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The Way of the Explorer
door. (I still have the tie devices and the ring Norbu mangled as part of my
cherished keepsakes from the period.)
Such bizarre events were typical of how things occurred that fall at
SRI. They were often deeply significant to a particular individual, because
they generally involved something personal, as with my ties pins. Though
astounding to those present, these were not replicable events (and thus
not good science). It’s important to point out that the last two events involving
my tie pins did not seem to come from anywhere, but rather just
appeared. I groped for something to which to compare the phenomenon,
and finally realized it was not unlike the behavior inherent to the electron
that jumps from one level of orbit to another around the nucleus without
traversing the space between the two. This was the only analogy I could
come up with. In my own scientific studies, I knew how this created great
consternation among the framers of quantum physics in the 1920s. So a
question arose: Could it be possible that we were seeing quantum jumping
on a macroscale 3
In the spring of 1973, I met Uri in New York to accompany him for an
appearance on the Jack Parr television talk show. During the broadcast we
were both surprised when Parr’s stage assistants unexpectedly handed Parr
several large steel nails. Parr enclosed them in his fist with only the tips
barely protruding, and asked Uri if he could bend them. Without hesitation,
and in much the same way that Norbu had passed his hand over mine
as it held my ring, Uri placed his over Parr’s, and concentrated. A moment
later he asked Parr to take a look, and when he opened his hand Jack Parr’s
face turned ashen. The tip of one of the nails was bent about 20 degrees,
whereas all had been perfectly straight just moments before. An awkward
silence fell over the set; there was hardly anything left during the remaining
minutes to talk about. At least this had been caught cleanly within the
crosshairs of a camera. 4
During my final days in Houston I invited a number of physicians to
observe Norbu as he worked his “magic.” Dr. Ed Maxey from Florida and
a . number of NASA flight surgeons helped with checking records and observing
events. One event in particular was especially poignant because it
involved Anita Rettig, and stimulated her interest in helping me organize
the Institute of Noetic Sciences. A few months later we would be married
for 10 wonderfully hectic years, but at the time she was ill with a kidney
disease that threatened to require a lengthy series of dialysis treatments.
As a last-ditch effort before admitting herself into the hospital, she agreed
to have Dr. Maxey fly her to Houston for a session with Norbu.