Here we shall refine further the ecological view of psychological process that we started in the previous chapter. We are going to take the framework we have built so far and incorporate occult and scientific ideas into it. In doing so, we will come to develop an ecological approach to psychological processes that is grounded in mechanistic principles analogous to those found in modern physics.
I said earlier that parapsychology, and the Western approach in general, to things hidden, is one of a preoccupation with effects in spite of a fundamental ignorance of the causes. This is a preoccupation with form at the expense of substance, something at which our civilization excels. In the quest to alleviate intellectual discomforts that result from this situation, some parapsychologists have turned to modern physical theories in the hope that these may provide alternatives by which to conceptualize parapsychological phenomena. Often such discussions focus either on: 1. the EPR debate and issues of nonlocality and causality (as discussed at the start of chapter 6), or 2. the holographic view of physical interrelationship represented by David Bohm's "implicate order" or Karl Pribram's holographic model of neurological processes1. These philosophies of modern physics share, among other things, the fact that they discuss nonclassical modes of communication. Thus parapsychologists associate these nonclassical interpretations as potential explanations of parapsychological phenomena.
Let me make my terms clear: When I say "parapsychological phenomena", I mean things such as telepathy, telekinesis, OOBEs and other phenomena defined by parapsychology (I should also include here the mystical experience as it is discussed and conceptualized in the science/mysticism debate). In my terms, these phenomena are but one type of example of "hidden phenomena". These are the "socially accepted" hidden phenomena, the seemingly unusual and arbitrary assortment of so-called "psychic abilities" that our entire culture has mystified and decontextualized into circus side-show attractions. And, in some regards, the entire orientation of parapsychology is but an exemplification of this cultural attitude, albeit seemingly dressed in the respectable clothes of science.
Aside from this level of criticism, parapsychology, and the science/mysticism debate (as discussed in chapter 2), also make the mistake of adopting a purely physical view of "that which is real" when it turns to modern physics (see the quote by Lawrence LeShan on page 102). It is again making the mistake of trying to understand the nonphysical in terms of the physical. When I say "hidden phenomena" I am using a term that implies the existence of nonphysical worlds that, in a practical day to day context, are the worlds of our sensations, emotions and thoughts. These are the nonphysical objects that exist in nonphysical worlds, yet have obvious and direct impacts on the physical level. These are simply not what modern physics is talking about when it comes to nonclassical modes of communication (again, see discussion starting chapter 6). In looking to modern physics the parapsychologists seek causes in the speculations and theories made of (a small sub-set of) observed physical events.
In other words, accepting the implications of the existence of (seemingly invisible) nonphysical worlds, I do not think that the problem lies in modern physics inability to conceptually deal with hidden phenomena, I think the problem is that parapsychologists focus on the wrong levels of modern physics because they neither understand physics on its own terms, nor grasp the concept of "hidden phenomena". When parapsychologists, or anyone else for that matter, turn to Bohm or Bell, they are turning to broad philosophical interpretations of the past 100 years of physical experimentation. This is a philosophical level that very rightfully belongs to modern physics. Bohm is concerned with a broad interpretation of the theoretical basis of modern ideas in physics, and the Bell issue rests around the (seeming) EPR paradox and the associated technicalities. Both of these concerns are related to the issue of "hidden variables" in quantum mechanics. These are ultimately arguments and ideas used to justify the present condition of modern physics. But it is a misleading level for parapsychologists to turn to because on it, "hidden things" (i.e. the nonphysical worlds of our subjectivity) are truly hidden.
But if we admit that parapsychologists look to the wrong levels of modern physics, then it is implied that perhaps there are other ways in which modern physics may aid in our understanding of hidden phenomena. An alternative interpretation is this: If we grant the existence of nonphysical objects and nonphysical worlds, then perhaps it is reasonable to ask "Do these nonphysical objects behave like classical phenomena, quantum phenomena or neither?" This is a different type of question than what parapsychologists ask. We do not want to seek causes in physical theory, instead we want to borrow concepts and make analogies. We are not seeking justification in physics for the existence of hidden phenomena, we are borrowing ideas from physics if these ideas prove useful in describing the behavior of nonphysical phenomena. This is a big difference and I want to make sure it is clear to the reader.
So how do we begin to answer this question? We must first be capable of observing nonphysical behavior. Once we become familiar with the patterns of behavior exhibited by nonphysical objects, then we may look to physical theory to see if descriptions of analogous patterns exist. What this line of questioning will allow us to do is display analogous patterns of behavior in both physical and nonphysical matter. Incidentally, to the degree that this may be successfully accomplished, then to that degree we will also have effectively explained one aspect of the meaning of the Hermetic Axiom, "as above, so below", in that perhaps there are principles of behavior common to both atoms and humans (or more technically, microscopic and macroscopic phenomena). In scientific terms, such a demonstration would illustrate the inherent self-similarity of Nature. Let us now explore this line of reasoning.
First, we must be capable of observing nonphysical phenomena. But such a task precludes some means of conceptualizing nonphysical phenomena. Without a means of conceptualization, there is nothing to conceptualize. In our human terms, a thing does not exist until we give it a name. This exact case is proven by the very fact that we are constantly being bombarded by nonphysical stimuli, yet we are mostly unaware of this as a thing in itself because, as I have discussed, we have no clear and intentional vocabulary for expressing our nonphysical perceptions (and because Kant got down on the idea of "things in themselves").
As I have explained but will repeat here, if we look at the terms we commonly use to express our nonphysical perceptions then my points become very clear. When we have the experience of understanding, we say "I see" and when we experience emotions we say "I feel". But feeling and seeing are very distinct properties of our physical body, and though suggestive, tell us little about the actual nature and operations of our minds and emotions. This shows us that even in our common language we still conceptualize nonphysical events in physical terms. This must be kept in mind as we proceed, for confusion can quickly result if we attempt to develop a language of nonphysical phenomena unaware of how deeply rooted our everyday language's inability is to clearly indicate nonphysical events. One only needs to attempt to study modern social sciences (including modern psychology) to observe this type of confusion. Again, I cannot resist pointing out once more that the irony of all of this is that nonphysical events are the most obvious and familiar events in our lives. Are they so obvious that we just overlook them? Or are we perhaps incapable, or at least afraid, of facing up to what is hidden underneath the veneer of our outer existence? As I discussed previously, I think the case is that nonphysical events are simply so immediate and such fundamental factors in our everyday experience that they themselves blind us from seeing them for what they are.
