I cannot believe this, finally we have moved on to our second book already and it is only the end of September. This one is an easier read for sure. I also think that I am beginning to like Tart…All jokes aside… He has been mentioned a lot lately, whether in our readings or in-class discussions. I guess he could very well fit the definition of creativity. Which make me realize that Hughes spends a huge (get it) sum of time discussing creativity, yet he makes it interesting to read. I really like that he wants the reader to read his book. In addition, he achieves this putting colors and pictures and making it associated with TV or movies or artists we know about unlike McTaggart, who made her book very plain and dry. Thus, it made me read Hughes with a deeper interest.
Which made me think about the first three chapters in a whole and how Hughes was using the things that he mentioned in these chapters while developing this book. One thing in particular stood out to me and that was how the “intensity of the images” and how their purpose is clearly not aesthetic.
Then I thought again about the book how it made me think about my connection with the images that I was seeing and my connections with the world I and how my own consciousness is affected by all these things. It was slowly starting to all fit together. I kept on reading creativity, power and consciousness repeatedly and something big happened. I realize that the media and all the things around us use these three things and trigger our own hormones, thus having an effect on our CNS. I also realize that we can believe in a lot of baloney without making since of it. Good book thus far.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Blog #5
“Since trance-induced forms of knowledge and experience run sharply counter to Western practice, it is hard to evaluate the genuineness of the shaman’s achievement” (21). This quote captures the question which kept running through my mind as I read this chapter. Is the work done by men who are in a trance or under the influence of hallucinogens legitimate? I pondered this question the most while I was reading about the shamans and Dionysus.
According to the book the purpose of a shaman was to help people make the connection between the physical and spiritual world. He benefited the community by connecting with the spiritual world and bringing back what he saw. In other words, “the shaman’s creativity is valued according to the benefits he or she brings the people: healing, prediction, and knowledge” (21). Yet, with my Western mindset which stigmatizes the use of hallucinogens, I have to wonder how effectual the shamans’ work was. Did they have real spiritual experiences, or was it simply the effects of the drugs? Also, did they have influence when they were not in an altered state, or did all their “healing” come from an altered state?
I suppose these questions bring up my principle question. Is there really something to hallucinogenic experiences or are they just what their name implies; hallucinations? I feel also that with more information about the shamans this question could be answered. It’s not covered in the book, but I would like to know how effective the shamans were in their healing. Did the people they worked with experience better health and lifestyles as a result of the shamans, or did their lives remain basically the same? If there was an improvement in living conditions I would say there might be something to the shamans’ hallucinogenic quests, but unfortunately this is not covered in the book.
Similar questions came to mind as I read about Dionysus. It’s said in the book that “masked dancers performed the cult of Dionysus, embodying the invisible forces that worked through them” (28). This idea that Dionysus’ followers were in touch with the spiritual is an interesting concept, but I question its validity. From what I know about Dionysus’ festivals they were basically just a wild party in which all the people did was drink and have sex. So this again brings up my question about the validity of altered state experiences. Was the alcohol used in these experiences a way to come in contact with “invisible forces” or were they just plain drunk?
After reading the four chapters I guess I came out with more questions than answers. There’s no need to recap all the questions I asked in my blog, but I will end by mentioning one place in the book that I feel matches up with my own experiences. In the section about rock and roll Hughes likens that style of music to the “hypnotic quality of the shaman’s mystic drumming” (26). I have noticed too that with certain rock and roll songs the beat has an engulfing, “zone out” quality. I just thought it was interesting that this was something I had before noticed about rock and then it showed up in the book.
According to the book the purpose of a shaman was to help people make the connection between the physical and spiritual world. He benefited the community by connecting with the spiritual world and bringing back what he saw. In other words, “the shaman’s creativity is valued according to the benefits he or she brings the people: healing, prediction, and knowledge” (21). Yet, with my Western mindset which stigmatizes the use of hallucinogens, I have to wonder how effectual the shamans’ work was. Did they have real spiritual experiences, or was it simply the effects of the drugs? Also, did they have influence when they were not in an altered state, or did all their “healing” come from an altered state?
I suppose these questions bring up my principle question. Is there really something to hallucinogenic experiences or are they just what their name implies; hallucinations? I feel also that with more information about the shamans this question could be answered. It’s not covered in the book, but I would like to know how effective the shamans were in their healing. Did the people they worked with experience better health and lifestyles as a result of the shamans, or did their lives remain basically the same? If there was an improvement in living conditions I would say there might be something to the shamans’ hallucinogenic quests, but unfortunately this is not covered in the book.
Similar questions came to mind as I read about Dionysus. It’s said in the book that “masked dancers performed the cult of Dionysus, embodying the invisible forces that worked through them” (28). This idea that Dionysus’ followers were in touch with the spiritual is an interesting concept, but I question its validity. From what I know about Dionysus’ festivals they were basically just a wild party in which all the people did was drink and have sex. So this again brings up my question about the validity of altered state experiences. Was the alcohol used in these experiences a way to come in contact with “invisible forces” or were they just plain drunk?
After reading the four chapters I guess I came out with more questions than answers. There’s no need to recap all the questions I asked in my blog, but I will end by mentioning one place in the book that I feel matches up with my own experiences. In the section about rock and roll Hughes likens that style of music to the “hypnotic quality of the shaman’s mystic drumming” (26). I have noticed too that with certain rock and roll songs the beat has an engulfing, “zone out” quality. I just thought it was interesting that this was something I had before noticed about rock and then it showed up in the book.
blog five
Before reading these introductory chapters of the Hughes book, I hadn't really considered that there is somewhat of a formula to creativity. I always assumed that creativity was just a "spark" rather than an entire (somewhat unconscious) process. According to the text, creativity relies on both our divergent reasoning (which is more of the "spark" aspect) and our convergent reasoning (which is the fruition of the creative experience of the creator), the latter of which I had overlooked. This idea is more specifically explained in the part of the text where Hughes asserts that the drugs or other inductions used by shamans and other creative people are the means; the usefulness of the experience to the people or the finished piece or work by the artist, these things are the end.
In the second chapter, I noted that Ramon Medina Silva explains that shamans have the ability to "venture without fear onto the narrow bridge across the great chasm separating the ordinary world from the world beyond" (24). Later in the book, Hughes calls them "professional dreamers" (49). In essence, shamans are responsible for communicating with larger forces (Nature, God, etc.) in some other world or consciousness and for then explaining their experience (and its meaning) to their communities. They achieve this through entering altered states of consciousness. I think it's interesting that these states are altered, when, apparently (no offense to shamanistic societies) this could be done by everybody. Thinking about famous artists, musicians, etc., drugs are an accessible portal to an altered state: the realm within which creative experience lies.
By the third chapter, Hughes is informing us about our brains, which are the processing centers of our bodies. I think it was an interesting point that both "sides" of our brains can be used for both mundane and creative processes. I think that someone like Dali would have employed his right brain for the purposes of creating his arts, while someone like Bill Gates would employ his left brain for his more analytical creations. Either way, both were able to use their brains to create new, meaningful work.
Continuing in chapter three, Hughes' point about the Internet and the dissociation of the self got me thinking... For people who are used to functioning as a unified whole most of the time, the Internet allows them to explore other parts of themselves, perhaps revealing something new. After all, according to the text, creativity is about "confront[ing] differene aspects of [our]selves and emerg[ing] with a new unity" (45). This new unity would result in some creation itself or possibly a new understanding.
Finally, the fourth chapter about dreams (something we've discussed in The Field), illustrates, once again, that our dreams unlock our unconscious. Hughes compares the dreamer to the psychotic, and I see his point as impressively valid. Aren't we all a little bit crazy in our dreams? And isn't that one way to know the difference between our dreams and our "ordinary" consciousness (the fact that we view dreams and psychotics as crazy)? Lucid dreaming--if only I could have more of those!--is one way that we can access and empower our creativity. Dreams, like trances, enable us to communicate with things that we do not "normally" bother with or understand in our "ordinary" consciousness. Dreams, out of body experiences, drugs, and the like are all ways in which we can connect to our unconsciousness or access a kind of collective consciousness (remember the Zero Point Field), in order to harness our creativity and produce something with it.
In the second chapter, I noted that Ramon Medina Silva explains that shamans have the ability to "venture without fear onto the narrow bridge across the great chasm separating the ordinary world from the world beyond" (24). Later in the book, Hughes calls them "professional dreamers" (49). In essence, shamans are responsible for communicating with larger forces (Nature, God, etc.) in some other world or consciousness and for then explaining their experience (and its meaning) to their communities. They achieve this through entering altered states of consciousness. I think it's interesting that these states are altered, when, apparently (no offense to shamanistic societies) this could be done by everybody. Thinking about famous artists, musicians, etc., drugs are an accessible portal to an altered state: the realm within which creative experience lies.
By the third chapter, Hughes is informing us about our brains, which are the processing centers of our bodies. I think it was an interesting point that both "sides" of our brains can be used for both mundane and creative processes. I think that someone like Dali would have employed his right brain for the purposes of creating his arts, while someone like Bill Gates would employ his left brain for his more analytical creations. Either way, both were able to use their brains to create new, meaningful work.
Continuing in chapter three, Hughes' point about the Internet and the dissociation of the self got me thinking... For people who are used to functioning as a unified whole most of the time, the Internet allows them to explore other parts of themselves, perhaps revealing something new. After all, according to the text, creativity is about "confront[ing] differene aspects of [our]selves and emerg[ing] with a new unity" (45). This new unity would result in some creation itself or possibly a new understanding.
Finally, the fourth chapter about dreams (something we've discussed in The Field), illustrates, once again, that our dreams unlock our unconscious. Hughes compares the dreamer to the psychotic, and I see his point as impressively valid. Aren't we all a little bit crazy in our dreams? And isn't that one way to know the difference between our dreams and our "ordinary" consciousness (the fact that we view dreams and psychotics as crazy)? Lucid dreaming--if only I could have more of those!--is one way that we can access and empower our creativity. Dreams, like trances, enable us to communicate with things that we do not "normally" bother with or understand in our "ordinary" consciousness. Dreams, out of body experiences, drugs, and the like are all ways in which we can connect to our unconsciousness or access a kind of collective consciousness (remember the Zero Point Field), in order to harness our creativity and produce something with it.
Blog 5
Blog 5
I think that my perception of these chapters is weakened by the conditions of the environment in which I read the book. I admit fully that I waited until the last minute to read it and being surrounded by a bunch of people checking their facebooks did not help either. That being said… I really felt overwhelmed by the sheer expanse of ideas and aspects of creativity and consciousness covered in these 4 chapters to write a decent blog about it all. One of the main themes that I found to be the most interesting to me and seemed to be threaded throughout the four chapters is that in order to access our inner creativity, (which we all possess) we need to be able to let go of our hold on reality for a bit.
There is a great saying out there that “there is a fine line between Genius and Madness” and I agree with it fully.
It seems to me that, in order for us to create, explore, understand or think outside of the doldrums of everyday existence… to take ourselves off of the auto-pilot function that pretty much gets us through our daily routines, we have to encounter madness in some form or another. It also seems that that interaction with alternate consciousness, in the pursuit of creativity can have a very negative effect on us in this reality. It can also come with some very negative labels which can effect our interpersonal relationships and our sense of belonging and acceptance.
If we are able to access the abyss of creativity on our own, to the extent that is genius, we are labeled as crazy, unstable, unattached, etc.
If we find exterior means of accessing the alternative consciousness we are labeled as druggies or weak and unable to deal with reality.
These are a bit on the harsh side of the spectrum, but realities none-the-less.
I find it a bit ironic that, in order to find oneself in an altered state, in an attempt to connect with or be in tune with the greater world of thought and creativity, one has to almost cut themselves off from the comforts of their surroundings. This can be permanent, temporary, drug induced or figuratively. Insert proper descriptive word for level of separation here.
To finish up, I think it is funny that, while in real life we shun the idea of insanity or drug use or whatever other mind-altering state that people find themselves in, we praise the products that come out of that state of mind.
My fiancé and I have this argument all the time. I am a real lover of the music of the doors, the Beatles (later years), Jimi Hendricks, Bob Dylan, etc. and I recognize that it was their brushes with an alternative world that led them to be as creative and expressive as they were. I applaud their actions for the sake of adding such genius to our cultural understanding. He on the other hand, once he learns that the work was a product of creativity brought about, undoubtedly by drugs or other mind altering methods is immediately turned off from it, simply for its illegal/immoral connotations. This to me is a tragedy, that we desire the products of brilliance, but condemn the methods by which this brilliance is created.
Hannah
I think that my perception of these chapters is weakened by the conditions of the environment in which I read the book. I admit fully that I waited until the last minute to read it and being surrounded by a bunch of people checking their facebooks did not help either. That being said… I really felt overwhelmed by the sheer expanse of ideas and aspects of creativity and consciousness covered in these 4 chapters to write a decent blog about it all. One of the main themes that I found to be the most interesting to me and seemed to be threaded throughout the four chapters is that in order to access our inner creativity, (which we all possess) we need to be able to let go of our hold on reality for a bit.
There is a great saying out there that “there is a fine line between Genius and Madness” and I agree with it fully.
It seems to me that, in order for us to create, explore, understand or think outside of the doldrums of everyday existence… to take ourselves off of the auto-pilot function that pretty much gets us through our daily routines, we have to encounter madness in some form or another. It also seems that that interaction with alternate consciousness, in the pursuit of creativity can have a very negative effect on us in this reality. It can also come with some very negative labels which can effect our interpersonal relationships and our sense of belonging and acceptance.
If we are able to access the abyss of creativity on our own, to the extent that is genius, we are labeled as crazy, unstable, unattached, etc.
If we find exterior means of accessing the alternative consciousness we are labeled as druggies or weak and unable to deal with reality.
These are a bit on the harsh side of the spectrum, but realities none-the-less.
I find it a bit ironic that, in order to find oneself in an altered state, in an attempt to connect with or be in tune with the greater world of thought and creativity, one has to almost cut themselves off from the comforts of their surroundings. This can be permanent, temporary, drug induced or figuratively. Insert proper descriptive word for level of separation here.
To finish up, I think it is funny that, while in real life we shun the idea of insanity or drug use or whatever other mind-altering state that people find themselves in, we praise the products that come out of that state of mind.
My fiancé and I have this argument all the time. I am a real lover of the music of the doors, the Beatles (later years), Jimi Hendricks, Bob Dylan, etc. and I recognize that it was their brushes with an alternative world that led them to be as creative and expressive as they were. I applaud their actions for the sake of adding such genius to our cultural understanding. He on the other hand, once he learns that the work was a product of creativity brought about, undoubtedly by drugs or other mind altering methods is immediately turned off from it, simply for its illegal/immoral connotations. This to me is a tragedy, that we desire the products of brilliance, but condemn the methods by which this brilliance is created.
Hannah
Blog 5>
Well Im sure we can all agree that their was a significant difference between Altered States and the Field. What I personally liked was the relationship described between animals and humans in shamanistic societies. Now for me shamans never had much of a meaning except for a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game called world of warcraft. But after reading this specific entry primarily on native american shamans. "Indians were put here on this earth with trees, plants, animals, and water, and the shaman gets his power from them." (Hughes 21)
What I personally find intriguing about shamanistic societies is that they use their "abilities" with nature for the use of healing. If anything shamans were the first and original doctors before modern medicine came into play. They ahd an acute knowledge of plants and animals and certain substances in nature that can be used for healing or other helpful uses. There are other beliefs that involve similar relams like voodoo for example and its known uses of hallucinegons. But unlike shamanism it has a dark side. Shamans use their "abilities" for good. That itself interests me the most.
