Kirlean Photography and the Phantom Leaf Effect

I love any technology of the weird and wonderful. And I had this crazy idea the other day of killing two birds with one stone. For one, I want to build a simple Kirlean photography rig to take photographs of objects exposed to the “Kirlean Effect” or “Kirlean Photography.”

Secondly, I am of a mind to conduct certain EVP experiments in the vicinity of such a device while it operates. Who knows what I might be able to pick up with such a device, especially if it is modified in certain ways.

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, this was all the rage. It was on all sorts of TV shows and magazines, and drove the Scientific community absolutely nuts, because of the reactions from the spiritual and paranormal communities to it. This reaction, which continues to this day, tries to boil certain effects, like the “phantom leaf” effect into a convenient explanation that satisfies the masses and leads them away from the truly strange aspect of this amazing phenomenon. Why? Because there are those who wish to keep certain aspects of the human bioenergy field kept as far from public awareness as possible.

What is the Kirlean Photography you ask?

Wikipedia defines Kirlean photography as:

Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a high-voltage source, an image is produced on the photographic plate. The technique has been variously known as “electrography”, “electrophotography”, “corona discharge photography” (CDP), “bioelectrography”, “gas discharge visualization (GDV)”, “electrophotonic imaging (EPI)”, and, in Russian literature, “Kirlianography”.

The Phantom Leaf effect and the controversy

Quoting the source at the Exoscience article:

Photos produced from this technique are enigmatic because they allow us to see things which are seemingly contradictory to the way we see the world. The most notable example of this is the Phantom Leaf Effect.

When you take a freshly cut leaf from a tree, and you tear off a part of it, and take a Kirlian photo of it.. You can still see the part of the leaf you removed!

The image at the right shows this strange effect. Clearly there is some sort of phenomena going on! But what exactly is causing this “ghost” image to project itself onto the film after the removal of the living tissue from the leaf?

For one, many people claim this is a pattern of the bio-energetic field of the leaf that remains intact for a short time after the leaf if picked from a plant. To my mind, this does make the most sense.

However, Science sees this differently. Wikipedia, known for it’s highly unreliable and often biased paranormal views says:

A typical demonstration used as evidence for the existence of these energy fields involved taking Kirlian photographs of a picked leaf at set intervals. The gradual withering of the leaf was thought to correspond with a decline in the strength of the aura. In some experiments, if a section of a leaf was torn away after the first photograph, a faint image of the missing section sometimes remains when a second photograph was taken. However, if the imaging surface is cleaned of contaminants and residual moisture before the second image is taken, then no image of the missing section will appear.

This seems legitimate, but the the Exoscience article begs to differ.

You need to take the photo within minutes of cutting the leaf, and the leaf must be fresh, healthy and full of life. But even then, this phenomenon only occurs sometimes: Successful replication rate is between 1% and 70% depending on the researcher. This shouldn’t be that surprising since we have no idea of the mechanism behind the phantom leaf effect. In due time, we will understand it better.

The Wikipedia article on the phantom leaf effect states that it happens due to residual moisture^[1] if you put your leaf on the electrode before you cut it, it will leave a footprint of moisture, which is what these photos showcase. If you clean the electrode from moisture before you take the second photograph, there is no phantom leaf effect anymore!

This sounds convincing and has probably discouraged most from researching this further, but it’s worse than misleading, it’s a ridiculous lie. Dr. Kirlian used the described faulty methodology in one experiment in the 1940s, but literally every replication since then cannot be explained with moisture. It’s shocking that such an obvious falsehood can remain on Wikipedia after so long time, I remember reading it probably a decade ago.

While researching this article, I lost count of the amount of replications I saw mentioned, but it is somewhere around 20. I expect to personally join the club soon as I will buy my own Kirlian camera. The highest quality replication^[3] is the comprehensive experiment by John Hubacher, in which 137 leaves of 14 plant species were subjected to cuts

There was no significant parameter that could be tied to the 41 leaves that did not display a phantom image.

