Mind Mysteries

The Sounds of Paranormal...Meteors?

Greg — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:57:59 +0000

Readers of Darklore Volume 1 will (hopefully!) have perused my article "Her Sweet Murmur: Exploring the Aural Phenomenology of Border States" (aw heck, for all you cheapskates - it's also available as a free PDF download at the Darklore website). In it I note how various 'paranormal' phenomena seem to be preceded by certain sounds. As such, I was very interested to read Colin Keay's article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (Volume 7, Issue 4), "Progress in Explaining the Mysterious Sounds Produced by Very Large Fireballs":

For about ten percent of those who do witness a very luminous meteor fireball, the mental impression is heightened by strange swishing, hissing and popping noises coincident with its passage across the sky. Such sounds are quite anomalous in that they imply acoustic propagation at the speed of light. This anomaly was first recognized more than two centuries ago, and has defied explanation until quite recently.

To clarify the 'anomaly' part - these bolides are often more than 50km away, so no noise should be hear (or if so, at the very least it should be delayed by a significant time due to the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound.

Keay catalogues various historical instances of these strange sounds - including 'swishing'/wind blowing and 'buzzing' aural phenomena, similar to those I listed in my article, preceding strange sightings of UFOs, entities and 'the Virgin Mary'. Additionally, sometimes only certain people in a group of witnesses reported 'hearing' the sounds - again, another point of intersection with my article.

I'm certainly not saying that these fireballs were paranormal events. In fact, Keay points out that James Oberg has noted a similar effect in witnesses to Space Shuttle re-entries. He also points out that 'rushing' sounds have also been documented preceding earthquake events. This suggests that the mechanism underlying paranormal events (at least, those that I concentrated on which were preceded by a certain noise) may be the same as that which lies behind meteor and earthquake phenomena. Keay's conclusion is that this is ELF/VLF electromagnetic radiation (which would probably go far to explaining various other aspects of UFO close encounters).

Dr Michael Persinger has already explored some of these avenues, but there's not really space here to discuss in detail. But, as I mention in my Darklore article, there are still questions as to how such a 'prosaic' explanation (relatively speaking) can explain other aspects of paranormal encounters - not least, when groups of people see the same thing.

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say...

Antimatters 2:2

Greg — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:56:42 +0000

Issue 4 of Antimatters - an open-access e-journal addressing issues in science and the humanities from non-materialistic perspectives - is now available online. A number of articles in the new issue investigate the philosophy of Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo, with other contributions touching on evo-devo explanations, our conception of consciousness, and the thorny topic of genius. Book reviews and excerpts also, plenty to read (if you've finished off all those volumes of JSE already...)

Albert Hofmann Departs

Greg — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:42:17 +0000

Vale Albert Hofmann.

LSD wanted to tell me something. It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation.

-------------

Incredibly sad news today, with the passing of Albert Hofmann, "the father of LSD", aged 102. Unconfirmed reports had been swirling for a few hours, but MAPS have just posted official confirmation on their website:

Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD, passed away at 9AM CEST on Tuesday April 29, 2008 at his home in Basel, Switzerland. Cause of death was a heart attack; two caretakers were there with him at the time. MAPS President Rick Doblin said, "[Albert and I] spoke on the phone the day after the Basel conference and he was happy and fulfilled. He'd seen the renewal of LSD psychotherapy research with his own eyes, as had [his wife] Anita. I said that I looked forward to discussing the results of the study with him in about a year and a half and he laughed and said he'd try to help the research however he could, either from this side or "the other side".

Hofmann's shadow looms large over the 20th century, with his synthesis of the psychedelic compound Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) not only inspiring the counter-culture of the 1960s, but also breakthroughs and cutting edge creations by scientists, technology pioneers, musicians and artists: DNA researchers Francis Crick and Kary Mullis are said to have been inspired by their encounters with the compound, Apple pioneer Steve Jobs once described taking LSD as "one of the two or three most important things" he ever did, musicians from the Beatles onwards were heavily affected by the new vistas of creativity they experienced under the influence of the drug, and Alex Grey (among many others) brought the psychedelic realms to life after being inspired by Hofmann's "problem child". Stop to really think about the events that followed from Hofmann's "peculiar presentiment" and infamous bicycle ride, and you soon realise what an impact the man made upon human history.

