Psishaman Parapsychology

In my last post, I described a study that found possible evidence to suggest that retro-PK effects may be modulated by certain phases of the lunar cycle. By sheer coincidence, another study has just been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Scientific Exploration that may also have found evidence to possibly indicate that ESP is modulated by lunar cycles while attempting to reproduce another finding related to ESP: the apparent relation between improved ESP performance and a certain moment in local sidereal time.

When astronomers want to tell the time, they usually do not go by the solar clock that we are used to. Instead, they use a clock that shows the sidereal hour. Sidereal time is determined not by the sun but by the apparent motion of the other fixed stars around the earth. These stars are the beacons of the Milky Way galaxy and reveal the location in the sky of the galaxy relative to the location of the earth. The sidereal day is also 24 hours in length, the hours being slightly shorter than the solar hours (the difference between solar time and sidereal time is about four minutes).

To roughly conceptualize sidereal time, let us take this simple (yet tasty) illustration: If you compare the Milky Way galaxy to a pizza, the earth can be found close to the edge of the pizza. At 12:00 and 24 hours, the bulk of the pizza is at the horizon of the earth, thus exposing the earth more to empty space. At 18:00 hours, most of the pizza (the area surrounding the galactic center) is directly overhead.

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This is a second articles in the series on Retro-PK by Bryan Williams. The first article was A Brief Intro to Retro-PK.

A Lunar Modulation Effect on Retro-PK?

It has been thought that one way in which we might come to better understand (and perhaps eventually predict) the workings of psi phenomena is to search for any physical variables whose changes might be connected in some way with psi performance, and might therefore have a modulating effect on psi. One possible variable that has come to light in recent years is the Earth’s own internally-generated magnetic field, which studies suggest may decrease successful ESP performance as it increases in intensity (Persinger, 1989). A few recent studies are beginning to suggest the possibility that there may be another, lesser-known variable: certain phases of the monthly lunar cycle.

A great deal of myth and folklore has been traditionally associated with the phases of the moon throughout many human cultures since ancient times (Guiley, 1991). For example, in Celtic lore, midnight at the time of a full moon was considered “the witching hour,” and people were assumed to turn into werewolves under the full moon. Certain major holidays in the Christian and Jewish religions (Easter and Passover, respectively) are timed according to the lunar cycle. Even the term “lunatic” derives from the ages-old assumption that the light of the full moon made people crazy. In order to separate fact from fiction, several psychological studies have been done over the past few decades to see if any kind of human activity (e.g., murders, suicide attempts, crimes, trauma & mental hospital admissions, traffic accidents, stock market activity) might be tied in some way to the lunar cycle. Some of these studies found positive indications (Alonso, 1993; Geller & Shannon, 1976; Lieber & Sherin, 1972) while others found none (Coates et al., 1989; Culver et al., 1988; Rotton & Kelly, 1985), suggesting that any possible relation between the moon and human behavior was unclear and that the case was still up in the air.

The examination of the moon’s effects was first extended to psi when Northwestern University neurologist Andrija Puharich (1973) examined his subject’s performance on telepathy card tests in relation to the lunar cycle to test his hypothesis that ESP performance might be linked to gravitational forces (like those exerted by the moon on the tides of waves). Puharich found that success in telepathy tended to increase towards the time of the full moon, decreased at the quarter-moons, then increased again at new moon (pp. 281 – 289). Puharich’s study turned out to be an isolated affair, and examination of psi in relation to the moon did not arise again until two decades after, when Drs. Dean Radin and Jannine Rebman (1998), then of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, examined four years of gaming data provided to them by an executive of a major Las Vegas casino (a rare opportunity, as casinos often guard their data like the gold of Fort Knox) to explore the possibility that people might use psi ability in the casino to help them win. Radin and Rebman found that the cash out winning percentages on five kinds of casino games (roulette, blackjack, craps, keno, & slot machines) tended to be the highest in the six days surrounding the time of the full moon to a suggestive degree by statistical standards. In addition, three of those five (roulette, keno, & slots) were highest within 1 day of the full moon, and the odds of this occurring by chance alone are about 2,000 to 1. These winning percentages also appeared to be coupled to certain geophysical factors (activity of the Earth’s magnetic field, sunspot number, and radio emissions from the sun) that fluctuated in time with the lunar cycle, suggesting that any effect the full moon has on psi and human behavior is not likely to be due to the moon itself, but rather to environmental factors that keep rather closely in sync with the lunar cycle. Another interesting finding when looking at these environmental factors is that the Earth’s magnetic field activity tends to decrease towards the full moon. When one then considers the finding that most of the gaming payout winnings were highest around the full moon, this may represent an indirect suggestion of the inverse relation between ESP and the Earth’s magnetic field (i.e., the former increases as the latter decreases, as mentioned). Dr. Radin (1997) republished this psi in the casino study in his book The Conscious Universe (Ch. 11), and in it he also mentions additional studies in which lottery winnings were found to decrease with the Earth’s magnetic field in years when the Earth’s field and the lunar cycle matched each other (i.e., the field increased at full moon), again suggesting the inverse ESP-Earth field relation.

