During my first year in college, a thought bounced through my head. In its simplest terms, it was: Using a collective energy, which is produced when many people think and feel towards a common goal, people can actually control the weather. This started when I noticed that it we rarely had bad weather on certain holidays. For example, Memorial Day has always fallen on a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a barbeque. Sure, you might say that it just happens to be that part of the year that is like that, but I know many times the day before or the day after have not been nice days, some even with rain, but that day was always sunny and nice. I would like to believe that it is because practically everyone under the sun is expecting, wanting and hoping for a beautiful day to spend outside with their family and friends.

Now this really isn’t a new thought at all. The Native Americans, Ancient Egyptians, South African Angonis and the Mayans are just a few cultures that would sing and dance and pray for rain. (1) In 2001 the Pacific Northwest was suffering from their worst draught in years until the Yakama tribe performed a couple of rain dances. “The results, however actually provided, are irrefutable. More than half the rainfall recorded in Yakama this year fell after March 1, the month in which the tribe held the ceremonies.” (2) Pope John Paul II even tried it, leading a prayer for rain in 2003 as Europe suffered through its deadly heat wave. (3)

There are also many beliefs, religions, and entertaining fortunetellers that believe that each person radiates certain energy. Some call it an aura, some call it chi, and others simply heat. We have all seen examples of this in movies and video games; Predator-vision and the heat the machines used as energy in the Matrix are a classic movies example. It is actually fact that the body radiates energy in the form of heat. It is not myth, theory or Hollywood magic. “The human body radiates heat at a rate of 100 joules every second. This is the same energy as radiated by a 100-watt light bulb.” (2) In fact, according to some calculations, the human body actually radiates more heat per measure of surface area than the sun! “The human being's power output per kilogram is nearly 8000 times that of the Sun.” (4)

So I know that some of you are probably saying, “ok Gary, that’s all well and good but how does this mean that we can control the weather?” Well, let me explain. People, through their beliefs, feelings, emotions and prayers can actually control how much and where heat is released from their bodies. By doing this, many people can actually, for example, channel a substantial amount of energy into the sky to ward off clouds or other unwanted meteorological events. We see a clear example of this by looking at the act of blushing. Here we see that our psychology and physiology can also control when and how much heat, to an extent of course, to release from a particular area of the body. Although the actual physiological reason for why we blush is not known, we do know that it occurs when there is a “dilation of the small blood vessels in the face, leading to increased local blood volume,” (5) and an increased concentration of blood would suggest an increase in temperature in that area.

“The Greek Physician, Hippocrates, wrote in 400 B.C. "In whatever part of the body excess of heat or cold is felt, the disease is there to be discovered." The ancient Greeks immersed the body in wet mud. The area that dried more quickly indicated a warmer region, and was considered the diseased tissue.” (6)

So, I would like to wrap this up by saying that one person alone may not be able to generate enough heat or energy to make much of any difference to her or his surroundings, however, hundreds, thousands, and millions definitely could. Could you imagine the heat you would feel standing next to 1 million 100-watt light bulbs! 1 million people doing anything is something to be noticed whether it produces heat or not. I know the people in Washington would definitely be sweating if 1 million people ever showed up at their doorstep asking for change!

(1) rain dance. (2006). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 26, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9062487

(2) Radiation. Tiscali Reference, Retrieved Jan 23, 2006, from http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0006045.html.

(3) (2003, Aug 10). Pope leads prayers for rain. BBC News, Retrieved Jan 26, 2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3139549.stm.

(4) Craven, B. (n.d.). Kilogram for kilogram, the sun generates power more slowly than the human body. Retrieved Jan. 23, 2006, from Ben Craven's Web Site Web site: http://homepages.tesco.net/~ben.craven/adam_and_eve.html#feeble_sun_info.

(5) G. (2000, Dec 11). Why do we blush?. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Retrieved Jan 23, 2006, from http://www.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/askascientist/highlight.pl?kw=&file=answers%2Fgeneral%2Fans_029.html.

(6) Thermology history. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan. 26, 2006, from Thermology Web site: http://www.thermology.com/history.htm