A review on "The Orb Project Book"

2. Publication date: November 2007
Description
After literally stumbling into orbs appearing as bright
as light bulbs in photographs he was taking at a
spiritual retreat, Dr. Klaus Heinemann immediately
sensed that he was onto something profound. There
was no choice but to convince himself that his notion
was on solid grounds. Heinemann looked at thousands
of pictures he had taken earlier, and thousands more
would be taken to test the hypothesis that these light
circles are nothing less than emanations from Spirit
beings.

4. Orbs: The Veil is Lifting is the first full-length film that
brings together scientists, spiritual teachers, and
experts to explore the orb phenomenon. What are
these Orbs? What does the presence of Orbs mean,
and how do we experience them for ourselves?
Through the lenses of science, skepticism, and first-
hand experience, Orbs opens the conversation by
addressing questions about the possibilities of what
exists in the unseen. Viewers are then invited to
draw their own conclusions and to explore their own
first-hand experiences.
Orbs shows viewers how to take successful Orb
photographs with a simple digital camera, bringing
this phenomenon to everyone. The veil between
dimensions is thinning with our increase in
consciousness. Orbs offers real proof about what has
previously only been speculated.
84 minutes, ©2007
http://www.beyondword.com/video/movies.html

5. Meet the Authors……
Klaus Heinemann, Ph.D., is one of two co-authors of The Orb Project. Born and
educated in Germany, Klaus holds a Ph.D. in experimental physics from the University
of Tübingen. Klaus worked for many years in materials science research at NASA,
UCLA, and as a research professor at Stanford University. He is the founder and
chairman of a corporation that performs scientific research in computational fluid
dynamics, materials development, and nanotechnology, under contracts from NASA.
He also worked in the area of solar energy and water purification through
environmentally friendly methods, is the author of a university-level textbook on the
topic, and holds several patents in the field. Klaus has written and lectured
extensively on the commonly-perceived rift between science and spirituality.
--http://www.orbprojectbook.com/author.html

6. From Heinemann’s website: http://www.acviews.com/kh/klaus.htm
"I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as
a fraud." C.G. Jung
Past and Present Activities of Klaus Heinemann
-- Born, raised, high school in Siegen, Germany
-- B.S. (physics) at the University of München
-- M.S. and Ph.D. in Appl. Physics, Univ. of Tübingen
-- Contract Research Scientist at NASA-Ames Research Center
-- Professor of Research in Materials Science at Stanford University
-- Founder and Chairman of ELORET Corporation (contract research in space science)
-- Author of over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and three books.
These are "milestones" that he has long considered surpassed in significance by
-- ... an incessant search for truth
-- ... a growing awareness of the meaning of life, and
-- ... a motto of practicing understanding/justice/respect/fairness in interpersonal
relationships

7. The process of spiritual discovery became the focus of Dr. Heinemann's life in
the early 1970ies, when he and his wife attended classes and seminars led by
the late Dr. Harry and Emilia Rathbun. Their work focused on the mission and
book by the late Dr. Henry Burton Sharman, Jesus as Teacher. The Rathbun's
own lives' demonstration that the messenger must be congruent with the
message has left a life-changing impression on Klaus.
Other spiritual teachers who profoundly impacted Dr. Heinemann's life include
the Rev. Dr. Ron Roth , who, perhaps more convincingly than any other teacher
he had encountered at the time, emphasized that even the most profound
teaching has but little impact on a person's personal growth unless it sinks from
the level of the mind to the level of the heart.
See next slide.

