Observations placeholder
Farrelly, Frances - Spinning coins to order heads or tails
Identifier
004198
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Dr Shafica Karagulla, born in the Lebanon but whose research took her to the USA and the UK, was a neuro-psychiatrist who spent eight years researching ordinary people who appeared to have extraordinary abilities. She started off being a skeptic as most scientists are [including me] but over time the evidence seemed overwhelming and she set up a research project to find out more. What brought her into the area was a book about Edgar Cayce, what kept her going was an open mind and an insatiable curiosity. Where she is remarkable is that she had no experiences of her own to confirm her eventual conclusions, but like all the very best scientists forgot her own life and concentrated on the observations and evidence.
Her research subjects were carefully chosen. She rejected all those who claimed they had these abilities but instead by a laborious process of enquiry and referral managed to find those who carried on normal professions and who never talked about their abilities but just used them.
A description of the experience
Breakthrough to Creativity – Dr Shafica Karagulla
Kay arranged for a social evening with Mr. Lee and his family. There was also a young student present, a friend of Mr. Lee's daughter.
The daughter, Sue, could read books and documents without touching them if they were placed near her. A page of print could be held somewhere near her, facing toward her, or it could be turned face downward on the table. In either case she could read clearly and accurately. I have observed her demonstrations a number of occasions.
The student, who had come for the evening, did not believe that any kind of HSP was possible, and wanted to see a demonstration, so we were lucky. Gary, the student, was especially interested in psychokinesis.
Mr. Lee asked him to take a half dollar from his pocket and choose either heads or tails and spin the coin. At first the half dollar fell as one might expect according to the laws of chance. Then Mr. Lee assured Gary that he could make the coin fall every time for any number of times either heads or tails, whichever Gary wished to name. They agreed on heads.
Then Gary spun the coin and for twenty consecutive times it came up heads.
Our host then offered to make the coin come up tails, twenty times. Again Gary spun the coin and for twenty consecutive times it came up tails.
Our host then suggested that Gary try to influence the coin and make it come up as he chose. Alternately they chose heads or tails and then at random, but each time the coin came up as it had been called by our host and Gary lost although he was spinning the coin.
At this point Kay decided to come to the assistance of the young man. Each time our host called the coin, and previous to the spin, she would say, "No, it will be the other side." Each time for more than twenty spins, the coin came up exactly opposite to what our host had called, until he was ready to give up. He was very much perplexed and perturbed that anybody could inhibit his ability to influence the fall of the coin.
When we were alone I questioned Kay about what had happened. She explained to me that with concentrated effort, although she did not know why, she could influence objects in this way. She felt it was morally wrong to do so and she did not really like having such a gift. She had not used it for years, but on this particular occasion she felt it would not hurt Mr. Lee to know that there were other people who could do the same thing.