At any rate, the point is that we do not have a clear means of conceptualizing nonphysical events. In this respect we can again turn to occult terminology since the occult is, as should be clear to the reader by this point, the study of the nonphysical. This alternative has obvious advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of adopting occult terminology is that it gets us used to thinking in nonphysical terms. When we discuss auras and chakras, kundalini, thoughtforms and other occult concepts we open ourselves up to the objects and process of the nonphysical as it is understood in occult teachings.
On the other hand the disadvantages of the occult are, first, it is easy to get sold on some particular metaphysical system. In some respects this is not a bad exercise to go through, but in terms of developing a vocabulary of nonphysical events this would only be a hindrance. And secondly, as I have mentioned in passing already, most occult concepts have their origins in altered states of consciousness, usually those that are trance induced. Thus, occult concepts tend to describe nonphysical realities that are not physically perceivable. Now my attempts here to describe nonphysical realities are intended to show that significant aspects of our physical experience are not physical in terms of physics or as is commonly understood. This is a fine distinction; the occult terminology tends to describe nonphysical events as they are perceived in nonphysical states of consciousness, these states being different from but not unrelated to our normal physical consciousness. I am interested in discussing nonphysical events as they are perceived from our usual states of physical consciousness: being awake and dreaming. What we will see, however, in turning to occult terminology as a means for conceptualizing the nonphysical facets of our waking life is that by understanding these terms, they will reinforce our perceptions and understandings of the nonphysical facets of our normal waking life.
What all the above talk boils down to is that we shall use occult terminology and concepts to describe the nonphysical facets of our waking experience. Once having defined these concepts, we will then have a vocabulary to discuss the patterns of behavior of nonphysical objects. I have discussed what I mean by nonphysical objects in other essays in some detail. Here I will summarize these ideas in a more concise fashion. Broadly speaking, there are two main classes of nonphysical objects which are observable in our waking experience, that is, aside from our very consciousness itself, but this is a different matter altogether2. These two classes are emotional (astral) objects and mental objects. Or more personally speaking, these are our emotions and thoughts. Neither of these classes of objects may be weighed, photographed or measured by any physical means, and neither may they be perceived by our physical senses. But likewise, one cannot deny that these exist alongside physical matter within our waking experience in the physical world, and that we perceive these via our nonphysical senses of emotion and mind. Thus, thoughts and emotions are the nonphysical components of our waking experience.
How then do occultists conceptualize thoughts and emotions? I will now turn specifically to Besant and Leadbeater because their ideas are in many respects the most clear and definitely the most amiable for my purposes here.
The complete paradigm that Besant and Leadbeater worked within is quite beyond the present scope of this discussion (for a summary of their world-view see the discussion in section 5.1). However, the elements of their paradigm that are relevant to the discussion are roughly as follows.
Leadbeater constantly pointed out that we are immersed in a
great sea of vibrations and that our physical senses respond only
to a very small range of those vibrations. Consider his
statement:
"As a matter of fact there exist vibrations of every
conceivable degree of rapidity, filling the whole vast space
intervening between the slow sound waves and the fast light
waves; nor is even that all, for there are undoubtedly vibrations
slower than sound, and a whole infinity of them which are swifter
than those known to us as light. So we begin to understand that
the vibrations by which we see and hear are only like two tiny
groups of a few strings of an enormous harp of practically
infinite extent, and when we think how much we have been able to
learn and infer from the use of those minute fragments, we see
vaguely what possibilities might lie before us if we were enabled
to utilize the vast and wonderful whole."3
This "infinity of vibrations" Leadbeater describes is a fact scientifically established beyond any doubt. Consider for example the spectrum of electromagnetic vibrations (i.e. electromagnetic radiation, which henceforth I shall abbreviate as EMR) of which we only see a very narrow range which we call visible light. But we know from the effects produced that other regions of this spectrum exist such as the x-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, microwave, radio, etc., even though we (supposedly) cannot directly perceive these ranges in any fashion. These are the invisible facets of the physical world. Occultists refer to this level of physical matter as "etheric" matter. This distinction rests on the fact that what we call "physical" is that which we can perceive with the senses of the physical body and measure by physical means, and that which is "etheric" is that which we cannot perceive (at least etheric vibrations are not considered as such in ordinary everyday and scientific discourse), but can still measure by physical means. But there is a third level still to this great sea of vibrations according to Leadbeater; that which we cannot sense with our physical senses nor measure by physical means. It is this third class of vibrations that I have been referring to as the nonphysical. This third class of vibrations are what occultists refer to as the "planes of Nature". Obviously, the implication of this definition of nonphysical matter is that we can perceive nonphysical matter by nonphysical means (as discussed in chapters 7 and 9).
It must be made clear that when Leadbeater speaks of "vibrations" what he really means is what we normally call "matter". Leadbeater, as is crystal clear in his writings, envisions a great spectrum of grades or types of matter, a graduated spectrum from the heaviest and coarsest to the finest and lightest. That is, physical, etheric and nonphysical vibrations form a continuous spectrum of matter, according to Leadbeater.
From a scientific point of view though, there is a problem of terminology when we discuss Leadbeater's ideas. He uses such terms as "density", "heavy", "rate of vibration", etc., when discussing this gradation of types of matter. Now many terms he uses have very precise meanings to scientists and it is often the case that he uses such terms in a suggestive manner as opposed to a technically precise manner. Thus, we must keep in mind that often the literal scientific definitions cannot be applied.
Leadbeater, when describing this great invisible spectrum of nonphysical matter/vibrations often draws analogy to the various states of physical matter. Physical matter can roughly be classified according to the following scheme: solid, liquid, gas, plasma, fire/heat, and light (EMR). Without getting too technical, this spectrum of physical matter can be seen to range from states of high density to states of progressively lower density. And it is through this concept of a spectrum of density that Leadbeater tries to convey the properties of the nonphysical vibrations within which we are immersed. Thus, what solid matter is to the spectrum of physical types of matter, the entire physical plane is to the nonphysical planes. Likewise, astral or emotional plane matter corresponds to the liquid state, mental plane matter to the gaseous state, and so forth. This line of reasoning is, as a matter of fact, the basis for the meaning of the ancient concept of the five elements of earth, water, air, fire and ether, that I discussed in chapter 2. These are meant to be symbols of the nonphysical planes of Nature, and of their relative relationship to the physical plane.
