Our Magical World – Part Four

Mind and matter

Another example of the way in which our minds influence matter can be found in the ancient art of dowsing.

Dowsing is a term which has come to be used to describe a phenomenon that has been demonstrated by numerous people throughout history. It is commonly associated with the search for underground supplies of water, although it is by no means limited to such objectives. Dowsing is usually linked with the use of a divining aid, such as a rod or pendulum, although many dowsers find that they are able to dispense with an aid altogether.

In the search for underground water, a dowser usually holds a Y-shaped stick and proceeds to walk over a selected area of ground in a methodical fashion. When the dowser arrives at a point directly above a subterranean source of water, the stick suddenly jolts from its horizontal position. Those who have experienced this sudden twitch vary in their description of the nature and origin of this force. Almost none of them can agree on an explanation of this phenomenon.

Despite traditional skepticism in scientific circles as to the legitimacy of dowsing, the indisputable fact is that it works. People who simply go ahead and try it often find to their surprise that they are able to achieve practical results. Dowsing is not limited to the search for underground objects, for it has also been used to investigate everything from suspicious deaths to the diagnosis of disease.

The ideas of men like Abrams and Hieronymus with regard to natural “radiations”, find a sympathetic refrain in the work of Thomas Lethbridge.

Lethbridge was a trained archeologist at Cambridge University who undertook a series of experiments in the 1950s involving the use of a pendulum. His experiments were based on the supposition that every object in nature exhibited a specific “radiation” which could be intercepted by means of a suitable pendulum.

The pendulum that Lethbridge used consisted of a piece of string attached to a rod with a small weight at the end of it. Lethbridge found, by a lengthy system of trial and error, that any object could be identified by its own special rate of vibration. This vibration could be intercepted by matching the length of the string on the pendulum with the particular rate of vibration of the object concerned.

Lethbridge found, for example, that gold possessed a vibratory rate of twenty-nine inches. To resonate in harmony with anything made of gold, therefore, it was necessary for the length of string on the pendulum to be exactly twenty-nine inches long.

So if he wanted to find a gold ring buried in a field, then, using a pendulum with a suitable length of string, he would walk around the field with the pendulum swinging to and fro. When he approached the ring, Lethbridge found that the pendulum would change its motion and proceed to rotate in a clockwise direction without his inducing any deliberate change in motion.

Not only was he able to discover different hidden objects in this manner, but he found that the pendulum could be used in numerous other ways as well, particularly in archeological applications. He found that by means of the pendulum he was also able to identify such non-physical aspects as “age”, “heat” and “colour”. His extraordinary success in utilising a pendulum was recounted in his book Ghost and Ghoul, published in 1961.

On the face of it, Lethbridge’s ideas and his lavish claims for the abilities of a pendulum seem ridiculous, for they contradict known laws of science. When a pendulum which is swinging to and fro suddenly begins to rotate without any direct force being applied to it, it defies Newtonian physics. Critics naturally reject such a phenomenon as imaginary or fraudulent, or explain it away as the result of subconscious reflex action.

Lethbridge himself was remarkably candid about his discoveries. He was quick to acknowledge the apparent absurdity of his work, and to concede that he had no idea why it worked. By all accounts, according to his own formal education, he agreed that such things ought not to work. Yet the irresistible proof of his ideas lay in the evidence which he himself had accumulated, and which others were able to duplicate.

Referring to Lethbridge’s ideas, author Stephen Jenkins wrote in his book The Undiscovered Country:

“I would think this whole idea mad in the extreme if I hadn’t tried it and found it to work, and seen others work it.” 12

Whatever the reality of these subtle radiations of matter may happen to be, they become even more mysterious when diviners claim to be able to detect them without actually being present at the site concerned. For just as Curtis Upton found that he was able to treat diseased crops merely by using a photograph of the field concerned, so other diviners have been able to work equally effectively from maps.

Commenting on these remote forms of divination, Don Robins writes:

“There are many instances where as much information can be gleaned from a map, even a rough sketch map drawn only for the purpose of divination, as from visiting the site. Even if one is looking for water then it is self-evident that energy from the water itself is not being picked up: there is something else which probably lies within the orbit of the subjective concentration of the diviner.  

