RealityTest's Opening Page

Welcome to RealityTest's continually growing Resources page.

RealityTest will draw on a great many sources of information as it explores its chosen areas of focus, sources chosen from Science, History, Philosophy, Religion, and other more difficult to define areas.

This section will contain a gradually growing collection of book titles, authors, links to relevant websites, and so on, both to acknowledge those sources from which it draws and to also provide readers with additional resources. As time permits, RealityTest will add commentary.

Creating plausible and succinct explanations for its chosen subject areas requires RealityTest to explore numerous regions of knowledge; we would not expect readers to simply accept our conclusions without first laying out a clear path through these regions. This is no simple task, however, and it is barely begun.

Elaborating such a clear path, no matter how well this is accomplished, will not suffice alone. No one, for example, will agree to the apparent nature of linear time (including the apparent continuity of memory) without actually glimpsing a very different view of time, directly.

RealityTest's use of channelling -- the acquisition of information, accomplished in a trance condition, from nonmaterial realms of consciousness -- presents similar challenges; many view such activities as suspect, being unfamiliar with them and lacking any awareness of those techniques which might enable a change of belief, or, at a minimum, an open mind regarding such activities.

Written resources and websites by themselves are insufficient for resolving this conundrum, as they tend to reinforce an egoic perspective of the nature of reality, and that tends to be far too restrictive for exploring those larger realms of identity and consciousness from which a very different understanding may arise.

Our task, then, is seemingly impossible; in addition to wielding impressive resources and charting a course through them, RealityTest must find ways to illuminate pathways to these larger realms. Such pathways have always existed, but tend to be peculiar to the time and place in which they were created.

Fortunately, any number of suitable techniques exist and these, too, comprise some of RealityTest's resources. Aside from the Seth books and books on meditation (see below), RealityTest's slowly growing Doorways section offers specific techniques and exercises while pointing to additional Internet resources.

Then, too, the Internet itself -- an exteriorization of inner processes peculiar to our own present probable mass reality -- offers more or less unexploited potential for entering larger regions of self and consciousness when used as an aid to group focusing. RealityTest will, in time, offer a guide to such activities, and the closely related area of psychic gestalten.

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890)

Seth (and Jane Roberts, 1929-1984)

The Seth material, a body of information encompassing over thirty published books and additional unpublished material archived at Yale University, was channelled by Jane Roberts and is one of RealityTest's primary sources. Seth's optimistic and expansive teachings have inspired many over the years; the material is also embedded with exercises (see RealityTest's Doorways section for one example and a link to many more). Seth describes himself as an "energy personality essence no longer focused in physical form."

Jane Roberts describes the beginning of her Seth odyssey in the introduction to Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul:

"My psychic initiation really began one evening in September, 1963, however, as I sat writing poetry. Suddenly my consciousness left my body, and my mind was barraged by ideas that were astonishing and new to me at the time. On return to my body, I discovered that my hands had produced an automatic script, explaining many of the concepts that I'd been given. The notes were even titled -- The Physical Universe as Idea Construction.

The Physical Universe as Idea Construction also marks the the first appearance of one of Seth's core concepts, reality creation, which runs like a river through the material. Reality creation is also a key component of RealityTest's view of physical time travel and will be explored at length in Bringing the Body Along -- Physical Time Travel.

A partial listing of books by both Seth and Jane Roberts (Robert F. Butts is Jane's husband) includes:

How to Develop Your ESP Power Copyright © 1966 by Jane Roberts.
The Seth Material Copyright © 1970 by Jane Roberts.
Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul Copyright © 1972 by Jane Roberts.

If you're new to Seth, Seth Speaks is an excellent place to start, as it was the first book conceived and dictated by Seth:

"Most of my readers are familiar with the term, 'muscle bound.' As a race you have grown 'ego bound' instead, held in a spiritual rigidity, with the intuitive portions of the self either denied or distorted beyond any recognition."

Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975)

(See RealityTest's Arnold J. Toynbee -- Time Traveler section.)

A Study of History by Arnold J. Toynbee. Published in ten volumes between 1934 and 1954 by Oxford University Press.
A Study of History by Arnold J. Toynbee -- abridgment in two volumes by D. C. Somervell; Volume I Copyright © 1946 by Oxford University Press, Inc.; Volume II Copyright © 1957 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
A Study of History -- one volume edition revised and abridged by Arnold J. Toynbee and Jane Caplan Copyright © 1972 by Oxford University Press and Thames and Hudson Ltd. This edition contains numerous images from many times and places.
(Additional titles to be added.)

Arnold J. Toynbee -- A Life Copyright © 1989 by William H. McNeill.

