Multiple discovery (also known as Simultaneous invention)

What is multiple discovery/Simultaneous invention?

This phenomenon can be defined as breakthroughs or discoveries made independently and almost simultaneously by different individuals, each unaware of the other's work.

Notable examples

• Independent formulation of Calculus by Isaac Newton and Gotfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

• Record player by Thomas Edison and Charles Cros

• Theory of special relativity and general relativity by Albert Einstein and Henri Poncaré.

• Telephone by Graham Bell and Elisha Gray.

• Discovery of oxygen by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Joseph Priestley, Antoine Lavoisier.

• Chemical phosphate fertilizers by John Lawes and James Murray.

• Theory of evolution of species by Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin.

• Electric telegraph by Morse and Wheatstone

Recent example.

Ian Leslie, a British writer, wrote an article for The New Statesman titled "How Mistakes Can Save Lives: One Man's Mission to Revolutionize the NHS". Matthew Syed, an English journalist, authored a book titled "Black Box Thinking: Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance". Both authors explored the idea of turning failure into success - learning from errors - using the same analogy: comparing the medical sector with the airline industry, and referencing the same incidents as examples. Leslie’s article was published before Syed’s book, prompting allegations of plagiarism. However, as discussed on the BBC Sounds podcast "Originality Armageddon", Syed’s saving grace was a series of draft emails he had sent to his wife two months before Leslie’s article was published. These emails exonerated him, as they already contained the disputed references and incidents.

Cause (mechanism behind this process)

An oft‑used expression is “to materialize an idea.” To materialize means to make the invisible visible. The phrase acknowledges the existence of a realm not perceptible to the naked eye, yet one that can be summoned into actualization. Although the expression is often used without much forethought, it helps convey the image I aim to project in this article.

How, then, does the process of multiple discovery - or simultaneous invention - actually work?

We are surrounded by a neutral Power - unseen by the physical eye, yet visible in its outworking, that is, in the various forms through which it manifests to our senses. This Power sustains our existence; no action can be taken without it, and everything that exists depends upon it. This Power is known as Divine Power, also referred to as The Living Creative Power. Each of us is endowed with the gift of free will, enabling us to make decisions. Every decision is preceded by a thought, and the moment we entertain a thought, we engage both our free will and The Living Creative Power. This union initiates the formation of a “form,” meaning that all our thoughts take shape outside the brain. While the brain’s activity generates our thoughts, their formation occurs beyond it - at a location called Fine Gross Matter. Directly beneath this lies Medium Gross Matter, where our words take shape through sound waves. Below that is Coarse (or Dense) Gross Matter, the realm in which all visible actions occur - our tangible, physical environment. These three realms - Fine Gross Matter, Medium Gross Matter, and Coarse/Dense Gross Matter - are collectively known as the Gross Material World.

Depending on the potency of a generated thought, it may attract similar forms or be drawn to them. These forms are known as thought‑forms. Their congregation is brought about by a natural law called The Law of Homogeneity - like attracts like. Within this sphere of homogeneity, similar thought‑forms join and strengthen the original thought, refining and modifying it until it reaches maturity at this level (Fine Gross Matter). Once matured, the thought gains the strength to influence the level directly below (Medium Gross Matter) by combining with similar forms created through spoken words (sound waves). A replication of the process described above (i.e. in the sphere of fine gross matter), is repeated here also (medium gross matter) through union, refinement and modification of forms. Upon attaining maturity at this level (medium gross matter), the transformed thought seeks an opportunity to manifest at the level directly below (coarse/dense gross matter). This maturity is the manifestation or materialization of that initial thought in a tangible (physical) form. These processes also illustrate another natural law: The Law of Reciprocity - only in giving can one receive.