Beyond discovering a strange compound and setting historic wheels in motion though, Hofmann was - quite simply - a gentleman. A quiet, inspired, creative and intelligent man, Albert Hofmann was held in high regard by all that met him and spoke with wisdom on the use and abuse of entheogenic compounds. He always maintained that LSD, and other psychedelic compounds, could be powerful allies if used correctly, despairing at the indiscriminate usage of the drug simply for 'fun'. You can read his book LSD: My Problem Child online, which offers some excellent insights into the history of his discovery, and his thoughts on how LSD should be utilised.

In addition to his discovery of LSD, he was also the first to synthesize psilocybin, and also researched numerous other aspects of humanity's deep historical involvement with psychedelics, from speculation on their use in the ancient mysteries at Eleusis, through to investigation of Salvia divinorum and Ololiuqui in the Americas. Hofmann was also credited with other important medicinal discoveries throughout his career.

A giant of history; a gentleman. Let's hope that he's continuing his exploration of those realms still.

Entheogen Review VE2008

Greg — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:49:36 +0000

The new issue (Vernal Equinox 2008)of Entheogen Review is now available, with the following contents:

"Disembodied Eyes Revisited: An Investigation into the Ontology of Entheogenic Entity Encounters"
"Green Flames: Thoughts on Burning Man, the Green Man, and Dionysian Anarchism, with Four Proposals"
"Myristica fragrans: An Exploration of the Narcotic Spice"
Network Feedback, featuring Insectoid Sphinx Entities, ML-2C-E, Mislabeled DIPT, and a "DMT for the Masses" Erratum
"New Data on the Entheogenic Mushroom Psilocybe kumaenorum"
Plus the Events Calendar, a conference review, book reviews, a remembrance of John Beresford, and the issue's bibliography.

Ordering details are available at the website.

Rupert Sheldrake Survives Stabbing

Greg — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:24:47 +0000

"Maverick biologist" Rupert Sheldrake - known for his research supporting telepathy and 'the sense of being stared at' - was stabbed yesterday while delivering a presentation at the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness in Santa Fe. Initial reports suggest that his attacker, Japanese national Hirano Kazuki, attempted to stab Sheldrake in the chest, but tripped and slashed the researcher's leg open instead:

Rupert Sheldrake of London was sitting up and alert as medics took him on a gurney to an ambulance outside Santa Fe's historic hotel at the southeast corner of the Plaza. Asked if he was OK, Sheldrake smiled and responded, "I hope so."

Hirano Kazuki, 33, of Yokohama, Japan, spent Wednesday night in jail after he was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony. He provided no resistance as officers led him in handcuffs from the hotel.

Hirano had been attending the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness. Other attendees said he had been acting oddly. They said he confronted Sheldrake earlier this week, telling him he heard voices and saw demons. Another featured speaker at the conference told the man he was "full of negative energy" and counseled him to "calm down," said Evan Mecham, an attendee from Broomfield, Colo.

There is also a video news report at KOAT Albuquerque - more information as I find out more. Sounds like a near miss for Rupert (who recently sent us this report about his run-in with Richard Dawkins), I'm very glad to hear he's going to be okay. Certainly a disturbing development - most of us in this field have had our share of run-ins with 'unbalanced' folk over the years, but you never think things will go this far. Thanks Filip for the heads-up.

Psychedelic Addendum

Greg — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:40:46 +0000

As an addendum to the story I posted last week on the Wade Davis documentary Peyote to LSD - A Psychedelic Odyssey: the director of the feature, Peter von Puttkamer, posted a comment here on TDG confirming the air date in the U.S. (on The History Channel) of April 20th and giving some further details...

It's a fascinating show - amazing to work on with Wade - working in 5 different countries - participating in rarely if ever filmed native hallucinogenic ceremonies from the American Southwest, to Oaxaca, Mexico to the Ecuadorian Amazon. This is maybe the first film to really look at the origins of hallucinogens (and their use as MEDICINE for native peoples to heal mind, body and spirit and its introduction to the western world: from jungle shamans to the hippie generation; it's a true travel-adventure trip with Wade as our guide - taking us in the footsteps of his Harvard mentor Richard E Schultes.

We went and experienced all the same plants, medicines and hallucinogens that Schultes did...Bob Weir ads some great comments- plus lent us some cool Grateful Dead music and Dr. Andrew Weil brings a lot of authority and real perspective to the subject of hallucinogens: as institutions like UCLA, Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University revisit the psychedelics as a way of treating mental disorders, depression and even helping the sick and dying- we may realize that there's more to learn from these gifts of the indigenous peoples, than was previously thought.

See the trailer and a new Wade Davis Discover Magazine article at
www.gryphonproductions.com

I have also added the trailer as a video here on TDG - make sure you check out the Discover interview with Wade Davis mentioned as well. Thanks to Peter for passing on the information to us all.

