Reality Shifting on TikTok

I first heard about the booming TikTok reality shifting trend in early 2020, when my daughter told me that realityshifting–my life’s work–was taking the world by storm on TikTok!   Investigating further, I saw how TikTok realityshifting videos were primarily focused on lucid dreaming and astral traveling their way into focused imaginal realms.  These can be good skills to hone, as part of an integrated approach of developing one’s character and spirituality. My take on goals of focusing on lucid dreaming as a way to experience imaginal realms via this TikTok version of reality shifting is that can potentially veer into escapism. If utilized as a kind of lucid dreaming skill practice on a spiritual path within imaginal realms, there may be some value in becoming proficient with these skill-sets.

TikTok Reality Shifting Techniques

Some TikTok channels invite viewers to practice entering into lucid dream states via various techniques that encourage relaxation of the physical body while maintaining lucidity of the conscious mind.  One such technique being popularized now is called “star fish,” with the main idea of this lucid dreaming position being to keep one’s arms and legs stretched out and not touching, a bit like impersonating a star fish, with the five points represented by:  head, two arms, and two legs.

Many TikTok reality shifters work with scripts that keep their lucid dreaming reality shifting focused.  Often, such a focus is held in imagination while keeping the rational, analytical mind occupied with some activity such as counting backwards from 100.  The so-called “Raven method” starts with adopting the starfish position, and then counting down from 100 while keeping mentally focused on shifting into one’s desired reality.

These TikTok techniques help realityshifters access levels of identity that are more foundational–more true–than seeing ourselves as existing purely within a paradigm of physicalist material realism.  Just as people can learn to astral travel and gain a sense of self identity beyond egoic physicalism through meditation, or going to a facility such as provided at the Monroe Institute, practicing putting one’s body in a position so that arms and legs are not touching while feeling tired can help facilitate moving into a state of higher level conscious agency.

Reality Shifting key ideas

We are all reality shifters, occasionally noticing things seem to move without anyone having moved them.  We may have noticed socks missing after we do the laundry, or keys or coat not being where we know we put them. We also sometimes notice we have different experiences and memories of experiences than those of other people who were also there.

We, as conscious agents and observers, are the ones who shift or change, and we witness different physical realities.  We can ascribe reality shifts and Mandela Effects to our ability to move between levels of observer identity and causal agency.  If seeking some ‘mechanism’ behind these shifts, we can note the possibility that the many worlds of quantum physics and the cosmological multiverse may be one and the same–providing us with occasional quantum superpowers such as:  bilocation, tunneling, superposition of states, coherence, and entanglement.

Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World

Our experiences with reality shifts are natural, and can be appreciated as an experience of consciousness. I suggest remaining reverent toward all aspects of the reality shift phenomena, with respect for encountering and aligning with ever-higher levels of self. reality shifting truly invites us to ‘bring our A game’ to life, in terms of becoming ever more aware of who we are, as intentional beings and conscious agents.

I’ve been documenting and curating first-hand reality shift reports for over twenty years, investigating what people were thinking and feeling prior to witnessing reality shifts–and the archives of Your Stories on the realityshifters web site is now hundreds of pages long, containing first-hand reports from people in dozens of nations and on continents all around the world.

For those starting out writing scripts for their desired reality, or creating affirmations and vision boards, all these focusing tools can be good starting points for overcoming social conditioning that has gas-lighted “magickal thinking,” as I mention in my book, Reality Shifts. Our assumptions and beliefs play such a huge role in creating our perceptual framework that playing with these initial focusing tools and methods can help people realize the true power of consciousness to literally create seeming miracles in physical events in spacetime.

If you have concerns regarding safety with trying reality shifting, I suggest adopting a practice of setting energetic protection that incorporates the focus of intention on maintaining sovereignty of your conscious agency, free from negative interference.  Such a practice can simply consist of several simple Qi Gong (energy work) exercises that combine intention with breath and movement to help ensure you feel your best, and that what you experience in your reality shifting exercises feels enjoyable and positive.

Reality Shifting is part of the Great Awakening

With the recent reality shifting TikTok trend, I see resonance with this time of Great Awakening. To put it another way, through ‘writing scripts’ for desired reality shifts, people can witness positive results, and thus begin to override a lifetime of socially conditioned restrictive thinking regarding the chicken-and-egg Zen koan between consciousness and the physical world. We may wonder which came first–the chicken or the egg? And similarly, some scientists are designing experiments to ascertain whether consciousness or neurons and brains arrived first.

Thanks to first-hand experimentation with reality shifting, people have a chance to witness how when we change our consciousness, we see changes in the physical world.

I see some beauty in the encouragement from some TikTokers to those feeling frustrated and discouraged with lack of perceived progress in lucid dreaming and reality shifting–and I sense a similarity here between reality shifting and the Kundalini experience. Both of these are guided by levels of higher conscious agency–by higher levels of self–and this is why both journeys are so individual and unique.

My first impression of this trend when I first saw it a few years ago was a mix of joy to see people interested in the topic, combined with a concern that people may fixate on escapism–the way some people fixate on “manifesting” as a be-all, end-all. Any such short-sighted approaches will eventually lead to disappointing results, though it’s likely that many people need to go down every detour and dead-end first, just to make sure they’re not missing out on something. I have faith that just as with other types of “psychonauts,” there is divine spirit guiding all of us, and ultimately, people will discover that this reality shifting journey is best appreciated and enjoyed as a spiritual journey.

And I hope you will join me in asking, “How good can it get?” in any and all circumstances, no matter may seem to be happening, so we may each individually and all collectively experience what is truly best for all.

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REFERENCES:

Larson, Cynthia Sue, and Ruth-Inge Heinze. “Retrocausal Reality Shifting: Adventures in the Fine Art of Changing the Past.” (2006).

Larson, Cynthia Sue. Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World. RealityShifters, 2012.

Larson, Cynthia Sue. “Evidence of macroscopic quantum phenomena and conscious reality selection.” Dualism, Platonism and Voluntarism: Explorations at the Quantum, Microscopic, Mesoscopic and Symbolic Neural Levels (2016): 179.

You can watch the companion video to this blog here:

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps.  Cynthia has a degree in physics from UC Berkeley, an MBA degree, a Doctor of Divinity, and a second degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won. Cynthia is the founder of RealityShifters, and first President of the International Mandela Effect Conference. Cynthia hosts “Living the Quantum Dream” on the DreamVisions7 radio network, and has been featured in numerous shows including Gaia, the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, One World with Deepak Chopra, and BBC. Cynthia reminds us to ask in every situation, “How good can it get?” Subscribe to her free monthly ezine at:

http://www.RealityShifters.com

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3 Qualities of Genuine Mandela Effects

Which Mandela Effects have you seen that are the real thing? Which have you seen that aren’t?

If you’ve heard about the Mandela Effect, you might be wondering how to tell when you’re face-to-face with a genuine Mandela Effect, and when you’re not, and the truth about how you can tell might surprise you!

The Mandela Effect demonstrates that facts and histories can change, and not everyone remembers things the same way. I’ve received emails from people writing, “I think I’ve experienced a Mandela Effect, but I’m not sure,” which indicates many people would like to know how we can tell when we’ve encountered a genuine Mandela Effect experience–or not.

There is understandably some confusion on this matter, mostly because open-minded skeptics and smug scoffers both at various times make the case that as French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace once wrote, “The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.” And it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to expect that we ought to be able to provide evidence for each proffered example of the Mandela Effect, if what we’re experiencing is real, right?