Now on the surface this analogy seems only to have a limited range of heuristic value when we consider how scientists think about the known states of physical matter. Scientists generally do not conceptualize physical matter as a gradation of density types. Some liquids, for example, are more dense than some solids (in the technical meaning of the word in which density is the ratio of mass to volume).
Normally, scientists think of the states of physical matter in terms of the relative arrangement of the atoms that constitute the matter. Thus, solids are states of matter in which the atoms or molecules are fixed relative to each other. Liquids are states in which atoms or molecules move relative to each other but still form a coherent mass when in a container. Gases are characterized by the fact that atomic or molecular motions are assumed to be highly independent of each other and no coherent mass is ever formed. Plasmas are states of highly ionized matter with properties roughly similar to gases; in a sense plasmas are magnetic gases. How the states of fire, heat and EMR fit into any type of unified classification of physical matter is unclear. Light (EMR), for example is assumed to have no (rest) mass, so to speak of the density of a single photon is meaningless. Also, today we know of another state of matter and that is nuclear matter. In terms of density, nuclear matter is characterized by the peculiar property that all nuclear matter seems to have the same density4.
So in terms of density and physical states of matter, Leadbeater's analogy is a vast oversimplification. Yet, I think there is something very valuable and extremely suggestive about Leadbeater's analogy. First off, it must be kept in mind that his purpose is to convey a sense of the relative relationship between physical and nonphysical matter. And if we think not in terms of density, but perhaps in terms of "tenuity", then possibly we can make more reasonable sense out of what Leadbeater is trying to say. In this fashion we will not confuse ourselves with scientific technicalities. Thus liquid is more tenuous than solid, gas more tenuous than liquid, heat more tenuous than gas, fire more tenuous than heat, and light more tenuous than fire. I do not think at this point that we need overcomplicate this scheme by trying to fit in plasmas and nuclear matter, for we are analogizing here with the intent to understand the relationship between physical and nonphysical matter, not contrive a new scheme for classifying physical matter.
Thus we have now the concept of the relative tenuity of states of matter. By this I mean the relative substantialness of a state, its relative "solidness" so to speak, as illustrated by the relationships stated in the previous paragraph. So on this basis, what Leadbeater is claiming is that nonphysical matter is, on the whole, not only more tenuous than physical matter, but the relative tenuity of nonphysical states increases as we go further beyond physical states. Thus, etheric matter is more tenuous than physical matter, but less tenuous than astral matter. Likewise, astral matter falls between etheric and mental matter in increasing tenuity. Furthermore, if light is the most tenuous of physical types of matter, then this suggests that nonphysical matter in some respects is like light, although progressively more tenuous.
Now in chapter 9, I have presented the occult claim that etheric matter is the medium through which we sense physical sensations (via the senses of the physical body), and that astral matter is the medium through which we sense emotional sensations (via our emotions), and that mental matter is the medium through which we sense thoughts (via our minds), and even that buddhic matter is the medium of a higher faculty that may be labeled as "spiritual insight".
The matter of these planes corresponds in a very definite and literal sense to progressively more tenuous facets of human subjective content. Emotions are less substantial, more tenuous than our physical sensations. Yet on the other hand, emotions are much "heavier", or less tenuous than thoughts. And spiritual insight is fleetingly tenuous compared to our thought patterns. And since etheric matter is the next in tenuity beyond electromagnetic radiation, then etheric matter must be some type of tenuous light, a type of light that is "less heavy" (meaningless as this may sound to a physicist) than physical light. Likewise, albeit of a progressive tenuity, with emotional and mental matter. This scheme suggests that physical light (i.e. electromagnetic radiation) is the closest approximation to the nature of etheric, astral, and mental matter that we know of in the physical plane. The analogy may be crude but it is extremely useful. It suggests that cognitive functions in the brain may depend on light to a great extent (as opposed to only electricity as is currently believed). Incidentally, in this regard, it is interesting to note the religious uses to which the concept of light has been put. Furthermore, clairvoyant perceptions of the etheric, astral and mental planes speak of these planes as being made of a type of light which is "very delicate" compared to physical light.
This is an extremely interesting line of thought because it suggests that there is a definite relationship between physical and nonphysical matter. They are not distinctly different things, but gradations of the same thing. Also, this line of thought is extremely interesting because it posits that objective things (physical substance in whatever state) are, in terms of this postulated gradation, continuous with subjective things (sensations, emotions, thoughts and beyond). Accepting these two ideas opens up a Pandora's box of understanding that has vast implications on many levels.
We are very used to the dichotomy between our internal subjective experience on the one hand, and the idea that there is a real and objective world quite independent of our subjective experience on the other hand. Thus it is thought in psychology, and even seems to be the case in our everyday experience, that thoughts and emotions are in some sense or another internal subjective events quite different in form, and operating under very different principles, from events in the objective world.
However, in the context of Besant and Leadbeater's worldview, this is not the case. The essence of their occult psychology is that we emit or project our thoughts and emotions outward into our external environment. However, we do not project our thoughts and emotions into the external physical world, but into the external mental and astral worlds, respectively. But the astral and mental worlds are the spaces of our subjective experience, and we are constantly surrounded by them as we are surrounded by physical space, even though we do not perceive these spaces in the same fashion as we perceive physical space. But the astral and mental worlds, which we perceive with our emotions and mind, interpenetrate physical space. Thus, our subjective sense in physical space is actually objective in the astral and mental worlds.
In Besant and Leadbeater's context, we quite literally shine our thoughts and feelings much the same way that a light bulb shines. As a light bulb emits vibrations (light waves) into the physical world that we then perceive as light, so too do we emit from ourselves astral vibrations into our surrounding astral environment which are then perceived as emotions. Likewise, our thoughts can be seen (clairvoyantly) to be mental vibrations (thought-forms) that we emit into the surrounding mental environment, and these mental vibrations we perceive as thoughts and ideas. And this is the analogy that shall serve as a basis for our application of physical ideas to nonphysical events; that we shine our thoughts and emotions into their particular worlds as a light bulb shines its light into the physical world5.
