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SePTemBer 12 – 18, 2013 Xenoglossy: Evidence of past...
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SEPTEMBER 12 – 18, 2013 Science & Beyond B2 PHOTOS.COM Xenoglossy: Evidence of past lives? BY LEONARDO VINTINI EPOCH TIMES STAFF How should we understand xeno- glossy, the capacity to speak a nev- er-before-heard foreign language? Religion, science and the sceptics of the world have tried to explain this phenomenon in various ways, including genetic memory, telepa- thy or cryptomnesia (recalling a foreign language learnt uncon- sciously or during childhood). How- ever, xenoglossy has seen many manifestations throughout history and none of these responses can adequately explain every case. According to some historians, the first documented case of xeno- glossy is seen with the 12 apostles during the Pentecost. But for those who do not consider the Bible a reliable historical source, there is a wealth of examples in other con- texts of the ancient and medieval worlds, as well as our modern era. “Unlearned” languages and skills Upon being hypnotised, a woman from Pennsylvania was somehow able to communicate in Swedish. Yet her sudden grasp of the lan- guage did not come from study. When under a deep state of trance, she spoke using the lower register of her voice claiming to be Jensen Jacoby, an inhabitant of Sweden, born in the 17th century. This case was studied in depth by the late Dr Ian Stevenson, former head of the department of Psychia- try at the University of Virginia and author of Unlearned language: new studies in Xenoglossy . Accord- ing to Dr Stevenson, with no prior training or exposure to the lan- guage, this woman could only have known Swedish if she remembered it from a previous existence. Dr Stevenson’s theory is supported by the subject’s ability to name daily artefacts of the place and time in which Jacoby was said to have lived. This is not by far the only case of xenoglossy attributed to previous incarnations. In 1953, Professor P. Pal from the University of Ita- chuna in East Bengal discovered Swarnlata Mishra, a 4-year-old Hindu girl who was somehow capable of dancing and singing in Bengali, without having had any previous contact with that culture. The young girl stated that she had once been a Bengali woman who was taught how to dance by a close friend. The origin of xenoglossy While some attribute cases of xenoglossy to cryptomnesia (as in the case of the young Hindu girl possibility having some forgotten contact with the nearby Bengalese culture), there are a number of cases for which such an explana- tion is inadequate. One of the most surprising examples of such cases took place in 1977. Ohio state penitentiary convict Billy Mulligan was found to have two additional personali- ties: one identified as Abdul, who spoke perfect Arabic; and the other, called Rugen, who communicated in perfect Serbo-Croatian. Accord- ing to prison doctors, Mr Mulligan had never left the United States, where he was born and grew up to adulthood. Likewise, biologist Lyall Watson describes the case of 10-year-old Indio Igarot, a Filipino boy who, when in trance, communicated in the Zulu tongue, which he had never heard. A more recent case was triggered by a car accident. Prior to an event in 2007, Czech speedway racer Matej Kus could barely fumble along in broken English. Yet after being knocked unconscious in the accident, paramedics and others at the crash site were amazed that Mr Kus could suddenly speak clear and perfect English with a British accent. However, the ability didn’t last long. Mr Kus retained no memory of his temporary English fluency and is now enduring learning English through conventional study. Some scientists have proposed that such cases might stem from a genetic legacy, while others have suggested that these individuals could be telepathically connecting to this language through foreign speakers. However, these theories do not benefit from the extensive research, evidence and study given to Dr Stevenson’s theory. In support of this idea, Austra- lian psychologist Peter Ramster, author of The Search for Lives Past, found that he could maintain fluid conversations in ancient French with his student Cynthia Hender- son, but only when she was under hypnosis. When she was out of the trance state, she possessed only a rudimentary understanding of the language. In the search for an all-inclusive explanation for xenoglossy, several researchers have come to agree with Dr Stevenson’s understanding that points towards previous lives. According to this theory, following a trauma or in a hypnotic state, the personality from a previous incar- nation comes through and the per- son exhibits knowledge that he or she could not possibly have known in this life. Others, like researcher Sarah Thompson, argue that Dr Stevenson’s evidence is simply too thin to make such a claim. In the beginning, Dr Stevenson was also highly sceptical with regard to cases of regressive hypno- sis. Yet as time passed, he became one of the most prolific authors on the subject. Later, as his work progressed, Dr Stevenson turned his attention to young children for subjects. He found that they were more easily able to recall informa- tion from previous incarnations and did not need hypnotising or a traumatic event to reveal their distant past. Dr Stevenson would record the children’s descriptions of their past lives and compare them with records of the deceased individuals they had claimed to be. He would even compare details of the physi- cal abnormalities of the deceased to the child’s description, such as the location of scars and birthmarks. This information, combined with the xenoglossy cases, provided Dr Stevenson with what he believed to be proof of past lives. Dead languages Adding further evidence to the past lives hypothesis are cases of xenoglossy manifesting as lost languages, dead languages or rare dialects. One such case involves an English child named