8. Co-founders Paul Funfsinn (left), Spiritual Leader and
Director of Celebrating Life Ministries and Ron Roth
(right), Spiritual Shepherd Emeritus
Our Vision:
Celebrating Life is a growing and active interfaith spiritual community that nourishes
itself and the global community through the Divine Presence in the form of loving
service, devotion, and prayer. We provide healing services, spiritual growth
programs, and gatherings for our spiritual family to experience, harness and expand
the loving presence of the Holy Spirit in our individual and collective ministries.
Celebrating Life Ministries also offers healing services, education programs, sacred
travel opportunities, and semi-annual retreats to the general public. From:
http://www.ronroth.com/home/index.cfm?CFID=986815&CFTOKEN=35034327

9. Other publications:
"Expanding Perception - consciousness, wisdom, compassion, love," he presents
how even a person with a formal natural sciences background can come to the
expanded perception/view that "there is more to Life than life."
Expanding Perception” follows Klaus Heinemann’s earlier book “
Consciousness or Entropy?” and presents with thoroughness and clarity how
conclusions from modern scientific understanding, from the Big Bang to dark
matter, from to the Bell Theorem to neutrinos, revitalize ancient wisdom teachings
about consciousness, compassion, and love.
Quotes from "Consciousness or Entropy?"
"The attainment of consciousness is not predestined for those who are highly
mentally gifted."
"Knowledge may often impede the development of a person's consciousness."
From: http://www.acviews.com/kh/Entropy.htm

10. Meet the Authors……
Míċeál Ledwith, Ph.D., D.D., LL.D, is one of two co-authors of The Orb Project. He was
a professor of systematic theology for sixteen years at Maynooth College in Ireland,
and was subsequently the president of the university for ten years. For seventeen
years, Míċeál served as a member of the International Theological Commission. He
has lectured extensively throughout Europe, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Mexico,
and North and South America. He was recently featured in the movie,
What the Bleep do We Know? Míċeál's forthcoming book is a three-part work entitled
Forbidden Truth.
--http://www.orbprojectbook.com/author.html

11. Michael Ledwith From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miceal_Ledwith (Redirected from Miceal Ledwith)•
Dr. Michael Ledwith (also spelt Micheál Ledwith), a native of County Wexford,
Republic of Ireland, is an author and teacher at Ramtha's School of Enlightenment,
Yelm, Washington, which describes itself "as a school of ancient wisdom".
He was a Catholic priest of the Wexford Ireland Diocese of Ferns from 1967 to 2005. He
was a member the senior staff of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, County Kildare,
Republic of Ireland for 16 years holding posts of Lecturer in Theology, Registrar, Dean of
Theology and Vice President before becoming President in 1985, with the rank of
Monsignor until he resigned unexpectedly in 1994.
(Content snipped)
Ledwith was appointed during the tenure of Tomás Cardinal O'Fiaich Primate of All Ireland
and Archbishop of Armagh, himself a former President of the College who had served
Ledwith on the College staff until his appointment to Armagh in 1977. Ledwith was also
supported by O'Fiach's successor, Cahal Cardinal Daly, who having been a Bishop since
1967 was well-versed with his career at the College. Ledwith was regularly spoken of as a
future bishop and indeed Archbishop of Dublin especially in 1988 when
Cardinal Desmond Connell was appointed.

12. Ledwith also became Chairman of the Committee of the Heads of Irish
Universities and a member, from 1980 to 1997, of the distinguished
International Theological Commission, which set up by the Vatican in 1969 to
advise the Pope on theological matters.
[edit] References
^ News report on abuse payment 2002
^ Debate report 2005
[edit] External links
St Patrick's College, Maynooth Co Kildare Ireland
Ramtha School of Enlightenment
The Orb Project book, co-authored with Klaus Heinemann, Ph.D.
Dr., Ledwith presents "The Orb Phenomena" at Body Soul & Sp

13. •Conflict with religion/teachings? I also found this editorial:
http://www.gospa.org/pl/pages/articles/editorials.html?ra=1;id=298
My personal story of betrayal, and I am sure many Catholics have one,
concerns my dealings with one Monsignor Miceal Ledwith. (Miceal is Gaelic
for Michael.) This priest, who seemed to be one of the holiest and most
knowledgeable I ever met, turned out to be the greatest disappointments
of my life….
…It was not until Miceal was invited back to Saipan in 1997, after his first
visit there with me for a Marian Conference in 1996, that questions began
to arise. Rumors and accusations of thinly-veiled New Age references in his
talks and teachings had begun to reach me and I was appalled. I couldn’t
believe that my friends were so wrongly misinterpreting statements and
ideas that, to me, listening with trusting ears, sounded simply profound.
•He is also listed on the “Shock Philosophy Institute” website for a series of 6 month
courses: http://www.shockinstitute.com/courses/ml/index.htm