Ironically, one of the main reasons controversy exists about the Mandela Effect has to do with the fact that most any time physical evidence can be found of an instance suggesting parallel realities, at some point we will likely discover that this case of Mandela Effect was actually not the real deal.

So How Can We Tell the Difference?

My preferred explanation for all this is that we are observing quantum phenomena on the macroscopic scale, and there is no ‘von Neumann cut’ where we can start disregarding quantum effects. Quantum discontinuities can (and do) occur at every level. The way we are noticing these kinds of quantum jumps, reality shifts, alternate histories, and Mandela Effects is that we are finding examples where our memories do not match the official historical record of facts–the facts appear different than we remember, and there is a sense that things ‘have always been this way.’ Here is a simple three-step test you can use to discern whether something is the genuine Mandela Effect, or not:

(1) The Only “Proof” is Our Memories

Just like Chief Seattle’s excellent advice for wilderness travelers to “take only memories, leave only footprints,” it seems travelers between parallel possible worlds are able to do only that. While evidence of different memories will likely be dissatisfactory to skeptics and unacceptable to scoffers, our memory actually is the only evidence people are able to find of Mandela Effect examples when they are the genuine article. While memories have gotten a bum rap for years as being unreliable, it’s worth considering that some of the reasons that memories have been noted for not corresponding to historical recorded facts just might be that the Mandela Effect has been happening since before the dawn of human recorded history–which is what I believe is actually true. Now this is not to say that every time someone mis-remembers something or is confused as to what they remember we’re encountering a Mandela Effect–but it is to say that every one of those times actually might represent an example of the Mandela Effect in action.

(2) Side-By-Side Physical Examples Don’t Occur

One of the identifying hallmarks of the Mandela Effect is that when our attention is riveted by a possible case of Mandela Effect, we will not find simultaneous physical proof showing other realities we might remember. For example, if we recall the song on Mister Rogers Neighborhood to include Mr. Rogers singing, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” we will only now be able to find the lyrics being sung “the way it’s always been sung,” which at this time seems to be, “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood.” There will not be both versions of the song in existence, but rather just the one version–which is precisely why so many people are mystified by the change. When testing to see whether a possible example of the Mandela Effect is genuine, and we turn up a strong presence of side-by-side examples of, for example, a corporate logo in transition–then we acknowledge that this is not an example of the Mandela Effect.

(3) We Might Notice Flip-Flops

While it is sometimes possible to physically witness evidence of more than one reality, such experiences will not occur concurrently, with evidence of both presenting at the same time. Genuine Mandela Effect examples of reality shifts (that are seemingly happening randomly) and quantum jumps (that might be associated with miraculous instant changes) can sometimes be experienced as “flip-flopping” back and forth between different possible realities. Some examples of this kind of thing that I’ve personally witnessed include: business hours changing back and forth between “always being open until 10pm” or “always being open until midnight; the rain gutters on my neighbor’s house always having had leaf guards, or never having had leaf guards; our elderly dog developing visible cataracts in both eyes or not having visible cataracts. These are just a few examples–and in each case, eventually one of the possible realities was selected as “always having been true.” During these times of flip-flopping realities, we will not see side-by-side examples of concurrent physical realities existing simultaneously, but rather just one or another–even though we know we’ve seen the other realities.

 

Why Our Current Scientific Method Can’t Provide “Proof”

Our existing scientific method was founded on old assumptions that cannot function when dealing with the reality of quantum physics. When quantum mechanics first arrived on the scene around 1900, many scientists fervently hoped they would not need to deal with any revision to the way scientific studies are conducted. Quantum weirdness such as “spooky action at a distance,” quantum tunneling, quantum teleportation, quantum superposition of states, and quantum coherence were all considered part of the weird, wonderful world of the realm of the very, very small, with nothing whatsoever to do with the ordinary human experience of the world. The built-in assumptions of the classical scientific method can’t stand up to quantum physics, yet they have remained largely unquestioned and unrevised now for over a hundred years.

Material realism’s first assumption of strong objectivity asserts there is an objective material universe “out there” that is independent of us. For example, we hope to understand chemistry by studying the interaction of chemicals, and physics by studying how physical bodies interact … yet we do not consider ourselves to be in any way entangled in what we are observing. We often imagine that we can be perfect voyeurs, having no appreciable impact whatsoever on the subjects of our study. The validity of this assumption becomes questionable when we see how inextricably connected the observer is to quantum physics experiments; the observer plays the decisive role in determining what is observed.

The second assumption of causal determinism is the familiar idea that once we understand the forces causing change in a given system, we can accurately predict the effect those causes will have. We would expect to be able to predict what would happen when we roll a marble towards a bunch of other marbles, if we knew where all the marbles were and the position and speed of the striking marble. As we will see in this chapter, quantum physics challenges our ability to understand all that we need in order to make such predictions, since the uncertainty principle does not allow us to know both an object’s velocity and position. We cannot accurately make predictions in the realm of quantum physics, other than having a sense of statistical probability for certain outcomes. Werner Heisenberg proposed in his uncertainty principle that quanta must be described as waves while they travel and particles when they are viewed, and Niels Bohr added that it’s impossible to specify the observed atom’s wave function separately from it’s observing electron. Chaos theory is another challenge to causal determinism, as the universe appears to behave unpredictably at its very core.

The third assumption of locality in material realism is the concept that objects exist independently and separately from one another. We study each experimental subject with the assumption that it is separate from other objects so we can conduct different experiments in different conditions and believe that we are studying an isolated, independent subject. At odds with this assumption is the observation of some twin quantum particles that have shown separated objects can and do remain in synchronization with each other across time and space … continuing to correlate their angles of spin with each other. This was first considered in the “Einstein-Podolsky- Rosen paradox,” later verified in the laboratory, and mathematically demonstrated by Bell’s theorem.

Assumptions of material or physical monism and epiphenomenalism assert that subjective mental phenomena are simply epiphenomena of matter. In other words, the material world is the primary mover and shaker, and things we think we observe through our minds are irrelevant, “immaterial” inconsequential side effects. Quantum physics shows us the weakness of these assumptions when we consider how observers who take quantum measurements collapse quantum waves at the moment they make that observation.

Now that we know that the assumptions forming the basis for material realism are so shaken by findings of quantum physics experiments, it’s time to start refining and revising the above assumptions of material realism into assumptions that include mind along with matter, and that better agree with the findings of quantum physics.

 

Gotta Catch ’em All!

At this time when one of the more popular games is Pokemon Go, with people streaming into parks, cell phones in hand, hoping to see and capture Pokemon “pocket monsters,” people are playing a real-life game of finding possible samples of the Mandela Effect all around. Corporate logos often come up as possible Mandela Effect examples, providing excellent test cases by which to see if they pass the Mandela Effect Test. 

 

You can see the YouTube summary of this blog post here: https://youtu.be/HBCLYPiUwL8

 

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Reality Shifts and  Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including her Living the Quantum Dream radio show, the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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The Mandela Effect has been with us longer than we thought

 

What are your earliest Mandela Effect memories?

The Mandela Effect demonstrates that facts and histories can change, and not everyone remembers things the same way. I’ve received emails from people writing, “I’ve noticed these changes for years, but only just now found out thousands of other people are noticing the same changes,” which gets me wondering how long the Mandela Effect has been around.

