Claude Swanson
I would
like to introduce you to a very special man, Claude Swanson, whom I simply
adore. Claude Swanson has become a very close friend to Stan and me… more like
a member of our family. Claude is above and beyond the most loving, caring
individual I have ever met, and brilliant as well. Claude came into our lives in 2006. Though
Claude and Stan thought it a coincidence, I have no doubts that our paths were
destined to cross, eventually. Claude Swanson, or should I say, Dr. Claude
Swanson, is a physicist. He
has spent the past 5 and ½ years working on Stan’s night writing equations. If
you have not seen them, go to Stan’s website www.stanromanek.com.
So why do I think Claude is brilliant, because
he has figured out what all of the equations are telling us, and the
information is incredible. But that will be another article when Claude is
ready to have them publicly published. This article is to introduce you to
Claude, and the amazing work he has been doing, aside from working on Stan’s
equations, And Trust Me It Is
Incredible!!!!!
Dr. Claude Swanson
Dr. Claude
Swanson was educated as a physicist at MIT and Princeton University. During
those years he worked at the MIT Science Teaching Center, Brookhaven National
Laboratory and a Virginia cyclotron in the summer. At Princeton he received the
National Science Foundation Fellowship and Putnam Fellowship. His Ph.D. thesis
at Princeton was done in the "Gravity Group," which focuses on
experimental cosmology and astronomy, and was headed by Dr. Robert Dicke. His
thesis advisor was Prof. David Wilkinson, who later became chairman of the
physics department.
Swanson conducted
postgraduate work at Princeton and Cornell Universities on the design of
superconducting plasma containment vessels for fusion energy systems. He then
began work for Aeronautical Research Associates of Princeton, a consulting
company, and later formed his own consulting company which carried out studies
in applied physics for commercial and governmental agencies, including DuPont,
United Technologies, the U.S. Army and Navy, DARPA and the CIA, among many
others.
For the last
fifteen years, interspersed with his conventional professional career in
applied physics, Dr. Swanson has pursued investigations into
"unconventional physics." His principal interest has been unified
field theory, the so-called "Theory of Everything" which could
explain the universe at the deepest possible level. This has led him to
investigate many aspects of the paranormal, which appear to be completely real
phenomena which violate our present science. Paranormal phenomena, which have
now been proven in the laboratory in many cases, offer a window into the deeper
universe, the mysteries of consciousness, and unlock new forces and principles
which conventional science has only begun to glimpse.
Among paranormal
phenomena which are now known, it has been found that signals can move much
faster than light, and the human consciousness and even human influence, can
move backward and forward in time. Science fiction concepts such as
teleportation and levitation seem to occur in reality in paranormal events, and
offer powerful evidence that this will be the new frontier of science.
At the same time,
thousands of out-of-body and near-death experiences show that other dimensions
and other realities do exist. This has been the domain of speculation by
theoretical physics, but OBE and NDE cases indicate that parallel realities and
dimensions are in some sense real. And finally, paranormal research suggests
that the human soul, the center of human consciousness, can survive death and
is apparently an energy form which can move and exist independently of the
body. Science is discovering that, in the words of the pioneer Robert Monroe,
" we are far more than our physical bodies."
Dr. Swanson has
conducted extensive research in these areas, including research of the
scientific literature, interviews with scientists in these fields, attended and
spoken at conferences, and conducted experiments and investigations, to better understand
how such paranormal phenomena can be incorporated into modern science.
This research has
involved underwater archaeology in Bimini, scientific measurements in haunted
houses, experiments in remote viewing and psychokinesis, and testing of new devices
which can measure these strange forces. He has just published a book, The
Synchronized Universe, which summarizes some of the new
discoveries of this emerging science.
The Synchronized Universe: New Science of
the Paranormal
INTRODUCTION
The
Hopi Prophecy
The prophecies of the Hopi are
said to come from Massau’u, their spiritual teacher for the age. Ancient Hopi
prophecies were handed down on stone tablets accompanied by an oral tradition
of interpretation that was passed on by the elders of the community.
Certain of these prophecies concern events
near the end of this current age in the Hopi framework of history. Some seem to
have been fulfilled, including the coming of the automobiles and
telephones-"horseless chariots" that would roll along "black
snakes" across the land, and "cobwebs" through which people
would speak over great distances.
Among the prophecies is a petroglyph, or rock
carving, that depicts the Hopi Life Plan Prophecy. In part, it shows two
horizontal timelines, the top one representing our modern technological,
materialistic society and the bottom line depicting the Hopi’s own world of
attunement to natural forces. Along the materialistic lines are the figures of
human beings with their heads detached from their bodies, an apt image for contemporary
men and women whose intellectual self and feeling self are so often
disassociated.
Also shown in this prophetic petroglyph are
two vertical lines that connect horizontal timelines. One of the connecting
lines - symbolic of the opportunity for materialistic society to reconnect with
the wisdom of the Hopi - is placed, logically just before a pair of circles
which interpreters decipher to be the two world wars. The second vertical
connector comes after the images for these two great wars, at approximately the
time in which we now exist. Thus, there is the opportunity, but not the
certitude, for technological society to join with the wisdom of the ancient
ones. If not, the Hopi life plan prophecy depicts yet another period of great
destruction. (quoted from Thurston, 1997)
The Conflict of Spiritualism and Materialism
This message from the Hopi underlines one of the great
conflicts of our age: the separation between the spiritual world and the
materialistic world. In Western societies, science is accepted as the final
authority on the materialistic world. Scientists take the place of priests in
medieval times, telling us about the age of our universe, how it was created,
the nature of matter, and even the nature of life itself. The spiritual world
has been relegated in the West to periodic rituals and diminishing Church
attendance in the older established religions. There has been a backlash from
fundamentalist religion, which challenges the scientific world-view head on,
but is often viewed by the establishment intelligentsia as extremist and
atavistic.