14. What the BLEEP Do We Know — First released in theaters in 2004, WTBDWK!? went on
to become one of the most successful documentaries of all time. Now distributed in over
30 countries, it has stunned audiences with its revolutionary cinematic blend of dramatic
film, documentary, animation and comedy, while serving up a mind-jarring blend of
Quantum Physics, spirituality, neurology and evolutionary thought.
Its success has spanned a massive extended DVD set ("Down the Rabbit Hole") a
companion book, study groups, a resource outlet (BLEEP Store), and a host of
transformational films that continue to appear around the world.
--http://www.whatthebleep.com/

15. As reviewed on one website:
http://www.offoffoff.com/comments/show.php3?new_id=9491&orig_url=/film/2004/what
Reader comments on What the Bleep Do We Know?
Subject: Miceal Ledwith (aka Micheal Ledwith)
Date: Dec. 17, 2005
Sender: Ann Cox
I was intrigued by much of 'What the Bleep', but I am healthily dubious of the
links to Ramtha as a self referencing cult (Ledwith, Ramtha herself and
Dispenza). Coming from Ireland, I am very mindful of allegations against
Micheal Ledwith (Miceal Ledwith). In recent years, allegations of this sort
have uncovered more and more proven 'low standards in high places' in the
Irish Catholic Church, where there were many instances of the hierarchy
behaving in a shamefully self protective manner. As president of St. Patricks
College (the only remaining Catholic seminary in the country) Ledwith was
indeed in a position of power, and if he was an abuser (still unproven) it does
not surprise me that he would seek out another avenue within a self
referencing cult

16. Other works:
"Orbs: Clues to a More Exciting Universe" DVD
Now from one of the largest collections of orb photographs in the world comes
this outstanding selection of 500 images. In his personal collection Miceal
Ledwith has more than 100,000 orb pictures. Using a fascinating series of
these images he illustrates the enormous variety of orbs which it is possible for
anyone to photograph. He discusses the best techniques, equipment, and skills
to use, and the mistakes to avoid. This DVD will make orb photography a
compelling new experience for anyone who has even the simplest digital
camera. Based on his extensive study of both orbs and the roots of our quest
for meaning, he draws some thought-provoking conclusions on what the orb
phenomenon suggests about the nature of the universe and our place in it.
It is a message of hope, comfort and inspiration for all those who cherish the
divine within. DVD Running Time: 55 minutes.
“The Deep Deception Series” DVD
The insights of leading edge science indicate a very different understanding of
God and our place and purpose in creation than the ways of thought with which
we were traditionally familiar. … The separation of time conditioned modes of
thought and viewed about the nature of realty, as well as how we understand
God and human destiny, is a painful but very rewarding process for any person
seriously interested in finding the answers to life's great questions. DVD
Running Time: 57 minutes.

17. “The Hidden Years: How Jesus Became A Christ” DVD
The early Christian Church spent several centuries of tortured controversy
trying to explain how God could have become man in Jesus the Christ.
According to the teachings of Ramtha, and upheld by a thorough investigation
of all the historical sources, that is precisely what Jesus came to exemplify and
facilitate for everyone. Miceal Ledwith’s lifelong study of the available sources
had identified many gaps in the religions’ understanding of God and our place
in the world. In particular it became clear that the Christian religions do not, as
they claim, carry the revelation of a previously unknown message; but are
based on fragments or a much older and rare wisdom. One fact that often
perplexed Dr Miceal Ledwith was that more than 80% of the life of Jesus is
missing from the New Testament. And what Jesus did between the ages 12-30
seemed to have no impact the dramatic events of the three year ministry in his
homeland that followed. Inspired and guided by Ramtha’s teaching, this DVD
presents what was accomplished during the transformative journey of his so
called “hidden years” in Egypt, India and Tibet, which all came to fruition in the
dramatic events of the three year ministry in his homeland and shaped the
content of his teachings there. The message of Jesus when placed in this
context makes much more sense than an eighteen year apprenticeship at a
carpenter’s shop in Galilee. Running Time: 3 hours 40 minutes.
From: http://www.hamburgeruniverse.com/dvd-books.html