“This could be why nearly every attempt to pin the diviner’s gift down by scientific experimentation fails, for empiricism and determinism do not recognise any observer effect exists. The greatest mystery is that it works in a scientific vacuum, seldom open to objective testing and heavily dependent on the subjectivity of the diviner.” 13

In dealing specifically with this subjective factor, as detailed by Tom Graves in his book entitled Dowsing, Robins goes on to add:

“Read Graves’ book and you will see that the only way to divine is to set yourself in the right mental framework. You have to instruct yourself consciously to look for water or energy or whatever. In fact you have to tune yourself like a resonating cavity.” 14

This conscious tuning of the mind is the essential ingredient in all forms of divination, whether they be dowsing, astrology, examining tea-leaves in a cup, or evaluating the entrails of a sheep. Any individual is capable of any form of divination if he or she is prepared to provide a sympathetic mental framework.

The subject must first start with the mental concept that the intended objective is possible, and then act in full confidence that this objective will be achieved. The desired objective will then manifest itself in physical form, patterning itself on the underlying mental thought-form. We are reminded of the findings of Lawrence LeShan in his investigation into the manifestation of paranormal phenomena:

“It became clear during this several-year search that at the moment the paranormal information was acquired (when “telepathy” or “clairvoyance” or “precognition” was happening) they were reacting to the world as if it were constructed and “worked” on different grounds than those grounds on which we normally believe it to be constructed. At those moments they used a different metaphysical structure of the world than our ordinary, everyday metaphysical structure.” 15

The key factor in this revised mental framework is conviction. For, as LeShan goes on to point out:

“Another limit is the complete belief in it. One must know it is valid to operate within it.” 16

Once we have complete conviction in our desired mental framework, then confirmatory results automatically follow. If this underlying mental structure is different from that of conventional thinking, it will yield results which are equally at odds with accepted understanding. We might use as an example of an “unscientific” paradigm, the case of astrology.

Although there are various astrological systems in use today, which differ within themselves as to their constituent features, they are all based on the premise that the motions of the sun and planets influence the nature of personalities and the events that are associated with them. In most astrological systems, this association is intrinsically linked with the precise moment of birth of the individual concerned.

Now science rejects this basic premise of astrology as factually absurd. Since planets are considered to be remote physical objects composed of inert gas or matter, they are believed by scientists to have no possible influence on human events. Furthermore, since the precise moment of birth can be affected by a variety of factors, such as the decision to deliver the child by induction or Caesarean section, the actual time of birth is clearly subject to human factors which must surely undermine any supposed astronomical association.

In scientific terms, therefore, astrology simply does not stand up to critical analysis. Yet critics of astrology have overlooked the crucial element of mind. It is the mind which determines the nature of this association, and not the planets themselves. Since, as mystics have pointed out, there is no intrinsic relationship between space and objects or between time and events, we are free to impose any pattern of association upon them that we wish.

Astrologists, therefore, have merely imposed another view of reality upon the world; one which requires human events to be bound by the motions of the planets. Astrology works for those who operate with conviction within that mental framework. Astrologists must recognise, however, that despite any amount of supporting evidence, astrology will never be considered to be a valid scientific hypothesis, as long as science continues to exclude the influence upon matter of the subjective state of mind.

As in all forms of divination, the link between circumstance and matter is purely mental. It works because we ourselves make it work. We devise the mental pattern and we supply the energy, which then manifests according to our underlying pattern of belief. We may energise any mental pattern that we wish.

I may, for example, hold the concept that weather formations can be predicted by shuffling a pack of playing cards, and that various changes in weather conditions can be linked to specific sequences of cards. As completely unscientific as my basic rationale may be, my results will bear out my underlying assumption, in direct response to the conviction with which I apply it.

Although there is in fact no limit to what can be achieved in this way in practice, the ability to create physical thought forms is dependent on the personal power of the individual concerned. Where this is strong and is reinforced by an intense desire and resolute will, miraculous things can be achieved. They will be miraculous, however, only insofar as they appear to contradict the known laws of science.

The scientific description of the universe now represents the dominant cast of mind in the world today. The scientific description of the world is based, as we have seen, on certain fundamental assumptions. While these assumptions are now held to be self-evident, it is clear upon examination that they remain mere articles of faith.

