This is an account of a series of experiments performed on 4/20/2003.

Participants: Melissa, Joon, Liban, Jay, cool kid from Akron whose name I’ve forgotten at the moment.

Stuff used: A chair (with no arm rest) and a futon (folds out into a bed).

Experiment 1 (lifting a human):

Process: One volunteer is asked to sit on the chair with arms held out and folded across (the arms are loose; no tension in muscles) as shown in the diagram below:

The other four participants perform a ritual to build up, ‘psychic energy’. This ritual requires each participant to stand at the four corners of the chair and place their hands above the head of the sitting person starting with one person’s left hand, moving in one direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) till all left hands are piled up separated by a very short distance. The process continues with the right hands being piled up in Exactly the same fashion above the left hands. There should be a tower of hands balanced precariously just above the sitting person’s head at this point.

The four subjects should hold this position as they feel a large energy build-up between their separated hands (hands quiver often). This process took about thirty seconds. Once the energy build up is considered efficient, a designated person does a quick countdown (5,4,3,2,1, GO!). At the word, ‘GO!’ all four participants must join their 2 hands like this

And in one quick motion, slide the protruding fingers into the designated points shown below (under the arms – just before the elbows and under the knees) and lift the sitting subject straight up

Results: We were able to lift each member of our team one by one as each of us took turns being the one to be lifted. Melissa being the lightest one (approx 90-something pounds) was our easiest subject. We were able to lift her as high as our stretched arms could hold her (approximately 7.5 feet in the air) and walk a few paces holding her weight without effort on our fingers. We were able to hold her in the air up to 8 seconds.

So now you’re thinking, ‘well sure that isn’t tough...its four guys and one lightweight girl. It might be their fingers but its possible anyway’. The point was that there was no effort felt lifting the body. It was like lifting a feather – no muscle tension, nothing.

I see your point though, I felt the same thing myself – so our team decided to undertake a harder target – lifting a futon (made of metal with a full mattress). We opened the futon out into a bed and decided, what hell, may as well make it worth our while – we put Melissa on top of the futon.

Process: the four participants took up positions as far apart and as close to the bed corners as possible and spread their arms out till each participants hand lay one on top of and one below the hand of another participant (palm up, without actually touching the palm of the other participant) as shown in the diagram below:

Standing in this makeshift circular unit, energy buildup was felt and described vocally by one participant. This process took about one minute. After enough buildup was felt, the designated participant began a countdown (5,4,3,2,1, GO!). At the word, ‘GO!’ the four participants shaped their hands as before, with fingers protruding and lunged for the corners of the bed, slid their fingers under the designated spots and lifted.

Results: Since I actually was one of the participants, I can hardly give an accurate account of what happened. My fingers slid under the cold metal frame and I lifted without a thought in my mind. The futon (with Melissa lying on it) shot into the air in one motion and hung in the air, suspended at a height of 7.5 feet (very near the ceiling) as high as our arms could reach – on our fingers. Silence.

Someone said, ‘Oh fuck...’

That was enough to break the trance and we quickly lowered/slammed the bed down, as suddenly it became dead weight - an enormous burden we couldn’t hold.

At four in the morning, I felt rather proud to say that we had achieved something rather exceptional, if not outright magical. We were all in a state of shock and euphoria, hardly believing what we had done. The affect had been similar to lifting the human body – little or almost no effort was felt in the actual lifting of the futon till our concentration snapped (which was rather quick, 3 seconds).

Discussion: My theory is that the ritual somehow concentrates our mind to focus on the task (the lifting) and forget about the realities, which might cause the task to fail (its too heavy for your bloody fingers!). We tried a control for both experiments. Without the ritual there is no way in hell you are getting a person in the air, much less a futon which we could hardly lift with great muscle strain. So what does this experiment really show? Magic exists? Perhaps. I believe we were able to distract our minds from the real weight of the futon – but then, why did my muscle not flex or strain when I lifted the bed? I specifically saw my arms muscles suddenly kick into action when the trance was broken; so what lifted the futon? Science just hasn’t understood everything. Our minds are a strange thing – I have little doubt that with the correct concentration, any physical feat is possible by man. Gather a group of friends and prove it to yourself. Good luck...Onward in the search for understanding...Maybe next time I’ll try a car...