What I personally find intriguing about shamanistic societies is that they use their "abilities" with nature for the use of healing. If anything shamans were the first and original doctors before modern medicine came into play. They ahd an acute knowledge of plants and animals and certain substances in nature that can be used for healing or other helpful uses. There are other beliefs that involve similar relams like voodoo for example and its known uses of hallucinegons. But unlike shamanism it has a dark side. Shamans use their "abilities" for good. That itself interests me the most.
Blog 5
I found the first four chapters of Altered States much easier to grasp than the beginning of The Field. I would have to agree with Jill in that I’m glad we read The Field first to hear some of the more scientific explanations for some of the subject matter discussed in Altered States.
In chapter 2 the discussion of the shamans was interesting. I had very little knowledge on them prior to reading the chapter. I just have to wonder how much power they would really be feeling if they weren’t taking hallucinogenic drugs such as mushrooms. I’m sure anyone who has eaten mushrooms may have felt like at one point they were a shaman, but I do realize they are just trying to take their mind to a higher level. Also I can only imagine the reaction by New Yorkers when they saw Joseph Beuys step off a plane wearing felt.
After reading about the topic of “second sight” in chapter 3 I tried to tell the difference between colors by simply touching them with no luck, but it wasn’t exactly a very controlled test. I have read before about people who lose one sense such as sight and the other senses become much more heightened to compensate. So I’m sure there are people out there who can feel colors and maybe we all have the ability, but we just have to unlock it within ourselves. The picture on page 37 was an interesting way to see how our brain perceives what our eyes are taking in.
Thinking of a dream as psychotic episode made a lot of sense in chapter 4. All the things we feel in dreams like “visual hallucinations, spatial and temporal cognitive distortion, delusional acceptance of hallucinoid experience, intensification of affect, and amnesia” are ways you would describe a psychotic person as acting. I have only had a few lucid dreams, but I find that when I do have one, they stay with me much longer than regular dream that I usually forget moments after waking. I was also surprised in finding out that by keeping a dream diary your dream quality and quantity seem to improve almost as if you’re training yourself to dream more efficiently.
In chapter 2 the discussion of the shamans was interesting. I had very little knowledge on them prior to reading the chapter. I just have to wonder how much power they would really be feeling if they weren’t taking hallucinogenic drugs such as mushrooms. I’m sure anyone who has eaten mushrooms may have felt like at one point they were a shaman, but I do realize they are just trying to take their mind to a higher level. Also I can only imagine the reaction by New Yorkers when they saw Joseph Beuys step off a plane wearing felt.
After reading about the topic of “second sight” in chapter 3 I tried to tell the difference between colors by simply touching them with no luck, but it wasn’t exactly a very controlled test. I have read before about people who lose one sense such as sight and the other senses become much more heightened to compensate. So I’m sure there are people out there who can feel colors and maybe we all have the ability, but we just have to unlock it within ourselves. The picture on page 37 was an interesting way to see how our brain perceives what our eyes are taking in.
Thinking of a dream as psychotic episode made a lot of sense in chapter 4. All the things we feel in dreams like “visual hallucinations, spatial and temporal cognitive distortion, delusional acceptance of hallucinoid experience, intensification of affect, and amnesia” are ways you would describe a psychotic person as acting. I have only had a few lucid dreams, but I find that when I do have one, they stay with me much longer than regular dream that I usually forget moments after waking. I was also surprised in finding out that by keeping a dream diary your dream quality and quantity seem to improve almost as if you’re training yourself to dream more efficiently.
blog 5
Methinks I’m going to love this book. When I first glanced over the pages, I thought wow, Lennon, Nietzsche, Freud, Dostoyevsky, and Alice in Wonderland all in one psychedelic voyage. But what I underestimated was the density of the material. I find this both excellent and problematic. The first four chapters of this book provide a beautiful key-holed image of the big picture, but I find myself wanting more of each topic.
My favorite section of the book thus far has been the relation between the Shaman and the circus. Black Elk states, “A man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after he has performed the vision on Earth for his people to see.” The parallel to the circus is almost so shocking; it’s amazing that we all haven’t been looking at the mysticism behind the circus all along: “clowns embody the trickster elements of the spirit world, while the ringmaster is identified with the master shaman who seeks to bring disparate elements under control. The performing animals reflect the shaman’s power over wild beasts, and perhaps also the spirit familiars themselves.” A circus almost in fact shows that we do have an extensive control over nature, but of course, most of society denies the mysticism and spirituality that can be found behind it.
In addition, I loved the brief section describing the shaman’s relation to rock n’ roll. This brings in the question” What is creativity? How much of a relation do we have to another world (if that’s the most suitable terms)? And how are we able to bring sometime entirely new into this one? “Creativity is about the use of imagination to transmute the inner world into external reality, and has both an objective, material component and a subjective, invisible component. It begins as an imaginative construct and ends as an external object.” Also, what source do we use to determine what is good creativity, and what is bad creativity? Picasso states, “All art is magic,” but, it is often the critics who determine was is good and bad. What makes us feel what we do when we look at art and music? You would think that we would all be wired to hear the same song and agree of its greatness, but this is entirely not the case. What I’ve noticed is that it is almost impossible to describe how I feel to others in relation to art. I personally feel that Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” is the greatest musical composition of all time, but when I show it to others, they simple can’t see it. “Can’t you feel it?” I often ask. “Feel what?” is usually the response. I encourage others to try this sometime: explain what moves you and why.
My favorite section of the book thus far has been the relation between the Shaman and the circus. Black Elk states, “A man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after he has performed the vision on Earth for his people to see.” The parallel to the circus is almost so shocking; it’s amazing that we all haven’t been looking at the mysticism behind the circus all along: “clowns embody the trickster elements of the spirit world, while the ringmaster is identified with the master shaman who seeks to bring disparate elements under control. The performing animals reflect the shaman’s power over wild beasts, and perhaps also the spirit familiars themselves.” A circus almost in fact shows that we do have an extensive control over nature, but of course, most of society denies the mysticism and spirituality that can be found behind it.
In addition, I loved the brief section describing the shaman’s relation to rock n’ roll. This brings in the question” What is creativity? How much of a relation do we have to another world (if that’s the most suitable terms)? And how are we able to bring sometime entirely new into this one? “Creativity is about the use of imagination to transmute the inner world into external reality, and has both an objective, material component and a subjective, invisible component. It begins as an imaginative construct and ends as an external object.” Also, what source do we use to determine what is good creativity, and what is bad creativity? Picasso states, “All art is magic,” but, it is often the critics who determine was is good and bad. What makes us feel what we do when we look at art and music? You would think that we would all be wired to hear the same song and agree of its greatness, but this is entirely not the case. What I’ve noticed is that it is almost impossible to describe how I feel to others in relation to art. I personally feel that Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” is the greatest musical composition of all time, but when I show it to others, they simple can’t see it. “Can’t you feel it?” I often ask. “Feel what?” is usually the response. I encourage others to try this sometime: explain what moves you and why.
Blog Five
I really liked the quote "Everyone has to be creative to meet the challenges of daily life" I believe this to be true because we are obviously all different from one another. You could give everyone in the class a scenario that deals with solving a problem in life and what not, and tell them to figure out how they would handle it. I bet most of us would have our own different "creative" ways of handling our challenge in life. So that quote is about as true as it gets maybe not from scientific proof, but from our own personal experiences. This reminded me of one of the Marine Corps' motto's "Adapt, Improvise, Overcome" The Marines teach you how to handle situations when things arent always going your way, you dont have a typical way out of the situation, or dont have enough time get the task done. You must be creative in your own way by adapting to the situation, coming up with improvisations and eventually overcoming. Now this has creativity written all over it, and it has to do with meeting a challenge in life. You have to be able to handle the situation when things don't go as planned, and to do that is with CREATIVITY. So that's another way of relating to that quote.
I also think creativity can relate to cultural conciousness and altered states. Creativity is different in all of us, but why? is it the way we were brought up by our cultures that make us think creative in a different way? For example making a joke in your own creative manner. Maybe half the people think its funny because its their sense of creative humour. Maybe the other half thought it wasnt funny because they have a different sense of creativity. Is this because of cultural consciousness? Also creativity could be enhanced or decreased being in an altered state. I remember in my video production class, we talked about a famous production group (cant rememeber the name) who wasn't very creative unless they went to a bar and got drunk. After that they came up with amazing ideas that opened other peoples perspectives.
I kind of liked the whole idea with us being able to see with our hands. People shouldn't take it so literal and believe that our hands actually have eyes, retina's, iris', etc. I guess you can relate it to the saying "seeing the light" Its about opening our mind through our senses and reasoning to "see" something, not neccesarily with just the eyes. Just take blind people for example. They "see" through their hands. I'm sure since they dont have the optical illusions that we do, they have to form some kind of image in their head of what they are feeling with their hands. It's hard for us to believe because we can see. I think when you are deprived of a sense, your other ones start to trigger in ways you never thought they would, just like Professor Kearney's experience.
I also think creativity can relate to cultural conciousness and altered states. Creativity is different in all of us, but why? is it the way we were brought up by our cultures that make us think creative in a different way? For example making a joke in your own creative manner. Maybe half the people think its funny because its their sense of creative humour. Maybe the other half thought it wasnt funny because they have a different sense of creativity. Is this because of cultural consciousness? Also creativity could be enhanced or decreased being in an altered state. I remember in my video production class, we talked about a famous production group (cant rememeber the name) who wasn't very creative unless they went to a bar and got drunk. After that they came up with amazing ideas that opened other peoples perspectives.
I kind of liked the whole idea with us being able to see with our hands. People shouldn't take it so literal and believe that our hands actually have eyes, retina's, iris', etc. I guess you can relate it to the saying "seeing the light" Its about opening our mind through our senses and reasoning to "see" something, not neccesarily with just the eyes. Just take blind people for example. They "see" through their hands. I'm sure since they dont have the optical illusions that we do, they have to form some kind of image in their head of what they are feeling with their hands. It's hard for us to believe because we can see. I think when you are deprived of a sense, your other ones start to trigger in ways you never thought they would, just like Professor Kearney's experience.
Blog 5
Ahh.. finally a book that I can comprehend a little better! Having pictures also helps me visualize things a little more clearly than The Field. In chapter 1, I liked the books definition/take on creativity. When we were asked in class what we thought creativity is or what it's made up of, I never really thought more in depth about the question. When I think of creativity, I think that it's stepping across the boundary line that one has created for themselves, and entering a whole new state of mind. I was intrigued as to how creativity was explained in the book. In a way, it gave me a different view of what creativity really is. Chapter 2 was the most interesting chapter to me because I never really heard of the Shamans, so that was something new for me. I found this quote interesting.. "Shamans are healers, seers, visionaries who have mastered death." (17) That was kind of food for thought for me, seeing how I knew really nothing about them. The whole magical flight idea with the Shamans was hard for me to believe. I know people have died and been brought back to life, but I don't think it necessarily means that they have had "magical flight,'"as in they passed through the upper world and were sent back down to earth to 'heal' people. To me, I viewed that as some people's bodys can withhold the shock of their systems (body) shutting down and some can't, so that's why when most people pass away, there's nothing that can be done about it.
Chapter 4 caught my attention a lot. I'm always interested in my dreams and how the most crazy insane ones come about. To me, I think that we all try to understand where our dreams come from so much that we end up not getting the right answer because we are trying too hard. Some people like to believe that a certain dream they have, has told their future or they have seen their future in their dreams. I don't really believe this.. in a way, I think dreams are about creativity. Now the ones where you are running from a murder, ehh not so much. We create our dreams, don't we? The whole OBE (out-of-body experience) just seems really creepy to me. I'm willing to be open minded about this topic, but I guess it's hard for me to believe this kind of stuff when it just seems so unreal. Granted, I've never been hypnotized or anything of that matter, but I'd be curious to test this out. Any takers?? :)
Chapter 4 caught my attention a lot. I'm always interested in my dreams and how the most crazy insane ones come about. To me, I think that we all try to understand where our dreams come from so much that we end up not getting the right answer because we are trying too hard. Some people like to believe that a certain dream they have, has told their future or they have seen their future in their dreams. I don't really believe this.. in a way, I think dreams are about creativity. Now the ones where you are running from a murder, ehh not so much. We create our dreams, don't we? The whole OBE (out-of-body experience) just seems really creepy to me. I'm willing to be open minded about this topic, but I guess it's hard for me to believe this kind of stuff when it just seems so unreal. Granted, I've never been hypnotized or anything of that matter, but I'd be curious to test this out. Any takers?? :)
I think that this book will be more enjoyable to read just because it seems to be easier to understand. I would have to agree with Allyson that the first two sentences really spark interest. They made me think what I do to pass time when I am waiting for something. Like when I wait at an appointment I start to daydream. I just sit there and think of random things that usually begin with the two words what if. Then I just focus on that until I hear my name and I snap out of that altered state. I have watched some things about shamans. From what I understood they are some of the most spiritual persons in the world. They use many different types of natural hallucinogenic drugs to contact the sprit world. I think that the drugs they take make them feel like they have supernatural powers to combat evil spirits. I remember watching something that some westerners took some of these drugs and they were seeing things that weren’t there. The last few chapters seemed to be out there. The whole being able to see with your hand seems to be impossible. Dreams are one of those things that we may never be able to understand completely. One reason that I think they won’t understand them is because most of the time we can’t remember them. At least that is how it is for me. That is why I think we aren’t able to understand the meanings of them.
Blog 5
This book is a pleasant change from "The Field". However, this book still messes with my head. Maybe the purpose of this class is to put me in an altered state. When I read about a new idea, like how we only sense material that has reached our consciousness through selective filters (cpt 3), I become so absorbed in this idea that my mind seems to overflow. This particular idea boggled my mind: Is there really some sort of filter in our brain? How does it determine what comes through and what is blocked? How much information is out there that we will never know? My questions are endless.
Chapter 1 discusses creativity. We talked briefly about creativity in the beginning of this class and were asked to give a definition of it. I had said that creativity is an original way of doing anything. To elaborate on this, the book says that creativity is the use of imagination to transmute the inner world (what goes on in our heads) into external reality. Creativity is not simply the ideas we might have stored up in our imaginations; it is also how we put these ideas into something physical.
The quote at the beginning of chapter 4 stuck out to me: "The madman is a dreamer". Humans have a biological NEED to dream. While asleep, we enter this dreaming state known as REM sleep. Sleepers who have disrupted REM sleep go into "REM rebound" when deprivation ceases. This doesn't happen when psychotics go through dream deprivation. A psychotic episode (hallucinations, delusions, etc) have the same affect on a person as dreams do. This made me think of other forms of mental illness (depression, manic-depression, etc). Could a bout of depression be an altered state? Suicidal thoughts, for example, don't go through a "normal" person's mind. These thoughts of suicide put a person in an altered state. We already established that dreaming is an altered state. Since every person, excluding those with altered state-inducing illnesses, needs to dream, I think its safe to say that humans have a biological need to be in an altered state (at least for part of their existence). Going back to the first quote in the chapter, if the madman is a dreamer, is the dreamer a madman?
Chapter 1 discusses creativity. We talked briefly about creativity in the beginning of this class and were asked to give a definition of it. I had said that creativity is an original way of doing anything. To elaborate on this, the book says that creativity is the use of imagination to transmute the inner world (what goes on in our heads) into external reality. Creativity is not simply the ideas we might have stored up in our imaginations; it is also how we put these ideas into something physical.
