendedtobeuniquetotheindividualoperator,no

matterwhatthemachine.Thisindicatedthattheprocesswasuniversal,notoneoccurring

withonlycertaininteractionsorindividuals.

In1987,RogerNelsonofthePEARteamandDeanRadin,bothdoctorsofpsychology,

combinedalltheREGexperiments‐morethanB00‐thathadbeenconducteduptothattime.

22Apoolingtogetheroftheresultsoftheindividualstudiesofsixty‐eightinvestigators,

includingSchmidtandthePEARteam,showedthatparticipantscouldaffectthemachineso

thatitgivesthedesiredresultabout51percentofthetime,againstanexpectedresultof50

percent.Theseresultsweresimilartothoseoftwoearlierreviewsandanoverviewofmany

oftheexperimentsperformedondice.23Schmidt'sresultsremainedthemostdramaticwith

thosestudiesthathadleaptto54percent.24

Although51or54percentdoesn'tsoundlikemuchofaneffect,statisticallyspeaking

it'sagiantstep.Ifyoucombineallthestudiesintowhatiscalleda'meta‐analysis',asRadin

andNelsondid,theoddsofthisoverallscoreoccurringareatrilliontoone.25Intheirmeta‐

analysis,RadinandNelsoneventookaccountofthemostfrequentcriticismsoftheREG

studiesconcerningprocedures,dataorequipmentbysettingupsixteencriteriabywhichto

judgeeachexperimenter'soveralldataandthenassigningeachexperimentaqualityscore.26

Amorerecentmeta‐analysisoftheREGdatafrom1959to2000showedasimilarresult.27

TheUSNationalResearchCouncilalsoconcludedthattheREGtrialscouldnotbeexplained

bychance.28

Aneffectsizeisafigurewhichreflectstheactualsizeofchangeoroutcomeinastudy.

Itisarrivedatbyfactoringinsuchvariablesasthenumberofparticipantsandthelengthof

thetest.Insomedrugstudies,itisarrivedatbydividingthenumberofpeoplewhohavehad

apositiveeffectfromthedrugbythetotalnumberofparticipantsinthetrial.Theoverall

effectsizeofthePEARdatabasewas0.2perhour.29Usuallyaneffectsizebetween0.0to0.3

isconsideredsmall,a0.3to0.6effectsizeismediumandanythingabovethatisconsidered

large.ThePEAReffectsizesareconsideredsmallandtheoverallREGstudies,smallto

medium.However,theseeffectsizesarefarlargerthanthoseofmanydrugsdeemedtobe

highlysuccessfulinmedicine.

Numerousstudieshaveshownthatpropranololandaspirinarehighlysuccessfulin

reducingheartattacks.Aspirininparticularhasbeenhailedasagreatwhitehopeofheart‐

diseaseprevention.Nevertheless,largestudieshaveshownthattheeffectsizeofpropranolol

is0.04andaspirinis0.03,respectively—orabouttentimessmallerthantheeffectsizesof

thePEARdata.Onemethodofdeterminingthemagnitudeofeffectsizesistoconvertthe

figuretothenumberofpersonssurvivinginasampleof100people.Aneffectsizeof0.03ina

medicallife‐ordeathsituationwouldmeanthatthreeadditionalpeopleoutofonehundred

survived,andaneffectsizeof0.3wouldmeanthatanadditionalthirtyofonehundred

survived.30

Togivesomehypotheticalideaofthemagnitudeofthedifference,saythatwitha

certaintypeofheartoperation,thirtypatientsoutofahundredusuallysurvive.Now,saythat

patientsundergoingthisoperationaregivenanewdrugwithaneffectsizeof0.3—closeto

thesizeofthehourlyPEAReffect.Offeringthedrugontopoftheoperationwouldvirtually

doublethesurvivalrate.Anadditionaleffectsizeof0.3wouldturnamedicaltreatmentthat

hadbeenlife­savinglessthanhalfthetimeintoonethatworkedinthemajorityofcases.31

OtherinvestigatorsusingREGmachinesdiscoveredthatitwasnotsimplyhumanswho

hadthisinfluenceoverthephysicalworld.UsingavariationofJahn'sREGmachines,aFrench

scientistnamedRenéPeoc'halsocarriedoutaningeniousexperimentwithbabychicks.As

soonastheywereborn,amoveableREGwas'imprinted'onthemastheir'mother'.Therobot

wasthenplacedoutsidethechicks'cageandallowedtomoveaboutfreely,asPeoc'htracked

itspath.Afteratime,theevidencewasclear—therobotwasmovingtowardthechicksmore

thanitwoulddoifitwerewanderingrandomly.Thedesireofthechickstobeneartheir

motherwasan'inferredintention'thatappearedtobehavinganeffectindrawingthe

machinenearer.32Peoc'hcarriedoutasimilarstudywithbabyrabbits.Heplacedabright

lightonthemoveableREGthatthebabyrabbitsfoundabhorrent.Whenthedatafromthe

experimentwasanalysed,itappearedthattherabbitsweresuccessfullywillingthemachine

tostayawayfromthem.

JahnandDunnebegantoformulateatheory.Ifrealityresultedfromsomeelaborate

interactionofconsciousnesswithitsenvironment,thenconsciousness,likesubatomic

particlesofmatter,mightalsobebasedonasystemofprobabilities.Oneofthecentraltenets

ofquantumphysics,firstproposedbyLouisdeBroglie,isthatsubatomicentitiescanbehave

eitherasparticles(precisethingswithasetlocationinspace)orwaves(diffuseand

unboundedregionsofinfluencewhichcanflowthroughandinterferewithotherwaves).

Theybegantochewovertheideathatconsciousnesshadasimilarduality.Eachindividual

consciousnesshaditsown'particulate'separateness,butwasalsocapableof'wave‐like'

behaviour,inwhichitcouldflowthroughanybarriersordistance,toexchangeinformation

andinteractwiththephysicalworld.Atcertaintimes,subatomicconsciousnesswouldgetin

resonancewith—beatatthesamefrequencyas—certainsubatomicmatter.Inthemodel

theybegantoassemble,consciousness'atoms'combinedwithordinaryatoms—those,say,

oftheREGmachine—andcreateda'consciousnessmolecule'inwhichthewholewas

differentfromitscomponentparts.Theoriginalatomswouldeachsurrendertheirindividual

entitiestoasinglelarger,morecomplexentity.Onthemostbasiclevel,theirtheorywas

saying,youandyourREGmachinedevelopcoherence.33

Certainlysomeoftheirresultsseemedtofavourthisinterpretation.JahnandDunne

hadwonderedifthetinyeffecttheywereobservingwithindividualswouldgetanylargerif

twoormorepeopletriedtoinfluencethemachineintandem.ThePEARlabranaseriesof

studiesusingpairsofpeople,inwhicheachpairwastoactinconcertwhenattemptingto

influencethemachines.

Of256,500trials,producedbyfifteenpairsinforty‐twoexperimentalseries,many

pairsalsoproduceda'signature'result,whichdidn'tnecessarilyresembletheeffectofeither

individualalone.34Beingofthesamesextendedtohaveaveryslightnegativeeffect.These

typesofcoupleshadaworseoutcomethantheyachievedindividually;witheightpairsof

operatorstheresultsweretheveryoppositeofwhatwasintended.Couplesoftheopposite

sex,allofwhomkneweachother,hadapowerfulcomplementaryeffect,producingmorethan

threeandahalftimestheeffectofindividuals.However,'bonded'pairs,thosecouplesina

relationship,hadthemostprofoundeffect,whichwasnearlysixtimesasstrongasthatof

singleoperators.35

Iftheseeffectsdependeduponsomesortofresonancebetweenthetwoparticipating

consciousnesses,itwouldmakesensethatstrongereffectswouldoccuramongthosepeople

sharingidentities,suchassiblings,twinsorcouplesinarelationship.36Beingclosemay

createcoherence.Astwowavesinphaseamplifiedasignal,itmaybethatabondedcouple

hasanespeciallypowerfulresonance,whichwouldenhancetheirjointeffectonthemachine.

Afewyearslater,Dunneanalysedthedatabasetoseeifresultsdifferedaccordingto

gender.Whenshedividedresultsbetweenmenandwomen,shefoundthatmenonthewhole

werebetteratgettingthemachinetodowhattheywanteditdo,althoughtheiroveralleffect

wasweakerthanitwaswithwomen.Women,onthewhole,hadastrongereffectonthe

machine,butnotnecessarilyinthedirectionthey'dintended.37Afterexamining270

databasesproducedby135operatorsinnineexperimentsbetween1979and1993,Dunne

foundthatmenhadequalsuccessinmakingthemachinedowhattheywanted,whether

headsortails(orHIsandLOs).Women,ontheotherhand,weresuccessfulininfluencingthe

machinetorecordheads(HIs),butnottails(Los).Infact,mostoftheirattemptstogetthe

machinetodotailsfailed.Althoughthemachinewouldvaryfromchance,itwouldbeinthe

veryoppositedirectionofwhatthey'dintended.38

Attimes,womenproducedbetterresultswhentheyweren'tconcentratingstrictlyon

themachine,butweredoingotherthingsaswell,whereasstrictconcentrationseemed

importantformen'ssuccess.39Thismayprovidesomesubatomicevidencethatwomenare

betteratmultitaskingthanmen,whilemenarebetteratconcentratedfocus.Itmaywellbe

thatinmicroscopicwaysmenhaveamoredirectimpactontheirworld,whilewomen's

effectsaremoreprofound.

ThensomethinghappenedwhichforcedJahnandDunnetoreconsidertheirhypothesis

aboutthenatureoftheeffectstheywereobserving.In1992,PEARhadbandedtogetherwith

theUniversityofGiessenandtheFreibergInstitutetocreatetheMind—MachineConsortium.

Theconsortium'sfirsttaskwastoreplicatetheoriginalPEARdata,whicheveryoneassumed

wouldproceedasamatterofcourse.Oncetheresultsofallthreelaboratorieswere

examined,however,theylooked,atfirstglance,afailure—littlebetterthanthe50‐50odds

whichoccurbychancealone.40

Whenwritinguptheresults,JahnandDunnenoticedsomeodddistortionsinthedata.

Somethinginterestinghadoccurredinthesecondaryvariables.Instatisticalgraphs,youcan

shownotonlywhatyouraverageoughttobebutalsohowfarthedeviationsfromitoughtto

spreadfromyourmean.WiththeMind‐‐Machinedata,themeanwasrightwhereitwouldbe

withachanceresult,butnotmuchelsewas.Thesizeofthevariationwastoobig,andthe

shapeofthebellcurvewasdisproportionate.Overall,thedistributionwasfarmoreskewed

thanitwouldbeifitwerejustachanceresult.Somethingstrangewasgoingon.

WhenJahnandDunnelookedalittlecloseratthedata,themostobviousproblemhad

todowithfeedback.Upuntilthattimethey'doperatedontheassumptionthatproviding

immediatefeedback—tellingtheoperatorshowtheyweredoingininfluencingthemachine

—andmakinganattractivedisplayoramachinethatpeoplecouldreallyengagewithwould

cruciallyhelptoproducegoodresults.Thiswouldhooktheoperatorintotheprocessand

helpthemtogetin'resonance'withthedevice.Forthementalworldtointeractwiththe

physicalworld,they'dthought,theinterface‐anattractivedisplay—wascrucialin

breachingthatdivide.

However,intheConsortiumdata,theyrealizedthattheoperatorsweredoingjustas

well‐orsometimesbetter—whentheyhadnofeedback.

Oneoftheirotherstudies,calledArtREG,hadalsofailedtogetsignificantoverall

results.41TheydecidedtoexaminethatstudyabitmorecloselyinlightoftheMind—

MachineConsortiumresults.They'dusedengagingimagesonacomputer,whichrandomly

switchedbackandforth—inonecaseaNavajosandpaintingswitchedwithAnubis,the

ancientEgyptianjudgeofthedead.Theideawasfortheiroperatorstowillthemachineto

showmoreofonethantheother.ThePEARteamhadassumedonceagainthatanattractive

imagewouldactasacarrot—you'dbe'rewarded'foryourintentionbyseeingmoreofthe

imageyoupreferred.

Oncethey'dexaminedthedataofthestudyintermsofyieldbypicture,thoseimages

whichhadproducedthemostsuccessfuloutcomesallfellintoasimilarcategory:the

archetypal,theritualisticorthereligiouslyiconographic.Thiswasthedomainofdreams,the

unexpressedorunarticulated—imagesthat,bytheirverydesign,wereintendedtoengage

theunconscious.

Ifthatweretrue,theintentionwascomingfromdeepintheunconsciousmind,and

thismayhavebeenthecauseoftheeffects.JahnandDunnerealizedwhatwaswrongwith

theirassumptions.Usingdevicestomaketheparticipantfunctiononaconsciouslevelmight

beactingasabarrier.Insteadofincreasingconsciousawarenessamongtheiroperators,they

shouldhediminishingit.42

Thisrealizationcausedthemtorefinetheirideasabouthowtheeffectsthey'd

observedintheirlabsmightoccur.Jahnlikedtocallithis'workinprogress'.Itappearedthat

theunconsciousmindsomehowhadthecapabilityofcommunicatingwiththesubtangible

physicalworld‐thequantumworldofallpossibility.Thismarriageofunformedmindand

matterwouldthenassembleitselfintosomethingtangibleinthemanifestworld.43

ThismodelmakesperfectsenseifitalsoembracestheoriesoftheZeroPointFieldand

quantumbiologyproposedbyPribram,Poppandtheothers.Boththeunconsciousmind‐a

worldbeforethoughtandconsciousintention‐andthe‘unconscious'ofmatter—theZero

PointField—existinaprobabilisticstateofallpossibility.Thesubconsciousmindisapre‐

conceptualsubstratefromwhichconceptsemerge,andtheZeroPointFieldisaprobabilistic

substrateofthephysicalworld.Itismindandmatterattheirmostfundamental.Inthis

subtangibledimension,possiblyofacommonorigin,itwouldmakesensethattherewouldbe

agreaterlikelihoodofquantuminteraction.

Attimes,Jahnkickedaroundthemostradicalideaofall.Whenyougetdownfar

enoughintothequantumworld,theremaybenodistinctionbetweenthementalandthe

physical.Theremaybeonlytheconcept.Itmightjustbeconsciousnessattemptingtomake

senseofablizzardofinformation.Theremightnotbetwointangibleworlds.Theremightbe

onlyone‐TheFieldandtheabilityofmattertoorganizeitselfcoherently.44

AsPribramandHamerofftheorized,consciousnessresultsfromsuperradiance,a

ripplingcascadeofsubatomiccoherence—whenindividualquantumparticlessuchas

photonslosetheirindividualityandbeginactingasasingleunit,likeanarmycallingevery

soldierintoline.Sinceeverymotionofeverychargedparticleofeverybiologicalprocessis

mirroredintheZeroPointField,ourcoherenceextendsoutintheworld.Accordingtothe

lawsofclassicalphysics,particularlythelawofentropy,themovementoftheinanimate

worldisalwaystowardchaosanddisorder.However,thecoherenceofconsciousness

representsthegreatestformoforderknowntonature,andthePEARstudiessuggestthatthis

ordermayhelptoshapeandcreateorderintheworld.Whenwewishforsomethingor

intendsomething,anactwhichrequiresagreatdealofunityofthought,ourowncoherence

maybe,inasense,infectious.

Onthemostprofoundlevel,thePEARstudiesalsosuggestthatrealityiscreatedby

eachofusonlybyourattention.Atthelowestlevelofmindandmatter,eachofuscreatesthe

world.

TheeffectsthatJahnhadbeenabletorecordwerealmostimperceptible.Itwastoo

earlytoknowwhy.Eitherthemachinerywasstilltoocrudetopickuptheeffectorhewas

onlypickingupasinglesignal,whentherealeffectoccursfromanoceanofsignals‐an

interactionofalllivingthingsintheZeroPointField.Thedifferencebetweenhisownresults

andthehigheronesrecordedbySchmidtsuggestedthatthisabilitywasspreadacrossthe

population,butthatitwaslikeartisticability.Certainindividualsweremoreskilfulat

harnessingit.

Jahnhadseenthatthisprocesshadminuteeffectsonprobabilisticprocesses,andthat

thismightexplainallthewell‐knownstoriesaboutpeoplehavingpositiveornegativeeffects

onmachines‐why,onsomebaddays,computers,telephonesandphotocopiersmalfunction.

ItmightevenexplaintheproblemsBenvenistehadbeenhavingwithhisrobot.

Itseemedthatwehadanabilitytoextendourowncoherenceoutintoour

environment.Byasimpleactofwishing,wecouldcreateorder.Thisrepresentedanalmost

unimaginableamountofpower.Onthecrudestlevel,Jahnhadprovedthat,atleastonthe

subatomiclevel,therewassuchasthingasmindovermatter.Buthe'ddemonstrated

somethingevenmorefundamentalaboutthepowerfulnatureofhumanintention.TheREG

dataofferedatinywindowintotheveryessenceofhumancreativity—itscapacitytocreate,

toorganize,eventoheal.45Jahnhadhisevidencethathumanconsciousnesshadthepower

toorderrandomelectronicdevices.Thequestionnowbeforehimwaswhatelsemightbe

possible.

CHAPTERSEVENSharingDreams

DEEPINTHERAINFORESTSOftheAmazon,theAchuarandtheHuaoraniIndiansare

assembledfortheirdailyritual.Everymorning,eachmemberofthetribeawakensbefore

dawn,andoncegatheredtogetherinthattwilighthour,astheworldexplodesintolight,they

sharetheirdreams.Thisisnotsimplyaninterestingpastime,anopportunityforstorytelling:

totheAchuarandtheHuaorani,thedreamisownednotbythedreameralone,but

collectivelybythegroup,andtheindividualdreamerissimplythevesselthedreamdecided

toborrowtohaveaconversationwiththewholetribe.Thetribesviewthedreamasamap

fortheirwakinghours.Itisaforecasterofwhatistocomeforallofthem.Indreamsthey

connectwiththeirancestorsandtherestoftheuniverse.Thedreamiswhatisreal.Itistheir

wakinglifethatisthefalsehood.1

Furthernorth,agroupofscientistsalsodiscoveredthatdreamsaren'townedbythe

dreamer,asleepinasoundproofchamberbehindanelectromagneticshield,electrodestaped

tohisskull.TheyareownedbySolFieldstein,aCityCollegedoctoralstudentinanotherroom

severalhundredyardsaway,whoisexaminingapaintingentitledZapatistasbyCarlosOrozco

Romero‐apanoramaofMexicanrevolutionaries,followersofEmilianoZapata,allmarching

withtheirshawledwomenunderthedarkcloudsofanimminentstorm.Sol'sinstructionsare

towillthisimagetothedreamer.Afewmomentslater,thedreamer,DrWilliamErwin,a

psychoanalyst,isawakened.Thedreamhewashaving,hetoldthem,wasacrazything,

almostlikeacolossalCecilB.DeMilleproduction.Whathekeptseeingwasthisimage,under

aforebodingsky,ofsomesortofancientMexicancivilization.2

Thedreameristhevesselforaborrowedthought,acollectivenotion,presentinthe

microscopicvibrationsinbetweenthedreamers.Thedreamstateismoreauthenticforit

showstheconnectioninboldrelief.Theirwakingstateofisolation,eachintheirseparate

room,is,astheAmazonsviewit,theimpostor.

OneofthequestionsthatarosefromthePEARstudieswasthenatureofownershipof

thought.Ifyoucouldinfluencemachines,itratherbeggedthequestionofexactlywhereyour

thoughtslie.Whereexactlywasthehumanmind?TheusualassumptioninWesterncultureis

thatitislocatedinourbrains.Butifthisistrue,howcouldthoughtsorintentionsaffectother

people?Isitthatthethoughtisoutthere',somewhereelse?Oristheresuchathingasan

extendedmind,acollectivethought?Doeswhatwethinkordreaminfluenceanyoneelse?

ThesewerethekindsofquestionsthatpreoccupiedWilliamBraud.He'dreadof

studiesliketheonewiththeMexicanpainting,whichwasoneofthemoredramaticofstudies

ontelepathyconductedbyCharlesHonorton,anotedconsciousnessresearcheratthe

MaimonidesMedicalCenterinBrooklyn,NewYork.ForabehaviouristlikeBraud,the

Honortonstudyrepresentedaradicalneweducation.

Braudwassoft‐spokenandthoughtful,withagentle,deliberatemanner,mostofhis

faceencompassedbyagenerousbeard.He'dbegunhiscareerasapsychologistoftheold

school,withaparticularinterestinthepsychologyandbiochemistryofmemoryandlearning.

Nevertheless,therewasanerrantstreakinhim,afascinationwithwhatWilliamJames,the

founderofpsychologyinAmerica,hadtermed'whitecrows'.Braudlikedanomalies,the

thingsinlifethatdidn'tfit,theassumptionsthatcouldbeturnedaskew.

Justafewyearsafterhe'dgothisPhD,the1960shadloosenedupthetightholdof

PavlovandSkinneronhisimagination.Atthetime,Braudhadbeenteachingclassesin

memory,motivationandlearningattheUniversityofHouston.Recently,he'dbecome

interestedinworkshowingaremarkablepropertyofthehumanbrain.Theearlypioneersin

biofeedbackandrelaxationdemonstratedthatpeoplecouldinfluencetheirownmuscular

reactionorheartrate,justbydirectingtheirattentiontopartsofitinsequence.Biofeedback

evenhadmeasurableeffectsonbrainwaveactivity,bloodpressureandelectricalactivityon

theskin.3

Braudhadbeentoyingwithhisownstudiesonextrasensoryperception.Oneofhis

studentswhopractisedhypnosisagreedtoparticipateinastudyinwhichBraudattemptedto

transmithisthoughts.Someamazingtransferenceshadgoneon.Hisstudent,who'dbeen

hypnotisedandwassittinginaroomdownthehallfromhim,unawareofBraud'sdoings,

seemedtohavesomeempatheticconnectionwithhim.Braudhadprickedhishandand

placeditoveracandleflameandhisstudentexperiencedpainorheat.He'dlookedata

pictureofaboatandthestudentremarkedaboutaboat.Heopenedthedoorofhislabinto

thebrilliantTexassunshineandthestudentmentionedthesun.Braudhadbeenabletocarry

outhisendoftheexperimentanywhere—theothersideofthebuildingormanymilesaway

fromhisstudentinthesealedroom‐andgetthesameresults.4

In1971,whenhewas29,BraudcrossedpathswithEdgarMitchell,whohadjust

returnedfromhisApollo14flight.Mitchellhaddecidedtowriteabookaboutthenatureof

consciousnessandatthetimehewasscoutingaroundforanygoodresearchofthiskind.

BraudandoneotheracademicweretheonlypeopleinHoustoninvolvedinanycredible

studyofthenatureofconsciousness.ItwasonlynaturalthatheandMitchellwouldfindeach

other.Theybeganmeetingregularlyandcomparingnotesonresearchthatexistedinthis

area.

Therewasplentyofresearchontelepathy.5There'dbeenthehighlysuccessfulcard

experimentsofJosephRhine,usedbyMitchellinouterspace.Evenmoreconvincingwerethe

studiesoftheMaimonidesMedicalCenterinBrooklyninthelate1960s,conductedinits

specialdreamresearchlaboratory.MontagueUllmanandStanleyKrippnerhadconducted

numerousexperimentsliketheonewiththeMexicanpaintingtoseeifthoughtscouldbesent

andincorporatedintodreams.TheMaimonidesworkhadbeensosuccessfulthatwhen

analysedbyaUniversityofCaliforniastatisticianwhowasexpertinpsychicresearch,the

totalserieshadshowedanastonishingaccuracyrateof84percent.Theoddsofthis

happeningbychancewereaquarterofamilliontoone.6

There'devenbeensomeevidencethatpeoplecanempatheticallyfeelanother'spain.A

psychologistnamedCharlesTartinBerkeleyhaddesignedaparticularlybrutalstudy,

administeringelectricshockstohimselftoseeifhecould‘send'hispainandhaveitregister

withareceiver,whowashookeduptomachineswhichwouldmeasureheartrate,blood

volumeandotherphysiologicalchanges.7WhatTartfoundwasthathisreceiverswere

awareofhispain,butnotonaconsciouslevel.Anyempathytheymighthavehadwas

registeringphysiologicallythroughdecreasedbloodvolumeorfasterbeatingoftheheart‐

butnotconsciously.Whenquestioned,theparticipantshadn'tanyideawhenTartwasgetting

theshocks.8

Tartalsohadshownthatwhentwoparticipantshypnotiseeachother,theyexperience

intensecommonhallucinations.Theyalsoclaimedtohavesharedanextrasensory

communication,wheretheykneweachother'sthoughtsandfeelings.9

ItgotsothatBrand'swhitecrowswerebeginningtotakeover,crowdingouthis

academicwork.Braud'sownbeliefsystemhadmovedinsmall,deliberatestepsfromhis

originalideas,whichhadembracedthesimplecause‐and‐effectequationsofbrainchemistry,

tomorecomplexideasaboutconsciousness.Hisowntentativeexperimentshadbeenso

breathtakinglydramaticthattheyhadconvincedhimthatsomethingfarmorecomplexthan

chemicalswasatworkinthebrain—ifanyofthiswashappeninginthebrainatall.

Ashe'dbecomeinterestedinalteredconsciousnessandtheeffectofrelaxationon

physiology,soBraudhadbeenluredawayfromhisbehaviouristtheories.Mitchellhadbeen

receivingsomefundingfromtheMindScienceFoundation,anorganizationdevotedto

consciousnessresearch.Asithappened,theFoundationwasplanningtomovetoSanAntonio

andneededanotherseniorscientist.Thejob,withallthefreedomitofferedfor

experimentationintothenatureofconsciousness,wasexactlywhatBraudwaslookingfor.

Theworldofconsciousnessresearchwasasmallone.Oneoftheothermembersofthe

FoundationwasHelmutSchmidt,andBraudsoonmetSchmidtandhisREGmachines.Itwas

therethathebegantowonderhowfartheinfluenceofthehumanmindworked.Afterall,

humanbeings,likeREGs,qualifyassystemswithconsiderableplasticityandlability‐

potentialforchange.Thesedynamicsystemswerealwaysinfluxandmightalsobe

susceptibletopsychokineticinfluenceonsomelevel—quantumorotherwise.

ItwasonlyonesmallstepfurtherforBraudtoconsiderthatifpeoplecouldaffecttheir

ownbodiesthroughattention,thentheyjustmightbeabletocreatethesameeffectin

someoneelse.AndifwecouldcreateorderininanimateobjectssuchasREGmachines,

perhapswecouldalsoestablishorderinotherlivingthings.Whatthesethoughtswere

leadinguptowasamodelofconsciousnessthatwasnotevenlimitedbythebody,butwasan

etherealpresencethattrespassedintootherbodiesandlivingthingsandaffectedthemasif

theywereitsown.

Brauddecidedtodevelopaseriesofexperimentstoexplorejusthowmuchinfluence

individualintentionmighthaveonotherlivingthings.Theseweredifficultstudiestodesign.

Theproblemwithmostlivingsystemsistheirsheerdynamism.Therearesomanyvariables

thatitishardtomeasurechange.

Brauddecidedtobeginwithsimpleanimalsandslowlyadvanceinevolutionary

complexity.Heneededasimplesystemwithsomecapabilityofchangingineasilymeasurable

ways.Researchofhischanceduponaperfectcandidate.Hediscoveredthatthesmallknife

fish(Gymnotuscarapo)emitsaweakelectricalsignal,whichisprobablyusedfornavigational

purposes.Theelectricalsignalwouldallowhimtoquantifyitsdirectionprecisely.Electrodes

fastenedtothesideofasmalltankwouldpickuptheelectricalactivityofthefish'semissions

andgiveaninfluencerimmediatefeedbackonanoscilloscopescreen.Thequestionwas

whetherpeoplecouldchangethefish'sswimmingorientation.

Mongoliangerbilswereanothergoodcandidatebecausetheyliketoruninactivity

wheels.ThisalsogaveBraudsomethingtomeasure.Hecouldquantifythevelocityofagerbil

onitsrunandthenseeifhumanintentioncouldmakeitgofaster.

Braudwantedtotesttheeffectsofintentiononhumancells,ideallythoseofthe

immunesystem,forifanoutsideagentcouldinfluencetheimmunesystem,theprospectsfor

healingwereimmense.Butthisrepresentedachallengefartoogreatforhislaboratory.The

immunesystemwasanentitywithsomuchcomplexitythatinanystudyofhumanintention,

itwouldbealmostimpossibletoquantifywhathadchangedandwhowasresponsibleforthe

changing.

Afarbettercandidatewastheredbloodcell.Whenredbloodcellsareplacedina

solutionwiththesamesaline(salt)levelsasbloodplasma,theirmembranesremainintact

andwillsurviveforalongtime.Addtoomuchortoolittlesalttothesolutionandthe

membranesofthebloodcellsweakenandfinallyburst,causingthehaemoglobinofthecellto

spilloutintothesolution,aprocesscalled'haemolysis'.Controllingtherateisoftenamatter

ofvaryingtheamountofsaltinthesolution.Sincethesolutionbecomesmoretransparentas

haemolysiscarrieson,youcanalsoquantifytherateofthisprocessbymeasuringtheamount

oflighttransmittedthroughthesolutionwithagadgetcalledaspectrophotometer.Herewas

anothersystemwhichwaseasytomeasure.Brauddecidedtoenlistsomevolunteers,place

theminadistantroomanddeterminewhether,bysimplewishing,theycould‘protect'these

cellsfromburstingbyslowingtheirrateofhaemolysisonceafatalamountofsalthadbeen

addedintothetesttube.

Allthesestudiesmetwithsuccess.10Braud'svolunteershadbeenabletochangethe

directionoffish,speedupgerbilsandprotecthumanredbloodcellstoasignificantextent.

Braudwasreadytomoveontohumanbeings,butheneededsomemethodofisolating

physicaleffects.Aperfectdeviceforthis,asanypolicedetectiveknows,isonethatmeasures

electrodermalactivity(EDA).Withliedetectortests,themachinepicksupanyincreaseinthe

electricalconductivityoftheskin,whichiscausedbyincreasedactivityofthesweatglands,

whichinturnaregovernedbythesympatheticnervoussystem.Asdoctorscanmeasure

electricalactivityoftheheartandbrainwithECG(electrocardiogram)and(EEG)

electroencephalogram)machines,respectively,sotoocantheliedetectorrecordincreased

electrodermalactivityHigherEDAreadingsshowthatthesympatheticnervoussystem,

whichgovernsemotionalstates,isinoverdrive.Thiswouldindicatestress,emotionormood

swings—anysortofheightenedarousal—whichismorelikelyifsomeoneislying.These

areoftenreferredtoas'fightorflight'responses,whichriseandbecomemorepronounced

whenwefacesomethingdangerousorupsetting:ourheartsrace,ourpupilsdilate,ourskin

tendstosweatmoreandblooddrainsfromourextremitiestogotothesitesinthebody

whereitismostneeded.Takingthesereadingscangiveyouameasureofunconscious

response,whenthesympatheticnervoussystemisstressedbeforethepersonbeingtestedis

evenconsciouslyawareofit.Bythesametoken,lowlevelsofEDAwouldbeindicativeoflittle

stressandastateofcalm—thenaturalstateoftruthtelling.

Braudlaunchedhishumanexperimentationwithwhatwouldbecomeoneofhis

signaturestudies:theeffectofbeingstaredat.Researchersintothenatureofconsciousness

areparticularlyfondofthephenomenonbecauseitisarelativelyeasyextrasensory

experimentwithwhichtojudgesuccess.Withtransmittedthoughts,therearemanyvariables

toconsiderwhendeterminingwhetherthereceiver'sresponsematchesthesender's

thoughts.Withstaring,thereceivereitherfeelsitordoesn't.Itistheclosestyoucangetto

reducingsubjectivefeelingstothesimplebinarymultiplechoiceofaREGmachine.

InBraud'shands,staringandbeingstaredatbecamestateoftheart,astalker's

paradise.Participantswouldbeplacedinaroomandbeattachedtosilverchloridepalmar

electrodes,askinresistanceamplifierandacomputer.Theonlyotherequipmentintheroom

wasaHitachicolourCamcorderVM‐2250,whichwastobetheimplementofspying.This

smallvideocamerawouldbeattachedtoa19‐inchSonyTrinitroninanotherroom,two

hallwaysandfourdoorsaway.

Thiswouldallowthestarertoviewthesubjectpeacefullywithoutthepossibilityofany

formofsensorycueing.

Purechance,asarrivedatbyartfulmathematicalcalculation—acomputer'srandom

algorithm‐governedthestarer'sscript.Wheneverthescriptdictated,thestarerwouldstare

intentlyatthesubjectonthemonitorandattempttogainhisorherattention.Meanwhile,in

theotherroom,thestaree,relaxedinarecliningchair,hadbeentoldtothinkaboutanything

otherthanwonderingwhenheorshewasbeingstaredat.

Braudcarriedoutthisexperimentsixteentimes.Inmostcases,thosebeingstaredat

showedsignificantlygreaterelectrodermalactivityduringthestaringsessionsthanwouldbe

expectedbychance(59percentagainsttheexpected50percent)—eventhoughtheywere

notconsciouslyawareofit.Withhissecondgroupofparticipants,Brauddecidedtotry

somethingdifferent.Inthiscase,hehadthemmeeteachotherbeforehand.Heaskedthemto

carryoutaseriesofexercisesthatinvolvedstaringintoeachother'seyesandlookingintently

ateachotherwhentheytalked.Theideawastoreduceanydiscomfortoverbeingstaredat

andalsotogetthemtoknoweachother.Whenthisgroupunderwentthetrial,theygot

oppositeresultsfromtheearliertests.Theywereattheircalmestpreciselywhentheywere

beingstaredat.LiketheStockholmSyndrome,apsychologicalconditionwhereprisoners

begintolovetheirjailers,thestarershadbeguntolovebeingstaredat.Inamannerof

speaking,they'dbecomeaddictedtoit.Theyweremorerelaxedwhenbeingstaredat,evenat

adistance,andtheymisseditwhennoonewaslookingatthem.11

Fromtheselateststudies,Braudgrewevenmoreconvincedthatpeoplehadsome

meansofcommunicatingandrespondingtoremoteattention,evenwhentheyweren'taware

ofit.12LikethosepeoplegivenCharlesTart'selectricshocks,thepersonbeingstaredatwas

notconsciousofanyofthis.Awarenessoccurredonlydeepinasubliminallevel.

Muchofthisresearchinspiredanimportantconsideration—thedegreetowhichnecessity

dictatedthesizeoftheeffect.ItwasobviousnowtoBraudthatrandomsystemsorthosewith

ahighpotentialforinfluencecouldbeaffectedbyhumanintention.Butwastheeffectany

largerifthesystemneededchanging?Ifitwaspossibletocalmsomeonedown,wouldthe

effectbemoreexaggeratedinsomeonewhoneededcalmingdown—someone,say,with

loadsofnervousenergy?Inotherwords,didneedallowsomeonegreateraccesstoeffects

fromTheField?Werethemoreorganizedofus‐biologicallyspeaking—betterataccessing

thisinformationanddrawingittotheattentionofothers?

In1983,Braudtestedoutthistheorywithaseriesofstudiesincollaborationwithan

anthropologistcalledMarilynSchlitz,anotherconsciousnessresearcherwho'dworkedwith

HelmutSchmidt.BraudandSchlitzselectedagroupofhighlynervouspeople,asevidencedby

highsympatheticnervoussystemactivity,andanothercalmergroup.Usingasimilarprotocol

tothestaringstudies,BraudandSchlitzbyturnstriedtocalmdownmembersofbothgroups.

Successorfailurewouldhemeasuredagainbyapolygraphtracingofaperson's

electrodermalactivity.

Thevolunteerswerealsoaskedtoparticipateinanotherexperiment,inwhichthey'd

attempttocalmthemselvesdownwithstandardrelaxationmethods.

Whentheyfinishedthestudy,SchlitzandBraudnoticedahugedisparitybetween

resultsofthetwogroups.13Astheysuspected,theeffectwasfarlargerinthegroup

needingthecalmingdown.Infact,itwasthegreatesteffectachievedinanyofBraud's

studies.Thecalmgroup,ontheotherhand,hadregisteredalmostnochange;theireffectonly

differedslightlyfromchance.

Strangestofall,thesizeoftheeffectontheagitatedgroupbythosetryingtocalmthem

downwasonlyslightlylessthantheeffectthatpeoplehadonthemselveswhenusing

relaxationtechniques.Instatisticalterms,itmeantthatotherpeoplecouldhavealmostthe

samemind—bodyeffectonyouthatyoucouldhaveonyourself.Lettingsomeoneelse

expressagoodintentionforyouwasalmostasgoodasusingbiofeedbackonyourself.

Braudtriedasimilarstudyshowingthatyoucouldalsohelpsomeoneelsefocushisor

herattentionbyremoteinfluence.Onceagain,theeffectswerelargestamongthosewhose

attentionseemedtowanderthemost.14

Ameta‐analysisisascientificmethodofassessingwhetheranobservedeffectisreal

andsignificantbypoolingthedatafromalargebodyofoftendisparateindividualstudies.In

effect,itcombinessinglestudies,whichmaysometimesbediscountedastoosmalltobe

definitive,intoonegiantexperiment.Althoughthereareproblemscomparingstudiesof

differentshapesandsizes,itmaygiveyousomeideaaboutwhethertheeffectyouare

studyingisbigorsmall.SchlitzandBraudhadconductedameta‐analysisonallofthestudies

theycouldfindinvestigatingtheeffectofintentiononotherlivingthings.Researchconducted

allovertheworldhadshownthathumanintentioncouldaffectbacteriaandyeast,plants,

ants,chicks,miceandrats,catsanddogs,humancellularpreparationsandenzymeactivity.

Studiesonhumanshadshownthatonesetofpeoplecouldsuccessfullyaffecttheeyeorgross

motormovements,breathingandeventhebrainrhythmsofanotherset.Theeffectswere

small,buttheyoccurredconsistentlyandhadbeenachievedbyordinarypeoplewhohad

beenrecruitedtotryoutthisabilityfortheveryfirsttime.

Overall,accordingtoSchlitzandBraud'smeta‐analysis,the‐studieshadasuccessrate

of37percentagainsttheexpectedresultof5percentbychance.15TheEDAstudiesalone

hadasuccessrateof47percentcomparedwiththe5percentsuccessrateexpectedby

chance.16

TheseresultsgaveBraudseveralimportantcluesaboutthenatureofremoteinfluence.