H.G. Wells (1866-1946)

(See RealityTest's Mind Loosed from its Tether -- the Channelled H.G. Wells section, which in time will include a number of channelled essays. Clearly, a distinction must be made between the writings of the living Wells and this much more recent channelled material, one RealityTest illuminates. A small but growing list of Wells' books and other writings, demonstrating the breadth of his interests, follows. This will gradually be supplemented with commentary.)

The Time Machine (1895)
The Invisible Man (1897)
The War of the Worlds (1898)
The First Men in the Moon (1901)
Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress Upon Human Life and Thought: An Experiment in Prophecy (1901; second edition, revised, 1902; new introduction added in 1914)
The Country of the Blind (Full text of the 1904 short story; Wells also wrote a revised version, published in 1939)
Tono-Bungay (1908)
The World Set Free (1914)
The Outline of History (Two Volumes -- 1920)
The Open Conspiracy (1928; revised and reissued in 1930)
The Science of Life (With G.P. Wells -- 1930)
What Are We to do With Our Lives (1931 -- This is a reworking of The Open Conspiracy)
Experiment in Autobiography (1934)
H.G. Wells in Love: Postscript to An Experiment in Autobiography (Edited by G.P. Wells) Copyright © 1984 by the Estate of H.G. Wells
World Brain (1938) See World Brain: The Idea of a Permanent Encyclopaedia on Ray R. Larson's site.
The New World Order (1940)

Rising from poor beginnings in stratified Victorian England by virtue of his mind and inclinations and living through the horrors of world war, Wells became an idealist, socialist (of a unique sort) and rationalist, believing a better world was possible and that education was the route to it. His writing reflects this evolution, most of his later books being part of his proposed remedies. Conspiracy theorists lacking Wells' powers frequently cite his work, ignoring the sophistication of his thought. Wells' influence on our world, a world which includes the United Nations and advocates of globalization, cannot be denied, but note the changed perspective of the discarnate Wells of RealityTest's Channelled Wells. This Wells has seen the limits of a strict and narrow rationality.

Links:

Colin Wilson

The ever changing offical views of remote times are built, to a great extent, on that which has been unearthed and the worldviews of those who interpret such discoveries; who can guess what has yet to be uncovered and how that will change future chronologies of the distant past? The Mediterranean region comprises but one small area of our planet -- consider its total surface area and what may lie beneath it, whether underwater or on land.

Dreaming to Some Purpose: An Autobiography Copyright © 2004 by Colin Wilson.

Links:

Consciousness

Animus Meus The Philosophy section of David Chamberlain's site reviews relevant areas of physics and religion and their history. Chamberlain also provides some helpful links as he sets out his own perspective.

Center for Consciousness Studies "Promoting open, rigorous discussion of all phenomena related to conscious experience." Located at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences

Journal of Consciousness Studies "Controversies in science and the humanities."

Karl Jaspers Forum "An Electronic Journal for Target Articles."

Purpose (from the site): "To provide an interdisciplinary international e-mail testing ground for propositions in the areas of psychology, psychopathology, and related fields, including clinical and basic sciences and questions concerning the mind-brain relation and 'consciousness'; with some emphasis on clarification of conceptual pre-suppositions. Target articles are discussed by invited and spontaneous commentators. The articles and commentaries can be quoted as such (i.e., as electronic publications), but the authors retain copyright, and the material may in addition be published elsewhere. In this respect, the purpose is that of a pre-publication 'dress rehearsal', for articles (working papers) as well as commentaries, and thus goes beyond the scope of most e-mail discussion groups. Open interactive peer review is expected to facilitate the exchange of opinions, which is the main aim of this journal. Suggestions how to improve the conditions for this aim are welcome."

Controversial Histories

Many grow up thinking of history as cut and dried, dead and as if set in concrete. It should be obvious to those who have digested the concepts of this site that this is far from the case -- simply because a particular time is viewed as the "past" from a future moment doesn't mean those participating in that past are as automatons, mechanically acting out what, to those in that future moment, has already happened. In this sense, history is quite alive. From their perspectives in their respective living moments, all happening "live" in what Seth calls the "spacious present," Sir Walter Ralegh (see The History of the World published around 1615), H.G. Wells, and Arnold J. Toynbee are even now hard at work conceiving and writing their universal histories, employing the best resources available to them.

Without even touching on probable or alternate histories, equally valid from a greater perspective, it's plain, too, that beliefs and assumptions about the past are in continuous flux. Official and all too frequently quite smug scholarly opinion regarding the course of events for any given previous era exists in great abundance. New evidence -- say a freshly unearthed artifact or one found covered with dust after sitting in some university basement for decades -- comes to light all the time. Frequently, if such a discovery conflicts with the prevailing wisdom, it may be years (if ever) before theories change to incorporate it. Once this is accomplished, however, the whole puzzle of the past must be rearranged to accomodate it. In this way official history and its assumptions and beliefs, perpetually recreated in the present, change.

