07:11:2012 -- Windmill Hill, nr Avebury Trusloe, Wiltshire. Reported 14th October

Dear Friends, http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2012/windmillhill3/windmillhill2012c.html Be Well. David Windmill Hill, nr Avebury Trusloe, Wiltshire. Reported 14th October I am writing with reference to the crop formation which appeared yesterday morning on our land at Avebury Trusloe and has subsequently appeared on your website. As the owners of the field we are asking if you could put a message on your website asking people NOT to enter the field and crop formation. This area has been planted as a conservation area and planted with a wild bird mixture. The area is designed to provide winter feed to wildlife and birds and also to provide a safe habitat for ground nesting birds. A lot of time and money has been spent siting this particular plot and establishing it for the benefit of wild birds, insects and farmland animals. Visitors to the formation are now disturbing the birds who will not come back to the plot, they are trampling down the nesting areas and feed sources and all this work is now being undone. People entering the field have not been given permission and signs have been erected stating there is 'no entry' but they are being ignored. Indeed some people have become rather aggressive and abusive when asked to leave the field. We ask that everyone is welcome to enjoy the aerial pictures of the formation on the internet, but please do not enter the field. Many thanks Robin and Ben Butler Land owners

07:11:2012 -- The Meaning of Sacred Geometry

Dear Friends, http://www.realitysandwich.com/meaning_sacred_geometry Be Well. David

The Meaning of Sacred Geometry

Randall Carlson

The following originally appeared at Sacred Geometry International

Most of us tend to think of geometry as a relatively dry, if not altogether boring, subject remembered from our Middle school years, consisting of endless axioms, definitions, postulates and proofs, hearkening back, in fact, to the methodology of Euclids Elements, in form and structure a masterly exposition of logical thinking and mental training but not the most thrilling read one might undertake in their leisure time. While the modern, academic approach to the study of geometry sees it as the very embodiment of rationalism and left brain, intellectual processes, which indeed it is, it has neglected the right brain, intuitive, artistic dimension of the subject. Sacred geometry seeks to unite and synthesize these two dynamic and complementary aspects of geometry into an integrated whole. Robert Lawlor addresses this fundamentally dualistic nature of geometry in his essential work: Sacred Geometry - Philosophy and Practice (1982), in reference to a medieval representation of geometry as a woman seated at a table, with compasses in hand, surrounded by the implements of the art:

"Geometry as a contemplative practice is personified by an elegant and refined woman, for geometry functions as an intuitive, synthesizing, creative yet exact activity of mind associated with the feminine principle. But when these geometric laws come to be applied in the technology of daily life they are represented by the rational, masculine principle: contemplative geometry is transformed into practical geometry."

Lawlor here expresses a crucial idea in the definition of Sacred Geometry -- it has both a contemplative side and a practical side, and an intuitive and intellectual side, it is an activity both right brained and left brained.

Further differentiating Sacred Geometry from the ordinary geometry of our school days is its relation to number and symbol. This difference, I think, is succinctly expressed by Miranda Lundy in her superb little book entitled simply Sacred Geometry (2001)

"Sacred Geometry charts the unfolding of number in space. It differs from mundane geometry purely in the sense that the moves and concepts involved are regarded as having symbolic value, and thus, like good music, facilitate the evolution of the soul."

Sacred Geometry, then, charts the unfolding of number in space and has symbolic value and thereby has conferred upon it a qualitative status absent from common geometry.  And here I must add that magnifying the inherent power of Sacred Geometry is the fact that it also charts the unfolding of number in time.  This is an idea of such compelling ramifications that I must return to it in detail in another article.

