Mystical Rose College Of Science And Technology

Scientific Mysticism

‘Scientific Mysticism’ is a term coined by Michael Whiteman, a British-born South African mathematician as well as mystic. (This article may be read together with the article on Whiteman’s life in addition to thought.)

Introduction

The term ‘scientific mysticism’ appeared every bit a title inwards the trilogy, Old and New Evidence on the Meaning of Life,^{one 2 iii} by Michael Whiteman. Volume One was entitled An Introduction to Scientific Mysticism.^one Whiteman aimed to bring mysticism into the field of science every bit an entity that is ‘open-minded, rigorously tested, rationally coherent, in addition to illuminating.^’1 ‘Mysticism’ hither is defined equally:

the written report of everything non-physical, including the other worlds in addition to their archetypal governance, also every bit our spiritual bodies, the facts together with their relationship beingness known by the self-testify of direct observation too non past reasoning or speculation.^iv

This indicates empirical science, sharing territory with psychical inquiry. Yet Whiteman drew a distinction between ‘psychical’ as well as ‘mystical’ feel. The old includes the report of purportedly not-physical events, the latter extends to states that accept a sense of higher significance too ultimates, openness to guidance, transformed beingness, together with orientation to the perceived origin of the Right in addition to Good.

Whiteman was familiar with Vedic, Sanskrit, Pali, Greek in addition to Biblical Hebrew, too quoted extensively from ancient texts. He regarded about electric current translations equally inadequate because the authors lacked psychical in addition to mystical experience. His revolutionary commentary, likewise his translation of ‘The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’^v combined with canonical Buddhist texts, ^{1 2 3 5} demo striking parallels alongside refinements of modern idea.

Whiteman’sec line equally a professor of applied mathematics provided a base of operations inwards physics for his scientific mysticism. Another base of operations was extensive personal feel in psychical and mystical states. His methods rested on observation, conceptual analysis too insight, inward tune with Edmund Husserl’sec phenomenology.^six This aims at gaining face up-to-face self-evidence as well as detailed precision, shedding the common ‘cloak of ideas’. Science inwards Whiteman’second employment is non an practise inward theorizing.

Potentiality in addition to Actualization

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 primal to Whiteman’sec scientific mysticism is the idea of potentiality as well as actualization. This had been developed by the physicist Werner Heisenberg,^vii who saw that a physical ‘happening’ comes almost through an occasion of observation, too that this ‘happening’ is open to physical description. But what governs the happening is non open to physical observation; at best it can live given mathematical look. So behind a physical issue i has to recognize what Heisenberg called ‘an objective trend or possibility, a “potentia” in the feel of Aristotelian philosophy’. And the governing potentia, the ‘reason’ for something to pass off, is abstract inward a physical feel; y'all tin can’t put it inward a examination tube.

Whiteman concurred that alone transcending logical substructures, potentialities, merit the term ‘reality’, as opposed to appearances. Appearances come up into being alone on an occasion of observation, as well as will live actualized differently for dissimilar people.

Whiteman wrote, ‘nada specific tin can be actualized without the integration of “subjective” and “objective” factors, not inward succession, simply on the moment of actualization.’¹ An observer who is freed in just about fashion from the physical land volition actualize for himself things that are beyond the attain of ordinary physical sensing. This is the kickoff of psychical as well as mystical perception.

Whiteman wrote, ‘The deviation betwixt one “world” as well as another and then depends upon the land of life inwards which the observer happens to be settled.’ⁱⁱⁱ An individual’second perceiving results from integration of objective potentialities together alongside his ain subjective potentialities, including subconscious elements. Whiteman believed the potentiality-actualization rule operates in the mental sphere of every private: idea in addition to images are actualizations in consciousness of an private’s ‘thought-ikon sphere’, as he called it, which includes retentiveness too imagination.¹

Actualization of Psi Phenomena

Whiteman saw telepathy resulting from the interaction or resonance betwixt the idea-picture spheres of individuals. The interaction is not actualized at the physical grade, and and then transfer of information occurs independently of physical space too time. Clairvoyance is resonance between the potentiality-sphere of a physical object or outcome in addition to the idea-image sphere of an private, resulting inwards the actualization of impressions in the individual’second thought-icon sphere. Once again, resonance or interaction happens independently of physical space too fourth dimension, not being physically actualized. Psychokinesis may live regarded every bit a contrary clairvoyant interaction; potentialities normally linked inwards around manner to an private event inwards physical actualizations.

