Science writer and physicist Dr. Paul Halpern is the author of books that explore space, time, higher dimensions, dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, particle physics, and cosmology. In the first half, he discussed his recent work on the history of the Big Bang theory, and the latest news and ideas about dark energy and cosmology. He recalled the debate over the Big Bang between physicists George Gamow and Fred Hoyle in the 1950s-- Gamow suggested a primordial explosion triggered the event, while Hoyle argued for a kind of continuous creation. In the 1960s, cosmic microwave background sounds (a type of radio hiss) from the Big Bang was discovered, which indicated that Gamow was correct, Halpern noted. Yet, it was Hoyle who coined the term "Big Bang" during a radio appearance.
An alternative theory by Paul Steinhardt called the Big Bounce model proposes that our universe collided with another universe in a higher dimension to produce the Big Bang explosion, he cited. Halpern also shared the frightening 'Big Rip' scenario, in which the mysterious 'dark energy' force grows stronger over time, which would lead to our galaxy being pushed further and further away from other galaxies. "Eventually, our galaxy would be ripped apart, and finally the Earth and the solar system would be ripped apart...and the Earth itself would be torn to smithereens," he said of this scenario, which remains hypothetical since dark energy is not very well understood. Conversely, if dark energy grows weaker, it could cause the universe to contract instead of expanding, as it does now, he added.
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In the latter half, author, editor, and shamanic explorer Matthew Pallamary shared his visionary experiences, and information about psychoactive plants, shamanism, and spirit possession. He described how the ritual of taking the ayahuasca brew in South America likely dates back to primitive times, and that the plant spirits serve as allies or emissaries. When you ingest them, "you literally become the jungle," he remarked, adding that the shaman guiding the ayahuasca trip helps people modulate the energy during the experience and release traumas stored inside the body as a kind of purification.
Related to plant allies is the notion of animal spirits, and Pallamary detailed how in the Inca and pre-Inca traditions, the world is represented by three creatures: The upper world – condor (rose-colored/love), the middle world – jaguar (electric blue/power), and the lower world – serpent (gold/wisdom), and "when you get them all working together you'll get an ultraviolet blue," he revealed. In shamanic traditions, the idea of someone being possessed is seen as a lower or darker energy that is driven by repressed trauma. Rather than being considered evil, they believe this state of being is a form of ignorance, he explained.
News segment guests: Howard Bloom, Mish Shedlock