At the very earliest appearance of human civilization we observe the presence and importance of geometry.  It is clearly evident that geometry was comprehended and utilized by the ancient Master Builders, who, laboring at the dawn of civilization some four and one half millennia ago, bestowed upon the world such masterworks as the megalithic structures of ancient Europe, the Pyramids and temples of Pharaonic Egypt and the stepped Ziggurats of Sumeria. That geometry continued to be employed throughout the centuries from those earliest times until times historically recent is also clearly evident. That it was made use of by cultures far-flung about the globe is evident as well, finding expression in China, Central and South America, in pre-Columbian North America amongst Native Americans, in Africa, SE Asia and Indonesia, Rome and of course in classical Greece and in Europe, from the Megalithic era some 4000 years ago, as stated, and again some 3000 years later, magnificently expressed during the Gothic era of cathedral building.

Geometry is especially associated with Classical Greece and such illustrious figures as Pythagoras, Plato and Euclid, who wrote the first actual textbook on the subject, the aforementioned Elements. Geometry has also been held in particular reverence and high esteem by the ancient order of Freemasons, which, of course, hearkens back to the greatCathedral Building era of the 12th through the 14th centuries, from whom modern Masons derive their pedigree.

From the foregoing is should be obvious that geometry was, and is, closely associated with Architecture, that great manuscript of the human race, which provided the first and primary vehicle for the human employment of geometry. That it is closely associated with Art, Music and Handicraft is obvious as well to the student of the history of these subjects.  Ultimately, it must be appreciated that it was apparent to archaic peoples, as it is becoming increasingly apparent to contemporary students of the subject, that geometry is intrinsic to the very order of Nature itself, both biological and cosmic, and, now, thanks to scientific inquiry, the realization dawns that geometry lies at the basis of the molecular and atomic levels of creation.

The word Geometry itself means ‘Earth measure,' which definition is generally attributed to the fact that the ancient Egyptians regularly utilized geometry to resurvey the fertile farmlands of the Nile river floodplain in late summer, after existing boundaries were buried by the deposition of thick layers of alluvium from the annual flooding of the river.  However, I would suggest the possibility that the idea of ‘Earth measure' applied not only to the local measure of tracts of agricultural land in Egypt, but also on a much larger scale, literally, to the measure of the Earth itself, in a geodetic sense. More on that compelling idea later.

Anecdote has it that over the entrance to Plato's Academy was inscribed the phrase "Let none enter here who are ignorant of geometry."  Whether or not this is a historical fact, the idea should make sense to anyone who has attempted to ascend the heights of metaphysical experience and knowledge, that a form of mental training designed to develop the rational faculties and the reasoning ability to high levels of proficiency would be a prerequisite for successful completion of the metaphysical journey and avoidance of the many traps, snares and pitfalls that await the inattentive pilgrim who presumes to tread the path of knowledge.

An old Masonic lecture from several centuries ago states:

"If we consider the symmetry and order which govern all the works of creation, we must admit that geometry pervades the universe...By geometry we may curiously trace nature through her various windings to her most concealed recesses; by it we discover how the planets move in their respective orbits and demonstrate their various revolutions; by it we account for the return of the seasons and the variety of the scenes which each season displays to the discerning eye......By it we discover the power, wisdom and goodness of the Grand Artificer of the Universe and view with delight the proportions which connect the vast machine..."

We are here introduced to a another fundamental idea lying at the heart of Sacred Geometry, that it provided the means by which God, as the Great Architect of the Universe, was able to frame the template of Creation.  Freemasons, Hermeticists and Initiates into the Mysteries have for centuries held the conception of the Universe as the material expression of a hidden reality, an invisible blueprint, set down by the hand of the Grand Geometrician, and to which the study of Geometry provided the key and the means to render visible that which is concealed from the undiscerning and untrained eye, and that these fundamental geometric relations, manifested through form, pattern and number, form the very basis of harmony.

The idea, vision rather, of God as a Great Architect and Geometrician has found expression through numerous sources throughout the ages. The great Christian theologian St. Augustine, who held both Pythagoras and Plato in high regard, grasped the significance of geometric form, pattern and proportion, and their representation through numerical symbolism, when he stated:

"Numbers are the thoughts of God."

And further when he said:

"The construction of the physical and moral world alike is based on eternal numbers."

Galileo clearly understood this geometrical/numerical dimension of reality when he said:

"Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe."

