set up. The physical motion of the objects toward one another might be interpreted as Nature's attempt to straighten out or undo the curvature of space that exists between them. 1 Going back to the phenomenon of magnetic attraction and repulsion: When unlike poles approach one another, the space between them might be thought of as becoming curved, although in a somewhat different manner from the gravitational curvature; and the result is attraction with the resultant motion of the magnets toward one another. Here again we might think that this motion is Nature's effort to straighten out this curvature. If this line of reasoning is correct, we might say, somewhat in the manner in which we speak when we say that Nature abhors a vacuum, Nature abhors a curvature in space and is forever trying to straighten it out, while at the same time maintaining the curvature in the vicinity of any massive body, and a different quality of curvature in the vicinity of a magnet, and yet another quality of curvature in the vicinity of an electrostatically charged body. Extending this line of reasoning to the t he phenomenon of repulsion, repulsion, we would then say that when two like poles are brought together, the tendency would be toward an increased curvature in the vicinity of the magnets, and Nature reacts by moving the objects away from one another. We might then summarize this idea by stating that motion is Nature's effort to restore a state of balance in space. This state can never be achieved, however, for if it could, the universe would then have run down and all energies neutralized. One more point of difference between Gravitation and the other forms of energy listed above is that while all forms of energy may be used, all except gravity can be controlled. An astounding amount of technology has been developed through our ability to control all of the forms of energy that are available to us, with one notable exception: Gravitation. We can use it, to be sure, but we have absolutely no control over it. We can neither strengthen nor weaken a gravitational field; much less can we change its polarity. We have no way of demonstrating gravitational repulsion in our laboratories, although it is apparent all around us in the phenomenon of the expanding universe ² or should we say the expansion of space? Now all of this is going to lead into our study of the planes of consciousness because we are now to consider one very important matter. We spoke of the curvature of magnetism as being of a different quality from the curvature of gravitation, and that of the electrostatic field as being of a different quality still. The picture becomes full of meaning when we consider that the operations of these fields are entirely independent of one another. Scientific instruments depending upon the energy of a magnetic field will work equally well within the strong gravitational field of the Earth, or in an orbiting satellite where the instrument is in a weightless condition. Again, pith balls behave equally well in an electrostatic field, whether that field is set up in the vicinity of a magnet or not. It makes no difference. This fact is really the crux of our inquiry and points to the fact that within our own physical plane there are sub-planes in which the action and reaction r eaction are peculiar to that sub-plane and apparently independent of action in any other sub-plane. Whereas any of our experiments can be removed from a magnetic or a static field, it is impossible to remove them from a gravitational field; for even when weightless in an orbiting satellite, they are weightless only in respect to the Earth's gravitation and are still under the influence of the Sun's gravitational field, which you might call the field of the Solar system as a whole, if you like. This might lead one to wonder if there are other fields of force as yet to be discovered. Is it possible that there is a field surrounding a beam of light, for instance, that as yet we do not