Let us carry this analogy further. Today, the process of a light bulb shining light is understood in terms of quantum mechanics. The light bulb is called a "source" (actually it is the electrons of the tungsten filament with electricity coursing through it that is the source), and the light wave is known to be electromagnetic radiation. Thus to a quantum physicist, a shining light bulb is seen as a process of electromagnetic radiation emitting from a source. On close inspection, at a microscopic level, the electromagnetic radiation is seen to be a stream of discreet packages of energy called "quanta", even though at a macroscopic level we perceive the light to be a wave. Quanta of electromagnetic radiation are called "photons" and are distinguished from other types of quanta (such as subatomic particles or atoms) by the fact that photons always move at the speed of light and have zero (rest) mass. The wavelength of a light wave is related to the energy of the photons that make up its fine structure by the equation:
E = nhv
This equation, known as the Plank equation6 says that the energy (E) of a photon is proportional to the frequency (v) of the light. The constant of proportionality (h) is known as Plank's constant, and (n) is called a quantum number. What this equation says (in the de Broglie context) is that something with the wave characteristic of frequency can also be thought of as something with the particle characteristic of energy (energy in this context being related to momentum). Thus, in terms of quantum mechanics, the shining light bulb is seen actually to be an energy source that is emitting streams of discreet particles called photons. In turn we perceive this discontinuous stream of photons to be a continuous stream of light waves of a characteristic frequency, or color in the case of visible light.
And very surprisingly, the quantum view of a shining light
bulb is practically qualitatively identical to Besant and
Leadbeater's view of emotional and mental nonphysical processes.
The following quote is taken directly from Besant and
Leadbeater's book Thoughtforms and describes the
creation of a thoughtform:
Not to belittle the colorful and poetic description of the emission of a thoughtform that has been provided for us, let us try to distill out the essence of what is being said in this quote. The following discussion will make the distinction between how a clairvoyant would see the process and how we, as nonclairvoyants, would subjectively "feel" the process of thinking.
According to Besant and Leadbeater, a thoughtform begins as a vibration in the mental body. The initial impulse of any thought is the intention behind the thought. This initial intention and its accompanying spray of colors leads to the vibration of the mental body as described in the quote above. This intention creates a resonance in the surrounding mental body which then transfers to the surrounding medium of the mental plane. To a nonclairvoyant, this series of processes is not perceived as such and one would simply seem to be thinking a thought. In other words, what we perceive as the subjective experience of thinking a thought, the clairvoyant perceives as a series of complex processes beginning with the appearance of an intention in the mental body (as indicated by the "spray" of colors) and the resulting resonances of the mental body and surrounding mental space.
However, after the idea has been thought, the nonclairvoyant-that is, you and I-are completely unaware of what happens to the idea we just thought. As far as you and I are concerned, the thought is simply gone and we move on to the next thought in our subjective awareness. We nonclairvoyant people perceive our own subjectivity to be a continuous stream of idea after idea after idea. But this is not so to the clairvoyant who is observing us think. The clairvoyant perceives our mental body vibrating at a certain frequency and in a certain shape and thus "sees" the contents of our mind. Figure 6 shows a drawing of how thought-forms fill the surrounding mental space and are thus, clearly visible to the clairvoyant. This is actually the true means by which mind reading and telepathy occur. Our minds and emotions are like an open book to the skilled clairvoyant.
But the story does not end here for the clairvoyant observer. As our mental body vibrates (and we are in the middle of experiencing a thought) the clairvoyant observes that our vibrating mental body sets up a resonance with the matter of the mental plane. That is, the surrounding mental plane begins to vibrate in the same shape as our mental body. This occurs, as stated in the above quote, by a process of sympathetic resonance. Thus a wave is set up in the surrounding mental space that is not unlike the concentric waves that resonate out from the point at which a rock is dropped in the water.
So far the clairvoyant has observed three separate processes; first, the appearance of an intent in the mental body (as indicated by the spray of colors), second, the vibration of the subject's mental body giving form to the thought, and third, that a resonance is set up in the surrounding mental space that has the same shape and frequency as the subject's mental body.
There is a fourth process described in the quote above which is involved in the generation of a thoughtform. The resonance set up in the mental plane attracts to it material of the mental plane, which Besant and Leadbeater call "elemental essence", and this elemental essence "clothes" the vibration, or assumes its shape. That is, the elemental essence ensouls the vibrational pattern in the mental space surrounding the mental body, and at this point we have a functioning thoughtform. So then, according to Besant and Leadbeater, the thoughtform consists of two main ingredients: the vibrational pattern set up in the mental environment that originated in the subject's mental body (mind), and the elemental essence that essentially precipitates or nucleates around the vibrational pattern. This elemental essence is the actual matter of the mental plane (or astral plane depending on the nature of the thought), and is like a glue that holds the vibrational pattern in place after we are done with a thought. And it is this elemental essence that gives the thought-form a life of its own (see the quote below by Annie Besant). The fact that thought-forms have lives of their own is the basis upon which I earlier spoke of thoughts and ideas as being symbionts within our minds. This issue of the symbiotic nature of thoughts will be pursued in greater detail in the chapter "A New Concept Of Motion".
Let us take this description at face value and compare it to our quantum mechanical view of the shining light bulb. What we subjectively perceive when we think is a steady stream of thoughts. We are completely unaware of the fact that each thought we think causes the formation of a thoughtform in the likeness of the thought in the surrounding mental plane. But what the clairvoyant sees when a person thinks is the emission of a steady stream of thoughtforms, or discreet mental objects emanating out of the subject and filling the surrounding mental space.
There is an uncanny likeness between this description of the
thought process and the quantum mechanical view of a shining
light bulb. In both case we have the emission of a steady stream
of discreet particles (photons or thoughts) emanating from a
source (light bulb or human). And in both cases the discreet
stream is perceived to be a continuous flow, a continuous stream
of light waves on one hand, a continuous flow of thoughts on the
other hand. Thus, this recognition leads us to the first
observation of the behavior of nonphysical objects:
Nonphysical psychological processes as described by
clairvoyant observers follow the same general patterns as quantum
mechanical processes. Or more generally, nonphysical processes
appear to be describable by the same mathematical dynamic systems
used in the descriptions of physical systems.
