He’s been studying such things as clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and telepathy from a strictly scientific perspective for years.
And he’s certainly not the only one, as evidenced by the literally thousands of experiments he reviews in his books.
What makes him different is that he’s not afraid to say out loud that he’s seriously interested in such a ‘woo woo’ topic. A topic he describes as ‘taboo’ within the scientific community.
It’s not because there’s a lack of interest. As he points out, studies have consistently shown that there’s plenty, in both the general population, and that of college professors.
Radin believes it comes down to the culture of science itself, where concepts of religion and spirituality are considered completely irrational, and if not useless, potentially harmful to the search for truth.
Radin thinks otherwise, having found in his own work that there’s plenty of worthwhile research to be done in the consciousness and psychic fields. Not to mention, it’s very very interesting.
#15 The Devil
For me, this discussion brought to mind the Devil card from the Tarot deck. It’s the card I most associate with taboos, and with the breaking of them.
The Devil is very physical, maybe not so rational, but very concerned with the material, with what’s in the ‘real’ world.
His biggest challenge is to connect with the spirit and to avoid becoming so obsessed with the sensations around him that he misses the subtler energies that are also there.
When we’re unable to look beyond the purely physical, we risk getting caught up in the Devil’s trap. He convinces us that what we see is all there is, and that it’s dangerous to check for ourselves to make sure he’s right.
It’s a shame if scientists, known for their intelligence and objectivity, tie themselves to this devil-like attitude. It builds taboos around what can and cannot be explored, and does nothing more than hold us all back.
I’ve posted the 1st, 3rd, and 4th clips from Radin’s talk. It was part of the ‘Conversations from the Edge’ 2006 series in San Francisco.
The first part defines what is a taboo, while the second two discuss the scientific taboos around psychic research.
Tarot readings and dreams are a lot alike. Both get down into the unconscious, look around, and drag up some pictures for our conscious selves to look at.
Learning to read the cards takes some time and practice, but dreaming is something we all do quite naturally, typically five times a night.
Even with all that dreaming though, we usually don’t remember much. Apparently most of us forget 95% of all the dreams we have. But who knows, maybe that’s a good thing.
It isn’t at all clear why we dream, or what our bodies and/or psyches are actually doing with all that material.
We could be processing the experiences of our daily life, rehearsing potential scenarios, acting out fantasies, or maybe something more mysterious is going on, at least some of the time.
For a quick summary of what science is saying about dreams and dreaming, take a look at the video below by vsauce.
In it he mentions another video about how to lucid dream by Howcast. I’ve posted that one below as well, and will be trying out some of the techniques myself.
Some serious psychic experimentation is being done in my own backyard.
Well, not literally in my back yard, but not too far away at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
Mandy Scott, an MA student in psychology, is doing research on what’s actually going on during a psychic experience. Specifically, what’s going on in our brains.
Scott will be performing a series of experiments involving Remote Viewing, where subjects are asked to describe photos without actually looking at them.
Six times over the course of six weeks, each person will be asked to hold a sealed envelope with a picture in it. While they record what they think the image in the envelope is, EEG monitors will record their brainwaves.
Subjects will be split into three groups, the first being a control with no psychic experience whatsoever.
The second group will also be ‘non-psychics’, but will undergo some training in psychic techniques before they start the experiments.
The final group will be made up of people with prior experience in psychic readings.
Scott is already convinced that something’s going on, she just wants to pinpoint what that is and where it’s happening in our brains.
She’s also interested in whether the ‘psychic’ group proves to be any better at seeing the hidden images than the other two groups.
If you want to help her out, she’s still looking for people to be involved in the research.
She can be contacted through the university at 705-675-1151.
What’s especially interesting about this sword is the 19 kanji characters engraved on it showing the date January 6th, 570 based on the Genka calendar.
Researchers are excited because the sword is the oldest item indicating Japan’s use of a calendar in ancient times.
And it’s also the first concrete evidence that the Chronicles of Japan, an eighth-century history of Japan, may have been correct in describing how the calendar spread across that country.
As a Tarot reader, I was especially drawn to this story because it featured a sword, one of the traditional suits of the Tarot.
The Ace of Swords often represents focus, clarity of mind, and the seed of new ways of thinking.
I think it’s wonderfully appropriate for a sword to be evidence of a new way of thinking for the ancient Japanese. The introduction of a calendar must have really shifted perspective.
