Articles
>
Research Articles
Seeing Both Sides
The arrow of creation is at the center
of the dispute concerning the validity of
EVP
By Tom Butler
There is a common thread that runs throughout any
discussion of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).
It is the general acceptance amongst EVP experimenters that we are
communicating with other people. Not
dead people, really, just people who are no longer in this world.
It permeates our thoughts even though we know there are those who do not
agree and even though no one has been able to offer a comprehensive explanation
for the presence of these communicating entities.
The belief is just there, inescapable and undeniable: we are talking to
people whom others call dead.
For the people who study EVP, this idea that we survive
physical death is not a matter of religious belief.
The evidence seems clear and undeniable.
Yes, it is true that this belief is shared by most religions of the
world. But there is much to be said
for the sort of physical evidence provided by EVP, as opposed to revealed
knowledge. There is no need to have
faith in something that is so well documented with evidence.
Others do not agree with the conclusions we draw from EVP.
People who have been trained in the physical sciences generally discount
the possibility that we survive physical death.
Or, if they do not outright discount survival, they relegate it to that
which is religious and make no attempt to mingle these articles of faith with
facts of science.
How can this be? How
can intelligent, earnest people who are clearly observing the same reality, find
so little common ground.
I believe the foundation of this difference in worldview
can be found in the assumption of where creation has taken place.
Here, by creation, I intend to say the formation and evolution of
self-aware entities. The nature of
the other objects in our reality must wait for a later discussion.
In the physical sciences, our self-awareness can be
reliably traced back to the origins of the first living cells in that fabled
primordial soup of creation here on earth. Based
on this model, it is assumed that similar primordial soups must have existed in
other parts of the universe, leaving room in this model for the existence of
other life forms. Perhaps our
universe is teaming with life.
Now here, I will enlist the study of metaphysics to
champion the side of survival, for scholars of this field also seek to embrace
the question of survival from a scientific viewpoint.
In metaphysics, the origin of physical life is, indeed, thought to have
originated in that fabled soup. However,
also in metaphysics, physical life and self-awareness have very different paths
of evolution. Self is thought to
have originated outside of physical reality.
So here, I am introducing the concept that there is a
greater reality, of which, our physical universe is but an aspect.
Because this greater reality is not physical, I will simply refer to it
as nonphysical reality. While the
existence of nonphysical reality cannot be declared a given, it can be
stipulated that there is such a thing for this discussion.
Just for the sake of discussion.
There is no use discussing how Self came to be.
Perhaps there was a primordial soup of energy that first gained
self-awareness. Regretfully, the how
of Self’s creation is beyond the scope of this discussion.
I will say, though, that this is not about an anthropomorphic god of
creation. The point here is that, in
metaphysics, there is a dual aspect in the nature of people.
We are human beings and we have evolved from simple organisms here on
earth. Also, we are Self and, as
Self, we have evolved in an environment that is outside of physical reality.
So, allow me to describe the question of origin as a
question of creation and the path of evolution as the arrow of creation.
The question then, is which way does the arrow of creation really point?
In physical science, there is no foundation for a
nonphysical aspect of reality. The
arrow of creation must point from that primordial soup to present day.
Anyone properly trained in the physical sciences has no choice but to
hold that this is true if they are to remain faithful to their education.
In metaphysics, as it is amongst most EVP researchers, and
yes, in theology, speculation in the existence of a greater reality allows us to
embrace all of physical science and to expand that understanding with the
concepts defining nonphysical reality. For
Self, the arrow of creation can point both ways, but it must first point from
some etheric origin toward present day. No
other consideration can explain the phenomena we experience.
There is a second trajectory of this metaphysical arrow of
creation that must be described. Somehow,
someway, the physical aspect of reality must also have been created.
The arrow of creation points toward the creation of that physical world
primordial soup, as well.
And so, this is the point of my comments.
The observed and demonstrable phenomena cannot be explained unless the
arrow of creation for the Self is considered to point from the nonphysical to
the physical aspects of reality. Once
the existence of a nonphysical aspect of reality is accepted, then the majority
of what is generally called “paranormal” phenomena can be explained as the
natural processes of nature.
Allow me to offer a for instance.