The quote at the beginning of chapter 4 stuck out to me: "The madman is a dreamer". Humans have a biological NEED to dream. While asleep, we enter this dreaming state known as REM sleep. Sleepers who have disrupted REM sleep go into "REM rebound" when deprivation ceases. This doesn't happen when psychotics go through dream deprivation. A psychotic episode (hallucinations, delusions, etc) have the same affect on a person as dreams do. This made me think of other forms of mental illness (depression, manic-depression, etc). Could a bout of depression be an altered state? Suicidal thoughts, for example, don't go through a "normal" person's mind. These thoughts of suicide put a person in an altered state. We already established that dreaming is an altered state. Since every person, excluding those with altered state-inducing illnesses, needs to dream, I think its safe to say that humans have a biological need to be in an altered state (at least for part of their existence). Going back to the first quote in the chapter, if the madman is a dreamer, is the dreamer a madman?
blog 5
Did anyone else notice the first sentence on the front book flap? "Creativity is both a commonplace and a mystery." If that didn't spark my interest, the next sentence certainly did: Everyone has to be creative to meet the challenges of daily life..." I really liked how these two sentences described creativity. I'm assuming most people, myself included, think that creativity is something we do specifically to make some form of art. But that's not all it is. These sentences, to me, are saying it's figuring out the best way to bypass traffic in the morning or completing your To-Do all in one day. Everyone is creative everyday.
The section shamans was particularly interesting for me. They are people that I've heard about, but didn't really know what they were about. I am, however, a little skeptical about the part where it says they have "special skills such as magical flight, control over the elements, superhuman strength, etc." (20) Are these skills they have while they are in their visions? I haven't heard of such a human... But I'm willing to be open-minded...I think. I didn't that most shamans have had near-death experiences. That was intriguing.
The "second sight" section was a little out there for me. I can believe that different colors absorb different amounts of infrared and I can believe that the skin of our hands emit infrared, but "seeing" with our hands? That seems...well, out there. Blue feels the same as red. Maybe I'm not blocking out all the "noise" well enough...
I'm far too baffled by Chapter 4 to write a coherent thought down, but I will say this: I have always been intensely interested by dreams, their significance, and they power they hold.
The section shamans was particularly interesting for me. They are people that I've heard about, but didn't really know what they were about. I am, however, a little skeptical about the part where it says they have "special skills such as magical flight, control over the elements, superhuman strength, etc." (20) Are these skills they have while they are in their visions? I haven't heard of such a human... But I'm willing to be open-minded...I think. I didn't that most shamans have had near-death experiences. That was intriguing.
The "second sight" section was a little out there for me. I can believe that different colors absorb different amounts of infrared and I can believe that the skin of our hands emit infrared, but "seeing" with our hands? That seems...well, out there. Blue feels the same as red. Maybe I'm not blocking out all the "noise" well enough...
I'm far too baffled by Chapter 4 to write a coherent thought down, but I will say this: I have always been intensely interested by dreams, their significance, and they power they hold.
Blog 5
BLoG 5
As I begin my journey through the Hughes’s book, I am thankful we began the course reading The Field. There were several key topics mentioned in Altered States that The Field also touched on, and that is how I am going to begin this blog-- pulling out some of the connections/disconnections I found.
First of all, I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the pages devoted to the definition of creativity. “Novelty is the defining characteristic of the creative act”….. “begins as an imaginative construct and ends as an external object”…. all creativity has a destructive component, since the mold has to be broken in order to make something new… (speaking of creativity) clearly there is a connection insofar as tall these states exist outside ordinary consciousness (11-12)”. After reading and pondering over Hughes’s definition of creativity, I began feeling like my initial definition of creativity (posted on Angel at the beginning of the semester) really needs some tweaking!! The first couple pages had some great ideas about creativity, and though I don’t think anyone can ever produce a perfect definition of “creativity”, the beginning chapter really opened my mind to the different angles, reasonings, and components that all contribute to creativity as a whole.
“A practicing shaman must always keep the support of the community, and has to perform n order to move and impress them. The shaman’s routine is part séance, part spectacle, and wholly performance (21)”. Doesn’t this sound like the chapter 7 in The Field that talked about the Indians of the Amazon, and how the “dreamer” is the vessel for the dream, and the vessel for a collective notion? The shamans reminded me of the specific dreamers of the Amazon. The shamans are highly regarded in their society, and expected to perform and give insights of the supernatural to their people, just as the dreamers were to give insight and guidance to their people about the rest of the universe—“the shaman’s vocation is to use his or her powers for the benefits of the community”. This is interesting to me, and for most, so different from our own personal connections with society. This connectedness is unfamiliar to us.
In sharp contrast, Altered States totally defines the brain and memory different from The Field. Altered States says the brain is the controller of functions such as attention, consciousness, sleep, memory, imagination, thought, and creative ability. This made me pause for a moment! Prior to The Field I never would have paused at this assertion, because this is what is always taught, but because I have read and understand an alternative to this common belief, I am choosing not to entirely agree with that sentence. I think a lot of functions do happen within the brain, but I think The Field has a key role too. I think it is neat now that we, as a class, have an understanding of alternative views, we can start to discern things for ourselves, such WhAt Is “the brain”.
Lastly, there was a part in the chapter that reminded me of Danny’s painting. “Images, ideas, and even entire works of art have been brought back from the dream state with great creative effect (48)”. When I read this I immediately thought of the painting Danny shared, I find it interesting that there is a possibility of creativity stemming from unusual dreams if we allow it.
As I begin my journey through the Hughes’s book, I am thankful we began the course reading The Field. There were several key topics mentioned in Altered States that The Field also touched on, and that is how I am going to begin this blog-- pulling out some of the connections/disconnections I found.
First of all, I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the pages devoted to the definition of creativity. “Novelty is the defining characteristic of the creative act”….. “begins as an imaginative construct and ends as an external object”…. all creativity has a destructive component, since the mold has to be broken in order to make something new… (speaking of creativity) clearly there is a connection insofar as tall these states exist outside ordinary consciousness (11-12)”. After reading and pondering over Hughes’s definition of creativity, I began feeling like my initial definition of creativity (posted on Angel at the beginning of the semester) really needs some tweaking!! The first couple pages had some great ideas about creativity, and though I don’t think anyone can ever produce a perfect definition of “creativity”, the beginning chapter really opened my mind to the different angles, reasonings, and components that all contribute to creativity as a whole.
“A practicing shaman must always keep the support of the community, and has to perform n order to move and impress them. The shaman’s routine is part séance, part spectacle, and wholly performance (21)”. Doesn’t this sound like the chapter 7 in The Field that talked about the Indians of the Amazon, and how the “dreamer” is the vessel for the dream, and the vessel for a collective notion? The shamans reminded me of the specific dreamers of the Amazon. The shamans are highly regarded in their society, and expected to perform and give insights of the supernatural to their people, just as the dreamers were to give insight and guidance to their people about the rest of the universe—“the shaman’s vocation is to use his or her powers for the benefits of the community”. This is interesting to me, and for most, so different from our own personal connections with society. This connectedness is unfamiliar to us.
In sharp contrast, Altered States totally defines the brain and memory different from The Field. Altered States says the brain is the controller of functions such as attention, consciousness, sleep, memory, imagination, thought, and creative ability. This made me pause for a moment! Prior to The Field I never would have paused at this assertion, because this is what is always taught, but because I have read and understand an alternative to this common belief, I am choosing not to entirely agree with that sentence. I think a lot of functions do happen within the brain, but I think The Field has a key role too. I think it is neat now that we, as a class, have an understanding of alternative views, we can start to discern things for ourselves, such WhAt Is “the brain”.
Lastly, there was a part in the chapter that reminded me of Danny’s painting. “Images, ideas, and even entire works of art have been brought back from the dream state with great creative effect (48)”. When I read this I immediately thought of the painting Danny shared, I find it interesting that there is a possibility of creativity stemming from unusual dreams if we allow it.
blog 5
Blog 5
A book with pictures!!! Quite a change from The Field. I had a hard time focusing on the reading. My eyes kept going to the pictures. Not to mention that there was so much information in these chapters, that I could relate to…I had a hard time focusing on one thing. My head was all over the place.
It was interesting to read what the book says about creativity after we had discussed it in class & defined it for ourselves. It seems so hard to put it into words, but I really like what the books says about converging the inner world with the external world. I still remember what my high school art teacher said about being an artist. He said that “a true artist is ahead of their time.” This made lot of sense to me & still does. I really like what Dryden said about mental illness and creativity. That “great wits are sure to madness near allied.” This seems to make a lot of sense to me too. Maybe explains what happened to my art school career ;-)
I thought a lot about what was said with daydreaming. That it uses symbolism to disguise its real content. I thought about the things I daydream about & can concur that most of the time up in my head is spent taking possible situations in my world & fantasizing about them until I’m clicked back into reality. I’d much rather spend my time up in my head for the most part. I think that maybe most of us would that is why we are in a constant search for another level of consciousness.
So although it sounds nuts, the Shamans have special skills of magical flight...?! Does this mean that thoughts are real & consciousness is relative to what we agree it is within ourselves? If that is the case then I can say that I have been a flyer myself on several different occasions. All under an altered state of consciousness, but maybe the goal is to practice this skill in order in any way possible so the ability is there anytime one calls upon it….?
I found the coyote story interesting. I used to live in Joshua Tree Ntl Park (desert in S. CA). Coyotes were all over & they were considered by the tourists to be a nuisance. They were scavengers & they invaded camps often. They also defecated on picnic tables almost every night. I thought it was funny. People would get so mad. I think they were trying to send us a message. If you don’t speak the language, you will miss the message. It goes across the board with all living things.
I’ve never heard anyone relate a Rave to the Dionysus cult of Ancient Greece. After reading this chapter, it makes perfect sense. I wish had known this back in the day. I spent many overnights in underground warehouses in Baltimore and DC doing just this. An overwhelming energy of becoming one with a group thru sound and dancing is definitely one way of describing it.
“The world is a mass of individual illusions subsumed under a species –wide collective illusion.” I wish that we as a society could respond to this. I wish that we could better understand that our world is just something within us, left to our own interpretation. Maybe we could be more at peace if we lived under this understanding.
“If seeing is believing, then not seeing is often a form of not believing.” This certainly goes along with what we discussed in the Field.
What was said about psychotics & their REM, dream state was really fascinating to me. I work with this population and have been around quite a bite of severe mental illness. Comparing mental illness to a form of dreaming sounds much more pleasing than a label of schizophrenia.
The dream chapter in this book was full of information. I had a hard time getting all of it. I’m still not exactly sure how or what makes us dream. I can relate to the lucid dreaming and dream journals.. I have had experiences with re-occurring dreams and wanted to try to control them. Iam very curious about dreams. Why some people are able to remember them so vividly & others cannot. Why some have very detailed dream stories and others are fragmented & dont seem to make sense. I wonder why we replace people we know in our dreams with a substitute figure. The book mentions something about archetypal figures & I wonder if we subconsciously place different roles on the personalities in our lives.
Looking forward to reading more of this book…
A book with pictures!!! Quite a change from The Field. I had a hard time focusing on the reading. My eyes kept going to the pictures. Not to mention that there was so much information in these chapters, that I could relate to…I had a hard time focusing on one thing. My head was all over the place.
It was interesting to read what the book says about creativity after we had discussed it in class & defined it for ourselves. It seems so hard to put it into words, but I really like what the books says about converging the inner world with the external world. I still remember what my high school art teacher said about being an artist. He said that “a true artist is ahead of their time.” This made lot of sense to me & still does. I really like what Dryden said about mental illness and creativity. That “great wits are sure to madness near allied.” This seems to make a lot of sense to me too. Maybe explains what happened to my art school career ;-)
I thought a lot about what was said with daydreaming. That it uses symbolism to disguise its real content. I thought about the things I daydream about & can concur that most of the time up in my head is spent taking possible situations in my world & fantasizing about them until I’m clicked back into reality. I’d much rather spend my time up in my head for the most part. I think that maybe most of us would that is why we are in a constant search for another level of consciousness.
So although it sounds nuts, the Shamans have special skills of magical flight...?! Does this mean that thoughts are real & consciousness is relative to what we agree it is within ourselves? If that is the case then I can say that I have been a flyer myself on several different occasions. All under an altered state of consciousness, but maybe the goal is to practice this skill in order in any way possible so the ability is there anytime one calls upon it….?
I found the coyote story interesting. I used to live in Joshua Tree Ntl Park (desert in S. CA). Coyotes were all over & they were considered by the tourists to be a nuisance. They were scavengers & they invaded camps often. They also defecated on picnic tables almost every night. I thought it was funny. People would get so mad. I think they were trying to send us a message. If you don’t speak the language, you will miss the message. It goes across the board with all living things.
I’ve never heard anyone relate a Rave to the Dionysus cult of Ancient Greece. After reading this chapter, it makes perfect sense. I wish had known this back in the day. I spent many overnights in underground warehouses in Baltimore and DC doing just this. An overwhelming energy of becoming one with a group thru sound and dancing is definitely one way of describing it.
“The world is a mass of individual illusions subsumed under a species –wide collective illusion.” I wish that we as a society could respond to this. I wish that we could better understand that our world is just something within us, left to our own interpretation. Maybe we could be more at peace if we lived under this understanding.
“If seeing is believing, then not seeing is often a form of not believing.” This certainly goes along with what we discussed in the Field.
What was said about psychotics & their REM, dream state was really fascinating to me. I work with this population and have been around quite a bite of severe mental illness. Comparing mental illness to a form of dreaming sounds much more pleasing than a label of schizophrenia.
The dream chapter in this book was full of information. I had a hard time getting all of it. I’m still not exactly sure how or what makes us dream. I can relate to the lucid dreaming and dream journals.. I have had experiences with re-occurring dreams and wanted to try to control them. Iam very curious about dreams. Why some people are able to remember them so vividly & others cannot. Why some have very detailed dream stories and others are fragmented & dont seem to make sense. I wonder why we replace people we know in our dreams with a substitute figure. The book mentions something about archetypal figures & I wonder if we subconsciously place different roles on the personalities in our lives.
Looking forward to reading more of this book…
Blog 5...It gets personal....
I just have to say, I read Chapters 1-4 on Friday and by the end of the weekend had read most of the book, a few places I read more than once.
I am happy to see that the book also includes many names that I am familiar with. Baudelaire for instance my most favorite poet I don't own a book by. I have a book with plenty of anecdotes and short clips of Baudelaire's beliefs, but never his actual work. (thank you Borders) This book also happens to be a book about the lovely Green Fairy. As somebody who has had an infatuation with Absinthe since first finding out it's been legal since February 2007, I can say that it is quite a poetic beverage, even if the myths about the level of Thujone (the psychotropic chemical from the wormwood in absinthe) in absinthe are a bit far-fetched. The amount of wormwood needed to cause a "trip" would probably kill a person, as wormwood is quite toxic. I can say that the bouquet of herbs used creates sensations that normal alcohols are incapable of.
"As a free spirit who does not observe existing rules, the creative may be envied and feared as well as admired by the normality." (pg 11) People always seem to be afraid of the crazy artist. I remember when a student came up to me and told me that he thought I was "Van Gogh crazy" and that he felt as though I had it in me to cut my ear off. First off, I have to note that any thought of a knife on any part of my body makes me cringe. Secondly, I resent the artist stereotype of being poor and insane. Dali for instance made the perfect quote, "the difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad!" And like Dali, I am not mad! If an artist was not consciously aware of what they were doing, people would never know about them because they'd all be in prison or an asylum. For instance, I take my manner of dress from Wilde's belief in aesthetics and Modigliani's belief that an artist should be well dressed to in some way maintain their dignity no matter how poor they get.
