The SHN #2: Wait... Magic is Real?

Welcome to another edition of the Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

Today we’ll explore the world of magic. Can it possibly be real?

After that, famous record producer Rick Rubin is profiled, specifically his health habits, which receive a stamp of approval from yours truly.

Then comes a push-up fix.

Finally, I’ll leave you with some additional resources to check out.

Joe Burt

Wait….. Magic is Real!?!

Yes.

In fact, there are six classes of “magical” scientific experiments which have exceeded the six-sigma threshold. Meaning that the odds against chance in these experiments is assessed to be over a billion to one.

Dean Radin, in his scientifically-oriented book “Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe”, writes “each class of experiments has been repeated from a dozen to more than a hundred times by independent investigators at different labs around the world, with each class cumulatively involving hundreds to thousands of participants.” We’ll look at these experiments later.

Magic, at its core, is harnessed through the utilization of two fundamental mental abilities: attention and intention. The potency of magical manifestations is influenced by four key elements: belief, imagination, emotion, and clarity.

To cultivate proficiency in magical practices, the most crucial aid is to acquire the skill of entering a specific state of consciousness called gnosis. Meditation, a time-honored and secure approach, serves as a reliable pathway to attain this state.

Across various traditions, the objective of meditation is to reach a heightened state of awareness, where the individual realizes the inseparable unity between their personal self and the Universal Self. This profound realization lies at the heart of the meditative journey.

To truly harness the power of magic, it is essential to incorporate a consistent meditation practice. By quieting the mind, we can see the world without the filters of cultural conditioning, gaining a deeper understanding of reality. This clarity is the key to unlocking the full potential of our magical abilities.

Once you’ve achieved some measure of this consciousness, then you can be successful at actually performing “magic”.

I am not going any further into the how-to, but you can learn more in any of Dean Radin’s books, who takes a purely scientific approach, or in one of hundreds of parapsychology books written.

Let’s get back to the six classes of experiments scientifically validated to work:

Telepathy: refers to the ability to transmit or receive thoughts, ideas, or information from one person to another without using the known senses or conventional communication methods. The meta-analysis done on this topic can be read about here and here:

“The evidence accumulated over more than 80 years of investigation clearly shows that nonlocal perception is possible, and effects can be enhanced by altering normal states of consciousness, thus facilitating an alternative form of perception seemingly unconstrained by the normal biological characteristics of the sense organs and the brain. This research expands our understanding of the mind-brain relationship and the nature of human mind.”

Remote Viewing: refers to the ability to gather information about a distant or unseen target through extrasensory perception (ESP), and is otherwise known as clairvoyance and pre-cognition (Minority Report is a great flick!). Even the US government employed remote viewing to spy on enemies. Read about “The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies”.

Presentiment: a technique for measuring unconscious physiological reactions to future events.

Implicit Precognition: popularized by Cornell University psychologist Daryl Bem, this test measures future influence on present-time behavior. Read the study here and some additional discussion here.

Random Number Generators (RNG’S) are devices that generate a sequence of numbers that should, in theory, be completely random. Studies like this one show that intention influences RNG outputs by going backward through time.

The Global Consciousness Project is a worldwide RNG experiment. It tests the simultaneous focused attention of millions of people. Check out their website, which has all their experiment data from 1998, when the project began. “After collecting 500 worldwide events (which took 18 years), the experiment has achieved an overall results above seven sigma. That’s associated with odds against chance greater than a trillion to one.”

The above graph shows the worldwide response to Queen Elizabeth’s death, as measured by a global network of physical random generators located in up to 70 host sites around the world.

“When human consciousness becomes coherent, the behavior of random systems may change. Random number generators (RNGs) based on quantum tunneling produce completely unpredictable sequences of zeroes and ones. But when a great event synchronizes the feelings of millions of people, our network of RNGs becomes subtly structured. The evidence suggests an emerging noosphere or the unifying field of consciousness described by sages in all cultures.”

