• Energetic Experiments on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
    (Part 2)
    By The Contemplative Bard
    August 23, 2024

    Alternative model of faith: Beliefs as working hypotheses

    What if there is a 3rd camp who can prove that the power of the Holy Eucharist is an objective reality that is not dependent on sociological constructs or beliefs? Like they consider the declarations of faith or beliefs or creeds as mere working hypotheses on the Discipleship path.

    A hypothesis is a temporary assumption or belief that is accepted as fact or knowledge after it has been experimented on and proven to be true. Working hypothesis means believing the assumptions of faith and using them as a guide until such a time that they are disproven as false. Belief or faith becomes solid knowledge only if they are proven. Knowledge and objective truth are verifiable and repeatable. This is not impossible really. We were brainwashed that matters of faith can only be proven upon death; or they are not meant to be proven at all.

    Discovering small truths at a time lead to the greater truths, eventually. For instance, based on my experience, many spiritual beliefs are, in fact, provable during a person's lifetime: that consciousness can exist apart from the physical body (NDEs). Angels. Demons. Divine retribution and reward. Power of Love & Mercy. Existence after death. Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. Once we have proven these truths, the other aspects of faith are easier to swallow. What is lacking for many people are spiritual tools or technology that can be used because they are outright considered heresy and diabolical. We have proven historically how people were persecuted for trying spiritual tools that appear to be strange to church teachings. St. Joan of Arc. St. Theresa of Avila. St. John of the cross. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Fr. Anthony de Mello. And many more.

    There are tools that can be used but most of them came from Eastern spiritual traditions. Even the tools used by the Christian contemplative tradition (the Desert Fathers, remember?). Considering everything that come from the Eastern traditions as heretical or "diabolical" is obsolete. Out of the 7 billion of the world population with religion, only 2.5 billion are Christians (30%) and 4.5 B are people coming from Eastern spiritual traditions (55%). The time is ripe for them to be friends and have spiritual technology exchange for the greater good. That is to counter the 5% of the population who have the resources and want to infringe and impose their empiricist-consumerist mindset on the spiritual-religious domains.





    Let us try a few experiments on the Holy Eucharist. I don't pretend to know how trans-substantiation exactly works, but it appears something magical happens when the act of Eucharistic consecration is done properly on the sacramental bread or wafer and wine. No, we can't do literal laboratory blood work on the wine nor a DNA test on the bread. But something happens on the energetic level of things.

    The Hebrew mystical tradition of the Kabbalah, which the Master J. maybe aware of during his time, asserts that the physical body (Guf) is not the only form used by the Divine Spirit (Chayah) within us. There are also subtle and invisible bodies made of finer substance like the vital body (Tzelem), emotional body (Nefesh), mental body (Ruach), or the higher soul body (Neshamah). In the Hindu-Buddhist tradition, there are also subtle bodies that they call: Sthula, Kama, Manas, etc. Sometimes, they are referred to as Shariras. St. Paul himself stated his belief on the 3 aspects of humans: Spirit, Soul, and Body (1 Thess 5:23).

    So now knowing that spiritual traditions older than Christianity believed in vital energies and higher bodies apart from what we know as the physical body, is it possible that trans-substantiation and the eating of Christ's flesh and blood (in John 6:56) did not refer to the actual physical body but to the vital essences and energies of Christ's higher spiritual bodies? And that apart from the historical redemptive act, the "sacrifice" of the the Mass also refers to Christ sacrificing a bit of his energetic essence that is downloaded on the sacramental bread/wafer and wine through the Invocative ritual of the Eucharist?

    Believers or not, we can prove this by doing simple experiments. Making the experiments blind will remove the notion that spiritual things only work if the person has faith or belief in it (and is therefore subjective). Even if the person receiving it has no faith in it, the energetic substance of the wafer is changed. How it impacts a person's life is another story.

    Modified before-and-after double blind experiment on the energetic emanations of the Holy Eucharist

    Spiritual technology to be used

    Grab any book on Tai Chi or Qi-Gong (Buddha palm) or Aikido and follow their simple training on how to create and feel the "energetic chi ball". Or you may buy a book on Pranic Healing or Energy Healing, and follow the procedures for scanning the human aura or bio-energy using the palm of your hands. This may take a few days or weeks to master. Remember that the Eucharistic energy may be finer than an ordinary "chi" or human prana or vital energy. You can practice feeling the magnetic field of a magnet or a quartz crystal. Then a plant or your pet's. Then a human's. You can feel the magnetic field like repelling each other in between your palms. This is not complicated. (Note: a priest has an active hand chakra that was "opened" during his ordination; so if a priest will do the experiment, there is no need for any book to train his palms to feel subtle energies. Maybe he can feel the energy after a few attempts)

    Methodology

    Variation 1 (ideal):

    1. 1. Get the cooperation of an open-minded Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican priest. You will use a consecrated sacramental wafer.

    2. 2. Mentally pray or ask the permission of the Christ that you are not planning to disrespect the Eucharist but you are trying to verify the objective existence of its power to convert your belief into knowledge so you can help evangelize the reality of the Eucharist based on experience.

