Coherence
Coherence is a measurement of how the body and brain are functioning together as one integrated unit. The fundamental premise of coherence is that it is a real psychophysiological state that can be measured. Coherence registers in the rhythms and waveforms of the heart, which in turn has the effect of bringing the brain, respiratory, and other systems into synchronous alignment. In a state of coherence, very little energy is wasted and the combined systems of the body and mind work together in maximum efficiency.
The Maharishi Effect
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of transcendental meditation, predicted in 1960 that if a critical mass of around 1 percent of a community were to practice this form of meditation, a measurable improvement for the quality of life for the whole community would be recorded. Since then, extensive trials have been conducted to measure the effect that groups of meditators can have on their communities. In 1974, a study showed that, on average, if 1 percent of a community was practicing the transcendental meditation program, the crime rate would fall by around 16 percent. This has now become known as the Maharishi effect.
These studies have been repeated over the following decades on several different continents and with large groups of meditators. The average drop in crime across all these studies was around 11 percent. The probability of this happening by chance is less than one in 1,000. In 1993, a study was conducted in Washington D.C. under scrutiny of an independent review board. The drop in crime was measured as 23.3 percent. The probability of this arising from chance is less than one in 1 billion.
Community Coherence
The heart generates an electrical field that is many times stronger than the one the brain produces. This field extends out from the body and can be measured up to several feet away. Researchers at the Institute of Heart-Math, an international nonprofit education and research organization, have shown that, in a state of heart coherence, a person's electrical field can have the effect of entraining the brain waves of people they come into close proximity with to a more coherent state. This shows a scientifically measurable connection that is not dependent on touch.
When a person is in coherent alignment, it is possible to pass that coherence on to others by sharing activity such as a like-minded project or team sporting activity. If a group of people go into coherence together, it is self-reinforcing, resulting in higher and more stable states of coherence.
The Global Coherence Monitoring System
The Institute of HeartMath believes it is possible to extend states of coherence out into the world to create profound healing effects and harmonious social change. By consciously developing and maintaining states of personal and community coherence, we are then able to have a positive impact on everyone we meet.
In their attempt to improve global coherence, the Institute of HeartMath is planning an ambitious program to measure coherence around the world, called the Global Coherence Monitoring System (GCMS). The GCMS will use a series of tracking stations around the world to measure how fluctuations and resonances in the ionosphere's magnetic fields affect, or are influenced by, human heart-rhythm patterns, brain activity, stress, and emotions.
Volcanic Activity and the Ionosphere
Two or three weeks before earthquakes or volcanic eruptions Earth's magnetic field changes. It is possible that the GCMS could act as a global monitoring system to predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Earth's ionosphere produces a range of resonant frequencies between 0.01 Hz to 300 Hz, some of which are also found in the human heart and brain. It seems possible that changes in the ionosphere directly affect human heart and brain operation. When people say they feel an impending earthquake or other events such as weather changes, they may be reacting to actual physical signals occurring in the earth's magnetic field before the event. If the hypothesis of the GCMS is proven correct, it may be that sufficient coherence in human consciousness could stabilize any potential Earth changes.
Dr. Elizabeth Rausher, the coordinator of GCMS, and her late husband, Dr. William Van Bise, predicted the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington using sensitive magnetic field detectors. In the eighteen months following the eruption, they were able to predict 84 percent of the seismic activity occurring within a 100 square-mile area around a single detector.
Introductory Coherence Technique
Developing more coherence can be a quite straightforward practice. The Institute of HeartMath gives a simple outline for an exercise that can be done daily for around five minutes. Personal benefits are claimed to include an increase in focus and effectiveness. According to HeartMath, the exercise is also beneficial for the planet, even if the person practicing is not in total coherence. The following exercise can be practiced while doing ordinary daily activities and does not require a special time to be set aside. Further information is available at
Here are some simple daily exercises to build coherence:
Breathe and calm yourself in whatever ways you choose.
Choose something or someone you appreciate and radiate the feeling of appreciation to them for about two minutes. (This helps open the heart more and increases your effectiveness when you start sending care to the planet or to a situation in need.)
Now evoke genuine feelings of compassion and care for the planet.
Breathe the feelings of compassion and care going out from your heart.
Radiate the genuine feelings of compassion and care to the planet or to a specific area of immediate need.
See yourself, along with other caretakers, participating in this process of healing and facilitating peace.
Coherence and Global Peace Events
Some of the strongest deviations from randomness that have been recorded by the GCP have happened in response to global meditations, prayers, or other intentional events. The deviation of 9/11 was matched by a similar response on the worldwide day of prayer that followed. The stronger the positive focus on subjects like peace and harmony, the stronger the deviations seem to be. Globally networked events like Earthdance, Earth Day, Peace One Day, and similar events score highly on the scale of deviation, making it statistically very unlikely these influences are random.
The Rainbow Bridge Meditation
The work of Argüellés and the Dreamspell program culminates in a visualization exercise for 2012 where a coherent global telepathic wave of love is sent out on winter solstice 2012. This consists of imagining the planet being surrounded by a rainbow ring, much like one of the rings of Saturn but extended vertically from the north to the south pole instead.
This rainbow bridge is intended to be a visible manifestation of the emerging noosphere. Of particular note is the fact that if a massive solar flare does occur sometime around the calendar end date, widespread auroras are likely to be visible around the world. During the Carrington event of 1859, bright rainbow-colored lights appeared in the sky that were seen as far south as the Caribbean. The rainbow bridge is described by Argüellés as being plasmic in nature and as “bipolar rainbow alternators that hold Earth's magnetic fields in place.” A more comprehensive version of the rainbow bridge meditation can be found on the planet art network website at
