A group of physicists at the University of Texas has reported “an astonishing discovery” (NEW YORK TIMES, September 3rd, 1996 and originally published in the August 29th issue of NATURE.) Unfortunately for the University of Texas the “astonishing discovery” is two centuries old, has been incorporated in the new science (reported in the second issue of FTIR back in February, 1990), with work well beyond that reported in NATURE and the NEW YORK TIMES. They didn't know in Texas because the dictatorial science reporting system denies research from outside the orthodox circle.
The physicists discovered that sand on a vibrating plate forms patterns and they correctly relate the frequency of the vibration to the pattern. If they persist, they will find what “New Science”; already knows, that a specific frequency always generates the same pattern.
According to the NEW YORK TIMES “current theory cannot explain this mysterious” finding in sand pile physics. However, if you go back to German physics of the late 18th century, you will find an explanation. This ordering power of frequency in Goethe and Chladni is the forth endowing element in nature or the “sound ether” in Wachsmuth and Steiner. We reproduce page 2 of the FTIR for February, 1990, to illustrate the amount of information we were able to report six years ago! (not included here) “Astonishing discovery?” Astonishing ignorance is more to the point. An “F” grade. Orthodox science has only itself to blame for this embarrassing gaffe . . . it has always restricted what may, and may not, be termed “scientific work” and the peer review/science journal system has rejected all kinds of interesting reports over the years . . . including the ordering capacity of vibration.
In fact, “underground” work has gone far beyond the Texas discovery. Unfortunately, the Texans went trotting off to Vice President Gore to give him the impression this was a new discovery. In fact they accidentally conned Mr. Gore. They didn't know this finding goes back to the 18th century, to the German physicist Chladni in 1785. [Actually it goes back to the 1600s. See Cymatics for a condensed history.]
This confirms our observation that modern scientists have little idea what lies outside the narrow confines they set for themselves. The Texans discovered the “sound ether” and the formative power of nature without knowing what it was. (Read your Bible, John 1:1. “In the beginning was the word” (word=sound). The traditional explanation for the Chladni plate phenomena is based on etheric energy ... also unknown to materialist science.
Vibration is the form endowing element 'that which is called forth through the etheric forces in nature, comprises more than the externally bounded shape or an organic or inorganic entity. The reason why ... in the case of Chladni figures the influence of sound (vibration) causes nothing beyond the ordering of form in our space is because on this plane of nature the only changes that can occur are changes in the positions of separate physical bodies. Where the forces of sound in ether form are able to take hold of matter from within they can produce changes of form of a quite different kind. This effect of the activity of sound ether has given it its other name; the chemical ether”. [Ernst Lehrs, MAN OR MASTER 1951 p 397]
Here is the dilemma for orthodoxy. The vibration-plate is well known, has been known for centuries and a body of theory has been built on the observations, also developed over two centuries.
The University of Texas Physics Department is a Johnny-come-lately. And it is truly surprising that the White House Science adviser was not aware of the history of the Chladni plate and bothered the Vice President with 200 year old findings and a false claim. Further, while they confirm the original observations the University of Texas has no explanatory theory. (The New York Times says “current theory cannot explain”). If Texas accepts the etheric theory which has stood the test of time, even if unknown, it has bought a thin end of a wedge . .. if you accept the concept of a “sound ether”, then you are on the way to looking at internal and external aspects of the sound ether . . . and that brings you to Constable etheric weather engineering. You can imagine the horror in Texas and Washington that will be evoked by this prospect!
How does this relate to Kuhn? Simply this: while the Texas observations cannot be explained in conventional theory, they can and have been explained in new science paradigm theory. The etheric explanation does not depend on Texas orthodoxy. It has been there, done that. Long ago. In brief, we have a fascinating case where orthodoxy innocently finds a phenomenon, checks it out, finds it repeatable, but because of a limited horizon, doesn't know that others made the discovery long ago and explanation is in terms of an unknown (to them) paradigm. What is unusual in this case is that the University of Texas brought the fascinating awe-inspiring process to the attention of the Vice President without even a suspicion of its own limitations . . . This is where our research money goes!
[The Texas research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (Office of Basic Energy Sciences), the Texas Advanced Research Program and the U. S. National Science Foundation.]
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS ON CHLADNI PLATES
You will NOT find these books in a University Library. The science censorship program has been thorough. You can purchase some from Borderlands, P. O. Box 220, Bayside, California 95524 OR Anthroposophic Press, RR 4, Box 94 Al, Hudson, New York 12534, Phone: (518) 851 - 2054 FAX (518) 851- 2047, Hours 9-5 EST. This press also carries videos of Dr. Hans Jenny's work and the CYMATICS books. Look at these videos and you will know far more than the University of Texas physicists, Delta Spectrum Research has some (a lot!) at 921 Santa Fe Avenue, La Junta, CO 74036, (720) 249-2731.
Compare these to the NEW YORK TIMES 3rd September 1996 or NATURE 29 August 1996 and recall that Dr. Hans Jenny was working thirty years ago. You will at least understand why we are so caustic about most "scientists”. An excellent, just published book is THE PHYSICS OF LOVE: THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSAL LAWS by Dale Pond. (Delta Spectrum Research, 921 Santa Fe Avenue, La Junta, CO 74036, (720) 249-2731) Pond starts with the Chladni (1780) vibrating plate phenomena and continues into the work of Keely, music and color. The Texas group came to the conclusion that vibration greater than 35 Hertz gives a stripe pattern and less than 18 Hertz gives a square pattern. Read Pond and you will learn far more about the relationship of sound frequency to shape, than stripes and squares. There is considerable literature, some very scarce. (See above for addresses of Delta Spectrum Research and Borderlands Foundation.) Rev. John Andrews THE PENDULOGRAPH (1881) (Delta or Borderlands). Ernst Lehrs MAN OR MATTER Harper and Row, New York, (Borderlands). Important.
Gunther Wachsmuth THE ETHERIC FORMATIVE FORCES IN COSMOS, EARTH AND MAN Anthroposophical Press New York, 1932 (Borderlands) Gould Joseph, HARMONIC VIBRATIONS AND VIBRATION FIGURES 1909 (?). By this time you will appreciate that University and institutional libraries have a grave deficiency. Any material that does not fit the 19th-20th century materialistic physics explanation has been ignored. About one third of our personal Library cannot be found in any local University Library!
The Chladni plate fiasco demonstrates how far orthodox publicly financed science is from ongoing self-financed new science work. Orthodox science can easily get funds from Foundations, Government and Universities. Yet it comes up with far less for the money than self-financed new science work. Dale Pond has done extraordinary work since about 1984 that we know about. No funds, no backing, not even acknowledgment from the University of Texas. Yet Pond has pushed much further in his analysis of the phenomena. Again this supports Thomas Kuhns' argument that the old cannot absorb the new. If the University of Texas recognizes Chladni and Dale Pond, it has to discuss theories of causation ... and it doesn't have the knowledge or understanding to discuss or analyze etheric theory. The typical physicists response is “Impossible. It can't be.”
Government and Foundation are in a different role. All we will say is that conventional wisdom in these areas is deficient. Common sense suggests - for new ideas look to new science.
See Also