And so did Johannes Kepler when he said:

"Geometry existed before the creation. It is co-eternal with the mind of God...Geometry provided God with a model for the Creation..."

Here in the Keplerian view Geometry is clearly envisioned as existing upon an archetypal level, prior to the manifestation of material creation, and serving as the model utilized by the Great Architect. Through the study and practice of Sacred Geometry this invisible geometric matrix begins to reveal itself as the template upon which the material universe, expressed through space and time, has been framed by the hand of the Great Architect.

The famous early 20th century architect Le Corbusier obviously appreciated the fundamental idea of archetypal geometry and its expression through number when he wrote:

"Behind the wall, the gods play, they play with numbers, of which the universe is made up."

As did French architect Paul Jacques Grillo, who wrote:

"The world around us is a world of numbers -- numbers that spell life and harmony. They are organized by the geometry of figures, all related to one another according to a sublime order, into dynamic symmetry.  Glimpses into this magnificent kingdom form the basis of all our knowledge and it seems that in this domain the ancient civilizations had gone further than modern science." (Form Function and Design, 1960)

The term ‘dynamic symmetry' refers to a concept that we will explore in depth a little further on.  For now let it be said that dynamic symmetry describes a way of dividing space such that there is a specific relationship between the parts of a spatial composition and the whole of that composition, a specific relationship that can be expressed by certain constants of proportionality, as for example, the square root of two, or the square root of three, the Phi ratio, and so forth. Stated simply, dynamic symmetry is the idea of dividing space such that the proportions of the whole are found in the parts.  Probably the most well known example of this principle is found in the famous Phi ratio (a + b is to a as a is to b) which, in its simplest representation as a straight line, is divided asymmetrically such that the small segment is to the large segment as the large segment is to the whole line. I will have much more to say about this proportion later on.

It is extremely interesting that Grillo recognized, back in 1960, when the source of the above quote was published, the significant fact that ancient civilizations were highly knowledgeable of the domain of number and geometry to an extent completely unappreciated by conventional scholarship of his time. Implicit in this idea regarding the degree of advancement of ancient cultures, is the recognition that a study of Sacred Geometry requires an immersion into the history and meaning of the archaic cultures for whom it provided a vehicle to produce some of the most awe-inspiring demonstrations of symbolic and sacred architecture to have been conceived and executed by the mind and hand of mankind, while at the same time providing a path to a deepened spiritual awareness of the fundamental principles of creation.

It could be said of Sacred Geometry that it provides one of the most, if not the most important key to unlocking the great Mysteries of the Ages. According to the famous 17th century Alchemical tract Atalanta Fugiensthe great Hermetic Secret lies concealed behind the ‘Wall of Mystery' which can only be penetrated through an astute employment of geometry.

In the lodges of old, as in schools of Plato and Euclid the tools of Geometry were simply an unmarked strait edge and a pair of compasses.  That's all. With those two tools it was possible to draw straight lines and circles, or arcs of circles.  Out of the combination of straight lines and arcs the entire edifice of Euclidian geometry could be generated. In the archaic conception, God was seen as working only with lines and arcs, or circles, to create the entire manifested universe.  In modern language we might think of vector forces and scalar forces.  Through a simple act of geometric construction using these two tools two lines could be drawn that intersect at an angle of 90 degrees.  The same act of geometry can yield an intersection forming an angle of 60 degrees.  These two angles lie at the base of the two great systems of Masonic geometry, Ad Quadratum and Ad Triangulum, that is ‘of the square' and ‘of the triangle', respectively, and, through their marriage emerges an infinity of form.