There are other considerations that can lead us to the same conclusion, the idea of generating thoughtforms is not the only example. The following clairvoyant observations, when seen in the light of quantum theory, also lead us to the same conclusion:
1. Auras can be interpreted as analogous to virtual clouds and
thoughtforms as analogous to virtual particles (what is meant
by the term "virtual" will be discussed shortly).
2. Communication is a process of mental and emotional auric
resonance, based on the transmission of thought-forms.
Thought-forms serve a role analogous to that played by virtual
particles in quantum field theories.
3. Social processes result from the feedback between
thoughtforms and individual auric resonance. That is, people
operating according to social patterns is the polarization of a
human's aura by a vast and relatively permanent thought-form. In
other words, socialization is not mere learning, or the mere
conditioning of the individual's thought by social norms, customs
and values, but is a nonphysical process of interaction between
an individual's aura and the thought-forms that fill the mental
space of that person.
4. Interpersonal communication can be thought of as the
forming of "social molecules". Social bonds are formed
between individuals by processes analogous to the quantum
mechanical requirements for the formation of molecules between
atoms: overlap of energy/frequency (auras resonating at the same
cognitive and emotional "frequencies"), and feasibility
of geometric overlap (auras configured in similar forms will be
more likely to bind).
5. As well as the quantum mechanical analogies that can be
drawn to Besant and Leadbeater's clairvoyant observations, their
observation discussed in the book Thought-forms that
phase-locked pendulum behavior can lead to representations of
patterns that look like actual thought-forms allows us to draw
analogy with notions from mathematical theories of phase-coupled
dynamic systems (this is an aspect of Chaos theory), these being
the theories which account for the type of pendulum behavior
described by Besant and Leadbeater.
6. And on the basis of the previous point, we can ask about
physiological correlates or traces of astral and mental
thought-forms on the physical body. Specifically, we can ask:
what are the mechanisms in the physical brain that transduce
astral and mental vibrations?
I will now discuss each of these six points. To explain the
quantum mechanical concept of "virtual particles", I
will start by quoting the following explanation as described in a
book on elementary particles. Here, the authors are describing
the electrical force of repulsion shared between two protons as
the result of the exchange of virtual photons:
"We now return to the claim...that both `contact' and `action at a distance' are appropriate descriptions of the familiar electromagnetic and gravitational forces. There has been a successful synthesis of these two approaches, the `quantum theory of fields.' It requires us to think in terms of special agents for each kind of force, agents that carry the force from one particle to another. The electromagnetic force exerted between two protons can be described as caused by the emission of electromagnetic waves (or we could say particles) by one proton and the absorption by the other, and vice versa. These emitted and absorbed waves include the same kind of electromagnetic waves that in their particle aspects are observable as ordinary light quanta--that is, `photons'
These photons, which are emitted and absorbed without being observed directly, are indeed unusual. They are what we will call `virtual' quanta, and they live such a short time that their existence is more conveniently thought of as `virtual' rather than `real'...
Thus the (electromagnetic) force between two protons...arises
from the virtual photons emitted by one and absorbed by the
other. The virtual photons emitted by the first one make contact
with the proton that gave rise to them, and then they race across
and make contact with the other proton. We thus seem to be
dealing with a contact force. However, these (virtual) photons
have no observable effect, so if we like we can also consider
this as an `action at a distance' force between the two protons.
The electric force between dissimilar charged particles, such as
a proton and an electron, is described in just the same way, and
the electric force between large-scale objects is just the sum of
such interactions."8
This concept of virtual particles is used by physicists to account for the way in which particles communicate a given force amongst each other. Thus, in the quote above, we see that the electric force between two electrically charged particles is conveyed by virtual photons. Likewise, the strong nuclear force is communicated between "nuclear charged" particles called hadrons (these being particles subjected to the strong nuclear force) by the exchange of virtual particles called pi mesons (or pions).
The concept of a virtual cloud is related to this concept of virtual particles. When discussing any real microscopic particle in quantum physics, this particle is capable of polarizing the quantum vacuum. Such a polarization leads to the transient creation and annihilation of virtual particles in the vicinity of the real particle. That is, any real microscopic particle is constantly surrounded by a literal cloud of transient virtual particles blinking on and off out of the quantum vacuum. Naturally enough, such a cloud of virtual particles is called a virtual cloud. Virtual particles and virtual clouds are both effects of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. I shall not go into details here and the interested reader is referred to notes 6 and 8 for appropriate references.
With this picture of virtual particles and virtual clouds in
mind, let us now turn back to Besant and Leadbeater's concept of
thought-forms. Thought-forms are seen to be discreet particles
emitted out of the mental and/or astral bodies of a human being.
To refine this notion so as to relate it to the ideas of virtual
particles, consider the following quotes, the first by
Leadbeater, and the second by Besant:
"If the man's thought or feeling is about someone else, the resultant thought-form moves towards that person and discharges itself upon (the other person's) astral and mental bodies. If the man's thought is about himself, or is based upon a personal feeling, as the vast majority of thoughts are, it hovers round and round its creator..." 9
"...man peoples his current in space with a world of his
own, crowded with the offspring of his fancies, desires, impulses
and passions"10
What Leadbeater and Besant are saying here is that thought-forms will either linger in the mental body or not depending upon their content, and form a definite cloud of thought-forms around a human (on the mental and astral planes, of course). In this sense, the thought-forms surrounding a human on the astral and mental planes are like the virtual cloud that surrounds microscopic particles.
Now, to understand what determines the lifetime of a
thought-form, consider the following quote by Annie Besant:
Thought-forms are connected with their progenitor by what--for
want of a better phrase--we must call a magnetic tie; they react
upon him, producing an impression which leads to their
reproduction...a very definite habit of thought will be set
up..."11
Some thought-forms may linger for a long time, but I would like to point out that the opposite situation is also possible. That is, some thoughts (thought-forms) are very transient in their nature and live only a very short life. Subjectively speaking, we all know how transient a large part of our actual thoughts are; we are distracted by a noise and think "Oh, it's just the kids", or we may think to make a phone call but after the call the thought is gone. So many of our thoughts blink on for a very short time and then are gone. In this sense, most of our thoughts are "virtual", they have no lasting staying power. Other thoughts though, like Besant describes, will linger round us for a long time. Such thoughts include our name, where we live, the memories of our past, etc..
