From: snorri@mentation.hacktic.nl (Snorri Helgarsson)
Organization: Just a guy reaching for the outer limits of human potential

The other day, whilw I was traveling the Internet Beast I came along a
strange file called "Qantum Magic".  Nobody claimed responsibility for it
but nevertheless it got my attention to such a degree that I would want to
share it with some other darings souls. Before even beginning I would want
to point out that I'm not a physisist sothat I'm not hindered
over-qualification :-)

But OK, where is it all about, the nameless Author, who by the way is leaning
heavily on one  Evan Harris Walker who presumely provided proof for the
following conjectures:

(1) "Normal waking consciousness occurs when the nerve cell firing rate is
high ennough to  spread out waves associated with electrons to fill the gaps
between the synaptic clefts with  waves of probability of similar amplitude.
This is described mathematicaly by the quantum  mechanical mechanism of
tunneling. These waves are inteconnected throughout regions of the brain
through resonances, resuting in a large, complex, unified, quantum machanically
defined resonance matrix filling a region in the brain......"

(2) "By merely observing a phenomenom (resonating ones brain with it) one can
 affect the outcome, since physical mechanisms in your brain are part of the
 wave matrix described by quantum mechanics. The information handling rate in
 resonance determines the amount of the effect, along with the elapsed time
 of resonance and the probability distribution of the phenomenom you are
 observing."

Relating to (2) the paper further states that quantum mechanical state
selection can be biased by an observer, under the following conditions:

W te is greater than or equal to  -Log P(Qo-Qi) Q

where

P(Qo-Qi) = Probability that state Qi will occur by chance alone

W          = Information handling rate of process in brain associated with
             state vector selection (bits/sec)

te         = Elapsed time

Q          = Overall state vector

Qo        = Initial physical state of system

Qi         = State that manifests "paranormal" target event.

It than goes on to say that:

"the effect of consciousness is incredibly small on macroscopic systems;
but it can be measurable when it occurs on qm defined and divergent systems,
where a slight change can amplify itself as it propagates through the system.
The effect is about 1E-17 degrees on the angle of bounce result in changes in
the diplacement of cubes that increase about 50% on every bounce and the
effect is measurable after many bounces (here again the author revers to
Walker). The theory successfully and quantitatively modeled the differing
amounts of displacement observed in experiments on cubes of different weights
and wheight distributions."

Concluding out of the above:

"The non-local underlying wave patterns beneath manifestations of matter and
energy that we hold in common with our surroundings allow us to influence
reality and to obtain information about it using the power of the mind. This
underlying interconnecting pattern is the very stuff of conciousness and
manifests, not only as matter and energy, but also as psychokinesis,
procognition and other phenomenon that are only now beginning to be recognized
and embraced by some theories of modern physics."

One of the many questions popping up in my mind is, while not disregarding ESP
as such (which many here probably would), in howfar could one make the jump
from micro to macroscopic effects a problem which all to often seems to be
overlooked in qm philosophical argumentations.

The text continues to state that:

"To physically obtain information about a target or to physically influence
events (I take this to rever to macroscopic effects), one has to have one's
brain resonating with aspects of the reality interconnecting the brain with
the target. The more one's brain resonates with the non-local aspects of
reality connecting with a target the more communication and direct influence
one can have on it."

"The more fundamentally diverse the potential outcomes of a process targeted
are, the more effect one gets from resonating  ones brain with it. Also, the
ore small changes in the system tend to amplify as larger changes in the end
result, the more effect one can get. This provides an explaination of why
patterns exist within seemingly random events and why successful magic often
results in a chain of synchronicities."

Relating to the occurence of noise often observed during ESP experiments the
text states that this would be caused by outside obeservers randomizing the
process causing dilution of will data channels and randomizing the results.

At this point I came to think about those data channels and that what Jack
Sarfatti wrote on that subject:

"I distinguish a classical communication channel from a quantum communication
channel. A classical channel requires a "signal". A signal is a modulated
energetic wave-packet propagating through space-time. The message is encoded
in the shaping or modulation of the wave-packet Sofar all signals we know are
about are "causal" which means they cannot propagate faster than the speed of
light. A quantum channel does not need a signal. The words "message" and
"signal" must not be confused. Quantum channels carry messages without
signals. The message on the quantum channels are causality violating
"non-local influences" or "quantum-actions-on-a-distance". These non-local
influences cancel eachother out by random destructive interference in the
objective classical limit that we percieve with our senses... "

Question to Jack:

If I understand this right than messages carried by quantum channels could be
understood as resonce patterns, which are causality violating in the sense
that there is no time delay between "transmittion" and "reception". When
you say that those non-local influences cancel each other out by random
destructive interference in the objective classical limit that we percieve
with our senses, than am I right to understand that this applies to that
classical limit but that attunement remains a possibility following your
hypthesis:

"I make the hypothesis that our interior mental subjective experiences
including our sense of self emerge from non-random coherent "constructive
interference" of non-local influences. The nonlocal influences of quantum wave
patterns form the primordial "atoms" or "pre-geometry" in "imaginary time" out
of which objective events (in curved  spacetime with momentum energy and
charge) and subjective mental events both emerge like two trees sharing the
same roots fed by the "underground stream" of old Qabalistic writings that
Dirac called "the substratum: that Hawkings calls the "quantum foam" and "The
Mind of God". Thus, in my version of "the new physics", a primitive form of
mentality has the same ontological (i.e. reality) status as the primitive
forms of matter and curved space-time."