And I can’t help but notice that not only were there 19 characters on the sword, the date 1/6/570 adds up to 19, the number of the Sun.
It looks like this ‘epoch making item’ is shining some new light on the history of Japan.
The designers describe it as ‘a creative science communication project that combines science, art and mythology into a Tarot deck…”
It’s the Science Tarot, a group project engaging the skills of artists, Tarot readers, and of course scientists. Various scientific theories or stories are identified with particular cards. The results are really interesting.
The 2 of Swords, for instance, looks at gravity, and how every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. The Empress is the story of Mendel’s Peas, and the 7 of Wands describes the process of expansion.
It’s a brilliant way to look at the cards. Not to mention, a chance to expand our rational side a little, while engaging the unconscious.
The website lists Logan Austeja Daniel, Martin Azevedo, and Raven Hanna as the creators.
While the artists involved are Suzanne Forbes, Shari Arai DeBoer, Kristian Johnson Michiels, Kristy Whitehouse, Janelle Schneider, and John Daniel.
I hear someone from the project will be presenting at BATS this weekend. I look forward to their talk, and a chance to get a copy of the deck.
Take a look at the videos below to see animated versions of the Hanged Man and Sun cards. And to see more, visit Horgworm’s YouTube channel.
As described in Science Daily, the research concludes ‘that humans are predisposed to believe in gods and an afterlife, and that both theology and atheism are reasoned responses to what is a basic impulse of the human mind.”
The three-year international research project was led by psychologist Dr. Justin Barrett from the Centre for Anthropology and Mind at Oxford University.
It involved 57 researchers conducting over 40 studies, in 20 countries, representing a diverse range of cultures.
They weren’t trying to prove or disprove the existence of god, the afterlife or anything supernatural. They were simply looking at whether such concepts are taught or innate to our make-up.
Put another way, is it nature or nurture that makes us believe in magic and religion?
Findings from the research will be published in two books by Barrett – Cognitive Science, Religion and Theology, and Born Believers: The Science of Childhood Religion.
Project Co-Director Professor Roger Trigg has also written a book called Equality, Freedom and Religion, where he applies the research to questions surrounding morality and the freedom of religion.
I look forward to all three books, and any others that might come out of this work.
Though experiments in Quantum Physics have turned up remarkable, and sometimes seemingly magical events on the quantum level, Horowitz cautions New Agers and Occultists from jumping to conclusions.
Phenomena like entanglement and the uncertainty principle are exciting. But they don’t prove telepathy, clairvoyance, or the power of positive thinking.
They can and should, however, get us to pay attention and start a conversation. Something interesting is going on. We just don’t understand it yet.
It was first published back in 2000, but it’s well worth reading now.
McMoneagle learnt Remote Viewing in the U.S. Army as part of the Stargate Project. In fact, he was Remote Viewer #001 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for ‘producing crucial and vital intelligence unavailable from any other source.’
As the title suggests, this book is about Remote Viewing, or the ability to gather information about an inaccessible target through psychic means, regardless of distance, shielding, or time.
According to McMoneagle, what distinguishes Remote Viewing from other psychic work is the protocol followed by the viewers involved.
Methodologies vary widely, and could include Tarot reading or spirit guides. But if the strict scientific procedures described in the book aren’t followed, what’s happening isn’t officially called Remote Viewing.
The book doesn’t teach how to be a Remote Viewer so much as how to prepare yourself and your psychic session to be as scientifically pure as possible.
It also covers questions surrounding who might make a particularly good viewer, and what states of mind are most conducive to positive outcomes.
Also examined are what makes a good target, the ethics of Remote Viewing, and recommendations for training and record keeping.
It’s an intelligent, no nonsense discussion of a topic that’s often hard to pin down. If you’re looking to get past some of the woo-woo in the psychic field, this might be a book for you.
Tonight on Beyond Worlds we’ll be visiting the world of physics through the eyes of the Tarot.
Dan Horn and Corrine Kenner will introduce us to their new self-published deck, The Tarot of Physics. Science and the occult meet as physics describes Tarot and Tarot mirrors physics right back.
If science scares you, all the more reason to join us. Dan will lead us through the hard parts and help show us how to use the Tarot to understand more.
Join us live in the chat room, or call (646) 200-0765.
