THE PSYCHONAUTS

Have you ever thought about someone—randomly—and then they call you? Or felt a sudden wave of emotion, only to find out a loved one was going through something miles away? We often chalk it up to mere coincidence. But what if it isn’t just coincidence? What if there’s something far more mysterious at play—something woven deep into the fabric of reality?

“Coincidence and intention are two sides of a tapestry, my lord. You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say that one is true and the other is false.”

— Ted Chiang, The Merchant and The Alchemists Gate

A fair warning to all who continue reading, depending on your openness to evidence that challenges your worldview, some of what follows may be difficult to accept. I’ve included references so you can decide for yourself what, how, or if to integrate it into your understanding of reality. Personally I have found there is ample evidence (which I have referenced) in the public domain that leads to its credibility.  But you will have to decide for yourself.  If a certain area is bordering on conjecture due to thin evidence, but is included due to substantial circumstantial evidence, I will point it out.  In any case, one should always seek out the truth themselves - I am simply sharing knowledge and I will provide reference sources that I encourage anyone to check out for themselves..

The Psychic Cold War You Knew Nothing About

In 1975, a declassified study from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency revealed a startling concern: the Soviets were investing heavily in psychic research. They were conducting controlled experiments in telepathy, psychokinesis, and even attempting mind-control technologies. The U.S., not wanting to fall behind in what some called the “Psychic Arms Race,” launched their own investigations—quietly, and with plausible deniability.

This led to a top secret CIA program originally referred to as Project Grill Flame, SUNSTREAK, SCANATE, until later consolidated and renamed Project Stargate. Stargate was a black-budget program operated out of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), involving notable figures like physicists Russell Targ and Hal Puthoff (whose name you will hear again popping up later in this post in a seemingly distinct and separate area of study, which adds to the notion of these phenomena having some sort of connectedness). Using highly skilled individuals trained to perceive distant locations psychically, known as Remote Viewers, military and intelligence personnel were successfully able to locate hostages, downed aircraft, and more.

One of the more notable figures that came out of Project Stargate, is a man known as “Remote Viewer #1”, Joe McMoneagle. Joe McMoneagle is known as the best Operational Remote Viewer in the history of the U.S. Army's Special Project. He was the only Remote Viewer who worked one-on-one with the out-of-body pioneer Robert Monroe, and who has achieved intelligence collection results among the very best. His notable achievements include:

• He described the interior of a top secret Soviet manufacturing plant and accurately predicted a new class of ship under construction--the previously unknown Typhoon Class submarine.

• He sketched the location and described the thoughts and reactions of an American kidnap victim held by the Red Brigade in Northern Italy--U.S. Army General Dozier.

• He accurately predicted when Skylab would leave orbit and where it would impact on the Earth's surface--eleven months prior to the actual event.

• After conventional reconnaissance failed, he and others were able to locate a downed Soviet bomber that had been carrying nuclear materials.

He achieved these results using scientifically designed and tested double-blind protocols. And in the years since his retirement he has continued to demonstrate these abilities to the public. In 1984, during his years with Project Stargate, he was tasked with remote viewing Mars in the ancient past: 1 million BCE. The transcript is linked below, that is a very interesting read and also an interesting point of interest: that the government would conduct a mission within a top secret, multi-million dollar project by remote viewing another planet that as far as we know never hosted any form of intelligent life.

Now you may have heard of the structures on Mars visible from above, as people have studied the photos sent back from probe and rover missions. Such as the iconic “face on mars”. These are very intriguing but they can be ruled out by a phenomenon known as pareidolia, where the human mind has the tendency to organize randomness and see things that aren’t really there. What can’t be explained, however, is the high levels of an element known as Xenon 114. To date, there are only two ways we’ve been able to detect this element: one is as a result of a supernova explosion and the other is from the detonation of a nuclear weapon. This isotope of Xenon just doesn’t occur any other way. And Mars is definitely not a supernova. In fact, here on earth we monitor the air for traces of this element in certain regions in order to verify if other countries are testing nuclear weapons in secret.

If you’re thinking that all of this sounds like science fiction, take a moment to dig into the CIA’s own website. Over 12 million pages of declassified documents reveal years of funding and training in psychic methodologies.  The references to these declassified documents are linked below.

“Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”

-William Shakespeare, The Tempest

MK-Ultra and the Manipulation of Mind

Long before Stranger Things introduced us to Eleven and the mysterious Hawkins Lab, there was MK-Ultra, a real CIA program designed to investigate how human consciousness could be altered—or controlled—through drugs, hypnosis, and sensory deprivation. While most associate MK-Ultra with mind control experiments, some branches of the program delved into extrasensory perception (ESP) and telepathic suggestion.

It wasn’t about proving whether psychic abilities were real—this had already been established.  It was about whether they could be weaponized.

It’s within this particular secret program that lies tales of a very dark and nefarious nature.  I’ll preface this part of the story by stating that the only corroborating evidence is the word of the individuals involved at the time, so take from it what you will.  There is an excellent documentary titled, “The Montauk Chronicles” which I highly recommend as it reveals much of this eyewitness testimony, though a fair warning, it gets very bizarre.

There is some consensus among experts that trauma, especially trauma experienced by children, activates or expands the ability to perceive things that most of us cannot.  I suppose it has something to do with dissociation, being shocked or repulsed with situations one is exposed to, that allows them to see into other realms as a reprieve from their reality.  Not all, but many psychics and mediums have histories of troubled childhoods.  This is the sad preface to the stories of Montauk.  The claim is that untold numbers of young people, mostly those who are homeless, runaways, or with abusive caretakers, (and as a result it could be assumed they would not be missed by society) were abducted and brought to a secret military base in Montauk, NY.  Here they were abusively and repeatedly exposed to nightmare scenarios in order to induce trauma within them.  The goal was to manufacture this psychical ability so that it could be harnessed and exploited.  I won’t go into the details here - you can check it out for yourself - but if it’s true, then it’s probably the most repulsive and shameful act of our government to date.

Though the ends definitely do not justify the means in this scenario, the experiments were allegedly successful.  There are tales of astral projecting beyond the bounds of time, physical manifestation of thoughts, and coordination with non-human intelligence that was sharing unbelievable technologies.  It was, however, the very phenomenon they had created that then turned on them in a very strange tale that abruptly ended the research and shut down the facility which remains off limits and vacant to this day.

There are some who have come forward indicating this type of human trafficking is still occurring. US Marine, Michael Herrera recently came forward to give his account of an encounter with an unmarked military in all black and no visible affiliation with any particular country while he was serving in Western Indonesia. The men he was with were outnumbered by this mystery army and were being held at gunpoint while he stated that they were bringing local citizens, including children, by bus and loading them onto a craft against their will. Later he was informed that these individuals were being used for their apparent psychic abilities. Again this is a witness testimony, but it is important to note that members of the military, and especially the Marines, have a high degree of personal responsibility and have to clear many psychological exams in order to receive their clearances. It would be an extremely reckless thing to come forward with a false story that would only bring ridicule and loss to the individual’s life. It would only make sense to come forward if there was a strong compulsion to share such an encounter if it was of vital importance or to call out government abuses.

“You don’t get the kind of gifts that I have if you lie.”

-Houston from The Telepathy Tapes

The Telepathy Tapes – A Powerfully Positive Confirming Work

If there’s one resource I’d urge you to explore, it’s this. In fact, if you haven’t already listened to this series please stop reading and go do that now!  While I was already beginning to grasp the reality of psy phenomena, this series confirmed it with me beyond a shadow of a doubt.  If you haven’t yet heard of it, The Telepathy Tapes is a documentary series centering on the connection between non-verbal autistic children and telepathic abilities.  The claims are astounding:  ALL, not some, but every non-verbal autistic child has the gift of telepathy, full stop!  Thorough tests were setup and conducted in ways that would be accepted and recognized by any scientific organization and in test after test of their skill, the accuracy is nearly perfect every time.  If a child does give an incorrect answer, it’s usually an error of misunderstanding and every time they get it correct on the second try.  That alone is paradigm shattering!  But the telepathy is just the tip of the iceberg.

