The Conscious Universe by Dean Radin Review by Cate Montana

Science has already proved that psi can be effectively studied through conventional methods, and I strongly suspect that breakthroughs in understanding are far more dependent on society’s willingness to take these phenomena seriously than on any inherent limitations in our ability to study psi. Such breakthroughs could usher in an era of science and technology so startlingly new that, from today’s perspective, it would look like pure magic.

Dean Radin, Ph.D.

In meticulous and yet engaging detail, scientist and author Dean Radin Ph.D. draws on his own psi research at Princeton, Stanford Research Institute and research at Fortune 500 companies like Sony, Bell Laboratories and Contel to finally put to rest the persistent belief that there never have been, and never will be, quality, replicable scientific studies in the field of psi.

Starting with a brief exploration of psychic phenomenon, its history and the individual manifestations of telepathy, remote viewing and telekinesis, Radin then dives deep into the history of psi research. He explains what constitutes a solid scientific approach and what doesn’t. He explains data analysis and the importance of meta-analysis of psi studies. (It seems that although many studies return slightly significant results verifying the presence of psi effects, when the study results are combined, the rate of significance soars.) He describes the research and trots out all the credentialed findings, completely dispelling the misinformation and misunderstandings that have clouded psi research for so long.

Nor does he leave psychology out of the picture. Radin takes a good, hard look at why psi research has been discredited for so long. He examines the inherent prejudices of the scientific and communication communities, the causes and the payoffs for their stonewalling stance. He examines the schizoid nature of science’s overwhelming negativity in the face of the fact that over 70% of all Americans believe in psychic phenomenon. Radin also explores some of the mind-boggling technologies that may someday result from the application of psi, and the crippling effect western scientific prejudice is having on their development.

What is psi? How can it be proven scientifically? Why has it been scoffed at? What constitutes current solid evidence for psi? What are the future implications of psi research? These questions, and more, Radin answers. If you have wondered about these things, or have a hard-nosed psi skeptic in your life who you’d like to ruffle up a bit, this is the book for you. If you’re looking for light, entertaining reading at night, it’s not. Yes, The Conscious Universe is fluid and well written. But Radin is first and foremost a scientist. He has written a definitive, scientific book about psi that should put to rest, at long last, the superstitions that have obscured this field of research for so long.

PAVEL'S PICK

ONE... The Movie

Review by Pavel Mikoloski

In the spring of 2002, Ward M. Powers had an epiphany. He awoke in the middle of the night with an idea that to make a film that would express to all of humanity the importance of understanding our interconnectedness... a film that would communicate the idea that WE ARE ALL ONE. Powers, a Detroit-area trial attorney who had never done any film making, ordered a video camera through the mail, enlisted the help of a couple of friends, and embarked on what turned out to be a two-year life-changing odyssey.

This spring, Circle of Bliss Productions announced the release and availability of the documentary ONE... The Movie. This film asks the big questions of life to people on the street and to many of the world's most renowned and respected spiritual leaders, authors, icons and celebrated masters including, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hahn, Father Richard Rohr, Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Riane Eisler, Father Thomas Keating and B.T. Swami with comment from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

How did a group of people new to the art of film secure interviews with so many respected spiritual leaders and authors? The original plan was to just do man-on the street interviews. But when Columbia professor in Buddhism, Dr. Robert Thurman invited them to do an interview, soon Deepak Chopra jumped on board and the cascade continued. The novice documentarians came up with a list of 20 questions - not easy ones for anyone: “ What happens to you after you die? Describe God. When is war justifiable? What is the meaning of life?”

Over the next two years the unlikely crew traveled the country asking 'life's ultimate questions' to Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, the homeless, Sufis, Muslims, street kids, Jews, Taoists, Native Americans, Atheists, philosophers, social architects, prostitutes, mystics, monks, moms, medicine-men, teenagers, working people, and more, capturing wisdom from those in remote monasteries to those in the urban alleyways.

Photo by Mary Step. Click image for larger view

ONE... The Movie, weaves the novice filmmaker's remarkable journey with a tightly edited thematic collage of the interview responses using threads of music and imagery in a hybrid style, inter-cutting black and white footage of the journey with the interviews which are in color.

The documentary moves along nicely and never becomes the stagnating mud of “talking heads.” Especially interesting was the resulting action from the question for the interviewees to show non-verbally where mankind is now at this point in time.