Itwasapparentthatordinaryhumanshadtheabilitytoinfluenceotherlivingthingsonmany

levels:muscleactivity,motoractivity,cellularchanges,nervoussystemactivity.Oneother

strangepossibilitywassuggestedbyallthesestudies:theinfluenceincreaseddependingon

howmuchitmatteredtotheinfluencer,orhowmuchheorshecouldrelatetotheobjectof

influence.Thesmallesteffectswerefoundinthefishstudies;theseincreasedinexperiments

dealingwithcuddlygerbils;theyincreasedyetagainwithhumancells;andtheywereattheir

greatestwhenpeoplewereattemptingtoinfluenceanotherperson.Butthegreatesteffectof

alloccurredwhenthepeopletobeinfluencedreallyneededit.Thosewhorequired

something‐calmingdown,focusingattention—seemedmorereceptivetoinfluencethan

others.Andstrangestofall,yourinfluenceonotherswasonlymarginallylessthanyour

influenceonyourself.

Braudhadevenseencasesoftelepathyduringtheinfluencesessions.Atthebeginning

ofonesession,oneinfluencerhappenedtoremarkthattheelectrodermaltracingsofthe

subjectweresoregimentedthattheyremindedhimofaGermantechno‐popmusicalband

calledKraftwerk.WhenBraudreturnedtotherecipient'sroomattheendofthesession,the

firstthingshesaidwasthatearlyinthesession,forsomeoddreason,shekeptthinkingofthe

popgroupKraftwerk.InBraud'sworkthiskindofassociationwasbecomingthenorm,rather

thantheexception.17

Everyscientistengagedinconsciousnessresearchwasthinkingthesamethought.Whywasit

thatsomepeopleweremoreabletoinfluence,andsomeconditionsmoreconduciveto

influence,thanothers?Itwaslikeasecretlabyrinththatcertainpeoplecouldmanoeuvre

aroundmoreeasilythanothers.JahnandDunnehadfoundthatarchetypalormythical

imagestriggeringtheunconsciousproducedthestrongestpsychokineticeffects.Thehighly

successfulMaimonidesresearchontelepathyhadbeenconductedwhentheparticipants

wereasleepanddreaming.Evenwhenonlydabbling,Braudshowedgreatsuccessduring

hypnosis.InTart'sstudies,andinhisownremotestaringstudies,thecommunicationhad

occurredsubconsciously,withouttherecipientbeingawareofit.

Braudhadlookedhardforthecommonthreadinalltheseexperiments.He'dnoticed

severalcharacteristicswhichtendedtomorereadilyguaranteesuccess:somesortof

relaxationtechnique(throughmeditation,biofeedbackoranothermethod);reducedsensory

inputorphysicalactivity;dreamsorotherinternalstatesandfeelings;andarelianceon

right‐brainfunctioning.

Braudandothersfoundwhathadbeentermedthe‘sheep/goat'effect—theseeffects

workbetterifyoubelievetheywillandlessthanaverageifyoubelievetheywon't.Ineach

case,likeaREGmachine,youareaffectingtheresult—evenif(asagoat)youreffectis

negative.

Anotherimportantcharacteristicappearedtobeanalteredviewoftheworld.People

weremorelikelytosucceedif,insteadofbelievinginadistinctionbetweenthemselvesand

theworld,andseeingindividualpeopleandthingsasisolatedanddivisible,theyviewed

everythingasaconnectedcontinuumofinterrelations—andalsoiftheyunderstoodthat

therewereotherwaystocommunicatethanthroughtheusualchannels.18

Itseemedthatwhentheleftbrainwasquietedandtherightbrainpredominated,

ordinarypeoplecouldgainaccesstothisinformation.BraudhadreadtheVedas,India'sbible

oftheancientHindus,whichdescribedsiddhis,orpsychicevents,thatwouldoccurduring

profoundmeditativestates.Inthehigheststate,themeditatorexperiencesfeelingsofatype

ofomniscientknowing‐asenseofseeingeverywhereatonce.Thesubjectentersastateof

unitywiththesingleobjectbeingfocusedupon.Heorshealsoexperiencestheabilityto

achievegrosspsychokineticeffectssuchaslevitationandmovingobjectsatadistance.19In

nearlyeveryinstance,therecipienthadeliminatedthesensorybombardmentoftheeveryday

andtappedintoadeepwellofalertreceptivity.

Coulditbethatthiscommunicationislikeanyordinaryformofcommunication,but

thenoiseofoureverydaylivesstopsushearingit?Braudrealizedthatifhecouldcreatea

stateofsensorydeprivationinaperson,hismindmightmorereadilynoticethesubtleeffects

notperceivedbytheordinarychatteringbrain.Wouldperceptionimproveifyoudeprivedit

ofordinarystimuli?WouldthisallowyouaccesstoTheField?

ThiswaspreciselythetheoryofMahareshiMaheshYogi,thefounderof

TranscendentalMeditation.SeveralstudiescarriedoutbytheMoscowBrainResearch

Institute'sLaboratoryofNeurocyberneticsexaminingtheeffectofTMonthebrainshowan

increaseinareasofthecortextakingpartintheperceptionofinformationandalsoan

increaseinthefunctioningrelationshipoftheleftandrighthemispheresofthebrain.The

studieswouldsuggestthatmeditationopensthedoorsofperceptionalittlewider.20.

Braudhadheardabouttheganzfeld,whichisGermanfor‘wholefield',amethodof

cuttingoutsensoryinput,andhebeganconductingESPstudiesusingaclassicganzfeld

protocol.Hisvolunteerswouldsitinacomfortablerecliningchairinasoundproofroomwith

softlighting.Halfsphereslikehalvedping‐pongballswouldbeplacedovertheireyesand

theywouldwearheadphones,whichplayedcontinuous,quietstatic.Braudtoldthe

volunteerstospeakfortwentyminutesaboutanyimpressionsthatpoppedintotheirheads.

Thereafter,thestudywouldfollowtheusualdesignofatelepathyexperiment.Braud's

hunchprovedcorrect.Theganzfeldexperimentswereamongthemostsuccessfulofall.

WhenBraud'sownstudieswerecombinedwithtwenty‐sevenothers,twenty‐three,or

82percent,werefoundtohavesuccessrateshigherthanchance.Themedianeffectsizewas

0.32—notdissimilartoPEAR'sREGeffectsize.21

Importantshiftsinthinkingoftenoccurininterestingsynchronicities.Charles

HonortonoftheMaimonidesclinicinBrooklynandAdrianParker,apsychologistatthe

UniversityofEdinburgh,hadbeenwonderingexactlythesamethingasBraudandalsobegan

lookingintotheganzfeldasameansofexploringthenatureofhumanconsciousness.The

combinedmeta‐analysisofallganzfeldexperimentsproducedaresultwithoddsagainst

chanceoftenbilliontoone.22

Braudevenexperiencedsomepremonitionswhenusingtheganzfeldonhimself.One

evening,sittingontheflooroftheliving‐roominhisapartmentinHouston,thehalfping‐pong

ballsandheadphonesinplace,hesuddenlyexperiencedanintenseandvividvisionofa

motorcycle,withbrightheadlightsandwetstreets.

Soonafterhe'dfinishedhissession,hiswifereturnedhome.Attheverypointhe'dhad

hisvision,shetoldhim,she'dnearlycollidedwithamotorcycle.Therehadbeenbright

headlightsshiningatherandthestreetsweredrenchedwithrain.23

ThoughtsaboutthesignificanceofhisworkpercolatedupinBraud'smindtoadisquieting

realization.Ifwecouldintendgoodthingstohappentootherpeople,wemightalsobeableto

makebadthingshappen.24There'dbeenmanyanecdotalstoriesofvoodooeffects,andit

madeperfectsense,giventheexperimentalresultshe'dbeengetting,thatbadintentions

couldhaveaneffect.Wasitpossibletoprotectyourselffromthem?

SomepreliminaryworkofBraud'sreassuredhim.Oneofhisstudiesshowedthatitwas

possibleforyoutoblockorpreventanyinfluencesyoudidn'twant.25Thiswaspossible

throughpsychological‘shieldingstrategies'.Youcouldvisualizeasafeorprotectiveshield,or

barrierorscreen,whichwouldpreventpenetrationoftheinfluence.26Inthisexperiment,

participantsweretoldtoattemptto'shield'themselvesagainsttheinfluenceoftwo

experimenters,whoattemptedtoraisetheirEDAlevels.Thesamewastriedonanother

group,buttheyweretoldnottotrytoblockanyremoteinfluence.Thosedoingthe

influencingweren'tawareofwhowasblockingtheirattemptsandwhowasn't.Attheendof

theexperiment,theshieldedgroupshowedfarfewerphysicaleffectsthanthosewhojust

allowedthemselvestobeaffected.27

AlltheearlyESPworkhadcreatedamodelofamentalradio,whereonesubjectwas

sendingthoughtstosomeoneelse.Braudnowbelievedthatthetruthwasfarmorecomplex.

Itappearedthatthementalandphysicalstructuresofthesender'sconsciousnessareableto

exertanorderinginfluenceontheless‐organizedrecipient.Anotherpossibilitywasthatit

wasallthereallthetime,insometypeoffield,liketheZeroPointField,whichcouldbe

tappedintoandmobilizedwhennecessary.ThiswastheviewofDavidBohm,who'd

postulatedthatallinformationwaspresentinsomeinvisibledomain,orhigherreality(the

implicateorder),butactiveinformationcouldbecalledup,likeafirebrigade,attimeofneed,

whenitwouldbenecessaryandmeaningful.28Braudsuspectedtheanswermightbea

mixtureofthelattertwo—afieldofallinformationandanabilityofhumanbeingsto

provideinformationwhichwouldhelptobetterorderotherpeopleandthings.Inordinary

perception,thecapacityofthedendriticnetworksinourbrainstoreceiveinformationfrom

theZeroPointFieldisstrictlylimited,asPribramdemonstrated.Wearetunedintoonlya

limitedrangeoffrequencies.However,anystateofalteredconsciousness—meditation,

relaxation,theganzfeld,dreams—relaxesthisconstraint.Accordingtosystemstheorist

ErvinLaszlo,itisasthoughwearearadioandour'bandwidth'expands.29Thereceptive

patchesinourbrainsbecomemorereceptivetoalargernumberofwavelengthsintheZero

PointField.

Ourabilitytopickupsignalsalsoincreasesduringthekindofdeepinterpersonal

connectionexaminedbyBraud.Whentwopeople'relax'theirbandwidthsandattemptto

establishsomekindofdeepconnection,theirbrainpatternsbecomehighlysynchronized.

StudiesinMexicosimilartoBraud's,whereapairofvolunteersinseparateroomswere

askedtofeeleachother'spresence,showedthatthebrainwavesofbothparticipants,as

measuredbyEEGreadings,begantosynchronize.Atthesametime,electricalactivitywithin

eachhemisphereofthebrainofeachparticipantalsosynchronized,aphenomenonwhich

usuallyonlyoccursinmeditation.Nevertheless,itwastheparticipantwiththemostcohesive

brain‐wavepatternswhotendedtoinfluencetheother.Themostorderedbrainpattern

alwaysprevailed.30

Inthiscircumstance,atypeof'coherentdomain'getsestablished,justaswith

moleculesofwater.Theordinaryboundaryofseparatenessiscrossed.Thebrainofeach

memberofthepairbecomeslesshighlytunedintohisownseparateinformationandmore

receptivetothatoftheother.Ineffect,theypickupsomeoneelse'sinformationfromtheZero

PointFieldasifitweretheirown.

Asquantummechanicsgovernlivingsystems,quantumuncertaintyandprobability

arefeaturesofallourbodilyprocesses.WearewalkingREGmachines.Atanymomentofour

lives,anyoneofthemicroscopicprocessesthatmakeupourmentalandphysicalexistence

canbeinfluencedtotakeoneofmanypaths.InthecircumstanceofBraud'sstudies,inwhich

twopeoplehavea'synchronized'bandwidth,theobserverwiththegreaterdegreeof

coherence,ororder,influencestheprobabilisticprocessesofthelessorganizedrecipient.The

moreorderedofBraud'spairsaffectssomequantumstateinthemoredisorderedotherand

nudgesittowardagreaterdegreeoforder.

Laszlobelievesthatthisnotionof'expanded'bandwidthwouldaccountforanumber

ofpuzzlingandhighlydetailedreportsofpeoplewhoundergoregressiontherapyorclaimto

rememberpastlives,aphenomenonwhichmainlyoccursamongveryyoungchildren.31EEG

studiesofthebrainsofchildrenunderfiveshowthattheypermanentlyfunctioninalpha

mode‐thestateofalteredconsciousnessinanadult—ratherthanthebetamodeofordinary

matureconsciousness.ChildrenareopentofarmoreinformationinTheFieldthanthe

averageadult.Ineffect,achildwalksaroundinastateofapermanenthallucination.Ifasmall

childclaimstorememberapastlife,thechildmightnotbeabletodistinguishhisown

experiencesfromsomeoneelse'sinformation,asstoredintheZeroPointField.Some

commontrait‐adisabilityorspecialgift,say—mighttriggeranassociation,andthechild

wouldpickupthisinformationasifitwerehisownpast‐life‘memory'.Itisnotreincarnation,

butjustaccidentallytuningintosomebodyelse'sradiostationbysomeonewhohasthe

capacitytoreceivealargenumberofstationsatanyonetime.32

ThemodelsuggestedbyBraud'sworkisofauniverse,tosomedegree,underour

control.Ourwishesandintentionscreateourreality.Wemightbeabletousethemtohavea

happierlife,toblockunfavourableinfluences,tokeepourselvesenclosedinaprotectivefence

ofgoodwill.Becarefulwhatyouwishfor,thoughtBraud.Eachofushastheabilitytomakeit

cometrue.

Inhisowncasualandquietway,Braudbegantestingoutthisidea,usingintentionsto

achievecertainoutcomes.Itonlyseemedtowork,hediscovered,whenheusedgentle

wishing,ratherthanintensewillingorstriving.Itwasliketryingtowillyourselftosleep:the

harderyoutry,themoreyouinterferewiththeprocess.ItseemedtoBraudthathumans

operatedontwolevels—thehard,motivatedstrivingoftheworldandtherelaxed,passive,

receptiveworldofTheField—andthetwoseemedincompatible.Overtime,whenBraud's

desiredoutcomesseemedtooccurmoreoftenthanexpectedbychance,hedevelopeda

reputationasa'goodwisher'33

Braud'sworkofferedfurtherproofofwhatmanyotherscientistswerebeginningto

realize.Ournaturalstateofbeingisarelationship—atango‐aconstantstateofone

influencingtheother.Justasthesubatomicparticlesthatcomposeuscannotbeseparated

fromthespaceandparticlessurroundingthem,solivingbeingscannotbeisolatedfromeach

other.Alivingsystemofgreatercoherencecouldexchangeinformationandcreateorrestore

coherenceinadisordered,randomorchaoticsystem.Thenaturalstateofthelivingworld

appearedtobeorder—adrivetowardgreatercoherence.Negentropyappearedtobethe

strongerforce.Bytheactofobservationandintention,wehavetheabilitytoextendakindof

super‐radiancetotheworld.

Thistangoappearstoextendtoourthoughtsaswellasourbodilyprocesses.Our

dreams,aswellasourwakinghours,maybesharedbetweenourselvesandeveryonewho

haseverlived.WecarryonanincessantdialoguewithTheField,enrichingaswellastaking

fromit.Manyofhumankind'sgreatestachievementsmayresultfromanindividualsuddenly

gainingaccesstoasharedaccumulationofinformation—acollectiveeffortintheZeroPoint

Field—inwhatweconsideramomentofinspiration.Whatwecall'genius'maysimplybea

greaterabilitytoaccesstheZeroPointField.Inthatsense,ourintelligence,creativityand

imaginationarenotlockedinourbrainsbutexistasaninteractionwithTheField.34

ThemostfundamentalquestionBraud'sworkraiseshastodowithindividuality.

Wheredoeseachofusendandwheredowebegin?Ifeveryoutcome,eachevent,wasa

relationshipandthoughtswereacommunalprocess,wemayneedastrongcommunityof

goodintentiontofunctionwellintheworld.Manyotherstudieshaveshownthatstrong

communityinvolvementisoneofthemostimportantindicatorsofhealth.35

ThemostinterestingexampleofthiswasasmalltowninPennsylvaniacalledRoseto.

ThistinytownwasentirelypopulatedwithimmigrantsfromthesameareaofItaly.Along

withthepeoplethemselves,theirculturehadbeentransplantedinitsentirety.Thetown

sharedaverycohesivesenseofcommunity;richlivedcheekbyjowlwithpoor,butsuchwas

thesenseofinterrelationthatjealousyseemedtobeminimized.Rosetohadanamazing

healthrecord.Despitetheprevalenceofanumberofhigh‐riskfactorsinthecommunity—

smoking,economicstress,high‐fatdiets—thepeopleofRosetohadaheartattackrateless

thanhalfthatofneighbouringtowns.

Onegenerationlater,thecohesivenessofthetownbrokeup;theyouthdidn'tcarryon

thesenseofcommunity,andbeforelongitbegantoresembleatypicalAmericantown—a

collectionofisolatedindividuals.Inparallel,theheartattackratequicklyescalatedtothatof

itsneighbours.36Forthosefewpreciousyears,Rosetohadbeencoherent.

Braudhadshownthathumanbeingstrespassoverindividualboundaries.Whathe

didn'tyetknowwashowfarwecouldtravel.

CHAPTEREIGHTTheExtendedEye

DOWNINTHEBASEMENTofaphysicsbuildingatStanfordUniversity,thetiniest

flickerofthetiniestfragmentsoftheworldwerebeingcapturedandmeasured.Thedevice

requiredtomeasurethemovementofsubatomicparticlesresemblednothingsomuchasa

three‐foothandmixer.Themagnetometerwasattachedtoanoutputdevicewhosefrequency

isameasureoftherateofchangeofmagneticfield.Itoscillatedeversoslightly,grindingout

itsslowlyundulatingS‐curveonanx­yrecorder,apapergraph,withannoyingregularity.To

theuntrainedeye,quarksweresedentary:nothingeverchangedonthegraph.Anon‐

physicistmightlookuponthisgadgetassomethingakintoasouped‐uppendulum.

AStanfordphysicsstudentnamedArthurHebardhadseenthesuperconducting

differentialmagnetometerasafittingpost‐doctoraloccupation,applyingforgrantmoneyto

deviseaninstrumentimpervioustoallbutthefluxintheelectromagneticfieldcausedbyany

quarkswhichhappenedtobepassingby.Nevertheless,toanyonewhounderstoodabout

measuringquarks,itwasadelicatebusiness.Itnecessitatedblockingoutvirtuallyallthe

endlesselectromagneticchatteroftheuniverseinordertoheartheinfinitesimallanguageof

asubatomicparticle.Toaccomplishthis,themagnetometer'sinnardsneededtobeencasedin

layeruponlayerofshielding—coppershielding,aluminiumcasing,asuperconducting

niobiumshield,evenµ‐metalshielding,ametalwhichspecificallylimitsmagneticfield.The

devicewasthenburiedinaconcretewellinthefloorofthelab.TheSQUID(superconducting

quantuminterferencedevice)wasabitofamysteryatStanford—seenbutnotunderstood.

Noonehadeverpublisheditscomplexinnerconstruction.

ToHalPuthoff,themagnetometerwasaquackbuster.Helookeduponitastheperfect

testofwhethertherewassuchathingaspsychicpower.Hewasopen‐mindedenoughtotest

whetherpsychokinesisworked,butnotreallyconvinced.HalhadgrownupinOhioand

Florida,butlikedtosayhewasfromMissouri—theShowMestate,theultimatestateofthe

sceptic.Showme,proveittome,letmeseehowitworks.Scientificprincipleswerea

comfortingrefugeforhim,thebestwayhecouldgetahandleonreality.Themultiplelayers

ofshieldingerectedaroundthemagnetometerwouldpresenttheultimatechallengeforIngo

Swann,thepsychic,whoseplanewasarrivingfromNewYorkthatafternoon.Hewould

springthethingonSwann.Justlethimseeifhecouldalterthepatternofamachine

impervioustoanythingshortofanatomicexplosion.

Itwas1972,theyearbeforehe'dbegunworkingonhisZeroPointFieldtheories,when

HalwasstillatSRI.Evenatthattime,beforehe'dthoughtabouttheimplicationsofquantum

zero‐pointfluctuations,Halwasinterestedinthepossibilityofinterconnectionbetween

livingthings.Butatthisstage,hedidn'treallyhaveafocus,muchlessatheory.He'dbeen

dabblingintachyons,orparticlesthattravelfasterthanthespeedoflight.He'dwondered

whethertachyonscouldexplainsomestudieshe'dcomeacrossshowingthatanimalsand

plantshadtheabilitytoengageinsomesortofinstantaneouscommunication,evenwhen

separatedbyhundredsofmilesorshieldedbyavarietyofmeans.Halhadreallywantedto

findoutwhetheryoucouldusequantumtheorytodescribelifeprocesses.LikeMitchelland

Popp,he'dlongsuspectedthateverythingintheuniverseonitsmostbasiclevelhadquantum

properties,whichwouldmeanthatthereoughttobenonlocaleffectsbetweenlivingthings.

He'dbeenkickingaroundanideathatifelectronshadnonlocaleffects,thismightmean

somethingextraordinaryonalargescaleintheworld.particularlyinlivingthings—some

meansofacquiringorreceivinginformationinstantaneously.Atthetime,allhehadinmind

totestthisassumptionwasamodeststudy,mainlyinvolvingabitofalgae,whichBillChurch

waseventuallypersuadedtoinvest$10,000in.

HalhadsenttheproposaltoCleveBackster,aNewYorkpolygraphexpertwho'dbeen

carryingoutstudies,justforfun.toseeifplantsregisterany'emotion'—intheformof

electricalsignalling—onstandardliedetectorequipment,thesamewayhumansdoin

responsetostress.ThesewerethestudiesthathadsofascinatedHal.Backstertriedburning

theleafofaplantandthenmeasureditsgalvanicresponse,muchashewouldregisterthe

skinresponseofapersonbeingtestedforlying.Interestinglyenough.theplantregisteredthe

sameincreased‐stresspolygraphresponseasahumanwouldifhishandhadbeenburned.

Evenmorefascinating,asfarasHalwasconcerned,wasthatBacksterhadburnedtheleafofa

neighbouringplantnotconnectedtotheequipment.Theoriginalplant,stillhookeduptothe

polygraph,againregisteredthe'pain'responsethatithadwhenitsownleaveshadbeen

burned.ThissuggestedtoHalthatthefirstplanthadreceivedthisinformationviasome

extrasensorymechanismandwasdemonstratingempathy.Itseemedtopointtosomesortof

interconnectednessbetweenlivingthings.1

The‘Backstereffect'hadalsobeenseenbetweenplantsandanimals.Whenbrine

shrimpinonelocationdiedsuddenly,thisfactseemedtoinstantlyregisterwithplantsin

anotherlocation,asrecordedonastandardpsychogalvanicresponse(PGR)instrument.

Backsterhadcarriedoutthistypeofexperimentoverseveralhundredmilesandamong

paramecium,mouldculturesandbloodsamples,andineachinstance,somemysterious

communicationoccurredbetweenlivingthingsandplants.2AsinStarWars,eachdeathwas

registeredasadisturbanceinTheField.

Hal'sproposalforthealgaeexperimentshappenedtobesittingonBackster'sdeskthe

daythathe'dbeenvisitedbyIngoSwann.Swann,anartist,wasmainlyknownasagifted

psychic,who'dbeenworkingonESPexperimentswithGertrudeSchmeidler,aprofessorin

psychologyatCityCollegeinNewYork.3SwannhadrifledthroughHal'sproposalandwas

intriguedenoughtowritetohim,suggestingthatifhewereinterestedinlookingatsome

commongroundbetweentheinanimateandthebiologicalthathestartdoingsome

experimentsinpsychicphenomena.Swannhimselfhaddonesomeworkonout‐of‐body

experimentsandhadgotgoodresults.Halwasdeeplysceptical,butgamelytookhimupon

hissuggestion.HecontactedBillChurchtoseeifhecouldchangehisstudyandusesomeof

hisgrantmoneytoflySwannouttoCaliforniaforaweek.

Ashort,chubbymanwithamiablefeatures,Swannarriveddressedabsurdlyinawhite

cowboyhatwithwhitejacketandLevis,likesomevisitingrockstar.Halgrewconvincedthat

hewaswastingBillChurch'smoney.TwodaysafterSwannarrived,Haltookhimdowntothe

basementoftheVarianHallphysicsbuilding.

Halpointedtothemagnetometer.HeaskedIngotoattempttoalteritsmagneticfield.

Halexplainedthatanyalterationwouldshowupintheoutputtape.

Ingoinitiallywasdisturbedbytheprospect,ashe'dneverdoneanythinglikethis

before.Hesaidhewasfirstgoingtopsychicallypeerintotheinnardsofthemachinerytoget

abettersenseofhowtoaffectit.Ashedid,theS‐curvesuddenlydoubleditsfrequencyfor

about45seconds—thelengthofIngo'stimeofconcentration.

Couldhestopthefieldchangeonthemachine,whichisindicatedbytheS‐curve?Hal

askedhim.

Ingoclosedhiseyesandconcentratedfor45seconds.Forthesamelengthoftimethe

machine'soutputdevicestoppedcreatingequidistanthillsandvalleys:thegraphtracedone

longplateau.Ingosaidhewaslettinggo;themachinereturnedtoitsnormalS‐curve.He

explainedthatbylookingintothemachineandconcentratingonvariousparts,hewasableto

alterwhatthemachinedid.Ashespoke,themachineagainrecordedadoublefrequencyand

thenadoubledip—whichIngosaidhadsomethingtodowithhisconcentratingonthe

niobiumballinsidethemachine.

Halaskedhimtostopthinkingaboutitandchattedwithhimaboutothersubjectsfor

severalminutes.ThenormalS‐curveresumed.Nowconcentrateonthemagnetometer,Hal

said.Thetracingstartedfuriouslyscribbling.Haltoldhimtostopthinkingaboutit,andthe

slow‐Sresumed.Ingodidaquicksketchofwhathesaidhe'saw'asthedesignoftheinsideof

themachineandthenaskediftheycouldstopashewastired.Forthenextthreehours,the

machine'soutputwentbacktoitsregularcurves,monotonousandsteady.

Agroupofgraduatestudentswho'dgatheredaroundputthechangesdowntosome

strangeandcoincidentalelectromagneticnoisecreepingintothesystem.Asfarastheywere

concerned,areadilyexplainedbliphadoccurred.ButthenHalhadthedrawingcheckedout

byHebard,thepost‐doctoralstudentwho'dcreatedthemachine,andhesaiditwasdead‐on

accurate.

Haldidn'tknowwhattomakeofit.Itappearedthatsomenonlocaleffecthadoccurred

betweenIngoSwannandthemagnetometer.Hewenthomeandwroteaguardedpaperon

thesubjectandcirculatedittohiscolleagues.askingthemtocommentonit.Whathe'dseen

usuallywentbythenameofastralprojectionorout‐of‐bodyexperiences,oreven

clairvoyance,buthewouldeventuallysettleonanice,neutral,non‐emotivephraseforit:

'remoteviewing'.

Hal'smodestexperimentlaunchedhimona13‐yearproject,carriedoutinparallelwithhis

ZeroPointFieldwork,whichsoughttodeterminewhetherpeoplecouldseethingsbeyond

anyknownsensorymechanism.Halrealizedhe'dstumbledonsomepropertyofhuman

beingsthatwasnotamillionmilesfromwhatBacksterobserved—someinstantconnection

withtheunseen.Remoteviewingseemedofapiecewiththenotionhe'dbeentoyingwith

aboutsomesortofinterconnectionbetweenlivingthings.Muchlater,hewouldprivately

speculateaboutwhetherremoteviewinghadanythingtodowiththeZeroPointField.Forthe

moment,allhewasinterestedinwaswhetherwhathe'dseenwasrealandhowwellit

worked.IfSwanncouldseeinsidemagnetometers,wasitpossibleforhimtoseeanywhere

elseintheworld?

Inadvertently,HalalsolaunchedAmericaonthelargestspyprogrammeever

attemptedusingclairvoyance.Afewweeksafterhe'dcirculatedhispaper,twoblue‐suited

membersoftheCentralIntelligenceAgencyarrivedathisdoor,wavingthereportinhand.

Theagency,theytoldhim,wasgettingincreasinglyconcernedabouttheamountof

experimentstheRussianswereconductingintoparapsychologyfundedbytheSovietsecurity

forces.4Fromtheresourcestheywerepouringintoit,itseemedasthoughtheRussianswere

convincedthatESPcouldunlockalloftheWest'ssecrets.Apersonwhocouldseeandhear

thingsandeventsseparatedbytimeandspacerepresentedtheperfectspy.TheDefense

IntelligenceAgencyhadjustcirculatedareport,'Controlledoffensivebehavior—USSR',

whichpredictedthattheSoviets,throughtheirpsychicresearch,wouldbeabletodiscover

thecontentsoftopsecretdocuments,themovementsoftroopsandships,thelocationof

militaryinstallations,thethoughtsofgeneralsandcolonels.Theymightevenbeabletokillor

shootdownaircraftfromadistance.5ManyseniorstaffattheCIAthoughtitwashightime

thattheUSAlookedintoitaswell;theproblemwasthattheyweregettinglaughedoutof

mostlabs.NobodyintheAmericanscientificcommunitywouldtakeESPorclairvoyance

seriously.ItwastheCIA'sviewthatiftheydidn't,theRussianswouldprobablygainan

advantagethattheUSAwouldneverbeabletoovercome.Theagencyhadbeenscouring

aroundforasmallresearchlaboutsideacademiathatmightbewillingtocarryoutasmall,

low‐keyinvestigation.SRI—andHal'scurrentinterest—seemedperfectforthejob.Hal

evencheckedoutasagoodsecurityrisksincehe'dhadexperienceinintelligenceintheNavy

andhadworkedfortheNationalSecurityAgency.

ThemenaskedHaltocarryoutafewsimpleexperiments—nothingelaborate,

perhapsjustguessingobjectshiddeninabox.Iftheyweresuccessful,theCIAwouldagreeto

fundapilotprogramme.ThetwomenfromWashingtonlaterwatchedSwanncorrectly

describeamothhiddeninthebox.TheCIAwasimpressedenoughtothrownearly$50,000at

apilotproject,whichwastolastforeightmonths.

Halagreedtocontinuewiththebox‐guessingexerciseandforseveralmonthshe

carriedouttrialswithIngoSwann,whomanagedtodescribeobjectshiddeninboxeswith

greatprecision—farmoresuccessfullythancouldhavebeenachievedbysimpleguessing.

Bythattime,HalhadbeenjoinedbyacolleagueinlaserphysicscalledRussellTarg,

who'dalsopioneereddevelopmentofthelaserforSylvania.Itwasprobablynoaccidentthat

anotherphysicistinterestedintheeffectoflightthroughspacewouldalsobeintriguedbythe

possibilitythatthemindcouldbreachvastdistances.LikeHal,Targalsocheckedoutasa

goodsecurityriskfortheclassifiedoperationbecausehe'dbeeninvolvedinsecuritystudies

forSylvania.Tallandlankyat6foot5,Russhadashockofcurlyhair,whichsatbackonhis

forehead—adark‐hairedArtGarfunkeltoHal'ssturdierPaulSimon.Theretheresemblance

ended;anchoredtoRuss'sfacewasapairofblackCoke‐bottleglasses.Targhadterrible

visionandwasconsideredlegallyblind.Evenhisglassesonlycorrectedhissighttoafraction

ofnormal.Hispooroutwardvisionmayhavebeenonereasonwhyhesawpicturesinhis

mind'seyesoclearly.

Targhadbecomeinterestedinthenatureofhumanconsciousnessfromhishobbyas

anamateurmagician.Manytimesuponthestage,he'dbeperformingsomeconjuringtrick

abouthissubject,takenfromtheaudience,andalthoughhe'dhaveriggedtheactualtrick,

he'dsuddenlyrealizeinthemidstofitthatheknewmoreinformationthanhe'dbeentold.He

mightbepretendingtoguessaquestionaboutalocationandsuddenlyaclearmentalimage

ofitwouldpopintohishead.Invariably,hisowninternalpicturewouldturnouttobe

accurate,whichonlyenhancedhisreputationasamagician,butlefthimwithmanyquestions

abouthowthiscouldpossiblybehappening.

IthadbeenIngo'sideatotryhishandatarealtestofhispowers—onethatwould

morecloselyresemblehowtheCIAfiguredremoteviewingoughttobeused.Hehadtheidea

ofusinggeographicalcoordinatesasaquick,clean,non‐emotivewaytogettothespot.Both

PuthoffandTargwerescepticalofsuchanidea.IftheygavehimcoordinatesandSwann

guessedcorrectly,itmightsimplymeanthathe'drememberedasiteonamap—hemight

haveaphotographicmemory.

Theymadeafewdesultoryattempts,andSwannwaswayofftarget.Butthen,afterfifty

attempts,Swannbegantoimprove.BySwann's100thcoordinate,Halwasimpressedenough

togetonthephonetoChristopherGreen,ananalystintheCIA'sOfficeofScientific

Intelligence,urginghimtoallowthemtotryarealtestfortheagency.AlthoughGreenwas

highlydubious,heagreedtogivethemasetofmapcoordinatesofaplacenotevenheknew

anythingabout.

Afewhourslater,atGreen'srequest,acolleaguenamedHankTurner6producedaset

ofnumbersonasheetofpaper.Theserepresentedextremelyprecisecoordinates,downto

theminutesandsecondsoflatitudeandlongitude,ofaplacethatonlyTurnerknew.Green

tookthepaperandpickedupthephonetocallHal.

PuthoffsatSwanndownatatableatSRIandgavehimthecoordinates.Ashepuffedona

cigar,andalternatedbetweenclosinghiseyesandscribblingonapieceofpaper,Swann

describedaburstofimages:'moundsandrollinghills','ariverovertothefareast','acityto

thenorth'.Hesaiditseemedtobeastrangeplace,'somewhatlikethelawnsthatonewould

findaroundamilitarybase'.Hegottheimpressionthattherewere'oldbunkersaround',orit

couldsimplybe'acoveredreservoir'.7

Thefollowingday,Swanntriedagainathome,andjotteddownhisimpressionsona

reportwhichhe'dbroughtintoHal.Again,hegottheimpressionthatsomethingwas

underground.

Afewdayslater,PuthoffreceivedaphonecallfromPatPrice,abuildingcontractor

fromLakeTahoe,whoalsoraisedChristmastrees.Price,whoconsideredhimself_apsychic,

hadmetPuthoffatalectureandwascallingnowtoofferhisservicesintheirexperiments.A

florid,wise‐crackingIrishmaninhisearlyfifties,Pricesaidhe'dbeenusinghisownversionof

remoteviewingsuccessfullyformanyyears,eventocatchcriminals.He'dservedbrieflyas

policecommissionerinBurbank,asuburbofLosAngeles.Pricewouldbeinthedispatch

roomandassoonasacrimehadbeenreported,he'dscanthecitymentally.Oncehesettled

onaplace,he'dimmediatelysendacartothelocationinhismind.Invariably,heclaimed,

he'dcaughthisman,justatthespothe'dvisualized.

Onawhim,PuthoffgavePricethecoordinatesgiventohimbytheCIA.Threedays

later,HalreceivedapackagePricehadpostedthedayafterthey'dspoken,containingpages

ofdescriptionsandsketches.ItwasobvioustoPuthoffthatPricewasdescribingthesame

placeasSwann,butinfarmoredetail.Heofferedahighlyprecisedescriptionofthe

mountains,thelocationoftheplace,anditsproximitytoroadsandatown.Heevendescribed

theweather.ButitwastheinteriorofonepeakareathatinterestedPrice.Hewrotethathe

thoughthesawan'undergroundstoragearea'ofsomevarietywhichhadbeenwell

concealed,perhaps'deliberatelyso'.

'Lookslikeformermissilesite—basesforlaunchersstillthere,butareanowhouses

recordstoragearea,microfilm,filecabinets,'hewrote.Hewasabletodescribethealuminium

slidingdoors,thesizeoftheroomsandwhattheycontained,eventhelargemapspinnedon

thewall.

PuthoffphonedPriceandaskedhimtolookagain,topickupanyspecificinformation,

suchascodenamesorthenamesofofficers.HewantedtotakethistoGreenandneeded

detailstodispelanylingeringdisbelief.Pricereturnedwithdetailsfromonespecificoffice:

filesnamed'Flytrap'and‘Minerva',thenamesonlabelsonfoldersinsidefilingcabinets,the

namesofthecolonelandmajorswhosatatthesteeldesks.

GreenbroughttheinformationtoTurner.Turnerreadtheirreportsandshookhis

head.Thepsychicsweretotallyoffbeam,hesaid.Allhe'dgivenhimwerethecoordinatesof

thelocationofhissummercabin.

Greenwentaway,puzzledbythefactthatbothSwannandPricehaddescribedso

similaraplace.Thatweekend,hedroveouttothesitewithhiswife.Afewmilesfromthe

coordinates,downadirtroad,hefoundagovernment'NoTrespassing'sign.Thesiteseemed

tomatchthedescriptionsofbothpsychics.

Greenbeganinquiringaboutthesite.Immediatelyhegotembroiledinaheated

investigationofasecuritybreach.WhatSwannandPricehadcorrectlydescribedwasavast

secretPentagonundergroundfacilityintheBlueRidgeMountainsofWestVirginia,manned

byNationalSecurityAgencycodebreakers,whosemainjobwastointerceptinternational

telephonecommunicationsandcontrolUSspysatellites.Itwasasthoughtheirpsychic

antennaehadpickedupnothingofnotewiththeoriginalcoordinatesandsoscannedthearea

untiltheygotonthewavelengthofsomethingmorerelevanttothemilitary.

Formonths,theNSAwasconvincedthatPuthoffandTarg,andevenGreenhimself,

werebeingprovidedthisinformationfromsomesourcewithinthefacility.PuthoffandTarg

werecheckedoutassecurityrisksandtheirfriendsandassociatesquestionedastotheir

communistleanings.Priceonlymanagedtocalmdowntheagencybythrowingitabone:

detailedinformationabouttheRussiancounterparttotheNSA'ssecretsite,operatedbythe

SovietsinthenorthernUralMountains.

AftertheWestVirginiaepisode,CIAofficialsatthehighestlevelswereconvinced

enoughtotryarealtestinthefield.Oneday,oneofthecontractmonitorscametoSRIwith

thegeographicalcoordinatesofaSovietsiteofgreatconcerntotheagency.AllRussandHal

weretoldwasthatthesitewasanR&Dtestfacility.8

Pricewastheonetheywantedtotest.TargandPriceheadeduptothespecialroom,

housedonthesecond‐flooroftheRadioPhysicsbuilding—whichhadbeenelectrically

shieldedwithadouble‐walledcopperscreen,whichwouldblockaremoteviewer'sabilityifit

weregeneratedbyahigh‐frequencyelectromagneticfield.Targstartedthetape.Pat

removedhiswire‐rimglasses,leanedbackinhischair,tookacrispwhitelinenhandkerchief

fromhispocket,polishedhisglasses,thenclosedhiseyes,andonlyspokeafterafullminute.