Chapter 2 gives a decent overview of Shamanic traditions, as well as the influence of magick upon art. I spent most of the summer working hard to make my show, "Resurrecting the Zombi" a success. Several of the paintings were based on Vodou influenced dreams I began to have following a trip to New Orleans. In Vodou the trickster spirit is not a coyote, but instead Legba, the spirit of the crossroads. (and the subject of the first Vodou dream I ever had) By the end of summer I ended up having a dream where I actually entered one of my paintings. Again, I swear, I am completely sane. One of books I read in preparation for my paintings was by Luisah Teish, a Vodou Mambo who is also recognized as a Shaman in several sources. It talked about her life experiences. "Most potential shamans have suffered a near-death experience in childhood or early youth, either by accident or illness." (pg 20) Her story relates very closely to this understanding.
Chapter 3's discussion of Multiple Personality Disorder is a bit out of date. The new term is Dissociative Identity Disorder and to some extent there is a better understanding of the disorder.
Chapter 4 made me recall an IHUM 4__ class I took where the professor recounted the story of a writer who before going to bed would hang a sign on the door which said "Artist at Work." Sometimes the best ideas come from dreams. Dreams are the only "normal" place where you can see a juxtaposition of ideas actually seem to work together. Lucid dreams can be quite fun. I was on a streak where I could tell immediately when I was dreaming and managed to figure out how to fly and how to make things work and appear. I put a challenge out to Freddy Krueger, but so far no response. My favorite dreams I had was a series of dreams where I was a werewolf, granted I think it was a reaction to a stressful time in my life, but it was still fun to sleep while it lasted.
And today in the library, the mood appears to be good. Or maybe I'm just in a strong enough good mood to cancel out everyone's gloom.
I am happy to see that the book also includes many names that I am familiar with. Baudelaire for instance my most favorite poet I don't own a book by. I have a book with plenty of anecdotes and short clips of Baudelaire's beliefs, but never his actual work. (thank you Borders) This book also happens to be a book about the lovely Green Fairy. As somebody who has had an infatuation with Absinthe since first finding out it's been legal since February 2007, I can say that it is quite a poetic beverage, even if the myths about the level of Thujone (the psychotropic chemical from the wormwood in absinthe) in absinthe are a bit far-fetched. The amount of wormwood needed to cause a "trip" would probably kill a person, as wormwood is quite toxic. I can say that the bouquet of herbs used creates sensations that normal alcohols are incapable of.
"As a free spirit who does not observe existing rules, the creative may be envied and feared as well as admired by the normality." (pg 11) People always seem to be afraid of the crazy artist. I remember when a student came up to me and told me that he thought I was "Van Gogh crazy" and that he felt as though I had it in me to cut my ear off. First off, I have to note that any thought of a knife on any part of my body makes me cringe. Secondly, I resent the artist stereotype of being poor and insane. Dali for instance made the perfect quote, "the difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad!" And like Dali, I am not mad! If an artist was not consciously aware of what they were doing, people would never know about them because they'd all be in prison or an asylum. For instance, I take my manner of dress from Wilde's belief in aesthetics and Modigliani's belief that an artist should be well dressed to in some way maintain their dignity no matter how poor they get.
Chapter 2 gives a decent overview of Shamanic traditions, as well as the influence of magick upon art. I spent most of the summer working hard to make my show, "Resurrecting the Zombi" a success. Several of the paintings were based on Vodou influenced dreams I began to have following a trip to New Orleans. In Vodou the trickster spirit is not a coyote, but instead Legba, the spirit of the crossroads. (and the subject of the first Vodou dream I ever had) By the end of summer I ended up having a dream where I actually entered one of my paintings. Again, I swear, I am completely sane. One of books I read in preparation for my paintings was by Luisah Teish, a Vodou Mambo who is also recognized as a Shaman in several sources. It talked about her life experiences. "Most potential shamans have suffered a near-death experience in childhood or early youth, either by accident or illness." (pg 20) Her story relates very closely to this understanding.
Chapter 3's discussion of Multiple Personality Disorder is a bit out of date. The new term is Dissociative Identity Disorder and to some extent there is a better understanding of the disorder.
Chapter 4 made me recall an IHUM 4__ class I took where the professor recounted the story of a writer who before going to bed would hang a sign on the door which said "Artist at Work." Sometimes the best ideas come from dreams. Dreams are the only "normal" place where you can see a juxtaposition of ideas actually seem to work together. Lucid dreams can be quite fun. I was on a streak where I could tell immediately when I was dreaming and managed to figure out how to fly and how to make things work and appear. I put a challenge out to Freddy Krueger, but so far no response. My favorite dreams I had was a series of dreams where I was a werewolf, granted I think it was a reaction to a stressful time in my life, but it was still fun to sleep while it lasted.
And today in the library, the mood appears to be good. Or maybe I'm just in a strong enough good mood to cancel out everyone's gloom.
Friday, September 25, 2009
It's Belief (not hope)
For those of you hoping that I'll cancel Monday's paper, all I can say is it's about belief, not hope, and do you really believe that's going to happpen!?
Seriously though, Hannah brought up the distinction between hope and belief, and it's a good point since many studies have shown that hope isn't enough -- people have to believe something will happen. They need to visualize it at some point in their future, whether it's a green traffic light or a well body or a cancelled paper. But Nick also brings up a good point -- that sometimes things aren't meant to be. And this might be because in order to get what you desire, someone else might need to sacrifice something. Muddies the waters a bit, doesn't it? Danny talks about "false hope," but I like to think that hope is just that -- hope. And I tend to think that hope makes us feel good. (You need to be careful who you sit next to in the library, Danny!). That leads me to Jill's question about the princeton students being "better wishers." Perhaps they're just the type of person used to getting their own way, and therfore they automatically believe that what they want to happen will happen.
I'm glad that most of you came to eventually enjoy and learn from the book. Much of the content is still questionable, and its a good thing that you're questioning it. But it's also a good thing that you're welcoming different perspectives. Tim mentioned the coming together of science and religion in the book, and Jaime the coming together of science and spirituality. Slightly different things -- religion and spirituality -- but close enough to be used together in contrast with science. What does all this have to do with creativity? Stay tuned. We'll start to find out next week. In the meantime, I hope you have all been "charmed into further investigation," as Dusty so eloquently puts it. By the way, for further investigation into some weird gravity stuff, take a look at this site -- http://coralcastle.com/ . It's a place in Coral Gables, Florida built, apparently, by one man who "knew the secrets of the pyramids." Here's one theory on the place http://www.world-mysteries.com/coralcastle.htm
Seriously though, Hannah brought up the distinction between hope and belief, and it's a good point since many studies have shown that hope isn't enough -- people have to believe something will happen. They need to visualize it at some point in their future, whether it's a green traffic light or a well body or a cancelled paper. But Nick also brings up a good point -- that sometimes things aren't meant to be. And this might be because in order to get what you desire, someone else might need to sacrifice something. Muddies the waters a bit, doesn't it? Danny talks about "false hope," but I like to think that hope is just that -- hope. And I tend to think that hope makes us feel good. (You need to be careful who you sit next to in the library, Danny!). That leads me to Jill's question about the princeton students being "better wishers." Perhaps they're just the type of person used to getting their own way, and therfore they automatically believe that what they want to happen will happen.
I'm glad that most of you came to eventually enjoy and learn from the book. Much of the content is still questionable, and its a good thing that you're questioning it. But it's also a good thing that you're welcoming different perspectives. Tim mentioned the coming together of science and religion in the book, and Jaime the coming together of science and spirituality. Slightly different things -- religion and spirituality -- but close enough to be used together in contrast with science. What does all this have to do with creativity? Stay tuned. We'll start to find out next week. In the meantime, I hope you have all been "charmed into further investigation," as Dusty so eloquently puts it. By the way, for further investigation into some weird gravity stuff, take a look at this site -- http://coralcastle.com/ . It's a place in Coral Gables, Florida built, apparently, by one man who "knew the secrets of the pyramids." Here's one theory on the place http://www.world-mysteries.com/coralcastle.htm
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Blog 4 by Syeda
This book is sensational, now I realize why my own plants were growing so well this time around. That is because I nurtured them and held high hopes for them, this time around. My neighbor actually challenged me this year, she said, “your tomatoes are never going to grow from seeds” but I guess my constant care for them, unbelievably made them grow and I am still getting tomatoes from my garden, even in this time of the year. This is how I connected with Gerald Solfvins theory and what he was trying to prove in his trails. I was very much pleased, with what he was trying to prove. Our hoping for the best actually affects the healing of other things or beings. (Paraphrased pp.183) In my case, my neighbor’s challenge made me think positively towards my tomatoes, thus transmitting positive energy around them, leading to the tomatoes springing from the seeds.
Needless to say: like Dr. Grad, I needed to divide the tomatoes into two section and should’ve had my neighbor hold half of the seed in her hand and then me holding half of the seeds in my hand. Then I should have given my pot some positive energy and seen the outcome...may be, I need a Psychic healer or a double blind trial in this experiment as well.
Ah… I think, I’ll save this experiment for next spring!
Cannot wait to see what will happen…or maybe… I have the green finger?
On a more serious note, I was quite impressed with the human study carried out by Dr. Byrd. Even though it was a prayer study, it reminded me of the study done on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The study concluded that music therapy can be an alternative to treat mentally or physically challenged patients. It also showed how music could possibly stimulate work efficacy. (Murtfeldt) I feel that over all a positive approach to life is need in order for us as humans to feel content.
In another aspect, I was now able to understand Dr. Hal’s zero point Field.
This book ended very nicely! Finally, the confusions that it caused at the beginning became clear, as I finished reading.
Needless to say: like Dr. Grad, I needed to divide the tomatoes into two section and should’ve had my neighbor hold half of the seed in her hand and then me holding half of the seeds in my hand. Then I should have given my pot some positive energy and seen the outcome...may be, I need a Psychic healer or a double blind trial in this experiment as well.
Ah… I think, I’ll save this experiment for next spring!
Cannot wait to see what will happen…or maybe… I have the green finger?
On a more serious note, I was quite impressed with the human study carried out by Dr. Byrd. Even though it was a prayer study, it reminded me of the study done on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The study concluded that music therapy can be an alternative to treat mentally or physically challenged patients. It also showed how music could possibly stimulate work efficacy. (Murtfeldt) I feel that over all a positive approach to life is need in order for us as humans to feel content.
In another aspect, I was now able to understand Dr. Hal’s zero point Field.
This book ended very nicely! Finally, the confusions that it caused at the beginning became clear, as I finished reading.
Blog 4>
The end of the book for some reason was the best part of the book. My Favorite part though was the remote healing chapter. Prayer alone can heal you over time, makes me wonder why that is a constant practice in my family.
Im wondering if this concept of healing through prayer or of a similar form done by the multiple religous figures in chapter ten has any resemblance to how jesus christ may have performed his miracles. What if Jesus Christ himself had the ability to tap into the field but at a much more advanced level. In the boble these miracles may had really happened in either two ways; first they couldve happened over a period of time and was probably exagerated to have happened instantly. Or maybe because he had the ability to tap into this field at such a higher level that the things he did literally happened instantly.
Quite possibly the foundation of religion today may have been a way of naturally tapping into the field that Lynne McTaggart is referring to.
Im wondering if this concept of healing through prayer or of a similar form done by the multiple religous figures in chapter ten has any resemblance to how jesus christ may have performed his miracles. What if Jesus Christ himself had the ability to tap into the field but at a much more advanced level. In the boble these miracles may had really happened in either two ways; first they couldve happened over a period of time and was probably exagerated to have happened instantly. Or maybe because he had the ability to tap into this field at such a higher level that the things he did literally happened instantly.
Quite possibly the foundation of religion today may have been a way of naturally tapping into the field that Lynne McTaggart is referring to.
CH 10-12 Alex Dreibelbis
Blog Chapters 10-12
Honestly, I was glad to reach the end of the book. The information offered was mostly beyond me. One common idea that my discussion group speaks of frequently is the context of the book. For example, this book takes the ways and ideas we are conditioned to think and flips them. In return, this causes some readers to become skeptical of the information inside the book. I, as stated in a past blog, find it difficult to wrap my mind around a lot of the material; however I am not undermining the material in this book.
I liked the idea of tapping into The Field to control our health, heal others, and/or cure diseases. It’s interesting to think that human intention could ultimately establish greater order within a person. When this concept was applied to group therapy for AIDS patients and women with breast cancer it promoted life expectancy. I go to a therapist weekly for anxiety. This is one of the largest components in dealing with chronic anxiety- talk therapy. Therefore, I feel a direct connection to the idea of using human intention or merely discussing it to improve health.
The last two chapter were dry; O.J. and NASA. These topics put me way out of my element. First I think O.J. was/is guilty and I don’t believe that the answer can come from a computer. As for the last chapter, it was just way over my head. NASA and physics are just not my thing.
Honestly, I was glad to reach the end of the book. The information offered was mostly beyond me. One common idea that my discussion group speaks of frequently is the context of the book. For example, this book takes the ways and ideas we are conditioned to think and flips them. In return, this causes some readers to become skeptical of the information inside the book. I, as stated in a past blog, find it difficult to wrap my mind around a lot of the material; however I am not undermining the material in this book.
I liked the idea of tapping into The Field to control our health, heal others, and/or cure diseases. It’s interesting to think that human intention could ultimately establish greater order within a person. When this concept was applied to group therapy for AIDS patients and women with breast cancer it promoted life expectancy. I go to a therapist weekly for anxiety. This is one of the largest components in dealing with chronic anxiety- talk therapy. Therefore, I feel a direct connection to the idea of using human intention or merely discussing it to improve health.
The last two chapter were dry; O.J. and NASA. These topics put me way out of my element. First I think O.J. was/is guilty and I don’t believe that the answer can come from a computer. As for the last chapter, it was just way over my head. NASA and physics are just not my thing.
Blog 4
At the start of this book, I was a bit skeptical. It seemed the author was trying to hide something in between the lines of this difficult-to-read book--maybe she is trying to make some sort of name for herself or maybe shes just blowing out pure hot air. I think its safe to say that, thanks to my grueling treck through these 12 chapters, I hate "The Field". However, I love the ideas in it--some of which I agree with, and some I don't.
I have begun to think about the world in a different way. Thanks to previous chemistry classes, I started to think about objects as being atoms more than actual objects. A desk, for example was just a pile of tiny dots packed close together. Thanks to physics, I started to touch and hit objects just to think about the fact that they are hitting me at the same time. And thanks to "The Field" I have started to blend objects together--wondering where they start and where they end. For me, this is the most fascinating and mind boggling concept. Maybe I enter an altered state, but there are days where I will just sit there and imagine a desk of atoms blending into a TV or a stuffed Pikachu or even me.
In terms of this week's readings, I was stuck on the power of prayer in chapter 10. I was raised a Lutheran and attended Catholic schools. My whole life I heard people say "I'll pray for you" or "Pray for me"--usually in bad times. I sometimes find myself turning to God with my problems but I never really considered praying for someone to do any good (for me, praying would just give me some confidence that whatever was happening would turn out right). On pg 185, the plant with the salt that had been touched by the healer grew taller than the other. It could be just a coincidence, but since I've met Danny, I don't really believe in coincidences anymore. This power of pray seems to connect with something earlier in the book (I can't remember where, but I remember talking about it during the 2nd discussion): That how a person is feeling can affect the way things turn out. My worst semester(s) here at PSH have been semesters where I have had other issues going on--roommates, evil exes, ect. I brushed it off as being distracted and upset affecting my school work. But could my feelings--and the negative feelings of others--affect my life?