There seems to be no place in science for a God, and no
place in religion for modern science. The two seem to be in conflict on all the
main points. Religion requires miracles. Science requires the universe to
follow laws. Religion and science each have their explanation for how the
universe began, but these bear little resemblance to one another. They each
offer a theory for how humans came to be on the earth, but the miraculous
instantaneous creation of Genesis bears little resemblance to the slow
evolution from one-celled animals described by Darwin. This split is confirmed
by a 2001 Gallup poll, which revealed that 33% of Americans believe in the
Theory of Evolution while 57% adhere to Creationism.
At every point there seems to be a deep disagreement.
Scientists who are religious resolve this by compartmentalizing their thought.
They simply will not think about the contradictions. The deeply religious often
bear a deep suspicion or even a smoldering hostility toward science. This
schism widens over matters of abortion, public prayer, genetic engineering, and
numerous other matters of public debate.
As the Hopi prophecy makes clear, man cannot continue to
exist in this divided state. The spiritual and the scientific sides of human
wisdom must communicate. Science affords modern man with enormous power. This
power can be used for good or evil. Often the long-term consequences are not
even apparent. Science cannot always answer such questions. Religion has known
for eons that a higher wisdom is available. Man must learn to seek guidance on
a higher level, in order to use these new tools wisely. If he does not learn to
listen to spiritual wisdom, the new tools of technology will become weapons,
and will lead to our destruction. This, I believe, is the intent of the message
of the Hopi.
But this does not imply that organized religion, as it is
presently constituted, has all the answers we need. Just as science has drifted
to an extreme position in which spirituality plays no part, so modern religion
has evolved into fragmented, factious groups, often judgmental and condemning
of others, and often having lost connection with the original spiritual beliefs
of their early founders. Too often, churches and governments have made common
cause, and become instruments of aggrandizement for one another. Too often,
churches have modified their teachings to accommodate wealthy benefactors or
powerful monarchs and dictators.
There are now hundreds, if not thousands, of different
religions in the world, each with its own minute distinctions of ritual and
catechism, conflicting gods and conflicting dogma. How can a modern look at
this chaos of belief ever conclude that deep, satisfying truth can be found
here? This is the response of the Western scientific minded, but it is often
also the response of the disillusioned, disheartened faithful who continue
religious ritual more out of habit than out of conviction.
Universal Truths
There is a resolution to this dilemma. There is an answer
to what seems to be a hopeless question. It is possible to resolve the
disagreements between science and religion. There is, after all, only one
universe, and only one ultimate truth. Present day science has only PART of the
answer, and present day religion also has only part of the answer.
A closer examination of the world’s religions reveals
that, beneath the conflict and cacophony of dogma, there are certain universal
truths. It is these universal truths which make religion powerful and
satisfying to people. They may have different names for these truths, but in
each religion, there is prayer and meditation, and these are powerful and
healing. In each religion, an afterlife of some form exists, and a soul which
survives the death of the body is an article of belief. In every religion there
is a belief in superior beings, invisible, but very wise, to whom one can
communicate.
A scientist who has studied this, Dr. Charles Tart of the
University of California, states:
"Thousands, if not millions, of people
alive today have had the experience of existing outside the space of their
physical bodies for a brief period and experiencing this separated state as real, not as a dream or
imaginary experience. A typical consequence of such an out-of-body experience is
on the order of 'I no longer believe that I have a soul, or that some part
of me will survive death, I know it!" (Rogo, 1983)
There is no place in modern science for a view such as
this. Modern science does not allow for the possibility of the soul, or invisible
beings, or have any laws of force which can account for the power of prayer.
But what if modern science still has a few things to learn? What if present-day
physics is leaving out a few important truths about the universe, as well?
This seems to be the case. There are many phenomena which
have been proven in the laboratory, and yet which mainstream physics
steadfastly refuses to admit or recognize. Why? Because if it did, it would
turn the present world-view of physics upside down. But there is good news,
too. It would bring a golden age of new discoveries and new technology,
undreamed of today. And it would bring modern science and modern religion much
closer to healing the ancient rift which separates them.
Scientific Revolution...
Evidence has rapidly accumulated over the past three
decades that our present scientific theories are badly broken. Science is on
the verge of a revolution as far reaching as the one a century ago that
introduced relativity and quantum mechanics. The mounting evidence for this
revolution has been largely ignored by "mainstream" scientists, even
as it has grown more convincing. The study of scientific revolutions (see Kuhn,
1962) indicates that they are never easy nor smooth. The scientific
establishment ignores or actively opposes the new evidence as long as it can.
Modern quantum theory was initially discovered by Max
Planck, who later received the Nobel Prize for it. But he was opposed by the
scientific establishment of his day, and became so embittered that he later remarked,
referring to these establishment scientists: "Science
advances funeral by funeral." Today
it has been largely forgotten that Charles Darwin, who advanced the Theory of
Evolution, endured white-hot hatred from opponents, who felt he was attacking
the Bible's version of creation.
And few today realize that even Albert Einstein, the
widely hailed genius of twentieth-century physics, was very slow in being
recognized. His Theory of Relativity encountered very little acceptance for
many years, and seventeen years later, when he received the Nobel Prize, it was
for his work on the photoelectric effect and "other contributions to
theoretical physics." Even then, his revolutionary theories of space and
time were not accepted by many physicists.
Four hundred years ago, the intellectual establishment
had more persuasive methods of preserving the old paradigm. When Galileo
advanced his new theory of gravity and acceleration, which contradicted
Aristotle, the Church threatened him with torture on the rack if he did not
recant. He recanted.
Copernicus, who discovered from meticulous measurements
that the earth revolved around the sun, not vice versa, prudently waited until
after his death to have published his revolutionary conclusions. And Giordano
Bruno, who proposed that the stars in the sky were other suns much like our
own, and might have planets just like our sun does, was a offered a choice:
publicly renounce his theories or be burned at the stake. (Mendoza, 1995) He
held to his truth, and was incinerated as a lesson to those who would challenge
orthodox beliefs.