These assumptions are that the universe is ultimately a rational phenomenon, and that being rational, can be interpreted and understood by a rational process of investigation. The universe is also assumed to be a totally consistent and predictable affair. So once a particular event occurs, it is assumed by scientists that it will always happen again, as long as the same physical conditions apply.

It is this consistency which lies at the heart of the scientific explanation of the world. Having been conditioned into this way of thinking, it is natural that scientists should come to regard the universe as being the product of a consistent set of laws, which are themselves immutable.

The purpose of science has always been to identify these laws. Because consistency is the linchpin of the scientific description of the universe, it is not surprising that scientists tend to reject anything that threatens this consistency. Any observable which runs counter to any single scientific law, is ultimately a threat to the entire scientific edifice. It threatens to bring down the whole pack of cards.

For, as Margenau and LeShan succinctly point out:

“A completely consistent cosmos cannot be inconsistent in one area. One exception collapses it all.” 17

The reason why radionics, dowsing, astrology and other forms of divination are rejected by science is because they are clearly inconsistent with its fundamental laws. The reason why such things appear to operate within a scientific vacuum is because science has thus far been unable to cast its deterministic net over the phenomena concerned.

Nor is science likely to succeed until it allows for the recognition of the subjective state of mind. Yet the range of anomalous observations is so great, as we have seen throughout the pages of this book (The Cosmic Web), that they surely point to the fact that the fundamental laws proposed by science are nothing but the products of belief.

Seen in this light, science is not a rational system of investigation which comes ever closer to describing the true nature of the universe. Instead, it is merely one system of applied belief, among many, which moulds nature according to its underlying tenets of belief. Science will never provide a final understanding of the universe. The universe will always be too rich for its restricted laws.

While such an evaluation may seem heretical to many, certain perceptive scientists have already begun to entertain serious doubts about the fundamental validity of science. For, as Edward Harrison, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Massachusetts observed on receiving the Melcher Award in 1986:

“Human beings of all societies and in all periods of history believe that their ideas on the nature of the real world are the most secure, and that their ideas on religion, ethics and justice are the most enlightened. Like us, they think that final knowledge is at last within reach. Like us they pity the people in earlier ages for not knowing the true facts. Unfailingly, human beings pity their ancestors for being ignorant and forget that their descendants will pity them for the same reason.  

“Dare I say that secure knowledge can never be found? That our boundless ignorance explains why we feel so confident of success in bounded knowledge? That each discovery creates in the long run more mystery than it solves? That we stand no closer to the ultimate truth than did our forbears? And that we are no better than the people who lived a thousand and even ten thousand years ago?” 18

Professor Harrison points toward a truth which is as old as humanity, and which we find reflected in the ancient writings of the Hindu sages:

“The greatest of all delusions is the conviction that knowledge is not a delusion.” 19

The reason why every generation remains convinced that its knowledge is the only truth, is that each generation moulds nature into a reflection of its deepest held beliefs. It is the fact that these beliefs find fulfillment in experience which lends credibility to their underlying beliefs. Yet this basic principle remains true for every generation, including our own.

Our thoughts determine our beliefs, and it is these beliefs in life which determine our experiences. We then delude ourselves into thinking that the knowledge distilled from these experiences is “truth”, which is then taken to be representative of the Creator’s Will. But as beliefs change, so do experiences, and so does the knowledge that is gained from them.

The reason why our experiences continually change in direct relationship with our thoughts, is because the universe is not an objective reality existing in space independently of us, but is a subjective projection in consciousness. It is this truth which is revealed in the direct experience of the Sage, as we see from the following words of Ramana Maharshi:

“Those who have realized the Self by direct and immediate experience clearly perceive beyond all doubt that the phenomenal world as an objective, independent reality is wholly nonexistent.” 20

We find its echo in the teachings of the Buddha:

“The Buddha said to Subhuti, ‘All that has a form is an illusive existence. When it is perceived that all form is no form, the Tathagata is recognized’.” 21

In his epic work The Crest Jewel of Wisdom, the 8th century sage Sankara wrote:

“With the emergence of the mind everything arises and with its subsidence everything ceases. In the dream state, in which there are no objects, the mind creates its dream world of enjoyers and others by its powers. Similarly, all that it perceives in the waking state is its own display.” 22

Because the nature of what is experienced in consciousness is directly related to the contents of each individual consciousness, it follows that individual experiences in life will be influenced by individual thoughts. What is experienced in life can never be consistent for every individual in every age. Subjective experience breeds knowledge born of that experience, and this knowledge is always limited.