Its funny, how feelings, thoughts and prayers can actually affect what happens. I met Danny two years ago--he was friends with my lab partner--but we didn't become friends (I was too nervous to talk to such a handsome man. Haha). A year and a half later, he became friends with one of my friends (our classmate, Matt). For two or three months, I kept pestering Matt to introduce us, and finally he did. We didn't exactly "hit it off" but shortly after that, I ran into Danny on my walk home from work and his walk to the liquor store. He got my number, came into Midtown that night when I was working (I had a split shift that day), and we've pretty much been together since. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was my constant pestering of Matt (and therefore my constant thoughts about him). After reading this book, I like to think it was the latter.
As an end note, I am very surprised that I read this whole book. And I am very glad its done--but I'm honestly glad the class isn't ending yet. Though I'm with Allyson--we should all pray that Dr. Kearny cancels the paper for next week. :)
I have begun to think about the world in a different way. Thanks to previous chemistry classes, I started to think about objects as being atoms more than actual objects. A desk, for example was just a pile of tiny dots packed close together. Thanks to physics, I started to touch and hit objects just to think about the fact that they are hitting me at the same time. And thanks to "The Field" I have started to blend objects together--wondering where they start and where they end. For me, this is the most fascinating and mind boggling concept. Maybe I enter an altered state, but there are days where I will just sit there and imagine a desk of atoms blending into a TV or a stuffed Pikachu or even me.
In terms of this week's readings, I was stuck on the power of prayer in chapter 10. I was raised a Lutheran and attended Catholic schools. My whole life I heard people say "I'll pray for you" or "Pray for me"--usually in bad times. I sometimes find myself turning to God with my problems but I never really considered praying for someone to do any good (for me, praying would just give me some confidence that whatever was happening would turn out right). On pg 185, the plant with the salt that had been touched by the healer grew taller than the other. It could be just a coincidence, but since I've met Danny, I don't really believe in coincidences anymore. This power of pray seems to connect with something earlier in the book (I can't remember where, but I remember talking about it during the 2nd discussion): That how a person is feeling can affect the way things turn out. My worst semester(s) here at PSH have been semesters where I have had other issues going on--roommates, evil exes, ect. I brushed it off as being distracted and upset affecting my school work. But could my feelings--and the negative feelings of others--affect my life?
Its funny, how feelings, thoughts and prayers can actually affect what happens. I met Danny two years ago--he was friends with my lab partner--but we didn't become friends (I was too nervous to talk to such a handsome man. Haha). A year and a half later, he became friends with one of my friends (our classmate, Matt). For two or three months, I kept pestering Matt to introduce us, and finally he did. We didn't exactly "hit it off" but shortly after that, I ran into Danny on my walk home from work and his walk to the liquor store. He got my number, came into Midtown that night when I was working (I had a split shift that day), and we've pretty much been together since. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was my constant pestering of Matt (and therefore my constant thoughts about him). After reading this book, I like to think it was the latter.
As an end note, I am very surprised that I read this whole book. And I am very glad its done--but I'm honestly glad the class isn't ending yet. Though I'm with Allyson--we should all pray that Dr. Kearny cancels the paper for next week. :)
In chapter 10 the experiment with the healer treating the seeds soaked in salt and then trying to grow the plants intrigued me. I found it very interesting that a healer has that kind of power or like another person said almost like the power of “the green thumb.” Maybe I thought healers were just something certain people believed in me not being one of those people. But if the experiment is true and the plants grew after the healer touched the seeds and the plant grew then maybe I should rethink.
I believe in the whole talking to your plants helps them grow. I am living proof of that. I talk to my plants and they are growing now more than any plant I have ever tried to grow. What kind of powers do healers have? They can stop cancer tumors from growing as quickly as ones not touched by a healer?
Chapter 11 talks about the O.J. Simpson case. I was not really paying too much attention to the whole trial like everyone else in the world, I really never had an opinion on if he did it or if he did not, and honestly I never really cared. Obviously people had different opinions, its people I think who thought he did it knew he would be free because of who he was and the money he had. It seems like almost everyone famous usually is tried innocent….but then again I never really paid much attention to that case.
blog four
The end of The Field opens up a (literal) world of new beginnings and advantages in our lives as we know them. The final chapters of this book have revealed to us a new understanding that we have abilities beyond our traditional expectations. I have been awakened by the information presented by McTaggart and see certain aspects of life differently than before my encounter with The Field and all its possibilities.
Chapter ten dealt with the Field's healing options, which I thought were fascinating (not so much that they exist but that they were able to be--to some degree--proven to exist and measured). I wholeheartedly agree that the studies pertaining to the Field and collective consciousness support the existence of God or a life force. Though I did think that the nature of the experiments with the AIDS patients were inhumane on some level (the fact that one group of patients had more "treatment" than others--this is a life or death situation and it would have been great to be in the group treated by the healers but mortally tragic to be in the other group), I do see how experiments like this are necessary in order to benefit human kind as a whole. Though I am Roman Catholic, I have always believed that all religions are essentially the same and that we just label things differently and our ceremonies differ based, typically, on culture, so it was unsurprising (to me) that the denomination of the healers didn't matter; only that they were calling on a greater force to aid the subjects of their intentions.
Chapter eleven provided profound insight into the idea of a collective conscious, especially where TM was concerned. However, I am still at a loss as to how this is all measured. If the same machines are used to measure local interest (meetings, social gatherings, sacred sites, etc.) as world interest (Princess Diana's death, the September 11th tragedy), how can it be concluded that any particular event is causing the data to deviate from the expected average? For example, if I had a REG machine in my pocket on the day of September 11, 2001 and I was unaware of the events, does this mean that my REG wouldn't read anything? What if I had been with family that week, mourning a loss of a relative (separate from the events of the American tragedy) and my REG was responding to that, would there be a change in my REG measurements on the day of the tragedy? How did the experimenters know that the REGs were recording the HIs and LOs from the Academy Awards and that their machines hadn't picked up frequencies from a nearby church service or another worldwide event that was going on simultaneously but secretly or outside the awareness of the researchers? Though this chapter helped to solidify the notion and apparent power of a collective conscious, it still left me with a lot of questions.
Finally, the twelfth chapter wrapped up the research and the gist of the book, citing that the pioneers who had once believed in traditional scientific tenants were now converts to a more modern science that included the Zero Point Field. It is because of this field that they were all able to discover what they did and begin to apply their victories to the propulsion of mankind and his abilities. The Field concludes with inspirational assertions that the universe is within our control if we'll only open ourselves to the power of the interconnected Zero Point Field.
Chapter ten dealt with the Field's healing options, which I thought were fascinating (not so much that they exist but that they were able to be--to some degree--proven to exist and measured). I wholeheartedly agree that the studies pertaining to the Field and collective consciousness support the existence of God or a life force. Though I did think that the nature of the experiments with the AIDS patients were inhumane on some level (the fact that one group of patients had more "treatment" than others--this is a life or death situation and it would have been great to be in the group treated by the healers but mortally tragic to be in the other group), I do see how experiments like this are necessary in order to benefit human kind as a whole. Though I am Roman Catholic, I have always believed that all religions are essentially the same and that we just label things differently and our ceremonies differ based, typically, on culture, so it was unsurprising (to me) that the denomination of the healers didn't matter; only that they were calling on a greater force to aid the subjects of their intentions.
Chapter eleven provided profound insight into the idea of a collective conscious, especially where TM was concerned. However, I am still at a loss as to how this is all measured. If the same machines are used to measure local interest (meetings, social gatherings, sacred sites, etc.) as world interest (Princess Diana's death, the September 11th tragedy), how can it be concluded that any particular event is causing the data to deviate from the expected average? For example, if I had a REG machine in my pocket on the day of September 11, 2001 and I was unaware of the events, does this mean that my REG wouldn't read anything? What if I had been with family that week, mourning a loss of a relative (separate from the events of the American tragedy) and my REG was responding to that, would there be a change in my REG measurements on the day of the tragedy? How did the experimenters know that the REGs were recording the HIs and LOs from the Academy Awards and that their machines hadn't picked up frequencies from a nearby church service or another worldwide event that was going on simultaneously but secretly or outside the awareness of the researchers? Though this chapter helped to solidify the notion and apparent power of a collective conscious, it still left me with a lot of questions.
Finally, the twelfth chapter wrapped up the research and the gist of the book, citing that the pioneers who had once believed in traditional scientific tenants were now converts to a more modern science that included the Zero Point Field. It is because of this field that they were all able to discover what they did and begin to apply their victories to the propulsion of mankind and his abilities. The Field concludes with inspirational assertions that the universe is within our control if we'll only open ourselves to the power of the interconnected Zero Point Field.
blog 4
We have reached the journey’s end. Despite its brevity, I feel that we’ve accomplished a tremendous feat. The Field, has proposed some of the most interesting concepts and theories I have ever voyaged through. Ultimately, if I claimed to believe everything I have read over the past few weeks, I would be a flat out liar. But, I cannot help but feel charmed into further investigation. The final three chapters, to me, were the most interesting. The idea that our desire of “will” and “determination” can influence healing within our own bodies (and others to boast) is astounding. One thing this book has helped me to become aware of is my ignorance in regard to metaphysical happenings. Previous to this book, I demanded stone cold scientific proof with the absence of God or human influence. Perhaps we do have more control over the universe than we think.
I loved the experiment regarding botany: “Before he soaked the seeds, however, he had a healer lay hands on one container of salt water, which was to be used for one batch of seeds. The other container of salt water, which had not been exposed to the healer, would hold the remainder of seeds. After the seeds were soaked in the two containers of salt, the batch exposed to the water treated by the healer grew taller than the other batch… This may be one good explanation why some people have green fingers and others can get nothing to grow.” [184-185] I’ve heard this stated before. NPR uses an advertisement for their classical music hours by boasting that plants that have been exposed to classical music grow better, and those exposed to heavy metal suffer stressful development.
The entire time I was reading the final chapters I continue to think of the example of the television/radio proposed by Danny (my apologies if this name is incorrect). How does a radio signal that is sent through the air not be hear through the waves itself? Why is it that we need a receptor to channel these frequencies? Is this relevant to the prayer healing studies performed in the book? Do our prayers, or our positive energies need to have a form of a receptor (a human being)? What makes this so interesting is the diversity of faith healers and medium s that were used throughout the study: Christians, Jews, Mystics, and Native American gods were all summoned, and the result was incredible.
Perhaps seeing is believing is not an outlook we should have.
I loved the experiment regarding botany: “Before he soaked the seeds, however, he had a healer lay hands on one container of salt water, which was to be used for one batch of seeds. The other container of salt water, which had not been exposed to the healer, would hold the remainder of seeds. After the seeds were soaked in the two containers of salt, the batch exposed to the water treated by the healer grew taller than the other batch… This may be one good explanation why some people have green fingers and others can get nothing to grow.” [184-185] I’ve heard this stated before. NPR uses an advertisement for their classical music hours by boasting that plants that have been exposed to classical music grow better, and those exposed to heavy metal suffer stressful development.
The entire time I was reading the final chapters I continue to think of the example of the television/radio proposed by Danny (my apologies if this name is incorrect). How does a radio signal that is sent through the air not be hear through the waves itself? Why is it that we need a receptor to channel these frequencies? Is this relevant to the prayer healing studies performed in the book? Do our prayers, or our positive energies need to have a form of a receptor (a human being)? What makes this so interesting is the diversity of faith healers and medium s that were used throughout the study: Christians, Jews, Mystics, and Native American gods were all summoned, and the result was incredible.
Perhaps seeing is believing is not an outlook we should have.
Blog 4: Farewell Field
I like how McTaggart wrapped everything up with aspects a little more believable and easy to understand. To someone who thought she may have been crazy to state all these other happenings, putting these last few chapters in the book can definitely make you believe the whole book as well.
I am quite a religious person and I've always believed there is a higher being and that to me , is God. So it wasn't to hard for me to grasp the whole "fantasy" portrayal of this book. I've always felt some sort of magic because of religion because I have had experiences with it. For instance the one night i was asleep, i woke up to go to the bathroom and noticed some type of rash that looked like a bunch of bugbites going up my right arm. I was infuriated to think that i had been attacked by bugs in my sleep. For some reason i felt the need to pray because i was pretty upset at the situation. So i went back to sleep and woke up later, and it...was...gone... It was like a miracle and pretty magical to me. But besides that, thats why i can believe in the power of praying in this book. Obviously not everything is going to come true that you pray about because we all have a destination in life where doors open and close on you. Things are meant to happen for a reason in life, and if you keep putting forth effort into it, your gonna end up being happy where you are. When things don't go your way, you need to realize that, Hey, maybe this wasnt what i was meant to do, dont give up, and was meant to do something else. So i honestly dont need this book to tell me how prayer and healing can work, because i know it does through my own sources, but at least this is maybe a more believable book for someone to read other than the Bible surprisingly. I rely on faith and prayer all the time weather it comes to baseball when I do something good, i owe it to God for giving me my talents and giving me confidence, or with life in general.
Once again the whole physical aspect relations of this book sparked me most. The power of healing through ZPF. This aspect had to be around way before we could even imagine. People such as Native Americans and Asians used the power of healing through the mind all the time. They would use symbolic potions and such to help their sick. Even if the potions didnt work, it was perhaps a mind game to make you think you were going to heal after having the stuff. These people are still around and haven't died off right? So I think their tradition ways of healing have been working for centuries. It is also a proven fact that if you are more positive with less stress, that you will heal faster. I happened to be flipping through stations last night and got to National Geographic and the show was called Killer Stress and it basically went over how stress can literally kill us eventually. My dad and I also strongly believe in healing through being positive, eating right, taking natural herbs everyday, and avoiding all these perscription medicines that have all these side effects that hinder your ability to function correctly. Keeping the mind free of stress also keeps you healthy whether its through meditation or resource tapping is essential to being healthy. I am rarely ever sick because I research different natural cures to things, rarely ever injured when it comes to sports, and my mind is free of stress due to my religious outlook on life. I think all these aspects I talked about tie in together with this book in the end
I am quite a religious person and I've always believed there is a higher being and that to me , is God. So it wasn't to hard for me to grasp the whole "fantasy" portrayal of this book. I've always felt some sort of magic because of religion because I have had experiences with it. For instance the one night i was asleep, i woke up to go to the bathroom and noticed some type of rash that looked like a bunch of bugbites going up my right arm. I was infuriated to think that i had been attacked by bugs in my sleep. For some reason i felt the need to pray because i was pretty upset at the situation. So i went back to sleep and woke up later, and it...was...gone... It was like a miracle and pretty magical to me. But besides that, thats why i can believe in the power of praying in this book. Obviously not everything is going to come true that you pray about because we all have a destination in life where doors open and close on you. Things are meant to happen for a reason in life, and if you keep putting forth effort into it, your gonna end up being happy where you are. When things don't go your way, you need to realize that, Hey, maybe this wasnt what i was meant to do, dont give up, and was meant to do something else. So i honestly dont need this book to tell me how prayer and healing can work, because i know it does through my own sources, but at least this is maybe a more believable book for someone to read other than the Bible surprisingly. I rely on faith and prayer all the time weather it comes to baseball when I do something good, i owe it to God for giving me my talents and giving me confidence, or with life in general.
Once again the whole physical aspect relations of this book sparked me most. The power of healing through ZPF. This aspect had to be around way before we could even imagine. People such as Native Americans and Asians used the power of healing through the mind all the time. They would use symbolic potions and such to help their sick. Even if the potions didnt work, it was perhaps a mind game to make you think you were going to heal after having the stuff. These people are still around and haven't died off right? So I think their tradition ways of healing have been working for centuries. It is also a proven fact that if you are more positive with less stress, that you will heal faster. I happened to be flipping through stations last night and got to National Geographic and the show was called Killer Stress and it basically went over how stress can literally kill us eventually. My dad and I also strongly believe in healing through being positive, eating right, taking natural herbs everyday, and avoiding all these perscription medicines that have all these side effects that hinder your ability to function correctly. Keeping the mind free of stress also keeps you healthy whether its through meditation or resource tapping is essential to being healthy. I am rarely ever sick because I research different natural cures to things, rarely ever injured when it comes to sports, and my mind is free of stress due to my religious outlook on life. I think all these aspects I talked about tie in together with this book in the end
Blog 4
We’ve reached the end of The Field and although at times I found it very hard to understand, overall I enjoyed the challenge of reading the book. Since I am someone who needs proof to believe in something my interest in the book peaked in the second half of the book.