Today, orthodoxy in science is maintained in more genteel
ways. Ideas and results which challenge the prevailing viewpoint are simply not
published in the mainstream journals, no matter how prestigious the credentials
of the scientist or the care with which the work is done. The distinguished
astronomer Halton Arp decries the present state of scientific publishing:
"The tradition of ‘peer review’ of
articles published in professional journals has degenerated into almost total
censorship. Originally, a reviewer could help an author improve his article by
pointing out errors in calculation, references, clarity, etc., but scientists,
in their fervid attachment to their own theories, have now mostly used their
selection as a referee to reject publication of any result that would be
unfavorable to their own personal commitment…The press, of course, only reports
news from established academic centers that have a strong financial and
prestige interest in glorifying the status quo. The result is that real
investigative science is mostly now an underground activity."(Arp, 2000)
As a result of these conditions, many scientists are
unaware of much of the evidence which has accumulated, which indicates that the
present scientific paradigm is broken. What are some of these phenomena which
modern physics wishes would go away? Until recently, physicists were dreaming
of the "final theory" and thinking themselves very close to achieving
it. In the face of such confidence, what reason is there to believe that the present
scientific edifice is about to undergo a radical face-lift?
First of all, there is "dark matter." This
should be embarrassing to physics. For almost six decades, billions of dollars
have been spent colliding elementary particles together in "atom
smashers," high-energy accelerators. The outcomes of these experiments
became the basis for our modern theories of matter. They were used to predict
the kinds of particles which can occur in the universe. And now, suddenly,
physicists have to admit that between 50% and 95% of the matter in the universe
is of some unknown type that is not predicted by their theories. They know
almost nothing about this form of matter. To quote Princeton Professor of
Physics Jim Peebles, "It is an embarrassment that the dominant forms of matter
in the universe are hypothetical…" (Scott,
2002)
There is also evidence that our theory of gravity, called
"General Relativity," has some glaring weaknesses. Anomalies have
been observed in Foucault pendulums during solar eclipses. They veer off in strange
directions during such events. (Saxl, 1971; Allais, I and II, 1959) These
anomalies are large and have been well-documented. They cannot be explained by
current physics. Instead they have been ignored.
Another example is the furor over "cold
fusion." Most Americans believe the cold fusion debacle in the late
nineteen-eighties was an example of either bad science or fraud. They are
unaware that over 100 laboratories around the world duplicated and verified the
results of those experiments! Among those are five U.S. national laboratories.
They are unaware that one of the hasty studies conducted at MIT, which
supposedly disproved cold fusion, has been discovered to have doctored its
data, and that its initial tests also confirmed the reality of cold fusion.
(Mallove 1991, 1997; Bokris, 1999)
The average scientist or citizen would be even more
surprised to learn that EPRI, the large, non-profit research institute funded
by the nation's electric utilities, conducted an extensive $10 million dollar
evaluation of "cold fusion." Their conclusion is that cold fusion
works:
"This work confirms the claims of
Fleishman, Pons, and Hawkins [the inventors
of cold fusion] of the production of excess
heat in deuterium loaded palladium cathodes at levels too huge for chemical
transformation...Further, excess energy exceeds that of known chemical
processes by two or more orders of magnitude." (Mallove,
1997; EPRI, 1994)
Likewise, the United States Navy recently completed their
own painstaking evaluation of this technology. After all, it would certainly be
useful for submarines and ships. Their conclusion: "...we do know the
existence of Cold Fusion phenomenon through repeated observations by scientists
throughout the world." (Szpak, 2002) These very positive evaluations of cold
fusion never received any press coverage, while the "debunking"
result of MIT received the highest level news attention.
Cold fusion is a technology which directly threatens a
large and powerful industry (oil) and this may explain, in part, the intensity
of the opposition it experienced. But it also presented a phenomenon which does
not fit in with present theories of physics, and thus presents a challenge to
orthodox science.
These examples are from the "hard sciences."
Even more dramatic conflicts are seen in the areas of consciousness studies and
paranormal effects. "Paranormal" is often viewed as a pejorative
term, but it usefully categorizes a broad class of phenomena which defy the
present scientific paradigm, and for which there is good scientific evidence.
One of these is "remote viewing". This is a
process by which a person goes into a light trance and can describe distant
objects or events. It has been demonstrated to be successful in a two-decade
program conducted by the U.S. military. Despite public disclaimers that it did
not work, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, as we will see in
Chapter 1. How it works is a mystery which defies our present understanding of
space and time, and of physical laws.
Part of the power of remote viewing is its ability to
examine targets which are truly "remote" in space and time. One of
the great anomalies of this new science is that time and distance do not seem
to matter. The target can be ten feet away or ten thousand miles away. And even
more surprising, a target event in the past or in the future can be examined
just as easily and accurately as one in the present. The consciousness of the
viewer seems able to "go" there with equal ease.
This completely violates one of the cardinal laws of
contemporary physics, that of "causality," which means that cause
must precede effect. And yet solid and statistically valid evidence has
accumulated which proves that this law does not hold for remote viewing.(Jahn,
1987, 1992)
During such experiments, at the location of the target a
strange and anomalous energy has been seen and measured in some cases. Early
evidence suggests that some form of energy or "consciousness" can
actually travel to the site being remote-viewed, and causes measurable disturbances.
(Osis, 1980; PRC, 1982; Yonjie, 1982; Hubbard, 1987) This is an unknown form of
energy which defies present physics, but may hold the key to consciousness and
to many kinds of psychic phenomena.
Similar, possibly related, anomalous forms of energy have
been documented in haunted houses, where they have been photographed on
hundreds of occasions. They often appear as rapidly moving orbs, and create
measurable magnetic and electrical anomalies, further supporting the notion
that these energy forms are in some sense "real." Could these energy
forms, which carry consciousness and survive death, be the human soul, or some
aspect of it? Is our science on the verge of a breakthrough which will
enlighten us about our own immortality?
These are just a few examples of areas in which serious
scientific research is uncovering facts which violate modern physics. They
suggest that the present scientific model is limited, and has left out some
important phenomena. It may be that, when physics begins to acknowledge these
new phenomena, it will evolve into a more advanced, comprehensive and
enlightened system of knowledge.