'Iamlyingonmybackontheroofofatwo‐orthree‐storeybrickbuilding.'hesaid

dreamily.Isasunnyday.Thesunfeelsgood.There'sthemostamazingthing.There'sagiant

gantrycranemovingbackandforthovermyhead...AsIdriftupintheairandlookdown,it

seemstoberidingonatrackwithonerailoneachsideofthebuilding.I'veneverseen

anythinglikethat.’9Patwentontosketchthebuildinglayoutandpaidparticularattention

towhathekeptdescribingasa'gantrycrane’.

Aftertwoorthreedays,oncethey'dfinishedtheworkonthatsite,Russ,HalandPat

wereastonishedtohearthatthey'dhadbeenaskedaboutasuspectedPNUTS.whichisCIA‐

codeforaPossibleNuclearUndergroundTestingSite.Thisplacewasdrivingtheagency

crazy.EverythinginAmerica'sintelligencearsenalwasbeingthrownatthisspot,tofindout

whatonearthwasgoingoninside.Pat'sdrawingturnedouttobeextremelyclosetosatellite

photos,evendowntoaclusterofcompressed‐gascylinders.

Patdidn'tstopattheoutsideofthebuilding.Hisdescriptionsincludedwhatwasgoing

oninside.Hesawimagesofworkersattempting,withgreatdifficulty,toassembleamassive

60‐footmetalglobebyweldingtogethermetalgores,shapedlikewedgesoffruit.However,

thepieceswerewarpingandPatbelievedtheywereattemptingtofindmaterialtheycould

weldatlowertemperatures.

NooneinthegovernmenthadanyideaofwhatwasgoingoninsidethefacilityandPat

diedayearlater.Nevertheless,twoyearslater,anAirForcereportwasleakedtoAviation

WeekmagazineabouttheCIA'suseofhigh‐resolutionphotographicreconnaissancesatellites,

whichfinallyconfirmedPat'svision.ThesatelliteswerebeingusedtoobservetheSoviets

diggingthoughsolidgraniteformations.They'dbeenabletoobserveenormoussteelgores

beingmanufacturedinanearbybuilding.

Thesesteelsegmentswerepartsofalargesphereestimatedtobeabout18meters

(57.8feet)indiameter',saidtheAviationWeekarticle.

‘USofficialsbelievethatthespheresareneededtocaptureandstoreenergyfrom

nucleardrivenexplosivesorpulsepowergenerators.Initially,someUSphysicistsbelieved

thattherewasnomethodtheSovietscouldusetoweldtogetherthesteelgoresofthe

spherestoprovideavesselstrongenoughtowithstandpressureslikelytooccurinanuclear

explosivefissionprocess,especiallywhenthesteeltobeweldedwasextremelythick.’10

WhenPat'sdrawingsmatchedthesatellitephotossowell,theCIAassumedthenuclear

sphereshesawmustbemanufacturedforatomicbombs,andoneassumptionafteranother

ledtheReaganAdministrationtodreamupwhatbecameknownastheStarWars

programme.11Manybillionsofdollarslater,itturnedouttobeacurveball.Semipalatinsk,

thesitePathadseen,wasn'tevenamilitaryinstallation.TheRussiansindeedweretryingto

developnuclearrockets,butfortheirownmannedMarsmission.Alltherocketsweretobe

usedforwasfuel.

PatPricecouldn'ttelltheAmericangovernmentwhatSemipalatinskwasusedfor,and

hediedbeforehecouldwarnthemoffStarWars.ButforTargandPuthoff,theSemipalatinsk

sightingmeantmorethanjustabitofpsychicspying.Thisgavethemsomevitalevidence

abouthowremoteviewingworked.Herewasevidenceofanindividualwhocouldtake

geographicalcoordinatesanywhereintheworldanddirectlyseeandexperiencewhatwas

goingonthere,evenatasitethatnooneintheUSAhadanyknowledgeof.

Butwasanydistancetoofar?TheotheramazingexperimentwasconductedwithIngo

Swann.Swannwasalsointerestedintestingtheirassumptionthatahumanbeaconneededto

bepresentatasiteforaremoteviewertopickitup.Hehadaboldsuggestion—atestthat

mightstrainallhisskills.Whydidn'thetrytoviewtheplanetJupiter,justbeforethe

upcomingNASAPioneerloflybylaunch?

Duringtheexperiment,Swannwasembarrassedtoadmitthathe'dseen—anddrawn

—aringaroundJupiter.Perhaps,hetoldPuthoff,he'djustmistakenlydirectedhisattention

towardSaturn.Noonewaspreparedtotakethedrawingseriously,untiltheNASAmission

revealedthatJupiterindeedhadaringatthetime.12

Swann'sexperimentdemonstratedthatnoindividualneededtobepresentandalso

thathumanscould,ineffect,‘see'orgainaccesstoinformationatvirtuallyanydistance—

somethingthatEdMitchellhadalsofoundwithhiscardtestswhentravellingtoandfromthe

moon.

PuthoffandTargwantedtocreateascientificprotocolforremoteviewing.Gradually

theymovedawayfromcoordinatestoplaces.Theycreatedaboxfilewhichcontained100

targetsites—buildings,roads,bridges,landmarks—withinhalfanhourofSRI,fromtheSan

FranciscoBayareatoSanJose.Allweresealedandpreparedbyanindependent

experimenterandlockedinasecuresafe.Anelectroniccalculatorprogrammedtochoose

numbersrandomlywouldbeusedtoselectoneofthetargetlocations.

Onthedayoftheexperiment,they'dclosetSwanninthespecialroom.Oneofthe

experimenters,usuallyTarg,becauseofhishadeyesight,wouldremainbehindwithSwann.

Meanwhile,Halandoneoftheotherprogrammecoordinatorswouldpickupthesealed

envelopeandheadofftothetargetlocation,whichwasnotdisclosedtoeitherthevolunteer

orTarg.Halactedasthe'beacon'offocus—they'dwantedtousesomeonefamiliartoSwann

whomtheycouldtuneinonwhenattemptingtofindamundanelocation.Attheagreedstart

time,andforthenext15minutes,Swannwasaskedtoattempttodrawanddescribeintoa

taperecorderanyimpressionsofthetargetsite.Targalsowouldbeignorantofthelocation

ofthetargetteam,sothathe'dbefreetoaskquestionswithoutfearofinadvertentlycueing

Swannontherightanswer.Assoonasthetargetteamreturned,theywouldtaketheremote

viewertothetargetsite,sothathe'dgetdirectfeedbackoftheaccuracyofwhathethought

he'dseen.Swann'strackrecordwasastonishing.Intestaftertest,hehadahighaccuracyin

correctlyidentifyinghistarget.13

Withtime,Pricetookoveraschiefremoteviewer.HalandRussunderwentninetrials

withhim,followingtheirusualdouble‐blindprotocolofsealedtargetspotsnearPaloAlto—

HooverTower,anaturepreserve,aradiotelescope,amarina,atollplaza,adrive‐inmovie

theatre,anartsandcraftsplaza,aCatholicchurchandaswimming‐poolcomplex.

IndependentjudgesconcludedthatPricehadscoredsevenhitsoutofthenine.Insomecases,

liketheHooverTower,Priceevenrecognizeditandcorrectlyidentifieditbyname.14Price

wasnotedforhisincredibleaccuracyandalsohisabilityto'see'throughtheeyesofhis

travellingpartner.Oneday,whenPuthofftravelledtoa‐boatmarina,Patshuthiseyes,and

whenheopenedthem,blurtedout,'WhatI'mlookingatisalittleboatjettyorboatdockalong

thebay...'15

HaleventestedPatondetail.HesentGreen,theCIAboss,upinasmallaircraftwith

threenumbersonapieceofpaperinsidehisbreastpocket.Numbersandletterswereknown

tobealmostimpossibletoremoteviewaccurately.Nevertheless,therewasPatPriceticking

themoff,eveninorder.Heonlycomplainedoffeelingahitseasickanddrewapictureofa

kindofspecialcross,whichhe'dhadtheimageofswingingbackandforth,makinghimill.It

turnedoutthatGreenwaswearinganankh,anancientEgyptiancrossmatchingPrice's

drawing,aroundhisneck,andthenecklacemusthavebeenswingingwildlyduringtheride.

16

AlthoughtheresultsofPriceandSwannhadbeenimpressive,theAgencywantedto

convinceitselfthatthiswasnotsimplytheworkofthehighlygiftedor,evenworse,an

elaborateconjuringtrick.AcoupleoftheCIAcontractmonitorsaskediftheycouldtrytheir

handatit.ThisappealedtoHal,who'dwantedtoseewhetherordinaryindividualscould

carryoutremoteviewing.Eachwasinvitedtoparticipateinthreeexperiments,andboth

improvedwithpractice.Thefirstscientistcorrectlyidentifiedachild'sroundaboutanda

bridge,andthesecondcorrectlypickedupawindmill.Ofthefiveexperiments,threewere

directhitsandoneanearmiss.17

WhentheCIA'steststudiesworked,PuthoffandTargbegangatheringupordinary

volunteers,somenaturallygifted,butunpractisedinremoteviewing,somenot.Inlate1973

andearly1974,PuthoffandTargselectedfourordinarypeople,threeofthemSRIemployees

andoneaphotographernamedHellaHammid,afriendofTarg's.Hammid,who'dneverbeen

involvedinpsychicresearchbefore,turnedouttobeanaturalatremoteviewing.Infiveof

ninetargets,Hellascoreddirecthits,asdeterminedbyindependentjudges.18

HalneededtogotoCostaRicaforbusiness,sohedecidedtousethetriptoactasa

long‐distancetarget.Oneachdayofhistrip,hewouldkeepadetailedrecordofhislocation

andactivitiesatprecisely1:30p.m.Pacificdaylighttime.Atthesametime,HellaorPatPrice

wouldbeaskedtodescribeanddrawwhereDrPuthoffwaseverydayatthattime.

Oneday,whenneitherHellanorPatshowedup,Targstoodintheirplaceastheremote

viewer.HegotastrongsensethatPuthoffwasatanoceanorbeachsetting,eventhoughhe

knewthatCostaRicaisprimarilyamountainouscountry.

Althoughdubiousabouthisaccuracy,hedescribedanairportandairstriponasandy

beachwithanoceanatoneend.Atthatmoment,Halhadtakenanunplanneddiversiontoan

offshoreisland.Atthedesignatedtime,hewasjustgettingoutofaplaneatatinyisland

airport.Ineveryregard,saveone,Targdescribedanddrewtheairportaccurately.Theonly

smallerrorhadtodowithhisdrawingoftheairport;he'ddrawnabuildinglookinglikea

Nissenbut,wheninfactthebuildingwasrectangular.Duringtherestofhistrip,Hammidand

PricecorrectlyidentifiedwhenHalwasrelaxingroundapoolordrivingthroughatropical

forestatthebaseofavolcano.Theywereevenabletoidentifythecolourofhishotelrug.19

Halgatheredtogethernineremoteviewersintotal,mostlybeginnerswithnotrack

recordaspsychics,whoperformedintotaloverfiftytrials.Again,animpartialpanelofjudges

comparedtargetswithtranscriptsofsubjectdescriptions.Thedescriptionsmayhave

containedsomeinaccuracies,buttheyweredetailedandaccurateenoughtoenablethe

judgestodirectlymatchdescriptionwithtargetroughlyhalfthetime—ahighlysignificant

result.

Asabackupmethodofjudgingtheaccuracyoftheviewing,Halthenaskedapanelof

fiveSRIscientistsnotassociatedwiththeprojecttoblind‐matchunedited,unlabelledtyped

transcriptsanddrawingsmadebytheremoteviewerswiththeninetargetsites,whichthey

visitedinturn.Betweenthem,thejudgescameupwithtwenty‐fourcorrectmatchesof

transcriptwithtargetsite,againstanexpectedfive.20

Bydegrees,PuthoffandTargwereturningintobelievers.Humanbeings,talentedor

otherwise,appearedtohavealatentabilitytoseeanywhereacrossanydistance.Themost

talentedremoteviewersclearlycouldentersomeframeworkofconsciousness,allowing

themtoobservescenesanywhereintheworld.Buttheinescapableconclusionoftheir

experimentswasthatanyonehadtheabilitytodothis,iftheywerejustprimedforit—even

thosehighlyscepticaloftheentirenotion.Themostimportantingredientappearedtobea

relaxed,evenplayful,atmospherewhichdeliberatelyavoidedcausinganxietyornervous

anticipationintheviewer.Andthatwasall,otherthanalittlepractice.Swannhimselfhad

learnedovertimehowtoseparatesignalfromnoise—somehowdiviningwhatwashis

imaginationfromwhatwasclearlyinthescene.

PuthoffandTarghadtackledremoteviewingasscientists,creatingascientificmethodfor

testingit.BrendaDunneandRobertJahnrefinedthisscienceevenfurther.Thiswasanatural

progressionforthem.OneofthefirsttoreplicatetheSRIworkhadbeenBrendaDunne,while

anundergraduateatMundeleinCollegeandlaterasagraduatestudentoftheUniversityof

Chicago,beforehermovetoPrinceton.21Dunne'sforte,onceagain,hadbeenordinary

volunteers,notgiftedpsychics.Ineightstudiesusingtwostudentswithnogiftforpsychic

ability,shedemonstratedthatherparticipantscouldbesuccessfulincorrectlydescribing

targetlocations.OnceshejoinedPrinceton,remoteviewingalsobecameincludedinPEAR's

agenda.

JahnandDunneweremainlyworriedaboutthegreatlikelihoodthatthesesortsof

studieswouldbevulnerabletosloppyprotocolsanddata‐processingtechniquesordeliberate

orinadvertent'sensorycueing'byeitherparticipant.Determinedtoavoidanyofthese

weaknesses,theywerepainstakinginstudydesign.Theycameupwiththelatestsubjective

wayofmeasuringsuccess‐astandardizedchecklist.Besidesdescribingthesceneand

drawingapicture,theremoteviewerwouldbeaskedtofillinaformofthirtymultiple‐choice

questionsaboutthedetailsofthescene,whichattemptedtogivefleshtothebonesofhisor

herdescription.Meanwhile,thepersonattheremotesitewouldalsofillinthesameform,in

additiontotakingphotosandmakingdrawings.Onmanyoccasions,thetargetsitewas

selectedbyoneoftheREGmachinesandhandedinasealedenvelopetothetraveller,tobe

openedawayfromPEAR;onotheroccasions,thetravellingparticipantmightchooseatarget

siteonlyafterheorshewasataremotesiteunknowntoanybodybackatPrinceton.

Whenthetravellerreturned,amemberofthePEARstaffwouldenterthedataintoa

computer,whichwouldcomparechecklistsforthetravellerandremoteviewer,andalso

comparetheselistswithallothersinthedatabase.

Intotal,JahnandDunneperformed336formaltrialsinvolving48recipientsand

distancesbetweentravellerandremoteviewerofbetween5and6000miles,andworkedout

ahighlydetailedmathematicalanalyticalassessmenttojudgetheaccuracyoftheresults.

Theyevendeterminedindividualprobabilityscoresforarrivingattherightanswerby

chance.Nearlytwo­thirdsweremoreaccuratethancouldbeaccountedforbychance.The

overalloddsagainstchanceinthePEAR'scompleteremoteviewingdatabasewasonebillion

toone.22

Onepossiblecriticismwasthatmostoftheremoteviewingpairskneweachother.

Althoughsomesortofemotionalorphysiologicalbondbetweentheparticipantsseemedto

improvethescores,goodresultswerealsoachievedwhenthetravellerandremoteviewer

werevirtualstrangers.UnliketheinitialSRIstudies,noonewaschosenbecauseofagiftfor

telepathy.Furthermore,betterscoreswereobtainedwhenthetravellingparticipantswere

randomlyassignedtheirsitesfromalargepoolofpossibilities,ratherthanspontaneously

selectingitthemselves.Thismadeitunlikelythatanycommonknowledgebetweenthepairs

ofparticipantsimprovedthescores.

Jahn,aswellasPuthoff,realizedthatnothinginthecurrenttheoriesofbiologyor

physicscouldaccountforremoteviewing.TheRussianshadmaintainedthatclairvoyance

operatedthroughsomesortofextremely‐low‐frequency(ELF)electromagneticwave.23The

problemwiththisinterpretationisthatinmanyoftheexperiments,theviewershadbeen

abletoseeasiteasamovingvideo,asiftheyhadbeenthereonthescene.Thismeantthat

thisphenomenonoperatedbeyondaconventionalELFfrequency.Furthermore,usingthe

specialdouble‐walled,copper‐screenedroom,whichwouldblockevenlow‐frequencyradio

waves,didn'ttarnishanyone'sabilitytopickupthesceneordegradeanyofthedescriptions,

eventhoseofeventsthousandsofmilesaway.

PuthoffwentontotesttheELFhypothesisbyconductingtwooftheirstudiesfroma

Taurussubmarine,atinyfive‐personvehiclemadebytheInternationalHydrodynamics

CompanyLtd(HYCO)ofCanada.Severalhundredfeetofseawaterisknowntobeaneffective

shieldforallbuttheverylowestfrequenciesoftheelectromagneticspectrum.Theremote

viewer—usuallyHammidorPrice—travelledinthesubmarine170metresunderthe

surfacenearCatalinaIsland,offthecoastofSouthernCalifornia,whileHalandagovernment

contractmonitorpickedoutatargetfromapooloftargetlocationsnearSanFrancisco.Atthe

designatedtime,theywenttothesiteandstayedfor15minutes.Atthispoint,Hammidor

Pricewouldtrytodescribeanddrawwhatherorhispartnerwaslookingat500milesaway.

Inbothcases,they'dcorrectlyidentifiedthetargetsite—atreeonahilltopinPortola

ValleyCalifornia,andashoppingmallinMountainView,California.Thismadeithighly

unlikelythatthechannelofcommunicationwaselectromagneticwaves,evenofextremely

lowfrequency.Eventheverylow10Hzbrainwaveswouldbeblockedin170metresof

water.Theonlywavesthatwouldn'tbeblockedwerequantumeffects.Aseveryobject

absorbsandre‐radiatestheZeroPointField,theinformationwouldbere‐emittedback

throughtheothersideofthewater'shield'.

PuthoffandTargdidhaveafewcluesaboutthepeculiarcharacteristicsofremote

viewing.Foronething,eachoftheSRIremoteviewersappearedtohavehisorherown

signature.Orientationappearedtomatchaperson'stendenciesinotherregards;asensory

remoteviewerwouldalsoviewwithhisorhersensesinperson.Onemightbeparticularly

goodatmappingoutthesiteanddescribingthearchitecturalandtopographicalfeatures;

anotherwouldconcentrateonthesensory‘feel'ofthetarget;yetanotherwouldfocusonthe

behaviourofthetargetexperimenter,ordescribewhathewasfeelingandseeing,asthough

hewassomehowtransportedandabletoseeoutofthetargetperson'seyes.24Manyofthe

viewersoperatedin'realtime'asthoughtheyweresomehowthere,experiencingthescene

fromtheirtargetsubject'spointofview.WhenHalwasswimminginCostaRica,theysawthe

scenefromhisperspective;ifhewasdistractedbyasceneotherthanthecentralonehewas

visitingatthetime,thensowerethey.Itwasasthoughtheyoperatedwiththesensesoftwo

people—theirownandthepersononthescene.

Thesignalswereactingasthoughthey'dbeensentthroughsomelow‐frequencybit

channel.Theinformationintheirexperimentswasreceivedinbitsandoftenimperfectly.

Althoughthebasicinformationcamethrough,sometimesthedetailswerealittleblurred.

Usually,thescenewasflipped,sothatthesubjectwouldseethereverse,asthoughlookingat

thescenethroughamirror.TargandPuthoffhadwonderedwhetherthismighthavetodo

withtheordinaryactivityofthevisualcortex,astheyunderstoodit.Theconventionalview

wasthatthecortextakesinasceneinreverse,andthebraincorrectsthisbyswitchingthe

scene.Inthisinstance,thesightisn'tbeingviewedbytheeyes,butthebrainstillperformsits

reversecorrectionofthescene.Thatiswherethesimilaritywithordinarybrainactivity

ended.Manyoftheremoteviewershadbeenabletochangetheirperspective,particularly

whengentlyurgedtodosobytheirmonitor,sotheycouldmovearoundheightsandanglesat

will,orzoominforacloseup,likeavideocameraonacrane.WithPat'sfirstremoteviewing

ofthesecretPentagonsite,he'dbegunhisviewingfrom1500feetuptotakethesceneinasa

wholeandthenzoomedinforcloserdetail.

Theworstthingaremoteviewercoulddowastointerpretoranalysewhathesaw.

Thistendedtocolourhisimpressionsastheinformationwasstillfilteringthrough,and

invariably,hewouldguesswrong.Basedonthatguess,hewouldbegintointerpretother

itemsinthesceneasbeinglikelycompanionstotheinterpretedmainimage.Ifoneviewer

thoughthesawacastle,he'dbeginlookingforamoat.Hisexpectationorimaginationwould

taketheplaceofthereceivingendofthechannel.25Therewasnodoubtthatinformation

camethroughspatiallyandholisticallyinflashesofimages.Aswiththephenomenastudied

byPEARandBraud,thissensorychannelappearstomakeuseoftheunconsciousand

nonanalyticpartofthebrain.AsDunneandJahnhadfoundwiththeirREGmachines,theleft

brainistheenemyofTheField.

Remoteviewerswereexhaustedwhentheyfinishedandalsooverwhelmedbyakind

ofsensoryoverloadwhentheyreturnedtothehereandnow.Itwasasthoughthey'dentered

intosomesuperconsciousness,andoncethey'dcomeoutofit,theworldwasmoreintense.

Theskywasbluer,soundswerelouder,everythingmoredeliciouslyreal.Itwasasif,in

tuningintothosebarelyperceptiblesignals,theirsenseshadbeenturnedtomaximum.Once

theyrejoinedtheworld,ordinaryvolumebombardedthemwithsightandsound.26

Halbegantothinkabouthowremoteviewingmightbepossible.Hedidn'twanttoattempta

theory.Likemostscientists,hehatedwoollyspeculation.Buttherewasnodoubtthatatsome

levelofawareness,weallhadinformationabouteverythingintheworld.Clearly,human

beaconsweren'talwaysnecessary.Evenasetofcoordinatescouldtakeusthere.Ifwecould

seeremoteplacesinstantaneously,itarguedstronglythatitwasaquantum,nonlocaleffect.

Withpractice,peoplecouldenlargetheirbrain'sreceivingmechanismstogainaccessto

informationstoredintheZeroPointField.Thisgiantcryptogram,continuallyencodedwith

everyatomintheuniverse,heldalltheinformationoftheworld—everysightandsoundand

smell.Whenremoteviewerswere'seeing'aparticularscene,theirmindsweren'tactually

somehowtransportedtothescene.Whattheywereseeingwastheinformationthattheir

travellerhadencodedinquantumfluctuation.Theywerepickingupinformationcontainedin

TheField.Inasense,TheFieldallowedustoholdthewholeoftheuniverseinsideus.Those

goodatremoteviewingweren'tseeinganythinginvisibletoalltherestofus.Alltheywere

doingwasdampeningdowntheotherdistractions.

Aseveryquantumparticleisrecordingtheworldinwaves,carryingimagesofthe

worldateverymoment,atsomeprofoundlydeepquantumlevel,somethingaboutthescene

—atargetindividualormapcoordinates—isprobablyactinglikeabeacon.Aremoteviewer

picksupsignalsfromthetargetindividualandthesignalcarriesanimagethatispickedupby

usataquantumlevel.Toallbuttheexperiencedandthegifted,likePatPrice,this

informationisreceivedimperfectly,inreverseorinincompleteimages,asifsomethingwere

wrongwiththetransmitter.Becausetheinformationisreceivedbyourunconsciousmind,we

oftenreceiveitaswewouldinadreamstate,amemoryorasuddeninsight—aflashofan

image,aportionofthewhole.Price'ssuccesswiththeRussiansiteandSwann'ssuccesswith

Jupitersuggestthatanysortofmnemonic,suchasamaporcipher,canconjureuptheactual

place.Asanidiotsavanthasaccesstoimpossiblecalculationsinaninstant,perhapstheZero

PointFieldenablesustoholdanimageofthephysicaluniverseinsideourselves,andunder

certaincircumstancesweopenourbandwidthswideenoughtoglimpseaportionofit.

TheSRIremoteviewingprogramme(laterhousedattheScienceApplications

InternationalCorp,orSAIC)carriedonfortwenty‐threeyears,behindawallofsecrecythatis

stillerected.Ithadbeenfundedentirelybythegovernment,firstunderPuthoff,thenTarg

andfinallyEdwinMay,aburlynuclearphysicistwho'dcarriedoutotherintelligencework

before.In1978,theArmyhaditsownpsychicspyingintelligenceunitinplace,codenamed

GrillFlame,possiblythemostsecretprogrammeinthePentagon,mannedbyenlistedmen

who'dclaimedsometalentinpsychicphenomena.BythetimeofEdMay'stenure,awho's

whoofscientistsconsistingoftwoNobellaureatesandtwochairsofdepartmentat

universities,allchosenfortheirscepticism,satonaUSgovernmentHumanUseand

ProceduralOversightcommittee.TheirtaskwastoreviewalloftheSRIremoteviewing

research,andtodosotheyweregivenunannounceddrop‐inprivilegestoSAIC,toguard

againstfraud.Allconcludedthattheresearchwasimpeccable,andhalfactuallyfeltthe

researchdemonstratedsomethingimportant.27Nevertheless,tothisday,theAmerican

governmenthasreleasedonlytheSemipalatinskstudy,onetinyportionofamountainofSRI

documents,andthenonlyafterarelentlesscampaignbyRussellTarg.28

Atthecloseoftheprogrammein1995,agovernment‐sponsoredreviewofalltheSRI

andSAICdata,carriedoutbyJessicaUtts,astatisticsprofessorattheUniversityofCalifornia

atDavis,andDrRayHyman,ascepticofpsychicphenomena,agreedthatthestatistical

resultsforremote‐viewingphenomenawerefarbeyondwhatcouldhaveoccurredby

chance.,AsfarastheUSgovernmentwasconcerned,theSRIstudiesgaveAmericaapossible

advantageoverRussianintelligence.Buttothescientiststhemselves,theseresults

representedfarmorethanachessmanoeuvreintheColdWar.Itseemedtosuggestthat

becauseofourconstantdialoguewiththeZeroPointField,likedeBroglie'selectron,weare

everywhereatonce.

CHAPTERNINETheEndlessHereandNow

TheCIAmighthavebeenstruckbyPatPrice'ssuccesswithSemipalatinsk,butthat

wasn'ttheexperimentwhichmostimpressedHalPuthoffandRussellTarg.Thatonehad

occurredtheyearbeforeandconcernednothingmorecloakanddaggerthanalocal

swimmingpool.

TarghadbeenwithPatPriceinthecopper‐screenedroomonthesecondfloorofthe

SRIRadioPhysicsbuilding;Halandacolleaguehadtheirelectroniccalculatorrandomly

chooseoneofthelocations,whichinthisinstanceturnedouttobetheswimming‐pool

complexinRinconadaParkinPaloAlto,approximatelyfivemilesaway.

After30minutes,whenitwaslikelythatPuthoffhadarrivedathisdestination,Targ

gavePricethego‐ahead.Priceclosedhiseyesanddescribedindetail,andwithnear‐correct

dimensionsthelargepool,thesmallerpoolandaconcretebuilding.Inallrespectshis

drawingwasaccurate,saveone:heinsistedthatthesitehousedsomesortofwater

purificationplant.Heevendrewrotatingdevicesintohisdrawingsofthepoolsandadded

twowatertanksonsite.

Forseveralyears,HalandRussellhadjustassumedthatPathadgotthisonewrong.

Toomuchnoisetosignalishowtheyusuallyphrasedit.Therewasnowaterpurification

systemthere,andtherecertainlyweren'tanywatertanks.

Then,inearly1975,RussellreceivedanAnnualReportoftheCityofPaloAlto,a

celebrationofitscentennial,containingsomeofthecity'shighlightsoverthelastcentury.

Whileflickingthroughit,Targwasflabbergastedtoread:'In1913anewmunicipal

waterworkswasbuiltonthesiteofthepresentRinconadaPark.'Italsoincludedaphotoof

thesite,whichclearlyshowedtwotanks.RussrememberedPat'sdrawingandpulleditout;

thetankswereexactlyintheplacethatPatPricehaddrawnthem.WhenPat'saw'thesite,he

sawitasithadbeen50yearsago,eventhoughallevidenceofthewaterpurificationplant

hadlongsincedisappeared.1

OneofthemostastonishingaspectsofthedataamassedbyPuthoff,Jahnandtheother

scientistsisthattheyhadn'tbeenatallsensitivetodistance.Apersondoesn'thavetobein

closeproximitytoaffectaREGmachine.InatleastaquarterofJahn'sstudies,theparticipants

wereanywherefromnextdoortothousandsofmilesaway.Nevertheless,theresultswere

virtuallyidenticaltothoseobtainedwhentheparticipantswereatthePEARlab,sittingright

infrontofamachine.Distance,evengreatdistance,didn'tseemtolessenaperson'seffecton

themachine.2

ThesamehadoccurredwithPEAR'sandSRI'sremoteviewingstudies.Remoteviewers

wereabletoseeacrosscountries,overcontinents—evenoutintospace.3

ButthePatPricestudywasanexampleofsomethingevenmoreextraordinary.The

researchthatwasemergingfromlabssuchasPEARandSRIsuggestedthatpeoplecould'see'

intothefutureorreachbackintothepast.

Oneofthemostinviolatenotionsinoursenseofourselvesandourworldisthenotion

oftimeandspace.Weviewlifeasaprogressionthatwecanmeasurethroughclocks,

calendarsandthemajormilestonesofourlives.Weareborn,wegrowup,wegetmarried

andhavechildren,andonebyonecollecthouses,possessions,catsanddogs,allthewhile

inevitablygettingolderandmovinginalinetowarddeath.Indeed,themosttangible

evidenceoftheprogressionoftimeisthephysicalfactofourownageing.

Theotherinviolatenotionfromclassicalphysicsisthenotionthattheworldisa

geometricplacefilledwithsolidobjectswithspacesinbetweenthem.Thesizeofthespacein

betweendeterminedthekindofinfluenceoneobjecthadonanother.Thingscouldn'thave

anykindofinstantaneousinfluenceiftheyhappenedtobemilesaway.

ThePatPricestudiesandthePEARstudiesbegantosuggestthatatamore

fundamentallevelofexistence,thereisnospaceortime,noobviouscauseandeffect—of

somethinghittingsomethingelseandcausinganeventovertimeorspace.Newtonianideas

ofanabsolutetimeandspaceorevenEinstein'sviewofarelativespace‐timearereplacedby

atruerpicture—thattheuniverseexistsinsomevast'here'wherehererepresentsallpoints

ofspaceandtimeatasingleinstant.Ifsubatomicparticlescaninteractacrossallspaceand

time,thensomightthelargermattertheycompose.InthequantumworldofTheField,a

subatomicworldofpurepotential,lifeexistsasoneenormouspresent.'Taketimeoutofit,'

RobertJahnwasfondofsaying,'anditallmakessense.'

Jahnhadhisownstoreofevidenceshowingthatpeoplecouldforetellevents.Largely

becauseofsimilarworkconductedbyBrendaDunneatMundeleinCollege,DunneandJahn

haddesignedmostoftheirremoteviewingstudiesas‘precognitiveremoteperception',or

PRP.TheremoteviewersremainingbehindinthePEARlabwereaskedtonametheir

travellingpartner'sdestinationsnotonlybeforetheyactuallygotthere,butalsomanyhours

ordaysbeforetheyevenknewwheretheyweregoing.Someonenotinvolvedinthe

experimentwoulduseaREGtorandomlypickthetraveller'sdestinationsfromapoolof

previouslychosentargets,orthetravellercouldchoosethedestinationspontaneouslyandon

hisown,aftersettingoff.Thetravellingpartnerwouldthenfollowthestandardprotocolof

remoteviewingexperiments.He'dspend10to15minutesatthetargetsite,attheassigned

time,recordinghisimpressionsofit,takingphotosandfollowingthechecklistofquestions

producedbythePEARteam.Meanwhile,hackatthelaboratory,theremoteviewerwould

havetorecordanddrawhisorherimpressionsofthetraveller'sdestination,fromhalfan

hourtofivedaysbeforethetravellerarrived.

OfPEAR's336formaltrialsinvolvingremoteviewing,themajorityweresetupasPRP

or'retrocognition'—hoursordaysafterthetravellerhadlefthisdestination—andwere

justassuccessfulasthosecarriedoutin'realtime'.

Manyoftherecipients'descriptionsmatchedthetraveller'sphotographswith

breathtakingaccuracy.Inonecase,thetravellerheadedtotheNorthwestRailroadStationin

Glencoe,Illinois,andtookonephotoofthestationwithanoncomingtrainandthenanother

oftheinsideofthestation,adrablittlewaitingroomwithabulletinboardbelowasign.'Isee

thetrainstation,'wrotetheremoteviewer35minutesbeforethetravellerhadevenchosen

wherehewasgoing,'oneofthecommutertrainstationsthat'sontheexpressway—the

whitecementofthemandthesilverrailings.Iseeatraincoming...Iseeorheartheclickingof

feetorshoesonthewoodenfloor....Therearepostersorsomethingup,somekindsof

advertisementsorpostersonthewallinthetrainstation.Iseethebenches.Gettingtheimage

ofasign...'

Inanotherinstance,theremotevieweratthePEARlabjotteddownhis'strangeyet

persistent'imagethattheagentwasstandinginsidea'largebowl'—and'ifitwasfullofsoup

[theagent]wouldbethesizeofalargedumpling'.Forty‐fiveminuteslater,thetravellerwas

indeedthesizeofadumplingincomparisontothemassivecurveddome‐likestructureofthe

radiotelescopeinKittPeak,Arizona,hewasstandingunder.YetanotherPEARparticipant

describedhispartnerina'oldbuilding'with'windowslikearches'which'cometoapointon

topalmost'but'notaregularpoint',plus'greatbigdoubledoors'and'squarepillarswith

ballsontop'.Nearlyadaylater,thetravellerarrivedathisdestination,theTretiakovskaia

GallereiainMoscow,anornateimpressivebuildingwithspecialpillarsinfront,andalarge

doubledoorbeneathapointedarchway.4

Inothercases,theremoteviewerpickedupanimpressionofasceneonthetraveller's

journeyotherthanthe'official'one.Ononeoccasion,thetravellerintendedtovisittheSaturn

moonrocketattheNASASpaceCenterinHouston,Texas.Theremoteviewer,meanwhile,

'saw'anindoorscenewherethetravellerwasplayingonthefloorwithalitterofpuppies.But

thatsameevening,thetraveller(whoknewnothingoftheremoteviewer'simpressions)

visitedafriend'shome,wherehedidindeedplaywithalitterofnewbornpuppies,oneof

whichhewaspromptedtotakehomewithhim.

Theremoteviewersevenpickedupinformationabouteventsorscenesthathad

distractedtheirtravellersfromtheirmaintargets.Onetraveller,standingonafarminIdaho

andconcentratingonaherdofcows,wasdistractedbyanirrigationditchseveralyardsdown

theroad.Hewassufficientlyfascinatedbytheditchtophotographitandnoteitinhis

description.TheremoteviewerinNewJersey,pickingupthescenebeforeithadhappened,

madenomentionofcowsatallinhisdescription,buthedidsaythathewasgettinganimage

offarmbuildings,fieldsandtheirrigationditch.5

Otherscientificevidencesupportedtheideathathumanbeingshavetheabilityto'see'

thefuture.TheMaimonidesCenter'sCharlesHonortonputtogetherareviewofallwell‐

conductedscientificexperimentsofmostvarieties.Usuallytheyentailedhavingparticipants

guesswhichlampswouldlight,whatcardsymbolswouldbeturnedup,whatnumberonaset

ofdicewouldbethrownorevenwhattheweathermightbe.6Combiningatotalof2million

trialscomprising309studiesand50,000participants,wherethetimebetweenguessingand

theeventrangedfromafewmilli‐secondstoanentireyear,Honortonfoundpositiveresults

withoddsagainstthemoccurringbychanceoftenmillionbillionbilliontoone.7

PresidentAbrahamLincolndreamedabouthisownassassinationaweekbeforehedied.This

isoneofmanygoodstoriesaboutpremonitionsanddreamsforetellingthefuturethathave

enteredintohistory.Theproblemformostscientistsishowtoteststorieslikethisinthe

laboratory.Howdoyouquantifyandcontrolforapremonition?

TheMaimonidesdreamlaboratoryhadattemptedjustthis—toreproducepeople's

dreamsabouttheirownfuturesinacrediblescientificexperiment.They'dcomeupwitha

novelprocedure,usingagiftedEnglishpsychiccalledMalcolmBessent.Bessenthadhoned

hisspecialtalent,studyingmanyyearsattheLondonCollegeofPsychicStudiesunderequally

giftedandexperiencedhandsinESPandclairvoyance.Bessentwasinvitedtosleepatthe

Maimonideslaboratory,wherehewasaskedtodreamaboutwhatwouldhappentohimthe

followingday.Duringthenight,hewouldbeawakenedandaskedtoreportandrecordhis

dreams.Inoneinstance,Bessenthadfollowedtheagreedprocedureforreportinghisdream.

Thenextmorning,anotherinvestigatorwho'dhadnoknowledgeorcontactwithBessentor

hisdreamcarriedouttheagreedprocedureforrandomlyselectingatargetamongsomeart

reproductionsofpaintings.ItturnedouttobeVanGogh'sHospitalCorridoratSaint‐Remy.As

afurtherprecautionagainstbias,thetapeofBessent'srecountingofhisdreamhadbeen

wrappedupandmailedtoatranscriberbeforethepicturehadbeenchosen.

Assoonastheimagewaschosen,theMaimonidesstaffwentintohighgear.When

Bessentwokeupandleftthesleeproom,hewasgreetedbystaffinwhitecoats,whocalled

him'MrVanGogh'andtreatedhiminarough,perfunctorymanner.Ashewalkedalongthe

corridorhecouldhearthesoundofhystericallaughter.The'doctors’forcedhimtotakeapill

and'disinfected'himwithaswabofcottonwool.