This will all be readily apparent to those who experiment with mental time travel techniques, but the equivalent of basic maps for such time travelers remain the official histories. Often akin to the wildly imaginative maps of the "New World" before it was actually encountered and thoroughly explored (particulary when dealing with remote times), these remain excellent starting points, serving as required resources for budding time travelers, no matter that they are often so indicative of the beliefs and biases of their creators and _their_ times as to serve more as another kind of history, a history of beliefs.

These are available everywhere in great quantity and profusion (including many excellent websites easily discovered by an Internet search) so there is no point in listing them here. RealityTest believes, however, that more controversial histories -- usually, but not always, written by non-specialists -- can serve to open the minds of time travelers to quite valid possibilities, possibilities which might not otherwise be considered. As such, RealityTest is compiling a growing list of these alternative resources below, adding commentary as time permits.

Any number of ideas contained in these books will have been dismissed by official historians as not being worthy of even the slightest consideration. Some of these ideas will in fact become the new "truth" in various future worlds after long struggles to gain acceptance, while others will pass away as fanciful speculation, and rightly so -- such books make for stimulating reading but a reader is advised to winnow any wheat they may find -- there is endless chaff. For the mental time traveler these resources can serve as very useful supplements to the official histories, in some cases providing insight into experiences which might otherwise make no sense at all. (See also some of Colin Wilson's most recent books, listed above.)

America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World Copyright © 1976 by Barry Fell.

Black Spark White Fire: Did African Explorers Civilize Ancient Europe? Copyright © 1997, 1999 by Richard Poe.

The Book of Hiram: Freemasonry, Venus, and the Secret Key to the Life of Jesus Copyright © 2003 by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas. This book follows three earlier books by the same authors (see also The Web of Hiram, a related resource, as well as Robert Lomas' official website):

The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus (1996);
The Second Messiah: Templars, The Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry (1997); and
Uriel's Machine: Uncovering the Secrets of Stonehenge, Noah's Flood, and the Dawn of Civilization. (1999).

See also Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science Copyright © 2002 by Robert Lomas.

For an interesting counterpoint to Lomas' book, centered on the Royal Society and its founding members, see Isaac Newton and the Transmutation of Alchemy Copyright © 2009 by by Philip Ashley Fanning. Fanning identifies and traces the influence of other secretive societies and predecessor personalities -- including Elizabethan mathematician, astrologer, and magus John Dee -- associated with the founding of the Royal Society. Fanning's book is focused on the life and work of Sir Isaac Newton and Newton's re-energization of the Royal Society at a later period. Fanning pays particular attention to Newton's alchemical pursuits, to which Newton devoted great time and energy, and the connections between alchemy and modern science. Some of these are uncomfortably tenuous, particularly on the topics of Roscicrucianism and Francis Bacon, but provocative nevertheless. An Appendix titled Pauli and Alchemy is especially fascinating.

The Daily Grail. This site features daily news summaries often including links to controversial history sites, among its other resources, without shying from presenting sceptical perspectives. The editorial tone is light and informal, a welcome relief for weary webcruisers.

The Fall: The Evidence for a Golden Age, 6,000 years of insanity, and the dawning of a new era by Steve Taylor. Copyright © 2005 O Books.

Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization Copyright © 1995 by Graham Hancock.

Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson. Copyright © 1993 by Govardhan Hill Inc. (Noted: Book is thick and hefty -- 914 pages.)

Heaven's Mirror: Quest for the Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock and Santha Faiia. Copyright © 1998 by Graham Hancock. Photographs Copyright © 1998 by Santha Faiia.

Lost Star of Myth and Time Copyright © 2006 by Walter Cruttenden.

Manitou: The Sacred Landscape of New England's Native Civilization Copyright © 1989 by James W. Mavor, Jr. and Byron E. Dix.

Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings: Evidence of Advanced Civilization in the Ice Age Copyright © 1966, 1979 by Charles H. Hapgood.

The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind Copyright © 1996 by Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval.

The New View Over Atlantis Copyright © 1969, 1972, 1983 by John Michell.

The Orion Mystery: A Revolutionary New Interpretation of the Ancient Enigma Copyright © 1994 by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert.

Pyramid Quest: Secrets of the Great Pyramid and the Dawn of Civilization Copyright © 2005 by Robert M. Schoch, PhD., and Robert Aquinas McNally. See also Dr. Schoch's official website.

The Secret Vaults of Time: Psychic Archaeology and the Quest for Man's Beginnings Copyright © 1978 by Stephan A. Schwartz.

Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind by Graham Hancock. Copyright © 2006 Graham Hancock (This book is definitely up RealityTest's alley -- a commentary will appear here just as soon as the editor finishes reading it! See Hancock's website below for more information.)

Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith © Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval 2004.

(Commentary in process) Talisman explores the influence of certain ancient currents of thought and belief upon events such as the American and French Revolutions. Cathars, Bogomils, their various predecessors, and the Albigensian Crusades share billing with Templars, Rosicrucians, Masons, assorted revolutionaries, and many others. The authors remind us (as does Ehrman in Lost Christianities, listed below) that present forms of Christianity are but probable variations, other versions -- just as "true" to their adherents as the ultimately surviving versions are to their adherents -- being nearly snuffed out early on (or 1,000 years later), but not completely so. (How often has accepted history become severely distorted by the intolerance of religious believers who, after attaining official acceptance and political power, brand competitors as heretics and seek to destroy their sacred books, visiting upon them that which they themselves once experienced? Talisman accords Gnosticism its rightful and significant place, but some readers may wonder whether the experience of gnosis itself can ever be successfully transmitted, given human tendencies, let alone when wrapped in dualistic Gnostic beliefs.)

Less Controversial Changed and Changing Histories

The Ancient World I.

The Ancient World II.

The Roman Empire 27 B.C. - A.D. 476: A Study in Survival by Chester G. Starr Copyright © 1982 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization Copyright © Bryan Ward-Perkins 2005.

Sometimes prevailing historical wisdom turns 180 degrees and then back again, ending up close to where it began. The period between the publication of the two above books is a case in point. Both are short, complement each other, and suitable for anyone lacking the time to tackle Gibbon; Ward-Perkins' book is especially well written.

Dreams and Lucid Dreaming

Meditation

(See also RealityTest's Doorways section.) A great variety of formal meditation techniques exist and have existed since at least the Bronze Age, including those affiliated with various mystical and religious traditions, but many remain unfamiliar with the rudiments, particularly in those societies in which monotheistic religions have prevailed over the centuries. RealityTest chooses not to promote any particular practice, believing the essence of meditation is best discovered by the meditator. RealityTest also suggests that excessively formal or rigid practices are counter-productive, although there are definite advantages to regular practice. The following titles will be gradually supplemented with additional resources.

How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery Copyright © 1974 by by Lawrence LeShan.

Editor's note: During the spring of 1982, I chose to teach myself how to meditate and took my copy of LeShan's book into the beautiful Mount Auburn Cemetery of Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to the mortal remains (and ornate funerary monuments) of many well-to-do 19th Century Boston Brahmins.

I sat on the steps of a marble tomb facing a pond (not realizing at the time that this was Mary Baker Eddy's tomb) and perused the book. Shortly after allowing my thoughts to gradually come to a stop, having already relaxed myself and closed my eyes, I was greatly surprised to see (with my mind's eye) a full-color, crystal clear persistent image of the paperback cover of Seth Speaks, by Jane Roberts (see relevant section above).

I left the cemetery for Harvard Square, which at that time still had numerous bookstores, and found and purchased a copy. Before long, I'd purchased and read all of the Seth books then in print. Many future adventures would never have come about had I not made the choices I made that day, including those that followed my discovery of the world's first Seth-related Internet mailing list, years later. (See The Great Coordination Point Expedition.)

Advocates of meditation promote its use for many purposes, but the above experience illustrates how meditation can facilitate the opening of a connection between the egoic conscious self and greater regions of self, regions where time doesn't exist.

What is Meditation? Edited by John White. Copyright © 1974 by by John White.

Mind Science: Meditation Training for Practical People Copyright © 2001 by Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. (Order directly from Tart's TASTE site.)

Psychical Research

This entertaining tale brings an earlier era and some of its brilliant personalities to life, along with their detractors, the endless con artists of the paranormal, and those found to possess genuine gifts, such as Leonora Piper. The issues James and his intrepid fellow investigators faced, not so long after Darwin had sparked a serious collision of beliefs even as the Spiritualism movement was gaining strength, are still with us today. The unexplained paranormal happenstances these early investigators filtered out from far more numerous instances of fraud and hoaxsterism are still unexplained, still provoking dismissal by scientific materialists. (See Greg Taylor's Interview of Deborah Blum at The Daily Grail and also Jane Robert's The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher: The World View of William James Copyright © 1978.)

The Gold Leaf Lady (And Other Parapsychological Investigations) by Stephen E. Braude. Copyright © 2007 by The University of Chicago.

Human Personality and Its Survival of Death by Frederic W. Myers. Two volumes; 1903. Reprint, New York: Arno Press, 1975.

Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death by Stephen E. Braude. Copyright © 2003.

Parapsychology and the Skeptics: A Scientific Argument for the Existence of ESP by Christopher David Carter (see book's website).

The Parapsychology Revolution: A Concise Anthology of Paranormal and Psychical Research by Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D., and Logan Yonavjak. Copyright © 2008.

Time