Aldous Huxley wrote, 

“There was a little hill behind the house. You climbed it, and there was the whole sky from horizon to horizon. A hundred and eighty degrees of brute inexplicable mystery. It was a good place for just sitting and saying nothing.”

Welcome to The Soul Podcast. I'm Stacey Wheeler. 

The natural would is a grand mystery. And we, ourselves are part of the natural world. And consciousness is perhaps the grandest of what Huxley calls “brute inexplicable mystery.” We’ve been trying to make sense of it for millennia. The greatest philosophers, poets and mystics have crashed against the shore of the great mystery of humanity throughout history. And in the process, barely eroding the mystery. It seems not all things in the natural world are explainable. And it also seems some minds are not okay with that truth. 

These are the people who like to make sense of all things. When they cannot, they label them as an anomaly in the research. Or call them unexplainable spiritual nonsense. For others, like you and me… we know the truth. And the truth is… we don’t have to prove a thing. The mystery is beautiful and perfect. 

Perhaps nothing is more uncomfortable to materialist minds than a thing that is measurable yet unexplainable by the scientific method. 

Today we’re going to look at an experiment that left researchers baffled. So baffled, in fact that they simply gave up trying to explain it -and most have walked away from it. 

On June 7, 1993 a group of 4000 meditators began a two month experiment in Washington DC. The lofty goal of their nearly 60-day experiment seemed laughable to some. Did they really think they could achieve such a thing?! 

And what were they hoping to accomplish? To reduce the crime rates in the city through meditation. 

The idea began in 1960, when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi argued that one percent of a population practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique would produce measurable improvements in the quality of life for the whole population. In 1975 a group of people put it to the test and found that in cities and towns all over the world where as little as one per cent of the population practiced this meditation technique, the trend of rising crime rates was measurably reversed. 

Since the first experiment it’s been called “The Maharishi Effect.”

And the Maharishi Effect has established the principle that individual consciousness affects collective consciousness. Though we can’t conclusively prove why, groups of individuals can make a difference in their societies (and the world) through thought and intention. More than 50 scientific research studies have been done over the past 40-plus years. And the results consistently show it works. Maharishi Effect.   

When the Washington DC experiment ended at the end of July, 1993 the results were tabulated and the findings were unexplainable through any method of scientific measurement. The violent crime rates had dropped by nearly a quarter. 23.3% to be exact. Though this may not seem like much, the numbers don’t lie. The statistical probability that a chance variation in crime levels could happen by was less than 2 in 1 billion. To put tis in context… the odds of winning the Powerball Jackpot is just less than 1 in 300 million. If my math is right… the odds of this outcome in the Maharishi effect is something like a person winning the Powerball jackpot more than three times. Math is not by best strength, so that’s far from exact… but just know that the result of the experiment was massively significant. There is no reasonable explanation for how a group of people can reduce violent crime though meditation alone. 

This experiment has been done many times. On many occasions it has been done remotely, meaning a group of transcendental meditators, not located in a specific location meditated with the intention of reducing violence around the world. These goals were documented before and found to be effective. Crime reduction in the areas focused on were no lower than 11% in cities all over the world. It has been shown that a group can accurately predict they will reduce violent crime through meditation. It’s measurable and undeniable. And this consistent result seems to drive many scientific minds crazy.

When scientists can’t prove a thing, their response is to put forward theories. The most prominent theory about the Maharishi Effect is the idea that it is possible because of the Unified Field. The unified field is an idea explored by scientific minds as far back as 1820 and further developed by Einstein… and others, since.

Dr. John Hagelin, a Harvard educated physicist, and retired Stanford University professor, says that the great range of distance of the Maharishi Effect (which was demonstrated by remote meditators) could only be understood to be produced as a result of the Unified Field. There are no other Laws of Nature recently' identified by modem physics, which would explain the otherwise unexplainable results of the experiments. 

But it is also noteworthy that there is an ancient field theory that massively outdates the one first suggested in 1820. Around 1500 years BC, Vedic rishis of ancient India taught that an all-encompassing field of pure consciousness exists and we all part of it. 

The unified field is far from a new idea and it has it’s roots in spiritual places. 

Dr. Haglin seems to agree. He said,

“A great unification is now taking place between science and spirituality. The most advanced discoveries of modern science are rising to reaffirm the timeless wisdom of the great religious and spiritual traditions of every culture.”

The Maharishi Effect has repeatedly shown that human intention is much more powerful than we currently understand as a society. We have the ability to change the world through thoughts and intentions. And it happens on an individual level.   

And I think we all understand this on a micro level. We’ve all experienced a grumpy coworker or family member. Their negativity rubs off on others and generally makes the emotional air around them less enjoyable. But also consider a positive, upbeat friend, coworker or family member. Just being in the room with that person can brighten your day. So, if you take a large group of people with a positive attitude towards the world, why would they not have an intensely powerful effect on the world around them? The giant question is, ‘how is this effect transmitted long distance?” 

And again, the most likely answer is The Unified Field. Every day we use invisible radio waves in our daily life for things like: Cell phones, Wi-Fi, and car radios. Somehow, we aren’t amazed by this magic, because we can know it can be explained through a scientific process (even though most of us can’t explain that process ourselves). 

So why haven’t we embraced the idea that good intentions can also be transmitted on invisible waves through the air? Is that any more absurd than what we already accept is true? Especially since the capability to reduce violent crime has been proven many times over nearly five decades of research! Do we need the rubber stamp of approval from the scientific community in order to implement a newly discovered human capability? 

Perhaps the Maharishi Effect is so amazing we struggle to believe it ourselves. What it tomorrow, there were a scientific consensus that the effect is a scientific fact? Would we then put it to use, or would we (as a society) continue to allow violence we have the power to reduce? Are we on the edge of understanding our true potential as a societal group… and how deeply we’re all connected within the unified field? 

David Edwards, Ph.D., whose a Professor of Government, at University of Texas at Austin said this about the Maharishi Effect and it’s potential to change the world, 

“I think the claim can be plausibly made that the potential impact of this research exceeds that of any other ongoing social or psychological research program. It has survived a broader array of statistical tests than most research in the field of conflict resolution. This work and the theory that informs it deserve the most serious consideration by academics and policy makers...” 

In our daily lives we are surrounded by what Huxley called “brute inexplicable mystery”.  And many of the spiritually among us are willing to risk looking foolish, as they sit and meditate for peace.  And what a gift it is that they’ve been willing to. Because of them, we’re beginning to understand the power we hold within our collective intention.  

What intention are you putting into the world? What energies of yours are being carried on the invisible waves through the unified field of consciousness? Today, consider your great role in making the world a more peaceful place. Every one of us is an energy source. And only you can choose… will the energy you transmit be negative or positive energy? 

If one percent of the population can improve the world by nearly 25%... let’s all aim to be part of that one percent.