Later,thetranscriptofhisdescriptionofhisdreamwasexamined.Itturnedoutthat

Bessenthaddescribedapatientattemptingtoescape,whilemanypeopledressedinwhite

coats—doctorsandothermedicalstaff—werehostiletohim.8

Bessent'slaboratorypremonitionshadbeenhighlysuccessful,withsevenofatotalof

eightconsideredrightontarget.Inasecondseries,Bessentprovedhewasableto

successfullydreamaboutfuturetargetsaswellasthosehe'djustseen.Bythetimethedream

labwasclosedin1978throughlackoffunding,they'damassed379trials,withanastonishing

83.5percentsuccessrateofpresentandfuturedreams.9

DeanRadinthoughtofanoveltwistforhowtotestforapremonition.Insteadof

relyingonverbalaccuracy,he'dtestwhetherourbodieswereregisteringanyforebodingof

anevent.Thisideawasasimplifiedvariationonthedreamresearch.TheMaimonidestests

wereexpensive,requiringeighttotenpeopleandadayorsoforeachexperiment.With

Radin'sprotocol,youcouldgetthesameresultsin20minutes,atafractionofthecost.

Radinwaspartofthesmallinnercircleofconsciousnessinvestigators,andoneofthe

onlyscientistswho'ddeliberatelychosenthisfieldofinvestigationratherthancomingtoit

throughthebackdoor.Hisinvolvementinthisparticularbrandofresearchhadtodowith

thepeculiarmarriagehislifehadmadeofscienceandsciencefiction.Radinwas50,but

despitethepresenceofathinblackmoustacheandarecedinghairline,he'dretainedthe

knowing,childlikelookofthechildprodigyhe'doncebeen.Hisparticularinstrumentof

precocityhadbeentheviolin,whichhe'dplayedfromtheageoffiveupuntilhismid‐

twenties.Onlylackofphysicalstaminahadcausedhimtogiveupwhatmighthavebeena

promisingcareerasaconcertviolinist.World‐classmusicalperformancerequiresnothing

lessthanasuperbathletewillingtopractiseandplayforhourseveryday,honingthe

mechanicsoffinemotorcontrol,andRadincametorealizethatnothinginhissparephysical

makeuppossessedthatlevelofrobustness.Itwasnaturalthathewouldmoveontohisnext

greatlove,fairytales—theprospectofasecret,magicalworld.Butthesametypeof

precisionanddetachmentthathadledtohiscompetencewiththeviolinalsomadefora

skilfulinvestigator,anaturalforstudyingforensicevidenceordiggingoutelusiveclues.His

first‐gradeteachernotedthematter‐of‐factforthrightnessandseriousnessofpurposeinthis

slightchildandcorrectlyforecasthisfuturevocation.WhatRadinreallywantedtobringinto

hisownjuvenilelaboratorywasmagic.He'dwantedtotakemagicapartandstudyitundera

microscope.Bytheageoftwelvehe'dalreadybeguncarryingouthisownESPinvestigations.

Throughtenyearsofuniversityschooling,firstinengineering,thenadoctoratein

psychology,andevenafirstjobinthehumanfactorsdivisionofBellLaboratories,the

workingsofconsciousnessandtheouterlimitsofhumanpotentialcontinuedtobehischief

passion.He'dheardofHelmutSchmidt'smachines,andbeforelonghepaidSchmidtavisit

andcameawaywithaborrowedRNGtoconductsomestudiesofhisown.Almost

immediately,Radinbegangettinggoodresults—resultsasgoodasSchmidt's.Thiswastoo

importanttobeacareersideline.Radinlobbiedtoworkwithsomeofthescientistsalreadyin

thisfield,andbegandoingtherounds,atonepointworkingatSRIandthenatPrinceton

UniversitybeforesettinguphisownconsciousnesslaboratoryattheUniversityofNevadain

LasVegas,aremoteacademicoutpostwherehehopedhemightbeleftalone.10

Radin'sinitialcontributiontothisresearchwasthehardstatisticalgrind.Muchofhis

earlierworkentailedreplicatingorprovidingmathematicalverificationoftheresearchofhis

colleagues.Itwashewho'dworkedoutthemeta‐analysisofthePEARREGstudies,among

others.

Radinhadstudiedthedream‐researchdatathatexistedonpremonitions.What

interestedhimwaswhetherpeoplehadthesamesortofclearforebodingwhentheywere

awake.InhislabinLasVegas,Deansetupacomputerthatwouldrandomlyselectphotos

designedeithertocalmortoagitate,arouseorupsettheparticipant.Radin'svolunteers

wouldbewireduptophysiologicalmonitorsthatrecordedchangesinskinconductance,

heartrateandbloodpressure.

Thecomputerwouldrandomlydisplaycolourphotosoftranquilscenes(picturesof

natureorlandscapes)orscenesdesignedtoshockortoarouse(picturesfromautopsiesor

eroticmaterials).Asexpected,theparticipant'sbodywouldcalmdownimmediatelyafterhe

orsheobservedthetranquilscenes,andbecomearousedafterbeingconfrontedbytheerotic

ordisturbing.Naturally,studyparticipantsrecordedthelargestresponseoncethey'dseen

thephotos.However,whatRadindiscoveredwasthathissubjectswerealsoanticipating

whattheywereabouttosee,registeringphysiologicalresponsesbeforethey'dseenthe

photo.Asiftryingtobracethemselves,theirresponseswerehighestbeforetheysawan

imagethatwasdisturbing.Bloodpressurewoulddropintheextremitiesaboutasecond

beforetheimagewasflashed.

Strangestofall,possiblyreflectingthatAmericansaremoreunsettledaboutsexthan

violence,Radindiscoveredafarhigherforebodingwiththeeroticthanwiththeviolent.He

realizedthathehadsomeofthefirstlaboratoryproofthatourbodiesunconsciously

anticipateandactoutourownfutureemotionalstates.Italsosuggestedthatthe'nervous

systemisnotjust"reacting"toafutureshock,butisalsoworkingouttheemotionalmeaning

ofit'.11

Radin'sstudiesweresuccessfullyreplicatedbyhisDutchcounterpart,apsychologist

calledDickBiermanattheUniversityofAmsterdam.12Biermanwentontousethismodel

todeterminewhetherpeopleanticipategoodorbadnews.Instudyingtheelectrodermal

activityofpeopleinvolvedinanotherpublishedstudywhichwasexamininglearnedresponse

inaparticulartypeofgamblingcardgame,Biermanfoundthattheparticipantsregistered

rapidchangesinEDAresponsebeforetheywerehandedouttheircards.Furthermore,these

differencestendedtocorrespondtothetypeofcardstheygot.Thoseabouttoreceiveabad

handweremorerattledandhadallthehallmarksofaheightenedfight‐or‐flightresponse.13

Thiswouldseemtoindicatethat,onasubconsciousphysiologicallevel,wehaveaninkling

whenweareabouttoreceivebadnewsorwhenbadthingsaregoingtohappentous.

RadintriedanothertestofseeingintothefutureusingavariationonHelmutSchmidt's

machine.Thistypeofmachinewasa'pseudorandomeventgenerator',stillunpredictable,

butthroughadifferentmechanism.Inthisinstance,aseednumber,orinitiatingnumber,

wouldkickoffahighlycomplexmathematicalsequenceofothernumbers.Themachine

contained10,000differentseednumbersandso10,000differentmathematicalpossibilities.

Thepseudorandomnumbergeneratorwasdesignedtoproducesequencesofrandombits,or

zerosandones.Thosesequenceswiththemost'ones'inthemweredeemedthebest

sequencesandthereforethemostdesirable.Theobjectwastostopthemachineata

particularmoment,onaparticularseednumber,toinitiatethebestsequences.

That,ofcourse,wasthetrickofit.Thewindowofselectionwasimpossiblysmall;as

theclockinthecomputerticks50timesasecond,yourcorrectseednumberwouldflashupin

20millisecondwindows—tentimesfasterthanthereactiontimesofhumanbeings.Tobe

successfulatthis,somehowyouhadtointuitivelyknowthatagoodseednumberwascoming

upandpressthemachinedownpreciselyatthatexactmillisecond.Asimpossibleasit

sounded,thiswasexactlywhatRadinandhisSRIboss,EdMay,did.Overhundredsoftrials,

RadinandMayweresomehowableto'know'justwhentohitthebuttontoachievethe

favourablesequence.14

HelmutSchmidtwasconsumedbyadeliciouspossibility:theprospectofturningbacktime.

He'dbeenthinkingabouthowtheeffectshe'dbeenseeingwithmachinesseemedtodefy

spaceorcausation.WhatbegantakingshapeinSchmidt'smindwasalmostanabsurdityofa

question:whetherapersonattemptingtoaffecttheoutputofoneofhismachinescoulddoso

afterithadbeenrun.Ifaquantumstatewasasetherealasaflutteringbutterfly,diditmatter

whenyoutriedtopinitdown,solongasyouwerethefirsttoattemptit—thefirstobserver?

SchmidtrewiredhisREGtoconnectittoanaudiodevicesothatitwouldrandomlyset

offaclick,whichwouldbetapedtobeheardinasetofheadphonesbyeithertheleftorright

ear.Hethenturnedonhismachinesandtape‐recordedtheiroutput,makingsurethatnoone,

includinghimself,waslistening.Acopyofthemastertapewasmade,againwithnoone

listening,andlockedaway.Schmidtalsointermittentlycreatedtapesthatweretoactas

controls,thosewherenoonewouldevertrytoaffectitsleft—rightclicks.Asexpected,when

theywereplayed,thesecontroltapeshadleftandrightearclicksthatweremoreorless

evenlydistributed.

Then,adaylater,Schmidtgotavolunteertotakeoneofthetapeshome.His

assignmentwastolistentoitandtrytoinfluencemoreoftheclickstocomeintohisrightear.

Later,Schmidthadhiscomputercountupleftandrightclicks.Hisresultseemedtodefy

commonsense.Whathefoundwasthatthisinfluencerhadchangedtheoutputofthe

machine,justasifhe'dbeenpresentwhenitwasbeingrecordedinthefirstplace.Furthermore,

theseresultswerejustasgoodashisordinaryREGtests,asgoodasifsomeonehadbeen

sittinginfrontofthemachine.

Aftercarryingoutanumberofthesetests,Schmidtrealizedthataneffectwasgoingon,

buthedidn'tthinkhisparticipantshadchangedthepast,orerasedatapeandmadeanew

one.Whatseemedtohavehappenedwasthathisinfluencershadchangedwhathad

happenedinthefirstplace.Theirinfluencehadreachedbackintimeandaffectedthe

randomnessofthemachineatthetimeitwasfirstrecorded.Theydidn'tchangewhathad

happened;theyaffectedwhatwouldhavehappenedinthefirstplace.Presentorfuture

intentionsactoninitialprobabilitiesanddeterminewhateventsactuallycomeintobeing.

Overmorethan20,000trialsinfivestudiesbetween1971and1975,Schmidtshowed

thatahighlysignificantnumberoftapesdeviatedfromwhatwasexpected—roughly50per

centeachofleftandrightclicks.Hegotsimilarresultsusingmachinesthatmovedaneedleon

adial,leftorright.Of832runs,nearly55percenthadmoreleft‐handneedlemovesthan

right.15Ofallthestudiesontimetravel,Schmidt'swereprobablythemostscientific.Sincea

copyoftheresultshadbeenmadeandlockedaway,iteliminatedthepossibilityoffraud.

WhattheyshoweddecisivelywasthatPKeffectsonarandomsystemlikeaREGmachinecan

occuratanytime,pastorfuture.

Schmidtalsofoundthatitwasimportantfortheinfluencertobethefirstobserver.If

anyoneelseheardthetapefirstandlistenedwithfocusedattention,thesystemseemedto

makeitlesssusceptibletoinfluencelater.Anyformoffocusedattentionseemedtofreezethe

systemintofinalbeing.Afewsparsestudiesevensuggestthatobservationbyanyliving

system,humanorevenanimal,seemedtosuccessfullyblockfutureattemptsattime‐

displacedinfluence.Althoughthesetypesofstudieshavebeenthinontheground,they

accordwithwhatweknowabouttheobservereffectinquantumtheory.Itsuggeststhat

observationbylivingobserversbringsthingsintosomesortofsetbeing.16

BobJahnandBrendaDunnealsobeganplayingaroundwithtimeintheirownREG

trials.In87,000oftheirexperiments,theyaskedtheirvolunteerstoaddresstheirattentionto

themachine'soperationsanywherefromthreedaystotwoweeksafterthemachinehadbeen

allowedtorun.Oncetheylookedatthedata,whattheyfoundwasincredible.Ineveryregard,

thisdatawasidenticaltothemoreconventionaldatathey'dgeneratedwhentheir

experimenterswereattemptingtheirinfluenceatthetimethemachinewasbeingrun—the

differencesbetweenwomenandmenwerestillthereandoverallpopulationdistortionswere

thesame.Therewasjustoneimportantdifference.Inthe'time‐displaced'experiments,the

volunteersweregettingbiggereffectsthaninthestandardexperimentseverytimethey'd

willedthemachinetoproduceheads.However,becauseoftherelativelysmallnumbers,Jahn

andDunnehadtodeemthisweirdeffectnon‐significant.17

Anumberofotherinvestigatorstriedthiskindofbackwardtimetraveltoinfluencethe

gerbilsrunninginactivitywheelsorthedirectionofpeoplewalkinginthedark(andhittinga

photobeam),orevencarshittingaphotobeaminatunnelinViennaduringtherushhour.The

revolutionsonthewheelsandhitsofthephotobeamwereconvertedintoclicks,andtaped,

storedandplayedforthefirsttimebetweenonedayandaweeklatertoobservers,who

attemptedtoinfluencethegerbilstorunfasterorthepeopleorcarstorunintothebeam

moreoften.Anotherstudyattemptedtoseeifahealercouldretroactivelyinfluencethe

spreadofbloodparasitesinrats.BraudhadevendonehisownstudiesrecordingtheEDA

responseofcertainindividualsandaskingthemtoreviewtheirresponseandtrytoinfluence

theirownEDAs.RadinhadcarriedoutasimilarstudywithEDAtapesandhealers.Schmidt

hadstudieswherehe'dtriedtoaffecthisownprerecordedbreathingrate.Alltold,tenofthe

nineteenstudiesshowedeffectssignificantlydifferentfromchance—enoughtoindicatethat

somethingoutoftheordinarywasgoingonhere.18

ItwasresultslikethesethatmosttroubledHalPuthoff.Thetypeofzero‐pointenergy

hewasmostfamiliarwithwaselectromagnetic:aworldofcauseandeffect,oforder,of

certainlawsandlimits—inthiscase,thespeedoflight.Thingsdidnotgobackwardor

forwardintime.

Thisbodyofexperimentssuggestedthreepossiblescenariostohim.Thefirstwasa

visionofanutterlydeterministicuniverse,whereeverythingthatwasevergoingtohappen

hadalreadyoccurred.Withinthisuniverseofabsolutefixeddeterminacy,peoplewith

premonitionsweresimplytappingintoinformation,whichwas,onsomelevel,already

available.

Thesecondpossibilitywasperfectlyexplainablewithinknowntheoreticlawsofthe

universe.Radin'soppositenumber,UniversityofAmsterdam'sDickBierman,believedyou

couldaccountforprecognitionthroughawell‐knownquantumphenomenonknownas

retardedandadvancedwaves—theso‐calledWheeler—Feynmanabsorbertheory,which

saysthatawavecantravelbackwardintimefromthefuturetoarriveatitssource.What

happensbetweentwoelectronsisthis.Whenoneelectronjigglesabit,itsendsoutradiating

wavesintoboththepastandthefuture.Thefuturewave,say,wouldhitafutureparticle,

whichwouldalsowiggle,whilesendingoutitsownadvancedandretardedwaves.Thetwo

setsofwavesfromthesetwoelectronscancelout,exceptintheregionbetweenthem.The

endresultofawavefromthefirsttravellingbackwardandthewavefromthesecond

travellingforwardisaninstantaneousconnection.19Inpremonitions,Radinspeculated,it

couldbethat,onaquantumlevel,wearesendingoutwavestomeetourownfuture.20

Thethirdpossibility,whichperhapsmakesthemostsense,isthateverythinginthe

futurealreadyexistsatsomebottom‐runglevelintherealmofpurepotential,andthatin

seeingintothefuture,orthepast,wearehelpingtoshapeitandbringitintobeing,justaswe

dowithaquantumentityinthepresentwiththeactofobservation.Aninformationtransfer

viasubatomicwavesdoesn'texistintimeorspace,butissomehowspreadoutandever‐

present.Thepastandpresentareblurredintoonevast'hereandnow'soyourbrain'picks

up'signalsandimagesfromthepastorthefuture.Ourfuturealreadyexistsinsomenebulous

statethatwemaybegintoactualizeinthepresent.Thismakessenseifweconsiderthatall

subatomicparticlesexistinastateofallpotentialunlessobserved—whichwouldinclude

beingthoughtabout.

ErvinLaszlohasproposedoneinterestingphysicalexplanationfortime‐displacement.

HesuggeststhattheZeroPointFieldofelectromagneticwaveshasitsownsubstructure.The

secondaryfieldscausedbythemotionofsubatomicparticlesinteractingwithTheFieldare

called'scalar'waves,whicharenotelectromagneticandwhichdon'thavedirectionorspin.

Thesewavescantravelfarfasterthanthespeedoflight—likePuthoff'simaginedtachyons.

Laszloproposesthatitisscalarwavesthatencodetheinformationofspaceandtimeintoa

timeless,spacelessquantumshorthandofinterferencepatterns.InLaszlo'smodel,this

bottom‐rungleveloftheZeroPointField—themotherofallfields—providestheultimate

holographicblueprintoftheworldforalltime,pastandfuture.Itisthisthatwetapintowhen

weseeintothepastorfuture.21

Totaketimeoutoftheequation,asRobertJahnsuggests,weneedtotakeseparateness

outofit.Pureenergyasitexistsatthequantumleveldoesnothavetimeorspace,butexists

asavastcontinuumoffluctuatingcharge.We,inasense,aretimeandspace.Whenwebring

energytoconsciousawarenessthroughtheactofperception,wecreateseparateobjectsthat

existinspacethroughameasuredcontinuum.Bycreatingtimeandspace,wecreateourown

separateness.

ThissuggestsamodelnotunliketheimplicateorderofBritishphysicistDavidBohm,

whotheorizedthateverythingintheworldisenfoldedinthis'implicate'state,untilmade

explicit—aconfiguration,heimagined,ofzero‐pointfluctuations.22Bohm'smodelviewed

timeaspartofalargerreality,whichcouldprojectmanysequencesormomentsinto

consciousness,notnecessarilyinalinearorder.Hearguedthatasrelativitytheorysaysthat

spaceandtimearerelativeandineffectasingleentity(space‐time)andifquantumtheory

stipulatesthatelementsthatareseparatedinspaceareconnectedandprojectionsofa

higher‐dimensionalreality,itfollowsthatmomentsseparatedintimearealsoprojectionsof

thislargerreality.

Bothincommonexperienceandinphysics,timehasgenerallybeenconsideredtobea

primary,independentanduniversallyapplicableorder,perhapsthemostfundamentalone

knowntous.Now,wehavebeenledtoproposethatitissecondaryandthat,likespace,itis

tobederivedfromahigher‐dimensionalground,asaparticularorder.Indeed,onecan

furthersaythatmanysuchparticularinterrelatedtimeorderscanbederivedfordifferent

setsofsequencesofmoments,correspondingtomaterialsystemsthattravelatdifferent

speeds.However,thesearealldependentonamultidimensionalrealitythatcannotbe

comprehendedfullyintermsofanytimeorder,orsetofsuchorders.23

Ifconsciousnessisoperatingatthequantumfrequencylevel,itwouldalsonaturally

resideoutsidespaceandtime,whichmeansthatwetheoreticallyhaveaccesstoinformation,

'past'and'future'.Ifhumansareabletoinfluencequantumevents,thisimpliesthatweare

alsoabletoaffecteventsormomentsotherthaninthepresent.

ThissuggestedonefinalintriguingthoughttoWilliamBraud.Time‐displacedhuman

intentionsomehowactsontheprobabilitiesofsomeoccurrencetobringaboutanoutcome,

andworksbestonwhatBraudlikedtocall'seedmoments'—thefirstofachainofevents.So,

ifyouappliedtheseprinciplestophysicalormentalhealth,itcouldmeanthatwecoulduse

TheFieldtodirectinfluences'backintime'toalterpivotalmomentsorinitialconditions

whichlaterbloomintofull‐blownproblemsordisease.

Ifthoughtinthebrainisaprobabilisticquantumprocess,asKarlPribramandhis

colleaguespropose,futureintentionmightinfluenceoneneuronbeingfiredandnotanother,

settingoffoneoranotherchainofchemicalandhormonaleventsthatmayormaynotresult

indisease.Braudpicturedaseedmomentwhereanaturalkillercellmightexistina50‐50

probabilisticstatetokillorignorecertaincancercells.Thatsimplefirstdecisionmight

eventuallymakethedifferencebetweenhealthandillness,orevendeath.Theremaybea

scoreofwaysthatwecoulduseintentioninthefuturetochangeprobabilitiesbeforethey

developintofull‐blowndisease.Infact,eventhediagnosisitselfmightinfluencethefuture

courseofthediseaseandsoshouldbeapproachedwithcaution.

Ifthediseasehaddeveloped,itwouldn'tbethatyoucouldundoit.Butsomeofthe

mostharmfulaspectsofitmightnothavebeenactualizedyetandmightstillbesusceptibleto

change.You'dcatchadiseaseatapointwhereitcouldheswayedinmanydirections,from

goodhealthtodeath.Braud

ponderedwhetheranycasesofspontaneousremissionhadbeencausedbyafuture

intentionactinguponadiseasebeforethepointofnoreturn.Itmightwellbethatevery

momentofourlivesinfluenceseveryothermoment,forwardandbackward.AsinThe

Terminatorfilms,wemightbeabletogobackintimetoaffectourownfuture.24

Part3TappingintotheField

'Thelastcenturywastheatomicage,

butthisonecouldwellturnouttobe

thezero‐pointage.'

HalPuthoff

CHAPTERTENTheHealingField

Puthoff,Braudandtheotherscientistshadbeenleftwithanimponderable:the

ultimateusefulnessofthenon‐localeffectstheyhadobserved.Theirstudiessuggesteda

numberofelegantmetaphysicalideasaboutmanandhisrelationtohisworld,butanumber

ofpracticalconsiderationshadbeenleftunanswered.

HowpowerfulwasintentionasaforceandexactlyhowInfectious'wasthecoherence

ofindividualconsciousness?CouldweactuallytapintoTheFieldtocontrolourownhealthor

eventohealothers?Coulditcurereallyseriousdiseaseslikecancer?Wasthecoherenceof

humanconsciousnessresponsibleforpsychoneuroimmunology—thehealingeffectofthe

mindonthebody?

Braud'sstudiesinparticularsuggestedthathumanintentioncouldbeusedasan

extraordinarilypotenthealingforce.Itappearedthatwecouldordertherandomfluctuations

intheZeroPointFieldandusethistoestablishgreater'order'inanotherperson.Withthis

typeofcapability,onepersonshouldbeabletoactasahealingconduit,allowingTheFieldto

realignanotherperson'sstructure.Humanconsciousnesscouldactasareminder,asFritz

Poppbelieved,tore‐establishanotherperson'scoherence.Ifnon‐localeffectscouldhe

marshalledtohealsomeone,thenadisciplinelikedistanthealingoughttowork.

Whatwasclearlyneededwasatestoftheseideasinreallifewithastudysocarefully

designedthatitwouldanswersomeofthesequestionsonceandforall.Intheearly1990sthe

opportunityarosewiththeperfectcandidate—ascientistratherscepticaloftheremote

healingwithagroupofpatientswho'dbeengivenupfordead.

ElisabethTarg,anorthodoxpsychiatristinherearly30s,wasthedaughterofRussell

Targ,HalPuthoff'spartnerandsuccessorintheSRIremote‐viewingexperiments.Elisabeth

wasacurioushybrid,drawntothepossibilitiessuggestedbyherfather'sremote‐viewing

workatSRI,butalsoshackledbytherigoursofherscientifictraining.Atthetime,she'dbeen

invitedtoworkasdirectoroftheCaliforniaPacificMedicalCenter'sComplementaryResearch

Institute,asaresultoftheremote‐viewingworkshe'ddonewithherfather.Oneofhertasks

wastoformallystudythetreatmentsofferedbytheclinic,whichconsistedlargelyof

alternativemedicine.Oftensheseemedtobeteeteringbetweenbothcamps—wanting

sciencetoembraceandstudythemiraculous,andwantingalternativemedicinetobemore

scientific.

Anumberofdifferentstrandsinherlifebegantoconverge.She'dreceivedaphonecall

fromafriendofhers,HellaHammid,announcingthatshehadbreastcancer.Hellahadarrived

inElisabeth'slifethroughherfather,who'dinadvertentlydiscoveredinHella,a

photographer,oneofhismosttalentedremoteviewers.HellahadcalledtoaskifElisabeth

knewofanyevidencethatalternativetherapiessuchasdistanthealing—somethingnot

unlikeremoteviewing—couldhelptocurebreastcancer.

Inthe1980s,attheheightoftheAIDSepidemic—atimewhenadiagnosisofHIVwas

almostcertainlyadeathsentence—ElisabethhadchosenthisspecialityinSanFrancisco,the

veryepicentreoftheUSepidemic.AtthetimeofHella'sphonecall,thehottesttopicin

medicalcirclesinCaliforniawaspsychoneuroimmunology.Patientshadbeguntocrowdinto

specialtown‐hallmeetingsgivenbymind—bodydevoteessuchasLouiseHayorinto

workshopsonvisualizationandimagery.Elisabethherselfhadbeendabblinginherown

studiesofmind—bodymedicine,undoubtedlybecauseshe'dhadnothingmuchelsetooffer

patientswithadvancedAIDS,eventhoughshewasdeeplyscepticalofHay'sapproach.Oneof

herownearlystudieshadshownthatgrouptherapywasasgoodasProzacfortreating

depressioninAIDSpatients.1She'dalsoreadoftheworkofDavidSpiegelatStanford

MedicalSchool,showingthatgrouptherapydramaticallyincreasedlifeexpectancyfor

womenwithbreastcancer.2

Inhersensible,pragmaticheart,Elisabethsuspectedtheeffectwasacombinationof

hopeandwishfulthinking,andperhapsabitofconfidenceengenderedbythesupportofthe

group.Theymayhavebeenpsychologicallybetter,buttheirT‐cellcountscertainlyweren't

improving.Still,sheharbouredashredofdoubt,possiblyderivedfromtheyearsshe'dspent

observingherfather'sworkonremoteviewingatSRI.Hissuccessstronglyarguedforthe

existenceofsomesortofextrasensoryconnectionbetweenpeopleandafieldthatconnected

allthings.Elisabethherselfhadoftenwonderedifonecouldusethespecialabilityobserved

inremoteviewingforsomethingbesidesspyingontheSovietsorpredictingahorserace,as

shehadoncedone.

Thenin1995,ElisabethreceivedaphonecallfromFredSicher.Fredwasa

psychologist,researcherandretiredhospitaladministrator.He'dbeenreferredtoherfriend

MarilynSchlitz,Braud'soldassociate,whowasnowthedirectoroftheInstituteofNoetic

Sciences,theSausalito‐basedorganizationthatEdgarMitchellhadsetupmanyyearsbefore.

Frednowatlasthadthetimeinhislifetoinvestigatesomethingthatfascinatedhim.Asa

hospitaladministrator,he'dalwaysbeensomethingofaphilanthropist.AtSchlitz's

suggestion,heapproachedElisabethaboutthepossibilityofworkingwithhimonastudyof

distanthealing.Withheruniquebackground,Elisabethwasanaturalchoicetoheadupthe

study.

PrayerwasnotsomethingElisabethhadmuchexperienceof.Shehadinheritedfrom

herfathernotonlyhermelancholicRussianlooksandthickblacktresses,lightlytingedwith

grey,butalsoherpassionforthemicroscope.TheonlyGodintheTargfamilyhomehadbeen

thescientificmethod.Targhadimpartedtohisdaughterasenseofthethrillofscience,with

itscapabilityofansweringthebigquestions.Ashe'dchosentoworkouthowtheworld

works,sohisdaughterhadchosentofigureouttheworkingsofthehumanmind.Asa13‐

yearold,she'devenwangledaplaceworkinginKarlPribram'sbrainresearchlaboratoryat

StanfordUniversity,examiningdifferencesbetweenleftandrighthemisphereactivity,before

decidingonanorthodoxcourseofstudyinpsychiatryatStanford.

Nevertheless,ElisabethhadbeenhighlyimpressedbytheSovietAcademyofScience

duringavisitshe'dmadetherewithherfather,andthefactthatlaboratorystudyof

parapsychologycouldbesoopenlycarriedoutbytheestablishment.Inofficiallyatheist

Russia,theyhadonlytwocategoriesofbelief:somethingwastrueornottrue.InAmerica,a

thirdcategoryexisted:religion,whichplacedsomethingsstrictlybeyondthereachof

scientificinvestigation.Everythingscientistscouldn'texplain,everythingconnectedwith

healing,orprayer,ortheparanormal—theterritoryofherfather'swork—seemedtofall

intothisthirdcategory.Onceitwasplacedthere,itwasofficiallydeclaredoutofbounds.

Herfatherhadbuilthisreputationondesigningimpeccableexperiments,andhehad

taughtherrespectfortheimportanceoftheair‐tight,well‐controlledtrial.Shegrewup

believingthatanysortofeffectcouldbequantified,solongasyoudesignedtheexperimentto

controlforvariables.Indeed,PuthoffandTargbetweenthemhaddemonstratedthatthewell‐

designedexperimentcouldevenprovethemiraculous.Theoutcomewasgospel,regardless

ofwhetherthatoutcomeviolatedtheresearcher'severyexpectation.Allgoodexperiments

'work':theproblemissimplythatwemaynotliketheconclusions.

EvenasTargseniorshiftedhisthinkingtoembracecertainspiritualideas,Elisabeth

remainedthecoolrationalist.Still,throughoutwhatwasanorthodoxtraininginpsychiatry,

she'dneverforgottenherfather'slessons:receivedwisdomwastheenemyofgoodscience.

Asastudentshewouldseekoutdustypsychiatricwritingsofthenineteenthcentury,before

theadventofmodernpsychopharmacology,whenpsychiatristslivedinsanatoriums,writing

downtherantingsoftheirpatientsinanattempttogainfurtherunderstandingoftheir

conditions.Somewhereintherawdata,Targbelieved,separatedoutfromthedogmaofthe

times,laythetruth.

ElisabethagreedtocollaboratewithSicher,eventhoughprivatelyshedoubteditwas

evergoingtowork.Shewouldputdistanthealingtothepuresttest.Shewouldtryitouton

herpatientswithadvancedAIDS,agroupsocertaintodiethatnothingotherthanhopeand

prayerwasopentothemanymore.Shewouldfindoutwhetherprayeranddistantintention

couldcuretheultimatehopelesscase.

Shebegantrawlingthroughtheevidenceonhealing.Thestudiesseemedtofallinto

threebroadcategories:attemptstoaffectisolatedcellsorenzymes;healingofanimals,plants

ormicroscopiclivingsystems;andstudiesofhumanbeings.IncludedwasallofBraudand

Schlitz'swork,whichshowedthatpeoplecouldhaveaninfluenceonalltypesofliving

processes.Therewasalsosomeinterestingevidenceshowingtheeffectshumanscouldhave

onplantsandanimals.There'devenbeensomeworkshowingthatpositiveornegative

thoughtsandfeelingscouldsomehowbetransmittedtootherlivingthings.

Inthe1960s,biologistDrBernardGradofMcGillUniversityinMontreal,oneofthe

earliestpioneersinthefield,wasinterestedindeterminingwhetherpsychichealersactually

transmitenergytopatients.Ratherthanusinglivehumanpatients,Gradhadusedplants

whichhe'dplannedtomake'ill'bysoakingtheirseedsinsaltywater,whichretardsgrowth.

Beforehesoakedtheseeds,however,hehadahealerlayhandsononecontainerofsalt

water,whichwastobeusedforonebatchofseeds.Theothercontainerofsaltwater,which

hadnotbeenexposedtothehealer,wouldholdtheremainderofseeds.Aftertheseedswere

soakedinthetwocontainersofsaltwater,thebatchexposedtothewatertreatedbythe

healergrewtallerthantheotherbatch.

Gradthenhypothesizedthatthereversemightalsohappen—negativefeelingsmight

haveanegativeeffectonthegrowthofplants.Inafollow‐upstudy,Gradhadseveral

psychiatricpatientsholdcontainersofordinarywaterwhichweretobeusedagaintosprout

seeds.Onepatient,amanbeingtreatedforpsychoticdepression,wasnoticeablymore

depressedthantheothers.Later,whenGradtriedtosproutseedsusingwaterofthepatients,

thewaterthathadbeenheldbythedepressedmansuppressedgrowth.3Thismaybeonegood

explanationwhysomepeoplehavegreenfingersandotherscangetnothinglivingtogrow.4

Inlaterexperiments,Gradchemicallyanalysedthewaterbyinfraredspectroscopyand

discoveredthatthewatertreatedbythehealerhadminorshiftsinitsmolecularstructure

anddecreasedhydrogenbondingbetweenthemolecules,similartowhathappenswhen

waterisexposedtomagnets.AnumberofotherscientistsconfirmedGrad'sfindings.5

Gradmovedontomice,who'dbeengivenskinwoundsinthelaboratory.After

controllingforanumberoffactors,eventheeffectofwarmhands,hefoundthattheskinof

histestmicehealedfarmorequicklywhenhealershadtreatedthem.6Gradalsoshowedthat

healerscouldreducethegrowthofcanceroustumoursinlaboratoryanimals.Animalswith

tumourswhichwerenothealeddiedmorequickly.7Otheranimalstudieshaveshownthat

amyloidosis,tumoursandlaboratory‐inducedgoitrecouldbehealedinlaboratoryanimals.8

Otherconductedscientificstudieshadshownthatpeoplecouldinfluenceyeast,fungi

andevenisolatedcancercells.9Inoneofthem,abiologistcalledCarrollNashatStJoseph's

UniversityinPhiladelphiafoundthatpeoplecouldinfluencethegrowthrateofbacteriajust

bywillingitso.10

AningenioustrialbyGeraldSolfvinshowedthatourabilityto'hopeforthebest'might

actuallyaffectthehealingofotherbeings.Solfvincreatedaseriesofcomplexandelaborate

conditionsforhistest.Heinjectedagroupofmicewithatypeofmalaria,whichisusually

fatalinrodents.

Solfvinthengotholdofthreelabassistantsandtoldthemthatonlyhalfthemicehad

beeninjectedwithmalaria.Apsychichealerwouldbeattemptingtohealhalfthemice—not

necessarilythosewithmalaria—althoughtheassistantswouldnotknowwhichmicewereto

bethetargetofthehealing.Neitherstatementwastrue.

Alltheassistantscoulddowastohopethatthemiceintheircarewouldrecover,and

thatthepsychichealer'sinterventionwouldwork.However,oneassistantwasconsiderably

moreoptimisticthanhiscolleagues,anditshowed.Attheendofthestudy,themiceunderhis

carewerelessillthanthosecaredforbytheothertwoassistants.11

LikethatofGrad'shealers,theSolfvinstudywastoosmalltobedefinitive.Butthere

hadbeenearlierresearchbyRexStanfordin1974.Stanfordhadshowedthatpeoplecould

influenceeventsjustby'hoping'everythingwouldgowell,evenwhentheydidnotfully

understandexactlywhattheyweresupposedtobehopingfor.12

Elisabethwassurprisedtofindthatscoresofstudies—atleast150humantrials—

hadbeendoneonhealing.Thesewereinstancesinwhichanintermediarywoulduseoneofa

varietyofmethodstoattempttosendhealingmessages,throughtouch,prayerorsomesort

ofsecularintention.Withtherapeutictouch,thepatientissupposedtorelaxandattemptto

directhisorherattentioninwardwhilethehealerlayshandsonthepatientandintendsthe

patienttoheal.

Atypicalstudyinvolvedninety‐sixpatientswithhighbloodpressureandanumberof

healers.Neitherdoctornorpatientsweretoldwhowasbeinggiventhementalhealing

treatments.Astatisticalanalysisperformedafterwardsshowedthatthesystolicblood

pressure(thatis,thepressureofbloodflowasitisbeingpumpedfromtheheart)ofthe

groupbeingtreatedbyahealerwassignificantlyimproved,comparedwiththatofthe

controls.Thehealershademployedawell‐definedregime,whichinvolvedrelaxation,getting

intouchwithaHigherPowerorInfiniteBeing,usingvisualizationoraffirmationofthe

patientsinastateofperfecthealth,andgivingthankstothesource,whetheritwasGodor

someotherspiritualpower.Asagroup,thehealersdemonstratedoverallsuccessand,in

certainindividualinstances,extraordinaryresults.Fourofthehealersenjoyeda92.3percent

improvementamongtheirtotalgroupofpatients.13

PerhapsthemostimpressivehumanstudyhadbeencarriedoutbyphysicianRandolph

Byrdin1988.Ithadattemptedtodetermineinarandomized,double‐blindtrialwhether

remoteprayerwouldhaveanyeffectonpatientsinacoronarycareunit.Over10months,

nearly400patientsweredividedintotwogroups,andonlyhalf(unbeknownsttothem)were

prayedforbyaChristianprayergroupoutsidethehospital.Allpatientshadbeenevaluated,

andtherewasnostatisticaldifferenceintheirconditionbeforetreatment.However,after

treatment,thosewho'dbeenprayedforhadsignificantlylessseveresymptomsandfewer

instancesofpneumonia,andalsorequiredfewerheartdrugs,fewerantibioticsanddiuretics,

andlessassistanceonaventilatorthanpatientswhohadn'tbeenprayedfor.14

Althoughalargenumberofstudieshadbeencarriedout,theproblemwithmanyof

them,asfarasElisabethwasconcerned,wasthepotentialforsloppyprotocol.The

researchershadn'tconstructedtrialstightlyenoughtodemonstratethatitwastrulyhealing

thathadproducedthepositiveresult.Anynumberofinfluences,ratherthananyactual

healingmechanism,mighthavebeenresponsible.

Inthebloodpressurehealingstudy,forinstance,theauthorsdidn'trecordorcontrol

whetherthepatientsweretakingbloodpressuremedication.Goodastheresultswere,you

couldn'treallytellwhethertheywereduetothehealingorthedrugs.