Incidentally, we can see that the notion of thought-forms is intimately related to concepts of memory. Psychologists speak of memory in a very ill-defined sense, and have killed many laboratory animals to come up with such ill-defined notions. But according to occultism, memory is the fact that relatively permanent thought-forms will stay within our aura, and other thoughts of a less permanent nature will blink on within our aura and then be gone. That is, what we subjectively perceive as our memory is actually the complement of thought-forms that fill our mental body. Memory, in terms of our subjective experience, is primarily a nonphysical concept to the occultist.
Thus, we now have a relatively decent picture of
thought-forms; how they are generated, and what the factors are
that contribute to their lifetime. We would now like to relate
this to the ideas of virtual particles. If, in the above quote
describing the virtual particles, we replace the words
"proton" with "people", replace the word
"electromagnetic" with the word "social", and
replace the word "virtual quanta" with the word
"thought-form", then we will have a description that is
almost identical to that given by the clairvoyant observation of
Besant and Leadbeater regarding human interaction. As a matter of
fact, let's do this:
"Thus, the social force between two people...arises from
the thought-forms emitted by the one and absorbed by the other.
The thought-forms emitted by the first one make contact with the
person that gave rise to them, and then they race across and make
contact with the other person... The social forces between large
scale objects is just the sum of these forces."
It is indeed uncanny that clairvoyant observations of nonphysical processes should resemble so closely the descriptions physicists use. Again, if we look to Figure 6, we can think of the aura surrounding the individual as a "virtual cloud" of nonphysical matter, and the thought-forms as nonphysical "virtual particles". Thus, in our scientific interpretation of occult concepts, we specifically begin by associating thought-forms with virtual particles and auras with virtual clouds.
Let us continue with this analogical line of thinking and consider the other points listed above. Now the key to understanding points two, three and four above revolve around the same issues. These three points can be restated in one point as follows: Human communication, interpersonal interaction, and large-scale social behavior are all rooted in the same processes. These processes are described by interpreting clairvoyant observations of the behavior of auras and thought-forms in terms of quantum mechanical field ideas.
First we must realize that communication is interpersonal relationship. Secondly we must realize that social systems are the sum of all of the relatively permanent interpersonal relationships among the individuals in the society. As well, a social system implies, in occult terms, the existence of large, relatively permanent and very powerful thought-forms that will polarize individuals towards them (religions and governments are examples of this type of social-wide thought-form, so too are the rules of driving on interstate highways, and every other transmittable form of social behavior).
Now, communication or interpersonal relationship results, according to occult observation, from the exchange of thought-forms. Some of these exchanges are transient, as when we say hello to someone we pass on the street. Others are more permanent, as with our family or friends, for example. These transient relationships are the result of the exchange of "virtual" thought-forms, and our more permanent relationships are the result of the exchange of more permanent thought-forms. In terms of quantum mechanical field theories, these thought-forms serve as the agents that carry "communication force" between individuals, and serve to bind individuals into what we might call "social molecules". And it is the sum of the more permanent "social molecules" and the large-scale thought-forms which bind them together that makes up a large scale social system.
What I am saying is that each and everyone of us is like an atom, and that through the thought-forms we emit from ourselves, we create social bonds with other people. Some of these bonds are transient and other are more permanent. Through the more permanent social bonds we share with other people, we then belong to definite social molecules. And all the separate groups of social molecules are bound into one great unit by the cultural norms and values (i.e. large-scale thought forms) of any particular society. And the totality of these bound social molecules is the society and civilization in which we live.
This is a very clear example of the utility of quantum mechanics for describing psychological and parapsychological processes. However, we cannot get too carried away. As with the discussion given above about Leadbeater's use of the word "density", we must realize that when we turn to quantum mechanics in this fashion there are many technical subtleties we are ignoring and that our analogy only has a limited validity. We are utilizing quantum mechanical concepts as a metaphor, a picture to help us clarify and interpret the claims of clairvoyant people.
In spite of this limitation, the suggestiveness of this analogy is overwhelming. This means that by interpreting clairvoyant observations by analogy with quantum theory, we can develop a very general and encompassing model of human psychological and social behavior. This model will be defined in chapter 14. Thus, we began by discussing how parapsychologists have mistakenly turned to quantum theory and we have ended up with the foundations for a general theory of human behavior derived from a quantum mechanical interpretation of clairvoyant observations.
This whole issue is very difficult to communicate because so few people understand either quantum theory or occultism as I am presenting them here. Furthermore, what really complicates the issue is the factor I discussed above about how difficult it is to untangle ideas from emotions in our society. For we all think, we all feel, and we are all a part of society. Yet our concepts of these experiences are so entangled with emotional biases and prejudices that it is difficult to see these processes for what they are. If this wasn't the case, it wouldn't be necessary to explain these concepts in terms of quantum theory and occultism. However, the advantage to both of these systems of thought is that both are relatively free of the emotional tangles that blind us from understanding ourselves. This is the case with quantum mechanics because it does not deal with people, but rather is the impartial and disinterested study of physical matter. And occultism is clear of these tangles because it (theoretically) has the intellectual power to see through these tangles to begin with, even though it does deal with people and their behavior.
Let me summarize what I have done up to this point. I have now presented the foundation for a general mechanistic model of human psychological and sociological behavior by interpreting clairvoyant observations in terms of quantum field theories. The important feature of this model is that it can explain human communication and social interaction as a definite and literal type of bonding (resonance) that results from the exchange of thought-forms, these serving a role analogous to that of virtual particles in quantum field theories. This model is mechanistic in the sense that it defines a definite and precise mechanism by which processes of human interaction and communication occur. In conjunction with the model of the ego that was presented in the discussion "What Is Ego?", we now have a clear means by which to understand the underlying mechanisms of human subjectivity.
