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March 10th, 2009 by Sean Emergence

I’ve been on vacation the last two weeks. As is my routine, I like to buy an interesting book to read during the down times. It just so happens I stumbled upon a fantastic book that discusses many of the things I find interesting concerning the philosophy of science:

Reinventing the Sacred, by Stuart A. Kauffman

At first I was skeptical, but the author eventually won me over. Not by using some New Age mumbo-jumbo and dangerous thoughts… but by appealing to logic, reason, mathematics, science, and evidence! Fantastic! (On the down side, some areas become very hard to read because it can almost be too technical, and he is very long-winded.)

His argument is against the modern addiction to “reductionism”, which basically says: whatever object we want to study, we just need to take it apart, and study the parts. Kauffman argues against it by giving example after example of emergent properties of complicated systems. These properties are unpredictable. Not because we aren’t smart enough - Kauffman argues they are inherently unpredictable.

One example to demonstrate this is music. For example, your average song is around three minutes long, which is about three megabytes of information when stored in mp3 format. Therefore, given enough time, we could sit and listen to all three minute songs - simply by enumerating all the computer bits on and off, in all combinations. So, on the surface, it looks like there is a limit to our creativity, and reductionism is the winner.

Kauffman’s response is: it’s impossible to actually do that. The numbers are too large. So the only way to move forward is to creatively make new music, because this “listen to every song” experiment is utterly useless.

However, in creating new music, even more music becomes accessible. So there is actually an ebb and flow to this creativity process. Technically speaking, all songs created will fit in our three megabytes… so it’s not like we’re breaking any rules. But this process of creating is insanely important, because it finds the best and most diverse range of songs, in the most efficient matter.

Now, read that all again, but replace “music” with “protein strands”, or “economy”, or “evolution”, and you get the idea of what Kauffman is talking about. Except he is much more scientific, and actually has the data to back it up.

It’s a very interesting read, and I highly recommend it. I may talk more about it latter, if I can compress his ideas down into readable chunks.

Posted in Books, Science | 7 Comments »

January 5th, 2008 by Sean Current Projects

Not a whole lot going on right now… But I do manage to keep myself busy. My current projects are as follows:

1. Win MegaMillions. The jackpot is below $45 million, so I’m not playing right now. My current strategy is to just pick numbers off the top of my head, with no overall understanding or strategy. This is based on the idea that I’ll never fully know how it works, but I just have to trust that it will work. I’m also working on my lottery machine, but since it’s construction won’t help my current strategy, it’s not a priority.

2. Video tape myself having an out of body experience. I’ve started getting into the habit of training myself to OBE again. I’ve noticed that my OBEs have dropped in frequency over the past months, and that bothers me. So I’m resuming my training, and also video tape myself at the same time, with the idea that if I have an OBE during a training session, it will be on camera.

3. I’m reading the book, Science and the Akashic Field, by Ervin Laszlo. It’s interesting, but it really hasn’t captured my interest completely yet. Perhaps in the later chapters it will do so.

4. Unrelated to the paranormal, I’ve been working a lot on another site of mine, codetank.com. It’s purpose is to teach programming, and provide a nice and fun environment to learn programming in. I have a few games online, and it’s slowly growing. Fun :-).

Nothing terribly exciting this moment, but maybe I’ll start seeing results with the lottery or start having some OBEs again. I’m beginning to have consistent lucid dreams (I’ve had an LD every night for the past three or four days now), which is usually a sign that my training is having an effect.

Posted in Lottery, Books, Random Stuff, Dream Phenomenon | 8 Comments »

December 1st, 2007 by Sean“The Ultimate Time Machine”

I’ve been on vacation the past week, soaking up some rays with my mom in Florida. Before leaving for the trip, I purchased the book The Ultimate Time Machine by Joseph McMoneagle. By the end of the trip, I had finished the book (and actually started on another one which I’m now half-way through).

Well… I hate to be a nay-sayer… but the book is pretty terrible.