To summarize: First, you place your thought into Creation—you sow a seed—using Divine Power. (Bear in mind that by engaging this Living Creative Power, responsibility automatically follows.) Second, this thought, whatever its nature, is modified through the same Divine Power. This modification process can be likened to the soil into which a seed is planted. Just as soil is watered and cared for to aid germination, so too is your initial thought nurtured and refined at this sphere. It develops deep roots, reaching into the soil (thought‑forms) for nourishment before it begins to sprout. The longer this plant - your thought - receives nutrients in the form of similar thoughts, the stronger and more mature it becomes before producing fruits. Eventually, your thought (seed) ripens for harvest. Note that the word here is fruits - plural. When an opportunity arises in the physical world, these fruits - originating from a single thought - are harvested. Their nature can either uplift or pull down. In this lies another natural law: The Law of Gravity.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. (Galatians 6 : 7)

There are countless thought‑forms floating around, which are, in essence, a variety of ideas. These ideas can influence - or be influenced by - anyone receptive to them. They function like a frequency that one can tune into or tune out of. When more than one person is tuned into these ideas via such frequencies, they can simultaneously unite, nourish, reinforce, modify, and accelerate the maturity of these ideas, even if they are located in different places. The earlier example involving Ian Leslie and Matthew Syed illustrates this. Both interviewed the same individual about a misfortune that had befallen him. The way the interviewee chose to address the incident left a strong impression on each of them - albeit at different times and in different locations - and neither was aware of the other’s interview. They each fostered this impression, which began as a thought, to maturity. This process helps explain the phenomenon of multiple discovery or simultaneous invention - where different people, in different locations, arrive at the same breakthrough independently.

The same process described above, when viewed from a different perspective, paints a very different picture. Suppose the thought generated is of a negative nature - such as hatred - and is produced by many people in different locations. These thoughts are reinforced through the Law of Homogeneity and reach maturity through the Law of Reciprocity. The fruits of such thoughts can have catastrophic effects, manifesting simultaneously in various parts of the world. When these matured thoughts begin to take form in different locations, those who have fueled them are often unaware that they have contributed - through the nature of the thoughts they have harboured or continue to harbour - to their eventual manifestation. Due to the intricacies surrounding the formation and materialization of thoughts, the author of The Grail Message constantly reminds us to:

"Keep the hearth of your thought pure, by so doing you will bring peace and be happy!." - In The Light of Truth: The Grail Message by Abd-ru-shin

A different point of view.

A different school of thought holds that our thoughts are formed within the brain. This view contrasts with the earlier assertion that thoughts are formed outside the brain. The following examples serve as evidence that our thoughts originate beyond the brain and can be accessed not only by ourselves but also by other entities capable of reaching this location.

• Mediums: These are individuals who are highly receptive to certain channels of communication and sometimes act as intermediaries during this process. They can access information about people who have either laid aside their physical body or are still in possession of it. The story of one such medium, Edgar Cayce, is documented in the book There Is a River by Thomas Sugrue. One intriguing aspect of this account is that Cayce did not believe in reincarnation; yet, when in a trance, he spoke extensively about it.

• Telepathy: This is the ability to communicate thoughts, images, or emotions between two or more living beings without using traditional channels of communication. Well‑documented experiments on telepathy have been conducted by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, described in two of his books: The Sense of Being Stared At: And Other Unexplained Powers of the Human Mind and Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals. One of these books recounts the story of a dog named Jaytee, who knows when his owner was coming home. The other documents the case of a parrot named N’kisi, who reads his owner’s mind. These accounts suggest that our thoughts can be accessed outside the brain - and that these animals demonstrated this ability in controlled experiments.

• Reincarnation: This refers to the belief that a person who has previously lived on earth in one body can return in a different body and may sometimes recall their past life. There is considerable evidence cited in support of reincarnation. Notably, Dr. Ian Stevenson documented such cases in his books Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect, and European Cases of the Reincarnation Type. Another compelling work on the subject is I Have Lived Before by Sture Lönnerstrand, translated by Leslie Kippen.

• Near Death Experiences (NDE): These are personal experiences associated with impending death or actual death. Such experiences indicate that consciousness can exist independently of the brain.. A well‑documented series of testimonies on this subject can be found in Raymond A. Moody’s book Life After Life.

• Premonition: This is a situation in which someone becomes aware of an event that has not yet occurred and announces it beforehand. Premonition is possible because thoughts take form in the sphere of Fine Gross Matter, which exists outside the brain. Since a thought‑form in this sphere has already taken shape but has not yet materialized, individuals who are receptive to it become aware of an impending event before it manifests. Such awareness can be used to warn others or to make changes that may influence the outcome.

If our thoughts are formed within our brain then none of the examples cited above would be possible.

This article is based on the knowledge contained in the spiritual work entitled: 'In The Light of Truth: The Grail Message' by Abd-ru-shin.