Professor Willis Harmon of Stanford University has called
this the "Third Scientific Revolution," because it goes far beyond
the discoveries of Newtonian Physics at the dawn of the Renaissance, and the
Einsteinian-Quantum revolution one hundred years ago. The new revolution deals
with consciousness and subtle forms of energy which have, until now, been
neglected by western science. To quote Professor Harmon:
"The fundamental insight behind the
'Third Scientific Revolution" is the view that the existence of states of
higher organizational complexity cannot be understood merely through
lower-level laws and system-components. The self-organizing properties of matter
and of life cannot be fully explained in terms of the physical sciences and
molecular biology; completely new fundamental principles will be
required." (Harmon, 1995)
Some of these new discoveries will lead to new inventions
and technology which will revolutionize our world. Science is learning that
"empty space," for example, is not so empty after all. It is filled
with energy. (Boyer 1969, 1975; Puthoff, 1989; Cole, 1993) This energy can be
tapped to produce clean, abundant, cheap forms of power which can replace
fossil fuel, relieve us of our dependence on oil and save the environment.
The energy in the vacuum may be manipulated to produce
miraculous new forms of propulsion. The "physics of Star Trek" seems more like
science and less like fiction every year. (Millis, 1999; Haish, 1997; Puthoff,
1997) We are discovering that parallel dimensions and higher dimensions, long
the domain of speculation by theorists, may be quite real after all. And some
of the energy forms in the vacuum may be key to understanding the paranormal
effects which are being discovered.
In these books, we review the large number of phenomena
which have now been established experimentally as real, and yet which violate
present day physics, or at the very least pose a serious challenge to it. Our
thesis is that it is time for physics to begin to seriously address these
breakdowns in conventional science.
From this, a new scientific revolution will result, with
a much deeper understanding of the universe and our place in it. Scientists
today work on the "Unified Field Theory" and call it the "theory
of everything." And yet, they are not aware of, or even trying to explain,
broad classes of phenomena which have been proven to occur in our universe.
Without including these, a correct unified field theory can never be found.
At the end of this volume, after reviewing some of this
evidence, we shall offer some suggestions about how such a new theory might be
constructed. It is far from the final word on such a complex and ambitious
project. But we offer our ideas on the shape of the "new" physics as
a sort of "prelude", in the spirit of "here are some ideas that
might work."
This is a voyage into a new era of science. Like
Columbus, we know that the world is not flat. It still may be dangerous to tell
others that. Old beliefs die hard. But there is an exciting, much larger, world
out there, waiting for the "new physics" to sail into it. It is an
exciting world with undreamed-of possibilities...
Personal Growth and Transformation
So that is how my journey began, more than fifteen years
ago. Since then I have met some amazing and wonderful people. I have been
helped in my journey by so many. And in the process, something else unexpected
happened. I began to realize that these new "laws" I was learning
about applied to me directly.
Much of the physics of the paranormal involves
consciousness. It involves the human ‘soul’, if you will. You cannot talk about
the paranormal for very long without encountering the human soul. How is it
that the remote viewer can send his consciousness half way around the world to
read documents in a safe? What actually goes there? It is certainly the center
of his awareness, based on how he describes the experience. Is it his soul or
some part of it? There is now evidence to suggest that perhaps it is.
In some out-of-body (OBE) and near-death (NDE) cases, as
well as in actual death cases, a physical manifestation is seen or measured. A
faint glowing orb has been witnessed which may be the physical manifestation of
this energy. It has affected electronic sensors, such as strain gauges and
optical sensors. It has even been photographed. This seat of consciousness, or
soul or some aspect of it, is very real.
When one studies the evidence for reincarnation, again it
is surprising how much high quality evidence there is. Thousands of cases have
been painstakingly researched by highly qualified academic
scientists.(Stevenson, 1960,1977,1975) The findings are persuasive, even
overwhelming. Once more it reinforces the notion that the soul, the identity,
continues after death. It makes us realize that we humans are much more than we
have been taught.
And when you see enough evidence that the human
consciousness does not need a physical body to operate, then it opens up the
idea of non-physical intelligences. The new physics will have to account for a
"field of consciousness," and it may have to deal with the idea that
intelligence and awareness does not require a physical body in the sense we are
used to.
There have been important breakthroughs in research on
reincarnation, near-death experiences, energy healing, the power of prayer, and
non-physical consciousness. Many of these will be reviewed here. It is but a
short step from this point to realize that the new science begins to resemble,
or at least support, some of the tenets of religion. Not any specific dogmatic
religion, but the general principles underlying all religions.
As we stumble our way towards the ultimate "unified
field theory," we may find to our surprise that it bridges the gulf
between science and religion. As our understanding becomes more profound, the
differences between these two belief systems may become smaller.
There is, after all, only one universe. There is only one
true description of it at the deepest level. This understanding would heal the
rift warned of by the Hopi. It would offer an integrated view of the universe
and of man. This would be the ultimate "unified field theory." These
books are intended to help us as we journey toward that goal.
Wait; don’t forget Dr.
Swanson has written a second book that you will not want to miss!
LIFE FORCE, The
Scientific Basis
INTRODUCTION
The
Unification of Science and Spirit
The
“Life Force” is central to many forms of energy healing, such as Reiki and
Qigong . It is the energy which flows in the acupuncture system of the body,
and is basic to alternative medicine. In Traditional Chinese medicine it
is called chi (or “Qi,” both pronounced “chee”). In Hindu Ayurvedic medicine it
is called “prana.” In other cultures it has been called od, orgone, bioplasma,
bioenergy, biogravity, and many other names. In the West today it is often
called “subtle energy.” It is believed to respond to and interact with
consciousness. In fact, it may be the essence of consciousness itself.
Recent
scientific discoveries are proving that this ancient, almost mythological,
energy is actually very real. Its effects have been measured in the laboratory.