Rosemary, who, when in a state of trance, became Telika- Ventiu. In 1931, this individual, said to be from AD1400, spoke and wrote in an ancient Egyptian dialect that only a few specialists in the world could even recognise or comprehend. While the xenoglossy phenom- enon is intriguing, perhaps even more fascinating is the prospect of imagining where such an ability could originate. If the theories brought by Dr Ste- venson and other researchers brave enough to explore the enigma are correct, then they offer ideas more mysterious than the phenomenon itself. Xenoglossy – the phenomenon of recognising or speaking “unlearned” languages – may be evidence of past lives, some scientists say. NASA launches new satellite to study Moon AFP NASA has launched its third lunar probe in five years with an unmanned spacecraft that aims to study the Moon’s atmosphere. Blazing a red path in the night sky, the spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 11.27pm local time on Sept 6 (13.27 AEST on Sept 7) aboard a converted Air Force ballistic missile known as the Minotaur V rocket. “The spacecraft is in good health and a good orbit at this point,” said NASA commentator George Diller about half an hour after the launch. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) aims to learn more about the atmo- sphere and dust while circling the Moon. When US astronauts last walked on the Moon four decades ago, they learned that dust could be a huge problem for sensitive spacecraft and equipment, said space expert John Logsdon. “If we were ever to go there with people for long duration, the dust gets in everything. It’s not smooth dust like a piece of sand on the beach. It’s made of very, very small fragments,” said Mr Logsdon, a NASA adviser and former direc- tor of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. “All the Apollo crews complained about the lunar dust getting every- where.” US astronauts first walked on the Moon in 1969 and the last explor- ers of the Apollo era visited in 1972. The journey to the Moon will take about a month and the probe will initially orbit at a height of about 250km for 40 days before moving lower for the science portion of its mission. After 100 days spent measur- ing chemical variations in the lunar atmosphere, analysing exosphere gasses and lunar dust grains, and looking for water molecules in the lunar atmo- sphere, the LADEE spacecraft will make a death plunge into the Moon’s surface. Potential future uses of this module could include unmanned probes to an aster- oid or to Mars, as well as future Moon probes, though none are planned for now. NASA’s next big human explo- ration project aims to send humans to Mars by the 2030s. An artists’s render shows NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft orbiting near the surface of the moon. DANA BERRY/NASA AMES Epping 11:30 am—3:30pm 5:00pm—9:30pm (02) 9876 8111 Shop 28, Level 1, Genesis Build- ing, 74-76 Rawson St, Epping NSW 2121 (close to train station ) Steamboat Buffet including Roast Duck Lunch Dinner hotline RST0264
Transcript of SePTemBer 12 – 18, 2013 Xenoglossy: Evidence of past...
SePTemBer 12 – 18, 2013
Science & BeyondB2
photoS.com
Xenoglossy: Evidence of past lives?By Leonardo VintiniepocH timeS Staff
How should we understand xeno-glossy, the capacity to speak a nev-er-before-heard foreign language? Religion, science and the sceptics of the world have tried to explain this phenomenon in various ways, including genetic memory, telepa-thy or cryptomnesia (recalling a foreign language learnt uncon-sciously or during childhood). How-ever, xenoglossy has seen many manifestations throughout history and none of these responses can adequately explain every case.
According to some historians, the first documented case of xeno-glossy is seen with the 12 apostles during the Pentecost. But for those who do not consider the Bible a reliable historical source, there is a wealth of examples in other con-texts of the ancient and medieval worlds, as well as our modern era.
“Unlearned” languages and skillsUpon being hypnotised, a woman from Pennsylvania was somehow able to communicate in Swedish. Yet her sudden grasp of the lan-guage did not come from study. When under a deep state of trance, she spoke using the lower register of her voice claiming to be Jensen Jacoby, an inhabitant of Sweden, born in the 17th century.
This case was studied in depth by the late Dr Ian Stevenson, former head of the department of Psychia-try at the University of Virginia and author of Unlearned language: new studies in Xenoglossy. Accord-ing to Dr Stevenson, with no prior
training or exposure to the lan-guage, this woman could only have known Swedish if she remembered it from a previous existence. Dr Stevenson’s theory is supported by the subject’s ability to name daily artefacts of the place and time in which Jacoby was said to have lived.
This is not by far the only case of xenoglossy attributed to previous incarnations. In 1953, Professor P. Pal from the University of Ita-chuna in East Bengal discovered Swarnlata Mishra, a 4-year-old Hindu girl who was somehow capable of dancing and singing in Bengali, without having had any previous contact with that culture. The young girl stated that she had once been a Bengali woman who was taught how to dance by a close friend.
The origin of xenoglossyWhile some attribute cases of xenoglossy to cryptomnesia (as in the case of the young Hindu girl possibility having some forgotten contact with the nearby Bengalese culture), there are a number of cases for which such an explana-tion is inadequate.
One of the most surprising examples of such cases took place in 1977. Ohio state penitentiary convict Billy Mulligan was found to have two additional personali-ties: one identified as Abdul, who spoke perfect Arabic; and the other, called Rugen, who communicated in perfect Serbo-Croatian. Accord-ing to prison doctors, Mr Mulligan had never left the United States, where he was born and grew up to adulthood.
