Scientific Mysticism
‘Scientific Mysticism’ is a term coined past Michael Whiteman, a British-born South African mathematician and mystic. (This article may live read together with the article on Whiteman’sec life too idea.)
Introduction
The term ‘scientific mysticism’ appeared as a title in the trilogy, Old and New Evidence on the Meaning of Life,one two 3 past Michael Whiteman. Volume One was entitled An Introduction to Scientific Mysticism.one Whiteman aimed to bring mysticism into the plain of science every bit an entity that is ‘open up-minded, rigorously tested, rationally coherent, in addition to illuminating.’1 ‘Mysticism’ hither is defined as:
the report of everything non-physical, including the other worlds in addition to their archetypal governance, too equally our spiritual bodies, the facts together with their relationship existence known past the self-prove of directly observation as well as not past reasoning or speculation.iv
This indicates empirical scientific discipline, sharing territory with psychical inquiry. Yet Whiteman drew a distinction betwixt ‘psychical’ together with ‘mystical’ experience. The old includes the written report of purportedly non-physical events, the latter extends to states that have a feel of higher significance and ultimates, openness to guidance, transformed being, and orientation to the perceived root of the Right and Good.
Whiteman was familiar with Vedic, Sanskrit, Pali, Greek as well as Biblical Hebrew, as well as quoted extensively from ancient texts. He regarded nearly current translations as inadequate because the authors lacked psychical as well as mystical experience. His revolutionary commentary, too his translation of ‘The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’v combined alongside canonical Buddhist texts, 1 ii 3 v present hitting parallels amongst refinements of mod thought.
Whiteman’second line of work every bit a professor of applied mathematics provided a base of operations inward physics for his scientific mysticism. Another base of operations was extensive personal experience inwards psychical together with mystical states. His methods rested on observation, conceptual analysis together with insight, inward tune alongside Edmund Husserl’sec phenomenology.vi This aims at gaining face-to-confront self-testify in addition to detailed precision, shedding the common ‘cloak of ideas’. Science inwards Whiteman’s utilization is non an exercise in theorizing.
Potentiality too Actualization
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 primal to Whiteman’s scientific mysticism is the thought of potentiality together with actualization. This had been developed by the physicist Werner Heisenberg,vii who saw that a physical ‘happening’ comes well-nigh through an occasion of observation, and that this ‘happening’ is open to physical description. But what governs the happening is non open to physical observation; at best it tin live given mathematical face. So behind a physical issue i has to recognize what Heisenberg called ‘an objective trend or possibility, a “potentia” inwards the feel of Aristotelian philosophy’. And the governing potentia, the ‘argue’ for something to come about, is abstract in a physical sense; you can’t pose it in a exam tube.
Whiteman concurred that entirely transcending logical substructures, potentialities, merit the term ‘reality’, equally opposed to appearances. Appearances come up into existence exclusively on an occasion of observation, in addition to will be actualized differently for unlike people.
Whiteman wrote, ‘naught specific tin be actualized without the integration of “subjective” as well as “objective” factors, not inwards succession, only on the instant of actualization.’ane An observer who is freed inwards or so way from the physical land will actualize for himself things that are beyond the reach of ordinary physical sensing. This is the get-go of psychical in addition to mystical perception.
Whiteman wrote, ‘The difference between one “earth” in addition to another so depends upon the land of life in which the observer happens to be settled.’3 An private’sec perceiving results from integration of objective potentialities together alongside his ain subjective potentialities, including subconscious elements. Whiteman believed the potentiality-actualization rule operates inwards the mental sphere of every private: thought and images are actualizations inwards consciousness of an private’second ‘thought-image sphere’, every bit he called it, which includes retentiveness in addition to imagination.i
Actualization of Psi Phenomena
Whiteman saw telepathy resulting from the interaction or resonance between the idea-ikon spheres of individuals. The interaction is not actualized at the physical level, together with and then transfer of information occurs independently of physical infinite as well as fourth dimension. Clairvoyance is resonance between the potentiality-sphere of a physical object or result and the idea-picture sphere of an individual, resulting inwards the actualization of impressions inwards the individual’second idea-picture sphere. Once once again, resonance or interaction happens independently of physical space and fourth dimension, not beingness physically actualized. Psychokinesis may be regarded every bit a opposite clairvoyant interaction; potentialities ordinarily linked inwards about manner to an private result inwards physical actualizations.
