Thunderblog - Michael Goodspeed
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A Holistic Cosmology For the 21st Century

08/31/08
How have I been able to live so long outside Nature without identifying myself with it? Everything lives, moves, everything corresponds; the magnetic rays, emanating either from myself or from others, cross the limitless chain of created things unimpeded; it is a transparent network that covers the world, and its slender threads communicate themselves by degrees to the planets and stars. Captive now upon earth, I commune with the chorus of the stars who share in my joys and sorrows.
Gerard De Nerval 1808-1855, French Novelist, Poet
If you've been reading these pages for any length of time, you've likely noticed that the Thunderbolts team has never indulged in "esoteric" speculations in their discussions of the Electric Universe. Although the managers of this site have received countless inquiries from readers who wonder, "What does all this MEAN?" -- i.e. what are the philosophical ramifications, if any, of a cosmology in which electricity, not gravity, dominates -- they (the site's editors) have preferred a "just the facts, ma'am" approach, leaving the inevitable discussions of philosophical quandaries for a later date.

This position is hard to argue with. After all, one of the Electric Universe proponents' greatest beefs with mainstream astronomers and astrophysicists is their willingness to invoke unseen, unproven, "metaphysical mathematics" (dark matter, dark energy, black holes, neutron stars, etc.) to try to account for unexpected observations in space. EU, on the other hand, provides a model that relies only on forces and phenomena that are actually observed in nature, and are routinely replicated in the laboratory. And unlike a number of mainstream physicists and mathematicians, EU proponents have never claimed to be on the verge of a "theory of everything," nor have they claimed that an electrical cosmology can ever provide insight into the Mind of God.

Nevertheless, it's neither prudent nor even possible to completely remove philosophy from scientific discussion. As Thunderbolts colleague Michael Armstrong points out in his essay "Can we Agree?", “There is no such thing as a 'no belief-belief system'.” Even scientists who regard themselves as wholly objective are unavoidably operating under personal beliefs -- and many of these beliefs did not necessarily arise from their own careful analysis and discernment, but rather are the result of years of intensive indoctrination. Much of what is taught as "fact" in officials textbooks is not fact at all -- the accepted "facts" are a collection of beliefs that masquerade as "facts," only because a majority of the scientific hierarchy subscribe to them. Did the Universe begin 13.7 billion years ago in a primordial explosion called the Big Bang? At this point in history, most astronomers say "yes," but a consensus of belief does not constitute a "fact."

Since we all have beliefs, the question must then be asked, What do we WANT to believe? Of course, most people will say that they only want to know the truth, but surely this is predicated on the tacit expectation that the truth will be good for them personally. No one embraces a belief that seems opposed to his own best interests. But from my own perspective, official science has for centuries demanded that we do precisely that. If there is a prevailing "paradigm" that guides the physical sciences, it can be called "materialism." This is essentially the idea that the universe consists solely of irreducible particles and empty space -- nothing is connected to anything else. From this POV (Point Of View), a human being is a collection of particles that learned to think and feel by accident due to a complex chain of chemical reactions. "Consciousness" as such is limited to the body, and of course is extinguished at the moment of death. Any talk of "extrasensory" phenomena is pure and utter foolishness -- disconnected chemical blobs (human beings) are mentally limited to the ivory towers of their brains, with no real linkage to anyone or anything outside themselves.

It's not uncommon for mainstream science apologists to claim that they are more in touch with reality than those who choose not to share their beliefs. If this rationalization were correct, it would be impossible to argue with -- no one can defend denial in the face of incontrovertible fact. But the materialistic paradigm only seems credible if you've not paid the slightest attention to the facts. For decades, credible scientific research has only confirmed what countless human beings have always experienced for themselves -- psychic and other so-called "paranormal" phenomena are not "spooky" or "strange," but are a natural (albeit poorly understood) aspect of human existence.

The evidence is overwhelming to anyone with the discernment to see. Recently on this site, I've been presenting my video productions on topics ranging from ESP to synchronicity, supported by evidence both anecdotal and experimental. A recent very popular item on these subjects is the video below -- an enumeration of strange 9/11 "synchronicities" that appeared in the popular culture prior to the event. Taken alone, any one of these examples might be written off as mere coincidence. But when seen together, and given their generally explicit linkage to the Sept. 11 events, one cannot help but wonder if human consciousness collectively "twinged" in anticipation of the ensuing horror.
 
911 "Coincidences" or Synchronicities?