    3. 3. Secure 3 specimen wafers: One that is consecrated during a Mass/worship service, one that is fresh from the wafer box (unconsecrated. this is the control specimen), and one that is simply prayed over or "blessed" by a lay person who is not a priest. (You can experiment with 2 groups of wafers: first group is the big host elevated by the priest, and the small wafer that is distributed to the faithful during communion).

    4. 4. To make it a blind experiment: A separate person will put the 3 specimen wafers in identical boxes not known to the person who will energetically scan the wafers. This is blind so there can be no cognitive bias; the experimenter doesn't know which of wafers is consecrated.

    5. 5. To make it double blind: The separate person who will put the 3 specimen wafers in identical boxes has no knowledge as to which of the wafers is consecrated. Another separate person knows it and will put a secret mark on the box for identification purposes; and that person will not be on the experiment area. This is to remove the possibility of the person in the area giving non-verbal cues to the experimenter.

    6. 6. The experimenter will scan the 3 boxes with wafers inside. She has to identify which one is consecrated by feeling which has the greatest energetic emanation by feeling them in her palms. This experiment can be repeated several times by changing and shuffling the boxes by the double blind person who is not in the room. There could also be several experimenters who practiced the energy scanning techniques who will do the experiment. This will make it verifiable and repeatable.

    Variation 2 (easier to do and most recommended):

    1. 1. If the cooperation of a priest cannot be secured, the specimen to be used are actual consenting humans. Choose humans who are regular church goers and you know to be devoted Christians who receive Communion regularly.

    2. 2. Three subjects can be used for the experiment. Before going to Mass, their bio-energy or aura will be scanned using the palms of the hand and the size will be noted on a notebook. They are behind a curtain and the experimenter can't see them. The third person will not go to Mass. The energy field of the 3rd will also be noted.

    3. 3. The two subjects attend a Holy Mass. One receives communion and the other will not. After the Mass, they return to the experiment room behind a curtain, the experimenter scans their bio-energy and takes note of the difference, if there is expansion of the energy field or not. Include the 3rd person in the scanning. As in Variation 1, do the verifiability and repeatability tests.

    4. 4. Another sub-variation of this will be perfect if there is a participation of a priest. The 3 subjects should go to Mass for communion. The 3rd one will receive a host/wafer that is not consecrated (the person does not know that but the priest knows). This will account for any placebo effect on the energetic level.

    Variation 3:

    1. 1. This will not count as a formal experiment but for one's own satisfaction, if Variation 1 and 2 cannot be done in controlled conditions. However, this will work if the person is already very experienced in scanning energy fields through long practice.

    2. 2. When attending Mass, try to ask permission first from the Lord that you don't intend to disrespect his Body with this experiment. During the Liturgy of the Word (Bible readings, etc.), try to scan the paten or the ciborium on the altar or the credence table from a distance (usually from the pew where you are sitting). This can be done by intention even with distance. Hide your hands under the pew if you are using it to scan so other people will not be annoyed and won't think you are a nut case. Also try to scan when the priest is not behind the altar, like when he is on the pulpit or presider's chair so his own energy field will not interfere. Take a mental note of the size of the energy field or if there is any.

    3. 3. During the consecration when the priest elevates the wafer up in the air, try to scan it quickly and take note of the difference in the size of the energy field. Make sure to ask permission mentally because this is a sacred moment. Or if you missed it, try scanning the paten or the ciborium afterwards from a distance, but this will be tricky because the priest never leaves the altar. His own energy field will interfere. The take note of the difference in size.

    Discussions

    1. If you had direct hit several times and correctly identified the consecrated wafer from the unconsecrated one because you felt the energy, you have proven that something changed in the substance of the wafer. You have proven that the Power of the Holy Eucharist is not a matter of belief but it has an independent objective existence. The fact that the wafer has strong bio-energetic emanation also means it is a Living Bread. You have also proven that the Consecration ritual or the Liturgy of the Eucharist has the power to invoke Christ's presence in our midst. Believing stops and knowing begins. There is nothing disrespectful in this experiment if this results into renewed faith in the Eucharistic presence. I believe if the faithful will experience this fact, Churches attendance will thrive once again.

    2. If you are sure your palms are sensitive to energy, and you didn't feel a single thing from the blind experiments, then find another priest or church. If you felt the presence in the wafer in another church (and not in the church you are attending), then it is time to move into a new church! Priests are mediators during the liturgy and a big part of the process depends on their skills, sanctification, and faith in the mystery drama ritual they are performing. If they just consider it as a symbolic routine or a mere sociological phenomenon, the Angel of the Presence will not cooperate and nothing will be consecrated.

    3. It is interesting to note of the energy differential between the big host that the priest elevates and the smaller wafers that is intended to be distributed to the faithful during communion. It is sad that some priests are selfish and don't care to consecrate the wafers for distribution; or worst, they believe the process is just a symbolic communal breaking of the bread and nothing more. Don't get me wrong. The Holy Mass is communal worship and will benefit everyone even without partaking of the Eucharist through the benediction, however, as the Master J told us, it is the eating of the flesh and blood that gives eternal life. A person will not experience the full benefit of the service without it.