Potentiality-actualization relationships should non be seen equally static; potentiality-fields continually change or educate, in addition to have feedback loops, although non in physical fourth dimension. This volition touch on the effect of futurity physical events, which helps to explain how precognition happens. Whiteman saw precognition equally actualization in an private’s idea-image sphere of developing potentiality-fields that may touch time to come physical events. The individual may even intervene in the physical actualization of these events by altering the potentiality-fields, so allowing prevention of a precognized upshot from happening.ⁱ Even if potentiality-fields are fourth dimension-ordered, resulting inwards a succession of events actualized in the physical globe, the ordering is not fixed inwards the fashion a route map is fixed. They are accessible inward states of physical detachment, in addition to then let express modification too the do of gratis will.

Out-of-body Experience

Whiteman defined mysticism equally ‘the written report of everything not-physical, including the other worlds ...’ As but discussed, potentiality-fields accept the capacity to deliver unlike spaces or worlds of physical and not-physical actuality, depending on the state of the observer. Without this understanding, mysticism cannot set out to brand sense. Direct experience of ‘the other worlds’ occurs mainly inwards out-of-torso experience, which Whiteman preferred to term ‘separative’ experience, since at that place is usually awareness of a body of close to form.

The commonest type he termed ‘chief separation’, inwards which there is no awareness inwards the physical body, fifty-fifty though what appears to live the physical trunk tin live viewed. In ‘secondary separation’ the physical trunk is under or so level of witting command, only chief awareness lies in another organism seemingly non located inward the space of the physical trunk, and the 2 bodies are quite independent. In ‘tertiary separation’ the physical torso is usually nether consummate command, but there is full awareness of beingness in a different bodily class despite the locations of the 2 bodies seeming to be the same. Difference between the 2 bodies may be radical, such every bit one beingness male and the other female person. For Whiteman, the highest mystical experiences were mostly of this type.

Whiteman noted that such not-physical experience, in terms of reality-impression and intensity, may reach from appearing weak to seeming fifty-fifty more real and meaningful than inwards physical life. At its about powerful, termed by him mystical, ‘Everything inward such states, spatial characteristics included, is known every bit if inward archetypal unchanging course, as well as is hence startlingly more than existent (rationally-objective, e'er-acquaint) than the derivative and shifting forms of the physical world.^’i He saw a necessitate ‘to distinguish betwixt what is deceptive or illusory too what has the lineament of face up-to-face objectivity too truth which we depict past maxim that a affair 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 reach from ordinary dreaming (zero rating) to what is experienced equally spiritually releasing amongst a high degree of reality, namely mystical feel (high rating). The Index properly relates to separative feel. Features scoring in the Index include continuity of retention betwixt physical and non-physical experience, gratuitous observation, ability to compare accurately alongside physical too not-physical states, awareness of marrow too tangibility, communication of idea alongside others, together with a feeling of transcendence of physical life.

The General Index does non include reports of observing physical things during a separative experience. Regarded by nigh people as veridical (corresponding to reality), these observations could accept been made past clairvoyance or remote viewing, as well as do non necessarily hateful that something somehow separated from the physical torso to brand the observation. As Whiteman stated, whatever claimed physical supporting evidence just has ‘chiefly propaganda value for the uninformed or sceptical, who make non realize that separation is non established past them, but who may thereby be induced to accept the “interior” testimony equally having some bearing on “scientific fact”.’¹

Whiteman’sec Index might appear of limited value to criterion parapsychology, where a useful scoring organization should identify experiences that rate amend than dream, hallucination or or so course of pathology. In Whiteman’sec Index the direction of ranking is towards mystical experience, which is hardly looked for inwards parapsychology, fifty-fifty shied away from. The club of ranking is: undeveloped, borderline, psychical, pre-mystical, mystical.  Out of a possible xvi points, experiences reaching 6 to viii points place every bit ‘psychical separations’, scoring on criteria listed two paragraphs in a higher place. Further requirements of ‘mystical’ rank were noted inwards the Introduction, together with demarcate ‘mystical’ from ‘psychical’. Yet inward the eyes of a physically-fixated investigator, the mystical requirements would point reduced reality rating, since ‘reality’ agency ‘similar physical feel’. For Whiteman this was a cardinal mistake; higher reality tin only mean ‘unlike physical experience’.