The Psychic and the Missing Girl

Greg — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:00:10 +0000

Paranormal Review tells the curious tale of how psychic Joe Power seems to have offered clues as to the abductor of a British girl. The case is very interesting because of the specific nature of some of Power's insights, and that he told them to a newspaper reporter before the girl was found (alive). It would be good to have a little more information, such as whether the abductor was a known suspect, whether he received 'helpful' feedback from the mother, and direct confirmation from the newspaper reporter concerned about Joe Power's predictions. However, it does conform to one of the more bizarre traits of mediumship...lots of obtuse, or completely wrong, information, embedded with some amazingly specific hits. I look forward to seeing some follow-up on this, to either confirm or debunk the story.

Time and Mind Online

Greg — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:17:43 +0000

I noted last week the controversial news story doing the rounds about Benny Shanon's theory that Moses was high on psychedelics. When posting it, I said "I haven't heard of any hard evidence for usage [of ayahuasca analogues] in the Middle East. Probably worth getting a hold of the Time and Mind paper mentioned in the article to see what Shanon has to say about it all..." Welp, you can actually read the full text of the article online (along with the other papers in Issue 1 of Time and Mind, see further below for details): "Biblical Entheogens: A Speculative Hypothesis" (PDF download). The title immediately shows that Benny Shanon isn't claiming this *is* what happened, he's just speculating on the possibility:

...I am a Jew who, though not observant, finds the Jewish textual heritage to be personally very meaningful. Following my experiences with Ayahuasca, I came to regard various aspects of the Jewish heritage from a new perspective. Propelled by ideas on the role of entheogens in human history such as those reviewed above, I am here proposing still another entheogenic, admittedly speculative, hypothesis. The hypothesis originated in the finding of parallels between psychological effects induced by Ayahuasca and patterns described in the Bible in conjunction with special experiences and events in the life of the founder of the Israelite religion and its greatest prophet, Moses. The hypothesis is further corroborated by botanical and ethno-botanical information that I have collected, by linguistic considerations, by the exegesis of Talmudic and mystical Jewish texts, by anthropological information pertaining to Jewish and Mideastern traditional lore,as well as by psychedelic data pertaining to a concoction analogous to Ayahuasca.

Shanon sugggests that this Mideastern ayahuasca analogue may have been concocted from Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala) - which he found in abundance near the Dead Sea settlement of Qumran - and various DMT-containing Acacias. ... Read More »

Moses and the Psychedelics

Greg — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:32:20 +0000

Professor Benny Shanon, whose book The Antipodes of the Mind investigated the Amazonian shamans' brew ayahuasca, has stirred controversy by claiming that Moses may have been on a psychedelic trip when he received the Ten Commandments:

Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy.

"As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on Tuesday.

Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the "burning bush," suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances.

Now, when they say Shanon has "dabbled", they of course mean that he has drunk the potent ayahuasca brew over 160 times (each of which normally entails a psychologically and physically demanding 6 to 8 hours minimum). There are certainly ayahuasca analogues in the Middle East (that is, plants that contain similar psychotropic chemicals as to the ones used in South America), but I haven't heard of any hard evidence for usage in the Middle East. Probably worth getting a hold of the Time and Mind paper mentioned in the article to see what Shanon has to say about it all...

You can pick up Shanon's classic The Antipodes of the Mind from Amazon US and UK. Thanks for the heads-up Filip.

Radin Psi Q&A

Greg — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:52:13 +0000

The website of the San Francisco Chronicle have published a Q&A with parapsychology researcher Dean Radin (coincidentally, it's his birthday today). The conversation covers everything from psi and skeptics, to God and 'intentional chocolate'. In the middle of the interview, there is some interesting discussion about Radin's involvement in the classified Stargate remote viewing program:

Once I went through all of the months and months of background reviews and so on to get the classification, I finally got the briefing that is given to the military officers and intelligence officers with the right clearance, and when you get to the end of that briefing the idea that there is no evidence is so ludicrous that you want to somehow let everybody know this. It is amazing! There are some people who are extremely good, highly reliable remote viewers. And not simply in terms of experimental studies, but in real world applications, typically intelligence-backed applications. There are dozens and dozens of government agencies that were actively using these people, and there are dozens of examples of amazing gifts. The psychics were able to describe things that turned out to be not only true, but pragmatically useful.

Good to see more mainstream coverage of psi research. You can keep up to date with Dean Radin's thoughts on a regular basis via his blog.