Psychic Ability and Magnetic Fields

Many years ago I was involved with the New Age movement and specifically psychic healing.  At that time I learned the concept of Chakras, spinning centers of energy located in various parts of the body, which were deeply related to fundamental emotional states that we experience.  It seems that there is some science coming on line that supports this notion of spinning energy in the body.  Not only that, this energy is also related to the earth’s magnetic field and is affected by solar events.  I find it all truly mind-blowing, so of course I’m going to share it.

There is absolutely something to this.  The information comes from a wide variety of sources with varying degrees of formal legitimacy, ranging from none, to bulletproof.  However, it all fits together and forms a larger picture.  The human body has its own magnetic field, including spin and according to Dr. Buryl Payne, this can be measured with a very simple device that he calls a biofield meter:

This is his claim:

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE Biofield?

* Measurements of the Biofield have shown that it is highly variable and closely associated with magnetic changes of the Earth’s field.

* During strong geomagnetic disturbances the Biofield will vary in both amplitude and polarity. (that is, initial direction of rotation of the Biofield Meter.)

* There is a polarity change 85% of the time around new or full moon.

* People are more stressed and hyperactive during periods of geomagnetic disturbance. Accidents, illness, crimes, and international battles are all more likely to happen at these times.

* Weather storms often are more severe at times of geomagnetic disturbances. The Biofield also varies accordingly.

Taken alone, this idea might seem preposterous, but other areas of science confirm this connection between the earth’s magnetic field and the human body.  This is the data that really caught my attention:

What you are looking at is 96 hours of magnometer data from three different station from September 2001. (measurements of the earth’s magnetic field.) Do you see where it spikes?  That’s September 11, 2001 and shortly afterwards.  There appears to be a connection between human activity and the earth’s magnetic field.  So here we have humans reacting to earth magnetic activity and the earth’s magnetic field reacting to human activity  Clearly, something important is going on here.

Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D., C.Psych.  provides an explanation:  (hat tip to Sandy at http://sandstonesquarry.blogspot.com/)

Introduction: The Electromagnetic Bases of Consciousness

There is converging evidence that consciousness associated with the cerebral volume of the human brain may be identical with or strongly correlated with complex configurations of magnetic fields whose intensities are within the picoTesla (10^-12 T) range (Anninos et al, 1991; Persinger and Lavallee, 2010). In comparison, magnetic field strengths in the order of 10^-10 T within galaxies and galaxy clusters (Opher et al, 2009) and (unamplified) values with upper limits in the 10^-13 T range (Neronov and Vovk, 2010) for extragalactic fields have been measured or inferred. They might be considered superimposed upon cerebral values. In this paper, convergence of quantitative estimates and theoretical arguments suggest that the conditions for consciousness may be more universal than anticipated.

What Persinger is saying here is that the earth’s magnetosphere contains complex configurations very similar to the brain at roughly the same intensity as the brain.  You can also find similar magnetic field strengths in other galaxies and galaxy clusters.

We intuited that the application of very complex, weak magnetic fields would have the potential to interact with the subtle but complex neuroelectromagnetic processes associated with consciousness and the subtle nuances that define human experience.

Very low frequency, very weak (similar to the intensity generated by a computer screen) complex magnetic fields applied with specific types of geometry through the temporoparietal regions of the brain were selected because of their penetrability. The metaphor for employing these fields, rather than the very intense simple sine-wave fields known to induce conspicuous currents, was the following. If you and I were listening to a pure tone of 1,000 Hz, we would probably not respond unless it was about 100 dB; then we would leave because the amplitude would be aversive.  However, if I whispered “help me” at 20 dB, a magnitude thousands of times less intense, you would respond to the pattern of this combination of simple sounds. The critical factors are the complexity and information rather than the intensity.

Persinger is making an important point here.  Intensity is not the deciding factor in whether we respond to stimuli, (unless it overwhelms our senses); it’s about whether the physical stimuli have meaning for our brain and body.  Another example he uses is air pressure.  The weight of air pressure on our bodies is thousands of times greater than the air pressure necessary for us to hear speech, but this air pressure has no meaning for us so we don’t even know it’s there.  In contrast, we’re very aware of sounds.  From this logic, he makes the argument that just because human magnetic fields are very weak, that does not mean that they are irrelevant.  His experiments prove this point.

In fact, exposing people to complex magnetic fields can invoke paranormal experiences.  When induced on the left side of the brain, these experiences are frightening, on the right side, they are typically neutral or positive.  Small electrical fields, such as from an alarm clock very near the head, can be enough to induce these experiences in some people.  This magnetic field can even be modified to create what is called the God Experience.

Skeptics such as Michael Shermer mistakenly see this as proof that consciousness resides solely in the brain and that psychic ability is a belief generated by artifacts created by the brain.  But it is significant that Persinger does not draw this conclusion:  He states:

Science is the pursuit of the unknown. Although most reports of paranormal experiences reflect intrinsic changes within the experient’s brain, due to the consequences of sudden changes in life style or trauma, there is evidence that some paranormal experiences may be transformations of information not normally accessible. We have employed the approach that measurement rather than dismissal of claims is more beneficial for neuroscience and for the patient.

If I told you 150 years ago that you could be in two places at once (separated by thousands of miles), you would have considered the statement irrational, even crazy. However, if I told you today that you can talk on a telephone and be functionally a few thousand miles away, simultaneously, interacting with the neurocognitive processes of another person, you might consider the revelation pedestrian. The difference between your responses to the two statements is understanding mechanism and the process.

He also found that there was a high co-relation between the level of geomagnetic activity and psychic ability in a study that compared the level of geomagnetic activity with the success of parapsychological dream studies done by the Dream Laboratory of the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn during the 1960’s.  More important though, is his more recent research into telepathy.  In his own words:

What we have found is that if you place two different people at a distance and put a circular magnetic field around both, and you make sure they are connected to the same computer so they get the same stimulation, then if you flash a light in one person’s eye the person in the other room receiving just the magnetic field will show changes in their brain as if they saw the flash of light. We think that’s tremendous because it may be the first macro demonstration of a quantum connection, or so-called quantum entanglement. If true, then there’s another way of potential communication that may have physical applications, for example, in space travel.”

To sum this up, this is pretty important stuff to anyone who is psychic.  Our abilities wax and wane with the earth’s magnetosphere whether we realize it or not.  We are subject to forces that we have no way of controlling and we probably would have a difficult time getting real time data about them.  This is, apparently an important clue into the mysterious functioning of psychic ability and the last experiment discussed is very much a demonstration of weak electromagnetism functioning as a conduit for entanglement, which in turn demonstrates a mechanism for telepathy.  I would love to be involved in these experiments, unfortunately, this is in Canada and I’m out on the West Coast.  Still, this is some awesome information.

Woo Hoo!!