It constitutes a fifth force which has been overlooked by Western physics. It
explains many of the puzzling phenomena which have baffled science, including
long range healing, paranormal phenomena, and even anomalies in cosmology such
as “dark energy XE "dark energy" ” and “dark matter XE "dark
matter”.”
It is
the “building energy,” which reverses entropy, brings order out of chaos, and
makes life possible. It has led to explicit equations, experiments, patents and
inventions, and has advanced from speculation to concrete reality as a genuine
scientific revolution. It creates a bridge between the old paradigm of
space-time and a new higher dimensional reality, which leads to a new model of
consciousness and a potential unification of science and spirituality.
In this
far-reaching and comprehensive book, the scientific evidence for the Life Force
and its characteristics are described as they relate to healing, life processes,
materials science, sacred geometry , sacred sites, quantum physics, and
emerging new technologies. This book takes the next step in expanding physics
to include subtle energy and the science of consciousness.
Personal
History
As a young
boy growing up in Virginia, I used to look up at the stars with wonder. They
seemed so bright and close. If you lie on your back in the grass it feels as
though you can almost touch them. Growing up close to nature raised many
questions for me. How does the universe work? Where do we come from? What is
this connection we feel to the stars? I wanted to understand. In High School
when I started a personal journal I named it “Why?”
I remember a
simple experiment I did in those days. Standing under the stars at night, I
would spin around. My arms were pulled up from my sides as the stars appeared
to spin above me. This is the familiar effect we call centrifugal force. But I
noticed that it only happens when the stars above appear to be spinning. I wondered
even then, “Is there a connection between the distant stars and the forces we
feel here on earth?” To me as a child, there was a sense that things are
connected. I wanted to understand how it all worked.
Pursuing my
curiosity, I went to MIT and earned a degree in physics. There I learned that
this same idea of connection had been proposed by the German philosopher Ernst
Mach. Einstein had been impressed with this concept, and tried to include
it in his theory of gravity. However, when the theory was finished, his model
predicted that a universe with no stars would still have centrifugal force. So
the deep connection between distant matter and forces here on earth was still
missing.
I continued
my education at Princeton University, where I earned a Ph. D. in physics. I
worked in the Gravity Group there, which uses new technology to explore the
deep structure of the cosmos. Although I studied with some brilliant minds and
learned the physics that was available at the time, many unanswered questions
still troubled me.
For example,
even today physics has one theory for phenomena at the very small scales,
called quantum physics, and a different theory for large scale things like
galaxies and the Universe itself. It is called General Relativity. These are
very different theories. Despite almost a hundred years of intense work, they
have never really been combined into the long sought “unified field theory.”
Such a theory would connect the small scale with the large scale. It made me
wonder if perhaps there is some missing concept which is needed before this
unification can occur, before the “final theory” is discovered.
This
incomplete aspect of physics also shows up in the many things that physics
cannot explain. There are really fundamental quantities, such as the charge on
the electron, that it seems physics should be able to calculate. Yet it cannot
(but see: Wyler, 1972). No one can predict what it should be based on accepted
theory. They have to use the measured value. This seemed to me to be another
sign that physics is still missing some unifying concepts.
There was
also the troubling aspect of the vacuum. In physics, the vacuum of space is a
very important subject. According to quantum physics, it is far from empty. It
is filled with energy. This is called the Zero Point Energy. If you try to
calculate how much energy is there, you get enormous values. In fact, the
problem was that you would often get infinity for your answer! I
was told, “Don’t worry about it. Just subtract it out!” I learned to do this,
but I wondered, what else are we throwing out when we subtract out such a huge
amount of energy?
In many ways
it seemed to me that the vacuum was precisely where the connection between the
distant stars and the small particles of quantum physics came together. All
those particles out there are constantly radiating energy. Could this not be
the origin of the Zero Point Energy of the vacuum? If we put this in correctly,
might we not connect the small with the large? Might this not be one of the
missing ideas of the long sought unified theory?
The strangest
thing in physics was the way it treated consciousness. It was proposed a
century ago by Niels Bohr that, in quantum physics, human consciousness has the
power to disturb experiments. Just a peek causes something called “quantum wave
function collapse,” which means you just destroyed those nice wave patterns
your particles were in. So consciousness is really powerful. Once you have
looked, the particle behaves differently. And yet, despite this
enormously important role consciousness plays, physicists have avoided studying
it ever since! It is hard to publish anything on consciousness in
the mainstream physics journals. This made no sense to me at all. If consciousness
is that powerful and that important, it should be studied more than
all those particles. But it is not.
Many of the
new breakthroughs described in this book stem from these two oversights in the
“old physics” of the Twentieth Century: the enormous amount of energy in the
vacuum, and the power of consciousness. These two elements are related.
Experiments suggest that consciousness can alter the structure of the vacuum.
This is the origin of many of the powers of the mind discussed here.
After
graduate school, I continued my research. I began to hear about strange
phenomena that violate the rules of science. One of these was Remote Viewing.
It involves the supposed ability of someone in a light trance to send his
consciousness out into the universe, bringing back detailed information about
places and things. Supposedly one could even use this to explore distant events
in space and time. Accuracy was said to be independent of distance. If
true, such an ability would violate all the rules of physics I had just
learned!
In later
years I took several courses in Remote Viewing. I experienced first-hand how it
feels. Following the procedure, you can focus in on a target and experience an
event as though you are there, even if it is ten thousand miles away or happened
a thousand years ago. This ability completely defies Western physics. There is
no force we know of that can explain it. Yet, hundreds of thousands of
experiments have been conducted which prove it is real. The government ran an
intelligence program for twenty years using these techniques. Experiments show
that we all have the ability. These results are described in The
Synchronized Universe (Swanson, 2003), which we shall refer to
hereafter as “Volume I.”
