(3) The Paranormal

Lecture (2)
I'll be drawing upon the work of Bruce A. Vance, a trained
physicist and philosopher. He begins his study talking about
the possibilities of mental fields, about nonlocal mind. As
follows:

"Whatever the reasons we adopt a belief or a set of beliefs, they
implant an operational framework of mental energies within the
mind. Every belief is stored as a guideline according to which
you relate to all of reality." [Bruce A. Vance, MINDSCAPE:
EXPLORING THE REALITY OF THOUGHT FORMS, Quest
Books, 1990, p. 114.]

Vance talks of the emotional energy related to our set of beliefs,
and he notes that we must recognize our priorities--becoming
aware of the "foundation beliefs" upon which so many other
beliefs stand. He stresses that our perception of Reality operates
through the Belief Matrix.

Vance's above premises could surely relate to energetic prayer
strength that maybe employs a strong constellation of private
beliefs that are singularly focused upon communing with
Ultimate Reality.

Now our personal mental events are formed of mental energies.
"Various patterns and structures are reproduced, interwoven,
and developed...We draw upon the storehouse of our experiential
memories with lightning speed..." and we are "able to unfurl the
pageantry of worlds and civilizations, drawing from the ethereal
energy of nonphysical realms to create new life and order."
[Ibid, pp.137-138.]

Thus we posses our private, individual mental matrix. And this
private mental matrix interplays on into the collective stage of
mind. From our mental energies we build our lives, our communities,
our civilizations. We are capable of manifesting, incarnating these
mental energies we possess.

One such mental energy, of course, is prayer--a communing,
perhaps a communication system!

For Vance, our mental interplay involves a constant flow of
energies between dimensions. And our mental energy, too,
involves focus. Drawing back upon a discussion of quantum
physics, about tiny packets of energy (photons) which can exhibit
properties of either waves or particles, Vance leads into the
well-known discussion of an observer-participant universe,
about "choosing" where and how one can focus into a single
event or phenomenon.

Vance also believes that "Every mental event ripples outward into
nonphysical space, each ripple corresponding to a variation on the
original theme." Also, "This tendency towards infinite variations
threads its way through all aspects of reality." And in terms of a
nonlocal system of reality, it could be "one in which neither time
nor space limits the communications or influences between two
or more events. In other words we are faced with a dimension of
reality in which events can have effects upon each other across
any distance in zero time."
[Ibid, pp. 159, 165]

Vance proceeds, emphasizing the undivided wholeness of our
universe, in which the "observing instrument is not separable from
what is observed." He continues that "All parts are connected to all
other parts; every part influences every other part." But, now Vance
moves into that special subjective realm, when he says "If the mental
energy of an individual is part of this field of energy, is it any wonder
that telepathy can occur instantaneously across vast distances?
[Ibid, p. 167.]

There is an "Extended Reach of Mind" according to Vance. Perhaps
there is a multidimensional world of mind, tiers of Mind that is linked
with our private, individual mind? Vance considers that our mind, our
self, is associated with a "vast gestalt that divides itself into component
selves." Also, "It relates to and perceives all the dimensions to which
it has access." And "The mind with which we as individuals are familiar
is but a part of this vast mind." [Ibid, p. 183.]

And, finally, Vance considers "That which we call God must be the first
consciousness...[and] this first consciousness divides into an infinite
number of vast gestalts [of mind]." [Ibid, p. 184.]