The children all keep referencing a meeting place in a non-physical realm, identified simply as "The Hill," and described as a sort of town square or meeting place where these children can meet up and talk to one another, learn from one another, and communicate with each other despite physically being miles, states, even nations apart!  Some kids have best friends whom they met on “the hill” but whom they’ve never met in their physical body.  The evidence is in the wealth of knowledge they have about this other individual which could not be ascertained by any other means. This aspect of the phenomena correlates and appears to give some insight into the means by which savant skills may be acquired.

The gift of telepathy is something we are all born with, even animals actively possess this skill.  The reason the majority of us don’t seem to understand it is due to us learning spoken and written communication skills.  It allows us to express ourselves in a physical manner.  The thought process is that we are born telepathic, but the children who are non-verbal, understanding that there is a deep desire within all of us to communicate, retain this skill and it never leaves them.

The best part of these stories are these children who despite being ridiculed, mocked, told they are “stupid” or “not all there”, they all express such deep unconditional love for others that is so moving.  The kids emphasize that it’s through love, transparency, and positive intentions that these skills are allowed to perpetuate.  One of the quotes I’ll never forget from one of these kids is him explaining to his mom, “mama, you don’t get the kinds of gift that I do if you lie,”  It’s made abundantly clear after finishing this series that there’s no doubt about all - telepathy is real.  And once you accept that, the door flies wide open to many other wonders waiting to be explored in the realm of psy abilities.   

It turns out that we’ve never been alone.

In recent years, the U.S. government has taken a more transparent stance regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). Through the brave efforts of individuals such as Lou Elizando who blew the whistle and released information on the topic, along with the 2021 ODNI Preliminary Assessment and subsequent congressional hearings, including testimony from decorated figures such as David Grusch, Ryan Graves, and Commander David Fravor, we now have not just sightings but sworn statements about non-human craft and retrieved “biologics.” Even legislation has been proposed demanding disclosure of hidden UAP programs and technologies, which will be referenced below for a mind-blowing read through.

One name that keeps surfacing in these discussions is Hal Puthoff, the same physicist who worked on Project Stargate and later became a key figure in the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). His involvement across both psychic research and UAP study suggests a deeper link between consciousness and these unexplained aerial phenomena.

What many overlook in these encounters is the consistent presence of telepathic elements. Contactees frequently describe receiving sudden “downloads” of information, experiencing shared visions, or communicating with entities without words. These phenomena are not fringe outliers—they are documented patterns. From Whitley Strieber’s Communion to Ingo Swann’s psychic journey to the Moon (documented in Penetration), telepathic contact seems to be the preferred method for these intelligences. There have even been numerous statements of the craft being controlled solely by mental telekinesis.

Are these beings using a technology we don’t understand? Or are they interfacing with us through the same latent psychic abilities we’re just beginning to rediscover?

There is also an incredible connection between this phenomenon and the history of religion. Diane Pasulka, a professor of religious studies and author of the book, “American Cosmic” was allowed access to parts of the Vatican archives during the time she was studying the history of encounters with angels and demons from the Bible. It became clear to her that there was a direct correlation with accounts of human interactions with angelic (or sometimes demonic) entities depicted in the Bible and the modern accounts of interactions with UAP and non-human intelligent beings. A classic example is with the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. If this encounter happened today, it would be a case of radiation burns. Her work is extremely interesting and thought provoking.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

-Albert Einstein

Simulation Theory, The Holographic Universe & Consciousness as the Core

Imagine reality not as a solid, objective landscape, but as a kind of interactive simulation—where consciousness is not the product of the brain, but the medium through which all experience is rendered.

Many well-known and respected physicists have been discussing Simulation theory as a serious and plausible explanation for the world around us. Our conditioned minds, having been educated our whole lives in a materialist worldview, have trouble accepting such a hypothesis but it would appear that the science is revealing that consciousness is not an emergent property of the physical world, but the other way around: consciousness is fundamental and the building blocks upon which physical reality is structured. Indeed, many problems presented by classical physics are resolved when viewed from this perspective.

A notable figure in this area of study is Donald Hoffman, a cognitive psychologist, and author of the book, “The Case Against Reality”. To help grasp the concept, he suggests thinking of it in terms of your computer. For example, right now I am typing this out on my computer, which is a user interface produced by the computer that gives it meaning and order. At the core of my computer, however, is simply a series of switches, on and off, one or zero, yes or no commands. Now, technically I could produce this written work by manually toggling these binary switches if I knew how to do so, but this would be cumbersome and it would lose the value or the meaning of what it is I was trying to produce. It’s only through the user interface (i.e., the windows program, the internet browser, the keyboard, the screen) which are all made up from this binary coding that provide any real meaningful use. Hoffman asserts that we have evolved to NOT see reality as it actually is because we have, over time, shed the aspects of ourselves that observe and navigate the world around us that were not useful in survival. There is no value in observing the binary switches, only in operating the user interface do we derive useful meaning. The binary code is there still, but we have evolved technologically to not needing access to that base level, thereby expanding our technological possibilities in a useful way. So likewise, he suggests, reality is merely the user interface or our personal headset from which we navigate the world around us. There exists a base “program” running, but we do not see it because it does not benefit us from an evolutionary standpoint.

You might be surprised to learn that the inventor of the microprocessor and touch screen, an Italian-American physicist named Frederico Faggin, has theories that parallel this line of thinking. Like most in his field, he was a strict materialist for years of his life. Until an experience beyond explanation instantly flipped his worldview on its head. He now devotes his time and attention to educating others on the deep connections between quantum physics and consciousness. He states, “Consciousness is the capacity of one to know itself. And it is in this concept of one wanting to know itself that there is a joining of physics and spirituality.” In his book, Irreducible, “he elaborates on an idealist model of reality, produced after years of careful thought and direct experience, according to which nature's most fundamental level is that of consciousness as a quantum phenomenon, while the classical physical world consists merely of evocative symbols of a deeper reality.”

The Holographic Universe Theory, championed by David Bohm and expanded by Michael Talbot, suggests that each part of the universe contains the whole—just like a hologram. This idea also dovetails with Simulation Theory, as advanced by figures like Nick Bostrom and referenced by public thinkers including Elon Musk, who posits there's a high probability we are living in a simulated reality. As Elon Musk has been known for saying, “If you assume any rate of improvement at all, games will eventually be indistinguishable from reality,” Musk said before concluding, “We’re most likely in a simulation.” There is a much higher likelihood that we are not living in base reality.

Honestly, the mind-bending implications that have been proposed recently deserve its own post, which I will cover more thoroughly in the future. But this proposed explanation of our reality also has many correlations with ancient mythologies and unexplainable archaeological artifacts. To be honest, while some of these correlations seem to click into place and fit perfectly into these modern discoveries, I will admit that they are extremely bizarre and if true, could create an existential crisis with many. So I will leave it at that for now and revisit this topic at a later time.

Under either framework, telepathy ceases to be paranormal and becomes instead a function of non-local consciousness. Much like quantum entanglement shows particles can remain instantaneously connected across vast distances, human minds might be similarly entangled—able to share information outside the bounds of time and space.

These theories are no longer relegated to the realm of science fiction. Physicists, neuroscientists, and philosophers alike are now exploring the possibility that reality itself is consciousness-based.

“The act of observation is an act of fact creation.”

-Christopher Fuchs, Quantum Physicist

Abracadabra (Hebrew origin ‘abreg ad hābreg’), meaning, “I create as I speak”

The Scientific Edge – Experiments That Defy Skepticism

Despite the fringe label slapped on parapsychology, a number of researchers have brought scientific rigor to the table. Dean Radin, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, has spent decades compiling statistical data showing significant, repeatable psychic effects across a variety of experiments. His book "Real Magic" posits that the so-called paranormal may simply be a set of natural laws we don’t yet understand.  I’ve read his books and they are a fascinating read.   

The connections between psychic phenomena and quantum physics become quite strong in this area. Understanding concepts such as quantum entanglement, or “spooky action at a distance” as Einstein referred to it, as well as the observation paradox of the double-slit experiment, leads one naturally to consider how consciousness may be the key to understanding these fascinating, but confounding concepts. Check out my post, “As Above, So Below” where I go into more detail on the double slit experiment and the incredible implications that arise from it.

Among the most famous parapsychology studies is the Ganzfeld Experiment, which isolates a subject in a state of sensory deprivation to determine if they can receive mental images “sent” by another person. Repeated studies have shown results far beyond chance expectation.