It starts off with McMoneagle’s history in remote viewing, and his work with the STARGATE program. No problems so far - I had already known McMoneagle to be a reliable and accurate remote viewer from my past research. From what I can tell, McMoneagle can accurately use remote viewing to psychically receive information on military targets. So, with that knowledge, you might think the rest of the book would be a great read… Well. No.

The book first starts to go sour with McMoneagle’s understanding of “time”. First he asserts that there is no past, and that we create the past in the present with our beliefs. But then he asserts that there is an objective past, that we can access using remote viewing. Well - does the past exist, or doesn’t it? Clearly the answer is that there is an objective past, and there is also society’s current understanding of that past. While society might be wrong, that doesn’t actually alter the objective past. McMoneagle struggles with this simple concept for some reason, and he constantly confuses society’s current understanding of the past, with the actual objective past.

But whatever… maybe I just don’t get what he’s trying to say. Ok, fair enough. I kept reading.

The second half of the book is dedicated solely to McMoneagle’s predictions for the future. The book was written in 1998, so I was especially curious if McMoneagle would talk about any terrorist attacks on 9/11, the Iraq war, or global warming. At one point he does mention a war in the Middle East, but he predicts the war will be a result of Hussein invading Iran.

Here are some other predictions:

1. In 2005, temporary tattoos (made with a special kind of dye) will be the new fad.

2. In 2002, male pattern baldness will be fully eradicated, via some magic pill.

3. Fully automated, or computer controlled highways, will be tested by 2005.

4. Before 2001, a country in the Middle East will suffer a biological warfare accident, resulting in the death of nearly 100,000 people, and permanent abandonment of a large city.

5. In 2008, the standard RAM in a computer will be 128 MB.

6. Between 2005-2008, a new form of clothing style, consisting of a jumpsuit with colors on the shoulders, will be ushered in.

7. By the year 2010, the SATs will “go the way of the dinosaurs.” (p.146)

8. By the year 2019, the average student will be scoring the max on the SATs, and they won’t matter anymore. (p.239)

Er wait…

Yes that’s right. McMoneagle contradicts his own predictions. First the SATs will disappear, then 9 years later they will be getting maxed out.

The majority of McMoneagle’s predictions happen decades in the future. But judging by his accuracy so far, I honestly won’t be holding my breath.

I feel conflicted, because part of me really respects McMoneagle’s remote viewing training and talent. However, I really can’t let this book slide. His predictions are… terrible. Don’t bother reading this book. Sorry.

Posted in Books | 14 Comments »

July 20th, 2007 by Sean How to Prove Psychic Abilities are Real

In light of dealing with skeptics on ld4all.com’s message boards, I will offer multiple ways to prove psychic abilities are real. There are two main paths: do the research, or experience the phenomenon. Feel free to do both at the same time for double the proof.

### Do the Research

Here are some links that JoeT provided (I hope he doesn’t mind I ripped them off from him):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parapsychology
http://www.parapsychology.org/
http://www.parapsychologydegrees.com/
http://www.rhine.org/
http://perso.orange.fr/basuyaux/parapsy_eng/links/
http://www.biomindsuperpowers.com/
http://www.espresearch.com/
http://www.parapsych.org/
http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/
http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0003044

Here are some links of my own that I’ve enjoyed:

http://www.ions.org/
http://www.lfr.org/LFR/csl/
http://www.dina.kvl.dk/~abraham/psy1.html
http://www.fmbr.org/
http://www.psywww.com/asc/obe/missz.html

Here are some books:

Out-of-Body Experiences - A Handbook, by Janet Lee Mitchell, Ph.D.
Remote Viewing Secrets - A Handbook, by Joseph McMoneagle
Journeys Out of the Body, by Robert Monroe
Altered States of Consciousness, by Charles T. Tart
The Invention of Telepathy, by Roger Luckhurst
Experimental Telepathy, by Rene Warcollier
Telepathy and Clairvoyance, by Rudolf Tischner

The links and books above give more than enough proof. How many of you searching for proof will actually read any of it though? The information is usually pretty dry, I admit. Nonetheless, if you really want that scientific proof - there you go. It’s all at your fingertips. The only thing holding you back is your ability to read.