It has been clearly demonstrated that it is possible to stimulate the
brain in such a way as to cause the person to remember something or to sense
mental images. In physical science,
the conclusion is that, since it is possible to find a place in the brain that
is involved with that function, then that function must originate in that part
of the brain. Therefore, for
instance, memory is a function of the brain.
By extension, Self is a function of the brain.
The arrow points to the evolution of Self as a byproduct of the evolution
of the body.
However, if the existence of a nonphysical aspect of
reality is allowed, then it can as easily be argued that, by so stimulating a
region of the brain, the researchers are stimulating the portion of the human
body that facilitates the Self’s existence in the physical.
In other words, in metaphysics, the Principle of Agreement holds that an
object of reality must be energetically in agreement with the aspect of reality
it will inhabit. In practical
application, we express this as Self residing in a physical body.
It is our physical body that enables us to be energetically in agreement
with the physical aspect of reality. For
a particular ability of Self to be expressed in the physical, the body must be
able to support that ability. If for
some reason the body is damaged, say it is blind, then that ability cannot be
expressed. In this case, the Self
would not be able to see in the physical.
The body probably has evolved from that single cell, but it
is a physical thing that functions as a host for Self.
Yes, it is a form of life with an attendant energetic body, but the body
is believed to lack Self-awareness. It
is generally thought to be dependent on Self for volition beyond simple
requirements of survival such as eating or reproduction.
In another example, recent research in parapsychology has
established that we are able to telekinetically influence physical objects.
This in itself is a substantial breakthrough in support of the
possibility of a nonphysical aspect of reality.
Since telekinesis has gained some credibility amongst physical
scientists, it has come to be something of a catchall to explain other, less
acceptable phenomena such as survival of the Self.
In EVP, telekinesis is often sighted as an explanation for the origin of
EVP. “Humans are telekinetically
putting the voices on tape.”
In fact, telekinesis may be a good explanation for the
processes involved in EVP, since by definition, it means to mentally influence
objects. The Self is nonphysical.
Self residing in a physical body and Self that is free of a body while
the body is sleeping or because of physical death, should be qualitatively the
same. However, since the
communicating entity is generally thought to be free of a physical body, it must
have the assistance of a Self still residing in a physical body to satisfy the
Principle of Agreement. In more
common terms, the EVP experimenter is believed to function as a medium through
which the communicating entity is able to impress its messages.
Of course, the mediumship aspect of EVP is not accepted by
all EVP researcher, let alone physical scientists.
However, this should serve as an example of how simply changing the
direction of the arrow of creation can change the interpretation of an
observation. The possible presence
of telekinesis in EVP does not mean that the experimenter is the communicating
entity. It means that the EVP may be
impressed into the recording medium via telekinesis.
The source of the telekinetic ability may be the EVP researcher, but the
source of the message and all of its characteristics could very well be a
nonphysical entity. The observation
that telekinesis is involved would be the same in either case.
If you consider that our universe is but an aspect of a
greater reality, and if you consider the complexity we are aware of in this
universe, then simple extrapolation demands that the larger reality be vastly
more complex. But the existence of a
greater reality and some hypotheses concerning its nature must first be
stipulated to before such an extrapolation can be made.
Who amongst us is qualified to make such an extrapolation?
Few of us who are trained in the physical sciences are also
trained in metaphysical thought. While
it is the nature of EVP to attract researchers who are technically inclined, few
EVP researchers are well versed in both fields.
Evidence of this is frequently placed before us by physical scientists
who propose super conscious or holographic principles to explain all of the
various characteristics of EVP that is reported by experimenters.
At the same time, we see EVP researchers who have substantial background
in metaphysics, propose the survival hypotheses as the explanation for all of
the reported phenomena.
In fact, all of these explanations may correctly explain
some of the observed phenomena, but as stated, they are not acceptable to the
other school of thought because they do not answer all of the questions.
Not being one to sight a problem without proposing a solution, it is
clear to me that cooperation amongst physical scientists and metaphysicians is
in order. Of the many forms of EVP,
some may very well be evidence of the holographic nature of the universe.
At the same time, other EVP are probably evidence of the survival of Self
after physical death. Both schools
are right within the appropriate context. However,
we may never come to understand this if qualified EVP researchers do not work
with people who are qualified to speak of physical principles.
Neither can do this alone.
But here is the good news.
Some open-minded scientists are beginning to seriously evaluate EVP
because they can see that there is something going on that is extraordinary.
