RESULTS

The early years: 1979 to 1987 and beyond 

Preliminary Physiological & Psychological Investigations:

Exploration of the reaction phenomenon commenced at some point around 1979 and at the outset it was somewhat impressionistic - completely lacking in specific measurements and rather one-dimensional. However, as an opening point it established that whilst moving forward, holding the amplifying instrument between the Left and Right hands, a repeating sequence of muscular imbalances could not only be seen but also felt taking place between the two hemispheres of the body in the sagittal plane. These subtle imbalances, which would normally be imperceptible, were magnified by the instrument and manifested themselves as 'deflections from the horizontal' which occurred in a series of zones with slightly differing characteristics.

Sometimes the deflections occurred as a narrow 'Single-Dip' (a downwards pulse which seemed to feel particularly 'strong', short and sharp); sometimes they occurred as a slightly wider pair of 'Double-dips' (each feeling, 'softer' and less distinct); and sometimes they occurred as a broad triad of 'Triple-Dips' (each spanning a wider physical space). Under 'Normal' operating conditions, (walking with a relaxed grip) whichever of these three types of reaction took place, each deflection was always separated from the next by a neutral and distinct physical space of somewhere between 1 to 2 metres. However, if the instrument was gripped with extreme muscle tension (somewhat the equivalent of lifting a 30kg weight i.e., not sustainable for long periods) reactions could be produced that occurred every few centimetres. This immediately created the problem of classifying whether what was happening was a conscious, self-induced movement or was on the other hand an unconscious response to an as yet unidentified stimulus. Hence, investigations in this Early Period had the potential for much confusion and self-doubt.

However, if any one of these types of 'pulse-dip' reactions was surveyed, (by crossing and re-crossing to either side of the original reaction point's location – as described in the methods section) it was clear that the reactions followed a 'Vector' direction, and, whichever of the three zonal types was being detected, the group occurred as a series of parallel lines (see fig. 2.1 below). However, it should be noted that initially the relationship between the three groups was not as clear and well defined as the diagram below suggests.

Walking either slowly or at a brisk pace made no difference to the location or spacing of these zones of reaction; and repeating the action with eyes tight closed, or during the hours of darkness, made no difference to specific locations. Further, when certain broad areas were re-examined several years later, the  zones that had initially brought about a particularly strong 'Single-Dip' reaction continued to do so. A notable illustration of this was the NW/SE vector intersecting the pottery workshop (marked with the blue arrows in the two plans below - one from 1979/80 [left below] and the other from 1987 [right below] . 

Examination of the 3-kilometre region of fields, woods, paths and dykes surrounding the Barnbarroch site indicated that a similar pattern of reactions appeared to occur at all these locations. The groups of Pulse-Dips (single, double, or triple) could be found either in a symmetrical layout running parallel to tracks or field boundaries (refer to photo below), or could equally be found running perpendicular to them.

It became essential to determine whether these responses were being generated solely from within the body and thus, were 'ideo-motor' in origin or whether an 'external' stimulus (other than visual) might be involved. It was notable that sheep, cattle, badgers, deer and various other animals on their way towards a particular place appeared to make a positive decision to follow the Double-Dip zone and use it as their preferred 'Track-line' and clearly avoided the 'Single' or 'Triple' zones of the pattern (see Plate 1 below). Such an observation, when considered together with all the findings from earlier years, added weight to the hypothesis that the stimulus behind the reaction might indeed be 'external' to the observer.

Additional exploration further afield, confirmed that these repeating Zonal patterns were indeed widespread. The reactions took place not only at an elevation of over 800 metres along the Granite tops of the Galloway hills, but also across the mud flats of the Solway Estuary at low tide. Further, the same pattern of responses occurred over chalky limestone rock at the distant SE tip of Cyprus (over 2,000 miles away) a place of very different geological character to the greywacke or granite found locally.

In 1987 a little more progress was made towards drawing a detailed outline of the reaction pattern's broad distribution and its scale (see Fig.2.2[b] above). The hope was that when laid out in a plan the resulting form might give a clue as to the source of the stimulation, and possibly confirm if it was indeed external. The use of an accurate plan of the site and buildings provided numerous fixed points from which to measure  By this time a new house linked to the pottery had been erected, but its appearance did not appear to cause any obvious change - response lines remained broadly in the same orientation as when sketched in 1979/80. Further, this new plan drew attention to the 3-D character of the stimulus. A non-perpendicular, discontinuity in one particular 'Single-Dip' line had been traced descending the steps from the Conservatory and appeared to be a result of the substantial height difference between the floor level of the house and that of the path to the North (1.5m). The vector is marked with blue arrows at D1 and D2 in fig. 2.2[b].

The vertical plane was also tentatively explored by making use of the 3.5 m ceiling height of the pottery workshop. A distinctive 'strong' reaction vector was marked on the workshop floor in chalk and then marked at a higher level by walking along the top of a workbench (75 cm high) placed over the vector. The vertical line was then followed upwards a further 75 cm by erecting a second walkable platform on top of the workbench to create a third reference point. The three points did not follow a straight or vertical path but instead appeared to be part of an arc.

Unfortunately, this initial exploration in the Vertical Plane was neither measured nor recorded accurately (made in the age before digital imaging was freely available). However, it gave a clear indication to the investigator that the stimulus provoking the reactions was asymmetric in character: curving upwards over shallow heights of barely 1.5 m and thus, contrasting strongly with the horizontal plane: where the reaction distribution had only the merest of curved form and snaked only slightly to left or right over distances of 10 to 15 m and gave the appearance of being closer to 'linear' in its structural arrangement.

In scattered locations in the immediate vicinity, but several kilometres apart, a compass was used to see if directions of the broader vector pattern were consistent but a variety of readings were thrown up, with no consistent fixed orientation and thus, suggesting that the source of the stimulation was unlikely to be connected to the existing broad geomagnetic field. (In 1987 Magnetic North was approximately 8.5° West of grid North.