Water, Wine and the Sacred, an Anthropological View of Substances Altered by Intentioned Awareness, Including Objective and Aesthetic Effects.
Explore (New York, N.Y.) January 1, 2019 Stephan A Schwartz 8 citations
Water and wine have long been linked to sacred rituals, and this paper examines what happens when those substances are subjected to nonlocal perturbation—focused intention from meditators. The changes can be both physical and aesthetic, affecting how people perceive the substances sensorially. In a 12-part experiment, groups of seven people tasted wine from a single bottle decanted into two identical carafes, one of which had been the focus of meditators' intentioned awareness beforehand. In 11 of the 12 sessions, a majority preferred the treated wine; one session ended in a tie. Statistical analysis indicates that the probability a majority would prefer the treated wine is at least 0.76 with 95% confidence. The paper discusses the broader implications of these findings.