Any change in the way we perceive the universe inevitably leads to a change in the apparent functioning of the universe. As we find in the Tripura Rahasya:

“So also the universe has repeatedly been taken to be real so that it now looks as if it were completely real. The remedy lies in a change in outlook. The world becomes for one whatever one is accustomed to think of it.” 23

Again, as is recorded in the Hindu classic, the Agamas:

“The universe has no eternal support, nor is it cognized from without; but as you make it so it becomes.” 24

When Tom Lethbridge unwittingly began his experiments in dowsing, he found that he began to experience results which were in line with his thinking. When Kreskin undertook experiments in telepathy, he found that his intuitive ideas came to be rewarded with success. When Jules Romains investigated the possibility of eyeless sight, he found that he achieved results according to his inner conviction.

When Friedrich Jurgenson acted on impulse, he found that he was successful in recording strange discarnate voices on his tape recorder. Despite the fact that each of these instances is in direct conflict with the universally accepted laws of science, they nevertheless occurred.

The fact that they did so is convincing proof that scientific laws do not set effective limits to what we may or may not achieve, and that the universe is more susceptible to thought than we have hitherto believed. Each one of these people instinctively acted on the principle of creative thought as enunciated by the Tripura Rahasya:

“One starts by imagining something; then contemplates it; and by continuous or repeated association resolves that it is true unless contradicted. In that way, the world appears real in the manner one is used to it.” 25

Each one of us is free to imagine anything we wish, and to bring this thought form into manifestation in our world of personal experience. There are no limits to the range of this creative power, other than the limits which we impose upon ourselves in the form of our beliefs. It is these beliefs which set the boundaries of our world and determine the character of our experience.

Yet such is the nature of our “enlightened” scientific world, that each one of us is conditioned by our education to believe that we are bound by the apparent limits of our bodies, and that we are further bound by scientific laws to which the universe rigidly adheres. But it is not this universe that binds us, it is our own conviction that we are bound. However, this bondage is illusory, for as the Tripura Rahasya points out:

“The strongest fetter is the certainty that one is bound. It is as false as the fearful hallucinations of a frightened child.” 26

Within our world of personal experience, each one of us is free to spin our cosmic web. We are free to spin whatever we wish, and to link these strands of thought together in any manner that we wish. Our universe does not unfold according to any pre-ordained set of rules. It responds to those influences which we ourselves have set in motion.

When we truly grasp the awesome power at our command and have the courage to snap the fetters of our conditioned thinking, then we stand at the threshold of a new beginning – a new era of experience. Being now the conscious creators of our lives, we come to interact with our world with new vitality and zest. Not only are we free to attract those experiences in life which we most desire, but we also become architects of a new reality, able to mould our world in dazzling ways.

In spinning our cosmic web, we may choose to operate within our culturally derived paradigm, or we may substitute a new paradigm of our own. We are always free to choose. In working within our accustomed paradigm, we can focus our thoughts upon any object of desire. These objects can be material, such as a new house or car, or whatever else represents the target of our desire.

We can also focus upon particular levels of achievement, such as that of a professional engineer, or doctor, or opera singer. We can select as our objects of desire the achievement of some goal such as the gain or loss of weight, the cure for some specific ailment, or the answer to some deep riddle of history or science. All of these objectives are valid targets of desire, and all of them can be fulfilled by the necessary investment of personal energy.

The time it takes for any of these objectives to be attained will depend upon the degree of energy which is applied, and the confidence and vigour with which each is pursued. All negative thoughts of failure will of course undermine these efforts, as will self-doubt and a diffident approach. As in all things, confidence comes with success, and small achievements of desire inevitably provide the foundation for launching the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

The above objectives can safely be pursued within our customary paradigm of thought. Where this paradigm is deficient, however, as for example in the case of paralysis or an incurable disease, one is always free to impose a new paradigm of thought which transcends the former limitations.