The purpose of the Global Consciousness Project is to explore subtle connections that could indicate the existence and influence of consciousness in the world. Their hypothesis suggests that seemingly random data will exhibit patterns linked to significant global events that capture our attention and emotions.

You can read more on their website. You can also check out the formal analysis of 9/11, which is super interesting, here. For all you conspiracy theorists out there: “there is an indication that the effects registered for this horrendous event might have begun several hours prior to the first attack.” Gasp.

As we stand today “magic”, better know as parapsychology, is slowly starting to lose its supernatural conations, occult baggage, and religious prohibitions.

But since paranormal occurrences challenge the established scientific frameworks and theories that are based on observable and measurable phenomena, there remains an uphill battle to mainstream acceptance. It doesn’t fit snugly into the current scientific paradigm, the theoretical framework of this time.

This is where the study of consciousness comes busting through the door, potentially shattering all we thought we knew about this world. There is growing recognition among scientists that consciousness plays a crucial role in understanding parapsychological phenomena. Consciousness is not solely confined to the brain but extends beyond it, suggesting the existence of non-local or non-physical aspects of consciousness.

Studying the ongoing relationship between consciousness and paranormal experiences will likely turn “magical” experiences from fiction into nonfiction.

And as events like Queen Elizabeth’s passing and 9/11 show us, we are all connected…. somehow.

“Magic is real. Deal with it.” -Dean Radin

*I don’t practice magic……….yet

Human Spotlight: Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin made Anderson Cooper pause for two minutes before beginning his recent 60 minutes interview to join him in a meditation. The prolific producer, who has produced albums and songs with over 120 artists in his four decade career, is called “The Guru” by many of those he’s worked with for his zen-like approach to the craft of music making.

His recent book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”, became an immediate #1 New York Times bestseller. It is chock full of wisdom on the art of creation, filled with sound advice, helpful suggestions, and kernels of universal truths.

His remarkable professional career has given us timeless classics and is highly inspirational, but I’d like to highlight Rubin’s health transformation and current wellness practices instead of his musical accomplishments.

Rubin reached a peak weight of 318 lbs., eating a vegan diet that he admittedly misinterpreted, while keeping a sleep schedule of around 5am to 2pm, while abstaining from exercise. He then proceeded to lose 135 lbs. over a 14 month period after switching to a high-protein, lower-calorie diet, exercising six days a week, restoring his sleep-wake cycles to a healthy rhythm, and walking on the beach.

Diet. Exercise. Circadian Rhythm/Sleep-Wake Cycles.

For body composition, disease prevention/management, and general well-being, those are the three major pillars.

During this health transformation, Rubin went all-in on his “light diet” that I’ve been stressing the importance of. He takes long, barefoot beach walks in the morning, soaking up the red light frequencies from the sun and negative ions from the sand, and even was charged with breaking Hawaii’s C-19 protocols for this practice.

Rubin only has red lights in his house, boosts his red light intake with Joovv panels, uses an intranasal red light called the Vielight, and religiously wears blue light blocking glasses. Suffice it to say, Rick gets his red light and blocks artificial junk light.

A huge fan of hot/cold contrast therapy, Rubin loves having conversations in the sauna “I’ve realized that the conversations that happen in the sauna are really good. In the sauna, you turn off a part of your brain that’s maybe more guarded. You’re too preoccupied with survival.”

And he has fully adopted the ice bath craze, “The best meditations one can have are in an ice bath. It’s a one-pointed activity where other problems don’t come with you into the ice.”

Rubin also wears an Oura ring, which is the only wearable I currently own, and is fantastic for sleep tracking. He uses a Fisher Wallace Stimulator which helps produce serotonin by shifting the brain waves to a calm state.

