Conference hydra::dejavu

    Re .0 (Roger):
    
    >I can now move very small, light objects several feet if I really
    >try, but it takes hours of concentration beforehand.  Also, I've
    >found that if anyone else is present in the room, their presence
    >defects the mind waves, and I can't do it.
     
    You might try seeing if you can videotape your levitation.  Camcorders
    can be rented; and while a videotape isn't the same as a "live"
    demonstration, it'd be a start.
    
    >The book goes on to prove that levitation must have been used to
    >construct ancient people's huge buildings - specific examples include
    >the pyramids of Egypt (some of the blocks weigh over 50 tonnes)
    >the statues on Easter island, and the Inca temples in South America.
    
    It might make an argument for such a position, but I refer you to
    the book _Aku-Aku_, by Thor Heyerdahl.  Heyerdahl went to Easter
    Island and worked with the natives.  He hired a bunch of them to
    show him the carving techniques, said to be "beyond" the ability
    of their available tools, and erecting a statue.   They did both
    things using conventional materials.  Additionally, most Egyptologists
    believe that the pyramids were constructed using conventional means,
    and have written how this could be done.
    
    Could you give the name of the book, author, and publisher (and
    ISBN number, if present) for the delectation of other DEJAVU folk?
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    In the book "Illusions," by Richard Bach, the main character, whose
    name is Don Shimoda, makes dozens of profound statements which say,
    in effect, that you can do whatever you set your mind to do.  One
    quote I like is, "You don't do anything.  You see it done already,
    and it is."
    
    Keep practicing and soon you'll be an expert!
    

    More on Easter Island -- In a program that directly challenged Von
    Daaniken's claims that people couldn't have moved and/or carved the 
    stones using primitive tools, PBS filmed a team on Easter Island that 
    completed both accomplishments within days.
    
    Mary
    

    
    re:.3 (Mary)
    
    I saw that show and they didn't prove it *could* be done either, from
    what I remember.  I remember them telling about all the reasons why
    each method wouldn't work, unless they were somehow missing
    something...
    
    
    Guy

    Has anyone seen anything on the transcendental meditation people?  I've
    read a couple of articles in the past year or so that discussed their
    levitating themselves!
    
    Somewhere or other they were supposed to have held a 'hop-in' (think
    that's how they termed it).  They put long strips of mats on the
    floor/ground and had levitation races down them.  They couldn't stay up
    the entire time so they sort of hopped (levitated) from place to place.
    
    Sounded real interesting.
    
    
    I'd like to know what the book is also.
    
    
    Meredith Goodhue
    

    Hi Roger,
    
    Could we have some details?  How light is light?  Do they float, slide
    or roll, or do they move directly from one location to another without
    traveling through the intervening space?  Can you "do it" through
    a barrier?  Do you have to see the object?  Do you have to touch it at
    any point?  What, in broad terms, is the training and/or practice like
    to reach the state you are at?  Have you noticed a "release of effort"
    effect (i.e., a tendency for things to start to happen only when you
    stop trying -- but you have to have tried hard enough first)?  Do I ask
    too many questions?  :-)
    
    Thanks.
    
    					Topher

    
    Jeez roG, I always thought there was a strange aura around you but I
    thought it was your underpants.  Tell us the name of the book Roger!
    

    
      Yeah, Roger,tell us the name of the book! Is it `I Saw It With
    My Own Eyes' by that well-known psychic, Tim O'Connor??

    re: .4
    
    Guy,
    
    We must have seen different programs, because in the show I saw they
    completed a sculpture that was essentially identical to those already
    existing on Easter Island.  As I recall, in the last scene they erected
    it using native hemp-type ropes next to the originals.
    
    Mary

    
    re:.9 (Mary)
    
    I remember them trying to move a sculpture by various methods.  The
    method I saw consisted of them standing on end and rocking it with 
    ropes to "walk" it along.  One scientist speculated that by the time
    they got it to the erection site the sculpture would be worn down to
    the eyeballs...  Of course, my memory is not perfect by any means.
    
    Guy
    
    Different show?

    .10  Must be.  In the program I saw, the team (mostly natives, if
    memory serves correct) moved the rock to the site 1st, then spent days
    carving it, then erected it on the site where they carved it.
    
    I forget if it was a team of 6 that took 10 days, or 10 that took 6
    days, but was under 2 weeks to complete.
    
    It was on channel 2 within the last 3 years (I remember I was in my new
    condo when I saw it!)
    
    Mary

    
    I saw a portion of the show that Guy saw - where the statues were
    'rocked' to their sites (theory only).
         
    Cindy

    Has anyone ever heard of the game "Light as a feather, Stiff as
    a board"?  A person lays on their back, and everyone puts one finger
    underneath the person (like under his heel, or under his knee, under
    his head) and concentrates on lifting the person.  Then
    they chant "Light as a feather, Stiff as a board" over and over
    again, and eventually lift the person.  
    
    Yes, if twenty people are helping, it could happen.  But when I
    was young, I saw three children (about 13 yrs.) lift their 18 year
    old brother, who is HEAVY!!  I would never play this again...  Pretty
    strange, huh?
    