AlthoughByrd'sprayerstudywaswelldesigned,oneobviousomissionwasanydata

concerningthepsychologicalstateofthepatientswhenthey'dstartedthestudy.Asitis

knownthatpsychologicalissuescanaffectrecoveryafteranumberofillnesses,notably

cardiacsurgery,itmayhavebeenthatadisproportionatenumberofpatientswithapositive

mentaloutlookhadlandedinthehealinggroup.

Todemonstratethathealingwaswhathadactuallymadepatientsbetter,itwasvitalto

separateoutanyeffectsthatmighthavebeenduetoothercauses.Evenhumanexpectation

couldskewtheresults.Youneededtocontrolfortheeffectsofhopeorsuchfactorsas

relaxationontheoutcomeoftrials.

Cuddlinganimals,orevenhandlingthecontentsofPetridishes,couldpotentiallybias

theresults,ascouldtheactoftravellingtoahealerorevenawarmpairofhands.

Inanyscientifictrial,whenyouaretryingtotesttheeffectivenessofsomeformof

intervention,youneedtomakesurethattheonlydifferencebetweenyourtreatmentgroup

andcontrolgroupisthatonegetsthetreatmentandtheotherdoesn't.Thismeansmatching

thetwogroupsascloselyasyoucanintermsofhealth,age,socioeconomicstatusandany

otherrelativefactors.Ifthepatientsareill,youneedtomakesurethatonegroupisn'tmore

illthantheother.However,inthestudiesElisabethreadabout,fewattemptshadbeenmade

tomakesurethepopulationsweresimilar.

Youalsohavetomakesurethatparticipationinastudyandalltheattentionassociated

withitdoesn'titselfcauseimprovement,sothatyouhavethesameresultsamongthosewho

havebeentreatedandthosewhohaven't.

Inonesuchstudy,asix‐weekdistanthealingstudyofpatientssufferingfromclinical

depression,thetestwasunsuccessful—allthepatientsimproved,eventhecontrolgroup

whohadn'tbeensubjecttohealing.Butallpatients,thosereceivinghealingandthosewithno

healing,mayhavehadapsychologicalboostfromthesession,whichmighthave

overwhelmedanyactualeffectofhealing.15

AlltheseconsiderationsrepresentedatremendouschallengetoElisabethinputting

togetheratrial.Thestudywouldhavetobesotightlyconstructedthatnoneofthese

variablesaffectedtheresults.Eventhepresenceofahealeratcertaintimesandnotothers

mighttendtoinfluencetheoutcome.Thoughalayingonofhandsmightaidinthehealing

process,tocontrolproperlyinascientificsensemeantthatpatientsshouldnotknow

whethertheywerebeingtouchedorhealed.

TargandSicherspentmonthsdesigningtheirtrial.Ofcourse,ithadtobedouble‐blind,

sothatneitherpatientsnordoctorscouldknowwhowasbeinghealed.Thepatient

populationhadtobehomogeneous,sotheyselectedadvancedAIDSpatientsofElisabeth's

withthesamedegreeofillness—thesameT‐cellcounts,thesamenumberofAIDS‐defining

illnesses.Itwasimportanttoeliminateanyelementofthehealingmechanismthatmight

confoundtheresults,suchasmeetingthehealerorbeingtouched.Thismeant,theydecided,

thatallhealingshouldbedoneremotely.Becausetheyweretestinghealingitself,andnotthe

powerofaparticularformofit,suchasChristianprayer,theirhealersshouldbefromdiverse

backgroundsandbetweenthemcoverthewholearrayofapproaches.Theywouldscreenout

anyonewhoappearedoverlyegotistical,onlyinitforthemoneyorfraudulent.They'dalso

havetobededicated,asthey'dreceivenopayandnoindividualglory.Eachpatientwastobe

treatedbyatleasttendifferenthealers.

Afterfourmonthsofsearching,FredandElisabethhadtheirhealers—aneclectic

assortmentoffortyreligiousandspiritualhealersallacrossAmerica,manyhighlyrespected

intheirfields.Onlyasmallminoritydescribedthemselvesasconventionallyreligiousand

carriedouttheirworkbyprayingtoGodorusingarosary:severalChristianhealers,a

handfulofevangelicals,oneJewishkabbalisthealerandafewBuddhists.Anumberofothers

weretrainedinnon‐religioushealingschools,suchastheBarbaraBrennanSchoolofHealing

Light,orworkedwithcomplexenergyfields,attemptingtochangecoloursorvibrationsina

patient'saura.Someusedcontemplativehealingorvisualizations;othersworkedwithtones

andplannedtosingorringbellsonbehalfofthepatient,thepurposeofwhich,theyclaimed,

wastoreattunetheirchakras,orenergycentres.Afewworkedwithcrystals.Onehealer,

who'dbeentrainedasaLakotaSiouxshaman,intendedtousetheNativeAmericanpipe

ceremony.Drummingandchantingwouldenablehimtogointoatranceduringwhichhe

wouldcontactspiritsonthepatient'sbehalf.TheyalsoenlistedaQigongmasterfromChina,

whosaidthathewouldbesendingharmonisingqienergytothepatients.Theonlycriterion,

TargandSichermaintained,wasthatthehealersbelievedthatwhattheywereusingwas

goingtowork.

Theyhadoneothercommonelement:successintreatinghopelesscases.Collectively,

thehealershadanaverageof17yearsofexperienceinhealingandreportedanaverageof

117distanthealingsapiece.

TargandSicherthendividedtheirgroupoftwentypatientsinhalf.Theplanwasthat

bothgroupswouldreceivetheusualorthodoxtreatment,butonlyoneofthetwogroups

wouldalsoreceivedistanthealing.Neitherdoctorsnorpatientsweregoingtoknowwhowas

beinghealedandwhowasn't.

Allinformationabouteachpatientwastobekeptinsealedenvelopesandhandled

individuallythrougheachstepofthestudy.Oneoftheresearcherswouldgatherupeach

patient'sname,photographandhealthdetailsintoanumberedfolder.Thiswouldthenbe

giventoanotherresearcher,whowouldthenrenumberthefoldersatrandom.Athird

researcherwouldthenrandomlydividethefoldersintotwogroups,afterwhichtheywere

placedinlockedfilingcabinets.Copiesinfivesealedpacketswouldbesenttoeachhealer,

withinformationaboutthefivepatientsandastartdatespecifyingthedaystobegin

treatmentoneachperson.Theonlyparticipantsinthestudywhoweregoingtoknowwho

wasbeinghealedwerethehealersthemselves.Thehealerswouldhavenocontactwiththeir

patients—indeed,wouldneverevenmeet.Allthey'dbeengiventoworkwithwasaphoto,a

nameandaT‐cellcount.

Eachofthehealerswasaskedtoholdanintentionforthehealthandwell‐beingofthe

patientforanhouraday,sixdayseachweek,fortenweeks,withalternateweeksoffforrest.

Itwasanunprecedentedtreatmentprotocol,whereeverypatientinthetreatmentgroup

wouldbetreatedbyeveryhealerinturn.Toremoveanyindividualbiases,healershada

weeklyrotation,sothattheywereassignedanewpatienteachweek.Thiswouldenableallof

thehealerstobedistributedthroughoutthepatientpopulation,sothathealingitself,notany

particularvarietyofit,wouldbestudied.Thehealersweretokeepalogoftheirhealing

sessionswithinformationabouttheirhealingmethodsandtheirimpressionsoftheir

patients'health.Bytheendofthestudy,eachofthetreatedpatientswouldhavehadten

healers,andeachofthehealers,fivepatients.

Elisabethwasopen‐mindedaboutit,buttheconservativeinherkeptsurfacing.Tryas

shemight,hertrainingandherownpredilectionskeptsurfacing.Sheremainedfairly

convincedthatNativeAmericanpipesmokingandchakrachantinghadnothingtodowith

curingagroupofmenwithanillnesssoseriousandsoadvancedthattheywerevirtually

certaintodie.

Andthenshesawherpatientswithend‐stageAIDSgettingbetter.Duringthesix

monthsofthetrialperiod,40percentofthecontrolpopulationdied.Butalltenofthe

patientsinthehealinggroupwerenotonlystillalivebuthadbecomehealthier,onthebasis

oftheirownreportsandmedicalevaluations.

Attheendofthestudy,thepatientshadbeenexaminedbyateamofscientists,and

theirconditionhadyieldedoneinescapableconclusion:thetreatmentwasworking.

Targalmostdidn'tbelieveherownresults.SheandSicherhadtomakecertainthatit

washealingthathadbeenresponsible.Theycheckedandrecheckedtheirprotocol.Wasthere

anythingaboutthetreatmentgroupthathadbeendifferent?Hadthemedicationbeen

different,thedoctordifferent,theirdietsdifferent?TheirT‐cellcountshadbeenthesame,

theyhadnotbeenHIVpositiveforlonger.Afterre‐examiningthedata,Elisabethdiscovered

onedifferencethey'doverlooked:thecontrolpatientshadbeenslightlyolder,amedianageof

45,comparedwith35inthetreatmentgroup.Itdidn'trepresentavastdifference—justa

ten‐yearagegap—butthatcouldhavebeenfactorinwhymoreofthemhaddied.Elisabeth

followedupthepatientsafterthestudy,andfoundthatthosewho'dbeenhealedwere

survivingbetter,regardlessofage.Nevertheless,sheknewtheyweredealingwitha

controversialfieldandaneffectthatis,onitsface,extremelyunlikely,sosciencedictatesthat

youhavetoassumetheeffectisn'trealunlessyouarereallysure.Occam'srazor.Selectthe

simplesthypothesiswhenconfrontedwithseveralpossibilities.

ElisabethandSicherdecidedtorepeattheexperiment,butthistimetomakeitlarger

andtocontrolforageandanyotherfactorsthey'doverlooked.Thefortypatientschosento

participatewerenowperfectlymatchedforage,degreeofillnessandmanyothervariables,

evendowntotheirpersonalhabits.Theamounttheysmoked,orexercisetheytook,their

religiousbeliefs,eventheiruseofrecreationaldrugswerenowequivalent.Inscientificterms,

thiswasabatchofmenwhowereascloseasyoucouldgettoaperfectmatch.

Bythistime,proteaseinhibitors,thegreatwhitehopedrugofAIDStreatment,had

beendiscovered.AllofthepatientsweretoldtotakestandardtripletherapyforAIDS

(proteaseinhibitorsplustwoanti‐retroviraldrugssuchasAZT)buttocontinuetheirmedical

treatmentineveryotherregard.

Becausethetripletherapyappearedtobemakingaprofounddifferenceonmortality

ratesinAIDSpatients,Elisabethassumedthat,thistime,nooneineithergroupwould

actuallydie.Thismeantsheneededtochangetheresultshewasaimingfor.Inthenewstudy,

shewaslookingforwhetherdistanthealingcouldslowdowntheprogressionofAIDS.Could

itresultinfewerAIDS‐definingillnesses,improvedT‐celllevels,lessmedicalintervention,

improvedpsychologicalwell‐being?

Elisabeth'scautionfinallypaidoff.Aftersixmonths,thetreatedgroupwerehealthier

oneveryparameter—significantlyfewerdoctorvisits,fewerhospitalizations,fewerdaysin

hospital,fewernewAIDS‐definingillnessesandsignificantlylowerseverityofdisease.Only

twoofthoseinthetreatmentgrouphaddevelopedanynewAIDS‐definingillnesses,while

twelveofthecontrolgrouphad,andonlythreeofthetreatedgrouphadbeenhospitalized,

comparedwithtwelveofthoseinthecontrolgroup.Thetreatedgroupalsoregistered

significantimprovedmoodonpsychologicaltests.Onsixoftheelevenmedicaloutcome

measures,thegrouptreatedwithhealinghadsignificantlybetteroutcomes.

Eventhepowerofpositivethinkingamongthepatientshadbeencontrolledfor.

Midwaythroughthestudy,alltheparticipantswereaskediftheythoughttheywerebeing

treated.Inboththetreatmentandthecontrolgroups,halfthoughttheywere,halfthought

not.Thisrandomdivisionofpositiveandnegativeviewsabouthealingmeantthatany

involvementofpositivementalattitudewouldnothaveaffectedtheresults.Whenanalysed,

thebeliefsoftheparticipantsaboutwhethertheyweregettinghealingtreatmentdidnot

correlatewithanything.Onlyattheendofthestudyperioddidthesubjectstendtoguess

correctlythatthey'dbeeninthehealinggroup.

Justtobesure,Elisabethconductedfiftystatisticalteststoeliminatewhetheranyother

variablesinthepatientsmighthavecontributedtotheresults.Thistime,therewerenomore

thanchance.

Theresultswereinescapable.Nomatterwhichtypeofhealingtheyused,nomatter

whattheirviewofahigherbeing,thehealersweredramaticallycontributingtothephysical

andpsychologicalwell‐beingoftheirpatients.16

TargandSicher'sresultswerevindicatedayearlater,whenastudyentitledMAHI

(Mid‐AmericaHeartInstitute)oftheeffectofremoteintercessoryprayerforhospitalized

cardiacpatientsover12monthsshowedpatientshadfeweradverseeventsandashorter

hospitalstayiftheywereprayedfor.Inthisstudy,however,the'intercessors'werenotgifted

healers;toqualifytotakepart,theysimplyneededtobelieveinGodandthefactthatHe

respondswhenyoupraytoHimtohealsomeonewhoisill.Inthisinstance,allthe

participantswereusingsomeformofstandardprayerandmostwereChristian‐Protestant,

RomanCatholicornon‐denominational.Eachwasgivenaparticularpatienttoprayfor.

Afteramonth,symptomsintheprayergrouphadbeenreducedbymorethan10per

centcomparedwiththosereceivingstandardcare,accordingtoaspecialscoringsystem

developedbythreeexperiencedcardiologistsfromtheMid‐AmericaHeartInstitute,which

ratesapatient'sprogressfromexcellenttocatastrophic.Althoughthehealingdidn'tshorten

theirhospitalstay,thepatientsbeingprayedforweredefinitelybetteroffineveryother

regard.17

Morestudiesarenowunderwayinseveraluniversities.Elisabethherselfbeganatrial

(which,atthetimeofwritingin2001,isstillgoingon)comparingtheeffectsofdistant

healerswithnurses,agroupofhealthprofessionalswhosecaringattitudetowardtheir

patientsmightalsoactasahealingmechanism.18

TheMAHIstudyofferedseveralimportantimprovementsoverRandolfByrd'sstudy.

WhereasallthemedicalstaffinByrd'sstudyhadbeenawarethatastudywasbeingcarried

out,themedicalstaffintheMAHIstudyhadnoidea.

TheMAHIpatientsalsodidn'tknowtheywereparticipatinginastudy,sotherewould

nothavebeenanypossiblepsychologicaleffects.InByrd'sstudy,ofthe450patients,nearly

aneighthhadrefusedtobeinvolved.Thismeantthatonlythosewhowerereceptiveto,orat

leastdidn'tobjecttotheideaof,beingprayedforwouldhaveagreedtobeincluded.Finally,

inByrd'sstudy,thosedoingtheprayinghadbeengivenagreatdealofinformationabout

theirpatients,whereasintheMAHIstudy,theChristianshadvirtuallynoinformationabout

thepeopletheywereprayingfor.Theyweretoldtoprayfor28days,andthatwasit.They

hadnofeedbackaboutwhethertheirprayershadworked.

NeithertheTargnortheMAHIstudydemonstratedthatGodHimselfanswersprayers

oreventhatHeexists.AstheMAHIstudywasquicktopointout:'Allwehaveobservedisthat

whenindividualsoutsideofthehospitalspeak(orthink)thefirstnamesofhospitalized

patientswithanattitudeofprayer,thelatterappearedtohavea"better"CCUexperience.19

Infact,inElisabeth'sstudy,itdidn'tseemtomatterwhatmethodyouused,solongas

youheldanintentionforapatienttoheal.CallingonSpiderWoman,ahealinggrandmother

starfigurecommonintheNativeAmericanculture,waseverybitassuccessfulascallingon

Jesus.Elisabethbegantoanalysewhichhealershadthemostsuccess.Theirtechniqueshad

beenprofoundlydifferent.One'flowalignment'practitionerbasedinPittsburghfelt,after

attemptingworkwithseveralofthepatients,thattherewasacommonenergy_fieldinallof

them,whichshecametothinkofasan'AIDSenergysignature',andshewouldworkon

gettingintouchwiththeirhealthyimmunesystemandignorethe‘badenergy'.Withanother

itwasmoreacaseofworkingonpsychicsurgery,spirituallyremovingthevirusfromtheir

bodies.Another,aChristianinSantaFe,whocarriedoutthehealinginfrontofherownaltar

withpicturesoftheVirginandsaintsandmanylitcandles,claimedtohavesummonedup

spiritdoctors,angelsandguides.Others,likethekabbalistichealer,simplyfocusedonenergy

patterns.20

Butwhattheyallseemedtohaveincommonwasanabilitytogetoutoftheway.It

seemedtoElisabeththatmostofthemclaimedtohaveputouttheirintentionandthen

steppedbackandsurrenderedtosomeotherkindofhealingforce,asthoughtheywere

openingadoorandallowingsomethinggreaterin.Manyofthemoreeffectiveoneshadasked

forhelp‐fromthespiritworldorfromthecollectiveconsciousness,orevenfromareligious

figuresuchasJesus.Itwasnotanegoistichealingontheirpart,morelikearequest:'please

maythispersonbehealed'.Muchoftheirimageryhadtodowithrelaxing,releasingor

allowingthespirit,lightorlovein.Theactualbeing,whetheritwasJesusorSpiderWoman,

appearedirrelevant.

ThesuccessoftheMAHIstudysuggestedthathealingthroughintentionisavailableto

ordinarypeople,althoughthehealersmaybemoreexperiencedornaturallytalentedin

tappingintoTheField.IntheCopperWallProjectinTopeka,Kansas,aresearchernamed

ElmerGreenhasshownthatexperiencedhealershaveabnormallyhighelectricfieldpatterns

duringhealingsessions.Inhistest,Greenenclosedhisparticipantsinisolatedroomsmade

withwallsconstructedentirelyofcopper,whichwouldblockelectricityfromanyother

sources.Althoughordinaryparticipantshadexpectedelectricalreadingsrelatedtobreathing

orheartbeat,thehealersweregeneratingelectricalsurgeshigherthan60voltsduring

healingsessions,asmeasuredbyelectrometersplacedonthehealersthemselvesandonall

fourwalls.Videorecordingsofthehealersshowedthesevoltagesurgeshadnothingtodo

withphysicalmovement.21StudiesofthenatureofthehealingenergyofChineseQigong

mastershaveprovidedevidenceofthepresenceofphotonemissionandelectromagnetic

fieldsduringhealingsessions.22Thesesuddensurgesofenergymaybephysicalevidenceof

ahealer'sgreatercoherence—hisabilitytomarshallhisownquantumenergyandtransferit

tothelessorganizedrecipient.

Elisabeth'sstudyandtheworkofWilliamBraudraisedanumberofprofoundimplicationson

thenatureofillnessandhealing.Itsuggestedthatintentiononitsownheals,butthathealing

isalsoacollectiveforce.ThemannerinwhichTarg'shealersworkedwouldsuggestthat

theremaybeacollectivememoryofhealingspirit,whichcouldbegatheredasamedicinal

force.Inthismodel,illnesscanbehealedthroughatypeofcollectivememory.Informationin

TheFieldhelpstokeepthelivinghealthy.Itmightevenbethathealthandillnessof

individualsis,inasense,collective.Certainepidemicsmightgripsocietiesasaphysical

manifestationofatypeofenergetichysteria.

Ifintentioncreateshealth—thatis,improvedorder—inanotherperson,itwould

suggestthatillnessisadisturbanceinthequantumfluctuationsofanindividual.Healing,as

Popp'sworksuggests,mightbeamatterofreprogrammingindividualquantumfluctuations

tooperatemorecoherently.Healingmayalsobeseenasprovidinginformationtoreturnthe

systemtostability.Anyoneofanumberofbiologicalprocessesrequiresanexquisitecascade

ofprocesses,whichwouldbesensitivetothetinyeffectsobservedinthePEARresearch.23

Itcouldalsobethatillnessisisolation:alackofconnectionwiththecollectivehealthof

TheFieldandthecommunity.Indeed,inElisabeth'sstudy,DebSchnitta,theflowalignment

practitionerfromPittsburgh,foundthatAIDSseemedtofeedonfear—thetypeoffearthat

mightbeexperiencedbyanyoneshunnedbythecommunity,asmanyhomosexualswere

duringthebeginningoftheAIDSepidemic.Severalstudiesofheartpatientshaveshownthat

isolation—fromoneself,one'scommunityandone'sspirituality—ratherthanphysical

conditions,suchasahighcholesterolcount,isoneofthegreatestcontributorstodisease.24

Instudiesoflongevity,thosepeoplewholivelongestareoftennotonlythosewhobelievein

ahigherspiritualbeing,butalsothosewhohavethestrongestsenseofbelongingtoa

community.25

Itmightmeanthattheintentionofthehealerwasasimportantashisorhermedicine.

Thefranticdoctorwhowisheshispatientcouldcancelsohecouldhavehislunch;thejunior

doctorwhohasstayedupforthreenightsstraight;thedoctorwhodoesn'tlikeaparticular

patient—allmayhaveadeleteriouseffect.Itmightalsomeanthatthemostimportant

treatmentanydoctorcangiveistohopeforthehealthandwellbeingofhisorherpatient.

Elisabethbegantoexaminewhatwaspresentinherconsciousnessjustbeforeshe

wentintoseeherpatients,tomakesurethatshewassendingoutpositiveintentions.She

alsobegantostudyhealing.IfitcouldworkforChristianswhodidn'tknowthepatientsthey

wereprayingfor,shethought,itcouldalsoworkforher.

Themodusoperandiofherhealerssuggestedthemostoutlandishideaofall:that

individualconsciousnessdoesn'tdie.Indeed,oneofthefirstseriouslaboratorystudiesofa

groupofmediumsbytheUniversityofArizonaseemstovalidatetheideathatconsciousness

mayliveonafterwedie.Instudiescarefullycontrolledtoeliminatecheatingorfraud,the

mediumstypicallywereabletoproducemorethaneightypiecesofinformationabout

deceasedrelatives,fromnamesandpersonalodditiestotheactualanddetailednatureof

theirdeaths.Overall,themediumsachievedanaccuracyrateof83percent—andonehad

evenbeenright93percentofthetime.Acontrolgroupofnon‐mediumswereonlyright,on

average,36percentofthetime.Inonecase,amediumwasabletorecitetheprayera

deceasedmotherusedtoreciteforoneofthesittersasachild.AsProfessorGarySchwartz,

wholedtheteam,said,'Themostparsimoniousexplanationisthatthemediumsareindirect

communicationwiththedeceased.’26

AsFritz‐AlbertPoppdescribedit,whenwedieweexperiencea‘decoupling'ofour

frequencyfromthematterofourcells.Deathmaybemerelyamatterofgoinghomeor,more

precisely,stayingbehind—returningtoTheField.

CHAPTERELEVENTelegramfromGaia

ITHADTOBEthemostgrippingmomentDeanRadincouldthinkof,andnothing,he

decided,wasmoregrippingthantheendoftheO.J.Simpsontrial,whichhadovertakenthe

Stopes‘monkey'trialastheAmericantrialofthecentury.Fromthemomentthatthewhite

FordBroncohadskittishlyracedalongtheLAfreeway,tensofmillionsofAmericansper

minutehadwatchedthedramaunfoldoncourtTVAndnow,nearlyayearintothetrial,halfa

billionviewersworldwidehadturnedontheirtelevisionsets,readytowatchthelive

broadcastofthefateoftheBronco'sdriver,whowasawaitingthejury'sverdictastowhether

hehadorhadnotbrutallyslashedtodeathhiswifeandherlover.

SomanyAmericanshadremainedrivetedtotheirtelevisionsetsthroughoutthenine

andahalfmonthsofthetrial,the133daysoftestimony,the126witnesses,the857exhibits

enteredintoevidence,theissuesofracism,theDNAtestingandbloodygloves,thestaggering

blundersofthepoliceandforensicexperts,thedramawhenJudgeLanceItotwicethrewout

thetelevisioncamerasandroundlychastisedthetwosquabblinglegalteams,thatithadcost

theAmericangrossnationalproductanestimated$40billioninlostproductivity.Andnow

ayearandfourdaysafterthejuryhadfirstbeenselected,thistrue‐lifedramawhich

hadmadeforsomuchcompulsiveviewing,whichhadcutsodeeplyintodaytimesoapopera

viewingthatitcouldcommanditsownpremiumtelevisionadvertisingspace,wasaboutto

cometoanend.

Eventhefinalmomentshadtheirunexpecteddramaticcliffhanger.Justasthejuryhad

reachedtheirverdictandwereassembledinthecourtroom,ArmandaCooley,thejury

foreman,realizedthatshe'dlefttheformwiththeirverdictwrittenonit,sealedinits

envelope,inthejuryroom.Butevenifshe'dhaditthere,twolawyersforthedefence,

includingJohnnyCochran,theheadofSimpson's'dreamteam'ofprominentattorneys,

weren'tpresent.JudgeItodeclaredarecess.Theverdictwouldbereadthefollowingmorning

at10a.m.Theworldwouldhavetowaitonemoreday.

On3October1995,anaudiencegreaterthanthatforthreeofthefiveprevious

Superbowlsorforthe'WhoshotJR?'episodeofDallasturnedonitstelevisionsets.JudgeIto

askedthattheverdictbepassedtothecourtclerk,DeirdreRobertson.SheandO.J.Simpson

stoodup.Theworldhelditsbreath.

‘InthematterofPeopleoftheStateofCaliforniavsOrenthalJamesSimpson,case

numberBAo97211.We,thejury,intheabove‐entitledaction,findtheDefendant,Orenthal

JamesSimpson,notguilty,'readMrsRobertson.

O.J.Simpson,soimpassivethroughmostofthetrial,brokeintoatriumphantsmile.

O.J.wasclearedonbothcounts.Itwasthefinaltwistinthetale.Thetelevision

audiencewasstunnedbythejury'sdecision,andsowerefiveothersilentobservers—all

REG

computers,oneatthePEARlab,anotherattheUniversityofAmsterdamandthree

moreattheUniversityofNevada.They'dbeensettoruncontinuouslyforthreehoursbefore,

duringandafterthereadingoftheverdict.

Afterwards,Radinexaminedtheiroutput.Threestatisticallysignificantpeaksofhighs

hadoccurredinallfivecomputersatexactlythesamethreemoments:asmallpeakat9a.m.

Pacifictime,alargerpeakanhourlater,andthenanenormouspeaksevenminutesafterthat.

Thesethreeblipscorrespondedtothethreemostimportantfinalmomentsofthetrial:when

theshowfirststarted,withtheinitialtelevisioncommentary—thetimewhenmostpeople

wouldhaveturnedontheirtelevisionsets—thenthebeginningofthebroadcastoftheactual

courtroomproceedings,andfinallytheexactmomenttheverdictwasannounced.Like

everyoneelseintheworld,thesecomputershadsnappedtoattentiontofindoutwhetherO.J.

wasinnocentorguilty.1

Thepossibilitythatacollectiveconsciousnessmightexisthadbeentakingshapeformany

yearsinDeanRadin'smind,perhapseveninfluencedbyhismother,who'dbeeninterestedin

yogaallthoseyearsago.Certainly,thisnotionwasafamiliarconceptinancientandEastern

cultures.Butothers,likepsychologistWilliamJames,hadproposedthatthebrainsimply

reflectsthiscollectiveintelligence,likearadiostationpickingupsignalsandtransmitting

them.AsRadinandhiscolleaguesobservedtheapparentabilityofthehumanmindtoextend

itsboundaries,naturalquestionsaroseaboutwhethertheeffectsgetlargerwhenmany

individualsoperateinunisonandindeedwhetheracollectiveglobalmindeveroperatedasa

unity.Ifcoherencecoulddevelopbetweenindividualsandtheirenvironment,wastherealso

apossibilityofgroupcoherence?

WhatwasdifferentaboutRadin'sthoughtswasthathewastryingtoworkouthowto

testitscientifically.ItwasRogerNelsonwhohadfirstthoughttoseeifaREGmachinecould

pickupevidenceofacollectiveconsciousness.Theideagrewoutofanexperiencehe'dhad

onedaywhilehewasstudyingsomedataatthePEARlab.Itwas1993andNelsonwasa53‐

year‐olddoctorofpsychology,unofficiallylookeduponasthecoordinatorofexperimentsat

thePEARlab,anaturalhandatdirecting,thefellowwhogoteverybodytogethertomakesure

thejobgotdone.He'dcometothelabin1980forayear‐longsabbaticalfromteachingata

collegeinVermont,butthenoneyearturnedintotwo,andbeforelongheinformedhis

collegethathewasn'tcomingback.ThePEARworkwasintoxicatingfortheNebraska‐born

Nelson,red‐beardedandrustic‐featured,anotherphilosopherscientistdrawn,evenasa

child,tothescientificfrontier.

NelsonhadbeensittingupinthecivilengineeringdepartmentatPrinceton,creating

graphsforthedistributionsofthescoresformultipleREGruns.Asheexaminedthegraphs

forrunswherepeoplehadputoutonesetofintentions(HIs)andgraphsfortheopposite

intention(LOs),therewasnothingoutoftheordinary.Asexpected,thegraphoftheHIswas

shiftedalittletotheleft,andthatoftheLOswasshiftedalittletotheright.Rogerthenpulled

upthestatisticsforthethirdtest,whenpeoplewerenotsupposedtohaveanyintention

towardthemachine.Itwassupposedtobeabaseline,withashapethatwasvirtually

indistinguishablefromthoseofpurechancewhenthemachinewasrunningbyitself,with

nobodytryingtoaffectit.Thegraphwasnothinglikethat.Itwasallsqueezedtogether.Inthe

verycentre,therewasaneatandobviousexception,alittlebarjuttingup,resembling

nothingsomuchasaclenchedlittlefist.Thereitwas,waggingathiminreproach.Nelson

laughedsohardatitthathefelloffhischair.Howcouldhehavefailedtorecognizethis?Even

tryingnottothinkofanythingmightcreateitsownfocusofenergy.Yourmindcouldn'thelp

it.IntendingnottohaveanyeffectonaREGmachinewasliketryingnottothinkofelephants.

Perhapsanysortofattention,byitsveryactoffocusingconsciousness,couldcreateorder.

Themindwasalwayscarryingon—noticing,thinking.

Wethink,thereforeweaffect.

TherehadalreadybeensomeevidenceofthisinthePEARlab.Nelsonhadseenthat

certainpeople,oftenwomen,hadmoredramaticsuccessininfluencingtheREGmachines

whentheywereconcentratingonsomethingelse.2Nelsonbeganbytestingthiswitha

devicehe'dnamedContREG—shorthandforkeepingaREGmachinerunningcontinuously

toseeifitregisteredanymoreheadsortailsthanusualintheordinarycourseofthedayand

thenestablishingwhathadbeengoingonintheroomduringthemomentsofeffect.

Outofthatgrewanotheridea.Everydayobservingrequiresaverylowstateof

attention.Youtakeinmanysights,soundsandsmellsaroundyouinthecourseofyour

ordinaryactivities.However,whenyoudosomethingthatreallyengagesyourmindand

emotions—listeningtomusic,watchingagrippingmomentoftheatre,attendingapolitical

rallyorareligiousservice—youconcentratewitheveryporeofyourbody.Youattendtoit

inastateofpeakintensity

Nelsonwonderedfirstwhethertheabilityofconsciousnesstoorderorinfluence

dependsuponhowintenttheobserveris.Andsecond,ifitdoesforindividuals,whatwould

hetheeffectofmorethanoneperson?He'dseenfromthePEARdatathatbondedcouples—

peoplewhowereintenselyinvolved—hadamoreprofoundeffectontheREGmachinesthan

individuals.Itsuggestedthattwolike‐mindedpeoplecreatedmoreorderinarandomsystem.

Supposeyouassembleanentirecrowd,allfocusingintentlyonthesamething.Wouldthe

effectbeevengreater?Wastherearelationbetweenthesizeofthecrowdortheintensityof

interestandthesizeoftheeffect?Afterall,hethought,everyonehadhadmomentsintheir

liveswheretheconsciousnessofagroupeventcouldalmostbefelt.AREGmachinewasso

exquisitelysensitivethatitmightjustpickuponthis.

Nelsondecidedtotestoutthistheorywithmeetingsthatweretohand.RobertJahn

andBrendaDunnewerealreadyplanningtoattendtheInternationalConsciousnessResearch

LaboratoriesinApril1993,whereagroupofseniorscholarsmettwiceayeartoexchange

informationabouttheroleofconsciousness.Laterthatyear,Nelsonplannedtoattendthe

DirectMentalHealingInteractions(DHML)group,heldattheEsalenInstituteinCalifornia,

whichpromisedtobeapowerfulconferenceofadozenscientistsexamininghowtoconduct

researchonhealing.InHollywood,acertainawewasreservedforpeoplewhowere'good

meetings'.InNelson'scase,thequestionwaswhetheraREGmachinewouldpickupthegood

vibrationsaswell.

JahnandDunneheadedofftotheirmeetingwithaboxandalaptopcomputer,which

representedtheREGprogrammeandthecomputerrecordingthedata,andkeptitrunning

throughouttheirconference.NelsondidthesameathisEsalenmeeting.Whattheywere

lookingforwaswhetherthissteadyshiftfromrandommovementwouldindicatesome

changeinthe'information'environmentandberelatedtothesharedinformationfieldand

collectiveconsciousnessofthegroup.3Themaindifferencebetweentheseandtheordinary

REGtrialswasthatthegroupwouldn'tbetryingtoinfluencethemachineinanyway.

WhentheyallreturnedtoPrincetonandanalysedtheresults,theydiscoveredthat

someundeniableeffecthadtakenplace.Theydecidedtocarryoutaseriesofthese

experiments.Atanother,similarevent—thistime,theAcademyofConsciousnesssponsored

byICRL—thedatawasevenmoredecisive.Abigcentralinclineinthegraphcorresponded

exactlywiththepointduringthemeetingwherethere'dbeenanintense,twenty‐minute

discussionconcerningritualineverydaylife,whichhadcaptivatedtheaudience.Nelsonalso

examinedlogbooksandaudiorecordingsofgroupmembersmadeatthetime.Manyofthe

fiftyattendeeshadremarkeduponthediscussionasaspecialsharedmoment.Without

knowingoftheoutcomeoftheREGmachine,onememberhadreportedthatachangeinthe

group'senergyhadbeenalmostpalpable.4

WithhisownEsalenstudy,Nelsondiscoveredthatthemostrivetingmomentofthe

meetinghadalsoproducedastrongdeviationfromrandomnessinthedata.

Theresultswereintriguing,buttheideaneededtobetestedfurther,inallsortsof

venues.Tobestaccomplishthis,though,heneededadevicethatwastrulyportable.The

hardwarehadbeencumbersomeandunwieldy,requiringitsownpowersupply.Nelson

thoughtofusingaHewlettPackardpalmcomputer,whichwasnotmuchbiggerthanapocket

taperecorder,withaminiaturizedREGdevicesittingontop,pluggedintotheserialport,kept

inplacewithapieceofVelcro.

Nelsonwasn'tinterestedinwhetherhe'dgotmoreheadsthantailssincenoonewould

beexpressinganintention.Allhewantedtodeterminewaswhetherthemachinehad

deviatedinanydirectionawayfromits50‐50randomactivity.Anychange—whethermore

headsormoretails,orsometimesmoreheadsandthensometimesmoretails—wouldbe

construedasadeparturefromchance.Thiscalledforadifferentstatisticalmethodof

analysingthedatafromthatusedbythePEARlabforitsordinarystudies.Nelsondecidedto

useamethodcalled'chisquare',whichentailedplottingthesquareofeachindividualrun.

Anyunusualbehaviour,someprolongedorextremedeviationfromitsexpectedrandom

headsor‐tails‐typemonotony,wouldeasilyshowup.

Nelsonhadcalledtheseexperimentsin'fieldconsciousness',or'FieldREG',forshort.

Thenamehadhadaneatdoubleentendre.ItwasaREGoutinthefield,butalsoadeviceused

totestiftherewassuchathingasa'consciousnessfield'.

NelsondecidedtotryhisFieldREGoneventsofeveryvariety—businessmeetings,

academicmeetings,ahumourconference,concerts,theatricalevents.Hesoughtout

compellingeventsthatwouldkeeptheaudienceriveted—momentswhenagreatnumberof

peoplewereallengagedinthesameintensethoughtatthesametime.5Whenamemberof

theCovenantofUnitarianUniversalistPagans(CUUPS)expressedaninterestinthePEAR

work,NelsonloanedhimaFieldREGandthemachineattendedfifteenoftheirritualpagan

gatherings—includingSabbatsandthoseheldduringthefullmoon.6

ThefriendofaPEARcolleague,theartisticdirectorofalargemusicalreviewcalledThe

Revels,whichismountedineightUScitieseachDecembertoseeintheNewYear,approached

NelsonabouttryingoutaFieldREGtrialwithhisshow.Itseemedperfect:ithadritual,ithad

music,ithadaudienceparticipation.Rogerviewedtheproductionandaskedtheartistic

directortopickthefivemostengagingportionsoftheshowthatwouldmostaffectthe

audienceandhencethemachine.TheFieldREGattendedtenshowsintwocitiesin1995and

severalperformancesineightcitiesin1996.Asifoncue,eachmomentthatNelsonhad

predictedcausedaglitchinthemachine'sdata.7

Adefinitepatternwasemerging.Themachinewasmovingoutofitsrandom

movementsintosomesortoforderpreciselyduringmomentsofpeakattention:special

presentationsatmeetings,theclimaxesofhumourconferences,themostintensemomentsof

apaganritual.ForaREGmachine,whosemovementsweresodelicatelyminuscule,these

effectswererelativelylarge—threetimeswhatitwasforindividualsatPEARtryingtoaffect

themachinesontheirown.Inthepagansessions,theFieldREGhadveeredwildlyoffcourse

twice,bothduringfull‐moonrituals,recordingmanymoretailsthanusual.

OneCUUPSgroupmemberwasnotsurprisedwhenNelsontoldhimtheresults.Onthe

whole,'heremarked,ourSabbatsarenotverypersonalorintense,whereasthemoons

sometimesare.'8

Theparticularactivitydidn'treallymatter.Whatseemedmostimportantwasthe

intensityofthegroup,theabilityoftheactivitytokeepitsaudiencespellbound,andithelped

iftherewassomesortofcollectiveresonanceinthegroup,particularlysomecontextthat

wasemotionallymeaningfultothem.Atthehumourconference,themachinemadeitsbiggest

deviationduringaneveningkeynotepresentation,whichwassofunnytheaudiencehad

giventhecomicastandingovationanddemandedanencore.Whatwasclearlymost

importantwasthateveryonewasfocusedinraptattention,allthinkingthesamethought.