I found Elisabeth Targ’s experiments with prayer and healing in chapter ten to be very inspiring. I’m not really a spiritual person, but after examining the results of Targ’s experiments with AIDS patients it’s hard not to believe in the power of prayer. No matter what the religion, the positive thoughts and prayers from the healers seemed to have an overwhelmingly good effect on the terminal AIDS patients and now I know why people believe in the power of prayer so much. The idea that, the intention of the healer maybe as important as their medicine actually scares me when I think about getting sick and going to see a doctor. Obviously every time a doctor sees a patient their head may not be in the game. I feel as if now I have something else to worry about when I go to the doctor’s office. Although, it is refreshing to know that if a doctor really believes in and cares about what there doing they may have an even better affect on you.
In chapter eleven when Roger Nelson took his PalmREG into the pyramids to see how the machine would react to a sacred site it reminded me of something right out of a Ghostbusters movie. It does make sense that these places would be giving off some sort of energy considering all the people who have been through them trying to gain some spiritual connection. When Nelson had different readings in the Great Pyramid of Khufu (positive trend in the Queen’s Chamber and a negative trend in the King’s Chamber) it made me wonder if this had any connection to experiments earlier in The Field when men and women had different outcomes in REG experiments. I used to think that those mass gatherings where people would meditate for peace were more for the benefit of the people praying, but after seeing how the crime rates dropped in cities where more people practiced TM, I realize that there must be some truth to it.
Chapter twelve did a good job in tying all the key players together in The Field. In my earlier blogs I discussed how some in the mainstream scientific community tried to discount many of the amazing discoveries listed in this book. After reading how many of these scientists came together in the UK to discuss space travel it gives me hope that their ideas will be given more validity in the coming years. It seems that science and religion are coming closer together each time these pioneers in there field’s make another discovery. Hopefully in the future men like Edgar Mitchell won’t have to lecture about adventures in space just to fund their true passion of research into the unknown.
I found Elisabeth Targ’s experiments with prayer and healing in chapter ten to be very inspiring. I’m not really a spiritual person, but after examining the results of Targ’s experiments with AIDS patients it’s hard not to believe in the power of prayer. No matter what the religion, the positive thoughts and prayers from the healers seemed to have an overwhelmingly good effect on the terminal AIDS patients and now I know why people believe in the power of prayer so much. The idea that, the intention of the healer maybe as important as their medicine actually scares me when I think about getting sick and going to see a doctor. Obviously every time a doctor sees a patient their head may not be in the game. I feel as if now I have something else to worry about when I go to the doctor’s office. Although, it is refreshing to know that if a doctor really believes in and cares about what there doing they may have an even better affect on you.
In chapter eleven when Roger Nelson took his PalmREG into the pyramids to see how the machine would react to a sacred site it reminded me of something right out of a Ghostbusters movie. It does make sense that these places would be giving off some sort of energy considering all the people who have been through them trying to gain some spiritual connection. When Nelson had different readings in the Great Pyramid of Khufu (positive trend in the Queen’s Chamber and a negative trend in the King’s Chamber) it made me wonder if this had any connection to experiments earlier in The Field when men and women had different outcomes in REG experiments. I used to think that those mass gatherings where people would meditate for peace were more for the benefit of the people praying, but after seeing how the crime rates dropped in cities where more people practiced TM, I realize that there must be some truth to it.
Chapter twelve did a good job in tying all the key players together in The Field. In my earlier blogs I discussed how some in the mainstream scientific community tried to discount many of the amazing discoveries listed in this book. After reading how many of these scientists came together in the UK to discuss space travel it gives me hope that their ideas will be given more validity in the coming years. It seems that science and religion are coming closer together each time these pioneers in there field’s make another discovery. Hopefully in the future men like Edgar Mitchell won’t have to lecture about adventures in space just to fund their true passion of research into the unknown.
Blog 4
This book, The Field, has put a lot of things into perspective for me. Although, I may have not gotten some of the ideas in the readings at first, the class discussions helped me see things from a different point of view. In a way, I've gained a lot of new knowledge from this book. Most of the knowledge is about ideas I would have never have taken the time to sit down and actually think about. I really enjoyed Chapter 10 because Elisabeth was engaging in a study that some people would just rather not talk about and leave that kind of subject alone. It was interesting to read about that results with the healers. They say things happen for a reason and most things you can't control but it is really interesting to read about what that outcome of a prayer can actually do for a person. When I pray about someone and a few days later, they are doing better in whatever aspect it may have been, I sometimes like to think that my prayer actually worked and was 'heard.' However, when this does happen.. I'm not sure if it was just by luck that things started getting better for that certain person or if it was actually by faith. I was really intrigued by the group of people who were given a specific person to pray for. All they were told was their name.. not what was wrong with them, how old they were, or their background for that matter. The amount of prayer given to each person seemed to help their process of healing. However, reading this chapter also made me re-think things. If prayer helped those people so much, then how come we are constantly faced with hard situations throughout our lifetime, but knowing that there are a handful of people out there praying for me, somehow the situations just don't seem to get better. I still really liked this chapter, but it is one of those give or take kind of things. I'm still a huge believer of prayer, I guess it's just how you look at it. We have to accept reality and learn to deal with the hand we are dealt with.
Chapter 11 also caught my attention, especially with the O.J. case. I never really took much thought about how computers/devices can pick up on people's emotions. When I started reading the chapter and came across all of this.. my mind went straight to Michael Jackson's death. I started to wonder what the computers would pick up on that situation. The reason I'm curious is because there was so much controversy throughout his lifetime and I just wondered how people's reactions were to this event. The Superbowl idea kind of made me chuckle a little bit.. isn't there something more interesting our there? Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge football fan [GO STEELERS! :) ] but I'm curious.. why football? I also find it interesting how they had a hard time getting accurate readings due to the countless commercial breaks. Can there not be any interruptions while trying to get a reading on something? I'm glad they talked about the Gaia Hypothesis in this chapter because I just recently learned about it in my Earth Science class.. so I felt as if I actually knew what they were talking about! I didn't really care too much for Chapter 12, I actually found it kind of pointless. I guess that's because I'm not really interested in the whole space ordeal.
All-in-all, the book was okay. In some chapters, I felt as if it was too far in depth for me to understand certain concepts. I know it was necessary for McTarrgart to talk about the experiments and all of that.. but I felt as if some of this stuff was out of my league. A lot of interesting facts and like I said, I feel as if I gained a lot of new and different knowledge. On to the next book...
Chapter 11 also caught my attention, especially with the O.J. case. I never really took much thought about how computers/devices can pick up on people's emotions. When I started reading the chapter and came across all of this.. my mind went straight to Michael Jackson's death. I started to wonder what the computers would pick up on that situation. The reason I'm curious is because there was so much controversy throughout his lifetime and I just wondered how people's reactions were to this event. The Superbowl idea kind of made me chuckle a little bit.. isn't there something more interesting our there? Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge football fan [GO STEELERS! :) ] but I'm curious.. why football? I also find it interesting how they had a hard time getting accurate readings due to the countless commercial breaks. Can there not be any interruptions while trying to get a reading on something? I'm glad they talked about the Gaia Hypothesis in this chapter because I just recently learned about it in my Earth Science class.. so I felt as if I actually knew what they were talking about! I didn't really care too much for Chapter 12, I actually found it kind of pointless. I guess that's because I'm not really interested in the whole space ordeal.
All-in-all, the book was okay. In some chapters, I felt as if it was too far in depth for me to understand certain concepts. I know it was necessary for McTarrgart to talk about the experiments and all of that.. but I felt as if some of this stuff was out of my league. A lot of interesting facts and like I said, I feel as if I gained a lot of new and different knowledge. On to the next book...
blog 4
I’ve really gotten so much out of this book. I have spent some time in my life questioning the existence of a higher power, wanting answers and proof. At some point it became irrelevant because life showed me that it was real and that I was quite insignificant. The scientific proof explained in this book has just made my belief stronger.
I think that it’s interesting still that our society as a whole continues to need concrete explanations for things that we have no control over. Things that have been taking place forever, and will continue to be. Can we turn our brains off long enough to really tap into the energy of all energies? Or do we need to continue creating our idea of what is and is not….
There is an immense amount of data in this book, and maybe I’m crazy, but I believe it. People have been believing in many of these practices way before this book ever thought of being written ;-)
Why have spirituality and science always been separated? It seems to me like one has been far more advanced long before the other, yet it dismisses the other. Well, until this book maybe. Why are we so afraid of what we cant see? Why do so many lack faith and then turn to some type of immediate outside solution that may not really be the answer at all. Funny, according to The Field, maybe the solution has been just within ourselves the whole time…
Buddhist thought is, one is no more important than another, but many are more powerful than one…makes sense, kinda like common sense if you really think about it, especially if you put it into the context of the book. Christians believe that prayer in numbers holds more power. There is a huge prayer group event going on this Sat. at City Island, called PA Awake (appropriate title) . I wish that I had a REG machine to take there. I bet I don’t need one though…
It seems like we are programmed to ignore the energy that takes place around us. Overtime we don’t even notice it. Its like we tell ourselves that its not really happening, that its not real b/c we cant explain it and we cant see it. As much as we tell ourselves we are an open minded, forward thinking society, are we really? We are already trying to harness the capabilities of the Field and manipulate it for what we need it to be. We need to know what we can do with it, and how we’re gonna go about doing it. Why cant we just let it go? Why cant we just let be as it is and allow energy to become whatever its meant to be? (Man! that sounds crazy!!! Let energy become whatever its meant to be..!?!?! Its ENERGY!! ) Maybe we are just vessels thru which information and energy can travel, but our noise gets in the way of the message. Can we ever just be ok with doin nothing? I wonder where we would be if we could just try something different for once and leave it all alone.
I think that it’s interesting still that our society as a whole continues to need concrete explanations for things that we have no control over. Things that have been taking place forever, and will continue to be. Can we turn our brains off long enough to really tap into the energy of all energies? Or do we need to continue creating our idea of what is and is not….
There is an immense amount of data in this book, and maybe I’m crazy, but I believe it. People have been believing in many of these practices way before this book ever thought of being written ;-)
Why have spirituality and science always been separated? It seems to me like one has been far more advanced long before the other, yet it dismisses the other. Well, until this book maybe. Why are we so afraid of what we cant see? Why do so many lack faith and then turn to some type of immediate outside solution that may not really be the answer at all. Funny, according to The Field, maybe the solution has been just within ourselves the whole time…
Buddhist thought is, one is no more important than another, but many are more powerful than one…makes sense, kinda like common sense if you really think about it, especially if you put it into the context of the book. Christians believe that prayer in numbers holds more power. There is a huge prayer group event going on this Sat. at City Island, called PA Awake (appropriate title) . I wish that I had a REG machine to take there. I bet I don’t need one though…
It seems like we are programmed to ignore the energy that takes place around us. Overtime we don’t even notice it. Its like we tell ourselves that its not really happening, that its not real b/c we cant explain it and we cant see it. As much as we tell ourselves we are an open minded, forward thinking society, are we really? We are already trying to harness the capabilities of the Field and manipulate it for what we need it to be. We need to know what we can do with it, and how we’re gonna go about doing it. Why cant we just let it go? Why cant we just let be as it is and allow energy to become whatever its meant to be? (Man! that sounds crazy!!! Let energy become whatever its meant to be..!?!?! Its ENERGY!! ) Maybe we are just vessels thru which information and energy can travel, but our noise gets in the way of the message. Can we ever just be ok with doin nothing? I wonder where we would be if we could just try something different for once and leave it all alone.
Is it possible for the field to have healing powers. I guess its possible when you look at the statistics the chapter used. I think that this chapter is just an extension of the last chapter just applying the extended eye to using it for healing. I think that it was interesting when they used all different type of healers to help the terminally ill and how the healers actually helped them. Its also interesting that it really didn’t matter what type of healer it was just that they all seemed to help them. I think that when it comes to the ill all you need is a positive attitude the get through tough times.
Wow OJ Simpson is actually mentioned in this book. How did the trial influenced all of the computers to peak at the same time three hours before during and after. It makes you wonder is there something more to this field. Maybe we tap into the field when we show emotion. I think the reason that the field peak during that time was due to the huge fallowing of the trial. I wonder if the Scopes trial would have influenced the field greater if it was recorded the way the Simpson trial was. Later in the chapter it talks about how the field was influenced near the pyramid. I think that this is due to the spiritual influence in that area.
The last chapter reminded me of something that I remembered that I read earlier in the book which I think talked about Star Wars. It made me wonder if it was possible to use the field or the force which it is called in Star Wars and travel into space like in the movies. If we could tap into the field quickly and efficiently to benefit us.
Wow OJ Simpson is actually mentioned in this book. How did the trial influenced all of the computers to peak at the same time three hours before during and after. It makes you wonder is there something more to this field. Maybe we tap into the field when we show emotion. I think the reason that the field peak during that time was due to the huge fallowing of the trial. I wonder if the Scopes trial would have influenced the field greater if it was recorded the way the Simpson trial was. Later in the chapter it talks about how the field was influenced near the pyramid. I think that this is due to the spiritual influence in that area.
The last chapter reminded me of something that I remembered that I read earlier in the book which I think talked about Star Wars. It made me wonder if it was possible to use the field or the force which it is called in Star Wars and travel into space like in the movies. If we could tap into the field quickly and efficiently to benefit us.
Blog 4...Soviets, Poltergeists, and Violets
Finally, McTaggart got to the point that she has been skirting the entire book!
Leave it to the Soviets to study parapsychology. Early on they also did work on poltergeist activity, such as the possibility of using one as a spy or even a weapon. What they found was that poltergeists are too unreliable and don't listen well.
On page 185, I have to note that I bought an African Violet just before a very depressing time in my life. Needless to say despite me neglecting to properly water it (apparently it had two containers, one was so close to the other you couldn't even tell they were different; so I'd pour water into a larger pot that I had placed it in and for some reason the soil never seemed to get wet...) and despite the fact that it is sitting in a window that has too much sunlight, the thing has grown enormous and keeps flowering.
A depressed Germany had caused the rise of Adolf Hitler? To me there is nothing "paranormal" about that, when people in a nation are going through a bad time they often find a leader who presents his or herself as having the most promise. It's easier to lead people on when they are going through a bad time; even an entire nation of people. When a wheelbarrow of marks was what was needed to buy bread, the German people would have sided with anyone who had shown promise. It just so happened that the Allies blaming them for the First World War had caused them to be extremely Nationalist that they didn't side with somebody who was of a sounder mind.
As my final conclusion about The Field, I wish that McTaggart hadn't written the last three chapters. To me the book was powerful as a stand alone without stating the obvious. In some ways I question whether or not the chapter on healing has the potential to create false hope. Maybe it is because I have run out of fingers to count the number of funerals for family members I've been to, maybe it is because I'm the 2nd oldest generation of my family, and just maybe it is because genetics have damned me to get cancer regardless of if I smoke or not; I don't trust much of what was said about healing using the Zero Point Field. I've had enough close calls and enough things happen to me that I am definitely not an atheist, but I have come to accept fate.
...I am convinced somebody near me in the library is depressed. I was in a good mood when I left my house...
