A small seed contains the blueprint of a huge tree. Its germination and successive growth bring the unknown, the invisible, into a visible and perceivable form. The sperm holds a complete man – with its inherited nature and biological history of several generations alive – in its micro-subtler folds. Time brings into apparent existence the grand system encoded in the tiny units of the genes.
The subtle structure of an atom contains a ‘solar system’ of subatomic particles in its core. The blow of energy generated by the fission of its nucleus expresses the immense power hidden in its tiny, negligible existence. The same is true of a human being too. In general, a human being lives an insignificant life of an
‘evolved animal’. His aspirations and activities revolve around stomach and sex in one way or the other. Even his intelligence remains engaged in generating comforts and pleasure for the body and its offspring. However, a little awareness and refinement in his attitude begins to show that his life is indeed precious and endowed with enormous potentials.
Reflection of the unknown or the latent power often appears astonishing or miraculous. But, there is nothing like a miracle in this world. Every event, every power, every possibility is hidden in the inner cores of Nature… Its existence is eternal. Nothing diminishes or generates here from the empty or nonexistent. It is only a transformation of the expression of existence that reflects such effects and impressions. Whatever we know or often deal with becomes ordinary for us… If something unknown or unheard of occurs it surprises us… Similar is true of the so-called extrasensory perceptions and miraculous experiences. There is nothing magical or mysterious about them. These also pertain to – the expressions of the subliminal, the awakening of the dormant, the realization of the unknown. Given the opportunity, the hidden or normally inactive powers of a human being may lead to his absolute evolutions into a divine being – endowed with the virtues and powers of thy creator. The science of spirituality deals with the arousal and ascent of the human self, its bodily, mental and subliminal potentials.
From the reported instances of scientific verifications of spiritual (or extrasensory) powers, it appears that first series of such experiments mostly dealt with the extrasensory force of attraction or biomagnetism activated by willpower and mental concentration. Count Egner Gasperin of France had experimented on a person who could pull and lift things from one place to the other against gravity – without even touching them or applying any external force. Gasperin regarded this power as a power of attraction against gravity. He also formulated a measure for this power. He argued that hanging things or people in air without any support or upward force is not a mysterious power or a magic of God.
106 Rather, it is an expression of the elevated and focused mental strength and willpower.
Dr. Gasperin’s report was published in 1854. A year later, Professor Durrett of Geneva also published a research paper on the force of attraction in human body that could be superior and against the gravitation force. His results and conclusion were in accordance with those of Gasperin. Professor Sir William Crooks researched on this line to verify these findings or inferences. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and enjoyed eminent recognition in the scientific community those days. He had conducted several experiments on Denial D.
Holmes, who possessed the exceptional power to lift any object from one place to another without holding it in hand or using any other means. Sir Crooks’
research results got published in the Quarterly Journal of Science in 1917. This helped establish the scientific approval of the supernatural and spiritual powers of mankind.
In view of the curiosity of several other scientists, once Dr. Crook had arranged an experiment in his house to demonstrate Denial’s extrasensory powers. An accordion was kept inside a cage in the hall. Denial was not allowed to touch the cage or the keys of the accordion and he was asked to play this instrument. Some physicists, lawyers and doctors were watching his activities carefully. The man stood in front of the cage at a visible distance and began moving his fingers in air as though he was playing the accordion. Within few seconds, the keys of the instrument were seen being pressed automatically and started producing the corresponding musical notes. Well, the accordion was being ‘played’ excellently.
One after the other, Denial Holmes played several tunes without even touching the cage. It was a great show by all means.
In another significant experiment reported by Sir Crooks, it was found that Denial Holmes was able to destabilize the equilibrium of a heavyweight balance just by lightly touching its board. The balance was so sturdy and insensitive to moderate weights that even when Sir Crooks himself set on its one side, it hardly recorded any shift in its pointer. Then how could it show significant weight and drastic shift by a mere touch of Denial’s finger? This too was a startling demonstration of the inner force of human self.