In a small handbook frequently given to newly initiated Freemasons we find a valuable elucidation on the meaning of Geometry:

"Geometry is an ‘exact' science. It leaves nothing to chance. Except for its axioms, it can prove everything it teaches. It is precise. It is definite. By it we buy and sell our land, navigate our ships upon the pathless ocean, foretell eclipses, and measure time. All science rests upon mathematics, and mathematics is first and last, geometry, whether we call its extension ‘trigonometry' or ‘differential calculus' or any other name. Geometry is the ultimate fact we have won out of a puzzling universe....There are no ultimate facts of which the human mind can take cognizance which are more certain, more fundamental, than the facts of geometry." (Carl H. Claudy. Foreign Countries, 1925)

A study of Sacred Geometry begins with the hands-on experience, the commission of a geometric act of creation, utilizing only the straight-edge for drawing lines and the compasses for the drawing of arcs. Following from engagement of the hand and eye, the most basic of geometric axioms can be easily and intuitively grasped by the mind.  

Familiarity with the simpler exercises is soon followed by an ever increasing mastery of the more complex principles.  A comprehensive program of study would require both deep contemplation of the forms, patterns and proportions of Geometry and their meanings, as well as the ability to apply the knowledge of Geometry in practical applications of problem solving and creative work.

As we trace the manifestations of Sacred Geometry throughout history and around the world, we see that it is infinitely adaptable and constantly evolving.  As we continue to recover from the wreckage of ages past and civilizations lost new knowledge and new understanding of our extraordinary cultural heritage, we begin to appreciate that Geometry played a profound role in opening up the mysteries and secrets of Nature to humankind, inspiring our predecessors on this planet to achieve glorious heights of creativity by mimicking the fundamental processes and harmonies of Creation.  As modern science becomes ever more proficient at penetrating the finest recesses of Nature's Order, we will have the opportunity to develop new and original applications of this ancient Craft.

It is difficult to convey the power of Sacred Geometry through the written word.  It is best experienced first-hand through the process of geometric construction. In my classes and workshops over the years I have endeavored to provide students with the experience of Sacred Geometry by guiding them to a place where they can perceive for themselves the patterns and forms as they emerge beneath straightedge and compasses.  And, I have attempted to show them examples of the myriad ways in which Sacred Geometry both conceals and reveals itself throughout the kingdoms of Nature, Art, Architecture and Life, and finally, to suggest the possibility of a revitalization of Sacred Geometry, that it might once again become a force for manifesting greater harmony in the world.

Image by playful.geometer, courtesy of Creative Commons license.

06:11:2012 - Theory of everything says universe is a transformer

Dear Friends,

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22469-theory-of-everything-says-universe-is-a-transformer.html

Be Well.

David

Theory of everything says universe is a transformer

• 16:27 06 November 2012 by Douglas Heaven
• For similar stories, visit the Quantum World Topic Guide

Solving the mysteries of the universe is usually about finding the best answer to a question. But what if we are not even asking the right questions?

A pioneer in quantum computation, University of Oxford physicist and best-selling author David Deutsch has spent most of his career working towards a new way of asking questions about the universe. Deutsch's vision for this"theory of everything" ties together ideas in cosmology, computation, philosophy and evolution to describe the nature of reality.

It has been suggested that his long-awaited theory could account for several fundamental mysteries, such as why time flows in only one direction – aproperty that is not required by most physical laws. Now Deutsch has posted a taste of the form his theory might take, opening the door to what may become a new branch of physics.

Transformations rule

According to Deutsch, the problem with current theories is that they do not adequately explain why some transformations between states of being are possible and some are not. We know, for instance, that dye can dissolve in water and cannot spontaneously clump back together – but we do not know why that must be so.

Deutsch proposes a framework built on the transformations themselves, rather than the components. Called Constructor Theory, this model defines a constructor as anything that causes transformations in physical systems without itself being altered, rather like a chemical catalyst. Deutsch then asks which transformations must be ruled out to achieve a particular result, regardless of the constructor that caused it. In other words, which processes can happen to cause dye to dissolve in water, which ones cannot, and why?

Deutsch's vision can be seen as a generalisation of the second law of thermodynamics, says Vlatko Vedral, also at Oxford. This law encompasses the property of entropy, which says that order leads to disorder in a closed system. Entropy, in turn, implies that we cannot rewind time, because that would involve disordered matter moving towards order.

