February 1, 2008

My Theory on Spirits of the Paranormal

By Edward Shanahan

"One thing I have learned in a long life; that all our science measured against reality is primitive and child like -- yet, it is the most precious thing we have." -Albert Einstein

I put the quote above by Albert Einstein to illustrate some things often overlooked in the paranormal field. The reality to the world around us is very vast and our science cannot explain very much of it today. When we look at spirits and the spiritual side, it is easy to see why science can only go so far at detecting and explaining it.

I feel science is important out there in the paranormal field. Some theories out there can be understood, explained, or discounted just knowing some science. So here, I will attempt to put what science you need out there to understand. This is just about the only way to understand my own theory that I have, that came to me by my own inner knowledge and experience with spirits.

This is an attempt to for those interested to give you a possible view of what is actually happening with the use of science and spiritual inner knowledge. This is written for a reference and not meant for you to remember all the details, but to teach some concepts to possibly understand more about the spiritual world and what could actually be happening.

Everything in Our World is Energy
E=mc² is Einstein's theory of relativity from 1905. Yes, it has been around quite some time. What does this mean? Do not worry, I am not going to go into the entire width of what this means. But, just enough to point out some of its implications that would concern the science to understand what spirits might or might not be. This little equation says quite a lot and goes far beyond what I will discuss here. But, it does say this; "Energy equals matter" (energy equals mass (of matter) times the speed of light squared). This means, all life, all things are made up of energy. Matter is energy, but, in a different form.

All things, including the air we breathe, the items in your house, you and me, everything you see around you is made up of matter. The smallest molecules of matter are atoms. Each atom has electrons, protons, and neutrons. Electrons are negatively charged. Protons are positively charged. Neutrons are neutrally charged. Meaning, atoms are essentially energy.

Now, you do not have to remember all this. There is no test at the end. You only have to read it and grasp the concept that atoms are essentially energy. Therefore all matter is energy, just in a different form.

So when we say; "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed" that refers to matter as well. Our world is energy. That is reality. For an example; light a match. Have you just created energy? Not really. The energy is already there, just in a different form presented in the atoms of what makes up the match before it is lit and changes when the match is lit. You can see how this theory of energy applies to matter as well.

5 States of Matter Currently Known By Science
1. Bose-Einstein Condensates
2. Solids
3. Liquids
4. Gases
5. Plasmas

These are the 5 states of matter currently known by science. They are in order of how close the molecules or atoms are to each other. The first one (Condensates) have the atoms closest together. The last (Plasma) have the atoms furthest apart.

Do not concern yourself with the first state of matter (Condensates), as it doesn't apply at all to what I am discussing here. I will leave the discussion of what they are out, as to not confuse you. I only list Condensates here, to show there are actually 5 states of matter known to science today.

Our entire world consists of matter in the states listed above. (Well, there may be more that science does not know of yet.)

I believe most people will be familiar with solid, liquid and gas states of matter. So I will skip explaining them here. However, Plasma will be discussed later.

Charge and No Charge - What is energy?
Atoms are usually balanced out by positive and negative charges. This is because they have the same number of protons (positive charges) and electrons (negative charges). So, unless an electron or proton is missing, you have a neutral charge. That's because the electrons and protons cancel themselves out and are a neutral charge. A piece of metal, for instance would have a neutral charge and be undetectable to an electro magnetic field detector (EMF detector).

Plasma however, is positively charged. You can find plasma in florescent lights, lightning, neon lights, and in plasma balls. The atoms are further apart than gas. The other types of matter listed are neutral. Matter can become charged, like electricity in wiring or filament in a light bulb. When there is a charge, whether positive or negative, it is referred to as an electrical charge. This is generally what people refer to as energy and will be picked up by an EMF detector.

What is an EMF?
EMF stands for electromagnetic field. It is a field of charged particles. You could also call it an energy field. Electricity and magnetism go together and are synonymous. The energy field could be so large it encircles the earth or very small.

These energy fields can be created by naturally occurring substances such as copper, iron, limestone, chalk, salt, and water, or any combination of these things and among other elements and substances. When you add a water source and especially a moving water source such as a river or stream, it increases the EMFs. It is important to know what is around a site before taking EMF readings for this reason. When you add humidity and other naturally occurring factors, it could also increase the likeliness of an EMF.

Iron and copper are good conductors and absorb energy from the surrounding environment and earth. In areas where there are heavy deposits of these minerals you will see high EMFs, such as, areas where there are iron mines. These are areas where EMF detectors are going to pick up EMFs easily. Baseline readings are not going to help in this situation. EMFs can move and fluctuate in these areas. So readings, no matter when taken, will not prove or disprove spirits existence.