I plan to personally conduct a Ganzfeld experiment assuming playing both sender and receiver across several trials. I’ll be reporting my full findings in a future post—but the feedback from those who have participated in these experiments report some amazing things. Here I will advise that the following is intriguing and worth mentioning, but that also lacks any scientific study but a man by the name of Danny Goler reported that during controlled DMT experiences, observing the light beam projected onto a wall or other surface, reveals an underlying “code” of unknown symbols that are clearly not random. It’s described not as some transitory phenomenon, as if it were some hallucination, but rather a fixed and unmoving symbology woven into the fabric of the object it’s projected onto. Take from this what you will and until scientific studies are conducted there’s no real corroboration here, but the experiment has been 100% reproducible with hundreds of participants who all report the exact same results and in cases of multiple participants they are each observing the same exact symbology.

The convergence of many unexplainable phenomenon and the connection to consciousness.

Seeing Beyond the Shadows

One of philosophy’s greatest minds in history was the Greek Philosopher, Plato. In his work, “The Republic”, Plato tells the allegory of the cave. In this tale, he likened us to prisoners who are chained to the wall of a cave only able to see mere shadows, the reflections of real objects that are being moved about for us and intensely controlling what and how we see the world. Having known nothing else, we mistake the shadows for reality. One brave member of the group begins to suspect that there is more to it than what he sees and hatches a plan of escape. The rest of them call him crazy until one day they look over and he has gone. While they were absorbed in the shadows, he is able to get around the wall to see those who cast the projections, then to climb out of the cave, and finally to be amazed at the sight of the sun, the grass, the trees, the vibrant colors.

The newly enlightened captive eagerly returns to his fellow men and excitedly explains to them all of the wonders he has just witnessed. Finding his claims to be so foreign and entirely too fantastical to them, they refuse to believe him and choose to live out their lives in the illusion.

Visual representation of Plato’s Cave.

“Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out for yourself.”

— Noam Chomsky

It is vital, if we want to get closer to the truth, that we remain open skeptics. Through discernment, and our own intuitions, we can sift through the noise to slowly make our way out of the cave of shadows and into the light of truth. This post is not meant to convince anyone of anything, we should always beware of those who claim to have absolute knowledge of the truth because quite often it’s a method to keep us in chains, content with our shadows of reality so that we do not look further. Instead, we all must seek out for ourselves what is real and what is shadow play.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And stranger things are still to come.

---

REFERENCES

Bem, D. J., & Honorton, C. (1994). Does psi exist? Replicable evidence for an anomalous process of information transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 115(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.115.1.4

Dickens, K. (Host). (2024). The Telepathy Tapes [Docuseries]. Based on the work of Dr. Diane Hennessy Powell.

→ Scientific exploration into non-verbal autistic children and telepathic phenomena.

Elizondo, L. (2021). ODNI Preliminary Assessment on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

→ https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-2021.pdf

Garetano, C. P. (Director). (2015). The Montauk Chronicles [Documentary Film].

→ First-person testimonies of alleged MK-Ultra and Montauk Project activities.

Hoffman, D. D. (2019). The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes. W. W. Norton & Company.

Musk, E. (2016, June). Code Conference Interview. Vox Media.

→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KK_kzrJPS8

→ Discusses the probability that we’re living in a simul

National Security Archive. (n.d.). MK-Ultra Document Collection. The George Washington University.

→ https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2019-09-10/mkultra-document-collection

Radin, D. (2018). Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe. Harmony Books.

Strieber, W. (1987). Communion: A True Story. Avon.

Swann, I. (1998). Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy. Ingo Swann Books.

Talbot, M. (1991). The Holographic Universe. HarperPerennial.

The Discovery. (n.d.). The Discovery. DanGoThou.

→ Blog or media content cited as a reference point for esoteric theories.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). CIA Reading Room – Project Stargate Archives.

→ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/collection/stargate

U.S. House of Representatives. (2024). UAP Disclosure Amendment (2024). Congressional Records.

Pasulka, D. (2019). American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology. Oxford University Press.

Bostrom, N. (2003). Are we living in a computer simulation? Philosophical Quarterly, 53(211), 243–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00309

Faggin, Frederico (2024). Irreducible: Consciousness, life, computers, and human nature. Essentia Books.

Plato. (2004). The Republic (C. D. C. Reeve, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published ca. 380 B.C.E.)

PERSPECTIVE

NASA image of Earth taken by Voyager 1 from 3.7 billion miles away as it was speeding out of our solar system

“We are each alotted a sliver of space-time, wedged between not yet and no more.  Which we fill with a lifetime of joys and sorrows; immensities of thought and feeling, all deducible to electrical impulses coursing through us at 80 feet per second, yet responsible for every love poem that has ever been written, every symphony ever composed, every scientific breakthrough measuring out nerve conduction and mapping out space-time. ”

— Maria Popova

The most distant human-made object, Voyager 1, is currently located a whopping 25 billion miles away out in interstellar space, having exited the solar system after a tour of the nearest gas giant planets. A journey lasting 46 years to date. To conceptualize just how far away this probe is from us, communication both to and from Voyager 1 traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) takes an astounding 22.5 hours each way. Meaning one simple command and response results in a full two day waiting period to complete. During it’s time within the solar system, Voyager sent back some incredible images of our closest planetary neighbors and furthering our understanding of the universe. The resilience of these probes and the fact that they continued to function for so long beyond their anticipated lifetimes is a testament to the craftsmanship of those involved in their creation and has given us much to study and learn from.

Visual representation of the paths taken by Voyager 1 and 2.

Launced in 1977, Voyager 1 (actually launching 16 days after it’s twin, Voyager 2) began a long journey among the planets traveling to Jupiter, Saturn, and studying their moons before going to where no human object has ever gone before. During the celestial tour, the probes sent back amazing photos of the planets giving us new perspectives of our planetary neighborhood. But perhaps the most notable photograph was of something more familiar to us all. On February 17th of 1990, NASA sent one final command to the probe to turn and direct it's cameras towards earth and snap the very first selfie from outer space. This iconic image became known as “The Pale Blue Dot”: as the image shows our entire world as a tiny speck, barely visible, but interestingly caught in a ray of sunlight. Highlighting both the seemingly insignificant position we hold against such an incomprehensibly large universe as well as the fragility and uniqueness we possess against such an immense background, this image is the epitome of what it is to understand the value of perspective.

The Radiolab podcast has done a couple of amazing stories on the Voyager probes, highlighting some of the amazing ingenuity of the brilliant crews who have cared for these stellar explorers and have extended their lives beyond whatever could have been imagined the day they left the launchpad. I highly suggest checking those out - you will definitely develop an admiration and fondness for these technological marvels.

Visual information on Voyager and “The Pale Blue Dot”

As I’ve said many times, and which is so true in all areas of our reality, multiple things can be both true and not true at the same time. Humanity is quite special and we should celebrate our existence and the lives we get the privilege to live out while at the same time being humbled as we gaze out at the night sky at the literal billions of other stars and planets that are out there of which we still know very little about. Check out a previous blog post I did (The Fragility of Certainty) where I discussed the concept of epistemic humility as it definitely applies here as well. Perspective.

All that being said, we should all take a moment from time to time to reflect on what a gift it is just to be alive. As the well-known physicist, Neil Degrass Tyson, pointed out once: of all of the unique arrangements of DNA that have historically existed and that currently do exist, including you and I, the majority of them will never exist. So congratulations, you and I both won the physical lottery and were awarded the rare gift of physical reality! The mere fact of our existence is a rare blessing we’ve been given and our only objective is to explore our talents and learn ways in which we can use our gifts to serve others, which will naturally lead to finding meaning and purpose in the world. The fact that you are alive is proof that you’re needed here at this time for a reason, otherwise you would not exist, plain and simple. Perspective.

Life is difficult and painful, but also all a part of the human experience. When things seem dark and bleak, look for what can be learned from the difficulty rather than being consumed by it. As cliche as it sounds, things will always improve as you gravitate closer towards the things that appeal to your unique nature and act on what you intuit what is in your best interest. Perspective.