Bringing this in context with the text in which it is said that:

"It has been theorized that consciousness is an inseparable aspect of this
underlying reality. When our awareness connects with the deepest layer of
reality interconnecting everything we may experience the level of
consciousness beyond time and form reported by many mystics. It is this
nonlocal structure that we share with nature that makes it possible to
"attune to nature," to psychically participate in nature, and to live
in accordance with it."

Relating the text to Jack's hypothesis and specically to the assertion that
"objective events in curved space-time and subjective mental events both
emerge from the same ground", and assuming the possibility of goal-directed
connectiveness, the above conjecture made in the context of the text may very
well be valid. Assuming of course that Jack is right, which apparently many
think he is not considering his reputation of enfant terrible of the Usenet.
However it should be noted that Sarfatti is not alone, when he is pointing at
a unified grounding from which both objective and subjective events emerge,
notably Bohm makes a strong case in favor of such a view when he states that:

".....that the more comprehensive , deeper, and more inward actuality is
neither mind nor body but rather a yet higher-dimensional actuality, which is
their common ground and which is of a nature beyond both. Each of these is
then only a relatively independent sub-totality and it is implied that this
relative independence derives from the higher-dimensional ground in which mind
and body are ultimately one......".


At ths stage there would be two major problems we would have to look at,
(1) Decoding of messages and (2) the interface.

IMHO the decoding issue doesn't really need to pose a problem when we assume
that it is not so much a message in the sense of encoded information, we are
dealing with, the information would be contained in the state of the
resonance matrix we are resonating with.

If we were to adopt the following hypothesis, in which we were to apply the
basic mechanism described by Harth in the context of the Creative Loop and
extend it to include the regional resonance matrices described earlier, we
could apply a positive feedback mechanism. Harth pointed out that positive
feedback from deeper cortexial levels allows for images to be projected onto
the LGN. In one sense an image would go down through the visual pathway while
being decoded by feature extractors into neural activation patterns, while in
another sense the original image as it appears on the LGN would be interfered
with by information originating from those deeper levels, whereby the LGN
would function as a sketchboard aiding the identification process by
introducing already known patterns. The extention I would propose would apply
to the resonance matrices caused by neural firing patterns, whereby I would
assume a similar positive feedback mechanism up and down to and from those
matrices. Resonance matrices caused by firing patterns and firing patterns
caused by resonance matrices. Applying the hypothesis on remote viewing under
the conditions pointed to by the Walker Equation we could assume that given
sufficiently strong resonance with the target the feedback mecahnism would
cause a particular firing pattern which travels up the visual pathway causing
an image to be projected on the LGN. Along the same lines inverting the
process and applying it to remote influencing of the brain state of a target
subject first resonance would be established than a pattern would be induced
on the resonance matrices in the target brain causing a specific effect.

It must be pointed out here that the top-down feed backs in the cortex-retinal
neural net is not the whole story, most likely we could apply it equally to
the other senses, and the thought process a such.

At this stage we can return to the question of noice, as it was mentioned
earlier on in this paper. Walker asserts that the outcome of ESP experiments
are often negatively influenced by outside interference. Extending this
to include the whole pathway, the occurence of noise is an almost unavoidable
side effect, in that it is very much part of that what was described in
relation the the Creative Loop and in fact is inherent to it. Returning to the
original image which was projected onto the LNG from the retina, noise is
almost instantly introduced by the feedback mechanism. The image in the
process of recognition is being modified such that it begins to correspond to
known features, in other words the perception is influenced by the disposition
of the neural system. Walker identifies noise as the resultant of interference
of outside observers randomizing the process causing dilution of will data
channels and randomizing the results, which IMHO could very well be acurate
but this would not pose the only source of noise as ultimately the final
interpretation of the image (in the case of remote viewing) would be strongly
influenced by the past states of the brain in question, making the whole
mechanism rather unreliable at least as far is communication is concerned.

Interesting is that looking at the structure of magical ritual, one can
clearly identify an awareness of the noise issue. The text describes a typical
methodology as applied in a magical process, and I quote:

"1) Purefy one's mind and one's surroundings, freeing them of interfering
resonanses (make sure that you are alone), quiting the static sothat one can
get a clear and strong resonance on the target desired.

2) Achieve a non-localized state of consciousness, often by resonating one's
mind with one's inner being, with the Earth, the sky, and one's surroundings.