Whatappearedtobehappeningwasthatwhenattentionfocusedthewavesof

individualmindsonsomethingsimilar,atypeofgroupquantum‘superradiance'occurred

whichhadaphysicaleffect.TheREGmachinewasinasenseakindofthermometer,

measuringthedynamicsandcoherenceofthegroup.Onlythebusinessandacademic

meetingshadnoeffectonthemachine.Ifagroupwasboredanditsattentionwaswandering,

inamannerofspeakingthemachinewasbored,too.Itwasjusttheintensemomentsoflike‐

mindednesswhichseemedtogatherenoughpowertoimpartsomeorderonthechaotic

purposelessnessofaREGmachine.

TheideaofsacredsitesintriguedNelson.Weretheysacredbecausetheiruseoverthe

centurieshadinvestedthemwiththatquality,orhadtherebeenaqualityaboutthesite—

theconfigurationoftreesorstones,thespiritofplace,itsverylocation—thathadbeenthere

fromthebeginning,leadinghumanbeingstonaturallyselectitforthatpurpose?Ancient

peopleshadbeensensitivetotheearth'ssignals,abletoreadandpayattentiontocertain

configurationssuchasleylines.Iftherewassomethingdifferentabouttheplaceitself,hada

typeofcollectiveconsciousnesscoalescedtherelikeanenergeticwhorl,orhadsomesortof

energeticresonancealwaysexisted?AndwouldanyofthisregisteronaREGmachine?

NelsondecidedtoseekoutseveralsitesinAmericathathadbeensacredtoNative

Americans.Nelsonandhismachineobservedamedicinemanperformingaritualhealing

ceremonyattheDevil'sTowermonumentinWyoming,aplaceconsideredsacredbycertain

tribes.Later,hewalkedaroundDevil'sTowerhimselfwithaPalmREGinhispocket,andthen

visitedWoundedKneeinSouthDakota,thesiteofthemassacreofanentireSiouxtribe.

Nelsonsurveyedthedesolation,thecemeteryandthemonumenttothedead.Hefellintoa

deepquiet.Later,whenhelookedatthedataforthetwoplaces,itwasbeyonddoubt:his

machine'soutputwasdefinitelybeingaffected,andwithafarlargereffectsizethanordinary

PEARstudies,asthoughthereweresomelingeringmemoryofthethoughtsofallthepeople

who'dlivedanddiedthere.9

Theperfectopportunitytolookcloseratthenatureofcollectivememoryand

resonancearoseduringatriptoEgypt.Nelsondecidedtoattendatwo‐weektourofEgypt

withagroupofnineteencolleagues,planningtovisitthemaintemplesandsacredsitesofthe

ancientEgyptians,wheretheywouldcarryoutaseriesofinformalceremonies,suchas

chantingandmeditation.Thistripwouldgivehimthechancetoseewhetherpeopleengaged

inmeditativeactivitiesatthesesites—thekindofactivities,inasense,forwhichthesites

hadoriginallybeenbuilt—hadevenmoreeffectonthemachines.

NelsonkeptaPalmREGrunninginhiscoatpocketduringvisitstoallthemajorsites—

thegreatSphinx,theTemplesofKarnakandLuxor,theGreatPyramidofGiza.ThePalmREG

wasonwhilethegroupmeditatedorchantedandwhentheyweresimplywanderingthrough

thetemples,andevenduringmomentswhenhewasonhisown,touringormeditating.He

alsokeptacarefulrecordoftimeswhenvariousactivitieshadoccurred.

Whenhe'dreturnedhomeandcompiledallhisdata,aninterestingpatternemerged.

Thestrongesteffectsonthemachineoccurredduringtimeswhenthegroupwasengagedina

ritualsuchaschantingatasacredsite.Inmostofthemainpyramids,theeffectshadbeensix

timesthatofordinaryREGtrialsatPEARandtwicethoseofordinaryFieldREGtrials.These

wereamongthelargesteffectshe'dseen—aslargeasthoseforabondedcouple.Butwhen

heputtogetherallthedataofthetwenty‐sevensacredsiteshe'dvisited,whilesimply

walkingaroundthemwithnomorethanarespectfulsilence,theresultswereevenmore

astounding.Thespiritoftheplaceitselfappearedtoregistereffectseverybitaslargeasthe

meditatinggroup.

Ofcourse,ashewascarryingaroundthePalmREGinhispocket,hisownexpectations

mighthaveaffectedit—awell‐knownphenomenonreferredtoasthe'experimentereffect'.

Itcouldhavebeenthecollectiveexpectationsandaweoftheothervisitors—afterall,hewas

neveratthesitesonhisown.Butsomeothercontrolsdemonstratedthatthesituationwasa

littlemorecomplicated.Again,whenthegroupattemptedchantingandmeditationinother

siteswhichwerenotdeemedtobesacredbutwereneverthelessinteresting,theeffectson

thePalmREGweresignificant,butsmaller.Evenwhenthemembersofthegroupseemed

attunedtoeachother—duringasolareclipse,attendingaspecialastrologysession,ora

sunsetbirthdayparty—themachine'seffectswerealsosmall,notmuchgreaterthanthe

effectsobservedduringastandardREGtrial.Nelsonevenmonitoredaseriesofhisown

focusedritual—duringprayeratamosqueorcertainritualwalksandwhileobservingand

tryingto'decode'hieroglyphics.ManyofthemhadbeeninvolvingtoNelson—somedeeply

moving.Nevertheless,themachine'soutputdeviatedalittle,butnomorethanitwouldhave

ifhewerehomeinPrinceton,sittinginfrontofaREGmachine.Clearly,someresonance

reverberatedatthesites,possiblyevenavortexofcoherentmemory.

Boththetypeofplaceandtheactivityofthegroupseemedtoplaycontributingrolesin

creatingakindofgroupconsciousness.Inthesacredsiteswherechantinghadn'ttakenplace,

simplegrouppresence,orperhapseventheplaceitself,heldahighdegreeofresonating

consciousness.Themachinehadalsoregisteredaneffect,eveninthemidstofthemore

mundaneactivitiesorplaces,solongasthegroup'sattentionhadbeenaroused.Andno

matterhowdeeplyengagedNelsonhadbeenonhisown,hecouldnotmatchtheeffectsizeof

thegroup.

Therewasoneotherremarkableelementofhisdata.DuringhistriptotheGreat

PyramidofKhufuontheGizaplateau,thePalmREGhadveeredoffitsrandomcoursewitha

positivetrendduringtwogroupchantsinsidetheQueen'sChamberandtheGrandGallery

andthenhadastronglynegativetrendintheKing'sChamber,wherethey'dcarriedontheir

chant.AsimilarsituationhadoccurredatKarnak.Nelsonwasamazedoncetheresultshad

beenplottedonagraph;bothofthemformedalargepyramid.Itwashardtokeepfrom

thinkingthat,onsomelevel,thePalmREGhadbeenexperiencingNelson'stripinparallel.10

DeanRadinhadbeenattheDirectMentalHealingmeetingandhadseenNelson'sweirddata.

AsRadinhadbeenanassociateofNelson'sandaco‐authorofthePEARdatameta‐analysis,

hewasanaturalcandidatetoreplicateNelson'swork.

Withhisfirststudies,Radin,likeNelson,discoveredthattheseeffectshappenwhena

FieldREGispresentintheroomoratthesite.Butwhataboutatlongdistance?Themost

obviousvehicleforlong‐distancelike‐mindednesswastelevision.Everybodywatched

television,particularlythepopularshows.Wouldtheyallhethinkingthesamethingwhile

theywatched?Totestthis,Radinneededsomethingbeyondasitcom—aneventthatwould

guaranteeanaudienceontheedgeofitsseat.11TheO.J.Simpsontrialverdictwouldlater

representanaturalchoice.Butforhisfirststudy,Radinchosethesixty‐seventhAmerican

AcademyAwardsinMarch1995,which,withitsestimatedviewersizeofonebillion,wasone

ofthebiggestaudienceshecouldthinkof.Thisaudiencecomprisedpeoplein120different

countries,sotheircontributioninmassattentionwouldbecomingfromaroundtheworld.

Tofurtherdemonstratethattheeffectshappenedinstantaneouslyatanydistance,

RadinusedtwoREGmachines,placedindifferentspots.Onesatabout20yardsfromhimas

hewatchedtheeventon27March,theotherwasinhislababout12milesaway,runningon

itsownandnotinfrontofatelevisionset.Duringthebroadcast,bothRadinandhisassistant

painstakinglynoteddown,minutebyminute,thehighinterestandlowinterestmomentsof

theshow.Anymomentsofpeaktension,suchastheannouncementofthewinnersforbest

picture,bestactororactress,weretimedandnotedas'highcoherence'periods.

Aftertheshowended,heexaminedhisdata.Duringthehighestinterestperiods,the

machines'degreeoforderincreasedtosuchalevelthattheoddsagainstithavingoccurred

bychancewere1000to1.Duringthelowinterestperiods,ontheotherhand,thedegreeof

orderwasatalowerlevel,withoddsagainstithavingoccurredbychancenogreaterthan10

to1.Bothcomputerswerealsorunforfourhoursaftertheevent,andduringthiscontrol

period,afteratinyhigh,possiblyreflectingtheendoftheawardsceremony,bothquickly

returnedtotheirusualrandombehaviour.Radinreplicatedhisownexperimentayearlater,

withsimilarresults.HegotthesamekindofresultswiththeSummerOlympicsofJuly1996

andofcoursetheO.J.Simpsontrial.

RadintriedouthismachinesontheAmericanSuperbowlof1996andevengeneral

primetimeTVonallfourmajorAmericantelevisionstationsoneeveninginFebruaryofthat

year.DuringthemostimportantmomentsoftheSuperbowlgame,themachinedeviated

slightly,buttheeffectwasn'tanywherenearasmarkedasitwasduringtheO.J.Simpsontrial

ortheAcademyAwards.Thismayhavetodowithonesimpleproblemwithasportsevent—

thefactthatgroupsofpeoplereactdifferentlyandpassionatelytoeachplay,dependingon

whichteamtheyarerootingfor.Radinalsofigureditmighthavesomethingtodowiththe

numberofcommercialbreakscontinuallychoppingupthegame,especiallyasthe

advertisementsshownduringSuperbowlhavebecomeaspopularasthegameitself.Itwas

sometimesdifficulttodistinguishtimesofhighinterestfromtimesoflowinterestandthe

resultsshowedit.

InhisotherstudyofprimetimeTV,Radinhadassumedthatboththemachinesand

humanobserverswouldpeakinthekeymomentsofanyshowanddribbleoffattheend,

whencommercialsareusuallyshown.Thisisexactlywhathappened.Althoughtheeffectsize

wasn'tenormous,themachine'sgreatertendencytoorderpeakedjustwhentheaudience

wouldhavebeenmostinvolvedintheTVshows.

Wagneriansareafanaticalbunch,thoughtDieterVaitl,acolleagueofRogerNelson's,atthe

DepartmentofClinicalandPhysiologicalPsychologyattheUniversityofGiessen.Overthe

years,theFestspielhausinBayreuth,theoperahouseWagnerhadbuiltforhimself,had

becomesomethingofasacredsitetowhichWagneraficionadosmakeanannualpilgrimage

fortheWagnerfestival.TheseweretrueWagnerfanatics,intimatewitheverynote,every

waxingandwaningofemotion,happytositthrough15hoursoftheRingcycle.Festspielhaus

attendees,inthemain,wereWagnerianexperts.This,inshort,representedtheperfect

audienceforaFieldREGtrial.

In1996,Vaitl,whowasveryWagnerianhimself,withhissleekpompadourofwhite

hairandhisprouddemeanour,attendedthefestivalwithaFieldREGmachineathisside,

recordingthefirstcycleofthevariousoperas.Herepeatedhisexperimentthefollowingyear

andtheyearafterthat.Intotal,theREGmachinesatthroughcountlesshoursofWagner—

nineoperas,fromTristanandIsoldetoGötterdämmerung.Asawhole,overthethreeyears,

thetrendswereconsistent,showinganoverallchangeinorderinthemachineduringthe

mosthighlyemotionalscenesorthosewiththemostpoignantmusic,suchaschoirparts.12

Inthisinstance,thePEARlabcouldn'tmatchVaitl'sresults.They'dalsohadaFieldREG

machineattendawidevarietyofoperasandshowsinNewYorkCity,buttheresultsshowed

themachinesdidnotreacttoasignificantdegree.13Obviously,audienceattentionrequired

aWagneriantypeofintensitytohaveanyaffectonthemachine.Vaitlconcludedthata

resonancemightbemorelikelytobecreatedwhentheaudienceknowsthemusicwellandis

tunedintoit.

AnevenmoreinterestingresulthadcomefromRadin'sothercloseassociate,Professor

DickBiermaninAmsterdam,whohadoftenattemptedtoreplicatehisstudies.Bierman

decidedtotryouttheFieldREGinahomereportingpoltergeist‐typeeffects—strange

movementsordisplacementoflargeobjects,usuallythoughttobecausedbyghosts(hence

thename,poltergeist,whichmeans'noisyghosts').Insomequarters,poltergeistsarenot

believedtobeanythingmorethananintenseenergyemanatingfromanindividual,oftena

tempestuousadolescent.Inthisinstance,BiermaninstalledaREGmachineandcompared

timesthefamilyreportedapoltergeisteffectandtheheads‐and‐tailsrandomoutput

generatedbythemachine.Thesamemomentsthehousereportedanobjectflyingaround,

themachinealsodemonstratedadeviationfromchance.14Itmaybethatanindividualwith

thattypeofintensityiscreatingthepoltergeistexperiencethroughintensequantumeffects

inTheField.

LegendhasitthatthesunalwaysshinesontheheadsofPrincetonalumni,notsimplythrough

lifebutonthedaytheyactuallygraduate.Thelocalfolklorewasthatevenwhenrainwas

forecast,itsomehowheldoffuntilafterthecommencementexercisewasfinished.Roger

Nelsonenjoyedattendingthegraduationdaywithhiswifeeveryyearandhadonmorethan

oneoccasionremarkedonthegoodweather.Henowbegantowonderwhetherthiswas

morethansimplecoincidence.TheFieldREGstudieshadlefthimwithquestionsabouthow

thistypeoffieldconsciousnessmightoperateinreallife.Itoccurredtohimthatthecollective

wishingoftheentireuniversitycommunityforasunnydaymightactuallyhaveaneffectin

chasingraincloudsaway.

Hegatheredtogetherallweatherreportsforthepastthirtyyearsandexaminedwhat

theweatherhadbeenlikebefore,duringandafterthePrincetongraduation.Mainlyhewas

lookingforthedailyrateofprecipitation.Healsoexaminedtheweatherofthesixtowns

surroundingPrinceton,whichweretoactascontrols.

Nelson'sanalysisshowedsomestrangeeffects,asthoughsomecollectiveumbrella

surroundedPrincetonjustonthedayitsstudentsgraduated.Inthethirtyyears,72percent

(ornearlythree‐quarters)ofgraduationdayshadbeendry,comparedwithonlytwo‐thirds

(67percent)ofdaysinthesurroundingtowns.Instatisticalterms,thismeantthatPrinceton

hadsomemagicaldryeffectaroundgraduationtimeandwasdrierthanusual,whereasallthe

surroundingtownswereaswetastheyshouldbearoundthattimeofyear.Evenontheone

daywhenthere'dbeenafloodof2.6inchesofraininPrinceton,curiouslytherainhadheld

offuntiltheceremonyhadfinished.15

Nelson'sstudyoftheweatherinPrincetonwasonlyatinygaugeofwhetherpeople

couldproduceapositiveeffectontheirenvironment.Fortwentyyears,theTranscendental

Meditationorganizationhadsystematicallytested,throughdozensanddozensofstudies,

whethergroupmeditationcouldreduceviolenceanddiscordintheworld.Itwasthe

contentionofthefounderofTranscendentalMeditation,MaharishiMaheshYogi,that

individualstressledtoworldstressandthatgroupcalmledtoworldcalm.He'dpostulated

thatif1percentofanareahadpeoplepractisingTM,orthesquarerootof1percentofthe

populationwerepractisingTM‐Sidhi,amoreadvancedandactivetypeofmeditation,conflict

ofanyvariety—ratesofshootingsandothercrime,drugabuse,eventrafficaccidents—

wouldgodown.Theideaofthe'Maharishi'effectwasthatregularlypractisingTMenables

youtogetintouchwithafundamentalfieldthatconnectsallthings—aconceptnotunlike

theZeroPointField.Ifenoughpeopleweredoingit,thecoherencewouldproveinfectious

amongtheentirepopulation.

TheTMorganizationhadelectedtocallthis'SuperRadiance'becausejustas

superradianceinthebrainorinalasercreatescoherenceandunity,someditationwould

havethesameeffectonsociety.Specialgroupsofyogicflyershaveassembledalloverthe

world,carryingoutspecial'meditationintensives'targetedatspecificareasofconflict.Since

1979aUSSuperRadiancegroupranginginsizefromafewhundredtomorethan8000has

gatheredtwiceadayatMaharishiInternationalUniversityinFairfield,Iowa,toattemptto

creategreaterharmonyintheworld.

AlthoughtheTMorganizationhasbeenridiculed,largelybecauseofthepromotionof

theMaharishi'sownpersonalinterests,thesheerweightofdataiscompelling.Manyofthe

studieshavebeenpublishedinimpressivejournals,suchastheJournalofConflictResolution,

theJournalofMindandBehavior,andSocialIndicatorsResearch,whichmeansthatthey

wouldhavehadtomeetstringentreviewingprocedures.Arecentstudy,theNational

DemonstrationProjectinWashingtonDC,conductedovertwomonthsin1993,showedthat

whenthelocalSuperRadiancegroupincreasedto4000,violentcrime,whichhadbeen

steadilyincreasingduringthefirstfivemonthsoftheyear,begantofall,to24percent,and

continuedtodropuntiltheendoftheexperiment.Assoonasthegroupdisbanded,thecrime

rateroseagain.Thestudydemonstratedthattheeffectcouldn'thavebeenduetosuch

variablesasweather,thepoliceoranyspecialanti‐crimecampaign.16

Anotherstudyoftwenty‐fourUScitiesshowedthatwheneveracityreachedapoint

where1percentofthepopulationwascarryingoutregularTM,thecrimeratedroppedto24

percent.Inafollow‐upstudyof48cities,halfofwhichhadapercentpopulationwhich

meditated,the1percentcitiesachieveda22percentdecreaseincrime,comparedwithan

increaseof2percentinthecontrolcities,andan89percentreductioninthecrimetrend,

comparedwithanincreaseof53percentinthecontrolcities.17

TheTMorganizationhasevenstudiedwhethergroupmeditationcouldaffectworld

peace.Inone1983studyofaspecialTMassemblyinIsrael,whichtrackedtheArab‐Israeli

conflictdaybydayfortwomonths,ondayswhenthenumberofmeditatorswashigh,war

deathsinLebanonfellby76percent,andlocalcrime,trafficaccidentsandfiresalldecreased.

Onceagain,confoundinginfluencessuchasweather,weekendsorholidayshadbeen

controlledfor.18

TheTMstudies,aswellasNelson'sFieldREGwork,intheirownsmall,preliminary

way,offeredhopetoanalienatedandGodlessgeneration.Goodmightwellbeabletoconquer

evilafterall.Wecouldcreateabettercommunity.Wehadthecollectivecapacitytomakethe

worldabetterplace.

Radinwasbeingabitfacetiouswhenhecameupwiththeidea.HeandNelsonhadbeenat

Freiburgataconferenceinlate1997,andthetalkhadbeenaboutwhethertheyoughtto

bringsomephysiologicalmeasurementslikeEEGintostudiesusingREGs.'Whynotlookat

Gaia'sEEG?'Radinremarkedatonepoint.

Nelsonimmediatelypouncedonit.AsanEEGreadstheactivityofanindividualbrain

byattachingelectrodesoveritssurface,sotheymightbeabletotakereadingsofthemindof

Gaia,asmanypeoplelikedtorefertotheworld.JamesLovelockhadcoinedthename,after

theGreekgoddessoftheearth,withhishypothesisthattheworldisalivingentitywithits

ownconsciousness.19PerhapstheycouldsetupanetworkofREGsdottedalloverthe

world.TheworldEEGwouldberuncontinuously,takingaconstanttemperatureofthestate

ofthecollectivemind.Whentheyweresearchingforanameforit,anothercolleagueof

Nelson'scameupwith‘ElectroGaiaGram',orEGG.Nelsonlikedtheterm‘noosphere',coined

byTeilharddeChardintoreflecttheideathattheearthwasencasedinalayerofintelligence.

AlthoughNelsonwoulddevelopthisideaintotheGlobalConsciousnessProject,aprojectat

PrincetonbutseparatefromPEAR,EGGwasthenamethatstuck.

Ifitwastruethatfieldsgeneratedbyindividualconsciousnessescancombineduring

momentsoflike‐mindedness,Nelsonwishedtoseeifthecollectivereactiontothemost

stirringeventsofourtimewouldhavesomesortofcommoneffectonhighlysensitivegauges

suchasREGmachines.TheO.J.Simpsontrialhadbeenafirstattemptatthis,running

machinesindifferentplacesandcomparingtheresults.

Nelsonbeganwithasmallgroupofscientists,whoturnedontheirREGmachinesin

August1998.HeeventuallygatheredtogetheranetworkoffortyscientistsrunningREGsall

overtheglobe.Theprojectgeneratedatidalwaveofdata.Continuousstreamsofdata

pouringoutofthemweresentovertheInternet,tobematchedwithdramaticmomentsin

modernhistory—thedeathofJohnF.KennedyJr,andthenearimpeachmentofBillClinton;

thePariscrashofConcordeandthebombingofYugoslavia;floodingsandvolcaniceruptions

andtheNewYear'scelebrationsofY2K.

EvenbeforeEGGstartedithaditsfirstrealtestinprototypeform,whentheworld's

mostbelovedprincesswassuddenlykilledinaParistunnel.Datarecordedbefore,duringand

afterthePrincessofWales'sfuneralwascompiledandcomparedwiththeofficialschedules

ofevents.DuringallthepublicceremoniesforDiana,themachineshadveeredofftheir

randomcourse,aneffectthatwas100to1againstchance.20

However,whenNelsonlookedatsimilardatatakenduringthefuneralofMother

Teresasoonafter,therehadbeennountowardeffectonthemachines.MotherTeresahad

beenillandherdeathhadbeenexpected.Shewaselderlyandhadlivedafullandproductive

life.Clearly,thetragedyoftheyoungandtroubledprincesscapturedtheheartoftheworld,

andtheREGshadpickeditup.21AmericanelectionsandeventheMonicaLewinskyscandal

didn'tseemtostirtheworld.ButNewYear'scelebrations,majordisastersandtragediessent

ashiverthroughthecollectivespinethatdulyshoweduponthemachines.Notsurprisingly,

oneofthemostprofoundeffectswasfeltduringandimmediatelyaftertheSeptember11

terroristattacksontheWorldTradeCenter.22

TheseinitialresultsleftNelsonandRadinwithmanytantalizingquestions.Iftherewas

suchathingasaworldmind,perhapslittleflashesofinspirationinitcouldaccountforthe

mostmonstrousandmagnificentmomentsinhumanhistory,ormaybenegative

consciousnesswasalsolikeagermthatcouldinfectpeopleandtakehold.Germanyhadbeen

depressedineverysenseaftertheFirstWorldWar.Couldthisdispiritednesshaveaffected

theGermansonaquantumlevel,makingiteasierforHitler,thatmostintoxicatingof

speakers,tocreateakindofnegativecollective,whichfedonitselfandcondonedthegrossest

ofevils?HadacollectiveconsciousnessbeenresponsiblefortheSpanishinquisition?The

Salemwitchcrafttrials?Didcollectiveevilalsocreatecoherence?

Andwhatofman'sgreatestachievements?Couldasuddengustofinspirationoccurin

theworldmind?Couldsomecoalescenceofenergyberesponsibleforthefloweringofartor

higherconsciousnessinacertainage?FortheancientGreeks?TheRenaissance?Was

creativityalsoinfectious,accountingfortheexplosivecreativityinViennainthe1790sand

theburgeoningofBritishpopmusicinthe1960s?TheZeroPointFieldprovidedalikely

explanationforcertainunexplainedphysicalsynchronicities—suchasthescientifically

verifiedcomingtogetherofmenstrualcyclesamongwomenincloseproximity.23Couldit

alsoaccountforemotionalandintellectualsynchronicityintheworld?

Itwasthefirstinklingthatgroupconsciousness,workingthroughamediumsuchas

theZeroPointField,actedastheuniversalorganizingfactorinthecosmos.Butsofar,with

thetechnologytohand,Nelsonhadonlythefirstglimmersofevidence,atinydeviationfrom

randomactivity.Allhecoulddothusfarwasmeasureasinglepebbleoratbestahandfulof

sand—thequantumeffectofanindividualorasmallgroupontheworld.Oneday,hemight

havethecapacitytomeasuretheeffectoftheentirebeach,forthatwastheultimatepoint.

Thebeachshouldonlybemeasuredinitsentirety.Thesandoftheentireshoreisindivisible.

Twenty‐fiveyearsafterEdgarMitchellhadexperiencedcollectiveconsciousnessviscerally,

scientistswerebeginningtoproveitinalaboratory.24

CHAPTERTWELVETheZeroPointAge

InadrablittlecornerclassroomattheUniversityofSussexonafrostydayinJanuary

2001,agroupofsixtyscientistsfromtencountrieshadcrowdedtogethertotrytoworkout

exactlyhowtheyweregoingtofly20trillionmilesintodeepspace.NASAhadhadafew

BreakthroughPropulsionPhysicsworkshopsinAmericaandthiswastobetheinternational

equivalent:oneofthefirstindependentworkshopseverheldonpropulsion.Indeed,ithad

attractedanimpressiveaudienceofphysicistsfromtheBritishgovernment,aNASAmarshal,

variousastrophysicistsfromtheFrenchLaboratoireD'AstrophysicsMarseillesandthe

FrenchLaboratoryofGravitation,RelativityandCosmology,professorsfromAmericanand

Europeanuniversities,andsomefifteenrepresentativesofprivateindustry.Thiswasjusta

seedmeeting,notatruescientificconference,mainlytostarttheballrolling—aprecursorto

theinternationalconferencetobeheldinDecember2001.Nevertheless,therewasan

unmistakableairofexpectancyaroundtheroom,tacitacknowledgementthateachperson

presentwasperchedontheveryfrontierofscientificknowledgeandmightevenbewitness

tothedawningofanewage.GrahamEnnis,theconferenceorganizer,hadlured

representativesfrommostofthemajorBritishnewspapersandsciencemagazinesby

danglingbeforethemthepredictionthatinfiveyears'timewe'dbebuildingourownsmall

rocketswithWARPdrivestokeepsatellitesintheircorrectpositions.

Howeverdistinguishedtheaudience,thegreatestdeferencewasreservedforDrHal

Puthoff,bynowinhisearlysixties,abitthinnerbutstillwithhisthatchofgreyinghair,who'd

spentnearlythirtyyearstryingtodeterminewhetheryoucouldharnessthespacebetween

thestars.Toahandfuloftheyoungermembersoftheaudience,Halhadbecomesomethingof

acultfigure.AyoungBritishgovernmentphysicistcalledRichardObousyhadstumbled

acrossHal'sZeroPointFieldpapersduringhisuniversitystudies,andbeenthunderstruckby

theirimplications,somuchsothatthey'dinfluencedthecourseofhisowncareer.1Andnow

hewasfacedwiththeprospectofbothmeetingthegreatmanandprecedinghimonthe

podiumwithasmallintroductorytalkonmanipulatingthevacuum—awarm‐upacttothe

day'smainattraction.

Toanyoutsideobservation,thiswassomethingmorethanafrivolousexercise,abatch

oftechnocratsplayingatconstructingtheultimatetechnotoy.Itwascleartoeveryscientistin

theroomthattheplanethad,atmost,fiftyyearsoffossilfuelleftandhumanswerefacinga

climatecrisisasthegreenhouseeffectslowlyturnedourworldintoagaschamber.Looking

fornewsourcesofenergywasn'tjustnecessarytopowerspaceships.Itwasalsovitalto

powerearthandmaintainitintactforthenextgeneration.

Experimentsmakinguseofthemostoutlandishofnewideasinphysicshadbeengoing

oncovertlyforthirtyyears.RumoursaboundedaboutsecrettestingsitesatplaceslikeLos

Alamoswithbillion‐dollar'black'budgetsthatNASAortheAmericanmilitarycontinuedto

hotlydeny.EvenBritishAerospacehadlauncheditsownsecretprogramme—code‐named

ProjectGreenglow—tostudythepossibilityofturningoffgravity.2

Loadsofotherpossibilities,allrestingonsolid,provenphysics,mightprovidefornew

methodsofspace‐flightpropulsion,saidEnnis,whowaspresidingoverthefirstday.You

could:controlinertia,sothatyoucouldmovelargethingssuchasspacecraftwithsmall

forces;useoneofanumberofnuclearfusiontechniques,whichwouldrequiretremendous

pressureandtemperature;employaradioactivefissionreactor,astheRussianshaddone;

usetethers,whichwouldextractelectrostaticenergy;employmatter—antimattereffects,

wherethereactionofmattermeetingitsoppositenumbercreatesenergy;change

electromagneticfields;orrotatesuperconductors.AtaNASAcongressinAlbuquerque,New

Mexico,they'dbeenexploringthepossibilityofaspaceshipcreatingitsownwormhole,much

asCarlSaganhadimaginedinContact.3Anumberofprivatecompanies,includingLockheed

Martin,wereenthusiasticandhadlenttheirsupport.Thiscouldhaveallsortsofpractical

everydayapplicationsonearth.Imagine,forinstance,ifyoucouldturnoffgravityandlevitate

patients.Youcouldmakebedsoresathingofthepast.

Oryoucouldtrysomethingevenmoreoutlandish.Youcouldtrytoextractyourenergy

fromthenothingnessofspaceitself.The"ZPF",scientistsagreed,representedoneofthebest

possiblescenarios—a'cosmicfreelunch',asGrahamEnnislikedtoputit,anendlesssupply

ofsomethingfromnothing.AfterphysicistRobertForwardofHughesResearchLaboratoryin

Malibu,California,wroteapaperaboutit,theorizinghowyoumightconductexperiments,4

physicistswerebeginningtobelievethatitmayhepossibletogettoitand,more

importantly,getenergyoutofit.

Duringhistalkthefollowingday,HalPuthoffexplainedthat,inquantummechanical

terms,ifyouweregoingtoattempttoextractenergyfromTheField,you'dhaveseveral

choices.You'dneedtodecouplefromgravity,reduceinertiaorgenerateenoughenergyfrom

thevacuumtoovercomeboth.TheUSAirForcehadfirstrecommendedthatForwarddohis

studytomeasuretheCasimirforce,thequantumforcebetweentwometalplatescausedby

partiallyshieldingthespacebetweenthemfromzero‐pointfluctuationsinthevacuumandso

unbalancingthezero‐pointenergyradiations.Forward,anexpertingravitationaltheory,was

giventheassignmentbythePropulsionDirectorateofthePhillipsLaboratoryatEdwardsAir

ForceBase,whichhasthetaskoflaunchingresearchintotwenty‐first‐centuryspace

propulsion.

Theyhadproofthatvacuumfluctuationscouldbealteredusingtechnology.However,

Casimirforcesareunimaginablysmall—apressureofjustonehundred‐millionthofan

atmosphereonplatesheldathousandthofamillimetreapart.5BernieHaischandDanielCole

publishedapapertheorizingthatifyoubuiltavacuumengineofanenormousnumberof

suchcollidingplates,eachwouldgenerateheatwhentheyfinallycomeintocontactandgive

youpower.Theproblemisthateachplatecreates,atmost,ahalfofamicrowatt'sworthof

energy—'notmuchtowritehomeabout',saidPuthoff.6You'dneedtinysystemsrunningat

averyhighrateforittoworkonanylevel.

Forwardthoughtthatitwaspossibletodoanexperimentonalteringinertiabymaking

changesinthevacuum.Herecommendedfoursuchexperimentstobecarriedouttotestthis

concept.7Scientistsworkinginquantumelectrodynamicshadalreadyshownthatthese

vacuumfluctuationscouldhecontrolledonceyoumanipulatedthespontaneousemission

ratesofatoms.ItwasPuthoff'sviewthatelectronsgettheirenergytowhizaroundthe

nucleusofanatomwithoutslowingdownbecausetheyaretappingquantumfluctuationsof

emptyspace.Ifwecouldmanipulatethatfield,hesaid,wecoulddestabilizeatomsand

extractthepowerfromthem.8

ItwastheoreticallypossibletoextractenergyfromtheZeroPointField;eveninnature

scientistshadconjecturedthatthiswasexactlywhatwashappeningwhencosmicrays

'powerup'orenergyisreleasedbysupernovasandgamma‐raybursters.Therewereother

ideas,suchasthespectacularconversionofsoundintolightwaves,orsonoluminescence,

wherewater,bombardedwithintensesoundwaves,createsairbubbleswhichrapidly

contractandcollapseinaflashoflight.Thetheoryinsomequarterswasthatthis

phenomenonwascausedbyzero‐pointenergyinsidethebubbles,which,oncethebubbles

shrank,convertedintolight.ButPuthoffhadalreadytriedalltheseideasinturnandfeltthey

heldlittlepromise.

TheUSAirForcehadalsobeenexploringtheideaofcosmicraysdrivenbyzero‐point

energy,whereprotonscouldbeacceleratedinacryogenicallycooled,collision‐freevacuum

trap—achamberthathadbeencooledascloseaspossibletoabsolutezero.Thiswouldgive

youabouttheemptiestspacepossibletoattempttoextractenergyfromvacuumfluctuations

ofprotonsoncetheystartedtogofaster.Anotherideawasdownshiftingthemoreenergetic

high‐frequencypartsofzero‐pointenergythroughtheuseofspeciallycreatedantennae.

Inhisownlaboratory,Puthoffhadbeenplayingaroundwithamethodthatwould

involveperturbinggroundstatesofatomsormolecules.Accordingtohisowntheories,these

weresimplyequilibriumstatesinvolvingthedynamicradiation/absorptionexchangewith

theZeroPointField.SoifyouemployedsomesortofCasimircavity,theatomsormolecules

mightundergoenergyshiftsthatwouldalterexcitationsinvolvingthegroundstates.He'd

alreadybegunexperimentsatasynchrotronfacility,aplacewithaspecialsubatomic

accelerator,totrythis,buthadsofarmetwithfailure.9

ThenHalthoughtofturningthewholeprojectinsideout,followinguponanotionfirst

mootedbygeneralrelativitytheoristMiguelAlcubierreoftheUniversityofWales.Alcubierre

hadtriedtodeterminewhetherWARPdrives,asdescribedinStarTrek,reallywerepossible.

10Supposeyouignorequantumtheoryandlookuponthisasaproblemofgeneralrelativity.

InsteadofinvokingNielsBohr,youinvokeAlbertEinstein.Whatifyoutriedmodifyingthe

space‐timemetric?Ifyouusethecurvedspace‐timeofEinstein,youtreatthevacuumasa

mediumthatcouldbepolarized.Youdoalittle'vacuumengineering,'asNobelprizelaureate

Tsung‐DaoLeecalledit.11

Underthisinterpretation,thebendingofalightray,say,nearamassivebody,iscaused

byavariationintherefractiveindexofthevacuumnearthatmass.Thepropagationoflight

definesthespace‐timemetric.Whatyoumightbeabletodoisdecreasetherefractiveindex

oftheZeroPointField,whichwouldthenincreasethespeedoflight.Ifyoumodifyspace‐time

toanextremedegree,thespeedoflightisgreatlyincreased.Massthendecreasesandenergy

bondstrengthincreases—featuresthattheoreticallywouldmakeinterstellartravelpossible.

Whatyoudoistodistortandexpandspace‐timebehindthespaceship,contractspace‐

timeinfrontofit,andthensurfalongonitfasterthanthespeedoflight.Inotherwords,you

restructuregeneralrelativityasanengineerwould.Ifyoucouldsuccessfullydothis,you

couldmakeaspaceshiptravelattentimesthespeedoflight,whichwouldbeapparentto

peopleonearthbutnottotheastronautsinside.You'dfinallyhaveyourselfaStarTrekWARP

drive.

Whatyouaredoingbysuch'metricengineering',asHaltermedit.isgettingspace‐time

topushyouawayfromtheearthandtowardyourdestination.Thisispossiblebycreating

large‐scaleCasimir‐likeforces.Anotherpossibletypeofmetricengineering,whichalso

requiresusingCasimirforces,istravellingthroughwormholes—'cosmicsubways'12,asHal

referredtothem,whichconnectyoutodistantpartsoftheuniverse,aswasimaginedin

Contact.

'Buthowclosewerewetodoinganyofthis?'.theaudienceasked.Halcoughedtoclear

histhroat,hischaracteristictic.Itmighttaketwentyyearstodoit,herepliedlaconically.Orit

mighttakethatsameamountoftimejusttodecidethatitwasnotpossibletogettoit.You

probablyweren'tlookingatmajorspacetravelinhislifetime,althoughhestillheldouthope

ofextractingenergyforearthboundfuelbeforehedied.

Thefirstinternationalpropulsionworkshopwasanundoubtedsuccess,agood

meetingplaceforphysicistswho'dbeenworkingawayontheirownatproblemsofenergy

andthrustthatmighttakehalfacenturytoseethelightofday.Itwasevidenttoeveryone

thattheywereatthebeginningofanexplorationthatwouldoneday,asArthurC.Clarkehad

putit,maketoday'scurrenteffortsatventuringbeyondouratmospherelooklikenineteenth‐

centuryattemptstoconquerflightwithahot‐airballoon.13Butindifferentpartsofthe

world,manyofPuthoff'soldcolleagues,alsonowintheirsixties,wereworkingawaywithout

fanfareonmoreearthboundactivitiesthatwereeverybitasrevolutionary,allpredicatedon

theideathatallcommunicationintheuniverseexistsasapulsatingfrequencyandTheField

providesthebasisforeverythingtocommunicatewitheverythingelse.

InParis.TheDigiBioteam,stillinitsPortakabin,hadbynowperfectedtheartof

capturing,copyingandtransferringtheelectromagneticsignalsfromcells.Since1997.

BenvenisteandhisDigiBiocolleagueshavefiledthreepatentsondiverseapplications.For

Benvenistethebiologist,theapplications,naturallyenough,weremedical.Hebelievedhis

discoverycouldopenthewayforanentirelynewdigitalbiologyandmedicine,whichwould

replacethecurrentclumsyhit‐and‐missmethodoftakingdrugs.