Likewise, biologist Lyall Watson
describes the case of 10-year-old Indio Igarot, a Filipino boy who, when in trance, communicated in the Zulu tongue, which he had never heard.
A more recent case was triggered by a car accident. Prior to an event in 2007, Czech speedway racer Matej Kus could barely fumble along in broken English. Yet after being knocked unconscious in the accident, paramedics and others at the crash site were amazed that Mr Kus could suddenly speak clear and perfect English with a British accent. However, the ability didn’t last long. Mr Kus retained no memory of his temporary English fluency and is now enduring learning English through conventional study.
Some scientists have proposed that such cases might stem from a genetic legacy, while others have suggested that these individuals could be telepathically connecting to this language through foreign speakers. However, these theories do not benefit from the extensive research, evidence and study given to Dr Stevenson’s theory.
In support of this idea, Austra-lian psychologist Peter Ramster, author of The Search for Lives Past, found that he could maintain fluid conversations in ancient French with his student Cynthia Hender-son, but only when she was under hypnosis. When she was out of the trance state, she possessed only a rudimentary understanding of the language.
In the search for an all-inclusive explanation for xenoglossy, several researchers have come to agree with Dr Stevenson’s understanding that points towards previous lives.
According to this theory, following a trauma or in a hypnotic state, the personality from a previous incar-nation comes through and the per-son exhibits knowledge that he or she could not possibly have known in this life. Others, like researcher Sarah Thompson, argue that Dr Stevenson’s evidence is simply too thin to make such a claim.
In the beginning, Dr Stevenson was also highly sceptical with regard to cases of regressive hypno-sis. Yet as time passed, he became one of the most prolific authors on the subject. Later, as his work progressed, Dr Stevenson turned his attention to young children for subjects. He found that they were more easily able to recall informa-tion from previous incarnations and did not need hypnotising or a traumatic event to reveal their distant past.
Dr Stevenson would record the children’s descriptions of their past lives and compare them with records of the deceased individuals they had claimed to be. He would even compare details of the physi-cal abnormalities of the deceased to the child’s description, such as the location of scars and birthmarks. This information, combined with the xenoglossy cases, provided Dr Stevenson with what he believed to be proof of past lives.
Dead languagesAdding further evidence to the past lives hypothesis are cases of xenoglossy manifesting as lost languages, dead languages or rare dialects.
One such case involves an English child named Rosemary, who, when
in a state of trance, became Telika-Ventiu. In 1931, this individual, said to be from AD1400, spoke and wrote in an ancient Egyptian dialect that only a few specialists in the world could even recognise or comprehend.
While the xenoglossy phenom-enon is intriguing, perhaps even
more fascinating is the prospect of imagining where such an ability could originate.
If the theories brought by Dr Ste-venson and other researchers brave enough to explore the enigma are correct, then they offer ideas more mysterious than the phenomenon itself.
Xenoglossy – the phenomenon of recognising or speaking “unlearned” languages – may be evidence of past lives, some scientists say.
NASA launches new satellite to study Moonafp
NASA has launched its third lunar probe in five years with an unmanned spacecraft that aims to study the Moon’s atmosphere.
Blazing a red path in the night sky, the spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 11.27pm local time on Sept 6 (13.27 AEST on Sept 7) aboard a converted Air Force ballistic missile known as the Minotaur V rocket.
“The spacecraft is in good health and a good orbit at this point,” said NASA commentator George Diller about half an hour after the launch.
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) aims to learn more about the atmo-sphere and dust while circling the
Moon.When US astronauts last walked
on the Moon four decades ago, they learned that dust could be a huge problem for sensitive spacecraft and equipment, said space expert John Logsdon.
“If we were ever to go there with people for long duration, the dust gets in everything. It’s not smooth dust like a piece of sand on the beach. It’s made of very, very small fragments,” said Mr Logsdon, a NASA adviser and former direc-tor of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University.
“All the Apollo crews complained about the lunar dust getting every-where.”
US astronauts first walked on the Moon in 1969 and the last explor-ers of the Apollo era visited in 1972.
The journey to the Moon will take
about a month and the probe will initially orbit at a height of about 250km for 40 days before moving lower for the science portion of its mission.
After 100 days spent measur-ing chemical variations in the lunar atmosphere, analysing exosphere gasses and lunar dust grains, and looking for water molecules in the lunar atmo-sphere, the LADEE spacecraft will make a death plunge into the Moon’s surface.
Potential future uses of this module could include unmanned probes to an aster-oid or to Mars, as well as future Moon probes, though none are planned for now.
NASA’s next big human explo-ration project aims to send humans to Mars by the 2030s.
An artists’s render shows NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft orbiting near the surface of the moon.
dana berry/naSa ameS
Epping
11:30 am—3:30pm5:00pm—9:30pm
(02) 9876 8111
Shop 28, Level 1, Genesis Build-ing, 74-76 Rawson St, Epping NSW 2121 (close to train station)
Steamboat Buffetincluding Roast Duck
Lunch Dinner
hotline
RST0264