Such a power
is only possible if the universe is connected. Space and time must
not be the barriers we have been taught. As I explored further, I
found other phenomena which also violate the current rules of physics. They are
all related to consciousness, that important subject physics had neglected. At
the present time, the Princeton PEAR Lab has accumulated more than thirty
years of research (Jahn, 1981, 1987a; Dunne, 1992, 1995) on these effects. The
cumulative odds that they could be explained by chance alone are now less than
one part in several trillion. In other words, these consciousness phenomena are
real. They have been proven by the rigorous standards of science.
They show us that the universe is connected, that events which are far distant
in space and time can be accessed by consciousness.
Yet
mainstream physicists don’t know about these results. In some cases they have
been taught to ridicule these subjects, without ever investigating them
(Gell-Mann, 1995; Parks, 2001). There is an artificial barrier in science
today. Editors of many mainstream journals will not publish such subjects,
calling them too “controversial.” As a result, thousands of academic scientists
labor to create better theories of the universe while blissfully unaware of
mountains of important data they need to include, which describe these forces
they are unaware of.
One day in my
early exploration I was introduced to an “energy healer,” Mietek Wirkus, who
had recently immigrated from Poland. Although he spoke no English, his wife
translated for him as I interviewed him. I had been told by a medical doctor
friend that Mietek could recognize broken bones which had been healed many
years earlier, and had demonstrated some abilities against other ailments. He
was undergoing lab testing by scientists to try to understand how he was able
to do what he did.
This was a
new and foreign subject to me at the time. Mietek explained his procedure. He
showed me a diagram of the auras and chakras, which are said to be part of the
energy field surrounding our bodies. Since I could not see such things, and had
not read much about it, I listened but reserved judgment.
Then Mietek
gave me a demonstration. For fifteen minutes I could hear him breathing as he
moved his hands slowly around me, starting at the back. He was always at least
a foot away, and sometimes more than ten feet from me. He said nothing. After a
few minutes I began to notice a feeling of well being and calm. By the end of
the session I was overflowing with abundant positive energy, feeling exuberant.
I have rarely felt so good in my entire life. I still cannot explain what he
did, but I had experienced powerful healing energy first hand.
That was
almost twenty years ago. Since then I have delved deeply into the research
literature on energy healing. In the chapters that follow, I will describe what
we know scientifically about it. In recent years, some of the Chinese healers
have begun working with scientists. They have been demonstrating some of the
same puzzling effects that we found in Remote Viewing. One type of Chinese healing
is called Qigong (chee-gong). Some of these masters can project
this energy from their bodies, resulting in healing of patients thousands of
miles away. The lab data and references for this are included in Chapters 1 and
2. As with remote viewing, it does not weaken with distance and penetrates
virtually all barriers. In experiments by physicists it causes other measurable
effects: alters radioactivity, bends laser beams, changes water bonding, and
even causes mechanical forces.
As my
research has proceeded, I began to realize that many of the anomalies I was
encountering relate to this special energy of consciousness. As described in
Volume I, Hindu yogis undergo special breathing techniques called pranayama to
build up this energy in their bodies before performing their remarkable feats.
Energy healers also build it up before healing. This is what Mietek
Wirkus was doing before working on me.
This special
energy is called chi or Qi (“chee”) by the Chinese. When it is present,
the laws of physics are changed. Strange things occur which are not accounted
for in Western physics. Physics has overlooked this important energy. I called
it the “Life Force” in the title of this book, because it is essential for
life. And as I delved further into it, I began to realize that this energy has
been around a long time. While unknown in the West, it has been the central
technology of many ancient societies.
Rediscovering
an Ancient Force
“For the
Ancients, the world was composed of four elements, water, earth, air and fire,
which are none other than the three states of matter (liquid, solid and
gaseous), fire or heat being what was “added” to pass from one state to
another. The Druids added a fifth element, Nwyvre, contained in all the others
and in which they saw an image of the universal structure of matter and a
symbol of God.” (Mereaux, 1981), quoted in (Devereux, 1999)
There
was a tradition in ancient Europe of a special energy which flowed through the
landscape. It was said to flow along special paths called ley lines, which
converged at megalithic sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury. It
played a crucial role in the fertility of crops and the success of the harvest.
A similar tradition existed in China, going back more than 4,000 years. The
Chinese called this energy “chi” or “Qi,” and considered it to be the Life
Force, essential for the health of people and crops. As in Europe, it was
believed to flow along special paths in the ground called “dragon paths,” which
converged at temples and sacred sites. According to Chinese law it was illegal
to bury a commoner on such a line. The science of controlling this energy was
called feng shui.
This same
energy was believed to flow in all living things. In Chinese medicine it had
two polarities, yin and yang. When the quantities
and flow of these were in balance, health resulted. When out of balance,
illness and misfortune occurred. Traditional Chinese doctors were paid to keep
the energies in balance in their patients, just as the feng shui masters
were paid to maintain energy balance in the land.
A Chinese
scholar of the 14th century commented on the universal role of
the life force energy, both in the land and in the body:
“In the
subterranean regions there are alternate layers of earth and rock and flowing
spring waters. These strata rest upon thousands of vapours (Qi) which are
distributed in tens of thousands of branches, veins and threadlike openings…The
body of the earth is like that of a human being…Ordinary people, not being able
to see the veins and vessels which are disposed in order within the body of
man, think that it is no more than a lump of solid flesh. Likewise, not being
able to see the veins and vessels which are disposed in order under the ground,
they think that the earth is just a homogeneous mass.”
--Chen
Ssu-Hsiao (d. 1332 AD), quoted in (Creightmore, 2001)
The tradition
of this energy extended around the world in ancient times. In India it was
called prana or vril, and was central to
Vedic science and medicine. In Australia the Aborigines believed it came
from the sun and flowed along special paths in the ground they called
“Songlines.” In annual ceremonies they walked for hundreds of miles along these
lines, in rituals to energize them so they would carry the “life force” to
their crops and villages (Devereux, 1999, 2003). There were similar traditions
around the ley lines of the Druids in England and for the “dragon lines” of the
Chinese.