Again, the issue with these models in comparison to other models in psychology and sociology is not one of right or wrong. The issue is to have a clear and encompassing view of psychological and sociological processes that accounts for the tremendous variety of human experience. The model I am presenting here provides a general mechanistic framework for understanding any and all levels of human subjective behavior, from the individual personality to the growth and decay of entire civilizations. Besant and Leadbeater clearly recognized the power of thinking of subjective processes in these terms. However, they had no idea that eventually physicists would come to see analogous processes operating in physical matter. The reasons for reinterpreting Besant and Leadbeater's concepts in quantum mechanical terms are:
1. It shows that similar processes operate at different scales of Nature, or "as above, so below".
2. It illustrates again how occult concepts have foreshadowed developments in modern science.
3. It legitimizes occult ideas by putting them into accepted terms.
Furthermore, this quantum mechanical interpretation of Besant and Leadbeater's occult psychology provides a framework showing that 1. our subjective experience is not different in any fundamental sense from objective objects (because physical and nonphysical matter form a graduated spectrum), and 2. all forms of human subjectivity, from our normal perceptions through to the seemingly most unusual claims of clairvoyants and mystics are grounded in identical processes, and these processes are highly analogous to resonant quantum field processes. Thus, this model has direct implications for understanding the relation between the physical and nonphysical planes. All of this will be elaborated upon and summarized in the chapter "A New Concept Of Motion".
Before I conclude this discussion, I would like to address
points five and six from above. These points are supplementary to
the quantum mechanical interpretation of clairvoyant observations
and fascinating in their ramifications. Leadbeater in Thought-forms
describes physical examples of vibrations giving rise to form and
how such forms resemble thought-forms. Once I again, I quote the
source:
"The fact of the creation by vibrations of a distinct form, geometrical or other, is familiar to every student of acoustics.
A sound plate is made of brass or plate glass. Grains of fine sand are scattered over the surface, and the edge of the plate is bowed (with a violin bow). The sand is thrown up into the air by the vibration of the plate, and on re-falling to the plate is arranged in rectangular lines...The shapes are due to the interplay of the vibrations that created them. (A second way to create forms from vibration is that)...two or more simultaneous motions can be imparted to a pendulum, and by attaching a fine drawing pen to a lever connected with the pendulum its actions may be exactly traced. Substitute for the swing of the pendulum the vibrations set up in the mental or astral body, and we have clearly before us the modus operandi of the building of forms by vibrations.
It seems to us a most marvelous thing that some of the
drawings, made apparently at random by the use of (these
techniques) should correspond to higher types of thought-forms
created in meditation. We are sure that a wealth of significance
lies behind this fact, though it will need much further
investigation before we can say certainly all that it
means"12 (parenthesis mine)
What Leadbeater has done here is claim that thought-forms are phase-coupled dynamic systems, or at least the product of some type of phase-coupling. Phase-coupling is a process in which two vibrating objects are set in contact in such a way that each's vibration affects the other. Setting two grandfather clocks back to back is an example of phase-coupling, or imparting "two or more simultaneous motions" to a pendulum, as described by Leadbeater in the above quote, is another example. There are many, many example of phase-coupling in modern physics and it is a very important phenomena that has gotten much attention. It is also known that, under certain conditions, phase-coupled systems will give rise to fractal curves13.
The device Leadbeater describes above is an example of a phase-coupled (also called "phase-locked") dynamical system. Figures 7 and 8 are reproductions from the book Thought-forms showing the drawing produced by this phase-coupled pendulum system. Clearly these are very intricate patterns highly reminiscent of magnetic field lines. It is quite marvelous that Leadbeater claims this is what actual thought-forms look like. These pictures bear an uncanny resemblance to the periodic and chaotic attractors of chaos theory. I have provided an illustration of a chaotic fractal graph in Figure 9. Note the obvious similarity in appearance of the chaotic graph to the thought-form representations.
There is an unspoken rule in physics that if one system can mimic the behavior of a second system, and the mechanisms of the first system are known, then these mechanisms apply as well to the second system. This is why physicists can, for example, mimic mechanical events with electrical circuits: both processes are described by the same mathematics. It is the same situation here; if thought-forms can be described by phase-coupled dynamic systems, then the mathematics of phase-coupling is also applicable to thought-forms.
The significance of the tie-in between thought-forms and phase-coupling is that, first, it again illustrates that nonphysical (occult) phenomena is potentially tractable by the same type of mathematical analysis applied to physical phenomena. Secondly, it is highly suggestive of actual mechanisms. What is really suggested here is that processes of thought are intimately associated with phase-coupling, perhaps at many levels. In a sense, what Leadbeater is saying indirectly is that thoughts are a result of phase-coupling between the organism and the environment. Such phase-coupling between the actual form of living organisms (their bodies, whether physical or nonphysical) and the environment in which they dwell may be the whole basis for nervous system activity. That is, thoughts, sensations, and sensory experiences of all kinds, are the product of some type of coupling between the perceiving organization (body or vehicle) and what is being perceived (the environment or field).
Another word for such phase-coupling is "resonance". In the chapter "Occult Means Of Perception" I made the sweeping generalization that all mental phenomena are the result of some type of resonant phenomena. The phase-coupling view of thought-forms I am discussing here is the very basis of this resonance. And I will add to this generalization that not only mental phenomena, but all of our subjective phenomena--emotions, mind, dreams, psychic abilities, intuition, and spiritual insight--is intimately grounded in such resonance processes. Such a generalization provides an overwhelmingly unifying basis by which to approach the scientific study of subjective events and phenomena, one that is intimately related to the "hard" sciences. As we will see in the chapter "A New Concept Of Motion", we can extend this generalization to all levels of the phenomena of Nature. That is to say, all of Nature can be seen as a vast conglomeration of resonant processes. Thus, we scientifically come to the Taoist insight that all Nature is a great "Ilya"--the song and dance of Shiva.
Also, the pictures of the thought-forms in figures 7 and 8 may represent the actual traces that are present in nervous tissue, traces that are caused by phase-coupling processes. Could such pictures represent the actual patterns of electrical energy in the brain that accompany our thoughts? A recent article in Scientific American14, demonstrating the presence of mathematical chaos in the electrical activity of the brain would tend to support this line of thought. Such patterns are most likely highly dynamic, forming and fading rapidly, thus not forming the ever elusive "engram", or "memory trace" searched for by physiologists (we will have more to say about this in chapters 13 and 14).
Again, I could go off into many technical subtleties at this point only to leave the reader lost in technical jargon. But that is not my intent here. I am presenting these ideas as an introduction to new lines of thought about psychological, sociological, and parapsychological processes, and to show that these processes are intimately similar to physical processes. This is hardly the final discussion on these subjects. It is, I hope, only the beginning. I will pursue these issues when I summarize the discussions of science and occultism in the chapter "A New Concept Of Motion".