One respondent to this video referenced me to the research of Dean Radin, author of The Conscious Universe and Entangled Minds. Reportedly, a world-wide network of random number generators spiked shortly before 9/11, with continued anomalous "ripples" for days and weeks afterwards. Roger Nelson, director of the Global Consciousness Project, writes of these findings:
What shall we learn, and what should we do in the face of compelling evidence that there may be such a thing as global consciousness? In fact this is not a new question. The results from this scientific study are an apparent manifestation of the ancient idea that we are all interconnected, and that what we think and feel has effects on others, everywhere in the world....It urges a new understanding that we must learn to accept each other and help and support each other, everywhere in the world, if we are to live in peace on this beautiful earth.
In other words, this material is not important because it's titillating or "weird"; I believe that Mr. Nelson is correct, that the undeniable existence of psychic phenomena carries wonderful, extraordinary implications for the human race. It's well-known that the practical applications of psychic abilities are far-reaching and have been explored in depth by the U.S. and foreign militaries (remote viewing), and increasingly by law enforcement. In fact, in recent years, there's been an explosion of "psychic detective" cable TV programs, leading predictably to a backlash of rhetoric by many self-described "skeptics." It's startling that these purported "skeptics" do not hesitate to dismiss the testimony of dozens of seasoned police investigators, many of whom insist that psychics have not only aided in their investigations, but are responsible for having solved murders.

Consider the case of Oregon psychic Laurie McQuary, and her involvement in a 1986 murder investigation by the Lake Oswego Police Department. In the Sue Kovach book Hidden Files - Law Enforcement's True Case Stories of the Unexplained and Paranormal (Contemporary Books, 1998), lead Detective Robert W. Lee wrote of this case:
... I had a missing person's case that became a homicide real quick. Alexis Sara Burke had disappeared after having an argument with her husband, John. ... We interviewed friends and relatives and did lots of exhaustive searches, but I had few solid clues and I sure had a lot of unanswered questions ... Laurie told me 30 things about my case: who, what, when, where, how come, who knew about it, a description of the car used to transport the body ... Laurie said that John had killed his wife, that he strangled her. She also said a whole circle of people around John and his younger brother, Daniel, knew all about it. ... John Burke ... was charged with murder. ... It turned out that 28 of the 30 things that Laurie had said during our initial conversation were absolutely right on the money. [emphasis added]
It is increasingly evident not only that consciousness is not limited locally to the brain, not only is it capable of instantaneous communication with every other mind, it is also capable of affecting physical reality in ways we can barely imagine. Consider the research of quantum physicist John Hagelin, Ph.D., who co-authored a study in Washington D.C., which showed a direct correlation between a group's practice of transcendental meditation, and a reduction of crime in their area.

We must also consider the tangible physical affects that our minds have on our own bodies – such affects are far from merely "theoretical" or "anecdotal." For instance, it is well-documented that hypnotic suggestion alone can lead directly to the formation of visible burn-blisters on human flesh. (See Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors by D. Corydon Hammond.)

That a human being can mentally burn his own flesh should surprise no one. According to at least one controlled study in the 1960's, the human body produces "electromagnetic radiation phenomena" when consciousness is “in a state of intensed [sic] psychosensory excitation.” (See More US Government Psychic Warfare).

At a more profound level, cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton argues in his book The Biology of Belief that “our beliefs, true or false, positive or negative, affect genetic activity and actually alter our genetic code.”  Rather than viewing man as a helpless victim of his inherited genetic structure, Lipton has raised the possibility that “genes do not in fact control our behavior, instead, genes are turned on and off by influences outside the cell.” At a public presentation in Phoenix, AZ, Dr. Lipton and author Gregg Braden presented a "rare video" of "a baseball-sized tumor" visible on a sonogram shrinking and disappearing as practitioners of a form of Qigong chanted a simple phrase. While in the short-term it may not be possible to know with certainty if such demonstrations are valid, in the long-term, if the evidence holds up to scrutiny, science has no choice but to take proper notice.

In Braden's book The Divine Matrix, he cites experimental research that, if ever fully understood, could profoundly transform every aspect of human life. Braden writes:
In a 1993 study reported in the journal Advances, the Army performed experiments to determine precisely whether the emotion/DNA connection continues following a separation, and if so, at what distances? The researchers started by collecting a swab of tissue and DNA from the inside of a volunteer's mouth. This sample was isolated and taken to another room in the same building, where they began to investigate a phenomenon that modern science says shouldn't exist. In a specially designed chamber, the DNA was measured electrically to see if it responded to the emotions of the person it came from, the donor who was in another room several hundred feet away....

When the donor experienced emotional 'peaks' and 'dips,' his cells and DNA showed a powerful electrical response at the same instant in time. Although distances measured in hundreds of feet separated the donor and the samples, the DNA acted as if it was still physically connected to his body. The question is 'Why?'
All of the above evidence speaks for a universe in which life is connected by invisible forces. It seems strange that so many 'science apologists' express contempt for a POV that views life as less limited, more meaningful, and with far more potential for beauty and greatness. And no "wishful thinking" is required to accept this POV. Not only do all of the facts speak for a more holistic reality, this is the only reality that any sane person can prefer.

How does all of this relate to our exploration of the Electric Universe? This question is best answered by Wallace Thornhill in his (increasingly prescient) essay,
2008 -- Year of the Electric Universe:
A real cosmology must reunite the sciences, humanities and the arts. It cannot be limited to astronomy. It must give real meaning to Life. It is becoming clear to more and more scholars and the questioning public from around the world that the Electric Universe offers such a broad vista of future science. It is time to get started in 2008. We have no time to lose.
Michael Goodspeed
 
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Michael Goodspeed
Michael Goodspeed is a freelance journalist who lives in Beaverton, Oregon

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