Other Spaces

All separative feel, physical-similar or transformative, was considered by Whiteman to take place inwards spaces other than physical, although oftentimes and then similar to what is presented physically as to be false for it. He called it ‘duplicate physical’ space. He wrote:

If 1 is taken into a ‘psychic’ infinite when non familiar amongst such states, or with fixed ideas virtually them, too if the phenomena resemble physical ones closely... at that place may live a stiff view to intend that the objects are being observed physically; in addition to this applies fifty-fifty to possible duplicate presentations of the observer’sec physical body inwards its actual state of affairs.^ane

‘Fixed ideas’ assume in that location is exclusively one ‘real’ infinite that tin can live manifested, namely the physical Earth. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fixed thought volition contribute to the potentialities governing a separative experience, in addition to lead to the actualization of a physical-like ‘duplicate’ scene. Yet equally someone gratis of the constraints of ane-degree thinking, Whiteman wrote of an ‘inexhaustible variety’ of appearance inward other spaces. Naturalistic conditioning may all the same outcome in ‘fantasy influences’ inward undeveloped states, nonetheless highest development leads to ‘perfectly acceptable forms of transcendent unified beauty’, where ‘the surroundings, correspondingly, are distinguished past the character of the light, in addition to make inwards intelligible graphic symbol, perfection of beauty, depth of glowing eye lineament, unitive liberty too feel of blending with other minds, every bit the highest condition, which is that of Mystical Form Liberation, is approached.’ In these descriptions, Whiteman states,

‘I’ together with ‘me’ make non correspond the familiar consciousness of self in the physical personality, or, inward fact, for anything that tin can be known inwards an ordinary physical state of heed. To sympathize what is meant, the characteristics of the merged ordinary self must live ruled out.^iv

One might interrogation how ‘other spaces’ are related to the physical too, if at all, to each other. In states classified by Whiteman as tertiary separation, the not-physical body holds much of the focus of attention simply does non look to be spatially apart from the physical body; ‘the locations of the ii bodies seem the same, in spite of differences inward their course in addition to/or size together with peradventure besides inward their surround.’^ane This seems to jibe amongst a persuasion widespread in spiritist circles that unlike ‘levels’ of feel as well as being all coincide spatially only have unlike ‘vibration frequencies’, and so at that place is no contact or communication between the various states except through special mediating atmospheric condition. Whiteman did include ‘interpenetrating spaces’ inwards a detail set of ‘facts of experience’,^one simply he did non present the idea of interpenetrating spaces equally about variety of cosmological arrangement; he was disposed to keep to systems of facts, not constructs of theory.

Skills, Cycles

Whiteman was confident nearly discovering the underlying logic inward phenomena, being convinced that behind whatsoever particular observation there is an intelligible structure ‘operative in too analysable out of the full feel’.^eight He did non accept Kant’sec thought of the unknowability of things-inward-themselves.^viii Instead, there is ‘intellectual or perceptual knowledge which transcends inwards a certain clear and unmistakable style the onward urge of fourth dimension, the stiff apartness of spatial objects, in addition to the apparent isolation of the private heed in its country of fixation on bodily impressions. It is a state of unloosen. Fixation existence overcome, the heed opens out into universality’.^viii We cannot attain this land, he believed ‘without psychological in addition to spiritual faculties of attending, sentence, purposiveness too self-bailiwick’, based on 3 ‘foundational skills’ named Active Recollection, Continuous Recollection, and Faith + Obedience.^ane (The beginning of these skills in his ain life is reported in Michael Whiteman.)

Active Recollection aims to recall or recover the substance in what is perceived, ‘in addition to thence the attainment of objective insight in addition to unloose’.^ane Husserl termed it the phenomenological epoché or stoppage, ‘the necessary functioning which renders pure consciousness accessible to us’.ⁱ It is termed samādhi or sati inwards Indian literature.^five  Continuous Recollection is ‘the freely stabilized earth of unloosen at which Active Recollection has been aiming.’^ane Obedience is non a state of subservience but orientation to ‘the transcendent Source of Right and Good.’ⁱ It operates in conjunction with Faith inwards this transcendence.

The three foundational skills were structured into a iv-part arrangement known since ancient times in addition to appearing inwards mod contexts inwards learning theory, Freud in addition to Jung. Described every bit the iv creative functions, these are ‘purposive movement, deciding on means, putting into practise, as well as a near undercover maturing of one’s skills in issue’.^three In ancient texts they are represented equally iv stages in the passage of the Sun, ascent inwards the east, zenith in the due south, down to world inwards the W, in addition to surreptitious inwards the north.¹³ This corresponds amongst aspiration (east), assessment (south), action or manifestation (west), fulfilment or non-attachment (northward); it besides corresponds respectively alongside Faith, Obedience, Active Recollection, Continuous Recollection.¹

Whiteman placed corking importance on this bike having its opposites or ‘counterfeits’ of self-volition, self-satisfaction, automaticity, complacency, which may Pb to a corresponding wheel of ‘stresses’ of death-feeling, shame, hurting, fright. This inward turn may atomic number 82 to ‘inner contests’,^{ane 2 3} which hopefully overcome these spiritual deficiencies.

