Going back much further than the twenty-first century, we can read in literature about individuals who were visited in dreams. The Bible is full of references that we can chalk up as either precognition, or premonitions. Additionally, even the Bard himself references premonitions, in one of his most famous plays: Julius Caesar. Calpurnia, has a dream Caesar will be killed. To say these types of experiences are nothing new would be an understatement. While science hasn’t found a way to determine just how these experiences come about, it is clear many examples exist throughout history.
Can We Know Something We’ve Never Experienced: Remote Viewing
This is a topic that began to come into focus (from a research standpoint) in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Proponents of this theory suggest that certain people have the ability to be able to “view” or “perceive” events, objects, or even entire scenarios in a place other than where they are physically located. For example, a remote viewer, in theory, is able to perceive a person they have never met living in San Diego, and explain in great detail exactly what the person is doing, while the viewer is seated comfortably in their home in Washington D.C.
Pioneering research studies of this amazing feat involved using playing cards and colors to easily assess the ability of self-proclaimed remote viewers to view something outside of their field of vision, or general awareness. In fact, studies have even involved remote viewers being able to describe in perfect detail the weather in multiple cities thousands of miles away, all verified by local weather authorities. With this kind of knowledge, they can easily know what is occurring in real time, despite not having any prior information. For instance, a remote viewer can describe in thorough detail the daily actions of someone they have never met, seen before, and without having any kind of background information to assist them.
The US government was also responsible for the study of remote viewing, as a potential military weapon. During the years spanning the mid 1970’s and 1995, several government and military branches conducted remote viewing studies: the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the US Army. While the military eventually deemed remote viewing wasn’t an effective tool for military endeavors, the fact it was studied for two decades, and much of the information remains classified, is a good indicator of its existence.[iv] This brings us back to our question regarding the acceptance of altered states of consciousness. In a very strict operation, such as classified government research, or military experiments – the suggestion events can be pre-known, or witnessed from afar, is a great step towards asserting its validity.
Furthermore, remote viewing is a prime example of the ability to know more than what meets the eye. Having the capability to see things on the other side of the world, without the use of technology sounds daunting. However, in comparison with other psychic abilities, it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. Being able to know whether or not a business meeting will turn out favorably, intuitively, can be a valuable and seemingly amazing feat. But simply because you aren’t able to know what the person flying in from Houston ate for breakfast that morning, and see a visual representation of this in your mind’s eye, doesn’t make it any less incredible. With any psychic phenomena, there still remains today a high degree of stigma and incredulity. However, these abilities make the case that perhaps we are all more connected than we are originally led to believe – such as C.G. Jung so famously suggested.