In Constructor Theory, the key would be figuring out why such a transformation would not be allowed. In asking those types of questions, Deutsch seems to want to apply the notion that some states are simply inaccessible from others to all physical laws, Vedral says.

Laying that groundwork might explain, for instance, why the laws of quantum mechanics are so strict, says Vedral. Small variations in the way we describe quantum laws can lead to contradictions, such as a violation of the speed of light.

"As soon as you modify quantum mechanics, something goes wrong," he says. "Why is this? It's a puzzle." If Constructor Theory can show which transformations are permitted and which are not, that would explain the very underpinnings of quantum mechanics, says Vedral.

Stated intent

"It's tricky to see what this would look like," he admits. And for now, the new paper on Constructor Theory is only a statement of intent, says Vedral. "It's not yet at the level where you can recover existing physics." But he is excited about the possibilities.

What Deutsch seems to be reaching for is a theory that goes beyond a computational view of the universe, says Seth Lloyd at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Such a theory might not only help unify relativity and quantum mechanics, it might also show that they are necessary parts of the universe, answering the troubling philosophical question of why things are the way they are, he says.

"If Deutsch can do that, it would be awesome," adds Lloyd.

Journal reference: arxiv.org/abs/1210.7439

04:11:2012 -- Wake Up! Message - 2012... Transition, Awakening, Ascension or absolutely Nothing?!‏

Dear Friends,

http://youtu.be/C59NYqwo24E

Be Well.

David

02:11:2012 - Voyager 1 Detects Weirdness at Solar System Edge

Dear Friends,

That "weirdness" is because it's not going aywhere outside...

http://news.discovery.com/space/voyager-1-detects-wierdness-at-solar-system-edge-121030.html

Be Well.

David

Discovery News > Space News > Voyager 1 Detects Weirdness at Solar System Edge

Voyager 1 Detects Weirdness at Solar System Edge

Analysis by Ian O'Neill

Tue Oct 30, 2012 06:02 PM ET 

(73) Comments | Leave a Comment

Voyager 1 is the most distant man-made object and is thought to have recently escaped the sun's sphere of influence. The probe, launched 35 years ago, is therefore mankind's first interstellar vehicle careening into the vast expanse of space between the stars.

Needless to say, as one of two deep space probes launched in 1977, Voyager 1 has explored previously unknown regions of the solar system, making groundbreaking discoveries as it went. Now, in a new paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, scientists analyzing data streaming from the spacecraft have uncovered a small mystery right at the solar system's magnetic boundary with the interstellar medium. She may be old, but you can't keep a good probe down.

WATCH VIDEO: SATURN'S AURORA 

ANALYSIS: Voyager 1 About to Become Interstellar Emissary?

As the sun travels through the galaxy, it carries its magnetic field with it, creating a magnetic "bubble" -- the heliosphere -- that all planets, spacecraft and people live inside. Until recently, Voyager 1 (and her sister probe Voyager 2) have also existed completely inside the sun's environment. Both probes could detect the high energy particles streaming from the sun and they 'felt' the solar magnetic field. At time of writing, Voyager 1 is nearly 122 AU from the sun (over three times the average Pluto-sun distance) and it takes over 17 hours for a signal to travel from the probe to Earth.

So, in an effort to detect when the Voyager probes might exit the heliosphere, scientists have kept a watchful eye on two key pieces of data -- particle energy counts and magnetic field strength (and orientation).

ANALYSIS: Voyager 1: The Little Spacecraft That Could

In 2004, scientists realized that Voyager 1 had traveled through the "termination shock" -- a region where the solar wind begins to interact with the interstellar medium. Then, in 2010, the probe crossed into a stagnation region just beyond the termination shock known as the "heliosheath" -- this is where the solar wind slows to zero and the magnetic field becomes compressed and begins to fluctuate.

According to theory, as the magnetic field begins to fluctuate, the number of high-energy cosmic rays should decrease inside the heliosheath -- charged cosmic rays entering the solar system should become scattered by the magnetic fluctuations, decreasing the number of detections by Voyager 1. Looking at data through 2010, the researchers actually found the opposite to be true -- as the magnetic field became more chaotic, the number of high-energy particles increased.

