SailingCyclops wrote:
[Divine Insight wrote:
Where we may potentially differ is in the following areas:
1. I believe that our psyche actually has more influence over our extended physical environment that perhaps you might be willing to embrace.
2. I also believe that our psyche can potentially be in contact with the psyche of other people in strange non-local ways (obviously from a scientific point of view I point to QM as a possible mechanism for this non-local connection).
Again, you may not be willing to consider either of these two possibilities at all.
As to number 2:
We have already designed an apparatus which detects brain waves and translates them into commands to move prosthetic limbs. A thought of moving an arm for instance, can indeed be detected electromagnetically, and be used to move an artificial arm. The detectors are embedded in a skull cap, and act as antennas.
As we both are aware, electromagnetic radiation does not stop millimeters from the source, but rather radiates into space at the speed of light. Therefor I can conceive of a possible mechanism for the concept of psychic communication. Anecdotal evidence of people being aware of a loved ones death or travail miles apart, can possibly be explained this way. I am willing to consider the possibility only because I can see a possible scientific mechanism for it to happen. As improbable as it is, given the power levels involved, the ambient electromagnetic noise, and the as yet un-demonstrated ability of the brain to detect and understand such information. I won't consider it impossible.
As to number 1:
I currently can see no mechanism where our brain functions can effect our physical environment. Until I see such, I can not embrace such.
I'm convinced of just the opposite. I believe that our bodies do indeed have a detectable aura that extents potentially quite far from our bodies. Maybe not even solely emerging from what we call our "brain". In fact, many neurosciences have already made it clear that it's really impossible to draw any concrete lines between our brain and the rest of our nervous system. In this sense our entire body is are 'brain' in a very real way.
Moreover, a person's general psychic attitude will actually affect their physical movements. A person who is anxious, nervous and unsettled will typically be constantly fidgeting in real physical ways. Their brain activity and entire nervous system is probably rattling off like an alarm as well. Not only can we sense the presence of such nervous fidgety people, but so do animals sense this in humans.
I personally believe that the entire bio-environment also reacts to these unsettled nervous vibrations. In fact, it's even possible, and I also believe, that even non-biological materials will begin to oscillate with these kinds of vibrations.
Therefore on this level it's quite possible that even in a secular sense a calm and serene gardener may have a truly wonderful healthy garden, whilst another gardener who is a nervous wreck might wonder why their garden doesn't do well.
I'm a firm believer in this sort thing, even from a secular perspective.
So when I see the mystics recognizing this I can see what they are talking about even in a secular sense.
And if there is any truth to this type of thing, then in a very real way the mystics are at least right about our psychic disposition having a very real affect on our surroundings. Even if it's only true in a secular sense.
As far as humans being in some sort of psychic communication with each other I see three possible ways this could be done.
1. Electromagnetic fields.
As you point out there doesn't appear to be any truly sophisticated mental telepathy going on. We don't contact each other via electromagnetic waves, saying, "Breaker, breaker, anyone out there? Swamp-dish calling."
"Breaker breaker Swamp-dish. I hear ya loud and clear on my psychic brain channel 14. Sailing Cyclops here."
"Ten-four Sailing Cyclops. Are you a sexy female?"
"Nope, just a sexy male atheist"
"Roger, catch you on the rebound. Later Alligator"
Obviously it's not going to be that kind of "refined" conversation.
It's more likely to be intuitions and symbolic mental ideas that just seem to spring into our minds from nowhere and catch our attention.
2. Gravitational waves/disturbances.
There are actually scientists who are currently studying the idea that humans may be in psychic contact with each other via vibrations in the very fabric of spacetime itself, in this case gravity waves.
I'm not sure if that has any merit, it seems pretty far fetched to me too. But the scientists who study this point to the fact that birds and insects appear to be using this as well as possibly some whales and other sea creatures. Of course all those animals are using it for navigation not for communication between themselves.
4. Other possible waves?
This is where QM comes into play. There are actually quite a few different kinds of quantum waves. And they are indeed considered to be fields just like electromagnetic fields, or fields of spacetime. In fact, they've just recently discovered the Higgs field.
Add to this the scientific hypothesis that there may actually exist 11-dimensions to reality, and it's possible that there could be fields in these other dimensions that we can't even detect at all.
So there seems to me to be more than enough plausibility for the existence of such fields.
And in the case of QM some of those fields don't even need to be restricted by the propagation of light (or electromagnetic phenomenon). They also may not even be detectable at all using any standard means of detection. Just like Dark Matter is basically undetectable save for it's gravitational effects.
So I guess the bottom line is that I'm simply not at a point where I'm prepared to write things off as being "impossible" as quickly as you seem to be willing to do.
I think there's plenty of plausibility open in science at this current state of our understanding of reality.
Who knows what we'll find in Quantum Fields in the future? Especially if the 11-dimensions turn out to be true.
Gee whiz, if there really are something like 7 completely hidden dimensions and we start to discover them. Each one of those dimensions may actually contain really wild surprises. There could be fields that exist only in those dimensions yet they may be able to interact with the normal dimensions we already know about.
This whole 11-dimensional reality is quite intriguing, and many scientists are actually counting on it being true. Only time will tell on that one. But if they do turn out to be true, it could be extremely exciting and open the door to many things we previously thought might be impossible.
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