The Star Group Read Online Free PDF Page B

practically any subject. All one had to do was tie it to the end of a string and ask yes or no questions. If the answer was yes, it would swing one way, either clockwise, counterclockwise, or from side to side. If the answer was no it would do the opposite of whatever the yes response was. To establish what was the right direction, it was necessary to ask questions one definitely knew to have yes answers. It all sound pretty simple and totally unbelievable.
    Still, I had a small magnet in my desk drawer. I took it out and tied a short string to one end – as stipulated, the south pole. Then I held it above a blank piece of paper on my desk and tried to steady my hand.
    “Am I a male?” I asked.
    There was a long pause. But slowly, very slowly, it began to swing in a clockwise direction—from my perspective directly above it. For a moment I was sure I must be making it swing, but it seemed to have a lift of its own.
    “Am I female?” I asked.
    It swung counterclockwise.
    “Wow,” I mumbled.
    Of course I knew about the subconscious, how I could be moving it without realizing it. In fact, that was the only explanation. Certainly the magnet itself didn't understand my questions. I set my new toy down and read more of the book. The author talked about how the magnet allowed one to tap into layers of the mind ordinarily blocked. But then he took it a step further and spoke of unlocking the mystery of Universal Consciousness. I didn't understand what that was, except it sounded cool. Gale was going out with me, and now I was able to talk to the universe, all in the same day.
    I grabbed the magnet again.
    “Do I love Gale?” I asked.
    Yes. It swung clockwise. Smart magnet.
    “Does Gale love me?”
    Sort of. It went clockwise but without enthusiasm. I was annoyed.
    “Is someone answering these questions besides me?”
    Yes and no . It swung clockwise, then counterclockwise. I didn't understand the response. It seemed it should be one way or the other.
    “Are you a human being?” I asked.
    Yes and no . The no was stronger.
    “Are you more than my subconscious?”
    Yes.
    “Are you more than me but connected to me?”
    Yes. Very strong.
    “Are you a spirit?”
    Sort of.
    “Are you from this planet?”
    No.
    “Do you like talking to me?”
    Yes.
    “Are you friendly to me?”
    Yes.
    “Are you extraterrestrial?”
    Yes. Very strong.
    “Cool,” I whispered.
    Yes.
    “Do you like this method of communication?”
    No.
    “Is it too limiting?”
    Yes.
    “Can we communicate another way?”
    Yes.
    “Can you tell me how?”
    Yes.
    “How? I mean, I have to make suggestions?”
    Yes .
    “Can I talk to you on an Ouija board?”
    Yes and no .
    “Can I use the magnet in another way to communicate with you?”
    Yes .
    I couldn't think of another way.
    “Is it important we communicate?”
    Yes.
    “Are you real?”
    Yes.
    “Could I be deluding myself?”
    Yes.
    That last answer made me pause. Once again, it seemed contradictory. But it did give me an idea of another method of communication, which was related to the Ouija board, but also different.
    “Can I use the magnet to seek out letters rather than your just responding yes or no?”
    Yes.
    “If I get a large piece of paper, and print out each letter of the alphabet, can I use the magnet to seek out each letter you want?”
    Sort of.
    My question had been fuzzy.
    “Will you seek out the appropriate letters you need to spell certain words?”
    Yes. Very strong.
    “The magnet will only react when it comes to the correct letter?”
    Yes.
    “Should I do this now?”
    Yes.
    I set the magnet down and went to my father's den, where he was fond of painting and drawing in the evening. He was a fan of fine paper, and collected it, his only indulgence. He wouldn't mind if I stole a piece, he was always trying to teach me to draw. But I had the hand-mind coordination of a surfer bum; I could only manage happy faces with halos.
    I used a black marker pen to carefully print out the