What's the reason for this weirdness? According to an AGU press release, the researchers suspect that these magnetic fluctuations are somehow energizing charged particles within the heliosheath, boosting the number of high-energy particle detections.

NEWS: Voyager: Solar System Edge is Bubbly and 'Frothy'

This research comes during a very important year for Voyager 1. 2012 particle data from the probe suggest a profound change in its surroundings. The number of high-energy particle detections (from interstellar space) have increased, whereas the number of lower-energy particle detections (from the solar wind) have dropped off a cliff (see graphs below). So now everyone is asking the question: has Voyager 1 officially entered interstellar space? We probably won't have to wait too long to find out.

Charts exhibiting the rapid increase in high-energy particles (upper) and the rapid decrease in low-energy particles (lower) -- both occurred late-August, 2012:

Image credit: NASA

---

01:11:2012 - The Web in the Sky

Dear Friends,

U think?

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/10/the-web-in-the-sky/

Be Well.

David

The Web in the Sky

Oct 31st in Bizarre by Jason Offutt

As Margie Kay stood outside her Independence, Missouri, home on 26 September 2007, she felt as if she were being watched. The feeling dragged her eyes upward to the night’s sky, only the bright stars visible through the city lights. She knew something was there; something she couldn’t see. She stared for about ten minutes, but nothing appeared.

So she relaxed her eyes and focused on the night instead of trying to find an object, and something slowly grew in her vision – something she didn’t expect.

“I saw this dark, black web-like material that looked like it covered the entire night sky,” she said. This web formed a grid overhead, crisscrossing the sky like a great, black net. “The matrix looks very black, and darker than the night.”

What was it? Kay wondered. And could anyone else see it?

The next night Kay took her daughter Maria outside and asked her to look upward as she had.

“I did not describe the thing in its entirety to my daughter, but just as soon as I told her how to look she saw it sure enough, and described exactly what I was seeing,” Kay said. “It looked the same on both nights.”

Kay, assistant state director of the Mutual UFO Network, posted on a message board her sighting of the matrix, this black grid spanning the sky, and she quickly found she and her daughter weren’t alone.

“I’m not sure what to say right now,” a poster named JT responded. “Your description felt directly spoken to me. The night before I was looking at the night sky and saw what you described as a web. It wasn’t a thing you could touch but it was everywhere. I thought it was the grid of the universe that connected everything.”

As JT looked at the grid, he pulled his eyes down to look at the ground and at himself because he was sure this “grid of the universe” was also connected to him, but it didn’t extend to him; the grid remained in the sky. As he observed it, he heard it hum.

“Not an audible hum, but more like a hum of life. It seemed active,” JT said. “I felt an energy that I suddenly wasn’t oblivious to any more. I had a feeling of, ‘Okay, I get it now.’ So I guess to answer your question, yes, I saw the web.”

Kay has watched the night’s sky for years, and this web grid remains.

“It is still there every night,” Kay said. “It looks the same all the time. It is the same dark, random, web-like structure. I did a meditation on it last night and feel that this is something that connects everything in the universe.”

Kay has discovered more people have seen it this black grid. A man she’s chosen to keep anonymous contacted her in 2007 to report what he saw – and he came to the same conclusion as JT and Kay.

“My instincts told me as soon as I saw what you are referring to as the grid that this was what connects all things in the universe,” the man wrote. “I wasn’t sure if it was a causeway, a plane of inter-dimensional transfer, or merely a set of space train tracks but I felt as though it could take you anywhere. It was an almost immediate acceptance I felt that this was what it was, and keep in mind I wasn’t trying to see it, I just could.”

The man also saw what he described as “tiny currents of energy” filling the sky, “almost like the snow that you see on a TV screen,” he wrote. “Tiny currents of energy zipping and moving all across the sky, everywhere.”