    Deena

    
    
    Yes, I know of that game.  I've seen it work in the same manner that
    you did.  It was really unbelievable.  I saw two guys holding up a 
    girl with just a few fingers on each side of her.  She was probably
    about 5 feet off of the ground.  I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't
    seen it with my own eyes.  I remember everybody looking around at
    each other in disbelief.  I know what many people might be thinking.
    Two guys might have little problem holding up a small women.  Well,
    it's hard to believe but they literally were holding her with *just*
    a couple fingers (from each hand).  She was "stiff as a board and
    light as a feather."  Never seen anything like it since...
    

    re: last two
    
        I did it once with three other people.  I forget how we did it
    (we rubbed hands together or somesuch thing first) then surrounded
    a person who wasn't a featherweight and lifted them a couple of feet.
    We were somehow only able to sustain it for perhaps five to ten 
    seconds before they "got heavy" again.  
    
    Frederick
    

    I remember playing that game as a child, only a different variation.
    The subject would sit it a chair with two people on each side of
    him/her.  We would rub our hands together, raise them very slowly
    so that they are outstretched.  Then with palms facing each other
    clenched with just the index fingers extended, we would then
    simultaneously lower our arms to our positions which were......the
    two people at the head (underarms) and the two people at the front
    (under the knees).  We would then place our index fingers under
    the person in the chair and presto raised him with no problem. 
    
    At the time we were told that we were pushing down the air when
    we brought our arms down together so that when we raised the person
    the air just raised to its normal place.  I never understood it,
    but it sure was fun.
    
    Blessed be,
    
    Fran

    Re last 4 notes
    
    Yes I remember it too.  We did it at school when we were about
    12 years old.  Anyone else who remembers it were also about
    this age.
    
    So yesterday a few of us here tried to repeat the feat (sitting down
    position).  We had no luck!  None of us could remember the chant so
    what we did was to firstly place our hands on top of the person's
    head in a pile and pressed down for about 1 min..  Then we swiftly
    moved our hands (same clasp and positions as last note) to our
    positions and tried to lift.
    
    Has anyone done this lately with success?  Any recommendations of
    what to try?  Do the participants need to be children, or is the
    chanting the critical factor?
    
    Regards,
    Dave 

    re: .17 (Dave)
    
          No, you don't have to be children.  I did it with four
    other adults (the biggest of which sat in the chair) and it
    worked.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the details of how
    it was done.  What I remember is that we all used only our
    index fingers (eight hands all together) to lift him.
    
    Frederick
    

    This was covered in "The Skeptical Inquirer" within the past year.
    
    The chant is very important; it provides the timing co�rdination
    which makes the lift work.  Without it, people are lifting at
    slightly different times, and the additive effect is missing.
    
    						Ann B.

    As children, we'd be in a darkened room.  One would lie in the middle,
    and the rest of us would kneel around her.  We'd each have two fingers
    of each hand under their body - one at each side of the chest, one at
    each side of the hips, one at each side of the thighs, one person at
    the feet, one person at the head.  As the person at the head chanted,
    they'd cradle the person's head with both hands and rock it gently side
    to side a little in time with the chanting.   They'd say something like
    "Here lies Susan", and this would be repeated around the "body".  Then
    they'd say "She was out walking one dark night, and it was raining" and
    the last part of the phrase "it was raining" would pass around.  The
    head person would create various and sundry ways for hte person to have
    "died".  At the end of the tale ("she tried to run from the car, but it
    was too late" "too late" "too late"....etc.).  Then the head person
    would say "she is as light as a feather and stiff as a board" and this
    phrase would pass around the body (down the people to the left, around the
    foot person, back up the right to the head person).  The head person
    would then say "when I count to three, we will raise her to
    heaven....one....two....three" and everyone would lift.
    
    I remember we did it maybe 10 or 12 times, then kinda forgot about it
    and didn't do it again.  Being in the dark or near-dark helped.  The
    "tale" should take about 5-10 minutes.  Lying there getting your head
    moved gently back and forth with all those fingers under you felt
    pretty relaxing, but once you realized you'd been lifted it was kinda
    scary!
    
    -Jody
    

Does anyone have a copy of the Sceptical Inquirer which contains the
feature on this levitation feat?  

I'd be very interested in reading it.  I'd rather not try the experiment
again until I get some more info in case too many unsuccessful encounters
will hinder whatever process is at work.

Regards,
Dave

I recall doing this at girl scout camping, of all places.  We followed the
'technique' Jody listed,  with 6 people (1 playing 'dead', 5 people using just
the index finger under the 'body').  What I recall was that it was successfull
if everyone was serious, (no giggleing, pretty hard to do at 13!  :-)  ), and
the 'dead' person went into a trance-like state.

What I recall most vividly is the last time we tried it.  I was playing 'dead',
just relaxing,  and then i had this urge to open my eyes... it was suddenly so
quiet , you see,... At that point I was about 12 inches from the tent roof... ,
course it looked more like an inch or two to me!...and this was the old fashion
cabin tents that were put up & left up till they rotted, and the roof was quite
high.  Well, I screamed out, which naturally broke the 'trance', and fell like a
log back on the sleeping bags, *and on top of one of the other girls!*... seems
I had been lifted so high she was standing *under* me (she was pretty short)
with her fingers just brushing between my shoulderblades....

For some reason,  we never tried that one again! We were all pretty spooked.

Mary