Today’s Solutions: April 26, 2024

The following experimental exercises will help you to test your own personal relationship with the field of endless possibilities. Do not be surprised if the results are not what you expected. But you will find that your results will improve with practice. The whole idea is to practice and to discover new possibilities. We are able to achieve more than we think or, in other words: there is more to us than just thought. Have fun!

Tijn Touber | November 2003 issue
Head or tails?
All you need is a coin. Choose head or tails and focus your mind on your choice (try to ‘tune in’ to the coin, rather than simply thinking about it). Throw the coin into the air 100 times and note down how many times your choice comes up. The laws of probability say it should be 50%, what will the field say?
Staring or not staring?
Seat yourself on a chair. An observer stations himself behind you. It does not matter whether he looks at you or not. Both of you have a pen and a paper with the numbers 1 to 20 written on it. The observer counts off the numbers, writing down ‘yes’ or ‘no’ each time to indicate whether he is looking at your back or not. You try and ‘feel’ when he is looking writing down your own guesses for each number. Compare the results.
Sending and receiving 1. Which colour?
Imprint you partner’s face on your memory. Make two sets of five sheets of paper, number them one to five, and write ‘receiver’ on the first five and ‘sender’ on the second five. Decide which of you will be the sender first. Sit so that you cannot see one another. The sender calls out the number of the paper and fills in a colour. The receiver marks the colour he sees the sender using. Reverse the situation. Compare the results.
Sending and receiving 2. Plus and minus
Take two sheets of paper with the numbers 1 to 50 written on them. Sit so that you cannot see one another. Decide which of you will be the sender first. The sender slowly counts from 1 to 50. He marks each number with a plus or minus. The receiver notes down what he sees the sender writing. Reverse the roles. Then compare the two series with one another.
Black or Red?
Take a deck of cards. Lay them face down in front of you. Each time before you turn a card over visualise which colour suit it will be: black or red. Tally how many times you are right.
Which colour?
Take six sheets of coloured paper. The subject puts on a blindfold so that he cannot discern any light at all. Hold the paper above his or her head in a sequence you decide. The subject calls out the colour of the paper. Note down how often his or her observation is correct.
Playing with dice
You need one die and a sheet of paper. Before casting the die say out loud what you think it will be. Note the number of throws and how often you were right.
Looking in the box
Someone places two objects of his choice in a box. He puts the box down. The other tries to see what is in the box and makes a note of it. Compare the results.
 

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