Kay has studied the matrix for the past five years, and said it not only connects parts of the sky, it connects everything, including time. Kay remote views, and has turned her inner eye toward the matrix.

“I believe it is something that has been there forever and is some type of information system or even a protective grid that surrounds the Earth,” she said. “So far, I have only come to the conclusion that it could be used to see the past, present, or future, to speak with people in different time periods and at any location on the Earth.”

Kay claims she has spoken with some of these people. “When we spoke it was as if I was talking to someone with a high level of awareness,” she said. “I am still stunned by how this works.”

Although Kay’s investigation continues, she is certain it is some kind of energy field.

“I’m still working on deciphering what exactly it does,” she said. “But I have noted that some UFOs and balls of light seem to travel on it and this is where the craft move at a 90 degree angle without stopping. Perhaps this is what Tesla was after for free energy.”

01:11:2012 - Near-death experiences occur when the soul leaves the nervous system and enters the universe, claim two quantum physics experts

Dear Friends,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2225190/Can-quantum-physics-explain-bizarre-experiences-patients-brought-brink-death.html

Be Well.

David

Near-death experiences occur when the soul leaves the nervous system and enters the universe, claim two quantum physics experts

• Ground-breaking theory holds that quantum substances form the soul
• They are part of the fundamental structure of the universe

By Damien Gayle

PUBLISHED: 10:38 GMT, 30 October 2012 | UPDATED: 11:26 GMT, 30 October 2012

• Comments (683)

Life after death: Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, advanced the theory on a television documentary

A near-death experience happens when quantum substances which form the soul leave the nervous system and enter the universe at large, according to a remarkable theory proposed by two eminent scientists.

According to this idea, consciousness is a program for a quantum computer in the brain which can persist in the universe even after death, explaining the perceptions of those who have near-death experiences.

Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology and the Director of the Centre of Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona, has advanced the quasi-religious theory.

It is based on a quantum theory of consciousness he and British physicist Sir Roger Penrose have developed which holds that the essence of our soul is contained inside structures called microtubules within brain cells.

They have argued that our experience of consciousness is the result of quantum gravity effects in these microtubules, a theory which they dubbed orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR).

Thus it is held that our souls are more than the interaction of neurons in the brain. They are in fact constructed from the very fabric of the universe - and may have existed since the beginning of time.

 

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The concept is similar to the Buddhist and Hindu belief that consciousness is an integral part of the universe - and indeed that it is really all there may be, a position similar to Western philosophical idealism.

With these beliefs, Dr Hameroff holds that in a near-death experience the microtubules lose their quantum state, but the information within them is not destroyed. Instead it merely leaves the body and returns to the cosmos.

Shocked back to life: The theory holds that when patients have a near death experience their quantum soul is released from the body and re-enters the cosmos, before returning when they are revived.

Dr Hameroff told the Science Channel's Through the Wormhole documentary: 'Let's say the heart stops beating, the blood stops flowing, the microtubules lose their quantum state.

'The quantum information within the microtubules is not destroyed, it can't be destroyed, it just distributes and dissipates to the universe at large.

'If the patient is resuscitated, revived, this quantum information can go back into the microtubules and the patient says "I had a near death experience".'

He adds: 'If they're not revived, and the patient dies, it's possible that this quantum information can exist outside the body, perhaps indefinitely, as a soul.'

Evidence: Dr Hameroff believes new findings about the role quantum physics plays in biological processes, such as the navigation of birds, will one day prove his theory

The Orch-OR theory has come in for heavy criticism by more empirically minded thinkers and remains controversial among the scientific community.

MIT physicist Max Tegmark is just one of the many scientists to have challenged it, in a 2000 paper that is widely cited by opponents, the Huffington Post reports.

Nevertheless, Dr Hameroff believes that research in to quantum physics is beginning to validate Orch-Or, with quantum effects recently being shown to support many important biological processes, such as smell, bird navigation and photosynthesis.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2225190/Can-quantum-physics-explain-bizarre-experiences-patients-brought-brink-death.html#ixzz2B3mRH5Vy

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