Files From the Edge (3 page)

To take this a speculative step further, imagine if intelligent super beings understood how strings work: they could tune them and then pluck them to play different notes that in turn would change one particle into another and simultaneously alter the properties of matter in the universe. Simply put, if you knew the secret of the vibrating strings and how to play the guitar of the universe, base metals like iron or lead could be changed into gold, the highest achievement of alchemists in antiquity. Throughout time, legends from many Middle Eastern cultures tell of “supernatural” beings called the
Djinn
(genies) who have the ability to shape-shift and change one type of substance into another. To mere mortals it appears as magic, but perhaps the Djinn and other beings like them know how to play the cosmological strings of the universe. The legend of the Djinn also states that they are invisible and live in a world (dimension) close to our own. Sound familiar? Let’s explore these other dimensions in greater detail.

Dimensions Abound

String theory also predicts the existence of additional dimensions in the physical universe created when strings actually loop or fold around each other. These extra dimensions are actual physical areas of space existing all around us that we cannot see or enter. This is because human beings are limited to existing in three-dimensional space along one particular part of a string. Although one aspect of the theory predicts the existence of twenty-six dimensions, it has been proven mathematically that this model would be unstable since these extra dimensions would eventually collapse on each other. A stable model of string theory (called the M theory) places membrane-like structures that interact with the strings and provide support keeping them intact. The membranes also act like buffers between the dimensions, ensuring that one reality does not constantly clash with another. In this mathematical model, eleven stable dimensions can exist in any given physical part of the universe.

A good analogy would be to imagine a sheet of glass with many drops of water on both sides. The drops of water represent each dimension while the glass is the membrane, and the sheet itself represents our universe. If you have that pictured in your mind, now imagine an infinite number of glass sheets all with water bubbles on them. Each plane of glass represents another universe. So what would happen if two glass sheets hit each other? No one knows for sure, but the one thing physicists are certain of is that although two colliding universes might be annihilated, the information in the two realities would not disappear—they would still exist and most likely form into one large universe or many smaller ones.
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Since scientists widely believe string theory is consistent with quantum gravity, many researchers, including myself, hope that it will explain the many mysteries of the cosmos, including paranormal phenomena.

Enter the Multiverse

If string theory hasn’t confused you yet with its prediction of eleven dimensions in our universe, hold onto your hat—a new idea states that all the stars, gas clouds, planets, and galaxies we can see from our viewpoint in time and space (called the Hubble Volume) is only one single universe, the one we happen to live in. The multiverse theory states that in all existence, there are countless numbers of parallel universes larger and smaller in size than our own, each with eleven physical dimensions! If this theory is correct, what we call our visible universe is one of many multiple bubble- like universes in the multiverse.

The multiverse (or “meta-universe” as it is sometimes called) is an infinite number of possible universes that interact together and make up what we call reality. In some of these other universes, the laws of physics are the same and in some quite different. Universes close by each other in the multiverse are called parallel universes; each could be inhabited by intelligent beings that rarely, if ever, get to meet their cousins who live in a nearby reality.

Imagine there is another copy of you reading this book in another galaxy billions of lights years away on another planet called Earth. The life of this person is almost identical to yours in every respect, until now. Let’s say you decide to stop reading this book but your twin continues to read it until the book is finished: this would be the turning point from which the realities start to diverge. Most would find this idea very strange and unacceptable. We would like to think we are all unique, but according to the simplest theory in the multiverse, called the level I, this duplicate of you actually exists in a galaxy 40 billion light years from our planet. There are four levels of the multiverse theory, presented briefly in the following sections.

Level I: The Cosmic Horizon

In this version all matter in the universe is dimensional and expanding in all directions across space and time. The level I universe is so vast that eventually everything is duplicated with even a copy of you at a great distance somewhere in space beyond 40 billion light years. All intelligent beings in the level I universe experience the same laws of physics. This theory discounts the idea of you and your double(s) ever meeting; the distances required for the duplication to take place is too vast.

Level II: The Cosmic Bubble

This theory states that there is an infinite number of level I universes existing like bubbles throughout reality. Each universe would have a different space-time dimensionality and would most likely have different physical laws that govern them. Each bubble universe is predicted to be farther and farther from our own universe. Even if you traveled at the speed of light forever, you could never reach the closest one since the inflation of the bubbles continues to move them away from each other at greater and greater speed. Although in the level II multiverse we are unable to interact with these other realities, scientists can infer their presence indirectly by observing unexplained phenomenon in our universe and gravitational interactions with clusters of galaxies.

Level III: Infinite Diverging Realities

Level I and II deal with worlds that are too far for us to ever see. The level III theory says that they are all close by and extensions of our own reality. This idea originates from the concept that random quantum processes cause the universe to branch outward in time, space, and dimensionality into multiple copies, one for each possible outcome. Simply put, every action or decision being made or not made by every living being has multiple outcomes and each is branching out, creating their own separate reality. There may be a reality in which you got married, another in which you did not. In one reality you may have brought a green car, in another a red one and so on. Some of these parallel realities may be only slightly different from your own: if you switched places with your double, you may never know the difference.

Level IV: The Theory of the Parallel Multiverse

I like this theory best because it explains most paranormal phenomenon seen in our world. Level IV theory states that there are an infinite number of bubble-like universes attached to ours in a multidimensional state. At any time, two or more of these parallel realities may merge together and allow matter to stream from one universe to the next. Perhaps UFOs and other mythological beings and creatures reported throughout human history are all visitors from a neighboring universe. Some may have journeyed here with the intent of exploring our universe, but some could have arrived here by accident and can’t find their way home!