3) Meditate on the elements (Earth Air, Fire, Water) representing non-local
essences. This helps your mind to resonate powerfully non-locally.

4) After reaching out with one's mind and connecting its resonance pattern
intimately with the non-local web of wave patterns connecting everything
invoke deities whose natural function is related to the purpose of your
ritual. If successfull, this connects your mind to a powerful, established
non-localized, inteligent resonance matrix that (hopefully) joins in the
magic.

5) Focus on the target of the work, connecting with the target.

6) While connected with the target, visualize the end result desired, thus
creating a resonant template for the phenomenon one wants to achieve.

7) Energize the resonance through dance, drumming, chants, pure channeling of
will power.

8) Release the energy into the target while strongly visualizing the target
achieved (energizing the resonanse in the target)

9) Ground, removing ones mind from the direct, resonant link with the target,
so that the patterns you have set in motion in the target can continue with
minimum interference. (To throw a ball one has to let go)

10) Thank and say goodbye to the intelligences one works with, thus
disconnecting one's mind further from the resonance matrices."

At this stage the above 10 step ritual method only serves to examplify the
awareness of the need to reduce noise. Allso I would want to stress that it is
in no means my intention to present the above as an invitation to begin
experimentation with magical practice. Nevertheless after opening Pandora's
box still some more, we will return to the subject.

Quoting the mystery writer ones more, the following:

"Consciousness may exist without being associated with either a living system
or a data processing systen. Indeed since everything that occurs is ultimately
the result of one or more quantum mechanical events, the universe is
'inhabited' by an almost unlimited number of rather discrete, conscious,
usually non-thinking entities that are responsible for the detailed working of
the universe. These conscious entities determine (or exist concurrently with
the determination) singly the outcome of each quantum mechanical event, while
the Schrodinger equation (to the extend that it is accurate) describes the
physical constraint placed on their freedom of action collectively.... These
intelligences can be thought of as consciousness resonance matrices."

Thus far we have been speculating about resonance between two or more
biological systems whereby consciousness was assumed to be local to the
biological brain, clearly at this point the text diverts from that
presuposition and postulates the existence of intelligent resonance matrices
which are conscious whereby the writer makes a distinction between thinking
and not thinking entities. In an attempt to arrive at some sort of
conclusion as to the validity of the assertion I would want to return to
Sarfatti's hypothesis:

".... our interior mental subjective experiences including our sense of self
emerge from non-random coherent constructive interference of the non-local
influences. The nonlocal influences of quantum wave patterns form the
primordial atoms or pregeometry in imaginary time out of which objective
events (in curved space-time with momentum energy and charge) and subjective
mental events both emerge....."

If I understand this right, than postulating a self exterior to the biological
system would be acceptable within the hypothesis. Or in other words assuming
the possibility of non-biological systems endowed with intelligence and self
awareness would not be strictly forbidden. Nore would it be totally
unacceptable to assume the possibility of attuning to such systems.

Returning to my hypothesis of an extended Creative Loop and considering Rupert
Scheldrake's morpho-genetic fields it would become possible to weave Indra's
Net in which the nodal points would constitute of more or less discrete and
localized resonance matrices which form the the deeper level selfs.

In respect to that what is refered to as "rather discrete, conscious, and
non-thinking entities that are responsible for the detailed working of the
universe". The validity of the definition is rather questionable as the
reference to consciousness in relation to non-thinking entities is a
contradiction in itself as consciousness implies self-reflection and
self-reflection implies at least a rundimentary capability of thought,
cognito ergo sum. for this reason I would redefine this class as
discrete-semi-autonomous-sub-processes (DSASP) embedded in a conscious and
independently thinking system, which could be refered to as universal mind.
As to the question of intelligence intern to that what is refered to as DSASP
I would be inclined to assume this intelligence to be task-specific and
goal-directed.

Another class of resonance matrices, even though not explicitely mentioned in
the text, would constitute of that what commonly is refered to as "the spirit
of a place" which in a sense would correspond to a localized memory bank
inprinted with resonant structures relevant localized events.

Implied in the text is another variety of autonomous thinking and conscious
entities or resonance structures which are distinct to the localized brain
interfaced nodal points, as assumed earlier. The major distinction is that the
resonance matrices making up the nodal points in the overall net are in
relation to a biological brain and there anchored in matter in the
conventional sense. The entities which we would be dealing with would posses
an equal or larger degree of autonomy and could be refered to in a
mythological sense spirits, group-minds, Gods, Goddesses, and what more. What
would have to be considered in this context is if consciousness could evolve
in resonsance matrices. I a sense this question is analogous to the question
of whether consciousness can evolve in a biological neuronal system. If we
assume that resonce matrices can be sufficiently coherent to maintain a
certain degree of stability over a certain period of time the answer would
IMHO have to be yes.

Well let's see how much damage I have done to my reputation sofar, please
correct me when I went to far or went into error.

Greetings -Snorri