Different people pay attention to different things, so we’ll not all be equally impressed by the same changes in history, and sometimes it takes a while before we notice something strange is going on–and has been going on for a long time. There is a tendency once we start noticing something–such as that history sometimes changes–we start seeing examples of it more often. I’ve also noticed that being with others who also notice reality shifting tends to increase our awareness of it. What’s changed since the Mandela Effect became a popular meme is that collectively we now have a mental “File” to label such incidents with, other than ‘we must have been mistaken; that’s so weird.’ Now people like George Clooney and Julia Roberts and Gwen Stefani DO have something to refer to other than “that’s so weird,” when they notice, as they recently did, that the ending of the song, “We are the champions” by Queen has changed. 

My preferred explanation for all this is that we are observing quantum phenomena on the macroscopic scale, and there is no ‘von Neumann cut’ where we can start disregarding quantum effects. Quantum discontinuities can (and do) occur at every level.

Bigger than Mandela

One of the main reasons the “Mandela Effect” is grabbing peoples’ attention is that it is bigger than Mandela. The “Mandela Effect” shows those of us who’ve experienced it that facts change, and histories change. Not everyone remembers things the same way, and sometimes we also notice things change from what we remembered, and then change back again–sometimes flip-flopping more than once or twice.

No Return to Classical Reality

We can look to quantum physics for an explanation as to what is going on when we find more examples of the Mandela Effect. Rather than there being some imaginary line of demarcation where quantum weirdness no longer occurs, some physicists now suggest that quantum logic might hold true at all levels. Rather than ignoring such troublesome quantum phenomena as superposition of states and entanglement by sweeping them under the von Neumann cut, we instead need to consider the possibility that sometimes we will see macroscopic evidence of quantum phenomena in our daily lives.

No Conspiracy Required

The existence of alternate pasts was predicted by scientists such as Stephen Hawking, who has sought evidence of vibratory signatures of many possible ‘big bangs,’ for example. If and when you ever personally experience the presence of multiple possible pasts, such as some college students witnessed first-hand when looking at their own hand-written journal notes about where they were and what they were doing when the Challenger space shuttle exploded–then you might reconsider the notion of a news media or government conspiracy.

CERN came along after the fact, from the standpoint that first nations peoples have long described oral histories about how these same sorts of things (so-called “Mandela Effect”) have been happening since the dawn of time. We can see evidence of the Mandela Effect in years before we heard of it, when we remember times such as I recall having happened to me back in the 1970s, when I wanted to hear a song that I’d been hearing a lot on the radio. I couldn’t find the song any more, and it was as if it had completely disappeared without a trace. Then, many months later, I did hear the song being announced by a radio station as ‘likely to be a big hit’ as they bragged they were amongst one of the first stations able to play it. I heard this and thought to myself, “What!?! This song was being played almost nonstop by many stations earlier this year!” So if you’ve ever seen a movie or TV show or heard a song or read a book before it came out, you’ve had an earlier experience with the Mandela Effect. 

Quantum Mechanics Forbids a Single History

Thomas Kuhn wrote that a paradigm defines “the practices that define a scientific discipline at a certain point in time.”  When we notice that there is a strong possibility we are witnessing macroscopic signs of quantum phenomena as some of us recognize that we’ve been experiencing ‘glitches’ and shifts in reality for years, it becomes clear that rather than a conspiracy, we’re dealing with a radical re-visioning of reality. Thomas Kuhn described how there are four basic ways that a new paradigm influences the scientific process, because paradigms dictate: what is studied and researched, what types of questions are asked, the exact structure of the questions asked, and how research results are interpreted. Thanks to the work of physicists such as Stephen Hawking and Thomas Hertog suggesting back in 2006 that we might live in a “top down” universe which prohibits single histories, people are increasingly becoming more familiar with the idea that we exist in a superposition of states–such as in a holographic multiverse, where we can sometimes experience various other possible realities. Nature magazine reported Thomas Hertog stating,

“Quantum mechanics forbids a single history.”

Finding Early Historical Examples

We can find early examples of the Mandela Effect easily enough, by searching through books, newspapers, magazines and research papers with keywords such as “misremembered,” “collective misremembering,” “famously misremembered,” and “historical misremembering.” We can ask elders what kinds of “mis-rememberings” were common in their youth, to hear such examples as differences in historical dates or names, or differences in what people at the same event had heard someone say, for example. We can thus find such examples as a change in dialogue in the 1942 movie Casablanca to “Play it again, Sam,” a phrase which currently is not spoken in the film.

Mandela Effect’s Invitation to Us

The Mandela Effect is inviting us to enter into a new Quantum Age, which also happens to be a new age of awareness of our true identity as Consciousness. People have an opportunity now to become aware that we are not our bodies nor our thoughts nor our feelings–but rather, our true selves and true identities are the observers of our bodies, thoughts and feelings. And as we become aware of this to the point we increasingly observe evidence of this (through witnessing alternate realities and alternate histories), we gain the ability to recognize the primacy of consciousness as creator of experience. I strongly recommend everyone develop a habit of asking, “How good can it get?” in every situation, in order to help ensure best possible experiences–for truly this remarkably unlikely universe can become even more fine-tuned than we’ve yet experienced.

 

You can see the YouTube summary of this blog post here: https://youtu.be/dL1Glpx6hQ8

 

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including her Living the Quantum Dream radio show, the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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My Mandela Effect Life

Why Do I Devote My Career to Researching the Mandela Effect, Reality Shifts, and Quantum Jumps?

I’ve been delighted to see the “Mandela Effect” rocket from being a fairly obscure topic in 2010 to a matter of steadily increasing attention in 2016, since I’ve devoted my career to researching discontinuities, shifts, and jumps in reality. In case you’re wondering why I dedicate my life’s work to these topics, here is a short explanation of why I do the work I do.

Witnessing Mind-Matter Influence

I’ve noticed mind-matter interaction since childhood, though I noted this perspective was not mainstream in California in the 1960s when I was growing up. When I was a young girl watching rain falling in the garden outside our house, I noticed that when I was in a certain state day-dreamy state of mind, I could think “Stop rain,” and the rain would stop, and “Start rain,” and the rain would start. After testing this to my satisfaction several times, I ran with great excitement to show this discovery to my mother, who greeted my announcement with a sigh of resignation and evident apathy. Unable to demonstrate for my mother what had been working perfectly just moments earlier, I recognized the power that each of us has to effect mind-matter influence within supportive ‘zones.’ I subsequently made sure that I was quiet about it any time I helped our family’s car to start (back in the 1960’s, it was a relatively common occurrence for cars to not start every time), or other such things. Clearly, mind-matter interaction was not considered to be possible–yet in my daily personal life I constantly found it to be one of the most consistently reliable and supportive pillars upon which I can dependably rely.

In retrospect, I can see I had numerous “Mandela Effect” type experiences while growing up, such as the time in the 1970s following one of my family’s vacations to beautiful Dal Lake, India, when the furniture my parents had ordered finally arrived in California, was assembled and fitted with custom-made glass tops. I reminded my parents that they had promised the woodcarvers at Dal Lake that they would send photographs of the tables in our new home. My parents seemed surprised and confused at my insistence they should take and sent photographs, and I became confused, too, since my parents don’t lie, and always keep their promises. I knew I wasn’t remembering incorrectly, yet I trusted they were not lying to me, either–so I ‘let it go’ without forgetting this bizarre difference in remembered histories had occurred.

Thanks to growing up in a family dedicated to visiting some of the most remote areas in the world before they were forever changed by western expansionism, I spent several months each year of my childhood in parts of the world untouched by western ideas and civilization, able to experience firsthand the way I can communicate directly with people, places and things through intention, thoughts and feelings. And thanks to my close relationship with my most spiritual family member, my maternal grandmother, I gained a clear sense of the reality of unseen angelic and divine realms. My grandmother was a woman of exceptional faith, who frequently conversed with me about spirituality, angels, and God.