18. Agree or disagree? Statements from the authors:
GENERAL INDICATIONS FOR AUTHENTICITY
A. Dust particles or droplets must be within a few inches of
the camera to cause 'false positive’
B. Orbs are photographed in rapid motion in which speed is
calculated at several hundred miles per hour
C. Orbs appear as very high density (Low density are
suspect)
D. Extraordinary location of orb 'proves' authenticity

19. Agree or disagree? Statements from the authors:
ORBS AND OUR PERCEPTION OF COLOR
Objects can react in one of three ways to light
--Absorption: Totally absorbs the light so that is nothing
is reflected back resulting in black
--Reflection: Reflects back all wavelengths of light shone
on it resulting in white
--Scattering: object has a rough rather than smooth
surface and will scatter the different wavelengths of light
with different degrees of success
--The scattering object will be perceived as having
the color or combination of colors corresponding
to the wavelengths best reflected

20. Agree or disagree? Statements from the authors:
Fluorescence:
Some objects absorb light energy transmitted from a source and then
release visible light of a lesser energy when the original source stops transmitting
--Light from fluorescing orb hits the CDD (charge-coupled device that
acts much the same as the film in cameras) just milliseconds after the light
reflected from other objects hits while the shutter is in the process of closing
--Fluorescing light may indicates not just a frequency of energy
(light) but possibly other actual realms
This means, then, that orbs are not composed of some 'ethereal'
substance like ectoplasm. If the process of fluorescence aided by the attraction of
free electrons thru ionization is what enables the orbs to be photographed they
must be electromagnetic in nature and must be energy fields of some kind

21. Agree or disagree? Statements from the authors:
OTHER EXAMPLES?
http://www.orbprojectbook.com/forums/viewtop
(From St. Augustine, Florida)

22. Effect of the book:
Customer review (Amazon.com)
For several years, I have viewed orbs as evidence of the paranormal, ghosts, in a simpler
word. I am now starting to rethink this perspective. After reading this book, which I was
given to by a friend who has dealt with the paranormal for almost all of her life, I can
honestly say that there's much more to this phenomenon that I realized.
First off, I no longer feel that orbs are evidence of deceased individuals. The may be
beings living in an entirely different dimension, and through the technology embedded
in our digital cameras we are able to see this energy crossing over.
The book itself was very well written, included a multitude of evidence comparing both
genuine and artificial orb photographs, and approached the topic from two very
different sides. The first part of the book explores the evidence itself, focusing on the
technology and possible ways in which we're experiencing/documenting the
phenomenon. The second half of the book, approaches the subject from a much more
spiritual approach, seeking mankind's enlightenment.

23. Effect of the book:
Customer review (Amazon.com)
A customer review:
Written by a physicist and theologian, it follows their own extensive experiments in orb
phenomena. Since they used two very different experimental approaches, this led to
some similarities (and some differences) in their interpretation of their outcomes. And
in some respects, they left more questions raised than answered, which is, I guess, one
of the outcomes of fairly rigorous exploration of a field that exists beyond our physical
senses.
Be warned, this is not a woo-woo New Age book. It does contain excellent information
on how to photograph orbs, as well as how to recognize 'fake' orbs (and when the
photographer might have accidentally chosen a setting that would cause him/her to
take fake shots). It also contains some very interesting theories about what these things
are, and why they're here. in fact, Miceal Ledwith's groundbreaking discovery that orbs
are captured on the camera not by reflected light but by what is know in physics as
'fluorescence' opens the way for scientific tools towards an entirely new understanding
both of what orbs are and the realms they inhabit.