I for one am thankful for these perspectives such as The Pale Blue Dot or the Earthrise photos taken from the moon, which provide a perspective which the majority of humanity never got the ability to see. Understanding that we are all in this together, regardless of country of origin or nationality, we are all on this tiny speck on the surface of a tiny sphere living our lives under a razor thin atmosphere, which is the only thing between us and the darkness of space helps reinforce the fact that we are all a part of the human family. We are all connected in such profound ways it makes sense that the most important lesson from the scriptures is to love your neighbor as yourself. Whatever you do to others, you are essentially doing to yourself. The qualities we would like to see others exhibit must first be seen in our own actions. What you give is what you get. Perspective.

MYSTERIOUS MOON

Photo taken March 24, 2024, JPP

“It seems much easier to explain the nonexistence of the moon than its existence.”

— Dr. Robin Brett, NASA

The Moon holds many secrets and mysteries that have captivated the human imagination for centuries. Ancient cultures around the world have myths that speak of a time "before the Moon appeared in the sky," as if one day it simply materialized. At first glance, this seems absurd—but a closer look at the Moon’s unique characteristics compared to other planetary bodies reveals that it truly is an anomaly.

For instance, the Moon is about a quarter the size of Earth—an unusually large ratio for a planet and its satellite. No other known planets in our solar system, nor any observed exoplanets, exhibit this kind of arrangement. This striking size relationship, along with the Moon's specific distance from Earth, is what allows for the phenomenon of total solar eclipses. It also has a near perfect orbit, a little too perfect compared to all other natural satellites we have observed. By sheer coincidence—or perhaps by design—the Moon is almost exactly the right size to completely obscure the Sun during an eclipse, leaving only the glowing corona visible.

“Coincidence and intention are two sides of a tapestry, my Lord. You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say one is true and the other is false.”

— From "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang

During the Apollo missions of the 1960s and '70s, NASA sought to study the Moon's composition by installing seismometers on its surface. On November 20, 1969, scientists deliberately crashed the ascent stage of the Lunar Module to measure the resulting seismic activity. What they discovered was astonishing: the Moon "rang like a bell" for nearly an hour. This unexpected resonance led to speculation about the Moon’s density and interior structure, even fueling theories that it might be at least partially hollow. While many of these theories are highly speculative, the data remains intriguing.

Another curious lunar feature is the shape of its craters. On Earth, impact craters typically form concave depressions, resembling shallow bowls. But on the Moon, many craters have unnaturally flat bottoms, as if the impacting objects could only penetrate to a certain depth before being halted by an impenetrable layer beneath the surface. This raises questions about the Moon's subsurface composition and structure.

Yet another anomaly was discovered in lunar soil samples brought back by Apollo astronauts. The regolith (moon dust) collected from the surface was found to be older than the material beneath it. This contradicts the natural expectation that deeper layers should be older than those on the surface. What could have caused this unusual layering? It remains an open question.

For all of us who aren’t an astronaut who has had the opportunity to study the moon close up, there are strange observables from a distance that continue to this day. Adding to the growing list of lunar oddities, some quick research on “Transient Lunar Phenomena”, presents so many questions with no solid answers. These phenomena are described as short-lived: brightenings of specific areas, darkenings or obscurations, changes in color (sometimes appearing red or violet), and even the appearance of "mists" or "clouds".

These are just a few of the oddities surrounding the Moon—there are many more, some even more perplexing than these. Such mysteries have led to wild theories about the Moon's origins and possible purpose. While some ideas are undoubtedly far-fetched, others point to legitimate questions about the Moon’s history.

“It would seem that the moon is more like a hollow than a homogeneous sphere.”

— Dr. Gordon MacDonald, NASA

One particular mystery, seemingly unrelated at first, eventually led me back to the Moon in an unexpected way. It started with a simple observation about our calendar and has been staring me in the face my whole life and I never even thought about it.

Let’s begin with a question: How many limbs does an octopus have? Eight. Just as an octagon has eight sides. And how many years are in a decade? Ten. These words have Latin roots—"octo" means eight, "novem" means nine, and "decem" means ten. So why, then, are October, November, and December the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months of our calendar, rather than the eighth, ninth, and tenth?

The answer, as I discovered, is rather uninspiring—it has to do with tax collection schedules in ancient Rome and later calendar reforms. Many of our months are named for Roman figures (March for Mars, July for Julius Caesar, August for Augustus), yet this seemingly arbitrary shift in numerical alignment has persisted for centuries.

This discrepancy led me to research what kind of calendar might have existed before the Roman modifications. That’s when I stumbled upon the lunar calendar, and suddenly, everything clicked.

The lunar calendar is based on Moon cycles and follows a 13-month system instead of 12. If you divide 365 days by 13 months, you get 28 days per month, making each month equal in length. Even more remarkably, this system aligns with natural rhythms—each date would always fall on the same day of the week every month (e.g., the 10th of every month would always be a Tuesday).

This system also accounts for the "missing" day—364 days fit perfectly into 13 months, leaving a single "day out of time" to celebrate the New Year. Interestingly, this aligns with the natural world as well—certain species, like turtles, exhibit this pattern. An adult turtle’s shell often has 13 large plates (scutes) on its back, surrounded by 28 smaller ones, mirroring the lunar cycle in nature.

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

— Buddha

The deeper I delved, the more it became apparent that the Moon has been a quiet but ever-present influence over timekeeping, mythologies, and even life itself. Whether by chance or by some greater design, its existence shapes our world in ways we are only beginning to comprehend.

Perhaps the Moon is not just a passive celestial body orbiting our planet. Maybe it is a key—a silent guardian of knowledge, waiting for us to decipher its riddles.

Photos taken a year apart at the Gulf and at the Great Lakes of a full moon over the water.

THE LAW OF THE LAND

One of the most common arguments for using the Bible as a moral foundation is that without a set standard of rules, society would spiral into chaos. Without biblical principles of right and wrong woven into our foundations, we would supposedly be incapable of treating one another with respect—leading us down a path of anarchy.

At first glance, this seems reasonable. Laws and rules help govern behavior, and enforcement mechanisms exist to deter those who stray. Even with such safeguards, crimes are still committed, so removing these constraints might unleash the worst in human nature.

However, this argument assumes that morality, as we understand it, is inseparable from religious doctrine. It fails to consider that our perception of morality has been shaped by a singular historical lens.

Our founding fathers, being of European descent, inherited a worldview built on hierarchical class structures, noble rulers, and a deeply entrenched religious institution that influenced both law and governance. Though they fought against British rule, they did not entirely abandon these structures. Instead, they selectively dismantled aspects they disliked while preserving much of the old order. Completely starting from scratch was likely beyond consideration—not only due to the monumental challenge it posed but because they knew no other way.

Or did they?

The Blind Spot of Self-Righteousness

From the very beginning, America has struggled with self-righteousness. Early citizens failed to recognize the hypocrisy of fighting an oppressive regime while simultaneously forcing enslaved people and Indigenous communities to join their cause—whether by coercion or by force. The prevailing assumption was that these so-called "savages" had nothing of value to offer. Their ways were seen as primitive, and assimilation into European culture was framed as benevolent.

This pious ignorance came at a devastating cost. Entire societies, thriving in their own right, were erased by a people who believed themselves to be acting in accordance with divine will.

Take Christopher Columbus—the man often credited with "discovering" America, despite arriving on an already-inhabited continent. His own writings reveal the disturbing mindset with which he approached the Indigenous people he encountered:

“They … brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned… . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features…. They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane… . They would make fine servants…. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Here, we see people demonstrating generosity, cooperation, and trust—values that closely align with Christian teachings—yet it is the so-called "civilized" men who immediately seek to dominate, exploit, and enslave.

Some may argue that Columbus and his men acted outside biblical principles, that such atrocities were not in alignment with scripture. But history tells a different story.

Bartolomé de las Casas, a priest who accompanied Columbus during the conquest of Cuba, bore witness to the horrific cruelty inflicted upon the native population:

“And the Christians, with their horses and swords and pikes began to carry out massacres and strange cruelties against them... They laid bets as to who, with one stroke of the sword, could split a man in two or could cut off his head or spill out his entrails... They took infants from their mothers’ breasts, snatching them by the legs and pitching them headfirst against the crags... They usually dealt with the chieftains and nobles in the following way: they made a grid of rods which they placed on forked sticks, then lashed the victims to the grid and lighted a smoldering fire underneath, so that little by little, as those captives screamed in despair and torment, their souls would leave them….”