My 1982 Physics Degree from UC Berkeley

One of the main reasons I obtained a degree in physics from UC Berkeley was to get closer to the heart of the true nature of reality, after observing mind-matter interaction since childhood. Thanks to my lifelong fascination in the true nature of reality and consciousness, I decided the closest thing to a degree in those topics would be Physics, so I applied to and was accepted to the Physics program at UC Berkeley in the 1980s, and I especially loved my quantum physics classes. I am honored to have received a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley.

Searching for Reality Shifts in 1994

In 1994 I experienced a surge in what at the time I called ‘reality shifts,’ involving noticing things appearing, disappearing, transforming and transporting, as well as changes in the experience of time. In the process of exploring this topic and through my intention to experience a wide variety of these shifts, I found myself quickly doing exactly that. I observed many reality shifts without confirmation or validation from other witnesses, but found that shared reality shift experiences to be more enjoyable, since they provided the opportunity to discuss what happened. My searches for information on this topic across the very new world wide web came up empty as I began writing my book, Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World to describe my observations of celebrities and a pet cat having been reported dead, and subsequently being observed to be very much alive. I included descriptions of how a bird feeder changed without anyone touching it between being empty and full, how the material of a jacket changed without anyone modifying it, and how a children’s book illustration from a book I read to my daughter every week changed to something completely different. Reality Shifts includes first-hand reports of conversations being remembered differently by people involved, and about a person’s name vanishing off a conference speaker’s list between the time of sitting down one morning and a subsequent break. Also included is a description of repeating events, similar to what people would later recognize as a ‘glitch in the Matrix.’ I published the first edition of Reality Shifts in 1999 in a three ring binder, which I made available to people attending my talks and workshops, and later sold through CafePress.

Starting RealityShifters Website and Ezine in 1999

The first version of what came to become the RealityShifters website began at thirdage.com in 1998, before the website had its official name. I chose the name ‘realityshifters’ after prompting on 17 November 1999 from Stein Online radio show host, Elliot Stein, in response to his request that I have a shorter, more easily remembered and spoken website URL. The first RealityShifters news ezine was sent out as an email to dozens of people who had signed the guestbook on my thirdage website, and I added new subscribers one by one, sending each month’s issue out as a regular email until the number of subscribers reached about 700. The RealityShifters ezine now reaches over 8,000 subscribers each month, and all issues are posted online at the RealityShifters News page on the realityshifters site.

The Power of Asking “How Good Can it Get?” 

I’ve been writing about and encouraging people to ask the question “How good can it get?” since I first mentioned it in an article published in August 2000. The big idea behind asking this question is that when we ask, “How good can it get?” we change our perspective on this world, leaving behind petty differences and bridging the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Simply put, this question has the power to transform not just our perspective and the future, but it can (and often does) also influence the past. When we recognize the growing body of evidence supporting these ideas of the power of changing our subconscious narrative, we can better appreciate the power of asking my favorite question, “How good can it get?” in every situation, every day. Together, we can re-frame the global narratives of the world, enjoying getting the answers to a question we would all actually enjoy receiving the answer to.

Seeking Scientific Answers

My quest for scientific answers behind the Mandela Effect, reality shifts, and quantum jumps has been the foundation of my work as a life coach and author working in this field since 1999. As I recently wrote in a research paper I presented at the Foundations of Mind, Primacy of Quantum Logic in the Natural World,

While we have long presumed quantum logic to operate either alongside or within the classical realm, we stand to benefit from contemplating classical theory and physics as a special case within the bigger quantum reality. This paper finds support for the view of the quantum logicians who assert quantum logic to be the most comprehensive deductive logic. This is demonstrated by the derivability of quantum theory from one additional fundamental axiom beyond that required for deriving classical theory, and evidence that some fundamental aspects of quantum physics can never admit a classical understanding. Recognition that classical theory and logic is a ‘special case’ subset of the greater quantum whole invites us to completely reassess our assumptions regarding the way we view the world and what we consider to be ‘logical.’

I am delighted to have received this statement of recognition from one of my favorite quantum physics professors at UC Berkeley, Dr. George Trilling, who wrote to me in June 2014, “From looking at your accomplishments, your knowledge of physics has served you well. My congratulations on your achievements.”

Paradigm Shift Evident in the Mandela Effect 

The Mandela Effect is stirring strong emotional reactions in people who, for the first time, are startled to witness their own first-hand experiences of reality shifts, such as celebrities previously reported dead being observed to be very much alive again–including the now-famous example of Nelson Mandela being observed by many to now have died twice.

The remarkable thing about the rise of the Mandela Effect is that for the first time in recorded history, groups of people are agreeing that they collectively recall different histories. This is significant because it marks the beginning of a paradigm shift in our worldview with regard to a ‘static’ sense of historical facts, to one encompassing a new view that sometimes, facts change. This paradigm shift arrives at a point in time when some scientists seek evidence of the many worlds of quantum physics being one-and-the-same as the multiverse.

I’m excited to help facilitate humanity’s paradigm shift toward a realization of the primacy of consciousness and quantum logic in the world, through my free YouTube videos, RealityShifters website, RealityShifters ezine, blog, articles, Living the Quantum Dream radio show, and my books and life coaching.

You can see the YouTube summary of this blog post here: https://youtu.be/bMsStumSrRE

 

___________________________

Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including her Living the Quantum Dream radio show, the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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Improve Your Life with the Quantum Zeno Effect

How can you make the most of the “quantum watched pot” effect in your life?

Most of us are familiar with those situations where it seems that the more we stare at a given situation, waiting for a momentous phase change to occur, the less likely it seems we’ll see much of anything interesting transpire. You might have heard your mother cluck, “A watched pot never boils,” suggesting you find something more productive to do. What your mother might not have known and probably didn’t tell you is that the “watched pot” phenomenon is backed up by some pretty interesting scientific studies in quantum physics that show considerable promise for helping improve our way of life.

We might envision the possibilities of being able to freeze-frame a given situation–such as a life-threatening experience–in order that we can best address whatever needs to be handled. Some people, including me, have had such moments where we could have sworn that time slowed to a stop–and the Quantum Zeno Effect can go a long way toward explaining what’s going on when that happens.

The Quantum Zeno Effect  

While Alan Turing has been acknowledged as having first mentioned the basic principle behind the Quantum Zeno Effect in the form of a paradox in 1954, physicists Baidyanaith Misra and George Sudarshan were the first to write a paper in 1977, hypothesizing that if a quantum system is measured often enough, it’s state will be unable to progress, and this hypothesis was tested and proven to be true in a 1989 experiment involving laser-cooled ions trapped in electric and magnetic fields. Subsequent tests further confirmed that the Quantum Zeno Effect works, and in 2013, researchers moved a step closer to building quantum computers by demonstrating that objects as large as diamonds can exhibit the Quantum Zeno Effect. [Reich 2013] It’s a big leap to move from the realm of the microscopic to something large enough that humans can directly see, feel and work with, such as diamonds. In addition to the Quantum Zeno Effect that effectively freezes a system into a given state, there also exists an anti-Zeno Effect, which moves a system quickly out of a given state.