Leave it to the Soviets to study parapsychology. Early on they also did work on poltergeist activity, such as the possibility of using one as a spy or even a weapon. What they found was that poltergeists are too unreliable and don't listen well.
On page 185, I have to note that I bought an African Violet just before a very depressing time in my life. Needless to say despite me neglecting to properly water it (apparently it had two containers, one was so close to the other you couldn't even tell they were different; so I'd pour water into a larger pot that I had placed it in and for some reason the soil never seemed to get wet...) and despite the fact that it is sitting in a window that has too much sunlight, the thing has grown enormous and keeps flowering.
A depressed Germany had caused the rise of Adolf Hitler? To me there is nothing "paranormal" about that, when people in a nation are going through a bad time they often find a leader who presents his or herself as having the most promise. It's easier to lead people on when they are going through a bad time; even an entire nation of people. When a wheelbarrow of marks was what was needed to buy bread, the German people would have sided with anyone who had shown promise. It just so happened that the Allies blaming them for the First World War had caused them to be extremely Nationalist that they didn't side with somebody who was of a sounder mind.
As my final conclusion about The Field, I wish that McTaggart hadn't written the last three chapters. To me the book was powerful as a stand alone without stating the obvious. In some ways I question whether or not the chapter on healing has the potential to create false hope. Maybe it is because I have run out of fingers to count the number of funerals for family members I've been to, maybe it is because I'm the 2nd oldest generation of my family, and just maybe it is because genetics have damned me to get cancer regardless of if I smoke or not; I don't trust much of what was said about healing using the Zero Point Field. I've had enough close calls and enough things happen to me that I am definitely not an atheist, but I have come to accept fate.
...I am convinced somebody near me in the library is depressed. I was in a good mood when I left my house...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
blog 4
So who wants to meet this weekend to pray that Dr. Kearney suddenly decides to cancel the paper due Monday? Talk to me in class if you're interested :)
I've posted numerous times how skeptical I am of all these ideas in the book. I do not, however, have any reservations about Chapter 10. I believe in the power of prayer, or healing (although, I'm certainly not a very religious person). I can't explain it, but there have been too many instances where it has worked. Not to say, though, there aren't instances where prayer has no effect on a situations because there has been.
But one instance sticks out in my mind: my Sunday school teacher, Jen, gave birth to her son about 4 years ago. In her own words, she "really sucked at the whole 'giving birth thing'." While delivering the baby, her heart began to fail and it was only functioning at 30% (I think that's how it was explained to me). As soon as people from the church found out, they started a prayer chain. I remember getting a call at my high school's football game. Throughout the community, our congregation was focused on one single goal: Jen getting better. Soon after, Jen began to recover. Maybe it WAS the doctors and the medicine that were healing her. But prayer does have some effect in this world. And its power has mega potential, if only we could tap into this field better.
I've had my ups and downs with this book. I can't say it's been all great, but the ideas discussed and the potential they have are exciting and astounding. Sarah mentioned that people used to think it was impossible to fly to the moon. She's right: the impossible is proven every single day. While I'm still skeptical, I have this feeling that someday, maybe very soon, this stuff won't just be theory. It'll be in textbooks as known facts. Who knows?
I've posted numerous times how skeptical I am of all these ideas in the book. I do not, however, have any reservations about Chapter 10. I believe in the power of prayer, or healing (although, I'm certainly not a very religious person). I can't explain it, but there have been too many instances where it has worked. Not to say, though, there aren't instances where prayer has no effect on a situations because there has been.
But one instance sticks out in my mind: my Sunday school teacher, Jen, gave birth to her son about 4 years ago. In her own words, she "really sucked at the whole 'giving birth thing'." While delivering the baby, her heart began to fail and it was only functioning at 30% (I think that's how it was explained to me). As soon as people from the church found out, they started a prayer chain. I remember getting a call at my high school's football game. Throughout the community, our congregation was focused on one single goal: Jen getting better. Soon after, Jen began to recover. Maybe it WAS the doctors and the medicine that were healing her. But prayer does have some effect in this world. And its power has mega potential, if only we could tap into this field better.
I've had my ups and downs with this book. I can't say it's been all great, but the ideas discussed and the potential they have are exciting and astounding. Sarah mentioned that people used to think it was impossible to fly to the moon. She's right: the impossible is proven every single day. While I'm still skeptical, I have this feeling that someday, maybe very soon, this stuff won't just be theory. It'll be in textbooks as known facts. Who knows?
Blog #4, Ch. 10-12
Now more than ever I believe in the power of the mind. We are a part of a culture that is so focused on materialism; our minds have been oppressed and filled with this noise. This book really helped me put my thoughts into perspective. Though at times I found it difficult to absorb, I believe that The Field has given us a lot of important ideas to mull.
I like the idea of The Healing Field and how human intention can be used as a healing force. I enjoy communicating, so I automatically thought about this force in my everyday interactions. From our experiences in the social world, we know the kind of people we get along with. Why do we find certain people more enjoyable to be around? Perhaps it’s this infectious force of positive intention that attracts us. Perhaps “illness” isn’t just applied to those who are physically ill or dying. I believe that a lot of people are ill in terms of their incoherent relationship with The Field. Since illness is isolation, we could connect with the “collective health of The Field and community” and become healthier individuals. Dr. Bernard Grad believed that positive feelings made plants grow more, and negative feelings had a negative effect on growth. If we made an effort to think or feel more positively, would it have an effect on the people around us?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Blog #4
Having finished “The Field,” I won’t deny that it presents some very interesting ideas. From the start I was interested in the ZPF, that constant source of energy, and my attention was held all the way though to the ending. However, as I was reading the earlier chapters I kept asking myself, “what’s the practical purpose to these ideas?” Sure, it’s exciting to think we can change the number of heads and tails within a machine, but how does it play into real life? The answer finally came in chapters 11 and 12.
Chapter 11 might possibly have been the most exciting chapter of the book. In an earlier chapter, when McTaggert wrote about more ordered people helping disorganized people become reorganized, I thought about it in relation to prayer and intercession. It makes sense to me that someone might be disorganized (sick) and a more organized person could help them become better through prayer. I didn’t get the chance to bring this up in last week’s blog or class discussion, but I was very pleased when I saw this idea come through in Chapter 11. In this chapter it was explained that by performing some sort of intercession “the healers were dramatically contributing to the physical and psychological well-being of their patients” (192). I could see that the ideas presented earlier in the book actually did have a practical purpose.
Likewise, chapter 12 displayed some practical uses to the ideas presented earlier in the book. For example, very early in the book it was explained how the ZPF is a constant source of energy and is possibly the source of our consciousness too. Chapter 12 then explained the ways in which there is a collective consciousness within groups, especially when all the members are focused on a shared goal. In this way I can see how people working together in a group is simply a practical use or channeling of the ZPF. Indeed, what if we were to combine the ideas of chapter 11 and 12? If one specific healer could have an impact on the patient, how much more of an impact could a group of healers have?
People used to say it was impossible to reach the moon. Likewise, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding the ideas presented within “The Field.” I, as are probably many people in the class, am still skeptical, but I do like to see some of the ideas being put to practical use. Who knows? Maybe some day future generations will be talking about the “foolish old people” who didn’t believe what could happen through the ZPF. It wouldn’t be the first time the “impossible” had been proven possible.
Chapter 11 might possibly have been the most exciting chapter of the book. In an earlier chapter, when McTaggert wrote about more ordered people helping disorganized people become reorganized, I thought about it in relation to prayer and intercession. It makes sense to me that someone might be disorganized (sick) and a more organized person could help them become better through prayer. I didn’t get the chance to bring this up in last week’s blog or class discussion, but I was very pleased when I saw this idea come through in Chapter 11. In this chapter it was explained that by performing some sort of intercession “the healers were dramatically contributing to the physical and psychological well-being of their patients” (192). I could see that the ideas presented earlier in the book actually did have a practical purpose.
Likewise, chapter 12 displayed some practical uses to the ideas presented earlier in the book. For example, very early in the book it was explained how the ZPF is a constant source of energy and is possibly the source of our consciousness too. Chapter 12 then explained the ways in which there is a collective consciousness within groups, especially when all the members are focused on a shared goal. In this way I can see how people working together in a group is simply a practical use or channeling of the ZPF. Indeed, what if we were to combine the ideas of chapter 11 and 12? If one specific healer could have an impact on the patient, how much more of an impact could a group of healers have?
People used to say it was impossible to reach the moon. Likewise, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding the ideas presented within “The Field.” I, as are probably many people in the class, am still skeptical, but I do like to see some of the ideas being put to practical use. Who knows? Maybe some day future generations will be talking about the “foolish old people” who didn’t believe what could happen through the ZPF. It wouldn’t be the first time the “impossible” had been proven possible.
bLoG 4
Blog 4
Wow J What a journey!!
I think one of the coolest parts of the last three chapters was the REG machine collecting evidence that there may be a “collective consciousness”. First of all, I think it is cool that Nelson was walking around and going places with portable REG machines… the palmREG machines. And that the REG machine, which acted like a thermometer, picked up the moments of peak attention. And the study was done over and over again, involving the opera, the Superbowl, the OJ Simpson trial, humor conferences, the Academy Awards. I find it very interesting that when people were thinking the same way, or a lot of people were feeling the same emotions, therefore creating a large “scale”, the machine was affected. So if I understand this correctly, how the group (watching the Superbowl, the Simpson trial, etc..) responded affected the field, and therefore changed the pattern of the machine. So the natural question is, what to do with it?? Perhaps there is a greater good which we have yet to discover by the means of working as one collective consciousness, one example in the book was the wishing away rain clouds. This one threw me for a loop, the idea that we can control with our mind the preconceived “randomness” (for lack of a better word) of the weather. I will keep this in mind if I plan to have an outdoor wedding, perhaps I should note on the invitation—“All guests please wish for superb weather the week leading up to the day of the ceremony..” I don’t know, this is a radical and fascinating idea, but I still think weather is unpredictable, well, at least unaffected by human wishes. In countries that suffer from horrible droughts, they wish for rain, they dance for rain, they have festivals and perform rituals to bring in the rain… so why do they suffer so long in drought? And Princeton students just wish for good weather on graduation day, and boom- done. Are the graduates better “wishers”??
So I have reached the end of The Field, and I have gained a lot of insight from the book. Admittedly, my favorite parts of the book were the beginning chapters. I really enjoyed trying to understand the “scientifics” of the Field, it challenged me, and I loved learning new and exciting things about our bodies and how they function. I thrive off of reading success stories involving alternative medicine, survival stories from the death grip of cancer, and I enjoyed learning about the mechanisms of our beings, even if some of the jargon went over my head. I found the last chapters to be more of a challenge, as I have stated before. I accept the theory that there is light inside of the cell, but I had a hard time accepting the findings and data of remote viewing. Toward the end of the book I would read a paragraph, and find myself dismissing what McTaggart was reporting, so I decided to try a strategy. Obviously we all bring our beliefs, perceptions, and biases to the table when we read or try to understand something (as we discussed in class) so toward the end of the book I really tried to counter my preconceived perceptions head on. I spent more time with the last chapters of the book because I would read the words slower, with a sincere attempt at open mindedness, in going back, I was able to come to an understanding of what was being reported. Certainly no one in the class is going to agree and accept everything in The Field, but the book has helped me to “hear out” the radical, and has been a four week long challenge, in which I feel I have grown and learned how to truly listen and ponder on an idea or belief different than my own.
Wow J What a journey!!
I think one of the coolest parts of the last three chapters was the REG machine collecting evidence that there may be a “collective consciousness”. First of all, I think it is cool that Nelson was walking around and going places with portable REG machines… the palmREG machines. And that the REG machine, which acted like a thermometer, picked up the moments of peak attention. And the study was done over and over again, involving the opera, the Superbowl, the OJ Simpson trial, humor conferences, the Academy Awards. I find it very interesting that when people were thinking the same way, or a lot of people were feeling the same emotions, therefore creating a large “scale”, the machine was affected. So if I understand this correctly, how the group (watching the Superbowl, the Simpson trial, etc..) responded affected the field, and therefore changed the pattern of the machine. So the natural question is, what to do with it?? Perhaps there is a greater good which we have yet to discover by the means of working as one collective consciousness, one example in the book was the wishing away rain clouds. This one threw me for a loop, the idea that we can control with our mind the preconceived “randomness” (for lack of a better word) of the weather. I will keep this in mind if I plan to have an outdoor wedding, perhaps I should note on the invitation—“All guests please wish for superb weather the week leading up to the day of the ceremony..” I don’t know, this is a radical and fascinating idea, but I still think weather is unpredictable, well, at least unaffected by human wishes. In countries that suffer from horrible droughts, they wish for rain, they dance for rain, they have festivals and perform rituals to bring in the rain… so why do they suffer so long in drought? And Princeton students just wish for good weather on graduation day, and boom- done. Are the graduates better “wishers”??
So I have reached the end of The Field, and I have gained a lot of insight from the book. Admittedly, my favorite parts of the book were the beginning chapters. I really enjoyed trying to understand the “scientifics” of the Field, it challenged me, and I loved learning new and exciting things about our bodies and how they function. I thrive off of reading success stories involving alternative medicine, survival stories from the death grip of cancer, and I enjoyed learning about the mechanisms of our beings, even if some of the jargon went over my head. I found the last chapters to be more of a challenge, as I have stated before. I accept the theory that there is light inside of the cell, but I had a hard time accepting the findings and data of remote viewing. Toward the end of the book I would read a paragraph, and find myself dismissing what McTaggart was reporting, so I decided to try a strategy. Obviously we all bring our beliefs, perceptions, and biases to the table when we read or try to understand something (as we discussed in class) so toward the end of the book I really tried to counter my preconceived perceptions head on. I spent more time with the last chapters of the book because I would read the words slower, with a sincere attempt at open mindedness, in going back, I was able to come to an understanding of what was being reported. Certainly no one in the class is going to agree and accept everything in The Field, but the book has helped me to “hear out” the radical, and has been a four week long challenge, in which I feel I have grown and learned how to truly listen and ponder on an idea or belief different than my own.
Blog 4
Blog 4
I really liked how she finished this book with one final look at all of the players and where their research led them... More than that though, I have found that this book is affecting my daily inner monolog. I have found myself really wanting to be apart of some of these studies just to know whether or not I (personally) can do any of these things or at least be there long enough to be taught what I can and figure the rest out on my own. Here are some of my thoughts as I had them while reading:
Chapter 10: The Power of Prayer
I found it interesting that when they did the studies on distance healing that, for one, there was statistical evidence to prove it existed, but more exactly that, it was not any one particular method or thought or prayer that mattered in the healing process, it was the belief behind it. In essence, some guy who believes that praying to a giant head of lettuce and truly believes that this lettuce god will help heal a sick person would have the same effect as a devout individual from an established monotheistic religion. To me that shows that religion itself is an individual thing and that this is concrete evidence (in my mind) that no one is right or wrong when it comes to how they worship. The one ultimate truth is that there is something besides ourselves that is greater than us and is capable of anything. I would love to see how any hard-liner of any religion would interpret this study. Besides being interesting to me, it made me a bit sad for myself... I do not possess an overpowering sense of faith in any one religion or belief and this made me come to the conclusion that I would not make a very good healer since I am ever the sceptic. Hoping is not enough, true faith in something and the release to a higher power are what made this study work. I wonder how the scientists performing the studies would have faired...
