Pendulums that oscillate alonetables that tremble during spiritual sessions, Ouija tablets which allow you to “communicate with the afterlife”. These phenomena, known above all in world of paranormalall have a common factor: something moves in complete autonomywithout an apparent human control. We are honest: in the face of such events, At first glance inexplicablebelieve in the intervention of Divine or supernatural forces It is certainly the most instinctive (and fascinating) solution. However, although not involving magical powers, the scientific explanation At their basis it is no less amazing, and lies in the ability of our mind to create involuntary movements (called ideomotor) thanks to the only power of the imagination.
Does the magic pendulum really move alone?
All of us, at least once in our life, have seen a magic pendulumalso known as Chevreul pendulum in scientific jargon. It is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the esoteric world, and the reason lies in its fascinating operating mechanism. But to really understand why this simple object for centuries has been considered one magical toolyou have to try it firsthand.
Even if you don’t have a magic pendulum, build One of luck is very simple: just hang a weight (like a cap or ring) with a thread or a chain about 15-20 cm long to obtain a perfectly “approved” pendulum. The next step consists ofgrab the pendulum between the thumb and index From the free end and, keeping the elbow stopped on a surface, leaving the pendant suspended keeping your hand stopped and your gaze fixed on the pendulum. Shortly afterwards something extraordinary should happen: the pendulum begins to move in one directiondespite the fact that the hand is completely motionless.
Faced with such a scene, in the early 1800s, many people (including doctors and scientists) they remained amazed. On the other hand, if he was not a person who moved the pendulum, he had to be work of supernatural forcesor maybe of magnetic properties of the bodies not yet understood.
It was the great French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul To demonstrate with a simple experiment that the cause of the phenomenon was not to be found in mystical forces belonging to a distant world, but came from much closer. Or, to be more precise, from inside. It was enough in fact completely immobilize the arm With a wooden axis to observe how the pendulum ceased to move. The mystery was revealed as follows: the oscillation of the pendulum Magical is generated by precise and fine imperceptible micro -novamentals of the fingers – so small as to seem absent – amplified by the pendulum structure. However, after solving this mystery, a new question arose spontaneously: if the movements are not generated by a voluntary controlhow do they produce?
How pendulum and ouija table move: ideomotor movements
If you think that the oscillation of the pendulum is caused by natural tremors or spontaneous movementsyou are on the bad road. The real explanation of this phenomenon was provided in 1852 by the English doctor and physiologist Benjamin Carpenteraccording to which:
In a particular state of mental concentration, the expectation of a result is sufficient to determine – without any voluntary effort, and even against the will (which can be honestly engaged in an attempt to keep the hand perfectly firm) – the muscle movements through which that result is produced
To put it in simple words, it is our own expectation that the pendulum moves To indulge us, in a way unconsciousto make the necessary micro -novaments so that they begin to oscillate. And since it is involuntary movementswe are not even able to recognize them consciously. Precisely for this reason we are amazed: consciouslywe are not giving any command to our hand but, on the contrary, we think we keep it completely motionless.
Unlike our usual movements, therefore, those of the magic pendulum do not arise from a voluntary commandbut they take shape starting from an ideafrom our immagination. This is why Carpenter called them ideomotor movements.
Today, we know that this phenomenon could have one neurobiological base. Thanks to the brain imaging techniques, which allow you to observe the activity of the brain, it has been observed that think an action recruit similar brain areas to the active ones when the same movement is accomplished voluntaryly. This property of our brain is exploited by sportsmen to train muscle memory and motor precision While remaining completely immobile, simply by exploiting the power of the imagination.
Supernatural forces or ideomotor movements
In the second half of the 1800in numerous lounges of all of Europe and America, it was possible to attend scenes worthy of the best horror films. In those years, in fact he became fashionable to organize spiritual meetings who promised to get in touch with the deceased or to obtain divine responses. And the effect was really stunning. But how did it get? Using practices, mainly based on ideomotor movementswhich survived over the centuries until they become symbols of the paranormal, arriving to inspire the Modern horror movies.
In addition to the aforementioned magic pendulum, used to obtain alleged “divine advice”, one of the most mysterious and disturbing experiences were the Ouija tabletsconsider a tool to “speak with the deceased”.
An Ouija table consists of a wooden tablet with above the letters of the alphabet and one planchesa sort of cursor left free to move to the table. During a session, the participants rest their hands on the dashboard while asking questions to a deceased person, who “He can answer” moving the planchette to the letters in order to form a word. Those who participate in the session are so induced to think that it is it Spirit to guide movements. Actually, a Move the planchette are the participantsalbeit unconsciously, through ideomotor micromovations generated under the effect of suggestion.
However, the most terrifying (and impressive) experience were the “Rotating tables”. During these rituals, some people do gathered around a tableplacing your hands on it, and invoked the spirits of the deceased. After a while, the show became chilling: the table began to tilt, vibrate, and sometimes to rotate on itself, giving the impression of being commanded by supernatural forces. Also in this case, however, the movement was generated by the sum of the involuntary and ideomotor micromovations of those present, strongly suggested by the spectral atmosphere.
One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge: the prize dedicated to the demonstration of the paranormal.
In short, even the most mysterious phenomena of the paranormal world have a scientific explanationno less fascinating than esoteric or pseudoscientific hypotheses. Until 2015, demonstrating the opposite was an extremely profitable activity. The magician James Randi in fact he had made available a 1 million dollar prize (called One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge) intended for anyone who has been able to show and produce any paranormal phenomenon, provided that in scientifically controlled conditions. However, despite over 1 000 applications submitted in more than fifty years, no candidate has ever managed to overcome the Final scientific test.
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