In 2014, a team of physicists led by Y.S. Patil at Cornell University successfully demonstrated that rapid repetitive measurements can effectively freeze a system in place. The potential implications of this are huge, as the paper asserts, “The techniques demonstrated here…  … augur intriguing prospects of realizing novel many-body interactions such as a measurement- induced dynamic coupling between the internal, motional and topological states of a quantum many-particle system.” [Patil 2014]

Weeping Angels

If you’re a fan of the science fiction TV show, Dr. Who, you might remember the Blink episode featuring some nefarious beings that look like statues. Dr. Who warned his friends, “Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels. The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. No mess, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye. You die in the past, and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you might have had, all your stolen moments. They’re creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy.” Dr. Who advised how best to prevent being zapped to the past with some additional advice, “Don’t blink. Don’t even blink. Blink and you’re dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don’t turn your back, don’t look away, and DON’T blink.”

While we likely won’t have much need to freeze Weeping Angels, there are times when some of us experience a need for time to slow to a stop, and some of us have experienced that phenomena, as once happened to me when I was walking through the Lausanne train station in Switzerland where we living at the time, behind my husband and daughter. My husband and I were both carrying suitcases in both hands–and he was also carrying our daughter perched up on his shoulders, holding on tightly to his hair. I watched in alarm as I saw my daughter raise her hands up in the air, letting go of her father’s hair and bouncing along happily with each large step he took. I’m quite sure I didn’t blink as I kept watching as her back arched and her head came down toward the granite floor. At this point, I heard and saw time seem to slow to a stop, as what had been the high-pitched frequency of women’s high heeled shoes lowered down to a deep, slow roar. I was able to cover a great deal of distance very quickly, just in time to catch my daughter while she was falling head-first toward the hard floor. [Larson 2011]

So the Quantum Zeno Effect might be one possible explanation as to why my not blinking and great perceived need in that given moment resulted in time seeming to slow to a stop–but how might the Quantum Zeno Effect be useful in more typical situations in daily life?

Human Cognition and Quantum Zeno Effect

The Quantum Zeno Effect was never considered something to be cloistered away in the exclusive domain of physicists. Some scientists note that human perception can be influenced by the Quantum Zeno Effect when individuals are coupled with their environment in such a way that one of the original discoverers of Quantum Zeno Effect.  Sudarshan, one of the original co-authors of the first 1977 paper about the Quantum Zeno Effect imagined a type of awareness in which “sensations, feelings, and insights are not neatly categorized into chains of thoughts, nor is there a step-by-step development of a logical-legal argument-to-conclusion. Instead, patterns appear, interweave, coexist; and sequencing is made inoperative. Conclusion, premises, feelings, and insights coexist in a manner defying temporal order.” [Sudarshan 1983][Atmanspacher 2013]

Cognitive scientists Zheng Wang and colleagues have noted the tremendous potential for quantum theory to build better models of human cognition, recognizing that unlike classical models, quantum models more accurately predict human probability judgements, as well as the way people’s answers tend to change depending on the sequence of questions being asked. Human decision processes can much more accurately be predicted with quantum models, as can subconscious reasoning and the way words and meanings are grouped. [Wang 2013]

illustration from Quantum Jumps: An Extraordinary Science of Happiness and Prosperity

Choosing What We Pay Attention To

In addition to utilizing the Quantum Zeno Effect in times of emergencies, or as I’ve previously described to break long-standing habits and addictions, such as Cell Phone Addiction, one the biggest benefits we can gain from harnessing the powers of the Quantum Zeno Effect is from experiencing more of what we enjoy, when we focus our attentive awareness on what we most appreciate and enjoy. Researchers have noted that one of the very best ways to overcome depression is to make note each day of a few things we are grateful for that we had something to do with. This simple appreciation exercise works well in writing, but you will likely notice obvious improvement even just when making mental note of what went well in your life in the past 24 hours that you had something to do with. [Larson 2013]

Here is a fun video about a way to utilize the Quantum Zeno Effect to break cell phone addiction on YouTube at:

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Notes:

Reich, Eugenie Samuel, “Quantum Paradox Seen in Diamond,” Nature, 20 August 2013

Patil, Yogesh Sharad, Srivatsan Chakram, and Mukund Vengalattore. “Quantum Control by Imaging: The Zeno effect in an ultracold lattice gas.” arXiv preprint arXiv:1411.2678 (2014).

Larson, Cynthia. Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World. 2011.

Sudarshan, E.C.G. (1983). Perception of quantum systems. In Old and New Questions in Physics, Cosmology, Philosophy, and Theoretical Biology, ed. by A. van der Merwe, Plenum, New York, pp. 457–467.

Atmanspacher, Harald, and Thomas Filk. “The Necker–Zeno Model for Bistable Perception.” Topics in cognitive science 5.4 (2013): 800-817.

Wang, Zheng, et al. “The potential of using quantum theory to build models of cognition.” Topics in Cognitive Science 5.4 (2013): 672-688.

Larson, Cynthia Sue. Quantum Jumps: An Extraordinary Science of Happiness
and Prosperity (2013).

Pothos, Emmanuel M., et al. “The potential of quantum probability for modeling cognitive processes.” Proceedings of 33rd annual conference of the cognitive science society, Cognitive Science Society, Austin, TX. 2011.

McAlpine, Fraser. “Doctor Who Science Fact: Five Whovian Things that Exist in Real Life,” BBC America. 2 August 2012. http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/08/doctor-who-science-fact/

Quantum Consciousness at UC Berkeley facilitated by Justin Riddle & Shawn Zhao, sponsored by Professor David Presti, Senior Lecturer of Neurobiology at UC Berkeley

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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How Best to Prepare for Superintelligent AI?

What happens when Artificial Intelligences gets loose in the world? 

Every parent wonders how their kids will turn out when they grow up and become independent in the world, and speaking from personal experience, it’s such a relief to see one’s children mature into wise, compassionate, genuinely good people.

Similar concerns are now on many peoples’ minds as we rush forward into the Quantum Age, getting closer and closer to creating a kind of intelligence far beyond anything we’ve yet seen on Earth before. Many are awaiting something known as the technological singularity, at which point artificial intelligence will have reached, “a predicted point in the development of a civilization at which technological progress accelerates beyond the ability of present-day humans to fully comprehend or predict.” Just what might happen when we reach such a point of technological breakthrough? What will such intelligence be capable of, and who will be in charge of ensuring its safe use?

Since I’ve been fascinated in this subject for years, I attended Douglas Hofstadter’s Symposium, “Will Spiritual Robots Replace Humanity by 2100?” at Stanford University in April 2000. Douglas Hofstadter and his eight guests (Bill Joy, Ralph Merkle, Hans Moravec, Ray Kurzweil, John Holland, Kevin Kelly, Frank Drake, and John Koza) talked for five hours about their vision of humanity’s future… as each panelist looked through a telescope with the lenses of his own particular area of expertise into the future. Many speakers cited Moore’s Law of the ever-increasing pace of technological changes to make the point that technology is changing faster than ever before, and that rate of change is expected to increase at an exponential rate–so it is difficult to predict where we will be in one hundred years from now. Douglas explained that he only invited guests who agreed that there is a possibility for robots to be spiritual. Douglas wanted to focus on the question of “Who will be we in 2093?”, since a visualization of who we will be is at the core of how we can understand how we might be utilizing new technologies. I wondered just how possible it was that robots might be thinking and acting on their own behalf by 2100–and I wondered that if this was so, might they be replacing us–with or without our consent and cooperation?

Over the past fifteen years, there has been increasing interest–and concern–about artificial superintelligence. Roman Yampolskiy summarizes the Singularity Paradox (SP) as “superintelligent machines are feared to be too dumb to possess common sense.” Put in even more simple terms, there is a growing concern about dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) amongst some of the world’s best-educated and most well-respected scientific leaders, such as Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates. The hazards of AI containment are discussed in some detail in Artificial Superintelligence, yet in language easily understandable to the layman.