Potentiality-actualization relationships should non live seen as static; potentiality-fields continually modify or prepare, in addition to have feedback loops, although not inwards physical fourth dimension. This will impact the outcome of hereafter physical events, which helps to explain how precognition happens. Whiteman saw precognition as actualization inward an individual’sec thought-icon sphere of developing potentiality-fields that may bear upon time to come physical events. The private may fifty-fifty intervene inwards the physical actualization of these events by altering the potentiality-fields, then allowing prevention of a precognized consequence from happening.ane Even if potentiality-fields are time-ordered, resulting inwards a succession of events actualized inwards the physical globe, the ordering is non fixed in the style a route map is fixed. They are accessible inwards states of physical detachment, too so permit limited modification together with the do of costless will.
Out-of-trunk Experience
Whiteman defined mysticism every bit ‘the study of everything not-physical, including the other worlds ...’ As merely discussed, potentiality-fields take the capacity to deliver different spaces or worlds of physical and not-physical actuality, depending on the country of the observer. Without this agreement, mysticism cannot commence to brand sense. Direct feel of ‘the other worlds’ occurs mainly inwards out-of-torso feel, which Whiteman preferred to term ‘separative’ experience, since at that place is unremarkably awareness of a torso of around kind.
The commonest type he termed ‘principal separation’, inward which at that place is no awareness inward the physical trunk, fifty-fifty though what appears to live the physical body can live viewed. In ‘secondary separation’ the physical trunk is nether some level of conscious control, but principal awareness lies in some other organism seemingly non located inwards the infinite of the physical trunk, too the 2 bodies are quite independent. In ‘tertiary separation’ the physical torso is usually under complete control, merely at that place is full awareness of beingness in a unlike bodily form despite the locations of the two bodies seeming to be the same. Difference between the ii bodies may live radical, such as ane existence male as well as the other female. For Whiteman, the highest mystical experiences were generally of this type.
Whiteman noted that such non-physical experience, inwards terms of reality-impression and intensity, may range from appearing weak to seeming fifty-fifty more than real and meaningful than inward physical life. At its nearly powerful, termed by him mystical, ‘Everything inwards such states, spatial characteristics included, is known equally if in archetypal unchanging class, in addition to is thus startlingly more existent (rationally-objective, always-acquaint) than the derivative in addition to shifting forms of the physical earth.’i He saw a call for ‘to distinguish between what is deceptive or illusory and what has the character of face-to-face objectivity too truth which we describe by maxim that a matter is real.’1 This requires setting upwards a numerical scale, which he called a General Index of Reality.
Index of Reality
This index covers a range from ordinary dreaming (nix rating) to what is experienced equally spiritually releasing alongside a high level of reality, namely mystical experience (high rating). The Index properly relates to separative feel. Features scoring in the Index include continuity of retentivity betwixt physical together with non-physical feel, gratis observation, power to compare accurately alongside physical too not-physical states, awareness of gist as well as tangibility, communication of thought amongst others, too a feeling of transcendence of physical life.
The General Index does not include reports of observing physical things during a separative experience. Regarded by virtually people as veridical (corresponding to reality), these observations could have been made by clairvoyance or remote viewing, and make not necessarily mean that something somehow separated from the physical trunk to make the observation. As Whiteman stated, whatsoever claimed physical supporting testify just has ‘chiefly propaganda value for the uninformed or sceptical, who make non realize that separation is not established by them, just who may thereby be induced to take the “interior” testimony as having or so bearing on “scientific fact”.’1
Whiteman’sec Index power seem of limited value to touchstone parapsychology, where a useful scoring organisation should place experiences that rate meliorate than dream, hallucination or roughly form of pathology. In Whiteman’s Index the direction of ranking is towards mystical experience, which is hardly looked for inwards parapsychology, fifty-fifty shied away from. The society of ranking is: undeveloped, borderline, psychical, pre-mystical, mystical. Out of a possible sixteen points, experiences reaching half dozen to eight points grade equally ‘psychical separations’, scoring on criteria listed ii paragraphs in a higher place. Further requirements of ‘mystical’ rate were noted inward the Introduction, in addition to demarcate ‘mystical’ from ‘psychical’. Yet in the eyes of a physically-fixated investigator, the mystical requirements would indicate reduced reality rating, since ‘reality’ means ‘like physical experience’. For Whiteman this was a primal mistake; higher reality can alone hateful ‘dissimilar physical experience’.