Limestone and chalk work much like batteries in a way. They absorb and hang onto the energy of the environment and earth. Limestone tends to be very helpful in providing the earth with energy for trees and new plant life during the spring for this reason. Chalk is even a better energy absorber than limestone. Limestone is found in cement and cement bricks.

Other things you should be aware of with EMF detectors are wiring, heating pipes (especially iron ones), copper pipes, electrical appliances, and hot water pipes. Any appliance or item that runs on electricity can create an EMF.

Even people and animals have EMFs surrounding them. Even guinea pigs could register. This is not a piece of equipment I personally use. I put this information here so that people have this information if they decide to use one and they will know what to look for.

My Theory on Spirits:
We don't really have the answer to what they are for sure. There is no way to test this theory at this time. Nor, do I think it will be possible for quite some time. But, here is my theory.

Given that EMF (electro magnetic field) detectors do not always pick up the presence of a spirit, one would have to conclude that if they were a charged energy like electricity, we would be able to detect them all the time. We know that is not the case. So, spirits should be a neutral charge with all the electrons and protons in the molecules balancing the charges of positive and negative charges much like a piece of plastic or metal would be. So, spirits would be a state of matter that is neutrally charged. Which if they were, it would make spirits virtually impossible to pick up using an EMF detector.

Even humans are detectable with EMF detectors. We are like a machine where our bodies are producing energy and taking in energy all the time. All living things have some energy they emit.

So, what are the EMF detectors picking up?
Okay, ruling out naturally occurring electro magnetic fields from iron, copper, limestone, and a host of other elements that can create electro magnetic fields on their own, I believe what they pick up is not the spirit, but, the area that the mass of matter that a spirit is, affects. This would be in the idea of static electricity.

This would explain why EMF detectors do not always pick up a presence when there are experiences at a site where people have no doubt of a spiritual presence. But, sometimes do pick up something on some occasions. It would also explain fluctuating readings and not having consistent readings.

When matter attempts to occupy the same space it can cause a friction or rapid movement of the atoms in the surrounding area that make up the air. Much like walking across a carpet with socks and you get a shock from touching a doorknob. The movement of the mass into the area, (especially suddenly or when there is more than one mass) would cause all the atoms of the atmosphere of the air and area to move and crush the molecules against each other into a smaller space, disturbing the electrons in the atoms that make up the area. This would cause an electromagnetic field (energy).

Which means, what is detected by an EMF detector, is the area affected by the spirit, not the spirit itself.

Plasma is Close, but, not Quite Right
Plasma has many properties that are close to what a spirit is. Plasma can go through solid objects. How? This happens because the molecules to plasma are farther apart. Because they are, it can go through the space of the atoms in a solid object. So passing through closed doors, walls or other objects is possible.

Plasma also has an outer skin, much like a force field that keeps it together. The atoms can stay together in a cohesive entity much like blowing a bubble. You see this phenomenon in plasma balls (not the lights you buy at Halloween).

They are also known as prairie lights. The problem with plasma is that it is very hot. (Think of lightning.) We know this is not the case with spirits. Plasma is also positively charged and will affect the area and create electromagnetic fields and should be detectable all the time. So you see the few problems with thinking spirits are plasma. It just does not work out fully.

If we think of spirits being a sixth state of matter, which is not yet known by science, it makes perfect sense. Not only would it be of no charge, but, has many of the characteristics of plasma that allow it to go into or pass through solid objects. If this matter had a skin like plasma, it would probably be much like an orb that so many people take pictures of. It would mean that it could maintain as a cohesive mass of matter, much like we are.

It could change shape and drift like a gas or go through solid objects. But, can also transform. After all, this would be a mass that had intelligence much like us. It's just a different state of matter that we cannot detect, much like the air we breathe that we know is there, but can not see. And, that is gas, not a mass that has the molecules even further apart.

What About the Cold Spots?
Cold is the absence of energy (think of outer space). We know from many reports of spirits and my own experiences that spirits can manipulate energy around them. They can also move objects and things. So, not only could you be feeling the spirit themselves (cold spots), but, might be feeling the manipulation of that energy.

If a spirit is "energy" then there would not also be a cold spot at the same spot. With all I've witnessed the cold spot is being picked up in an area not exactly the same spot as the EMF detector reading. Thus confirming that the energy is the area affected by the spirit, not the spirit itself, and the cold spot would be the mass that we call a spirit.

I write this to share with you my thoughts and inner knowledge I received.

Edward Shanahan is a Spiritual Observer. You can visit his Web sites at: edwardshanahan.com or http://theunexplainedworld.com.