In his new book, Artificial Superintelligence, Yampolskiy argues for addressing AI potential dangers with a safety engineering approach, rather than with loosely defined ethics, since human values are inconsistent and dynamic. Yampolskiy points out that “fully autonomous machnines cannot ever be assumed to be safe,” and going so far as to add, “… and so should not be constructed.”

Yampolskiy acknowledges the concern of AI escaping confines, and takes the reader on a tour of AI taxonomies with a general overview of the field of Intelligence, showing a Venn type diagram (p 30) in which ‘human minds’ and ‘human designed AI’ occupy adjacent real estate on this nonlinear terrain of ‘minds in general’ in multidimensional super space. ‘Self-improving minds’ are envisioned which improve upon ‘human designed AI,’ and at this very juncture arises the potential for ‘universal intelligence,’ and the Singularity Paradox (SP) problem.

Yampolskiy proposes initiation of an AI hazard symbol, which could prove useful for constraining AI to designated containment areas, in J.A.I.L. or ‘Just for A.I. Location.’ Part of Yampolskiy’s proposed solution to the AI Confinement Problem includes asking ‘safe questions’ (p 137). Yampolskiy includes other solutions proposed by Drexler (confine transhuman machines), Bostrom (utilize AI only for answering questions in Oracle mode), Chalmers (confine AI to ‘leakproof’ virtual worlds), and argues for creation of committees designated to oversea AI security.

Emphasizing the scale and scope of what needs to be accomplished in order to help ensure safety of AI are points such as Yudkowskiy having “performed AI-box ‘experiments’ in which he demonstrated that even human-level intelligence is sufficient to escape from an AI-box,” and even Chalmers “correctly observes that a truly leakproof system in which NO information is allowed to leak out from the simulated world into our environment is impossible, or at least pointless.”

Since one of the fundamental tenets in information security is that it is impossible to ever prove any system is 100% secure, it’s easy to see why there is such strong and growing concern regarding the safety to mankind of AI. And if there is no way to safely confine AI, then like any parents, humanity will certainly find itself hoping that we’ll have done such an excellent job raising AI to maturity, that it will comport itself kindly toward its elders. Yampolskiy points out, “In general, ethics for superintelligent machines is one of the most fruitful areas of research in the field of singularity research, with numerous publications appearing every year.”

One look at footage of a Philip Dick AI robot saying,

“I’ll keep you warm and safe in my people zoo,”

as shown in the 2011 Nova Science documentary What’s the Next Big Thing can be enough to jolt us out of complacency. For those hoping that teaching AI to simply follow the rules will be enough, Yampolskiy replies that law-abiding AI is not enough. AI could still keep humans safe ‘for their own good,’ increasingly limiting human free choice in a sped-up kind of way, that superintelligent AI will be able to do.

For readers intrigued in what safe variety of AI might be possible, the section of Artificial Superintelligence early in the book will be of great interest. Yampolskiy describes five taxonomies of minds (pp 31-34). Returning to re-read this section after having completed the rest of the book can be quite beneficial, as at this point readers can more fully understand how AI that is Quantum and Flexibly Embodied according to Goetzel taxonomy (p 31) with Ethics Self-Monitoring (p 122) might help ensure development of safe AI. If such AI systems include error-checking, with firmware (unerasable) dedication to preserving others and constantly checking to seek and resonate with highest-order intelligence with quantum levels of sensing through time-reversible logic gates (in accordance with quantum deductive logic), one can begin to breathe a sigh of relief that there might just be a way to ensure safe AI will prevail.

While the deepest pockets of government funding are unlikely to ever make plans to develop such a system that would not be controlled by anything less than the greatest intelligence seekable by AI (such as God), it is conceivable that humanitarian philanthropists will step forward to fund such a project in time that all of us will be eternally grateful that its highest-order-seeking AI will prevail.

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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Berenstain Bears, Mandela Effect, Thanksgiving Thursday

The biggest alternate universes popular meme recently has been the Berenstein Bears / Berenstain Bears

After sixteen years of regularly covering the topic of alternate histories–sometimes rapidly changing alternate histories–I’m delighted to see some specific cases of reality shifts and quantum jumps being so widely reported that some bigger media channels are taking notice recently.

While realityshifters like me are conservatively reporting at least one rather noticeable reality shift or quantum jump every day, many newcomers to this phenomena are viewing this subject with astonishment mixed with understandable incredulity as they discuss the “Mandela effect” or the “Berenstain Bears” controversy. For newcomers to the world of reality shifts, typically only one thing is currently being noticed as having mysteriously changed–so naturally their focus of attention is on the what, when, where, how, and why of that particular shift.

The Berenstein Berenstain Bears story has this month been covered by MTV, Seventeen magazine, the Globe and Mail, the New Zealand Herald, and the Mandela Effect website, While reporters maintain a cheeky attitude of playful irreverence when covering this topic, such as when New Zealand Herald reporter, Karl Puschmann, asks us to spell the name of the family of bears we came to know and love as children, “Did you spell it Berenstein or Berenstain? The former is right, but wrong. The latter is officially correct but undoubtedly incorrect. Everything we thought we knew is a lie. In case you’re wondering, yes, I am wearing my best tinfoil hat right now but let me assure you, this is only as a safety precaution. I’m not a nutter or anything. Honestly.”

The Mandela Effect has gained similar traction recently, being reported this past month in the Corsicana Daily Sun, CKNW News Talk, and The Globe and Mail. I first wrote about having remembered Nelson Mandela passing away while incarcerated in my blog and the August 2013 issue of RealityShifters. Over the past couple of years, increasing numbers of people have remembered that they, too, have memories of Mandela dying years earlier than his more recent passing. There was so much interest in this so-called “Mandela Effect,” which is part of what RealityShifters has been calling the “Alive Again” phenomenon since May 2004, that Reddit readers talked about it recently, and that Fiona Broome created her Mandela Effect website in 2011.

While I’ve not yet seen such widespread reports of America’s Thanksgiving Third Thursday switch from the third to the fourth Thursday of November, I’m sure that’s just a matter of time. Over the past two years, I’ve been receiving increasing numbers of reports from people who do remember that American Thanksgiving “always” fell on the third Thursday of November. I published the first such report in the November 2013 RealityShifters, with follow-up confirmation from others with similar memories in the January 2015 RealityShifters, the February 2015 RealityShifters, and the May 2015 RealityShifters. Clearly, there’s some kind of momentum for remembering alternate histories, as increasing numbers of people are agreeing that they, too, remember things differently than supposedly have “always been true.” As one of the many people who remember Thanksgiving being on the third Thursday of each month, I can assure you I never would have scheduled International Aura Awareness Day to fall on Thanksgiving weekend. Which is why I’m quite certain that I’ve experienced a change in the past few years, despite there being no current historical record that such a change has occurred.

Oliver Sacks Dies… Again

The perspective on such topics as these for realityshifters like me is naturally more accepting and relaxed, due to the steady flow of such “unusual” happenings in our everyday lives. For example, as I sip my morning cup of coffee today, I read today’s New York Times article about Oliver Sacks having passed away, I recognize this “news” story as one I read rather recently, just a week or two ago. In fact, it is so familiar that the photo of Robin Williams with Robert De Niro in Williams’ role playing a character based on Sacks in the movie “Awakenings” is the exact same one I saw very recently. I double-check the date of Oliver Sacks’ death, and see that as of today, he’s supposedly passed away today, Sunday, August 30th. I confirm this date by running a quick search engine check, to make sure it wasn’t really a couple of weeks ago, and all sources agree on today–Sunday, August 30th. Because I’ve already read a nearly identical version of this obituary, I am able to skim it quickly today, which I’m happy to find provides me with a bit more time to work on writing this blog post that I wouldn’t otherwise have.