Physical scientists are trained to follow the evidence.
They recognize that phenomena represented by EVP and mediumship cannot be
explained with known physical principles. Rather
than shrinking away from such controversial subjects, they are seizing the
opportunity to study these phenomena.
For instance, there are members of the American Association
of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) who have the necessary scientific
background to address the issues and who are fast becoming serious EVP
researchers. Other EVP experimenters
are learning to describe their work in terms that are acceptable to the
scientific community. We have found
that AA-EVP members, as in EVP associations around the world, have a true
pioneer spirit when it comes to trying new ideas and techniques.
As a community, EVP experimenters represent a collective laboratory ready
and able to support scientific investigation.
This illustrates an important point.
Many of the scientists whom we seek to certify these phenomena are
already interested and are participating in EVP related associations around the
world. It is for the rest of us to
order our thoughts and to clearly describe our experiments.
Not all EVP experimenters are EVP researchers, but all EVP experimenters
are potential contributors to EVP research.
We know so much and we have so much evidence, now we must bring that to
the researchers in a form that is rationally presented and well documented.
Many of you are probably aware of the work being conducted
at the Human Energy Systems Laboratory in the University
of Arizona, at Tucson (www.livingenergyuniverse.com). This
is research concerning the validity of mediumship.
A team of mediums has been reliably graded at between eighty and ninety
percent accuracy in the messages they are able to deliver via mediumship.
Since EVP and mediumship seem to be closely related phenomena, this
research tends to validate the concepts involved in EVP as well.
This research also offers a formidable method to verify the Survival
Hypothesis.
Interestingly, the existence of a nonphysical aspect of
reality is beginning to be well established through research by scientists who
are not even aware of EVP, but who have learned to look in the direction of a
possible nonphysical cause for phenomena. For
instance, one of the more exciting bits of news to make the rounds in the AA-EVP
is a report from the Boundary Institute (www.boundaryinstitute.org) that they
detected a change in the output of an array of random number generators that
seemed to predict the attack on the World Trade Center September 11, 2001.
Could this be evidence of consciousness influencing physical processes?
In another study, a group of doctors at the University of
Southampton have published a groundbreaking report that claims for the first time, that
there is scientific evidence of life after death.
(http://www.soton.ac.uk/~pubaffrs/0128.htm)
Dr. Sam Parnia, who led the
study, believes the mind might be independent of the brain.
He said: "The brain is definitely needed to manifest the mind, a bit
like how a television set can take what essentially are waves in the air and
translate them into picture and sound."
Such conclusions would not have been seriously voiced a few
years ago.
I will close with an explanation of why I think it is so
important that the scientific community validates the Survival Hypothesis.
First, it is not to provide validation for people who already accept
personal survival. While validation
would be nice, these people already have proof.
We have the philosophy in the AA-EVP that we are teaching the world to
experiment with EVP one person at a time. We
believe that Humankind is on the verge of a major shift in worldview.
This shift is toward the understanding that the physical and the
nonphysical aspects of reality are part of a greater whole.
In this worldview, will be the understanding that we survive physical
death, and therefore, we must have a new value for life and sense of the
importance of personal growth. Humankind
is composed of people and people respect the opinion of scientists.
Should scientists begin to speak of the Survival Hypothesis as a
reasonable theory, people will be more inclined to accept this view.
Humankind’s change in worldview will more quickly evolve to embrace
these concepts. I believe that is
the true benefit in scientific approval. That,
and the portable EVP phone booth some engineer will build for us once our
scientists have provided the necessary supporting theory.
So I say to you in the scientific community that there is a
large EVP community that is waiting and able to help you.
EVP is a most powerful tool that can provide a window into the
nonphysical aspect of reality. It is
here now, it is well understood, it is repeatable and anyone can do it.
You should also know that it is very inexpensive.
Why not set up a series of survival experiments in which mediumship and
EVP are used as cross-correspondence tools for data verification?
Why not give it a try to help catatonic patients or for grief management?
Why not use it as a possible link into the thoughts of sleeping people
for dream research? What if you
could record an EVP message that would identify the physical location of
something that is lost? Would that
interest you? We cannot guarantee
that EVP will work in all of these ways, but we can assure you that the
communicating entities of EVP are also interested in helping you.
EVP is a most powerful tool.
|