Itoccurredtohimthatifyoudon'tneedthemoleculeitself.butonlyitssignal,thenyou

don'tneedtotakedrugs,dobiopsiesortestfortoxicsubstancesorpathogenssuchas

parasitesandbacteriawithphysicalsampling.Ashe'dalreadyshowninonestudy.youcould

usefrequencysignallingtodetectthebacteriaE.coli.14It’sknownthatlatexparticles

sensitizedtoacertainantibodywillclusterinthepresenceofE.coliK1.Byrecordingthe

signalforE.coli,anotherbacteriaandalsocontrolsubstances.andthenapplyingthemtothe

latexparticles,BenvenistefoundthattheE.coilproducedthelargestclustersofanyofthe

frequencies.Beforelong,histeam'srecordfordetectingtheE.coilsignalbecamevirtually

perfect.

Usingdigitalrecording,wecoulduncoverthosepathogenslikeprions,whichhaveno

reliablemeansofdetection,andnolongerwastepreciouslaboratoryresourcesin

determiningwhetherantigensarepresentinthebodyandwhetherthebodyhasmounted

antibodiestothem.Italsomaymeanthatwhenweareill,wemaynotneedtotakedrugs.We

couldgetridofunwantedparasitesorbacteriajustbyplayinganunfriendlyfrequency.We

coulduseelectromagneticmeansofdetectingdangerousmicroorganismsinouragriculture

orusethemtofindoutwhetherfoodshavebeengeneticallymodified.ifwecouldcomeup

withtherightfrequencies,wewouldn'thavetousedangerouspesticidesbutcouldjustkill

bugswithelectromagneticsignals.Youwouldn'tevenhavetodoallthisdetectionworkin

person.Virtuallyallthetestsamplescouldbeemailedandcarriedoutremotely.

InAmerica,theANDCorporation,acompanywithofficesinNewYork,Torontoand

Copenhagen,wasworkingawayatartificialintelligencebasedupontheideasofKarlPribram

andWalterSchemppabouthowthebrainworks.Itsproprietarysystem,calledHolographic

NeuralTechnology(Hnet),forwhichitnowhasaworldwidepatent,usedprinciplesof

holographyandwaveencodingforcomputerstolearntensofthousandsofstimulus‐

responsememoriesinlessthanaminuteandtorespondtotensofthousandsofthese

patternsinlessthanasecond.InAND'sview,itssystemwasanartificialreplicaofhowthe

brainworks.Singleneuroncellswithjustafewsynapseswerecapableoflearningmemories

instantly.Millionsofthesememoriescouldhesuperimposed.Themodeldemonstrateshow

thesecellscanmemorizeabstraction‐aconcept.say.orahumanface.ANDhadambitious

plansforitstechnology.ItwasplanningtosetupStrategicBusinessUnits.indifferent

specialities,which,ifdevelopedproperly,mighttransformtheinformationprocessingof

virtuallyanyindustry.

Fritz‐AlbertPoppandhisteamofIIBscientistswerebeginningtotestbiophoton‐

emissiondetectionasameansofdeterminingwhetherfoodwasfresh.Hisexperimentsand

thetheoreticalapproachbehindthemweregainingacceptanceamongthescientific

community.

DeanKadinputsomeofhisstudiesupontheInternetforvisitorstoparticipatein.and

engagedingiantcomputerizedexperiments.BraudandTargcarriedonwithmorestudiesof

humanintentionandhealing.BrendaDunneandBobJahncarriedonaddingtotheir

mountainofdata.RogerNelson,withhisGlobalProject,continuedtomeasuresmalltremors

onthecollectivecosmicseismograph.

EdgarMitchellpresentedthekeynoteaddressofCASYS1999.anannualmathematical

conferenceinLiège.Belgium,sponsoredbytheSocietyfortheStudyofAnticipatorySystems,

whichincorporatedhissynthesisoftheoriesofquantumholographyandhuman

consciousness.Thediscoveryofthepresenceofquantumresonanceinlivingthingsandthe

abilityoftheZeroPointFieldtoencodeinformationandprovideinstantaneous

communicationrepresentednolessthantheRosettaStoneofhumanconsciousness.hesaid.

15Allthedifferentstrandshe'dbeeninvestigatingforthirtyyearswerefinallybeginningto

cometogether.

Atthatsameconference,heandPribramwerehonouredtogetherfortheirexploration

ofouterspaceandinnerspace—Pribramforhisscientificworkontheholographicbrain,

andMitchellforoutstandingscientificworkonnoeticsciences.Thatsameyear,Pribram

receivedtheDagmarandVáclavHavelprizeforbringingtogetherthesciencesand

humanities.

HalPuthoffsatontheunofficialsubcommitteeofNASA'sBreakthroughPropulsion

Program:theAdvancedDeepSpaceTransport(ADST)Group—agroupofpeople,hesaid,

whoareonthe'frontierofthefrontier'.16

InhiscapacityasdirectoroftheInstituteforAdvancedStudies,Haloperatedasa

clearinghouseforinventorsorcompanieswhothinkthey'vedevelopedagadgetofanysort

thattapsintotheZeroPointField.Halwouldputeachonetotheultimatetest—itmust

showthatmoreenergyiscomingoutofthegadgetthangoingin.Thusfar,everyoneofthe

thirtydevicestestedbyhimhasfailed.Butheisstilloptimistic,asonlyafrontierscientistcan

be.17

Intermsoftherealimportoftheirdiscoveriesthesepracticalusesrepresentedonlyabitof

technologicalfroth.Allofthem—RobertJahnandHalPuthoff,Fritz‐AlbertPoppandKarl

Pribram—werephilosophersaswellasscientists,andonrareoccasionswhentheyweren't

busypressingonwiththeirexperimentation,ithadoccurredtothemthattheyhaddugdeep

andcomeupwithsomethingprofound—possiblyevenanewscience.Theyhadthe

beginningsofananswertomuchofwhathadremainedmissinginquantumphysics.Peter

MilonniatLosAlamos'sNASAfacilitieshadspeculatedthatifthefathersofquantumtheory

hadusedclassicalphysicswiththeZeroPointField,thescientificcommunitywouldhave

beenfarmoresatisfiedwiththeresultthantheywerebythemanyunanswerablesof

quantumphysics.18Therearethosewhobelievequantumtheorywillonedaybereplaced

byamodifiedclassicaltheorywhichtakesintoaccounttheZeroPointField.Theworkof

thesescientistsmaytaketheword'quantum'outofquantumphysicsandcreateaunified

physicsoftheworld,largeandsmall.

Eachscientisthadtakenhisownincrediblevoyageofdiscovery.Asyoungscientistswith

promisingcredentials,eachhadbegunhiscareerholdingcertaintenetssacred—theideas

andreceivedwisdomoftheirpeers:

Thehumanbeingisasurvivalmachinelargelypoweredbychemicalsandgenetic

coding.

Thebrainisadiscreteorganandthehomeofconsciousness,whichisalsolargely

drivenbychemistry—thecommunicationofcellsandthecodingofDNA.Manisessentially

isolatedfromhisworld,andhismindisisolatedfromhisbody.

Timeandspacearefinite,universalorders.

Nothingtravelsfasterthanthespeedoflight.

Eachofthemhadchanceduponananomalyinthisthinkingandhadthecourageandthe

independencetopursuethatlineofinquiry.Onebyone,throughpainstakingexperimentand

trialanderror,eachhadeventuallycometothepositionthateveryoneofthesetenets—

bedrocksofphysicsandbiology—wereprobablywrong:

ThecommunicationoftheworlddidnotoccurinthevisiblerealmofNewton,butin

thesubatomicworldofWernerHeisenberg.

CellsandDNAcommunicatedthroughfrequencies.Thebrainperceivedandmadeits

ownrecordoftheworldinpulsatingwaves.

Asubstructureunderpinstheuniversethatisessentiallyarecordingmediumof

everything,providingameansforeverythingtocommunicatewitheverythingelse.

Peopleareindivisiblefromtheirenvironment.Livingconsciousnessisnotanisolated

entity.Itincreasesorderintherestoftheworld.Theconsciousnessofhumanbeingshas

incrediblepowers,tohealourselves,tohealtheworld—inasense,tomakeitaswewishit

tobe.

Everydayintheirlaboratories,thesescientistscaughtatinyglimmerofthe

possibilitiessuggestedbytheirdiscoveries.They'dfoundthatweweresomethingfarmore

impressivethanevolutionaryhappenstanceorgeneticsurvivalmachines.Theirwork

suggestedadecentralizedbutunifiedintelligencethatwasfargranderandmoreexquisite

thanDarwinorNewtonhadimagined,aprocessthatwasnotrandomorchaotic,but

intelligentandpurposeful.They'ddiscoveredthatinthedynamicflowoflife,order

triumphed.

Thesearediscoveriesthatmaychangethelivesoffuturegenerationsinmanypractical

ways,infuel‐lesstravelandinstantlevitation;butintermsofunderstandingthefurthest

reachesofhumanpotential,theirworksuggestedsomethingfarmoreprofound.Inthepast,

individualshadaccidentallyevidencedsomeability—apremonition,a'pastlife',a

clairvoyantimage,agiftforhealing—whichquicklywasdismissedasafreakofnatureora

confidencetrick.Theworkofthesescientistssuggestedthatthiswasacapacityneither

abnormalnorrare,butpresentineveryhumanbeing.Theirworkhintedathumanabilities

beyondwhatwe'deverdreamedpossible.Wewerefarmorethanwerealized.Ifwecould

understandthispotentialscientifically,wemightthenlearnhowtosystematicallytapintoit.

Thiswouldvastlyimproveeveryareaofourlives,fromcommunicationandself‐knowledge

toourinteractionwithourmaterialworld.Sciencewouldnolongerreduceustoourlowest

commondenominator.Itwouldhelpustakeafinalevolutionarystepinourownhistorybyat

lastunderstandingourselvesinallofourpotential.

Theseexperimentshadhelpedtovalidatealternativemedicine,whichhasbeenshown

toworkempiricallybuthasneverbeenunderstood.Ifwecouldfinallyworkoutthescienceof

medicinethattreatshumanenergylevelsandtheexactnatureofthe'energy'thatwasbeing

treated,thepossibilitiesforimprovedhealthwereunimaginable.

Thesewerealsodiscoverieswhichscientificallyverifiedtheancientwisdomand

folkloreoftraditionalcultures.Theirtheoriesofferedscientificvalidationofmanyofthe

mythsandreligionshumanshavebelievedinsincethebeginningoftime,buthavehitherto

onlyhadfaithtorelyon.Allthey'ddonewastoprovideascientificframeworkforwhatthe

wisestamongusalreadyknew.

TraditionalAustralianAboriginesbelieve,asdomanyother‘primitive'cultures,that

rocks,stonesandmountainsarealiveandthatwe'sing'theworldintobeing—thatwearc

creatingaswenamethings.ThediscoveriesofBraudandJahnshowedthatthiswasmore

thansuperstition.ItwasjustastheAchuarandtheHuaoraniIndiansbelieve.Qnourdeepest

level,wedoshareourdreams.

Thecomingscientificrevolutionheraldedtheendofdualismineverysense.Farfrom

destroyingGod,scienceforthefirsttimewasprovingHisexistence—bydemonstratingthat

ahigher,collectiveconsciousnesswasoutthere.Thereneednolongerbetwotruths,the

truthofscienceandthetruthofreligion.Therecouldbeoneunifiedvisionoftheworld.

Thisrevolutioninscientificthinkingalsopromisedtogiveusbackasenseofoptimism,

somethingthathasbeenstrippedoutofoursenseofourselveswiththearidvisionof

twentieth‐centuryphilosophy,largelyderivedfromtheviewsespousedbyscience.Wewere

notisolatedbeingslivingourdesperatelivesonalonelyplanetinanindifferentuniverse.We

neverwerealone.Wewerealwayspartofalargerwhole.Wewereandalwayshadbeenat

thecentreofthings.Thingsdidnotfallapart.Thecentredidholdanditwaswewhowere

doingtheholding.

Wehadfarmorepowerthanwerealized,tohealourselves,ourlovedones,evenour

communities.Eachofushadtheability—andtogetheragreatcollectivepower—to

improveourlotinlife.Ourlife,ineverysense,wasinourhands.

Thesewereboldinsightsanddiscoveriesbutveryfewhadheardthem.Forthirty

years,thesepioneershadpresentedtheirfindingsatsmallmathematicalconferencesorthe

annualmeetingsoftinyscientificbodiescreatedtopromoteadialogueonfrontierscience.

Theyknewandadmiredeachother'sworkandwereacknowledgedatthesesmallgatherings

oftheirpeers.Mostofthescientistshadbeenyoungmenwhentheymadetheirdiscoveries,

andbeforetheyembarkedonwhatturnedouttobelife‐longdetourstheyhadbeenhighly

respected,evenrevered.Nowtheywereapproachingretirementage,andamongthewider

scientificcommunitymostoftheirworkstillhadneverseenthelightofday.Theywereall

ChristopherColumbusandnobodybelievedwhatthey'dreturnedtotell.Thebulkofthe

scientificcommunityignoredthem,continuingtogriptightlytothenotionthattheearthwas

flat.

Thespace‐propulsionactivitieshadbeentheonlyacceptablefaceoftheZeroPoint

Field.Despitetheirrigorousscientificprotocols,nobodyintheorthodoxcommunitywas

takinganyotherdiscoveriesoftheirsseriously.Some,likeBenveniste,hadmerelybeen

marginalized.Formanyyears,EdgarMitchell,now71,dependedonlecturesabouthis

exploitsinouterspacetofundhisresearchintoconsciousness.EverysooftenRobertJahn

wouldsubmitapaperwithunimpeachablestatisticalevidencetoanengineeringjournal,and

theywoulddismissitoutofhand.Notforthescience,butforitsshatteringimplicationsabout

thecurrentscientificworldview.

Nevertheless,JahnandPuthoffandtheotherscientistsallknewwhattheyhad.Each

carriedonwiththestubbornblinkeredconfidenceofthetrueinventor.Theoldwaywas

simplyonemorehot‐airballoon.Resistancewasthewayithadalwaysbeeninscience.New

ideaswerealwaysconsideredheretical.Theirevidencemightwellchangetheworldforever.

Thereweremanyareastoberefined,otherpathstogodown.Manymightturnouttohe

detoursorevendeadends,butthefirsttentativeinquirieshadbeenmade.Itwasastart,a

firststep,thewayallrealsciencestarted.

IfyouenjoyedTheField,andwouldliketofindoutmoreaboutthelatestdiscoveries,orhow

tolive'intheField',visitLynneMcTaggart'swebsiteat:www.thefieldonline.com.

NOTESInthetext,notenumbersareindicatedbysuperscriptsinboldprint

Unlessotherwiseindicated,allinformationaboutthescientistsandthedetailsoftheir

discoverieswasculledfrommultipletelephoneinterviewsconductedbetween1998‐2001.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1D.Reilly,'Isevidenceforhomeopathyreproducible?'TheLancet,1994:344:1601‐6.

PROLOGUE:THECOMINGREVOLUTION

1Capek,ThePhilosophicalImpactofContemporaryPhysics(Princeton,NewJersey:Van

Nostrand,1961):319,asquotedinF.Capra,TheTaoofPhysics(London:Flamingo,1992).

2DZohar,TheQuantumSelf(London:Flamingo,1991):2;DanahZoharprovidesan

excellentsummaryofthephilosophicalhistoryofsciencebeforeandafterNewtonand

Descartes.

3IamindebtedtoBrendaDunne,managerofthePEARlaboratoryinPrinceton,for

firstenlighteningmeaboutthephilosophicalinterestsofthequantumtheorists.SeealsoW.

Heisenberg,PhysicsandPhilosophy(Harmondsworth:Penguin,2000),N.Bohr,Atomic

PhysicsandHumanKnowledge(NewYork:JohnWiley&Sons,1958),andR.JahnandB.

Dunne,MarginsofReality:TheRoleofConsciousnessinthePhysicalWorld(NewYork:

Harvest/HarcourtBraceJovanovich,1987):58‐9.

4InterviewwithRobertJahnandBrendaDunne,Amsterdam.19

October2000.

5Indeed,indeterminingwhichofthescientistsmeritedinclusion,Ihavehadtomake

certainarbitraryselections.IchoseAmericananaesthesiologistStuartHameroffandhiswork

onhumanconsciousness,whenIcouldaseasilyhavechosenOxfordprofessorRogerPenrose.

OnlyforreasonsofspacehaveIomittedpioneersintoelectromagneticcellcommunications

likeCyrilSmith.

CHAPTERONE:LIGHTINTHEDARKNESS

1ForanaccountofDrMitchell'svoyage,IhavereliedonE.Mitchell,TheWayofthe

Explorer:AnApolloAstronaut'sJourneyThroughtheMaterialandMysticalWorlds(G.P.

Putnam,1996):4756;MLight,FullMoon(London:JonathanCape,1999);avisittoan

exhibitionoflunarphotographs(London:TateGallery,November1999);personalinterviews

withDrMitchell(summerandautumn1999);T.Wolfe,TheRightStuff(London:Jonathan

Cape,198o);andA.Chaikin,AManontheMoon(Harmondsworth:Penguin,1994):355‐79.

2Mitchell,WayoftheExplorer:61.DrMitchell'sresultswerepublishedintheJournal

ofParapsychology,June1971.

3FrancisCricklikenedthebraintoaTVset,asquotedinDLoye,AnArrowThrough

Chaos(Rochester,Vt:ParkStreetPress,2000):91.

4NonlocalitywasconsideredtobeprovenbyexperimentsconductedbyAlainAspect

andhiscolleaguesinParisin1982.

5M.Schiff,TheMemoryofWater:HomeopathyandtheBattleofIdeasintheNew

Science(Thorsons,1995).

CHAPTERTWO:THESEAOFLIGHT

DetailsontheUSoilcrisiswerecompiledfromarticlesappearinginTheTimes,26

November—1December1973.

1H.Puthoff,'Everythingfornothing',NewScientist,28July1990:52‐5.

2J.D.Barrow,TheBookofNothing(London,JonathanCape,2000):216.

3Asimpleequationshowingenergyforharmonicoscillatorswouldberepresentedas

H=SigmaihOmegai(ni+1/2).The1/2stoodforthezero‐pointenergy.Whenrenormalizing,

scientistswouldjustdropthe1/2.CommunicationwithHalPuthoff,7December2000.

4TheZeroPointFieldisincludedinstochasticelectrodynamics.Butinordinary

classicalphysics,itisusually'renormalized'away.

5T.Boyer,'Deviationoftheblack‐bodyradiationspectrumwithoutquantumphysics',

PhysicalReview.1969:182:1374‐83.

6InterviewswithRichardObousyJanuary2001.

7R.Sheldrake,SevenExperimentsthatCouldChangetheWorld(London:Fourth

Estate.1994):75‐76.

8R.O.BeckerandG.Selden.TheBodyElectric(Quill,1985):81.

9A.MichelsonandE.Morley..AmericanJournalofScience.1887.series3;34:333‐345.

citedinBarrow,BookofNothing:143‐144.

10QuotedinF.Capra,TheTaoofPhysics(London:Flamingo.1976).

11E.Laszlo.TheInterconnectedUniverse:ConceptualFoundationsofTransdisciplinary

UnifiedTheory(Singapore:WorldScientific.1995)

12A.C.Clarke.'Whenwilltherealspaceagebegin?'AdAstra.May/June1996:13‐15.

13B.Haisch,'Brilliantdisguise:light,matterandtheZeroPointField.Scienceand

Spirit,1999:10:Elswhere,Dr.Haischhasmadenumerousinterestingspeculationsaboutthe

connectionbetweenCreationandtheZeroPointFieldandreferstotheZPFasa'seaoflight.

Fortheagnostic.thetheoryisthattherandombackgroundfluctuationsofthevacuumare

residualenergyleftoverfromtheBigBang.SeeH.Puthoff.NewScientist,28July1990:52.

Particlephysiciststheorizethattheuniversewascreatedasafalsevacuum,withmore

energythanitoughttohavehad.Whenthatenergydecayed.itproducedanordinary

quantumvacuum.whichledtotheBigBangandproducedalltheenergyformassinthe

universe.SeeH.E.Puthoff,'Theenergeticvacuum:implicationsforenergyresearch',

SpeculationsinScienceandTechnology,1990:13:247‐257

14H.Puthoff.'Groundstateofhydrogenasazero‐point‐fluctuation‐determinedstate.'

PhysicalReviewD;1987,35:3266‐3270.

15InterviewwithBernhardHaisch.California,29October1999.

16J.Gribbin.QisforQuantum:ParticlePhysicsfromAtoZ(Phoenix,1999):66;H.

Puthoff.'Everythingfornothing’:52.

17Puthoff.'Groundstateofhydrogen'.Also,conversationswiithHalPuthoff.20July

and4August2300.andBernhardHaisch.26October1999.

18H.E.Puthoff'Sourceofvacuumelectromagneticzero‐pointenergy,Physical

ReviewA,1989:40:4857‐62;alsoreplytocomment1991;44:3385‐6.

19H.Puthoff,'Wheredoesthezero‐pointenergycomefrom?',NewScientist,2

December1989:36.

20H.Puthoff,Theenergeticvacuum:implicationsforenergyresearch',Speculationsin

ScienceandTechnology,1990;13:247‐57.

21Ibid.

22IntheZeroPointField,Puthoffalsofoundanexplanationforthecosmological

coincidencefirstdiscoveredbyBritishphysicistPaulDirac.Thisshowedthattheaverage

densityofmatter—theaveragepullbetweenanelectronandaproton—hasaclose

relationshiptothesizeoftheuniverse—measuredbytheratioofthesizeoftheuniverseto

thesizeofanelectron.PuthofffoundthatthiswasjustrelatedtothedensityofZeroPoint

Fieldenergy.SeeNewScientist,2December1989.

23VariousconversationswithHalPuthoff,2000and2001;alsoH.Puthoff,'Onthe

relationshipofquantumenergyresearchtotheroleofmetaphysicalprocessesinthephysical

world',www.meta‐list.org.

24Puthoff,'Everythingfornothing'.

25S.Adler(inaselectionofshortarticlesdedicatedtotheworkofAndreiSakharov),

'Akeytounderstandinggravity',NewScientist,30April1981:277‐8.

26B.Haisch,A.RuedaandH.E.Puthoff,'BeyondE=mc2:Afirstglimpseofauniverse

withoutmass',TheSciences,November/December1994:26‐31.

27Puthoff,'Everythingfornothing.

28H.E.Puthoff,'Gravityasazero‐point‐fluctuationforce,'PhysicalReviewA,1989;

39(5):2333‐42;also'Comment',PhysicalReviewA,'993;47(4):3454‐5.

29Ibid.

30InterviewwithHalPuthoff,8April2000.

31EnergyConversionusingHighChargeDensity,USPatentno.5,018,180.

32InterviewwithBernhardHaisch,California,26October1999.

33RobertMatthews,'Inertia:doesemptyspaceputuptheresistance?'Science,1994;

263:613.ThispropertyofthevacuumwasalsotestedbyStanfordLinearAcceleratorCenter.

34B.Haisch,A.RuedaandH.E.Puthoff,'Inertiaasazero‐point‐fieldLorentzforce,

PhysicalReviewA,1994:49(2):678‐94.

35B.Haisch._A.RuedaandH.E.Puthoff,paperpresentedatAIAA98‐3143.Advances

ASME/SAE/ASEEJointPropulsionConference&Exhibit,13‐15July1998,Cleveland,Ohio:

alsoB.Haisch.'BrilliantDisguise’.

36Haischetal.,'BeyondE=mc2’.

37A.C.Clarke,3001:TheFinalOdysseyHarperCollins,1997):258.

38Ibid.

39Ibid.:258‐9.

40‘Clarke.Whenwilltherealspaceagebegin?’15.

41A.Rueda,B.HaischandD.C.Cole.'Vacuumzero‐pointfieldpressureinstabilityin

astrophysicalplasmasandtheformationofcosmicvoids',AstrophysicalJournal.1995:445:7‐

16

42R.Matthews.'Inertia’.

43D.C.ColeandH.E.Puthoff,'Extractingenergyandheatfromthevacuum'.Physical

ReviewE.1993:48(2):1562‐5.

44InterviewwithBernhardHaisch.California.29October1999.

45InterviewswithHalPuthoff.JulyandAugust2000;alsoH.Puthoff.Onthe

relationshipofquantumenergy.1havedeliberatelyusedafewofPuthoffsphrasesfromhis

unpublishedarticletoindicatehisthinkingatthetime.

46Clarke.‘Whenwilltherealspaceagebegin?’.

CHAPTERTHREE:BEINGSOFLIGHT

1F.A.Popp.'MO‐Rechnungenan3.4‐Benzpyrenand1,2‐BenzpyrenlegeneinModell

zurDeutungderchemischenKarzinogenesenahe'.ZeitschriftfürNaturforschung,1972:27b:

731;F.A.Popp.'EinigeMöglichkeitenfürBiosignalezurSteuerungdesZellwachstums'.

ArchivfürGeschwulstforschung.1974:44:295‐306.

2B.RuthandF.Popp.'ExperimentelleUntersuchungenzurultraschwachen

PhotonememissionbiologisherSysteme.ZeitschriftfürNaturforschung.1976:31c:741‐5.

3M.Rattemeyer.F.A.PoppandW.Nagl.Naturwissenschaften.1981:11:572‐3.

4R.Dawkins,TheSelfishGene,2ndedn(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,1989):22.

5Ibid.:preface,2:seealsoR.Sheldrake,PresenceofthePast(London:Collins,1988):

83‐5.

6Dawkins,SelfishGene:23.

7Ibid.:23;'This,atthepresenttimeinmolecularbiology,isthelearnedsoundscreen

oflanguagebehindwhichishiddentheignorance,forwantofabetterexplanation.'

8TelephoneinterviewwithFritz‐AlbertPopp,29January2001.

9R.Sheldrake,ANewScienceofLife(London:Paladin,1987):23‐5.

10R.Sheldrake,ANewScienceofLife:TheHypothesisofFormativeCausation(London:

BlondandBriggs,1981);Sheldrake,PresenceofthePast.

11Sheldrakehasexpressedtheviewthatnonlocalityinquantumphysicsmight

ultimatelyexplainsomeofhistheories.SeeSheldrakewebsite:www.sheldrake.org.

12SeeH.ReiterundD.Gabor,ZellteilungundStrahlung.Sonderheftder

WissenschaftlichenVeroffentlichungenausdemSiemensKonzern(Berlin:Springer,1928).

13R.Gerber,VibrationalMedicine(SantaFe:BearandCompany,1988):62.

14H.Burr,TheFieldsofLife(NewYork:Ballantine,1972).

15R.0.BeckerandG.Selden,TheBodyElectric:ElectromagnetismandtheFoundation

ofLife(Quill,1985):83.

16ExperimentsbyLund,MarshandBeamsarerecountedinBeckerandSelden,The

BodyElectric:82‐5.

17BeckerandSelden,BodyElectric:73‐4.

18H.Fröhlich,'Long‐rangecoherenceandenergystorageinbiologicalsystems',

InternationalJournalofQuantumChemistry,1968;2:641‐9.

19H.Fröhlich,'EvidenceforBosecondensation‐likeexcitationofcoherentmodesin

biologicalsystems',PhysicsLetters,1975,51A:21;seealsoD.Zohar,TheQuantumSelf

(London:Flamingo,1991):65.

20R.Nobili,‘Schrödingerwaveholographyinbraincortex',PhysicalReviewA,1985;

32:3618‐26;R.Nobili,'Ionicwavesinanimaltissues',PhysicalReviewA,1987;35:1901‐22.

21BeckerandSelden,TheBodyElectric:92‐3;alsoR.Gerber,VibrationalMedicine:98;

M.Schiff,TheMemoryofWater:12.Morerecently,anotherItalian,EzioInsinna,proposedthat

centrioles,thelittlecartwheelstructuresholdingcellstructureinplace,arevirtually

'immortal'oscillators,orwavegenerators.Inanembryo,thesewaveswillbesetinmotionby

thefather'sgeneswhentheyfirstunitewiththemother'sgenes,andthereaftercontinue

pulsingthroughthelifeoftheorganism.Atthefirststageofanembryo'sdevelopment,they

mightbeginatacertainfrequencytoaffectcellshapeandmetabolism,andthenchangethe

frequencyastheorganismmatures.CorrespondencewithE.Insinna,5November1998.See

E.Insinna,'Synchronicityandcoherentexcitationsinmicrotubules',Nanobiology,1992;I:

191‐208;'ciliatedcellelectrodynamics:fromciliaandflagellatociliatedsensorysystems',in

A.Malhotra,ed.,AdvancesinStructuralBiology,Stamford,Connecticut:JAIPress,1999:5.T.Y.

Tsonghasalsowrittenabouttheelectromagneticlanguageofcells:T.Y.Tsong,'Deciphering

thelanguageofcells',TrendsinBiochemicalSciences,1989:4:89‐92.

22F.A.Popp,QiaoGuandKe‐HsuehLi,'Biophotonemission:experimental

backgroundandtheoreticalapproaches,ModernPhysicsLettersB,1994;8(21/22):1269‐96;

also,F.A.Popp.'Biophotonics:apowerfultoolforinvestigatingandunderstandinglife',inH.

P.Min,F.A.PoppandW.Schommers(eds),WhatisLife?(Singapore:WorldScientific),in

press.

23S.CohenandF.A.Popp.•Biophotonemissionofthehumanbody',Journalof

Photochemistry.andPhotobiologyB:Biology,1997;40:187‐9.

24InterviewswithFritz‐AlbertPopp,Coventryandtelephone,March2001.

25F.A.PoppandJiin‐JuChang,'Mechanismofinteractionbetweenelectromagnetic

fieldsandlivingsystems',ScienceinChina(SeriesC),2000;43:507‐18.

26BiologistRupertSheldrakehasrecentlymadeastudyofthespecialabilitiesof

animals.Hisownstudieshavedemonstratedthattermitecolonieswillmakecolumnsand

thenbendthemtowardeachotheruntiltheendsofthenewcolumnsmeetinanarch,

accordingtosomemasterplanbeyondallusualcommunication.Oneofthebestexperiments

testingthisabilitywascarriedoutbySouthAfricannaturalistEugeneMarais,whoplaceda

steelplateinatermitemound.Despitetheheightandwidthoftheplate,thetermiteswould

buildanarchortoweroneachsideoftheplatesosimilarthatwhenthesteelplatewas

withdrawn,thetwohalvesmatchedperfectly.Marais(andlaterSheldrake)concludedthat

thetermitesoperateaccordingtoanorganizingenergyfieldfarmoreadvancedthanany

sensorycommunication,particularlysincemanyformswouldnotbeabletopenetratethe

steelplate.Sheldrakehasamassedadatabaseof2,700casehistoriesofpetsandapparent

telepathicbehaviour,andanumberofsurveyswithpetowners.Morethan200studies

concernthetelepathicabilitiesofJayTee,amixed‐breedterrierinthenorthofEngland,who

willgotothewindowandwaitforhisowner,PamelaSmart,intelepathicanticipationofher

arrival,evenifshesetsoffforhomeatunusualtimesandinstrangevehicles.SeeR.

Sheldrake,SevenExperimentsThatCouldChangetheWorld:ADo­It­YourselfGuideto

RevolutionaryScience(FourthEstate,1994):68‐86,andDogsThatKnowWhenTheirOwners

AreCoiningHomeandOtherUnexplainedPowersofAnimals(Hutchinson,1999).

27InterviewwithFritz‐AlbertPopp,Coventry,21March2001.

28J.HyvarienandM.Karlssohn,'Low‐resistanceskinpointsthatmaycoincidewith

acupunctureloci',MedicalBiology,1977;55:88‐94,asquotedintheNeu'EnglandJournalof

Medicine,1995:333(4):263.

29B.PomeranzandG.Stu,ScientificBasisofAcupuncture(NewYork:Springer‐Verlag,

1989).

30A.ColstonWentz,'Infertility'(Bookreview),NewEnglandJournalofMedicine,1995;

333(4):263.

31BeckerandSelden,TheBodyElectric:235.

CHAPTERFOUR:THELANGUAGEOFTHECELL

1J.Benveniste,B.ArnouxandL.Hadji,'Highlydiluteantigenincreasescoronaryflow

ofisolatedheartfromimmunizedguinea‐pigs',FASEBJournal,1992;6:A1610.Also

presentedat'ExperimentalBiology—98(FASEB)',SanFrancisco,20April1998.

2M.Schiff,TheMemoryofWater:HomeopathyandtheBattleofNewIdeasintheNew

Science(HarperCollins,1994):22.

3Ibid.:26.

4E.Davenasetal.,'Humanbasophildegranulationtriggeredbyvery

diluteantiserumagainstIgE',Nature,1988;333(6176):816‐8.

5J.Maddox,'Editorial',Nature,1988;333:818;seealsoNI.Schiff,TheMemoryof

Water:86.

6J.Benveniste'sreplytoNature,1988;334:291.ForafullaccountoftheNaturevisit,

seeJ.Maddox,etal.,'High‐dilutionexperimentsadelusion',Nature,1988;334:287‐90;J.

Benveniste'sreplytoNature;alsoSchiff,MemoryofWater,chapter6,pp.85‐95.

7Schiff,MemoryofMiter:57.

8Ibid.:103.

9J.Benveniste,'Understandingdigitalbiology',unpublishedpositionpaper,14June

1998;alsointerviewswithJ.Benveniste,October1999.

10J.Benveniste,etal.,'Digitalrecording/transmissionofthecholinergicsignal,'FASEB

Journal,1996,to:A1479;Y.Thomas,etal.,'Directtransmissiontocellsofamolecularsignal

(phorbolmyristateacetate,PMA)viaanelectronicdevice,'FASEBJournal,1995;9:A227;J.

Aïssaetal.,'Molecularsignallingathighdilutionorbymeansofelectroniccircuitry',Journal

ofImmunology,1993;150:146A;J.Aïssa,'Electronictransmissionofthecholinergicsignal',

FASEBJournal,1995;9:A683;Y.Thomas,'Modulationofhumanneutrophilactivationby

"electronic"phorbolmyristateacetate(PMA)',FASEBJournal,1996;A1479.(Forafulllisting

ofpapers,seewww.digibio.com).

11J.Benveniste,P.Jurgensetal.,'Transatlantictransferofdigitizedantigensignalby

telephonelink',JournalofAllergyandClinicalImmunology,1997;99:S175.

12Schiff,MemoryofWater:14‐15.

13D.Loye,AnArrowThroughChaos:HowWeSeeintotheFuture(Rochester,Vt:Park

StreetPress,1983):146.

14J.Benvenisteetal.,'Asimpleandfastmethodforinvivodemonstrationof

electromagneticmolecularsignaling(EMS)viahighdilutionorcomputerrecording',FASEB

Journal,1999;13:A163.

15J.Benvenisteetal.,'Themolecularsignalisnotfunctioningintheabsenceof

"informed"water',FASEBJournal,1999;13:A163.

16M.Jibu,S.Hagan,S.Hameroffetal.,'Quantumopticalcoherenceincytoskeletal

microtubules:implicationsforbrainfunction',BioSystems,1994;32:95‐209.

17A.H.Frey,'Electromagneticfieldinteractionswithbiologicalsystems',FASEB

Journal,1993;7:272.

18M.Bastideetal.,'Activityandchronopharmacologyofverylowdosesof

physiologicalimmuneinducers,'ImmunologyToday,1985;6:234‐5;L.Demangeatetal.,

‘ModificationsdestempsderelaxationRMNà4MHzdesprotonsdusolvantdanslestrés

hautesdilutionssalinesdesilice/lactose',JournalofMedicalNuclearBiophysics,1992;16:

135‐45;B.J.Youbicier‐Simoetal.,'Effectsofembryonicbursectomyandinovo

administrationofhighlydilutedbursinonanadrenocorticotropicandimmuneresponseto

chickens',InternationalJournalofImmunotherapy,1993;IX:169‐80;P.C.Endleretal.,The

effectofhighlydilutedagitatedthyroxineontheclimbingactivityoffrogs',Veterinaryand

HumanToxicology,1994;36:56‐9.

19P.C.Endleretal.,Transmissionofhormoneinformationbynon‐molecularmeans',

FASEBJournal,1994;8:A400;F.Senekowitschetal.,'HormoneeffectsbyCDrecord/replay',

FASEBJournal,1995;9:A392.

20TheGuardian,15March2001;seealsoJ.Sainte‐LaudyandP.Belon,'Analysisof

immunosuppressiveactivityofserialdilutionsofhistaminesonhumanbasophilactivationby

flowsymmetry',InflammationResearch,1996;Suppl1:S33‐4.

21D.Reilly,'Isevidenceforhomeopathyreproducible?'TheLancet,1994;344:1601‐6.

22J.Jacobs,‘Homoeopathictreatmentofacutechildhooddiarrhoea',British

HomoeopathicJournal,1993;82:83‐6.

23E.S.M.deLangedeKlerkandJ.Bloomer,'Effectofhomoeopathicmedicineondaily

burdensofsymptomsinchildrenwithrecurrentupperrespiratorytractinfections',British

MedicalJournal,1994;309:1329‐32.

24F.J.Master,'Astudyofhomoeopathicdrugsinessentialhypertension',British

HomoeopathicJournal,1987;76:120‐1.

25D.Reilly,'Isevidenceforhomeopathyreproducible?'TheLancet,1994;344:1601‐6.

26Ibid.:1585.

27J.Benveniste,Letter,TheLancet,1998;351:367.

28DescriptionoftheseresultsfromatelephoneconversationwithJacquesBenveniste,

10November2000.

CHAPTERFIVE:RESONATINGWITHTHEWORLD

1DescriptionofPenfieldandLashley'sexperimentsfromKarlPribram,telephone

interview,14June2000;also,M.Talbot,TheHolographicUniverse(NewYork:HarperCollins,

1991):11‐13.

2K.Pribram,'Autobiographyinanecdote:thefoundingofexperimental

neuropsychology',inRobertBilder,(ed.),TheHistoryofNeuroscienceinAutobiography(San

Diego,CA:AcademicPress,1998):306‐49.

3DescriptionofLashlev'slaboratoryprotocolfromKarlPribram,telephoneinterview,

14June2000.

4K.S.Lashley,BrainMechanismsandIntelligence(Chicago:UniversityofChicago

Press,1929).

5K.S.Lashley,'Insearchoftheengram',inSocietyforExperimentalBiology,

PhysiologicalMechanismsinAnimalBehavior(NewYork:AcademicPress,1950):501,as

quotedinK.Pribram,LanguagesoftheBrain:ExperimentalParadoxesandPrinciplesin

Neurobiology(NewYork:BrandonHouse,1971):26.