96 leaves displayed the phantom leaf effect. 41 leaves did not. Almost every phantom was clear, unambiguous, and high quality, closely resembling the original leaves in detail.

The implication is that the Wikipedia explanation depended entirely on the leaf being cut on the plate Clearly, someone either didn’t follow due diligence in their science, or… they didn’t WANT to fully explain the effect being seen for reasons we have discussed earlier.

The problem with Wikipedia is that it’s editors bias out information they do not wish to see, such as the rather amazing effects noted in laboratory experiments at UCLA. Effects were noted that indicated the fields DO change with emotional and physical stimuli, such as being upset, or causing pain. As much as Wikipedia’s paranormal editors WANT unusual phenomena to “go away”  quietly, they can’t erase data that runs counter to their views.

Especially interesting in the video above are the implications for medical diagnosis with this technology. Something that only a few people engage in using this for today.

Where I want to go with this

So, I plan to build my own rig to test this phenomena for myself. This is the only way to settle the matter and to see it for myself. That is called “real science” folks. I do, however, hold a theory as to WHY the phantom leaf experiment does yield the strange results that are reported.

Theoretical Explanation

I am writing a book on Electronic Voice Phenomena. In that book, I cover various aspects of the seven etheric bodies of human beings. One of the components of these “bodies” is the Etheric Template. This “template” is the electrical/spiritual/etheric field that defines the form from which the physical body organizes itself. This field provides the communications for the body to organize itself from the time you are an embryo and throughout your physical life. Why do I use the electrical/spiritual/etheric term to describe this template? Because there are elements of it we have yet to understand.

Despite DNA playing a crucial role in defining our organism, we also depend on this framework, generated by the bio-electrical and other-worldly components of our true nature to remain intact as a life form. It is this field that defines us, after being “kick started” by the initial formation of an embryo, combined with inhabitation of the body by a soul entity.

Science, of course, will find such explanations to be counter to their singular views, but they still cannot explain these effects of the aura fields and bodies that have been known for centuries. Nor can they progress beyond the electrochemical nature of DNA to explain the organization of the body beyond their view of the body as purely a consequence of DNA coding.

To be blunt, we live in the dark ages when it comes to appreciation of a secondary organizing principle of the body that is complemented by DNA’s role in creating a fully functioning organism! Nikola Tesla had is absolutely correct when he said:

“The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” – Nikola Tesla

So, what are we seeing with the Kirlean leaf effect? Quite simply, the residual organizing field of the “Etheric Template” at work! This field never actually disappears, even after amputation of the leaf, or of a limb on a person occurs. Photographs of amputees, long after losing a limb, can show the etheric template!

Building your own rig

I am presenting two designs from two different sources. Each is good, but each lacks in certain details. The Exo-Science article on “The Phantom Leaf Effect” is a GREAT article on how the device works and also speaks directly to the “phantom leaf” controversy. It even presents a wonderful technical overview of the design with the essentials for you to build from, but lacks the practical “how-to” aspects and details needed to truly build the design successfully. This is where the YouTube channel “electronicsNmore” comes in to save the day with a practical design, complete with a video on how to do the needed construction of the device, plates, and circuitry needed to be successful. The video shows the gory details of how to build the plate you need to get the necessary effect.

I view the video design as the superior model, given the simplicity of a single power source in that version. Read through both at your leisure. Note that you should ONLY try building such a rig if you KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. High voltage electricity is nothing to play with unless you are well aware of pitfalls and safety issues. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

 

DIY Kirlian Photography(FULL PROJECT DETAILS)

Kirelean Base Circuitry – Base design for video with Kirlean circuit

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References

1. Wikipedia “Debunk” of The Phantom Leaf Effect
2. 7th Grade Science Fair Project: Phantom Leaf Replication – See: Full article pointing to reference.
3. The Phantom Leaf Effect: Replication
4. The Phantom Leaf Effect and Its Implications for Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences
5. The Kirlian Aura (Dr. Worsley, page 165)
6. The Phantom Leaf Effect and Its Implications for Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences, Reference to Joanne Cusack
7. Phantom Limb Pain: Subtly Energy Perspectives