There is one last suggestion I would like to make before I
close this chapter regarding the quantum mechanical
interpretation of clairvoyant observations. Consider this
possibility: If we assume that the main conclusions of this
discussion are correct, that is, that processes described by
clairvoyant observers are analogous to processes described in
quantum theory, then what does this mean for our understanding of
physical matter? That is, since we are humans, and we can
watch subtle quantum mechanical-like processes operate in our own
subjective behavior, may this not suggest subtle interactions in
physical matter that would escape the notice of the relatively
crude means we have for detecting microscopic physical processes?
We begin by using quantum theory to describe ourselves, but
through understanding ourselves better, may we not come to
appreciate physical matter better as well? After all, the main
thing quantum mechanics and occultism share is the concept that
"it's all vibrations", quantum theory being a
mathematical and physical response to this realization, and
occultism being a qualitative and nonphysical response. I am sure
there is a mutualism here that I can barely even fathom.
"In the rush to marry physics and mysticism, using the
shotgun of generalization, we tend to forget that quantum reality
has almost no bearing whatsoever in the actual world of
macroscopic processes. As physicist Walker puts it, in the
ordinary world of "automobiles and basketballs", the
quanta are inconsequential."15
Here I would like to criticize the supposition of many scientists and philosophers that the Newtonian paradigm is a more accurate representation of macroscopic experience than the quantum mechanical paradigm, and that the quantum mechanical paradigm has no parallel in terms of macroscopic experience. This view is a myth whose continued perpetuation is grounded primarily in a lack of understanding the meaning of the concepts of quantum theory and how they may be applied to our macroscopic experience.
As I have argued above, the processes of human psychology, interpersonal communication, and large-scale social interaction, when interpreted in the occult terms of auras and thoughtforms, are macroscopic examples of processes common to quantum mechanics (i.e. virtual clouds, bond formation via virtual particle interactions, discreet energy transitions, resonance, etc..). The Newtonian approach to our macroscopic experience is limiting and misleading primarily because it cannot provide an analogy for processes of human behavior and interaction. And these processes of human communication and social interaction are much more fundamental in our macroscopic experience than processes of balls moving on continuous parabolic trajectories.
Because present philosophers and scientists focus on the wrong levels of quantum theory and its implications (for example non-causality), they do not see how quantum processes apply at the macroscopic level. The above quote by Ken Wilber implies that quantum processes are irrelevant because they are so minute. This is indeed true in the macroscopic behavior of physical objects, such as basketballs and automobiles; electrons, quarks and photons are really not that important in this context. But in terms of human psychology, such lines of thought as Wilber's are not pertinent. It is not the microscopic quanta that we are interested in at the macroscopic level. The essential question is: Are there macroscopic examples of processes found in the behavior of microscopic quanta such as photons or electrons?
The answer to this question is "yes". Again, the essential feature of quantum processes that needs to be focused on is resonance. What is relevant is the fact that quantum mechanics describes mechanisms of cause and effect in terms of wave behavior and resonance. These are the factors that we also see operating in our psychological and sociological behavior. Quantum theory explains how physical matter interacts in terms of resonance, and these mechanisms apply as well to our macroscopic subjective experience, as I have argued in this chapter.
Once one begins to understand the train of thought outlined above which sees psychological and social processes as quantized resonant phenomena, it becomes progressively more obvious that quantum processes operate right here right now in all of our subjective sensations of thinking and feeling, as well as on other levels of macroscopic experiences. The process of insight is a discreet quantum transition. Science itself exists only because of the quantum type of interactions that exist in human systems. Not only do thoughts quantize as thought-forms, but life itself is quantized into species, and species are quantized as organisms.
Quantum mechanical ideas apply to our macroscopic experience, and I think it is high time that this myth that the Newtonian universe is the only adequate description of our macroscopic experience be put to rest. And the associated myth, that quantum processes have no parallel in our macroscopic experience, is just as false, as this chapter explains. Thus, this notion should be left to rest in peace as well.
Notes: Chapter 11
1Wilber, (1982).
2I say this because, in a sense, what we consider space to be
is in actuality what consciousness is. Consciousness is the
ultimate receptacle of events, and as such it is the receptacle
of both physical and nonphysical events. Therefore our
consciousness is neither physical or nonphysical, but is the
supreme expression at the level of human existence of the
ultimate and undefinable essence of (as Seth would call
"IT":) All That Is.
3Leadbeater, (1986), page 6. Here the careful reader will note that Leadbeater is describing a spectrum containing sound waves at the slow end and light waves at the fast end. That is, Leadbeater saw sound and light as forming a continuum. This is not the way that sound and light are conceptualized in modern physics. Sound is defined as vibrations propagating through air, but light is conceptualized as electromagnetic radiation that propagates through the medium of Einstein's space-time. However, it is not that Leadbeater is naive in making this continuum between sound and light. This is a very natural corollary of the Theosophical arrangement of the planes. What physicists think of as space-time (that is, the medium through which light propagates), occultists conceive of as etheric matter. And etheric matter is but the four "higher", or finer, states of matter in the physical plane. Thus, in Leadbeater's scheme, sound and light are both vibrational types found in the matter of the physical plane, and as such he saw them forming a continuum. Again, we see occult ideas not only embracing scientific ideas, but doing so within a more inclusive framework.
4This density is about 105 tons/mm3. The constant density of nuclear matter is due to the fact that the strong nuclear force is saturated. This means that the binding energy per nucleon is a constant. Or in other words, the volume taken up by nuclear matter is always proportional to the mass, thus density is always constant.
5"And we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun", as John Lennon said. Lennon probably knew the literal truth of his statement.
6Arya, (1974), page 53.
7Besant and Leadbeater, (1986), page 8.
8Frisch and Thorndike, (1964) pages 95-97.
9Besant and Leadbeater, (1986), page 16.
10Besant, (1918), page 16.
11Ibid., page 16-17.
12Ibid., page 18-20.
13For a somewhat technical discussion of the importance of
phase-locking processes in modern physics see Bak, (1986).
14Freeman, (1991).
15Wilber, 1982, page 166.
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