The energy which
flowed was called mana by the Polynesians, orendo by
the Iroquois, waken or wakonda by the Sioux
(Lakota), baraka in North Africa, and pneuma by
the ancient Greeks (Devereux, 1999; Michell, 1969). Where belief in this energy
existed, large megalithic sites and straight ley line features can
often still be found today. These structures appear to have been built to
control and channel it. In a similar way, traditional healers in those
cultures, the Chinese doctors, Hindu yogis, shamen and medicine men from many
countries practiced controlling and balancing this energy in their patients.
And in the hidden traditions of adepts and mystics, the practice of breathing
and conscious manipulation of this energy was developed to a high art.
With the
recent interchange of knowledge between East and West, new information about
this force is becoming available. During President Nixon’s trip to China in
1972, a member of the party, New York Times correspondent
James Reston, developed acute appendicitis and underwent an emergency
appendectomy by Chinese doctors. They used acupuncture XE
"acupuncture" to relieve some of his post-operative pain, and
Secretary of State Kissinger talked about it at a subsequent press conference
(Reston, 1971). Later Reston traveled around China doing research on it and
wrote articles about his experience. Chinese medicine suddenly became front
page news in America. And with it, there has been a rebirth of interest in this
energy.
Prior to
that, other Western scientists attempted to study this mysterious force, but
none met with acceptance. Beginning in the 1840’s, the great German chemist and
industrialist Baron von Reichenbach conducted systematic, painstaking, studies
over many decades. He used “sensitives,” people who could see this energy after
spending several hours adapting to the dark. In this way he amassed a huge
database describing how it behaves, what creates it and how it interacts with
electricity, heat and chemistry. He lived in the era of Faraday and
Maxwell, when the laws of electricity were just being discovered. His force was
different, and somewhat weak and elusive. In the end, science lost interest in
it. It did not fit the developing paradigm of electromagnetism. Later other
Western scientists rediscovered this force. In Germany Viktor Schauberger
accidentally discovered it in his experiments with water in the 1920’s, and
later Dr. Wilhelm Reich happened upon it as he sought to understand the
energies of life.
Despite all
of this, today it is still considered to be a fantasy by many Western
scientists. Yet new discoveries are proving, once and for all, that this energy
is real. Korean scientists have identified and photographed the tiny channels
called acupuncture meridians that are basic to Oriental medicine and carry this
energy throughout the body. Russian and Eastern European physicists have
demonstrated in the laboratory that this energy obeys certain laws unlike any
other force. They have developed mathematical equations describing its
behavior, and even applied it to new patents and inventions. Its behavior is
revolutionary in that it alters every other force. Most interesting of all, it
responds to human consciousness.
One of the
unusual qualities of this energy, which we call the “life force” and the
Russians call “torsion,” is that it affects the flow of time. It may
also be the key to understanding “dark energy” and “dark matter,” which
have been found in deep space by astronomers, and do not fit into our current
understanding of particles or forces. Russian scientists have identified two
different forms of this energy, one which twists to the right and one which
twists to the left. They have opposite effects on the flow of time and entropy
XE "entropy" , and resemble in many ways the Chinese concepts of yin
and yang, the two polarities of chi. Many experiments have now validated the
existence of this energy, although awareness of it in Western science has been
slow.
One form of
this energy can decrease “entropy,” which is a measure of randomness. This
force may hold the answer to why the universe did not “wind down” into a
chaotic mass of gas long ago, and instead is vibrant with structures, even
today giving birth to new stars and galaxies. The living body, which burns
oxygen and carbon, also creates order out of chaos, and has long been
considered as a potential violator of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, a place
where entropy may be decreasing and order increasing. And gravity itself
is a third process in which order may increase over time, posing one more
challenge to mainstream science (Prigogine, 1980, 1989). According
to Russian research, which we describe in Chapters 7 and 8, the life force or
subtle energy, which they call “torsion,” is central to all these processes.
An emerging
model based on this force appears capable of explaining many of the puzzling
phenomena of alternative medicine, such as long distance healing and the power
of Qigong, described in Chapters 1 and 2. It may explain how energy healers and
Qigong masters project their influence over thousands of miles, achieving
successful diagnosis and remarkable cures. This new force lays a foundation for
understanding homeopathy, radionics, and other components of alternative
medicine which cannot be explained by the Western materialistic paradigm.
One goal of
this book is to collect the “best evidence” from many sources, to understand
how this energy of consciousness behaves. It does not matter whether it is
called the “life force,” subtle energy, torsion, prana or chi. It has been
given many names through the years, but it is time to develop a single theory
which can explain it, and include it in an expanded paradigm. We are at the
beginning of a far-reaching scientific revolution. As the laws of Western
physics adapt to these new discoveries, it will enable us to integrate
consciousness within science at long last. The mind has previously unsuspected
powers, spoken of in many wisdom traditions. Integrating these with science
will change the laws of physics and will greatly expand our understanding of
ourselves.
The Crisis in
Health Care
The new
science of subtle energy has a direct impact on our lives. It introduces new
technologies and new ways of looking at the world at just the time when our
present system is in crisis. Not only are we facing an environmental crisis, as
our conventional technology based on fossil fuels and mass production is
affecting climate and loss of species, but conventional medicine is also
failing to meet the challenges of exploding costs and new diseases which do not
respond to conventional treatment. Subtle energy, as it is used in alternative
medicine, may offer a solution to this crisis.
“The fact is
that the U. S. population does not have anywhere near the best health in the
world. Of 13 countries in a recent comparison, the United States ranks an
average of 12th (second from the bottom) for 16 available
health indicators.”
–Dr. Rustum
Roy, Professor of Materials Science, Pennsylvania State University, Founder of
Friends of Health (Roy, 2004b)
According
to a recent study, U. S. medical care is falling behind European countries
despite the belief by many in the United States that their health care is
superior. “Countries in order of their average ranking on the health care
indicators, with the first being the best, are Japan, Sweden, Canada, France,
Australia, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark,
Belgium, the United States, and Germany (Starfield, 2000).