6Pribram,'Autobiography'.

7AsquotedinK.Pribram,BrainandPerception:HolonomyandStructureinFigural

Processing(Hillsdale,NJ:LawrenceErlbaum,1991):9.

8Talbot,HolographicUniverse:18‐19.

9D.Loye,AnArrowThroughChaos(Rochester,Vt:ParkStreetPress,2000):16‐17.

10KarlPribram,telephoneinterview,14June2000.

11VariousinterviewswithK.Pribram,June2000:seealsoTalbot,Holographic

Universe:19.

12Fulldescriptionofhisdiscovers,asaresultofaninterviewwithKarlPribram,

London,9September1999.

13Pribram,'Autobiography'.Pribram,BrainandPerception:27.

15Pribram.BrainandPerception:Acknowledgements,xx:also,interviewwith

Pribram,London,9September1999.

16KarlPribram,telephoneinterviews.14Juneand7July2000:alsomeetinginLiége,

Belgium,12August1999.

17Love,ArrowThroughChaos:150.

18Talbot,HolographicUniverse:21.

19CorrespondencewithK.Pribram,5July2001.

20Talbot,HolographicUniverse:26.

21R.DeValoisandK.DeValois,SpatialVision(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,1988).

22Pribram,BrainandPerception:76;alsoreviewsofDeValoisandDeValois,'Spatial

vision',AnnualReviewofPsychology,309‐41.

23Pribram.BrainandPerception,chapter9.

24Pribram,BrainandPerception:79.

25Pribram,BrainandPerception:76‐7.

26Pribram,BrainandPerception:75.

27Pribram,BrainandPerception:137;seealsoTalbot,HolographicUniverse:28‐30.

28Ibid.

29TelephoneinterviewswithKarlPribram,May2000.

30Pribram,BrainandPerception:141.

31WJ.Schempp,MagneticResonanceImaging:MathematicalFoundationsand

Applications(London:Wiley‐Liss,1998).

32R.Penrose,ShadowsoftheMind:ASearchfortheMissingScienceofConsciousness

(NewYork:Vintage,1994):367.

33S.R.Hameroff,UltimateComputing:BiomolecularConsciousnessandNanotechnology

(Amsterdam:NorthHolland,1987).

34Ibid;E.Laszlo,TheInterconnectedUniverse:ConceptualFoundationsof

TransdisciplinaryUnifiedTheory(Singapore:WorldScientific,1995):41.

35Pribram,BrainandPerception:283.

36M.JibuandK.Yasue,'AphysicalpictureofUmezawa'squantumbraindynamics',in

R.Trappl(ed.)CyberneticsandSystemsResearch,'92(Singapore:WorldScientific,1992);'The

basicsofquantumbraindynamics',inK.H.Pribram(ed.)ProceedingsoftheFirstAppalachian

ConferenceonBehavioralNeurodynamics(Radford:CenterforBrainResearchand

InformationalSciences,RadfordUniversity,17‐20September1992);'Intracellularquantum

signaltransferinUmezawa'squantumbraindynamics',CyberneticsSystemsInternational,

1993;1(24):1‐7;'Introductiontoquantumbraindynamics',inE.Carvallo(ed.)Nature,

CognitionandSystemIII(London:KluwerAcademic,1993).

37C.D.Laughlin,'Archetypes,neurognosisandthequantumsea',JournalofScientific

Exploration,1996;l0:375‐400.

38E.Insinna,correspondenceandenclosurestoauthor,5November1998;also,E.

Insinna'Ciliatedcellelectrodynamics:fromciliaandflagellatociliatedsensorysystems',inA.

Malhotra(ed.),AdvancesinStructuralBiology(Stamford,Conn:JAIPress,1999):5.

39M.Jibu,S.Hagan,S.Hameroffetal.,'Quantumopticalcoherenceincytoskeletal

microtubules:implicationsforbrainfunction',BioSystems,1994;32:95‐209.

40Ibid.

41D.Zohar.TheQuantumSelf(London:Flamingo.1991):70

42Laszlo.TheInterconnectedUniverse:41.

43Hameroff.Ultimatecomputing:Jibuetal.,'Quantumopticalcoherence’.

44E.DelGiudiceetal.,'Electromagneticfieldandspontaneoussymmetrybreakingin

biologicalmatter’.NuclearPhysics.D44.B275(FS17):185‐199

45D.Bohm.Wholeness„andtheImplicateOrder(London:Routledge,1983).

46Pribramhasalsopostulatedthathumansalsopossess'feedforward.loopsof

imagesandinformationwhichenablethemtoactivelyseekoutspecificinformationor—

lookingforamateofacertaintypeisjustoneexample.CorrespondencewithKarlPribram.

July2001.Forfullexplanation.seealsoDaveLoye.ArrowThroughChaos:22‐23

47Laszlo.InterconnectedUniverse.

48M.JibuandK.Yasue.Thebasisofquantumbraindynamics'.inKH.Pribram(ed.),

RethinkingNeuralNetworks:QuantumFieldsandBiologicalData(Hillsdale.NJ:Lawrence

Erlbaum.):121‐45.

49Laszlo.InterconnectedUniverse:

50Laughlin,'Archetypes.neurognosisandthequantumsea'.

CHAPTERSIX:THECREATIVEOBSERVER

1ForallhistoryconcerningHelmutSchmidt.correspondencewithHelmutSchmidt,13

March1999:alsotelephoneinterviewswithSchmidt.14May2001,and16May2001.See

alsoRS.Broughton.Parapsychology:TheControversialScience(NewYork:Ballantine.1991)

2RhineeventuallywrotehisresultsinabookentitledExtra­sensoryPerception

(Boston:BruceHumphries.1964).

3TelephoneinterviewwithHelmutSchmidt,16May2001

4InterviewwithRobertJahnandBrendaDunne.Amsterdam.19October2000:alsoR.

G.JahnandB.G.Dunne.MarginsofReality,TheRoleofConsciousnessinthePhysicalWorld

(NewYork:.Harcourt,Brace.Jovanovich.1987):58‐62.

5E.Lazlo,TheInterconnectedUniverse:ConceptualFoundationsofTransdisciplinary

UnifiedTheory(Singapore:WorldScientific,1995):56.

6H.Schmidt,'Quantumprocessespredicted?',NewScientist,16October1969:114‐15.

7Foramplificationofthisidea,seeD.RadinandR.Nelson,'Evidencefor

consciousness‐relatedanomaliesinrandomphysicalsystems',FoundationsofPhysics,1989;

19(12):1499‐514;also,D.Zohar,TheQuantumSelf(London:Flamingo,1991):33‐4.

8E.J.Squires,'Manyviewsofoneworld—aninterpretationofquantumtheory',

EuropeanJournalofPhysics,1987;8:173.

9H.Schmidt,'Mentalinfluenceonrandomevents',NewScientist,24June1971;757‐8.

10Broughton,Parapsychology:177.

11ForthedescriptionofHelmutSchmidt'smachine,correspondencewithSchmidt,20

March1999;seealso,Broughton,Parapsychology:125‐7;andD.Radin,TheConscious

Universe:TheScientificTruthofPsychicPhenomena(NewYork:HarperEdge,1997):138‐40.

12Schmidt,'Quantumprocesses'.

13Schmidt,'Mentalinfluence'.

14Ibid.

15TelephoneinterviewwithHelmutSchmidt,14May2001.

16ForthehistoryofthePEARprogramme,interviewswithBrendaDunne,Princeton,

23June1998,andRobertJahnandBrendaDunne,Amsterdam,19October2000.

17DunneandJahn,MarginsofReality:96­8.

18R.G.Jahnetal.,'Correlationsofrandombinarysequenceswithprestatedoperator

intention:areviewofa12‐yearprogram',JournalofScientificExploration,1997;11:345‐67.

19InterviewwithBrendaDunne,Amsterdam,19October2000.

20Jahn,'Correlations':350.

21Ibid.

22RadinandNelson,'Evidenceforconsciousness‐relatedanomalies':seealsoR.D.

NelsonandD.I.Radin,‘Whenimmovableobjectionsmeetirresistibleevidence',Behavioral

andBrainSciences,1987;0:600‐I;'Statisticallyrobustanomalouseffects:replicationin

randomeventgeneratorexperiments',inL.HenchleandR.E.Berger(eds),RIP1988

(Metuchen,NJ:ScarecrowPress,1988):23‐‐6.

23D.RadinandD.C.Ferrari,‘Evidenceofconsciousnessonthefallofdice:ameta‐

analysis',JournalofScientificExploration,1991;5:61‐84.

24Broughton,Parapsychology:177.

25Radin,ConsciousUniverse:140.

26RadinandNelson,'Evidenceforconsciousness‐relatedanomalies'.

27D.RadinandR.Nelson,'Meta‐analysisofmind‐matterinteractionexperiments,

1959‐2000',unpublished,www.boundaryinstitute.org.

28RadinandNelson,'Evidenceforconsciousness‐relatedanomalies'.

29R.D.Nelson,'Effectsizeperhour:anaturalunitforinterpretinganomalous

experiments',PEARTechnicalNote94003,September1994.

30W.Braud,'Wellnessimplicationsofretroactiveintentionalinfluence:exploringan

outrageoushypothesis',AlternativeTherapies,2000:6(1):37‐48.

31Fortheexplanationandanalogyofeffectsize,seeRadin,ConsciousUniverse:154‐5;

alsoWBraud,'Wellnessimplications.

32RenéPeoc'h,'Psychokineticactionofyoungchicksonthepathofanilluminated

source',JournalofScientificExploration,1995;9(2):223.

33R.JahnandB.Dunne,MarginsofReality:242‐59.

34B.J.Dunne,'Co‐operatorexperimentswithanREGdevice',PEARTechnicalNote

91005,December1991.

35InterviewwithBrendaDunne,Princeton,23June1998.

36JahnandDunne,Margins:257.

37Jahnetal.,Correlations:356;alsointerviewwithBrendaDunne,Princeton,23June

1998.

38B.J.Dunne,'Genderdifferencesinhuman/machineanomalies,JournalofScientific

Exploration,1998;12(1):3‐55.

39InterviewwithBrendaDunne,Princeton,23June1998.

40InterviewwithRobertJahnandBrendaDunne,Amsterdam,19October2000.

41R.G.JahnandB.J.Dunne,'ArtREG:arandomeventexperimentutilizingpicture‐

preferencefeedback',JournalofScientificExploration,2000:14(3):383‐409.

42InterviewwithRobertJahnandBrendaDunne,Amsterdam,19October2000.

43R.Jahn,'Amodularmodelofmind/mattermanifestations',PEARTechnicalNote

2001.01,May2001.

44Ideasinthisparagraph:discussionwithRobertJahnandBrendaDunne,

Amsterdam,19October2000;alsoR.Jahn,'ModularModel'.

45JahnandDunne,'Scienceofthesubjective'.

CHAPTERSEVEN:SHARINGDREAMS

1DescriptionoftheAmazonindiansfromastudybeingconductedbyTheInstituteof

NoeticSciences,whichappearedinM.Schlitz,‘Onconsciousness,causationandevolution',

AlternativeTherapies,July1998;4(4):82‐90.

2R.S.Broughton,Parapsychology:TheControversialScience(NewYork:Ballantine,

1990:91‐2.

3InterviewwithWilliamBraud,California,25October1999.

4InterviewwithWilliamBraud,California,25October1999.

5D.Radin,TheConsciousUniverse:TheScientificTruthofPsychicPhenomena

(HarperEdge:NewYork,1997);alsoD.J.Bierman(ed.),ProceedingsofPresentedPapers,37th

AnnualParapsychologicalAssociationConvention,Amsterdam(Fairhaven,Mass.:

ParapsychologicalAssociation,1994):71.

6Broughton,Parapsychology:98.

7C.Tart,'Physiologicalcorrelatesofpsicognition',InternationalJournalof

Parapsychology,1963:5;375‐86;alsointerviewwithCharlesTart,California,29October

1999.

8D.Delanoy,nowoftheUniversityofEdinburgh,hascarriedoutsimilarstudies,e.g.D.

DelanoyandS.Sah,'Cognitiveandpsychologicalpsiresponsesinremotepositiveandneutral

emotionalstates',inBierman(ed.),ProceedingsofPresentedPapers.

9C.Tart,'Psychedelicexperiencesassociatedwithanovelhypnoticprocedure:mutual

hypnosis',inC.T.Tart(ed.),AlteredStatesofConsciousness(NewYork:JohnWiley,1969):

291‐308.

10WBraudandM.J.Schlitz,'Consciousnessinteractionswithremotebiological

systems:anomalousintentionalityeffects',SubtleEnergies,1991;2(1):1‐46.

11M.SchlitzandS.LaBerge,'Autonomicdetectionofremoteobservation:two

conceptualreplications',inD.J.Bierman(ed.),ProceedingsofPresentedPapers:465­78.

12WBraudetal.,'Furtherstudiesofautonomicdetectionofremotestaring:

replication,newcontrolproceduresandpersonalitycorrelates,JournalofParapsychology,

1993;57:391‐409.ThesestudieswerereplicatedbySchlitzandLaBerge,'Autonomic

detection'.

13W.BraudandM.Schlitz,'Psychokineticinfluenceonelectrodermalactivity',Journal

ofParapsychology,1983;47(2):95­119.

14W.Braudetal.,'Attentionfocusingfacilitatedthroughremotementalinteraction',

JournaloftheAmericanSocietyforPsychicalResearch,1995;89(2):103‐15.

15M.SchlitzandW.Braud,'Distantintentionalityandhealing:assessingtheevidence',

AlternativeTherapies,1997:3(6):62‐73.

16W.BraudandM.Schlitz,Psychokineticinfluenceonclectrodermalactivity',Journal

ofParapsychology,1983;47:95‐119.Braud'sstudieswerealsoindependentlyreplicatedat

theUniversityofEdinburghandtheUniversityofNevada.D.Delanoy,'Cognitiveand

physiologicalpsiresponsestoremotepositiveandneutralemotionalstates',inBierman(ed.),

ProceedingsofPresentedPapers:1298‐38;alsoR.Wezelmanetal.,'Anexperimentaltestof

magic:healingrituals',inE.C.May(ed.),ProceedingsofPresentedPapers,39thAnnual

ParapsychologicalAssociationConvention,SanDiego,Calif.(Fairhaven,Mass.:

ParapsychologicalAssociation,1996):1‐12.

17W.BraudandM.Schlitz,'Amethodologyfortheobjectivestudyoftranspersonal

imagery',JournalofScientificExploration,1989;3(I):43‐63.

18W.G.Braud,‘Psi‐conducivestates',JournalofCommunication,1975;25(1):142‐52.

19Broughton,Parapsychology:103.

20ProceedingsoftheInternationalSymposiumonthePhysiologicalandBiochemical

BasisofBrainActivity,StPetersburg,Russia,22‐4June1992;seealsoSecondRussian—

SwedishSymposiumonNewResearchinNeurobiology,Moscow,Russia,19‐21May1992.

21R.Rosenthal,'Combiningresultsofindependentstudies',PsychologicalBulletin,

1978;85:185‐93.

22Radin,ConsciousUniverse:79.

23W.G.Braud,'Honoringournaturalexperiences',TheJournaloftheAmericanSociety

forPsychicalResearch,1994;88(3):293‐308.

24Yearslater,thisveryideabecamethesubjectofabook.L.Dossey'sBeCarefulWhat

YouPrayFor...YouJustMightGetIt(HarperSanFrancisco,1997)providesexhaustive

examplesofthepowerofnegativethoughtstoharmandalsohowtoprotectyourselffrom

them.

25W.G.Braud,'Blocking/shieldingpsychicfunctioningthroughpsychologicaland

psychictechniques:areportofthreepreliminarystudies',inR.WhiteandI.Solfvin(eds),

ResearchinParapsychology,1984(Metuchen,NY:ScarecrowPress,1985):42‐4

26W.G.Braud,'Implicationsandapplicationsoflaboratorypsifindings,European

JournalofParapsychology,1990‐91;8:57‐65.

27WBraudetal.,'Furtherstudiesofthebio‐PKeffect:feedback,blocking,

generality/specificity',inWhiteandSolfvin(eds),ResearchinParapsychology:45‐8.

28D.Bohm,WholenessandtheImplicateOrder(London:Routledge,1980).

29E.Laszlo,TheInterconnectedUniverse:ConceptualFoundationsofTransdisciplinary

UnifiedTheory(Singapore:WorldScientific,1995):t0t.

30J.Grinberg‐ZylberbaumandJ.Ramos,'Patternsofinterhemispherecorrelations

duringhumancommunication',InternationalJournalofNeuroscience,1987;36:41‐53;J.

Grinberg‐Zylberbaumetal.,'Humancommunicationandtheelectrophysiologicalactivityof

thebrain',SubtleEnergies,1992;3(3):25‐43.

31ThesehavebeenexploredindetailbyIanStevenson;seeI.Stevenson,ChildrenWho

RememberPreviousLives(Charlottesville,Va:UniversityPressofVirginia,1987).

32Laszlo,InterconnectedUniverse:102‐3.

33Braud,HonoringOurNaturalExperiences.

34Indeed,MarilynSchlitzandCharlesHonortoncarriedoutanexperimentshowing

thatartisticallygiftedindividualswerebetteratESPthantheordinarypopulation.SeeM.J.

SchlitzandC.Honorton,'Ganzfeldpsiperformancewithinanartisticallygiftedpopulation',

TheJournaloftheAmericanSocietyforPsychicalResearch,1992;86(2):83‐98.

35L.F.BerkmanandS.L.Syme,'Socialnetworks,hostresistanceandmortality:anine‐

yearfollow‐upstudyofAlamedaCountyresidents,'AmericanJournalofEpidemiology,1979;

09(2):186‐204.

36L.Galland,TheFourPillarsofHealing(NewYork:RandomHouse,1997):103‐5.

CHAPTEREIGHT:THEEXTENDEDEYE

1C.Backster,'Evidenceofaprimaryperceptioninplantlife',InternationalJournalof

Parapsychology,1967;X:141.Hal'spaper'Towardaquantumtheoryoflifeprocess',written

in1972,wasneverpublished.‘With30years'hindsight,andthelackofunambiguous

verificationofeithertheBackstereffectortachyons—thetwolynchpinsofthisproposal—

itseemssomewhatnaive.Butitgotmestarted,'wrotePuthofftotheauthoron15MarchHe

alsonotes:‘Bytheway,Ineverdidgettodotheproposedexperiment.'

2H.Puthoff,'Towardaquantumtheoryoflifeprocess'.

3G.R.Schmeidler,'PKeffectsuponcontinuouslyrecordedtemperatures',Journalof

theAmericanSocietyofPsychicalResearch,1997;67(4),citedinH.PuthoffandR.Targ,'A

perceptualchannelforinformationtransferoverkilometerdistances:historicalperspective

andrecentresearch',ProceedingsoftheIEEE,1976;64(3):329‐54.

4S.OstranderandL.Schroeder,PsychicDiscoveriesBehindtheIronCurtain(now

abridgedinPsychicDiscoveries,NewYork:Marlowe&Company,1997),publishedin1971,

causedafloodofconcernaboutso‐called'psychicwarfare'.

5J.Schnabel,RemoteViewers:TheSecretHistoryofAmerica'sPsychicSpies(NewYork:

Dell,1997):94‐5.

6HankTurnerisapseudonymofaCIAemployeereferredtoas'BillO'Donnell'in

Schnabel'sbook.

7ForanentiredescriptionoftheWestVirginiamilitaryinstallationfacilityandPat

Price,seeSchnabel,RemoteViewers:104‐13.

8H.PuthoffandR.Targ,'Finalreport,coveringtheperiodJanuary1974—February

1975PartII—ResearchReport',1December1975,PerceptualAugmentationTechniques,SRI

Project3183;alsoH.E.Puthoff,'CIA‐initiatedremoteviewingprogramatStanfordResearch

Institute,JournalofScientificExploration,1996:10(1):63‐75.

9R.Targ,MiraclesofMind:ExploringNonlocalConsciousnessandSpiritualHealing

(Novato,Calif:NewWorldLibrary,1999):46‐7;D.Radin,TheConsciousUniverse:The

ScientificTruthofPsychicPhenomena(NewYork:HarperEdge,1997):25‐6.

10C.A.Robinson,Jr,'Sovietspushforbeamweapon',AviationWeek,2May,1977.

11InterviewwithEdwinMay,California,25October1999.

12H.Puthoff,'CIA‐initiatedremoteviewingprogramatStanfordResearchInstitute'.

13InterviewwithHalPuthoff,20January2000;alsoSchnabel,RemoteViewers.

14H.Puthoff,'Experimentalpsiresearch:implicationforphysics',inR.Jahn(ed.),The

RoleofConsciousnessinthePhysicalWorld,AAASelectedSymposiaSeries(Boulder,Colorado:

WestviewPress,1981):41.

15R.TargandH.Puthoff,Mind­Reach:ScientistsLookatPsychicAbility(NewYork:

DelacortePress,1977):50.

16Schnabel,RemoteViewers:142.

17PuthoffandTarg,'Perceptualchannel':342.

18Ibid.:338.

19Ibid.:330‐1.

20Ibid.:336.

21B.DunneandJ.Bisaha,'PrecognitiveremoveviewingintheChicagoarea:a

replicationoftheStanfordexperiment',JournalofParapsychology,1979;43:17‐30.

22Radin,ConsciousUniverse:105.

23L.M.Kogan,'Istelepathypossible?'RadioEngineering,1966;21(Jan):75,quotedin

PuthoffandTarg,'Perceptualchannel':329‐53.

24H.PuthoffandR.Targ,'Finalreport,coveringtheperiodJanuary1974‐February

1975,PartII—ResearchReport',1December1975,PerceptualAugmentationTechniques,

SRIProject3183:58.

25TelephoneinterviewwithHalPuthoff,20January2000;seealsoTargandPuthoff,

Mind­Reach.

26Schnabel,RemoteViewers:74‐5.

27InterviewwithEdwinMayandDeanRadin,California,25October1999.

28VarioustelephoneinterviewswithHalPuthoff,August2000.

29J.Utts,'Anassessmentoftheevidenceforpsychicfunctioning',JournalofScientific

Exploration,1996;10:3‐30.

CHAPTERNINE:THEENDLESSHEREANDNOW

1R.TargandJ.Katra,MiraclesofMind:ExploringNonlocalConsciousnessandSpiritual

Healing(Novato,Calif:NewWorldLibrary,1999):42‐4.

2B.J.DunneandR.G.Jahn,'Experimentsinremotehuman/machineinteraction',

JournalofScientificExploration,1992;6(4):311‐32.

3InalltheSRIexperiments,theyneverfoundalimittothedistanceoverwhichthe

channelworked.Manyyearslater,inanironicalreversaloftheSRIstudies,RussellTarg

wouldhaveaRussianpsychicinMoscowdoaremoteviewingofanunknowntargetsitein

SanFrancisco.DjunaDavitashvili,anotedRussianpsychichealer,whohadneverdone

remote‐viewingexperimentsbefore,wasaskedtodescribewhereacolleagueoftheirswasat

thetimeinalocationinSanFranciscoevenunknowntoTarg.Afterbeingshownhisphoto,

shecorrectlydescribedaplazawithamerry‐go‐round(eventuallyTargwastoldthatthe

colleaguewasstandinginfrontofoneataplazaonSanFrancisco'sPier39).Thepictureshe

drewofboththeplazaandofthecarousel'shorsesborearemarkablesimilaritytotheactual

site.Forafullaccount,seeR.TargandJ.Katra,MiraclesofMind:29‐36.

4FortheChicago,ArizonaandMoscowremote‐viewingexperiment,R.G.JahnandB.J.

Dunne,MarginsofReality(NewYork:HarcourtBraceJovanovich,1987):162—7.

5FortheNASAandirrigation‐ditchexamples,JahnandDunne,Margins:188.

6D.Radin,TheConsciousUniverse:TheScientificTruthofPsychicPhenomena(New

York:HarperEdge,1997):113‐4;R.Broughton,Parapsychology:TheControversialScience

(NewYork:Ballantine,1991):292.

7Foranexcellentsummaryofthisandotherprecognitivestudies,seeRadin,The

ConsciousUniverse:111‐25.

8R.S.Broughton,Parapsychology:95‐7.

9Ibid.:98.Maimonideswasn'tthefirsttoscientificallydocumentdreams.Intheearly

partofthiscentury,J.W.Dunneconductedexperimentswithsubjectsandtheirdreams,

scientificallydemonstratingthatwhatpeopledreamedlargelycametrue.J.W.Dunne,An

ExperimentinTime(London:Faber,1926).

10Asithappened,Radin'sexpectationthathe'dreachedasafehaventocarryouthis

researchwaspremature.Assoonashepublishedabookonpsychicresearchandbeganto

attractsomemediaattention,theUniversityrefusedtorenewhiscontract.Hewaslefttofind

workinprivatelyfundedresearchprojects.Atthetimeofwriting,heisworkingatthe

InstituteofNoeticSciences.

11ForafulldescriptionoftheRadinexperiment,seeRadin,ConsciousUniverse:119­

24.

12D.J.BiermanandD.I.Radin,'Anomalousanticipatoryresponseonrandomized

futureconditions',PerceptualandMotorSkills,1997;84:689‐90.

13D.J.Bierman,'Anomalousaspectsofintuition',paperpresentedattheFourth

BiennialEuropeanmeetingoftheSocietyforScientificExploration,Valencia,9‐11October

1998;alsointerviewwithProfessorBierman,Valencia,9October1998.

14D.I.RadinandE.C.May,'Testingtheintuitivedatasortingmodelwith

pseudorandomnumbergenerators:aproposedmethod',inD.H.WeinerandR.G.Nelson

(eds),ResearchinParapsychology1986(Metuchen,NJ:Scarecrow,1987):109‐11.Fora

descriptionofthetest,seeBroughton,Parapsychology:137‐9.

15Broughton,Parapsychology:175‐6;alsotelephoneinterviewswithHelmutSchmidt,

May2001.

16H.Schmidt,'AdditionalaffectforPKonpre‐recordedtargets',Journalof

Parapsychology,1985;49:229‐44;‘PKtestswithandwithoutpreobservationbyanimals,inL.

S.HenkelandJ.Palmer(eds),ResearchinParapsychology1989(Metuchen,NJ:Scarecrow

Press,1990):15‐9,inW.Braud,Wellnessimplicationsofretroactiveintentionalinfluence:

exploringanoutrageoushypothesis',AlternativeTherapies,2000,6(1):37‐48.

17R.G.Jahnetal.,'Correlationsofrandombinarysequenceswithpre‐statedoperator

intention:areviewofa12‐yearprogram*,JournalofScientificExploration,1997;11(3):345‐

67.

18Braud,'Wellnessimplications'.

19J.Gribbin,QIsforQuantum:ParticlePhysicsfromAtoZ(Phoenix,1999):531‐4.

20Radin,varioustelephoneinterviewsin2001.

21E.Laszlo,TheInterconnectedUniverse,ConceptualFoundationsofTransdisciplinary

UnifiedTheory(Singapore:WorldScientific,1995):31.

22D.Bohm,WholenessandtheImplicateOrder(London:Routledge,1980):211.

23Ibid.

24Braud,'Wellnessimplications'.

CHAPTERTEN:THEHEALINGFIELD

1InterviewwithElisabethTarg,California,28October1999.

2Ibid

3Bothexperiments,B.Grad,'Somebiologicaleffectsof"laying‐onofhands":areview

ofexperimentswithanimalsandplants',JournaloftheAmericanSocietyforPsychical

Research,1965;59:95‐127.

4LDossey,BeCarefulWhatYouPrayFor...YouJustMightGetIt(HarperSan

Francisco,1997):179.

5B.Grad,'Dimensionsin"Somebiologicaleffectsofthelayingonofhands"andtheir

implications,'inH.A.OttoandJ.W.Knight(eds),DimensionsinWholisticHealing:New

FrontiersintheTreatmentoftheWholePerson(Chicago:Nelson‐Hall,1979):199‐212.

6B.Grad,R.J.CadoretandG.K.Paul,'Theinfluenceofanunorthodoxmethodof

treatmentonwoundhealinginmice',InternationalJournalofParapsychology,1963;3:5‐24.

7B.Grad,'Healingbythelayingonofhands:reviewofexperimentsandimplications',

PastoralPsychology,1970;21:19‐26.

8F.W.J.SnelandP.R.Hol,'Psychokinesisexperimentsincaseininducedamyloidosis

ofthehamster',JournalofParapsychology,1983;5(1):51‐76;B.Grad,'Somebiologicaleffects

oflayingonofhands';F.W.J.SnelandP.C.VanderSlide,'Theeffectofparanormalhealingon

tumorgrowth',JournalofScientificExploration,1995;9(2):209‐21.SeealsoE.Targ,

'Evaluatingdistanthealing:aresearchreview,AlternativeTherapies,1997;3:748.

9J.Barry,'Generalandcomparativestudyofthepsychokineticeffectonafungus

culture',JournalofParapsychology,1968;32:237‐43;EHaraldssonandT.Thorsteinsson,

‘Psychokineticeffectsonyeast:anexploratoryexperiment',inW.G.Roll,R.LMorrisandJ.D.

Morris(eds),ResearchinParapsychology(Metuchen,NJ:ScarecrowPress,1972):20‐1;F.W.

J.Snel,'Influenceonmalignantcellgrowthresearch',LettersoftheUniversityofUtrecht,1980;

to:19­27.

10C.B.Nash,‘Psychokineticcontrolofbacterialgrowth',JournaloftheAmerican

SocietyforPsychicalResearch,1982;51:217‐21.

11G.F.Solfvin,'Psiexpectancyeffectsinpsychichealingstudieswithmalarialmice',

EuropeanJournalofParapsychology,1982;4(2):160‐97.

12R.Stanford,"'Associativeactivationoftheunconscious"and"visualization"as

methodsforinfluencingthePKtarget',JournaloftheAmericanSocietyforPsychicalResearch,

1969;63:338‐51.

13B.N.Miller,'Studyontheeffectivenessofremotementalhealing',Medical

Hypotheses,1982;8:481‐90.

14R.C.Byrd,'Positivetherapeuticeffectsofintercessoryprayerinacoronarycare

unitpopulation',SouthernMedicalJournal,1988;81(7):826­9.

15B.Greyson,'Distancehealingofpatientswithmajordepression',JournalofScientific

Exploration,1996;0(4):447‐65.

16F.SicherandE.Targetal.,'Arandomizeddouble‐blindstudyoftheeffectofdistant

healinginapopulationwithadvancedAIDS:reportofasmallscalestudy',WesternJournalof

Medicine,1998;168(6):356‐63.

17W.Harrisetal.,'Arandomized,controlledtrialoftheeffectsofremote,intercessory

prayeronoutcomesinpatientsadmittedtothecoronarycareunit',ArchivesofInternal

Medicine,1999;159(19):2273‐8.

18InterviewswithE.TarginCaliforniaandonthetelephone,28October1999and6

March2001.

19Harrisetal.,'Arandomized,controlledtrialoftheeffectsofremote,intercessory

prayer'.

20J.Barrett,'Goingthedistance',Intuition,1999;June/July:30‐1.

21E.E.Green,'CopperWallresearchpsychologyandpsychophysics:subtleenergies

andenergymedicine:emergingtheoryandpractice',Proceedings,FirstAnnualConference,

InternationalSocietyfortheStudyofSubtleEnergiesandEnergyMedicine(ISSSEEM),

Boulder,Colorado,21‐25June1991.

22SummariesofstudiesofQigonghealingenergyandinformationabouttheQigong

Database,acomputerizedresourcecentreofpublishedresearchonQigonghealing,inL.

Dossey,BeCarefulWhatYouPrayFor:175‐7.

23R.D.Nelson,'Thephysicalbasisofintentionalhealingsystems',PEARTechnical

Note,99001,January1999.

24G.A.Kaplan,etal.,'Socialconnectionsandmoralityfromallcausesandfrom

cardiovasculardisease:perspectiveevidencefromEasternFinland',AmericanJournalof

Epidemiology,1988;128:370‐80.

25D.Reed,etal.,'SocialnetworksandcoronaryheartdiseaseamongJapanesemenin

Hawaii',AmericanJournalofEpidemiology,1983;117:384‐96;M.A.PascucciandG.L.Loving,

'Ingredientsofanoldandhealthylife:centenarianperspective',JournalofHolisticNursing,

1997;15:199‐213.

26G.Schwartz,etal.,'Accuracyandreplicabilityofanomalousafter‐death

communicationacrosshighlyskilledmediums',JournaloftheSocietyforPsychicalResearch.

2001;65:1‐25.

CHAPTERELEVEN:TELEGRAMFROMGAIA

1ForallmaterialabouttheO.J.Simpsontrial:LondonSunda).Timesarchives.Trial

transcriptsfortheverdictday:theAssociatedPress'sstatisticsoftheO.J.Simpsontrial.

2InterviewwithBrendaDunneatPrinceton,28June1998.

3R.D.Nelsonetal.,'FieldREGanomaliesingroupsituations'.JournalofScientific

Exploration,1996:10(1):111‐41.

4Ibid.

5Ibid.

6Ibid:alsocorrespondencewithR.Nelson,26July2001.

7R.D.NelsonandE.L.Mayer,'AFieldREGapplicationattheSanFranciscoBayRevels,

1996',asreportedinD.Radin,TheConsciousUniverse:TheScientificTruthofPsychic

Phenomena(NewYork:HarperEdge,1997):171.

8Nelson,'FieldREGanomalies':136.

9R.D.Nelsonetal.,'FieldREGII:consciousnessfieldeffects:replicationsand

explorations',JournalofScientificExploration.1998:12(3):425‐54.

10FortheentirestudyinEgypt:R.Nelson.'FieldREGmeasurementsinEgypt:resonant

consciousnessatsacredsites,PrincetonEngineeringAnomaliesResearch.Schoolof

Engineering/AppliedScience,PEARTechnicalNote97002,July1997:telephoneinterview

withRogerNelson.2February2001;alsoNelsonetal.‘FieldRegII’

11ForalldescriptionsofDeanRadin'sexperimentsinthischapter,Iamindebtedto

hisexcellentaccountofhisownworkinTheConsciousUniverse:157‐74.SeealsoD.I.Radin,J.

NI.RebmanandNI.P.Cross,*Anomalousorganizationofrandomeventsbygroup

consciousness:twoexploratoryexperiments'.JournalofScientificExploration,1996;10:143‐

68.

12D.Vaitl,'AnomalouseffectsduringRichardWagner'soperas'.Paperpresentedat

theFourthBiennialEuropeanMeetingoftheSocietyforScientificExploration,Valencia,

Spain.9‐11October1998.

13Ibid.

14D.Bierman,'Exploringcorrelationsbetweenlocalemotionalandglobalemotional

eventsandthebehaviourofarandomnumbergenerator',JournalofScientificExploration,

1996;10:363‐74.

15R.Nelson,'Wishingforgoodweather:anaturalexperimentingroupconsciousness',

JournalofScientificExploration,1997;(11):47‐58.

16J.S.Hagel,etal.,'EffectsofgrouppracticeoftheTranscendentalMeditation

ProgramonpreventingviolentcrimeinWashingtonDC:resultsoftheNational

DemonstrationProject,June—July,1993;SocialIndicatorsResearch,1994;47:153‐201.

17M.C.Dillbecketal.,'TheTranscendentalMeditationprogramandcrimeratechange

inasampleof48cities',JournalofCrimeandJustice,1981;4:25‐45.

18D.W.Orme‐Johnsonetal.,'InternationalpeaceprojectintheMiddleEast:theeffects

oftheMaharishitechnologyoftheunifiedfield',JournalofConflictResolution,1988;32:776‐

812.

19J.Lovelock,Gaia:aNewLookatLifeonEarth(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,

1979).

20R.Nelsonetal.,'Globalresonanceofconsciousness:PrincessDianaandMother

Teresa',ElectronicJournalofParapsychology,1998.

21TelephoneinterviewwithR.Nelson,2February2001.

22'TerroristDisaster,September11,2001',GlobalConsciousnessProjectwebsite:

http://noosphere.princeton.edu.

23N.A.KlebanoffandP.K.Keyser,'Menstrualsynchronization:aqualitativestudy',

JournalofHolisticNursing,1996;14(2):98‐114.

24Inaspeechin1999inLiege,Belgium,Mitchellwouldcitealittle‐knownreport

recordingtheexperiencesofRussiancosmonautslivingaboardtheMirspacecraftforsix

months.LikeMitchell,theyalsoexperiencedextraordinaryperceptionsintheirwakingand

dreamstates,includingprecognition.Itmaywellbethatalong‐durationspacevoyage

providessomeextraordinarymeansoftappingintoTheField.S.V.Krichevskii,

'Extraordinaryfantasticstates/dreamsoftheastronautsinnear‐earthorbit:anewcosmic

phenomenon',SoznFizReal,1996;1(4):60‐9.

CHAPTERTWELVE:THEZEROPOINTAGE

1InterviewwithRichardObousy,Brighton,2.0January2001.

2ConfirmedbyGrahamEnnisatPropulsionWorkshop,Brighton,

20January2001.

3C.Sagan,Contact(London:Orbit,1997).

4R.Forward,'Extractingelectricalenergyfromthevacuumbycohesionofcharged

foliatedconductors',PhysicalReview13,1984:30:1700.

5H.Puthoff,'Spacepropulsion:canemptyspaceitselfprovideasolution?'AdAstra,

1997;9(1):42‐6.

6B.Matthews,'Nothinglikeavacuum',NewScientist,25February1995:33.

7Ibid.

8H.Puthoff,quotedinTheObserver,7January2001:13.

9Telephoneandin‐personinterviewswithHalPuthoff,January2001

10HalPuthoff,'SETI:thevelocityoflightlimitationandtheAlcubierrewarpdrive:an

integratingoverview',PhysicsEssays,1996;9(1):156‐8.

11H.Puthoff,'Everythingfornothing',NewScientist,28July1990:52‐5.

12H.Puthoff,interview,Brighton,20January2001.

13QuotedonthePropulsionWorkshopwebsite:www.workshop.cwc.net

14J.Benveniste,'Specificremotedetectionforbacteriausingan

electromagnetic/digitalprocedure',FASEBJournal,1999;13:A852.

15E.Mitchell,'Nature'smind',keynoteaddress,CASYS1999,Liege,Belgium,8August

2000.

16H.Puthoff,'Faroutideasgroundedinrealphysics',Jane'sDefenceWeekly,26July

2000;34(4):42‐6.

17Ibid.

18P.W.Milonni,'Semi‐classicalandquantumelectrodynamicalapproachesin

nonrelativisticradiationtheory',PhysicsReports,1976;25:1­8.

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