    As pointed out in the GIRM, the priest should make sure the ciborium (where the small wafers for distribution are contained) is placed within the corporal (white square cloth on top of the altar linen) and should willfully direct his consciousness into it during the consecration process, apart from the big host he is holding and elevating. A lazy priest will argue G-d knows where it is. No, there is a science to it; if G-d will do everything for us, what is the point of the priest having trouble of doing the liturgy?

    I observed in one church that during communion, the priest always take the ciborium from the reserves in the tabernacle and his corporal is always empty except for his paten and chalice. The geek in me attended all the Masses for the whole week to observe where the reserves are coming from. It should be from the excess wafers from previous consecrations. I was shocked and wondered how those reserves were consecrated when during the week, no ciborium was ever consecrated during the Masses.

    4. How does the Holy Eucharist work in one's spiritual life? I don't exactly know the technicalities except the Christ said it gives eternal life. It is a channel so Divine Grace can flow to a person. In theory, I can compare it to the "Shaktipat" and "Darshan" in Eastern Spiritual Traditions. This is a form of transference of divine blessings (a pat on the backheart of a disciple, or a laying on hands on the head, or a holy gaze) coming from a living guru. This serves as an energy boost into the spiritual life of a disciple. Since in Christianity, there is no living guru to give shaktipats, we source it from the Holy Eucharist. Christ may have known that the people of the West (where Christianity spread) are individualistic and not devotional by nature unlike their counterparts in the East, and won't worship another person as god (guru-worship)! Instead, the Christ devised a liturgical ritual (the sacraments) to give this divine shaktipat directly to his disciples, without the need to worship a human person. Although the Bishop acts like an equivalent of a living guru during the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders; he gives shaktipat and administers Chrism oil during the ritual (this is also done to anoint and enthrone monarchs in Europe).

    5. The keyword is energy booster. The Eucharist boosts our spiritual batteries. The strong energy emanations is reflective of the Divine life within the host. When it is ingested, I theorize that it energizes the person's energetic heart to make the person more open to receive and give love and compassion to others. It can also possibly vivify the antakharana (an Eastern term) the bridge between our personality and the Divinity within us (Luke 17:21) to boost our sanctification process (divine at-one-ment).

    6. However, I personally believe that receiving the Eucharist alone won't cut it. The disciple should be actively engaged in the sanctification process, just like in Eastern spiritual traditions. Combined with a sanctification strategy, service, and development of the inner life (through meditation and prayer), it is a potent tool for receiving "eternal life" (as to what this is can be a topic of a future post).

    I have met people who receive holy communion regularly but they are the worst human being I have ever known. My theory is because of either of 2 things: (1) They don't have a conscious effort to discipline themselves for sanctification that go with worship service attendance. (2) or presence of energetic or emotional blockages.

    The sudden boost of Divine energies from the Holy Eucharist can be problematic for some people (instead of being helpful) due to blockages. It can short-circuit their bodies. Remember before the modernism of the Churches, Eucharistic fasting (not taking any food for several hours) are required, as well as confession (sacrament of reconciliation) before receiving communion. This is the equivalent of psychotherapy in the sacraments to clear one's emotional and psychological issues.

    Fasting from food (in many spiritual traditions) are done for purification. It is done to clear the bodies from toxins and dense energetic blockages. It is also the reason why many Eastern religions advocate the vegetarian diet. (Many people have issues with "purification" citing Master J's rebuke on the clergy during his time about the prohibition from eating with uncleaned hands. They got it out of context. Master J rebuked their hypocrisy and mocked them because they are too fastidious about outer cleanliness to show off they are holier than other people. It didn't mean the Lord advocated us to be slobs; He was saying that the clean input is useless and is not a basis of sanctification if it does not result in integrated spiritual living, that included loving our neighbours as well. See also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 on the body being a temple of the Holy Spirit).

    But truly, aside from toxins, emotional blockages (the things the "come out from the mouth" or the personality) are far more destructive. Feelings of hate, anger, greed, lust, etc. (those mentioned in the 10 Commandments and the 7 capital transgressions) should be transmuted first before Divine Grace can flow into our system smoothly. In the Yoga tradition, they have 8 stages towards At-one-ment, and the first 5 stages are towards purification: Yama and Niyama (physical and emotional character building), Asana (physical), Pranayama (energetic), and Pratyahara (emotional control and psychological training). In Buddhism, they have the 8 fold-path, of which non-attachment is the most popular. In Taoism, they have the fusion of the 5 elements to clear one's emotional issues.

    Without the proper purification, the Eucharist, when eaten, will energize and further boost the blockages, if not removed. It magnifies both the positive and negative traits of a person. If one has hatred in her heart, the more one will become a hateful person. A person susceptible to lust, she will be more lustful. Thus, a sanctification strategy is very important in the pursuit of spiritual life.

    Remember, beliefs are debunkable, while direct experience and solid knowledge are not. I hope this experiment translates into a renewed mind and a new way of looking at the sacraments from both believers and non-believers alike who have open minds.