Chapter 11: The Power of Group Concentration
"the particular activity didn't really matter. What seemed most important was the intensity of the group. The ability of the activity to keep its audience spellbound... it helped if... some context that was emotionally meaningful to them" That was paraphrased a bit but I can relate to this. We have all been in situations like this, it is what we love so much about having a sense of community. We write epics and stories and movies all dedicated to this idea, in varying forms. Rudy would be one such film that I can think of. The good will, thoughts, hopes, prayers and dreams of an entire campus/small town all sincerely affected by this little runt of a kids desire to be a Notre Dame football player. Any good underdog story has this underlying feeling attached to it. It is, in my opinion what we crave when we build communities, towns, cultures, civilizations. This is how we express openly in our own understanding a need for connection with others. We know that this power exists in us. The idea that a place holds its own power, I can also get behind. I have done my fair share of traveling and I have found myself struck down with awe at a place revered by many over the years even if I had no previous knowledge of its history... It just feels like you are standing in a place that in some small way is the key to it all. Its like a secret knowledge of humanity that has been saved by previous inhabitants in their memories and is some how being transferred to you in this sense that... in order to really know where we are going we have to understand where we have been. I have read that the locations of cities were almost predestined to be, not only for some geographical advantage, but for a more spiritual meaning. Almost as if you just know that this is where your settlement/city belongs and you know it by the grace of God or being or whatever you can use to describe how you are feeling.
I like the fact that the potential for collective coherence can and has been applied to evil doings as well as good. I think that their assumption that Hitler came to power as a result of a massive spurt of negative energy was hitting Europe and especially Germany at the time is pretty accurate. How else can you really explain how good, rational people somehow managed to agree and live with the most god-awful atrocities performed on such a mass of fellow human beings all at the same time? The spurts of creativity is also apparent, a fervor comes over people almost like a wave... the communal mind kicks in in times like this and the energy put off is what can sweep an entire country or even an entire generation to share in an experience. I felt really at ease with these ideas and notions. They make sense to me.
Chapter 12: The Summary
WHAT THE HECK IS A CASIMIR? I did not wrap my head around this, so if anyone can explain it to me in layman's terms, I would appreciate it.
Does anyone else feel like it would have been a big help in understanding the readings if we had read that section on page 225 about the assumptions of established science that all of these scientists had learned and proven false? At least the findings they had about the falseness of the known truths. I think, for me at least, this would have helped to guide me through the technical aspects of the text.
Hannah
I really liked how she finished this book with one final look at all of the players and where their research led them... More than that though, I have found that this book is affecting my daily inner monolog. I have found myself really wanting to be apart of some of these studies just to know whether or not I (personally) can do any of these things or at least be there long enough to be taught what I can and figure the rest out on my own. Here are some of my thoughts as I had them while reading:
Chapter 10: The Power of Prayer
I found it interesting that when they did the studies on distance healing that, for one, there was statistical evidence to prove it existed, but more exactly that, it was not any one particular method or thought or prayer that mattered in the healing process, it was the belief behind it. In essence, some guy who believes that praying to a giant head of lettuce and truly believes that this lettuce god will help heal a sick person would have the same effect as a devout individual from an established monotheistic religion. To me that shows that religion itself is an individual thing and that this is concrete evidence (in my mind) that no one is right or wrong when it comes to how they worship. The one ultimate truth is that there is something besides ourselves that is greater than us and is capable of anything. I would love to see how any hard-liner of any religion would interpret this study. Besides being interesting to me, it made me a bit sad for myself... I do not possess an overpowering sense of faith in any one religion or belief and this made me come to the conclusion that I would not make a very good healer since I am ever the sceptic. Hoping is not enough, true faith in something and the release to a higher power are what made this study work. I wonder how the scientists performing the studies would have faired...
Chapter 11: The Power of Group Concentration
"the particular activity didn't really matter. What seemed most important was the intensity of the group. The ability of the activity to keep its audience spellbound... it helped if... some context that was emotionally meaningful to them" That was paraphrased a bit but I can relate to this. We have all been in situations like this, it is what we love so much about having a sense of community. We write epics and stories and movies all dedicated to this idea, in varying forms. Rudy would be one such film that I can think of. The good will, thoughts, hopes, prayers and dreams of an entire campus/small town all sincerely affected by this little runt of a kids desire to be a Notre Dame football player. Any good underdog story has this underlying feeling attached to it. It is, in my opinion what we crave when we build communities, towns, cultures, civilizations. This is how we express openly in our own understanding a need for connection with others. We know that this power exists in us. The idea that a place holds its own power, I can also get behind. I have done my fair share of traveling and I have found myself struck down with awe at a place revered by many over the years even if I had no previous knowledge of its history... It just feels like you are standing in a place that in some small way is the key to it all. Its like a secret knowledge of humanity that has been saved by previous inhabitants in their memories and is some how being transferred to you in this sense that... in order to really know where we are going we have to understand where we have been. I have read that the locations of cities were almost predestined to be, not only for some geographical advantage, but for a more spiritual meaning. Almost as if you just know that this is where your settlement/city belongs and you know it by the grace of God or being or whatever you can use to describe how you are feeling.
I like the fact that the potential for collective coherence can and has been applied to evil doings as well as good. I think that their assumption that Hitler came to power as a result of a massive spurt of negative energy was hitting Europe and especially Germany at the time is pretty accurate. How else can you really explain how good, rational people somehow managed to agree and live with the most god-awful atrocities performed on such a mass of fellow human beings all at the same time? The spurts of creativity is also apparent, a fervor comes over people almost like a wave... the communal mind kicks in in times like this and the energy put off is what can sweep an entire country or even an entire generation to share in an experience. I felt really at ease with these ideas and notions. They make sense to me.
Chapter 12: The Summary
WHAT THE HECK IS A CASIMIR? I did not wrap my head around this, so if anyone can explain it to me in layman's terms, I would appreciate it.
Does anyone else feel like it would have been a big help in understanding the readings if we had read that section on page 225 about the assumptions of established science that all of these scientists had learned and proven false? At least the findings they had about the falseness of the known truths. I think, for me at least, this would have helped to guide me through the technical aspects of the text.
Hannah
Blog 4
Chapter 10, The Healing Field, was actual very personal to me. The idea that one could realign someone else’s structure, acting as a healer, is fascinating to me. The studies done in this chapter could turn a person without hope into a believer. Elisabeth’s reaction to her studies’ results was great. Her mentality of distant healing changed significantly because of the results.
Personally, I feel those who have more of a scientific look on life or those who lack belief for things that cannot be proven have a slight disadvantage than others who believe in the more mysterious things that occur during our lifetime. Elisabeth’s astonishment to how the treatment was working in her first study with the AIDS patients made me almost feel sorry for her because it seemed as though she didn’t want to believe in the outcome. So many scientists think with their brains and not with their hearts. I believe that sometimes the most unexplainable things in life don’t have to seem right on paper. For scientists there is only black and white, the explained and what is to be explained. Sometimes it is great to live in the gray area and to leave room for what little unknown that is left in a human’s life.
On another note, the findings within this chapter were special to me. The findings gave me some closure to a recent death in my family. A close cousin of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. It was at that point the doctors told her the cancer was too aggressive, was spreading, and she wouldn’t live longer than six months. However, what the doctors didn’t know was that my cousin was an extremely religious person. Even before her cancer days, she went to church every day and continued to go as she underwent chemotherapy and other treatments. She was put on prayer chains and was prayed for by many, including priests and bishops. To make an extremely long and heartfelt story short, she survived many years past the doctors’ expectancy and passed away last December. Her story made me believe that faith, hope, and prayer can overcome both the questionable and unimaginable.
I believe that positive thinking does have a reward: the opportunity for a better outcome.
On another note, before I read this novel I was somewhat cynical of its subject matter. I grew less skeptical as I began reading. I was pleasantly intrigued with the studies that were held. As I began the material I couldn’t help but wonder if this so-called ‘theory’ is in actuality not a theory at all. The power of the mind is a gift that most take advantage of. If we are capable of doing the things discussed in the book, and they are someday proven as facts, image what can be done.
Personally, I feel those who have more of a scientific look on life or those who lack belief for things that cannot be proven have a slight disadvantage than others who believe in the more mysterious things that occur during our lifetime. Elisabeth’s astonishment to how the treatment was working in her first study with the AIDS patients made me almost feel sorry for her because it seemed as though she didn’t want to believe in the outcome. So many scientists think with their brains and not with their hearts. I believe that sometimes the most unexplainable things in life don’t have to seem right on paper. For scientists there is only black and white, the explained and what is to be explained. Sometimes it is great to live in the gray area and to leave room for what little unknown that is left in a human’s life.
On another note, the findings within this chapter were special to me. The findings gave me some closure to a recent death in my family. A close cousin of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. It was at that point the doctors told her the cancer was too aggressive, was spreading, and she wouldn’t live longer than six months. However, what the doctors didn’t know was that my cousin was an extremely religious person. Even before her cancer days, she went to church every day and continued to go as she underwent chemotherapy and other treatments. She was put on prayer chains and was prayed for by many, including priests and bishops. To make an extremely long and heartfelt story short, she survived many years past the doctors’ expectancy and passed away last December. Her story made me believe that faith, hope, and prayer can overcome both the questionable and unimaginable.
I believe that positive thinking does have a reward: the opportunity for a better outcome.
On another note, before I read this novel I was somewhat cynical of its subject matter. I grew less skeptical as I began reading. I was pleasantly intrigued with the studies that were held. As I began the material I couldn’t help but wonder if this so-called ‘theory’ is in actuality not a theory at all. The power of the mind is a gift that most take advantage of. If we are capable of doing the things discussed in the book, and they are someday proven as facts, image what can be done.
Friday, September 18, 2009
The suspension of disbelief
I loved reading all your blogs this week. It looks as though even those of you who were not enjoying the first part of the book are finally getting wrapped up in these more recent chapters. One of the main themes of all of your blogs was this lingering disbelief, but also an almost overwhelming wish to be able to believe. It's what movies are made of, as many of you mentioned -- Back to the Future, Suspect Zero, Final Destination -- note that they all come under the genre of Science Fiction (and that they're all creative endeavours). And now here we have scientists trying to "prove" this stuff.
Many of you mentioned the topic of dreams and their 'reality'. Nick brought up the question of what happens in the Indian tribe if one of them doesn't contribute to the dream ritual (great question), and Audrey mentions not being able to remember dreams. But perhaps if we lived in a culture where the dream world was that important, then we might have a greater ability with dreaming and memory. Maybe, too, we'd only dream dreams we could share (I'm with you Alex). Interesting, too, how Nick was (coincidentally) drawn to the EMDR book which can be interpreted as "resource tapping."
Jen brought up the topic of alpha modes in children and asks whether the difference between "innocent children" and "worldly adults" might be significant. If it's about eliminating the "noise" then her suggestion is probably valid. Kids certainly aren't too perplexed about time, either. Hannah notes the difficulty in trying to stop the "noise" because it's easier to go on "auto-pilot." She also asks "who's stopping us?" from tapping into this resource. Who is? Jaime asks a similar question: "What are they trying to hide?" These are interesting things to ponder since, if these ideas are credible, then they hold a lot of power for anyone who can control them. I'll end with a quote from Jaime --" ...maybe it is the acceptance of not knowing, that makes a wiser person."
Nicely done everyone. I look forward to next week's read.
Many of you mentioned the topic of dreams and their 'reality'. Nick brought up the question of what happens in the Indian tribe if one of them doesn't contribute to the dream ritual (great question), and Audrey mentions not being able to remember dreams. But perhaps if we lived in a culture where the dream world was that important, then we might have a greater ability with dreaming and memory. Maybe, too, we'd only dream dreams we could share (I'm with you Alex). Interesting, too, how Nick was (coincidentally) drawn to the EMDR book which can be interpreted as "resource tapping."
Jen brought up the topic of alpha modes in children and asks whether the difference between "innocent children" and "worldly adults" might be significant. If it's about eliminating the "noise" then her suggestion is probably valid. Kids certainly aren't too perplexed about time, either. Hannah notes the difficulty in trying to stop the "noise" because it's easier to go on "auto-pilot." She also asks "who's stopping us?" from tapping into this resource. Who is? Jaime asks a similar question: "What are they trying to hide?" These are interesting things to ponder since, if these ideas are credible, then they hold a lot of power for anyone who can control them. I'll end with a quote from Jaime --" ...maybe it is the acceptance of not knowing, that makes a wiser person."
Nicely done everyone. I look forward to next week's read.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Finally, after reading the first six chapters it seems as if it is all making more sense to me now. Since I don’t have much of a background in science I had trouble understanding some of the concepts discussed earlier in the book, but I found chapters seven thru nine to be very interesting.
After reading about the outcome of the experiment that Braud and Schlitz did on the nervous people I was amazed by how much influence they had in calming down the subjects. The idea of person having some sort of mind control of another individual is both interesting and a bit scary. If this power could truly be harnessed by someone there’s know telling what good or bad could be done. When Braud discovered that those who required help in doing something seemed more receptive to the influence of others it made me wonder if the brain opens up more to the ZPF when it needs help doing something. I imagined it almost as if the brain puts out a call for help in doing something and if someone is able to hear you call for help they will be able to influence you in positive way using the ZPF. In contrast I feel that this could be used in an equally destructive way if the person sending the message decided to influence you in a negative way.
While reading chapter eight at times I felt like I was reading some sort of supernatural spy novel and then I realized that this wasn’t fiction I was reading. The studies that Hal Puthoff conducted in this chapter grabbed my attention much more than his earlier work. After reading about the amazing abilities of people like Pat Price it’s no wonder that these experiments directly influenced the US into creating the Star Wars program. I’m surprised that our country with all of its secrecy even allowed this information to be published. The study that was done after the program was closed in 1995 that showed the results were not achieved by chance further interested me. Could we use this remote viewing to save lives in this time of war? It would seem safer to have someone use psychic powers to find out what are enemies are up to, rather than to send in troops who could get killed.
Chapter nine discussed the idea of people being able to see into the past and even change the past from the present. While it seems like this could have many positives I couldn’t help thinking about the Back to the Future movies while reading this chapter. I realized that this ability could be used to influence cancer causing cells in a person before they have developed the disease. I also wondered if it was used in the wrong way could we negatively affect or destroy the present time as we know it.
After reading about the outcome of the experiment that Braud and Schlitz did on the nervous people I was amazed by how much influence they had in calming down the subjects. The idea of person having some sort of mind control of another individual is both interesting and a bit scary. If this power could truly be harnessed by someone there’s know telling what good or bad could be done. When Braud discovered that those who required help in doing something seemed more receptive to the influence of others it made me wonder if the brain opens up more to the ZPF when it needs help doing something. I imagined it almost as if the brain puts out a call for help in doing something and if someone is able to hear you call for help they will be able to influence you in positive way using the ZPF. In contrast I feel that this could be used in an equally destructive way if the person sending the message decided to influence you in a negative way.
While reading chapter eight at times I felt like I was reading some sort of supernatural spy novel and then I realized that this wasn’t fiction I was reading. The studies that Hal Puthoff conducted in this chapter grabbed my attention much more than his earlier work. After reading about the amazing abilities of people like Pat Price it’s no wonder that these experiments directly influenced the US into creating the Star Wars program. I’m surprised that our country with all of its secrecy even allowed this information to be published. The study that was done after the program was closed in 1995 that showed the results were not achieved by chance further interested me. Could we use this remote viewing to save lives in this time of war? It would seem safer to have someone use psychic powers to find out what are enemies are up to, rather than to send in troops who could get killed.
Chapter nine discussed the idea of people being able to see into the past and even change the past from the present. While it seems like this could have many positives I couldn’t help thinking about the Back to the Future movies while reading this chapter. I realized that this ability could be used to influence cancer causing cells in a person before they have developed the disease. I also wondered if it was used in the wrong way could we negatively affect or destroy the present time as we know it.
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