It would be comforting to dismiss this as a relic of the past. Yet history repeats itself. The process of villainizing entire cultures or people groups continues today. When we adopt an "us vs. them" mentality—viewing others as inherently inferior—we pave the way for unspeakable acts, justified by self-righteous conviction.

If you find yourself generalizing an entire group—whether by race, religion, culture, or nationality—pause for a moment. Consider how you would feel if your own identity was reduced to a list of negative traits, assumed to define you simply because of the group to which you belong.

What If There Was Another Way?

While European settlers sought to impose their version of civilization, they overlooked the sophisticated social structures that already existed among Indigenous communities.

Take, for example, the Iroquois Confederacy. Children in Iroquois society were raised with a balance of community solidarity and personal autonomy. They were taught respect for their heritage but were also encouraged to think independently. Status was shared, and possessions were communal. Harsh punishment was rare; instead of beatings or forced submission, children were guided toward self-discipline.

This contrasted sharply with the rigid European structures of wealth, power, and religious authority. Colonial society was built on hierarchy—rich and poor, ruler and subject, priest and parishioner. Consider the advice given by John Robinson, pastor of the Pilgrim colony:

“And surely there is in all children ... a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon.”

By contrast, the Iroquois maintained social order without judges, jails, or police forces. As historian Gary Nash describes:

“No laws and ordinances, sheriffs and constables, judges and juries, or courts or jails—the apparatus of authority in European societies—were to be found in the northeast woodlands prior to European arrival. Yet boundaries of acceptable behavior were firmly set… He who stole another's food or acted invalorously in war was ‘shamed’ by his people and ostracized from their company until he had atoned for his actions and demonstrated to their satisfaction that he had morally purified himself.”

This system fostered both accountability and harmony—without the need for oppressive authority. It begs the question: do we truly need religious texts to govern our morality? Or do we, as human beings, possess an innate capacity for love, empathy, and fairness?

The Danger of Misinterpretation

Ancient scriptures do not hold all the answers—especially when they are filtered through the lens of modern biases. People continuously reinterpret these texts to fit their worldview, often bending them to justify power, oppression, and violence. Without fully understanding the historical context in which they were written, we risk not only misinterpretation but also the continued justification of cruelty in the name of righteousness.

Hans Koning, in Columbus: His Enterprise, encapsulates the lasting consequences of this misalignment:

“For all the gold and silver stolen and shipped to Spain did not make the Spanish people richer. It gave their kings an edge in the balance of power for a time... but all that was left was a deadly inflation, a starving population, the rich richer, the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class.”

And yet, centuries later, we still see the same patterns unfolding. Wealth and power continue to consolidate at the top, while those in control stoke division among the masses.

If we cannot learn from history—if we continue justifying harm under the guise of divine mandate—then we risk repeating the same cycle of destruction. Only through self-reflection, empathy, and the willingness to understand others can we hope to break free.

We do not need ancient scriptures to teach us how to be good. What we need is the courage to seek understanding. Only then can we finally fulfill the promise of a just and compassionate society.

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*From “American Origin Stories” by Matthew Cooke: https://www.youtube.com/@MatthewCookeOfficial

THE FRAGILITY OF CERTAINTY

“Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out for yourself.”

— Noam Chomsky

ORDERING CHAOS

Life, at its core, is absurd and chaotic. Paradoxically, the only thing that is certain in this life, is that change is inevitable.  The more we explore the regions of the micro within the quantum realm, the more discoveries that are uncovered that are puzzling and often contradictory.  For many centuries, religion has sought to provide order amid this chaos, by explaining the unexplainable in ways we can grasp and attempt to organize our lives in some way.  However, the truth is often far stranger than fiction and cracks inevitably form in any system that tries to organize what is inherently disordered.

During the Scientific Revolution, the validity of the Bible as an ultimate source of truth came under scrutiny. Confronted with the realization of a dwindling flock, and in response to the growing dissonance between the scriptures and the science, theologians crafted doctrines such as “inerrancy” of the scriptures to defend their institutions. This birthed dogmas like the 6,000-year-old Earth, the literal worldwide flood, and the future-oriented interpretation of Revelation—all relatively modern constructs.

Even today, the idea of scriptural inerrancy is complicated by discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls, which although they support the historical existence of the scriptures, they also reveal discrepancies in translations and contextual meanings across centuries. But what happens if we take these scriptures at face value?

The Biblical mandate to “go forth and make disciples of all nations” is a core belief and mandate to many practitioners.  So, let’s follow this scenario to its ultimate conclusion.  Imagine if tomorrow, every soul on Earth embraced Christianity. Would this create heaven on Earth? A paradise of unified beliefs?

• Imagine if suddenly, everyone begins practicing speaking in tongues. [This is where the Baptists would say: “Well wait a minute, we don’t believe in it that way.”]

• Okay, well then there will be wonderful Men and women who will lead churches together. [The Fundamentalists will say “Not so fast!”]

• Worship will be conducted from heavenly choruses and adorned with heavenly instruments. [The Church of God speaks up “Worship is to be created with the human voice, never by instrument.”

• I see, well then we have many giving reverence to Mary. [Evangelicals will say: “We are not Catholic and only Jesus should be worshipped.”]

• Confessionals begin popping up everywhere. [Protestants shout: “Whoa, wait just a minute!”]

• Joseph Smith appears. [Everyone except Mormons: “Hold up, who?!”]

If even the promise of universal religion cannot bring heaven to Earth, what assurance do we have that heaven itself will be harmonious? The fractures we create here reflect the fractures within us.

“Thinking is difficult. That’s why most people judge.”

— Carl Jung

THE CALL TO THINK CRITICALLY

I once believed religion provided the best explanation for our existence—until I realized it often discourages deeper exploration. By checking into religion, many of us check out of curiosity.

The truth, however, will never force itself upon us. It must be sought, unraveled, and lived.  This is what gives life its zest.  “The joy is in the journey” as they say.  And while religion may pervade our society in a multitude of ways, open-mindedness is the key to understanding ideas that initially feel strange or even absurd.

This doesn’t mean discarding religion entirely. There is truth within its stories. Just as the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the historic existence of the scriptures, third party historical evidence affirms that Jesus was a real person who walked the Earth and preached, as documented by contemporaries at the time. Likewise, however, just as the Dead Sea scrolls present us with obvious contextual differences in the content or meaning of the narratives over the centuries, the message that Jesus was actually trying to bring to us is a question we must ask ourselves. 

Polarization is the enemy. More than one thing can be true at the same time. Conversely, more than one thing can be false. The most meaningful and impactful aspects of life are far too complex to be expressed in this or that scenarios. It’s important to not disregard entirely or adopt with unwavering certainty such philosophies that cannot be comprehensively proven or disproven.

“Every moment of one’s existence, one is growing into more or retreating into less.”

— Norman Mailer

A HUMBLE PERSPECTIVE

Allow me to provide a brief vocabulary lesson, which I hope will stick with you and reveal some new words that I think describe concepts in a beautiful and meaningful way:

• Epistemic: Relating to knowledge and its validation.

• Humility: The freedom from pride and arrogance.

Epistemic Humility, then,  is the understanding that our experiences are limited, and our knowledge is filtered through our experiences.  It is the willingness to admit that we may be wrong and not know everything. It recognizes the inherent complexity of the world and the intricate interplay of various factors that shape our understanding of it. Together, they remind us that our understanding is shaped by our limited experiences. The willingness to admit we don’t know everything is not a weakness but a strength.

• Umwelt: German, referring to something’s surroundings or environment.

There is a beautiful word in the German language that describes a concept that we have no English word for.  Umwelt, (oom-velt) meaning “environment,” describes how each species perceives the world through its unique sensory and perceptual systems.

Notice the seemingly speedy movements of a mouse or a bird.  They seem to move through life at such a high speed to us.  But from their perspective, this would be a normal pace.  A bird may see humans as slow-moving curiosities, while a tortoise might view us as frenetic blurs.

Similarly, each human life is a tapestry woven from individual perspectives and backgrounds. Our differences should not divide us but enrich us. The world is not black-and-white; it is a kaleidoscope of experiences.

“If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

— Anonymous

BRAVE VULNERABILITY

To seek truth is to embrace complexity and confront uncertainty. Yet, our modern world is increasingly shaped by polarization—a dangerous force that thrives on certainty and the rejection of nuance.