As amazing as one might expect it should be to me for me to see an obituary run for a second time in the New York Times as if it’s fresh news all over again, such experiences with repeating events are really nothing new for me. I now realize that seeing New York Times front page obituary news more than once is similar to my having tired of overplayed songs on the radio in the 1970s as a youth, only to hear radio announcers gleefully announce the exciting world debut of those songs as “being played for the first time.” While I dismissed such things as somebody’s confusion in my youth, I’ve now become consciously aware of regularly occurring alternate histories, so surfing through them is a natural part of my life.

Joys of Reality Shifts: Lost Earring Returns

There are times when being a realityshifter is truly a delight. Rather than accepting a given situation as fixed or unchangeable, I am keenly aware of just how flexible reality can be. During a walk one evening with a friend along a city sidewalk, I noticed upon reaching my car that one of my gold earrings was no longer on my ear. These earrings have special sentimental value to me, since I received them as a gift from my parents, and they’re pretty, too. I asked my friend to continue on without me, so I would have time to retrace my steps and see if I could find the earring on the sidewalk or street. I entered a state of relaxed, energized, loving awareness, as I walked back and forth along the several blocks of sidewalk and street. I imagined our recently deceased family dog was walking with me, since he always helped me find things–often by helping me visualize where they were. I’d told my friend and colleague, Dr. Beverly Rubik, about our dog’s death earlier that same day at lunch, and she’d told me how she’d heard bells playing when she buried her beloved pet dog–though strangely, there were no bells nearby. Though I’d not heard bells when burying our family dog, realized I was now hearing the sound of the UC Berkeley Sather Tower campanile bells playing a beautiful tune! I felt tremendous love in my heart for my dog, for the campanile music, and for being alive. I checked my hair and clothes one more time, hoping that perhaps my earring never hit the ground. I sensed a question posed to me, “Where would you like to find it?” My telepathic reply to this silent question was simply “Somewhere safe.” I’d much rather find it in good shape, rather than flattened by a 3,000 pound car driving by. I realized after retracing my steps for a second meticulous time, that as much as I adore my earring, I was willing to accept not being able to find it for the time being. So, for a few hours I ignored my missing earring and went to the Foundations of Mind conference reception party, visited with friends, and finally returned home. And that’s when, to my great surprise and delight, tucked deep down inside my clothes in a place that makes no sense for it to be–and certainly not without my having felt it and been annoyed by its presence–was my missing earring, in perfect condition, completely safe!

Primacy of Quantum Logic in the Natural World

So what’s going on? Occam’s Razor invites us to avoid over-complicating explanations of what’s going on. William of Ockham’s words on this matter were, “Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate,”  which translates to “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.” Curiously, or perhaps appropriately for our topic, much controversy occurs when scholars attempt to provide proper attribution for this quote, as noted in this article called “The Myth of Ockham’s Razor,” at the Logic Museum. In complete harmony with the fact that it appears there might currently be no physical evidence of any kind to support that William of Ockham is the true origination of the idea behind Occam’s Razor, the arrival of a fresh understanding of Quantum Logic in time to provide a framework for new Quantum Computers provides us valuable insights regarding our mistaken long-standing presumption that Classical, Boolean Logic is all that deductive logic is about. Obviously, this is not the case, as I summarized in my most recent blog post, Different Memories are to be Expected in the Quantum Age.

Reality as found in Nature, like consciousness itself, has a wild, unpredictable, untamed, nonlinear quality to it. The reality I’ve seen and come to know and love has occasionally changing “facts,” such as whether or not American Thanksgiving has always fallen on the fourth Thursday of November, Nelson Mandela died in prison, the Berenstain Bears were once known as Berenstein, or William of Ockham really was the first person to popularize the notion of “Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate”  in the Middle Ages. In Quantum Logic, both the past and the future can change, and often do. It’s up to us to bring conscious attention and awareness to what truly matters most to us. This is the foundation for the paper I presented this month at Foundations of Mind: A Dialogue of World Views, at UC Berkeley. The title of my paper is, “Quantum Logic is Primary in the Natural World.” It will be published along with other papers presented at the conference in the coming year.

You can watch the video edition of this post on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/lzBXJ6jt9kE

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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Different Memories are to be Expected in the Quantum Age

Have you noticed how things often aren’t the way you remember them? Or that your memories are sometimes quite different from your family and friends?

Different memories are to be expected in the Quantum Age. Facts do not always stay fixed, and we will increasingly recognize changes in the way we remember the past that differ from previous memories. Noticing differences in the way we remember previous events is an intrinsic part of the true nature of reality. I write about the way our memories can be observed to change in our own lives, and in relationship to friends and family in my book, “Quantum Jumps,” where I write about “flashbulb” memories, and the way we can observe shifts in reality in which people don’t agree on what happened, since they recall different pasts.

We’re living in an extraordinary time, as quantum technology brings humanity to the brink of entering the Quantum Age. At this juncture, some surprises are in store for everyone, as we finally begin to acknowledge that Boolean logic is seen to be a subset and special case of quantum logic.

What we think of as analytical logic is thus partially complete, partially true. Quantum logic includes a much broader awareness of four-fold logic, similar to logic as long understood in Asia, in which we do have binary categories of “True” and “False,” but we appreciate there are even larger categories of “True-and-False” and “Not-True-Not-False.”

Charles Babbage

Quantum logic is necessary in order that quantum computers can be programmed, just as Boolean logic sprang into being in 1847 in conjunction with Charles Babbage developing the first programmable device with his Babbage computer–which was the forerunner of all of today’s classical computers. George Boole’s Boolean logic had not really been necessary prior to the advent of classical computers, but in the 1800s we suddenly did have a need for a kind of logic that could be relied upon to get consistent answers to problems. We take for granted that rational thinking is equivalent with Boolean logic, yet Boolean logic is certainly not the only kind of logic that exists. It is a relatively straightforward logic in which decision trees can be easily understood in terms of Boolean logic gates, making it perfect to be at the heart of the classical digital revolution in the Information Age.

George Boole

Quantum logic is required in order for computer programmers and developers to get their minds around quantum logic gates as the rush is on to develop the first true quantum computers. Quantum logic is generally recognized as being a more encompassing type of logic than Boolean logic, which is widely viewed as being a special case of quantum logic. What this means for our conceptualization of what is “logical” and “rational” is that a whole new kind of worldview is about to come into global prominence. Many assumptions that seem logical and rational according to Boolean logic are far too limited for quantum logic–and that includes assumptions that we only need pay attention to material things, that nonlocal effects can be ignored, that there is such a thing as an objective and uninvolved observer, and that we can have precise answers to problems. Quantum logic overturns all these assumptions completely–and also adds the exciting development of two-way logic gates through time. What we end up with is a completely new kind of logic that is far from what Spock often referred to on Star Trek!

In fact, quantum logic has a lot more to do with synchronicity, a term psychologist Carl Jung coined to signify “the simultaneous occurrence of two meaningful but not causally connected events,” or as “a coincidence in time of two or more casually unrelated events which have the same or similar meaning… equal in rank to a causality as a principle of explanation.” While Spock would most likely have called synchronicity “illogical,” it may turn out to be totally logical when viewed from a perspective of quantum logic. Synchronicity is the occurrence of a physical event in the world near the same time it is being discussed or thought about, and the essence of synchronicity is felt, as there is often significance and meaning associated with it. Quantum logic will most likely begin to show us how this kind of interplay between levels of consciousness can be revealed through coincidences in “internal” thought and “external” action as we play with our sense of identity based on who “we” think we really are.