### Experience the Phenomenon

The path that I personally enjoy is to experience the phenomenon directly. You can’t really argue with personal experience! Oh sure, after you have a bunch of weird experiences, people will look at you differently. Some will call you crazy, and tell you what you experienced was simply impossible. Some will treat you like a circus animal, asking you to perform on cue for their personal amusement. Some will say you’re a liar, and that you’re trying to deceive people for profit. But hey - if you really want that proof - you’ll need to make some sacrifices.

Here are some links with “How-To” information:

http://psipog.net/articles.html (I like this one, personally)
http://www.psipalatium.com/
http://www.psc-online.org/sections/view.php?id=9
http://www.upconline.net/articles.php
http://zhkyrl.brinkster.net/psionline/allarticles.html
http://www.psipog.net/activepsy/contents.html (This is where I started)
http://www.fork-you.com/
http://www.crvmanual.com/
http://www.robertpeterson.org/obebook.html
http://www.firedocs.com/
http://alittleweird.com/2007/05/11/how-to-receive-anything/
http://alittleweird.com/2007/07/04/how-to-leave-your-body/

Here are some books with “How-To” information:

You Are Psychic!, by Pete A. Sanders
Astral Dynamics, by Robert Bruce
Astral Travel for Beginners, by Richard Webster
Out of Body Exploring, by Preston Dennett
Psychic Development for Beginners, by William W. Hewitt
Develop Your Psychic Skills, by Enid Hoffman
Kundalini Awakening, by John Selby and Zachary Zelig

### Conclusion

There you go. There’s your proof. Everything you need - right there. A lot of the information is free on the web. Purchasing books does cost some money, but surely it’s not that much. Maybe $10 per book. If you’re going to invest in only one book, my personal favorite is You Are Psychic!, by Pete A. Sanders. It gives a lot of great exercises to try and has a nice explanation for how psychic phenomenon might work.

It’s really not that hard to prove psychic abilities are real. The actual work involved isn’t that much. Mainly it consists of reading. If you decide to try some exercises, they aren’t difficult either. What usually happens is that people refuse to do the research because they’re lazy, or they refuse to try an exercise because they feel silly. Then they proclaim that psychic abilities can’t exist because they’ve never seen proof. Well no duh.

One last thing: This is by no means an exhaustive list. Use Google. Search. Go to a library. Actually GO TO A LIBRARY. I spent countless hours at the University of Georgia’s library, reading random books on psi research. The main keywords to look for are “telepathy”, “clairvoyance”, “esp”, and “psychokinesis”. Searching for other terms doesn’t usually produce results.

That’s it.

Posted in How-To, ESP, Books, Science | 11 Comments »

July 14th, 2007 by Sean Value

I’ve been thinking about money and value lately with the purpose of trying to uncover limiting beliefs that could be holding me back from winning the lottery.

Before I get into it, let me say one thing. The book, The Richest Man in Babylon, by George S. Clason, is an unbelievably awesome book on money. I highly recommend it - it’s one of my favorites that I’ve read multiple times.

So anyways… on thinking about money and business, I notice that a lot of businesses are based on lies. And that bothers me. Just watch some commercials. Not skinny enough? We can fix that. Not getting enough sleep? We can fix that. Dick isn’t big enough? We can fix that. Clothes not cool enough? We can fix that. Not happy enough? We got some pills you can take!

I mean… so many businesses are based on convincing the customer that they won’t be happy until they buy a product. They target an insecurity and exploit it for profit. That’s pretty fucking rude :-P.

But then I suppose I should be fair. There are businesses that actually provide a useful service, that deserve their success. For example, FedEx, Google, NetFlix, Amazon, etc. They provide a service without preying on their customers.

So where is the value? I don’t think there is any value in exploiting insecurities. But I do think there is value in providing an honest service.

I want to say that the value of something is ultimately created in the mind. But I can’t see it clearly just yet. Or maybe I can…

After all, if no one was insecure about how fat they are, then diet commercials that tried to target a non-existent insecurity would be ineffective. Should I be blaming the business, or should I be blaming the customer for having the insecurity in the first place? Where is the value created?