Religious dogmas, when introduced into governance, risk turning faith into legislation and morality into mandate. History warns us that when one worldview seeks to dominate, diversity of thought suffers. This is not just about religious belief; it’s about how rigid ideologies erode the foundation of a free, pluralistic society.  One must ask themselves when faced with such ideologies:  who stands to benefit or prosper from the successful instillation of such beliefs?  And who stands to potentially suffer loss from the same? 

When beliefs become weapons, wielded to shape laws that govern all, we lose the ability to celebrate differences and instead foster division. The promise of truth is not in conformity but in coexistence.

We must remember: no one holds the ultimate monopoly on truth. Epistemic humility teaches us that our perspectives are limited, and our experiences, no matter how profound, are but a fragment of the greater whole. It is only through dialogue, understanding, and the willingness to admit we might be wrong that we can hope to bridge the growing chasms between us.

Our shared humanity demands that we find common ground—not by forcing others to believe as we do but by respecting their right to seek truth in their own way.  Our understanding of the processes and landscape of the fabric that undergirds our reality is not static; it continually evolves as we learn more and are able to test our theories against what is known.  But even in areas that we are certain are truthful, we must avoid the instinct to instantly scoff at hypothesis’ that contradict our understanding.  The seeds of horrific cruelties can begin to sprout at the point from which we cease to listen to and empathize with others.  Practicing discernment, while humbly providing space to learn and grow from individuals with credible counter-positions is what creates meaningful dialogue and intelligent societies. 

The nature of these turbulent times requires us to stop the rhetoric and pause for a moment to allow conversation and understanding to flourish.  In the days and years ahead, let us choose curiosity over dogma, empathy over judgment, and unity over division. The future of our society depends on it.

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Reference for further evaluation:

Abegg, Flint, & Ulrich. (1999). The Dead Sea Scroll Bible. Harper Collins.

LIGHT AND TIME

We are creatures of light bound by time.

VOTE

“Men do not go into administration as the direct Road to Heaven.” Instead, they are moved by self-love, and therefore “the only Way to secure the most virtuous is by making it their Interest to act rightly.”

-Gouverneur Morris

Do you know who actually penned the Constitution? The final verbiage was decided upon by the Constitutional Convention, but the man who actually put pen to paper and drafted those famous words beginning with "We the People" is someone you've probably not heard of before. Governeur Morris (known as the "Penman of the Constitution"), has a very interesting story which I highly recommend learning more about him. It is often the hidden figures of history that seem to make the most meaningful impact and it's their obscurity that speaks to a character that does not seek notoriety but instead strives to ensure the greatest outcome for the common good.

DIVINE ORCHESTRATION

“Coincidence and intention are two sides of a tapestry, my lord.  You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say one is true and the other is false.”

— -from The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by Ted Chang

There are moments in our lives when things happen that defy any logical explanation. Although I think these moments are more frequent than we think, they are often overlooked, unless one is acutely tuned in to spotting them.   A sort of divine orchestration that, once recognized can leave you crying and laughing at the same time in your car possibly coming across to those in your peripheral like some crazy person, but because you are so amazed at the serendipity you haven’t the slightest care about any such appearances.  This is, in fact, an intentional oddly specific description because it was literally me today.

I had recently became so frustrated at a particular circumstance I was dealing with that when the latest manifestation of this plight occurred in the preceding weeks I found myself screaming out loud at no one in particular asking “why is this happening to me?!?”  Now, I’m intelligent enough to recognize when difficult things happen there is usually some underlying reason or lesson we are supposed to learn from it.  But in this case I hadn’t the slightest idea why this was happening.  And there was and still is nothing I can do about it.  It’s a hopeless and depressing situation and further not recognizing why it is that it’s happening adds an additional layer that makes it seem pointless and therefore had me screaming into the “void”.   The parenthetical void meaning I was not directing at anyone or any thing but I would soon realize that “void” was listening nonetheless.

It wasn’t long before an answer was provided:  clear as day and without question.  In such a random way that I’m still reeling from the implications.  A chance encounter that was most likely never to occur but still did.  An outside third party intervention that ensured the subsequent chain of events would indeed come to pass.  And another’s similar but also very recent personal revelations and their graciousness to share transparently left me speechless.

The answer to my question was not an easy one.  And will require a lot of meditation and introspection on my part.  But it was given to me by another, for lack of a better phrase, “on a silver platter”.   And because of that method of delivery, and the orchestration it took to get it there, it has been received loud and clear.

All of this of course, including even my unintentional blindness to this personal self realization was not coincidental at all.  Had these things not happened as they did, I would have not arrived at this point today where I am laugh/crying like a mad person and in complete awe and deep gratitude for such an orchestration to have occurred on my behalf.   

This lesson I share with all:  don’t allow the minutia of daily life to obscure the fact that we all have profound roles to play as we constructively weave together this tapestry of life.  And although we cannot see the completed picture from this side of things down in the trenches, the more we tune in to the process and lean into the things that make us unique, the more we are allowed to see just how beautiful of a work of art we are co-creating together.  And this thing we are putting together has to be something of profound beauty because just a small glimpse can leave you a puddle of emotions:  looking like you just stepped out of the mental facility.  Which, if such a prerequisite is required to arrive here, then please check me in because I would not hesitate to endure it for such a small glimpse behind the proverbial curtain that I’ve just witnessed and am eternally grateful for

THE LEAST OF THESE

When confronting a decision, where the direction isn’t clear; or deciding a course of action where the outcome is unknown:  always err on the side of empathy.

Instead of envisioning things as they may play out sequentially, try looking at it from the other side (as best as is ascertainable):  from the end backwards.  Because regardless of the minutiae, choosing the path that expresses the greatest positive influence and grace towards others will always be the right decision.

This includes placing dogma over compassion or law over mercy.  You have been released from the burden of judgment, therefore your focus should be placed on grace and seeking to understand.

None of us have all the answers, so all should be humble.  The act of listening to understand, opposed to hearing to respond might just surprise you with gaining a profound new insight you hadn’t considered before.

And when all is said and done, the last stars have shed their final light and the record of humanity has been finished, being remembered as someone who truly sought to improve the plight of their fellow man is objectively a much greater testimonial than one who furthered anguish by placing an interpretation of law above seeking to understand another’s lived experience.

WHAT IS NOW?

Retrocausality:  a concept of cause and effect in which an effect precedes its cause in time and so a later event affects an earlier one.  In quantum physics, the distinction between cause and effect is not made at the most fundamental level and so time-symmetric systems can be viewed as causal or retrocausal. [1]

Even though we cannot access memories of the future, the future does exert a sort of gravitational pull upon us.  It’s a weak force, not a solid state as the past becomes for us.  We have complete freedom in the present to choose what our next move will be, but there is a sort of leaning towards or perhaps an intuition that influences and shapes our decision making.

It has been scientifically demonstrated that our brains arrive at a decision a micro second prior to us making a choice.  We are all in a sense exhibiting precognition all the time.

Published in the prestigious Nature journal, an experiment carried out in the Future Minds Lab at UNSW School of Psychology showed that free choices about what to think can be predicted from patterns of brain activity 11 seconds before people consciously chose what to think about.

The experiment consisted of asking people to freely choose between two visual patterns of red and green stripes – one of them running horizontally, the other vertically – before consciously imagining them while being observed in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine.

The participants were also asked to rate how strongly they felt their visualisations of the patterns were after choosing them, again while researchers recorded their brain activity during the process.

Not only could the researchers predict which pattern they would choose, they could also predict how strongly the participants were to rate their visualisations. With the assistance of machine learning, the researchers were successful at making above-chance predictions of the participants’ volitional choices at an average of 11 seconds before the thoughts became conscious.

The brain areas that revealed information about the future choices were located in executive areas of the brain – where our conscious decision-making is made – as well as visual and subcortical structures, suggesting an extended network of areas responsible for the birth of thoughts.

Lab director Professor Joel Pearson believes what could be happening in the brain is that we may have thoughts on ‘standby’ based on previous brain activity, which then influences the final decision without us being aware.