Other Spaces
All separative feel, physical-similar or transformative, was considered past Whiteman to take place inwards spaces other than physical, although ofttimes so like to what is presented physically as to live mistaken for it. He called it ‘duplicate physical’ infinite. He wrote:
If 1 is taken into a ‘psychic’ infinite when non familiar amongst such states, or alongside fixed ideas about them, as well as if the phenomena resemble physical ones closely... in that location may be a potent persuasion to think that the objects are beingness observed physically; as well as this applies fifty-fifty to possible duplicate presentations of the observer’s physical trunk in its actual state of affairs.ane
‘Fixed ideas’ assume in that location is solely i ‘existent’ space that can be manifested, namely the physical world. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fixed thought volition contribute to the potentialities governing a separative feel, too Pb to the actualization of a physical-similar ‘duplicate’ scene. Yet every bit person free of the constraints of one-grade thinking, Whiteman wrote of an ‘inexhaustible multifariousness’ of appearance inward other spaces. Naturalistic conditioning may withal upshot in ‘fantasy influences’ inward undeveloped states, withal highest development leads to ‘perfectly acceptable forms of transcendent unified beauty’, where ‘the environs, correspondingly, are distinguished past the lineament of the light, as well as arrive at inward intelligible graphic symbol, perfection of beauty, depth of glowing centre quality, unitive freedom too sense of blending amongst other minds, equally the highest status, which is that of Mystical Form Liberation, is approached.’ In these descriptions, Whiteman states,
‘I’ and ‘me’ make not represent the familiar consciousness of self inwards the physical personality, or, inward fact, for anything that tin can live known in an ordinary physical country of heed. To sympathize what is meant, the characteristics of the merged ordinary self must be ruled out.4
One might enquiry how ‘other spaces’ are related to the physical and, if at all, to each other. In states classified by Whiteman as third separation, the non-physical body holds much of the focus of attention merely does non seem to live spatially apart from the physical body; ‘the locations of the two bodies look the same, inward spite of differences in their grade in addition to/or size too possibly likewise in their surroundings.’i This seems to tally with a opinion widespread in spiritist circles that different ‘levels’ of experience in addition to existence all coincide spatially but accept different ‘vibration frequencies’, and then there is no contact or communication between the various states except through especial mediating weather. Whiteman did include ‘interpenetrating spaces’ in a particular ready of ‘facts of feel’,ane but he did non present the thought of interpenetrating spaces as more or less form of cosmological arrangement; he was disposed to go along to systems of facts, non constructs of theory.
Skills, Cycles
Whiteman was confident nearly discovering the underlying logic inward phenomena, being convinced that behind any item observation in that location is an intelligible structure ‘operative inward in addition to analysable out of the total feel’.eight He did not have Kant’s thought of the unknowability of things-inwards-themselves.viii Instead, there is ‘intellectual or perceptual knowledge which transcends inwards a certain clear in addition to unmistakable manner the onward urge of time, the rigid apartness of spatial objects, together with the apparent isolation of the private heed inward its country of fixation on bodily impressions. It is a land of liberate. Fixation existence overcome, the mind opens out into universality’.8 We cannot reach this land, he believed ‘without psychological in addition to spiritual faculties of attention, judgement, purposiveness together with self-discipline’, based on 3 ‘foundational skills’ named Active Recollection, Continuous Recollection, together with Faith + Obedience.ane (The root of these skills inwards his own life is reported in Michael Whiteman.)
Active Recollection aims to remember or recover the nitty-gritty in what is perceived, ‘and thence the attainment of objective insight in addition to liberate’.one Husserl termed it the phenomenological epoché or stoppage, ‘the necessary operation which renders pure consciousness accessible to us’.1 It is termed samādhi or sati in Indian literature.5 Continuous Recollection is ‘the freely stabilized ground of unloose at which Active Recollection has been aiming.’i Obedience is not a land of subservience just orientation to ‘the transcendent Source of Right together with Good.’1 It operates inwards conjunction with Faith in this transcendence.
The iii foundational skills were structured into a iv-part system known since ancient times and appearing inwards mod contexts inward learning theory, Freud as well as Jung. Described as the four creative functions, these are ‘purposive movement, deciding on means, putting into exercise, and a nearly underground maturing of one’s skills inward consequence’.three In ancient texts they are represented equally iv stages inwards the passage of the Sun, rising in the E, zenith inward the S, downwards to earth inward the west, as well as surreptitious inwards the north.xiii This corresponds alongside aspiration (eastward), assessment (S), activeness or manifestation (westward), fulfilment or non-attachment (due north); it likewise corresponds respectively with Faith, Obedience, Active Recollection, Continuous Recollection.one
Whiteman placed not bad importance on this bicycle having its opposites or ‘counterfeits’ of self-will, self-satisfaction, automaticity, complacency, which may atomic number 82 to a corresponding bicycle of ‘stresses’ of expiry-feeling, shame, hurting, fright. This inwards plough may lead to ‘inner contests’,one ii 3 which hopefully overcome these spiritual deficiencies.