Rankings of
the United States medical care, based on these indicators, is (Starfield, 2000;
Roy, 2004b):
- 13th (last)
for low-birth-weight percentages
- 13th (last)
for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall
- 11th for
post-neonatal mortality
- 13th (last)
for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)
- 11th for
life expectancy at one year for females
- 12th for
life expectancy at one year for males
- 10th for
life expectancy at 15 years for females
- 12th for
life expectancy at 15 years for males
- 10th for
life expectancy at 40 years for females
- 9th for
life expectancy at 40 years for males
- 10th for
age adjusted mortality
The World
Health Organization XE "World Health Organization" (WHO), using
very different indicators, ranks the U.S. even worse, 15th among
25 industrialized countries. At the same time, the U.S. National Research
Council estimates that approximately 76,000 Americans die annually from medical
errors, in addition to 108,000 who die each year from drug interactions. (Roy,
2004b).
Despite the
low rankings based on quality XE "quality" , the cost of U.S. health
care rose at an annual rate of 9.6 % from 1970 to 2007, far in excess of
any other commodity or service. It is by far the most expensive health care in
the world, per capita.
A recent
initiative announced by several leaders in Integrative Medicine XE
"Integrative Medicine" , led by Drs. Deepak Chopra XE "Chopra,
Deepak" , Dean Ornish, Andrew Weil and Rustum Roy XE "Roy, Rustum"
(Chopra, 2009), pointed out that in 2007, $2.1 trillion was spent in the
U.S. on medical care, or 16.5% of the gross national product. Of this, 95 per
cent was spent on disease after it had already occurred. In cardiology in
2006,
“…according
to data provided by the American Heart Association, 1.3 million coronary
angioplasty XE "angioplasty" procedures
were performed at an average cost of $48,399 each, or more than $60 billion;
and 448,000 coronary bypass operations were performed at a cost of $99,743
each, or more than $44 billion. In other words, Americans spent more than $100
billion in 2006 for these two procedures alone.
“Despite
these costs, a randomized controlled trial published in April, 2007 in the New
England Journal of Medicine found that angioplasties and stents do not prolong
life or even prevent heart attacks in stable patients (i.e. 95% of those who
receive them). Coronary bypass surgery prolongs life in less than 3% of
patients who receive it. So, Medicare and other insurers and individuals pay
billions for surgical procedures like angioplasty XE
"angioplasty" and bypass surgery that are
usually dangerous, invasive, expensive, and largely ineffective.” (Chopra,
2009)
At the
same time, there has been an explosion in diseases which do not readily respond
to the Western allopathic model. That is, they do not respond to drugs or
surgery. Such diseases include many forms of cancer, autoimmune diseases such
as arthritis and lupus, Type II diabetes XE "diabetes" , degenerative
nerve and muscle diseases, and lifestyle diseases which arise from stress or
poor diet.
More
Americans are sensing this failure of the health system, because of its
escalating cost and its resistance to innovations. As a result, more people are
turning to alternative health care which use the entire range of available
remedies, including naturopathic and energetic approaches. From 1990 to 1997
the number of patients using an alternative therapy grew by approximately 24%,
and their visits to alternative therapy providers grew accordingly. The table
below summarizes these results for that time period:
TABLE
1
METEORIC
RISE OF WHOLE PERSON MEDICINE (Roy, 2004b)
|
1990
|
1997
|
Percentage
of patients using any one of 16 alternative therapies
|
33.8%
|
42.15%
|
Percentage
of patients visiting an alternative therapy provider
|
36.3%
|
46.3%
|
Percentage
disclosed to the physician
|
39.8%
|
38.5%
|
Percentage
paying out of pocket
|
64%
|
58.3%
|
Total
visits to alternative therapy provider (millions)
|
427
|
629
|
Expenditures
for Alternative therapy services ($ billions)
|
14.6
|
21.2
|
Integrative
Medicine can be something as simple as a return to a healthy lifestyle, more
exercise, reducing meat intake, avoiding smoking, and reducing stress. These
changes have enormous benefit for avoiding illness and maintaining health. In
cases where illness is more advanced, Integrative Medicine often assists the
body in returning to health, by helping bring its natural energies into balance
or increasing its available energy when needed. Central to many of these
healing methods is the manipulation of the body’s own vital energy, its “life
force energy,” the “chi” (Qi ) of Chinese medicine.
Techniques
such as acupuncture and Qigong, which have been practiced in China for
thousands of years, are methods of balancing and controlling this energy. These
techniques are now making slow inroads into American medicine. In 2005 a
scholarly article confirming the physiological effectiveness of acupuncture
(Cho, 1998) was published by the National Academy of Sciences (Meridians,
2002). We will discuss their results at greater length in Chapter 4.
Acupuncture,
as well as many other techniques in Oriental and Alternative medicine, have
been found effective over many years of use (Jenerick, 1973; Wiseman, 1991;
Helms, 1995) and often with fewer negative side effects than drugs or surgery.
However, their acceptance in the West has been slowed by the absence of a
scientific model which can account for their effects. One of the goals of this
book is to collect the scientific evidence which describes the physics of the life
force energy, and to help build a scientific model which explains its crucial
role in healing.
A Scientific
Revolution is Underway
Subtle energy
is but one indication that a scientific revolution is underway. Many things are
being discovered in the laboratory that challenge current scientific theory.
Every year there are more anomalies, pieces of the puzzle that just don’t fit
the present paradigm. This is the classic pattern at the beginning of a
scientific revolution.
One area
that’s not being ignored because it’s too big to ignore is “dark matter.”
Physicists years ago confidently believed that their theories were nearly
complete, that they almost had the “theory of everything.” Now they have to
admit that up to 95% of the matter in the universe is of some type that we
don’t understand at all. To quote Professor David Spergel of the Department of
Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University and the Department of Astronomy,
University of Maryland (Spergel, 2000)...[excerpt from the book]
To contact Dr. Claude Swanson, for Radio Programs, Interviews,
and Lectures or to simply ask questions, contact him at: Claude_v_swanson@yahoo.com