24. From www.spiritsofstpetersburg.com “SPIRITS REVIEWS” by B. Stark
General thoughts on both: When I was first told of both the book and the video, I was
fairly excited. I thought that these sounded like reasonable, well thought out
examples of how orbs could be researched both scientifically and spiritually, and the
entire set sounded as though they were a synthesis of the two. Even customer
reviews indicated that these resources were extremely valuable and, indeed, that
they were a scientific basis for paranormal investigators to work with spiritual ideals.
I was disappointed upon reading and viewing both. The book, itself, starts out strong.
It seems to utilize strong physics-oriented jargon that the author appears to go
through great lengths to "laymanize" for the non-scientist. However, even in my
capacity as a religious studies educator, the terminology did not seem to ring true to
my eye. To me, it seemed as if the rules of empirical scientific law were a bit too
convenient to the orb phenomena. The basic premise appears to be that orbs show
up for digital cameras because digital cameras are a) faster (spirit energy is faster)
and b) they need the energy/light from the flash to manifest. These are also the
biggest deterrents to digital photography because of the flash field, which is hyper-
illuminated for many point-and-shoot cameras (they do advise certain brands, but
still....) and because digital cameras are so fast they can capture images in front of
the lens -- including fast moving air pollution.

25. The book completely lost me when I read into the religion of Ramtha. This seems to
be another offshoot of spiritualism that is attempting to find proof with science, or at
least attempting to twist science in order to find proof. Ramtha, itself, reminds me of
the old Seth series from the 1960s and 1970s where spiritualists channeled a higher
level entity that guided its followers and gave clues into the afterlife.
Please do understand that I, personally, am a believer that eventually religion and
science will fold back in on each other. Even today, neuroscientists are starting to
acknowledge that thre may be some form of energy that underlies bio-energy, though
that is as close as they may come to admitting a soul for the next 20 years (New York
Times editorial, citation needed). However, even with this bias, I found the book and
the video hard to believe and ultimately I believe that both are simply being used to
further the Ramtha agenda.
Many of the orbs, I believe, can be explained. Though the authors attempt to explain
false positives (dust, humidity, etc.) these explanations seem to cover the majority of
the orbs as shown in the book. Many are outdoor images produced by a large group
of people moving about (singing and dancing, which the authors claim "attract
entities". That may be so, but it also kicks up a heck of a lot of pollutants in the air).
There are some speckled orbs which could be pollen (I do not know enough about the
flora and fauna of the area where the images were taken). Even the husband of on of
our investigators who watched the movie suggested that one of the anomalies that
had me stumped, the "vortex phenomena", might be produced with odd wind currents
(note: we still need to experiment with a mister, a hand held fan, and digital cameras
to see if we can produce similar images).

26. There are a couple of images that I cannot explain (even hard core skeptics say that
there is a "2% category" where orbs do not fall under any known explanation) but
perhaps given time...
I think that the final ax for me with this book was this history of the writers. In doing
additional research on them, I am impressed by their credentials. Both are highly
educated men who have held a variety of important academic positions. However,
both appear to have personal agendas to pursue, as based on outside observation
from others, their own writings, and other publications. One of the two men appears
to be possibly embroiled in some sort of scandal which casts further doubt upon his
teachings, though his involvement remains unproven and controversial figures have
been attacked with such things in the past.
Overall, however, I WOULD recommend the book and video to paranormal
investigators if only to test out the ability to critically think for oneself. It also shows
another viewpoint on orbs and it may give some insight to those who follow the more
spiritual path and who do believe that orbs are definite proof of the afterlife.

27. End Results? What kind of an impact do
you think that this book will have on
paranormal investigation overall? Why?
Special thanks to the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg who reviewed and discussed the book
and the movie. Also, a big THANK YOU to Mary N., who helped with the research for
this presentation.