Physics too Psychology
In his search for underlying logic, together with for universality, Whiteman converted his ‘psychological’ bike into a 16-flexure number system, amongst the aim of integrating it alongside a ‘physical’ sixteen-crimp issue arrangement derived from three space together with three time dimensions. He noted that three of the creative functions – effort, means, together with maturing – are composite, containing 2 ‘outset principles’ of inwardness as well as beingness, equivalent to potentiality too actualization. In plow, pith together with being each have 3 constituents, termed by him ‘hypostases’, meaning underlying, irreducible causes. The 3 hypostases of substance were seen equally use, means, stop. The hypostases of being were actuation, becoming, manifestation, the iii-phase construction of creation called inward Upanishadic philosophy the Great Stride of Vishnu.ane So, for instance, ‘deciding on way’ combines ‘means’ (essence) first of all with ‘actuation’ (being), then alongside ‘becoming’ (being), together with lastly amongst manifestation (existence). The third quarter, West, brings prior causes into manifestation purely equally ‘beingness’ together with and so lacks an ‘pith’ hypostasis.
This analysis allows the evolution of a issue arrangement in psychology, together with so the prospect of comparing with a number organisation in physics.ane 2 3 From these issue systems Whiteman intended to provide ‘a clear-cutting explanatory organization... equally, for example, the basic laws of mechanics are exhibited earlier whatsoever problems are tackled’.ii The hypostases of gist were numbered 1 = role, 2 = agency, three = cease. The hypostases of beingness were numbered half dozen = actuation, five = becoming, iv = manifestation/grounding. So, for example ‘East’ tin live expressed every bit the combination 16 (enthusiasm), fifteen (inspiration), fourteen (intention). Combining the numbers 1 to half dozen results inwards sixteen subfunctions, inward understanding with ‘15 + i kalās, stages inwards any creative deed, every bit recognized inward the Upanishads’.three
The physical issue system was derived from the iii infinite and 3 time dimensions. One time dimension lies in potentiality-fields amongst a time-ordered, infinite-similar face noted to a higher place inward connectedness with precognition. Another time dimension or part involves the processes leading to physical actualization from fourth dimension-structured potentiality. Finally at that place is physical clock-fourth dimension; it is the solely time-dimension that is measurable. Combining the vi dimensions yields a xvi-crease issue organization like the psychological subfunctions, ‘inwards such close correspondence with the formulations of quantum theory that there is an obvious invitation to present the ii as aspects of an integrated agreement of the globe’.9
Space does non let a tabulation of the physics/psychology correspondences, or how they were derived. The correspondences, all the same, satisfied Whiteman’second opinion that to explain what we experience is to
acknowledge a subjective bike, such as mystics, many theologians, too about psychologists have admitted. This wheel, inwards its nearly complete grade is sixteenfold, in addition to parallels exactly what may be called the ‘globe bicycle’ (equally it appears inward Quantum Field Theory) inward every way, while manifesting itself in every kind of human being experience. This is a class of potentiality which is discernible, as well as indeed tin live lived by the private in an enormous diverseness of ‘altered states of consciousness’...3
Whiteman’s Scientific Mysticism was a revolutionary attempt to discern too characterize this potentiality.
John Poynton
Literature
1. Whiteman, J.H.thou. (1986). Old and New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical world-persuasion in addition to inner competition. Volume i, An Introduction to Scientific Mysticism. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.
two. Whiteman, J.H.thousand. (2000). Old in addition to New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical earth-persuasion too inner contest. Volume 2, Dynamics of Spiritual Development. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.
three. Whiteman, J.H.chiliad. (2006). Old in addition to New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical earth-view and inner contest. Volume 3, Universal Theology as well as Life inwards other Worlds. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.
four. Whiteman, J.H.one thousand. (1961). The Mystical Life. London: Faber in addition to Faber.
five. Whiteman, J.H.yard. (1993). Aphorisms on Spiritual Method: the ‘Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’ inwards the calorie-free of mystical feel. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.
half-dozen. Husserl, E. (1931). Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology (trans. W.R. Boyce Gibson). London: Allen & Unwin.
vii. Heisenberg, W. (1959). Physics in addition to Philosophy: the revolution inwards modernistic scientific discipline. London: Allen and Unwin.
viii. Whiteman, J.H.thousand. (1967). Philosophy of Space as well as Time in addition to the Inner Constitution of Nature: a phenomenological study. London: Allen together with Unwin.
nine. Whiteman, J.H.yard. (1977). Parapsychology as well as physics. In Wolman, B.B. (ed.) Handbook of Parapsychology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
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