Dr. J.B. Rene was a Professor of Psychology in Duke University at North Carolina… His wife has cited interesting incidents of selective willpower in her book on “Mind over Matter – Psychokinesis”. She writes that once a person came to her husband’s department and claimed that he has suddenly developed exceptional acumen and willpower in gambling with cards or dice. Moreover, he can also force the other players to play at his will. Some people in the university had heard of the ‘gifted brains’ who could know about the other player’s cards or
107 who possessed clairvoyance to see beneath the earth’s surface… But this man’s power sounded more astonishing! He said he could declare, even before the distribution of cards begins, who will get what – disregard of, who is distributing the cards and who is sitting where?
In fact this man was able to control the distribution of cards without touching them… Not only that, he was even able to influence the minds of the players and movements of the dice too! Prof. Rene and his group conducted several experiments within and outside the university premises and confirmed this person’s exceptional talents and will power… In one such example, 25 students participated in a game of dice. This man asked the students to throw the dice one by one. Each time the student was supposed to wish for a number of his choice…; this person would close his eyes and ‘order’ the dice to show that particular number before the student threw the dice. Well, each time the dice seemed to have ‘followed his orders obediently’.
Further experiments in the Duke University showed that this person’s willpower worked on other substances too. Dr. Helmut Schmidt of the Physics Department of this university had arranged a challenging experiment. The decay of radioactive element is a natural phenomenon. But if a compound has four radioactive substances, the order in which they would decay and will be diminished is never certain. The indicators attached with the sensors to measure the decay can only show – by flashes of the glows of the attached lamps – when a particular constituent element has decayed significantly… But no one can predict with 100% accuracy, which bulb (which color) would be switch on in what order? However, in several trials on the spiritually charged willpower and precognition of this “gifted man”, it was found that the bulbs were switched on in the order ‘determined’ and declared by him well in advance.
During the ‘Iron Curtain’ days of Russia several experiments of psychokinesis were conducted on a lady of Leningrad. This woman, named Nelly Kulagin was appointed as a Sargent in the Takai Regiment when she was nineteen years old.
She was retired form the army in couple of years because of being severely injured in the German attack. Later on she married, gave birth to a son and enjoyed a pretty long life with her grand children. This lady had extrasensory powers like Denial Holmes (referred above). Russian researchers had conducted some tests on her at different stages of her life. In one such experiment – conducted without any prior intimation, she was invited to a diner party sometimes in 1970.
A group of researchers including physicians and doctors headed by Prof.
William A. Mac Garry reached there without any intimation and asked her to demonstrate her unique power on the dining table itself. Well, she shifted the
108 spoons, dishes, and eatables with their containers from one corner of the table to the other without holding them. She just used to move her hand several inches above the desired objects. She also rotated a ring kept in front of her by repeatedly rotating her head clockwise and anti-clockwise. Surprisingly the ring made exact circular motion in corresponding direction without any axis or pivotal support. In one of the movies, she was shown throwing a ping pong up, holding it in the air and pulling it down as per the instructions of her fingers.
A seventeen years old British girl named Julie Carleton had demonstrated her extrasensory powers to mold spoons and knifes in any shape just by a momentary touch. Her power was found to be similar to that of Yuri Gellner and there was no fraud in her claims.
Series of such experiments and scientific validation of the exceptional willpower, clairvoyance, etc, have been reported extensively from the western countries since past few decades… The modern scientists might continue this research up to their satisfaction and might even hunt for a cause explicable by the existing scientific theories…, the Indian science of spirituality has always affirmed the truth of supernatural powers of human mind beyond any limitation.
It should be noted that, the clairvoyance, willpower and extrasensory perceptions of human beings are not confined to material substances or objects alone… If evolved further, the spiritual powers can do wonders at the level of consciousness too. The great yogis and saints could therefor enlighten and inspire people’s thinking and aspirations in the righteous direction.
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