It goes without saying that the imposition of a personal preferential paradigm of thought, which runs counter to that of the majority, must always demand a greater investment of energy, as it is necessary to overcome the inertia of the former conditioning of mind. Again, it is the zest and faith with which each new paradigm is applied which is the determinant of success.

Examples of such variations from common experience can apply to all aspects of life. They are particularly suited to sport. In the pursuit of sport most sportsmen and women give little thought to the limiting effects of the paradigm, or to the possibility that the paradigm within which each sport is played may itself be changed.

Whereas much can be gained by the practice of visualisation towards an intended goal within the accepted paradigm, even more amazing things can be achieved by overriding the accepted paradigm altogether. So, for example, a golfer or tennis player need not be bound by the commonly accepted laws of dynamics. We assume that a golf ball must inevitably be bound by the laws of motion and gravitation in negotiating the slope and nap of a putting green.

Yet, with a strong mind which is able to superimpose a different paradigm of thought in which these limitations do not apply, it would be possible to putt directly at the hole and ignore such features as the cut of the green and its slope. The ball would travel unerringly over these features in a straight line directly into the hole.

The first practitioner of such a miraculous form of putting would nevertheless have to counter a strong contingent of foes, who would no doubt attribute this result to the influence of magic, voodoo or witchcraft.

Similarly, tennis players could superimpose new mental paradigms in the execution of their ground strokes. So a ball struck with a heavy top-spin may suddenly skid off the ground at an unexpected angle, thoroughly confusing an opponent who was expecting the customary bounce of the ball under such circumstances. Achieving such a result is simply a matter of focusing the mind on the intended objective, and then operating in the confident faith that such a result can be attained.

The subtlety of such an approach is that the applicable mental paradigm could be changed as the game was in progress. So balls struck within the normal paradigm of thought would behave in one way, and those within another paradigm would behave quite differently. We can easily imagine how formidable any player would be who had the necessary strength of mind to vary paradigms at will.

Within our accepted paradigm of thought, we believe that a baseball bat or golf club is an inert object which exercises no influence over the ball, other than as an instrument of action. Yet if we were to substitute this thought with the idea that the bat or club was a resonator of energy which could be charged, then we could mentally infuse it with an enormous reservoir of power.

This power could then be used to achieve a formidable effect, out of all proportion to the physical energy expended. So the casual swing of a baseball bat could produce an explosive effect sending the ball rocketing out of the stadium. Again, the paradigm within which one chose to operate could be varied according to the needs and situation of the time. Above all it would introduce an element of sheer surprise which would be quite unnerving to opponents and nothing short of amazing to onlookers.

The range of possible interactions between mind and matter are so vast that entire volumes would be necessary even to begin to do justice to them. Yet we may perhaps conclude by offering an example of how the creative mind can deal with the daily challenge of living, by applying the power of visualisation and focused thought.

One day in November 1987, Bruce Gibbs rented a Piper Cherokee in which to do some aerial sightseeing. Although he was a scallop fisherman by profession, he was also a trained pilot with some five years of flying experience. On this particular day, Gibbs, then aged 46, took off from Chatham airport in Massachusetts and climbed to an altitude of a thousand feet, where he levelled off.

Just as he was getting a feel for the controls of his rented plane its single engine cut out, causing the plane to lose height. Aware that he would have to make an emergency landing, Gibbs radioed a hasty Mayday message to Chatham, and indicated that he would try to bring the plane down in a cleared area nearby.

When it became apparent that the glide path of the plane was too steep and that he could not avoid crashing into the trees below, Gibbs tried a mental technique which he had used successfully before in other dangerous situations. He focused his mind and visualised himself walking away from the wreck unscathed. Although the plane was badly damaged in the ensuing crash, Gibbs found that he was unhurt.

The door of the cockpit was jammed, however, pinning him within the wreckage. In addition, aviation fuel was leaking out causing an imminent threat of explosion. Using both his feet to kick the door open, Gibbs rapidly exited the plane, although not before coolly collecting his briefcase and glasses. Undeterred by this close call with death, Gibbs then went for a workout at the Chatham Health Club, and subsequently spent the evening dancing.