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The cat named Oscar, in Providence, R.I., nursing home, seems to be able to predict the deaths of its residents. When he senses their time is near, Oscar goes to the room, jumps onto the bed, curls up next to the patient, and purrs. The cat has now been correct over 25 times and it has come to this that the nursing home’s staff calls the family members of the patients whom the cat “marked”.

The cat, now 2 years old, has been living in the nursing home since it was a kitten. It comes to dying patients usually 2 hours before they die, sometimes half a day earlier. The staff doesn’t know how it happens that the cat “knows” but most people think that the body of a dying person produces certain odors and that the cat can smell them. There are some other possibilities as well, but nothing is concrete.

There are many sources for this story, you can read one of them at cbsnews

I’ve contacted a guy, Bryan Williams, who publishes great parapsychology articles on a yahoo group named Psi Society. He allowed me to post his articles on this site as well, verbatim. I only allow myself to reformat them a bit for the site. I believe you’ll enjoy them. The first three articles I’ll post will be on retroactive psychokinesis, also called Retro-PK. So, without further due:

A Brief Introduction to Retro-PK

An interesting study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Parapsychology that reports a possible lunar modulation effect on retroactive psychokinesis effects. Before I attempt to describe the results of that study in a post, I thought I would provide a little background on retroactive psychokinesis for those in this group unfamiliar with the concept so that it a bit more clear as to what I am talking about in the post:

Precognition is often considered to be most perplexing form of ESP because it appears to be retrocausal; that is, it seems to involve a “backwards acting in time” process in which an effect appears to precede it cause, counter to our usual assumptions that cause leads to effect. It turns out that psychokinesis (PK, or “mind over matter”) occurring on the microscopic (i.e., subatomic) scale also appears to be capable of producing a “backwards acting in time” effect of its own, and this effect is called retroactive psychokinesis, or “retro-PK,” for short.

One of the first to report statistical evidence for retro-PK effects was physicist Helmut Schmidt (1976), then of the Mind Science Foundation in Texas, who was also the one to introduce the random number generator (RNG) to parapsychology as a useful apparatus for testing microscopic PK. In a regular PK test conducted in real-time, a subject attempts to mentally influence the electronic “coin-flips” of a binary RNG as the RNG is producing them. What Dr. Schmidt did differently in his study is that he had the RNG produce the “coin-flips” before the subject even attempts to influence them (how much time before ranged from hours to even days), recording the results on magnetic tape without anyone looking at what they were. Later on, during the actual test, Dr. Schmidt would play back the tape with the recorded RNG data to the subject, at which time the subject would try to influence them. But wait a minute…if the RNG data are already recorded on tape, and are thus already assumed to be “set in stone,” how can the subject possibly influence them by PK? This is where the “backwards acting in time” assumption comes in. Since the RNG data are already recorded, it would seem that in order to influence the data by PK, the subject would have to direct his or her PK influence backwards in time to the moment that the data were being recorded¹.

As impossible as it may sound, all three of Dr. Schmidt’s (1976) initial experiments did indeed produce results supportive of an ostensibly backwards-acting PK effect, with the results having statistical odds ranging from twenty to one, to nearly a thousand to one, against chance occurrence. When he then compared these retro-PK results with regular PK results, he found little difference between them, suggesting that both worked nearly the same. Nearly two decades later, Dr. Schmidt (1993) had repeated these experiments under the close, watchful eyes of five outside witnesses (who were psychologists, physicists, or other parapsychologists), producing a combined retro-PK effect that had odds of about 8,000 to 1 of not being due to chance alone.

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The author of The Trickster and the Paranormal, George P. Hansen has started a new blog, The Paranormal Trickster Blog. His only post so far is about a conference that will be held in Vancouver, BC. The conference, called A meeting of minds should have taken place on July 15-16, 2007. Jonathan Schooler and Dean Radin are co-hosts.