It’s the customer who creates the value. It is the mind.

> A mighty general was holding and admiring one of his antique cups. Suddenly, the cup slipped from his hands and fell. Although in shock, he quickly caught the cup before it hit the ground. Somewhat breathless from this incident, he thought to himself, “I have led tens of thousands of soldiers into battle without fear. Why did a cup cause me to become so frightened?” He then realized that it was his mind of attachment and loss that caused him such fright. With this comprehension, he casually threw the cup to the ground and let it break.

Posted in Lottery, Books | 9 Comments »

June 25th, 2007 by Sean“As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen

I’ve read this book twice in the past month: As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen, published in 1902.

It’s a short book - the version I have is 52 pages long. But it’s a great read. Here are some quotes:

> As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately executed.

> …

> A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.

> …

> Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set.

> …

> A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.

> …

> The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it a man has but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by lifting up his thoughts.

> …

> Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this - in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep you hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, “Peace, be still!”

The entire book is like that. I like it!

Posted in Philosophy, Books, Personal Development | 13 Comments »

May 6th, 2007 by Sean“Think Yourself Rich” by Joseph Murphy

I’m reading a book, Think Yourself Rich, by Joseph Murphy.

It’s pretty repetitive, and it really talks a lot about God and the bible, but it has some good ideas too.

Honestly, I’m not sure how Christian the author really is. There are hints in the book that he doesn’t believe in the Christian God, but rather believes that the subconscious mind is the gateway to God. If you strip out all the religious information, the ideas are pretty cool.

Here’s a small excerpt, to give you an idea:

> You can get acquainted with the riches of the Infinite storehouse within you by reiterating and believing the following prayer: “I am ever grateful for God’s riches that are ever active, ever present, unchanging, and eternal.”

> God gave you richly all things to enjoy in this universe. Life itself is a gift to you. The whole world was here before you were born. Believe and expect the riches of the Infinite, and invariably the best will come to you. As you practice this simple truth, the desert of your life will rejoice and blossom as the rose.

As you can see, it’s pretty heavy with the God references. Not that I have anything against God… what I am against is relying on religion to explain your ideas.

Stripping out the religious stuff from the above passage, and taking the meat of the information, you can get some interesting ideas. 1. Be grateful. 2. Life is a gift to you. 3. Belief and expectation will fulfill themselves. Sounds like pretty good things.

The author stresses that by focusing on positive things, you will attract more positive things to you. Law of Attraction and Intention Manifestation, basically. Ok cool.

One idea that differs from the Intention Manifestation model is interesting though. He comes back to this idea that our natural state is to live an abundant, healthy life. He also states that God never punishes anyone - we only punish ourselves. He uses the analogy of if you cut yourself, the skin automatically heals itself. The blood comes to clot, and the tissue starts to regenerate. In that same manor, when you punish yourself by using the Law of Attraction incorrectly, God’s natural reaction is to heal you.

He claims that if we are poor, we are punishing ourselves, and have a disease of the mind. Once that disease is cured (through prayer and meditation), then our natural state will return - the state of abundance.

Ok, so there is a lot of religion in his explanations. It’s important to understand what someone is saying from the perspective that they’re saying it. This way, while you might disagree with some of the axioms, you can still use the same lessons in your own life.

The important idea that I’ve learned so far, is that we don’t have to work to become rich. If our natural state is abundance, then we are doing more work by staying poor, than we would be doing becoming rich. Think of holding up a pendulum - if you let go, it’s natural state is to drop down. If you want to constantly hold the pendulum out of it’s natural state, then that takes energy. If you just let go, it will naturally find it’s way back to the center. Same idea.

This is a new idea to me because I’ve almost always been under the impression that we must work really hard to become rich. Very rarely have I attempted to question that idea. It’s always fun to see someone who disagrees with a belief that you rarely question yourself. It can help you out.

I’m not done with the book, but I think I understand the gist of it at this point. I’ll continue to read, and try and apply the author’s techniques. A fun project :-).

Posted in Books, Personal Development | 6 Comments »

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