The Multiverse in Science and Religion

The idea of a multiverse is not a new one—it has been hypothesized in physics, astronomy, philosophy, and science fiction for more than a hundred years. The concept of a multidimensional universe can be found in many religious beliefs that predate Judaism and Christianity. The earliest known records describing something similar to the multiverse are found in ancient Hindu cosmology. Ancient records expressed the idea of an infinite number of realities each with its own gods, worlds, and inhabitants all governed by different laws of nature. The legendary spirit worlds of the Druids and Native Americans also indicate belief in other realities that exist outside the physical realm. The Christian heaven, hell, and purgatory could also be thought of as existing in a parallel universe.

In modern physics, we have observed several theories of the multiverse and not one, but all of them may be the true state of reality. According to MIT physics professor Max Tegmark, each nearby parallel universe could be connected by wormholes allowing realities to merge for an indefinite amount of time. Wormholes are an interesting idea because many paranormal cases involving the appearance of strange beings and glowing lights also involve a portal-like structure that appears out of thin air, potentially allowing an entity or UFO-like phenomenon to emerge in our universe and neatly disappear when the transition is complete. It is my belief that all paranormal researchers, from ghost hunters to UFO investigators, should take into account that much of the phenomena they are trying to document does not come from our world, but another reality that occasionally merges with our own. It is not the purpose of this book to explore multiverse theory or the extra dimensions that exist in each; the reader should consider that paranormal cases presented in this book most likely have an origin in not one but multiple parallel realities.

Investigating the Unknown in a Modern Universe

Despite great technological advances and our growing awareness of the forces that power the universe, there are still many things human beings experience that they are incapable of categorizing; in turn, these experiences generate fear. Mysterious events have been called “paranormal” because they seem to emanate outside our normal reality. Over the past thirty years as a paranormal researcher, I have investigated and gathered information from hundreds of cases that span across the paranormal spectrum, including everything from ghost sightings to claims of alien contact and abductions.

One of the greatest problems a researcher faces is the collection of accurate information; are witnesses really reporting what they’ve seen and not what they
think
they might have seen? I don’t think witnesses fabricate hoaxes all the time, but in some cases, people embellish their experiences by adding missing parts to satisfy the questions of the investigator. The investigator must learn to ask the important questions and pull back witnesses when they seem to get carried away. It helps to ground a witness by saying “Please, just give me the facts, just the facts.” If you should ever experience a paranormal event, the most important thing to do is to find another person (another witness) because a greater number of witnesses make for a stronger case.

Although my growing database is filled with all types of paranormal events, I am still amazed by the similarities in many independent case studies. The bottom line is that credible people are reporting encounters with something incredible. After studying the data, no matter how skeptical a person may be, there are three things that cannot be denied: reports of paranormal events exist, they are a global phenomena, and they are increasing in frequency at an alarming rate.
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Reports of various paranormal phenomena are similar worldwide; the only difference is witness interpretation of events. This similarity will be a key factor in how investigators document experiences. Differences in data collected from those who experience paranormal events are directly related to local culture, education, and religious beliefs. One of the greatest misconceptions the public has is that only “true believers” have paranormal experiences but this could not be further from the truth—my files are full of cases in which witnesses had no interest in ghosts, poltergeists, Bigfoot, or UFOs. The majority of these people never claim psychic powers and do not seek publicity of any kind. Many I’ve spoken with were afraid to tell even their closest friends or relatives for fear of being perceived as crazy or unstable.

After a paranormal event take place, a good number of once-stable people see their lives totally changed, some for the better, and some for the worse. The majority of witnesses I’ve interviewed have been reputable people with solid reputations whose testimonies would never be questioned in any court of law.

I must clarify that although I have investigated hundreds of cases, not all of them are unexplained; I have researched quite a few alleged encounters which, after lengthy investigation, turned up nothing outside the ordinary taking place. There are people who doctor photographs and falsify reports to get attention; an experienced, objective researcher will be able to correctly identify hoaxes. Often, a hoaxer’s story becomes more and more incredible with each subsequent telling, in order to keep everyone’s attention.

Some charlatans use alien contact, channeling, exorcisms, and ghost hunting as ways to increase their income by preying upon the needs of an unsuspecting public. People want to believe there are mystical forces in the cosmos that will guide and protect through troubled times. Many “psychics” claim abilities of communication with the dead; these abilities fulfill emotional needs of those in grieving and fill the psychic’s bank account in the process. While I’m convinced that a small number of people I’ve met and worked with over the years
do
have psychic abilities and the capability of doing extraordinary things, I feel these types of gifts are not as common as media hype and self-promoting “experts” would have us believe. There are people in our troubled world tired of their mundane lives who want to believe they have supernatural powers or have had some type of other-worldly contact, but their desire to believe exceeds their credibility.

There are real paranormal experiences taking place, and out of the 1,095 cases I have investigated over the years, in my opinion, 78 percent (about 854) of them have no conventional explanation. I do not personally investigate every case that comes to my attention since some are too far away and my profession as a science educator limits my time. However, every case that comes to me is given attention; sometimes I follow up or interview by telephone or email. To me, the numbers of legitimate cases indicate something very real is taking place—science should examine these cases more closely, but unfortunately, the majority of scientists have ignored the cries of the witness. By and large, science dismisses paranormal reports because they do not neatly fit into our current understanding of the universe.