Physics in addition to 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-bend number arrangement derived from three infinite and three fourth dimension dimensions. He noted that three of the creative functions – effort, way, too maturing – are composite, containing ii ‘beginning principles’ of sum too existence, equivalent to potentiality and actualization. In plough, essence together with beingness each take iii constituents, termed past him ‘hypostases’, meaning underlying, irreducible causes. The iii hypostases of substance were seen as purpose, agency, terminate. The hypostases of being were actuation, becoming, manifestation, the three-stage structure of creation called inward Upanishadic philosophy the Great Stride of Vishnu.ⁱ  So, for example, ‘deciding on way’ combines ‘agency’ (essence) first of all amongst ‘actuation’ (beingness), and so with ‘becoming’ (being), together with finally alongside manifestation (existence). The third quarter, West, brings prior causes into manifestation purely every bit ‘beingness’ and then lacks an ‘essence’ hypostasis.

This analysis allows the development of a number organization in psychology, too and then the prospect of comparison alongside a number system in physics.^{ane ii three} From these issue systems Whiteman intended to furnish ‘a clear-cutting explanatory organization... equally, for example, the basic laws of mechanics are exhibited earlier any problems are tackled’.^two The hypostases of gist were numbered 1 = role, two = way, 3 = stop. The hypostases of beingness were numbered vi = actuation, v = becoming, 4 = manifestation/grounding. So, for case ‘East’ can be expressed as the combination 16 (enthusiasm), xv (inspiration), fourteen (intention). Combining the numbers one to half-dozen results in xvi subfunctions, inward understanding with ‘15 + 1 kalās, stages inward any creative act, equally recognized in the Upanishads’.^three

The physical issue arrangement was derived from the 3 space in addition to 3 time dimensions. One fourth dimension dimension lies in potentiality-fields with a fourth dimension-ordered, space-similar face noted in a higher place inwards connection alongside precognition. Another time dimension or function involves the processes leading to physical actualization from fourth dimension-structured potentiality. Finally there is physical clock-fourth dimension; it is the alone time-dimension that is measurable. Combining the 6 dimensions yields a sixteen-plication issue organisation like the psychological subfunctions, ‘inwards such shut correspondence alongside the formulations of quantum theory that in that location is an obvious invitation to show the ii equally aspects of an integrated agreement of the world’.⁹

Space does non let a tabulation of the physics/psychology correspondences, or how they were derived. The correspondences, nevertheless, satisfied Whiteman’s persuasion that to explain what we experience is to

admit a subjective cycle, such every bit mystics, many theologians, in addition to or so psychologists accept admitted. This bicycle, inwards its well-nigh complete class is sixteenfold, in addition to parallels precisely what may live called the ‘world wheel’ (as it appears inward Quantum Field Theory) inward every fashion, piece manifesting itself inward every kind of homo feel. This is a form of potentiality which is discernible, together with indeed can be lived past the private in an enormous diversity of ‘altered states of consciousness’...ⁱⁱⁱ

Whiteman’s Scientific Mysticism was a revolutionary endeavour to discern in addition to characterize this potentiality.

John Poynton

Literature

one. Whiteman, J.H.G. (1986). Old too New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical globe-persuasion too inner competition. Volume one, An Introduction to Scientific Mysticism.  Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.

two. Whiteman, J.H.K. (2000). Old in addition to New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical world-view as well as inner competition. Volume 2, Dynamics of Spiritual Development. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.

iii. Whiteman, J.H.1000. (2006). Old together with New Evidence on the Meaning of Life: the mystical globe-thought as well as inner contest. Volume 3, Universal Theology too Life in other Worlds. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.

iv. Whiteman, J.H.thou. (1961). The Mystical Life. London: Faber and Faber.

five. Whiteman, J.H.chiliad. (1993). Aphorisms on Spiritual Method: the ‘Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’ inward the calorie-free of mystical feel. Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe.

six. Husserl, east. (1931). Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology (trans. W.R. Boyce Gibson). London: Allen & Unwin.

seven. Heisenberg, W. (1959). Physics too Philosophy: the revolution in modernistic science. London: Allen and Unwin.

eight. Whiteman, J.H.G. (1967). Philosophy of Space together with Time together with the Inner Constitution of Nature: a phenomenological written report. London: Allen together with Unwin.

ix. Whiteman, J.H.M. (1977). Parapsychology as well as physics. In Wolman, B.B. (ed.) Handbook of Parapsychology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

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