Later, in relating his story to Michelle Caruso of the Boston Herald, Gibbs attributed his safe escape to his visualisation technique. He claimed that this technique had enabled him to walk over white-hot coals, and to survive other emergencies in the past. These included sinking boats and a diving accident in which his air supply ran out while he was 95 feet (29 metres) below the surface of the water. 27

Yet however we choose to spin, and whatever events are attracted within our webs of cosmic experience, these webs remain limits to our experience. Although we are ever free to recreate our webs in novel ways, thought itself traps the thinker within its subtle strands. For the thinker is not separate from thought, but is a creature born of thinking. The persons we believe ourselves to be are products of our interaction with experience.

In the same way that we spin our cosmic webs, so we come to create our personalities. Within the narrow confines of an individual personality, bound by the shackles of thought, there can never be real freedom of expression. True freedom comes with the transcendence of thought, for thought itself, as Krishnamurti has affirmed, can never take us to the freedom of Reality beyond.

“Thought can create the most marvelous instrument – it can go to the moon, to Venus; but thought can never possibly touch ‘the other’ because thought is never free, thought is old, thought is conditioned. Thought is the whole structure of the known.” 28

Despite the limiting nature of thought, it is always possible to be free of thought, and of the entire cycle of rebirth. Thought always exists within consciousness. But this consciousness is posited upon the Supernal Awareness of the one true Reality. When the mind no longer spins its web of thought, the pristine purity of our eternal nature shines forth.

“When the mind does not create pictures due to thoughts, it is (in) the unmodified state which is its primal and pure condition. When the pictures on a wall are erased, the original wall remains. No other work is necessary to restore its original condition.” 29

If we wish to transcend the limitations of thought, and experience the sublime joy of our true heritage, we must cease our spinning. We need to unravel that web of thought that we have so assiduously learned to spin, since the moment of our birth. In so doing, however, we face the extinction of the spinner.

Our personality, which is our most intimate and treasured possession, is itself the product of spinning, and must inevitably die with the unraveling of the web. Yet it is the death of our limited personality that is the price we must pay to rediscover our illimitable Self. It is our voluntary sacrifice of life within our web of limited expression that opens the portals of true life, and an awareness of our own resplendent Being.

For as Nisargadatta Maharaj has pointed out:

“To be a living being is not the ultimate state; there is something beyond, much more wonderful, which is neither being nor non-being, neither living nor not-living. It is a state of pure awareness, beyond the limitations of space and time.” 30 

Our lives do not end with the death of our personalities. Instead, we are reborn into a state of awareness that is shrouded in eternal bliss where we are freed from all those limitations that attended all of our previous lives. For as Jesus explained to his disciples:

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (John 8: 32)

References: 

12 Stephen Jenkins, “The Undiscovered Country”, Neville Spearman, London, 1978, p. 144.

13 Don Robins, “The Secret Language of Stone”, Rider, London, 1988, p. 160.

14 Ibid, p. 163.

15 Lawrence LeShan, “The Medium, The Mystic and The Physicist”, Ballantine, New York, 1975, pp. xiii-xiv.

16 Ibid, p. 154.

17 Henry Margenau and Lawrence LeShan, “Einstein’s Space and Van Goch’s Sky”, Macmillan, New York,1982, p. 6.

18 Quoted in Fate magazine, June, 1988, p. 7.

19 “Tripura Rahasya”, translated by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1962, p. 157.

20 “The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi”, edited by Arthur Osborne, Rider, London, 1959, p. 25.

21 D.T. Suzuki, “Manual of Zen Buddhism”, op.cit., p. 40.

22 “The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi”, op.cit., p. 142.

23 “Tripura Rahasya”, op.cit., p. 88.

24 “The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi”, op.cit., p. 113.

25 “Tripura Rahasya”, op.cit., p. 100.

26 Ibid, pp. 153-4.

27 Curtis Fuller, “Mind Power?”, Fate magazine, June, 1988, pp. 20-23.

28 J. Krishnamurti, “Tradition and Revolution”, Orient Longman, Bombay, 1974, p. 23.

29 “Tripura Rahasya”, op.cit., p. 137.

30 “I Am That”, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book I, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, p. 140.

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