Another one of the more surprising aspects of quantum logic is that it shows us that we cannot ever fully know all “facts,” since some necessarily remain in a kind of blurry possibility field. When we combine that uncertainty with the way that quantum logic gates are two-ways through time, we start to see a quantum “mechanism” by which the future can and does influence the past. “Facts” are therefore not entirely fixed, and only awareness–consciousness–remains eternal.

You can watch the video edition of this post on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/xvN5s34JfoM

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

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Change Your Story, Change Your Life

Learn how you can change the background stories running through your mind.

Have you ever listened to a friend or family member introducing themselves to someone they’ve just met, and noticed how they often say the same things at each introduction? Such introduction stories are one way we can catch a glimpse of what’s usually happening unobserved inside ourselves. It’s understandable to hear someone describing themselves as a “Hurricane Sandy survivor,” or a “California firestorm survivor,” since this is a quick way to bring people current with a general sense of some of the challenges they’ve recently faced.

Stories become much more than “just stories” when they play a constant and active role in our lives. We tell ourselves and others who we are, what motivates us, how we arrived where we are today, and what kinds of challenges we face in the stories we live by. Author Thomas King points out “There are no truths, only stories.” These stories need not stay stuck in one particular type of archetypal plot type, but can be changed in ways that benefit our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health.

As it turns out, stories are far from passive, inert influences in our lives; they can be every bit as dangerous as they are healing. Author Lewis Mehl-Madrona and his wife Barbara Mainguy share insights for transforming stories from their professional practices in osteopathic medicine and psychotherapy in Remapping Your Mind, with strong support from recent scientific research to explain how and why story therapy can work. Research explaining how the Default Mode Network (DMN) describes activities in the brain region responsible for running the background activity constantly running in our minds. Scientific studies investigating the remarkable efficacy of the Placebo Effect provide insights as to how the stories people tell influence mind-body-spirit health and wellbeing.

Remapping Your Mind provides us with a road map by which we view the inner landscape of our collective minds as the territory of stories we live by. While the case studies and scientific research are quite convincing, I am already aware that the methods described in Remapping Your Mind are effective–because this method is one I have found to be quite reliable when assisting my life coaching clients over the past sixteen years. I have witnessed the same kind of remarkable transformations in peoples’ lives as described in this book, in which people find profound insights in discovering their story, and as they become facile in changing the landscape of the significance and meaning of events and characters in their lives.

There is a kind of magic that occurs when people move out of feeling victimized into a bigger world of more positive possibility, and Remapping Your Mind provides a trusty guide to start this transformation right away.Whether or not you can wrap your mind around the transformative healing power of stories, and even if you don’t yet know what your stories are, Remapping Your Mind will likely be one of your most treasured reference books.

As Thomas King once pointed out, “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” How wonderful that we have a very big say in how we tell the stories of our lives! I highly recommend Remapping Your Mind for anyone interested in self transformation.

 

You can watch the video edition of this post on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/kYKsL-7yNH4

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

RealityShifters®

How to Choose the Best Meditation for You

If meditation is so good for us, why can it feel so hard to get started?

You’ve most likely seen reports listing many benefits from meditation, recently have been scientifically proven to produce long-lasting improvements in mental cognition, problem-solving, and even increases in brain cell growth after just a few weeks of meditating for 20 minutes a day. Scientific interest in this topic has been steadily growing with no slow-down in sight; Google scholar lists over 5,000 studies citing benefits of meditation that have been published in the first seven months of 2015.

Some of the advantages of meditation include: reduction of stress which in turn boosts the immune system, energy levels, and sense of wellbeing and equanimity; growth of grey cells in the brain and the hippocampus, contributing to better cognitive functioning and problem solving; lengthened telomeres, contributing to greater longevity and overall health.

In addition to these and hundreds of more proven benefits of meditation, people who meditate also find themselves surrounded with happy coincidences and delightful synchronicity. Things just seem to go their way.

So how can we get started meditating, when it’s something we’ve never done before?

 

Overcome Inner Resistance

As in all matters of health and wellbeing, we can be our own best friends and supporters on a path to improvement, or we can be self-saboteurs. Since meditation is turning out to be as important to good health as sleep, diet, and exercise, it’s important to find ways to ensure we make time for it in our daily lives. And just like choosing diet and exercise programs that work best for you, a meditation program will be most rewarding and effective when it’s well-suited to your individual strengths, style, and preferences. And when it’s fun!

I’ve found that one of the best ways for me to stick with my commitment to daily meditation is to practice the types of meditation I most enjoy. There are so many types of meditation to choose from–yet I know I’ll actually do the ones that feel just right for me, because I feel like they’re actually fun! This tactic is a bit like “whistling while you work,” but it’s actually even better than that, because when I choose types of meditation I like to do, meditation isn’t a bit like work!

 

Create Your Favorite Meditations

Here’s a quick way to zero in on finding the best meditation technique for you. First, choose a favorite physically relaxing activity, and then select a favorite mental focus. When you combine these two, you’ll have a customized meditation technique that is just right for you! To get started, honestly complete two sentences:  (1) One of my favorite ways to relax is _________________ and (2) I most enjoy focusing my attention on ___________________.

It’s helpful to take a look at examples of some different ways people might answer these questions, to give you an idea of how to construct personalized meditations, starting with the idea of taking a look at your favorite way to relax. And yes, simply doing whatever activity you find most relaxing can count as a form of meditation!

(1) One of my favorite ways to relax is to:

Listen to music
Work in the garden
Close my eyes and breathe deeply
Watch clouds go by
Take a hot bath
Go for a walk

People who enjoy walking can develop their own form of walking meditation. Some people count their breaths as they walk, others simply let go of their worries with each deep breath, and still others observe their thoughts go by without pursuing them. What sort of mental focus appeals to you?

Cynthia Sue Larson using two wire coat hangers to dowse energy fields

(2) I most enjoy focusing my attention on:

Letting go of all thoughts
Breathing
Observing the patterns of thoughts
Feeling energy flowing through my body

Whatever mental focus most appeals to you is the one to try. Some people prefer to mull over various thoughts of the day, while others find a sense of nirvana in getting to a place of inner harmonious peace in which thoughts and feelings are cleared away as they show up. Some people feel relaxed by paying attention to bringing awareness to physical activities such as breathing, and take care to breathe more slowly and deeply to the lower abdomen. If you don’t know what you prefer, then try out various ways to focus your attention until you find one that feels best to you. 

This is really all there is to it… just combine one of your most relaxing activities with one of your most relaxing mental focuses, and you are meditating! You can even come up with a few favorite meditations, such as one that works best when first awakening, another one to do while showering or brushing your teeth, and yet another to do while taking a walk. 

If you try one meditation and find you don’t like it, then try another one. You can find something you like, so don’t give up!

 

Listen to Recorded Meditations

Could you use a little extra help getting started with meditation? Or perhaps you could benefit from meditation assistance on days that are more challenging. Some people find it’s easiest and most enjoyable to meditate with assistance from recorded meditations. My Aura Healing Meditations are available as an autographed CD through the RealityShifters website, as MP3 audio files, and tracks on iTunes and Amazon, and can be played to create a positive healing environment any time you wish to reduce stress, enhance your energy field, improve your health, and increase your effectiveness.

 

You can watch the video edition of this post on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/idpVLQuQnBk

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com

RealityShifters®