Hansen lists the invitees that include psychologists, neuroscientists, members of scientific community, members of the skeptic community and more people. The list in more detail in Hansen’s post. What’s interesting in the conference is the purpose:

The expressed purpose of the conference is to explore why academia so actively avoids the paranormal despite the wide interest by the general public.

To acquaint the visiting scientists with the field and to facilitate discussion, parapsychologists will present evidence for the existence of ESP and review theoretical problems of the phenomena.

George Hansen then comments that in his opinion this conference will change nothing and that the parapsychologist should blame themselves for this. Here’s quite a long quote of his commentary:

Will this effort succeed? Let’s remember, it’s been 125 years since the founding of the SPR (Society for Psychical Research). Parapsychologists have published their work continuously since that founding. Innumerable scientists have learned of the research through books, journal articles, and conferences. Yet the field is now no closer to respectability than it was during the 19th century. Arguably, it is further from it.

Yet still today, many parapsychologists seem to believe that if they present their evidence objectively to other scientists, the broader scientific community will begin to accept them as legitimate members. Traditional scientific funding sources will welcome proposals, major journals will seek papers on psi, and conferences will regularly include symposia on paranormal topics. But such hope is forlorn.

Parapsychologists do not seem to realize that their field is inherently marginal. Psi phenomena are liminal, and they carry a taint, a stigma. This is nothing new. The stigma did not develop with the rise of modern science, nor with advent of the Enlightenment, nor with the Reformation. The stigma has been seen for thousands of years in hundreds of cultures. Attempts to directly engage psi has consequences—one being the continuing marginality of psychical research.

Until parapsychologists recognize this state of affairs, they will remain bewildered—and bitterly disappointed.

NBC has announced that Uri Geller and Chriss Angel (Mindfreak) will be appearing in a new TV reality show called “Phenomenon” (working title) this fall.

The show’s format was bought from Israeli Keshet Broadcasting. The original show in Israel’s channel 2 was called “The Successor” and it was a great hit in Israel’s prime time. The format is somewhat similar to the popular American Idol format where contestants (mentalists – stage magicians specializing in mind tricks) perform acts of seemingly paranormal ability, like telepathy etc. One contestants leaves the show each week, selected by Geller.

Geller and Angel will assist the Phenomenon contestants with their insight. The ultimate winner from the 10 participants will be selected by home viewers.

Phenomenon is a co-production of Granada America, Keshet Broadcasting, and Kuperman Productions in association with SevenOne International, which controls the worldwide rights to the show’s format.

Today I’m glad to announce the launch of the forum on the Mind-Energy.net site. The Parapsychology and alternative medicine forums at http://forum.mind-energy.net are place for the visitors and readers of mind-energy.net and all other internet users to talk about subjects of parapsychology and psi research and on the various topics of alternative medicine and energy healing.

In the forum you’ll find sections devoted to energy healing (EFT, Quantum Touch), personal practices, such as qigong and yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and your home remedies for various conditions.

Other topics including scientific debates on parapsychology and psi research as a place for the skeptics and supporters of parapsychology to delve into serious debates, a section on developing psi abilities and a place to post your question to the community describing your personal stories of unexplained character.

The last section is devoted to Mind-Energy.net site itself. On is a general discussion for your suggestions on the site’s content, design, goals etc. The other forum imports all blog posts off www.mind-energy.net to continue debates on the topics in the forum, which is better platform than the comments in the blog. In the near future, all the comments on the main site will be disabled and all commenters will need to use the forum instead. This will also improve spam protection and garbage comments.

You can subscribe to forum feeds using RSS as well, if it is easier for you.

My hope is that the forums will be a place for quality people. I’m going to attract some experts in the various related fields of knowledge to add value to the community.

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I wanted to write about Psi-wheel for some time and now that Pete sent his Jar and pendulum exercise and asked me to write about the Psi Wheel exercise, here some info on that.

I first mentioned Psi-wheel a long time ago in the post Telekinesis videos and instructions. Now, I’ve searched the internet once again to see if I can find something new that’s interesting.

But, first, what’s the psi wheel and why it’s interesting. So, psi wheel is a simple construct that can be built by anyone at their home using just plain paper and a needle. What makes it special is that its design makes it very light. And the general presumption is that it easier to influence light things using telekinesis than heavy things. In that sense psi wheel is even better that the pendulum in jar that Pete proposed, since it’s even easier to move. And this is one of the reasons why telekinesis proponents and want to be’s like to use it. The problem with it, though, is that it’s too easy to influence a psi wheel using regular means, like air currents, and that’s what I personally don’t like about it.

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