Rubin maintains a Transcendental Meditation practice, uses metta phrases while walking on the beach, and has a prayer practice, which he tries to do before meals. “It’s not traditional ‘prayer’ to a God, but more so to the universe as a whole. It’s more like an agreement to be a humble servant of the universe and have each step be for the highest good for all”.

Here is a summary of 10 of Rubin’s health tips, as described by this YouTuber:

1. Walk barefoot to absorb negative ions from nature.

2. Restrict your calories to lose weight fast.

3. Follow a Keto-Paleo diet to deplete glycogen stores and eat whole foods.

4. Spend time in an infrared sauna to detox, lose weight, and relax.

5. Take ice baths to expose yourself to heat and cold every day.

6. Spend time in nature to detoxify from EMF damage and improve mental well-being.

7. Swim in the ocean to calm down, de-stress, and protect your joints.

8. Find work that you love to improve your mental and physical health.

9. Practice Transcendental Meditation to calm yourself down and repeat positive mantras.

10. Listen to music to run away from yourself and improve your mental health.

Rubin’s health transformation is an easy one to highlight because of his fame and likeability. He has been a fixture in the music industry and is responsible for songs like “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, “Someone Like You”, “Hurt”, "Under the Bridge”, and “99 Problems”.

It took him over 20 years to decide to overhaul his health, but he did it in a little over a year by following the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle.

Living in accordance with and in nature is one of the less-adopted lifestyle changes Rubin made, but it’s a necessary one. Combine that with a sensible diet, consistent exercise and a healthy circadian rhythm, you’re in the top few % of individuals.

To stay connected with Rubin, he’s got a great new podcast, with a two-part, 6-hour one recently recorded with my guys Jack Kruse and Andrew Huberman.

Fix Your Pushups

One of my favorite Internet physical therapists, Zac Cupples, recently had a great post about improving the push-up exercise.

A quality rep of a push-up requires adequate internal rotation of the humerus, forearm, wrist, and most importantly, the hand. Here is how a quality rep is done:

1) Get heavy through the pisiform and the base of the index finger (shown above)

2) Ensure that your hand stays flat at all times during a pushup.

3) Don’t cheat through the elbow or shoulder to get the flat hand position.

If you can’t maintain a flat hand position, watch this video on how to do neutral grip pushups.

Now drop and give me 20!

Humans have no clue how the world actually works: This enlightening 8-minute clip talks about humanity’s relationship (or lack thereof) to nature. Philosopher Charles Eisenstein mentions how the technological environment limits perception, causing a loss of touch with other human capacities and how the reductionist approach of modern science, along with our built environment, influence and shape our culture (for the negative). Oh yea, they talk about how you can communicate with trees too.

Modern Tech Builds Beta Males: In this post, Jack Kruse talks about how modern technology contributes to the development of "beta males" by disrupting the natural processes influenced by sunlight. One aspect is the effect of technology's blue light emissions, which interfere with retinoic acid and melanin cycles in the brain. This disruption can impact the development of the neocortex, leading to behaviors that deviate from traditional masculinity. Additionally, technology addiction and exposure to artificial light can lower vitamin D levels, impair nerve function, increase pain thresholds, and negatively affect mitochondrial health. In essence, the influence of modern technology on light-sensitive processes contributes to the creation of "beta males" and undermines the natural alignment of humans with their optimal biological functions.

Fixing Forward Head Posture: My guy Zac Cupples recently put out a great post on how to fight this common issue among the desk jockeys. Rather than less effective techniques like pulling the chin back over and over, he talks about improving respiratory dynamics (including ribcage motion and tongue posture), and looking to the horizon to get assistance from the visual system.

The RP Diet App: Two of my old co-workers from NYC went on to create a highly successful company, Renaissance Periodization. One of their flagship products is their Diet App, which is a science-based companion to achieve your aesthetic and fitness goals. The app is super customizable, highly effective, and will absolutely work if you adhere to the plan given, whether your goal is to build muscle or burn fat.

That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, please share!