“We believe that when we are faced with the choice between two or more options of what to think about, non-conscious traces of the thoughts are there already, a bit like unconscious hallucinations,” Professor Joel Pearson of UNSW says. [2]

This experiment shows that there is some sort of substance to the future than just a complete unknown. In fact if you examine the universe and how we observe distant objects, according to the block universe theory, at vast distances and depending on the direction of travel towards or away from an object, we are looking at either that object’s past or we are observing that object’s future.  The past, present, and future are all real.  If the future is observable across the universe then one observing our universe can also see our very real past or very real future.

One of the greatest changes in my life was a result of such a force.  This pull seemed to always be there waiting just under the surface, but became so intense of a pull that resistance towards it would only strengthen its gravitational force upon me and I felt as though I would eventually be crushed by it.  For many years after, what I thought was the reason for the seemingly abrupt change turned out to only be an instrument through which the real reason for the course correction could accomplish its ultimate goal.  For that powerful tsunami has receded back into the ocean and has not near the effect upon me anymore.  But as the wave receded, it becomes clearer more and more that it was about so much more than I ever thought possible.

New discoveries are constantly changing our perceptions of what is real.  And a lot of times they reveal something completely outside of our expectations.

Anthropomorphizing everything does not always reveal objective truths.  We are repeatedly reminded of our limited frame of reference.  And when it comes to time, the way time behaves versus the way we think about it, can be disorienting.

Knowing that there is a real future and that we all access it in small ways unknowingly is further evidence that the future can indeed have influence over the present.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocausality.

[2] https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2019/03/our-brains-reveal-our-choices-before-were-even-aware-of-them--st

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RECOMMENDED READING:

THE MERCHANT AND THE ALCHEMIST’S GATE BY TED CHIANG

“The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of one’s eye, the marvel of its presentation would not exceed that of the events recounted, for it is a warning to those who would be warned and a lesson to those who would learn. ”

— The Merchant

"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is a fantasy novelette by American writer Ted Chiang, originally published in 2007 by Subterranean Press and reprinted in the September 2007 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2019, the novelette was included in the collection of short stories Exhalation: Stories.

A Baghdad merchant encounters a mysterious alchemist who claims to have invented a device that can transport him across time and space. But what is the true nature of this marvelous invention, and what are its consequences?

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ:

https://images.shulcloud.com/1202/uploads/Documents/TheMerchantandtheAlchemistsGate.pdf

ETHEREAL

Second video from the album, “Portals”.  

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

— Henry David Thoreau, Walden (323- 324)

SYNCHRONICITY

“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”

— William Shakespeare

When you spend much of your life people pleasing and in service to others, when you finally get your world shaken up and after the dust settles, you begin to live a life that more aligns with and resonates with you. Then comes a phase of time spent on making up for lost time. In my case, once I gave myself permission to just be me, the foray into withheld creativity began. There was a figurative dam that burst and it’s been this steady stream of experimenting with different formats and genres, sometimes successfully and sometimes closer to “back to the drawing board”.

Here is one such foray into the very-inexperienced-to-me realm of music production. And of course, it’s me so there had to be an accompanying music video as well. Hope you enjoy, the message of the video seems pretty straightforward, but if it resonates with you or if it doesn’t and makes no sense whatsoever to you, let me know!

THE LINEAGES UPON WHOSE FOUNDATION WE STAND

Space may be vast and beautiful, but we are the crown jewels of the universe.

When you return home to that familiar place you know oh so well, the place of your youth, the sounds and the sights and the unexplainable smells (that you can’t quite describe or put your finger on but that if you were to ask your siblings they’d know just what you’re talking about), when you see the fields you ran in or the streets you logged hundreds of miles on while peddling your bicycle, you instantly have a million memories wash over you and the nostalgia comes alive as if it were a living thing.  

The interesting thing though is that the home you return to is never really at a fixed location.  Its location in time and space are ever changing. I mean the earth is traveling at a thousand miles per hour as it rotates around the sun and at the same time the galaxy is rotating and moving all the time.  If you wanted to traverse time (assuming that were possible) and go back to re-experience the days from which you recall this nostalgia, you’d have to know exactly where the place was located in the universe at that exact moment or else you might go back and find yourself surrounded by empty space or worse, at the event horizon of a black hole.  

But imagine you could literally trace your path from birth to death across time as you traverse the planet, the solar system, the universe and you would have what is called your individual “world line.”  Now imagine every human being who ever existed and how vast their world lines would be, all of us intersecting, entangling, in a beautiful dance across time and space surging forth from some point in a very distant past.  You would see that we are incredibly huge in time but relatively small in space on this little planet which just happens to have the perfect conditions needed for us to be.

As three dimensional beings, we are bound by time: inching forward one second after another. Into the future we are thrust as the past closes off to us forever. We exist as the sum of literally billions of years of time, where processes and interactions had to occur just as they did in order for you to exist.  Each individual of our lineages lived, discovered, dreamed, and made indelable marks in their day which echoed through time and then eventually passed on, but they left us with an inheritance that persists beyond their finite years to this day.  You see, none of us exists in a vacuum.   As we build our future on the established efforts of the past, just as our children and children’s children, and so forth will build things we cannot even imagine from the foundations we are laying at this very moment.  We take for granted the on demand electricity, and our clean, running water, and the freedom afforded us via a giant network of traversible roads and multiple modes of transportation.  Inventing the next great technologies doesn’t require us to start at building the first wheel - we build upon those before us who built upon the work of those before them and so on.  

For whatever reason, we constantly try to search for meaning and fulfillment outside of ourselves among the stars, asking where there may be others like us.  Not realizing that they may not exist.  And we have been looking intently for a while now.  But we, in fact do exist and we must stop and realize that we are incredibly special.  As of this moment, we know of no other place among the millions of stars and galaxies our technologies have allowed us to view quite like us.  Imagine for a moment that you were able to step outside of our world and see it from above for the very first time - how indescribably fascinating humanity would appear!  In all of our goodness and imaginations as well as our heartaches and horrors, we generate so much information every second it’s mind blowing.  

Now by all means, continue searching the heavens, embrace that spirit of adventure and exploring the unknown, because that too is the culmination of huge amounts of established ingenuity from our past that gave us the blessing of the Webb telescope today; whose images it bestows upon us are breathtakingly beautiful.  But also remind yourself daily how special you are.  Although we are far more than just physical beings, looking from that physical perspective only: of the trillions of combinations that DNA could express itself, most have never existed and will never exist - but yours does.   You are alive and you have lived, and no one can take that away!  Your experience in this world is one that has never been nor ever will be after you are gone.  You forge through the cosmos with eons of distinctive history and experiences that all had to precisely occur so that you would be here at this moment, both equal parts unique individual and component of a collective of humanity that has the privilege of experiencing life right here and right now.  Let it truly sink in how many things had to line up across the ages for you to be here now.  When you stop to consider it all, it’s difficult not to be overwhelmed with gratitude. You must realize that all of that time and miraculous effort should not result in a being that lives out its days in service to that which is outside of itself, who is not nor ever will be the one of a kind person that is you.  We each have to search for the truth, finding our purpose and passions that the rest of the world desperately needs.  No one will spoon feed you your reason for existence, and those who attempt to should be scrutinized.  The truth doesn’t care about the scrutiny because it comes out the same at the end.  

The take away here is don’t just exist and feel like you’re just another cog in the wheel of the machine that trudges forward aimlessly.  Because you are a part of a giant miracle transversing the galaxy made literally of star dust who happened to become physical and alive.  And what a star does best is shine light across the darkness.  From a grateful heart, comes creative imagination and you are experiencing the rarity of life as well as leaving your own indelible mark within the entirety of the largest framework of this incredibly rare human experience that thus far has not been found anywhere else in the cosmos.  Remember your novelty, be grateful for this life, and  you’ll naturally leave a legacy reaching far beyond the brevity of the time you’re allowed.  

---

Footnotes:

Check out Sara Imari Walker’s work on Assembly Theory and Emergence

And the new release, “Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence”

IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

A last minute work trip to Pennsylvania close to the weekend opened up an opportunity to visit NYC for the first time! Although I only had one day, I was able to see quite a bit (although I definitely plan to go back someday). The work trip, by the way, was another videography project for True Value, more to come on that at a later date!

And, being that I was staying in Allentown, PA, I was able to capture some of the quite unexpected beauty of Pennsylvania as well:

I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience all of this while also doing the thing that I love most!

PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE

This is the Centennial Bulb which has shone non-stop for 115 years.

Our current age of information has changed the game of media and information dissemination somewhat, but is a double edged sword. On the one hand, information is so abundant that it can become daunting and almost impossible to discern fact from fiction. Leading to a natural inclination towards skepticism. Then on the other hand, information that is rooted in fact-based, reproducible scientific scrutiny can be circulated so quickly far and wide that it is almost impossible to stop and can become immune to suppression attempts.

Before scrolling on, let me tell you a quick story you may not have heard before about the amazing little piece of technology that literally lights up our world. Did you know that, prior to the current LED light bulbs that have relatively long life spans, those years and years of us having to dispose of burned out traditional light bulbs and spending money to replace them over and over again was actually not necessary and was very much an intentional act? The photo above shows how light bulbs could easily have lasted for decades or longer, this one in particular lighting a firehouse for over 115 years and counting. This longevity of a product was not in the best interest of the corporations that produced them. And so, according to a BBC article from June 2016, “Greater sums of money could be reaped, companies figured, by making bulbs disposable and putting replacement costs onto customers. Thus was born the infamous “Phoebus cartel” in the 1920s, wherein representatives from top light bulb manufacturers worldwide, such as Germany’s Osram, the United Kingdom’s Associated Electrical Industries, and General Electric (GE) in the United States (via a British subsidiary), colluded to artificially reduce bulbs’ lifetimes to 1,000 hours. The details of the scam emerged decades later in governmental and journalistic investigations.”*

Such is a real world example of the term, planned obsolescence, wherein corporations who provide a particular good or necessity decide to intentionally manufacture sub-par products in order to keep us patronizing the malls and marketplaces, forking over our hard-earned money to buy a newer version at predictable rates. I know I almost lose sleep worrying about those corporate budgets so I’m just so glad to be able to be a part of their success. I mean, what would I do with that extra money anyway? Actually enjoy a vacation somewhere? How selfish of me!

Anyway, I digress. If such a thing can be true about light bulbs, imagine what a threat to elite lifestyles discoveries are that reduce or eliminate our dependence on oil and gas or other heavy polluting energy sources that for some odd reason we just have not been “smart enough” all these decades to reach any solutions for, doggone it. You might be a tad upset upon learning that viable and significantly more efficient energy alternatives have been around for a very long time. But of course how could we not sacrifice the world and well being of the bulk of society when we had to work to ensure that we kept those billionaires supported and who in turn, created this utopia we have now where the two finest examples of sound leadership keep us all wondering how we ever got so lucky to have as choices to lead the greatest nation ever to grace the world?

Heavy sarcasm aside, we must admit that we do in fact have better quality of lives in general than even 100 years ago. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be even more advanced at this point and the truth is that extreme wealth disparities are evidence of strangleholds on our societal progress. It’s more naive to refuse to believe that those who benefit the most from the current structure and who also wield significant power and control would not take significant measures to protect their status. And let’s all be honest, those who actually have the ability to do something about the greatest problems facing the world, would have already done so. While I may feel good about switching to laundry detergent sheets rather than using the giant heavy plastic detergent bottles that wind up in landfills or donating to habitat for humanity, these individual actions just don’t make enough of a difference. Those in positions of privilege who can make a real difference, simply don’t. Therefore their lack of concern is our evidence of the threats they pose to us all as well as the absence of empathy. So when you begin to hear spin on the coat tails of exciting new; sound and scientifically tested new ideas, remember the light bulb. When you have got a lot to lose along with a history of ruthlessly stomping out competition that is actually beneficial to everyone all in the name of self-preservation, there’s not much you wouldn’t try in order to hold on to that spot on the top of the mountain.

*Here's the truth about the 'Planned Obsolesence' of tech, by Adam Hadhazy, 12 June 2016, BBC news

THE GRADUATE

Julie,

 As you stand on the threshold of this new chapter in your life, my heart swells with pride and love for the incredible person you have become. Graduating college is no small feat, and your tenacity and resilience in the face of whatever obstacles present themselves are truly inspiring. 

 I remember the day you were born, holding you in my arms for the first time, and feeling so enamored at this tiny little blessing that I literally could not put you down!  In fact, I may have spoiled you a bit because you expected that treatment even after we brought you home and had a hard time getting you to sleep in your crib. (Sorry, not sorry as I’d do it again if I had the chance! Lol).  Watching you grow and mature over the years and seeing all that you’ve accomplished is such a blessing to this dad’s heart.  That overabundance of love and admiration towards you persists to this day.

 I’m excited for you as you and Ty begin this adventure of a life together.  Speaking of, I couldn’t ask for a better person for you at your side than Ty.  As a bonus, his family is a collection of such great souls who are full of love and who are just as thrilled at your accomplishments as if you’d been with them and known them your whole life. 

 These are just words of course and I don’t think I could compose anything to adequately express the feelings I have within, but you must know that these words are from my heart and reflect just a fraction of the love and gratitude I have inside for the privilege of being your dad. Despite whatever life throws at us, I know that there exists within you at your core the deep connection we share, the thread that neither distance nor circumstance will ever sever. There are things I wish I would have done better or differently and many ways in which I may have not met your expectations and for that I cannot undo or change and that makes my heart hurt profoundly.  But through difficulties this has just made your resilience shine even brighter. 

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”

-Shakespeare

Now you will begin your adventures in education and your impact will reverberate down through the years in the young people who are lucky to have you as their teacher. It’s your calling in life, and although there will be some tough days and even tougher circumstances you may encounter, I know your light will shine through and your realm of influence will create a brighter place as a result.

In closing, I’ll share with you a few things that I have learned over the years. We only regret the chances we didn’t take: remember that the gifts you possess within you are there for a reason, so be fearless as you move forward because the world needs your talents. Those who think they know everything, actually know nothing: so remain humble, stay open hearted and open minded. When in doubt, err on the side of compassion towards others. When confronted with an incomplete picture, never assume but rather seek out the answers for yourself before reaching solid conclusions. Always keep learning. The world’s greatest achievements are never created in a vacuum, but are accomplished through collaboration with others of differing mindsets, experiences, and backgrounds.

“What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”

-Henry David Thoreau

And most importantly, remember that I am always here for you and love you with every fiber of my being. My door is always open to you at any time and for any reason and no circumstances will ever change that. You deserve the best of all that life has to offer, and I have no doubt that the best is yet to come for you.

EXCLUSIVE

EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH SPYDER ANNOUNCEMENT

After a year and a half of churning out projects left and right (many of which were for True Value), someone from our Corporate Communications team reached out about having me produce a video for an upcoming partnership announcement for our retailers. I traveled to Chicago and spent the week filming for the launch and also working on another side project while there involving media to our retailers (more on that later). The project included many on the communications team, the SVP of merchandising and several from his team, as well as our CEO, who came by for an introductory message to include. This was a surreal moment and one you could not have convinced me would be happening if you tried to tell me two years ago. I would never have believed it. The crazy thing is that, while this was beyond amazing, it is just one of many other opportunities that have come my way since fall of 2022. My story is proof that setting clear intentions, pushing ahead through tough times, and wholly embracing the identity of what it is you want, that you can truly manifest your dreams. The mirror principle in action: what you put out into the universe is what the universe will support and reflect back to you what it is that it interprets that which you convey. I plan to explain more about the unbelievable things that have happened in the past few years at some point when I have time - I’ve been busy which is a great thing in this case! I am so thankful and humbled by the support that has come to me in so many different forms as well as individuals who encouraged me when I needed it and for that I am eternally grateful! Excited to see what lies ahead!

PTA MERCHANDISING ANNOUNCEMENT

And of course I could not pass up posting some great outtakes:

WOODSTOCK

While in the Chicago area, and specifically the north west surrounding area of Chicago, I got to visit Woodstock, IL - which you may or may not know is where the movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed. See if you can identify any of the photos I took from the movie.

TURNING 13

The girls’ requested Olivia Rodrigo themed birthday :)

IN LIVING COLOR

Mini photo shoot with Jenna-Elizabeth

Lighting can make all the difference between a good and bad photograph. Mixing it up with various colors of lighting creates several different looks that you can use as a single image or combine with others making a really cool collage. Just utilize a dark room and for this photo shoot we used a ring light that produces different colors.