For the birds...

At Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri every autumn, there are Pelicans. Pelicans in Missouri?

Yes, and not only that, Bald Eagles nest here, Snow Geese, Mergansers and dozens of other species most of us probably haven't heard of. Loess Bluffs is a waylay for hundreds of thousands of birds during their annual migrations.

I'm fascinated by how birds migrate. Biologists tell us birds use Earth's magnetic field to find their way. Researchers have found specialized cells in their eyes that allow them to actually see magnetic fields. It's believed birds also use magnetite in their beaks to travel long distances over areas that do not have many landmarks.

Imagine! A sixth sense for Earth's magnetic field. Biologist Rupert Sheldrake has made a name for himself studying senses like this ~ ones animals have that humans seem not to. Another example, for instance, is how dogs seem to know when their masters are coming home before they arrive. Sheldrake has studied these phenomena in detail.

It makes me wonder what other senses there are that we humans aren't always aware of?

Synchronicity ~ I think that's a sense, though it's a little more elusive to pin down. Observations of synchronicity mostly all fall under the category of anecdotal evidence.

My partner & I made a point to drive to Loess Bluffs to see the migration. We hadn't been there before, and didn't have a clear idea what time we should arrive, or what day to go. We just trusted our "instincts."

What's the definition of "instincts" anyway? One possible definition is "a catch-all for all the senses beyond the first five."

We arrived at sunset. It was also moonrise. Hundreds of thousands of birds were flocking, flying, dancing through the sky. I'm sure the sight was just as breathtaking in the afternoon, or the next day, or the day before.

Maybe our arrival was "just" coincidence, but the photo I captured was literally a scene out of the novel I was writing. One chapter prominently featured a flock of birds in twilight flocking in front of a full moon.

And now here we were, with that scene unfolding right in front of us, in real life.

Synchronicity seems to be an experience many of us have had, and some occurrences are doubtlessly far more significant than birds flying out my novel into real life. Truth be told, synchronicity has been far more commonplace in my life ever since I had a concussion a few years ago. Something enhanced my ability to run into these "chance encounters" far more than chance would seem to account for.

I believe humans have more senses than our First Five. I think the fact that birds navigate by perception of the Earth's Magnetic field is proof that such a thing is possible, and should not be confined to the realm of the "metaphysical."

Biologist Rupert Sheldrake has coined the term Biomorphic Resonance. His theory suggests that a field of consciousness (analogous to a magnetic field) is what allows communication irrespective of distance. Twin studies seem to validate this. For example, there are cases where a person has reported feeling pain when his twin brother breaks his leg.

Many scientists haven't taken this very seriously, and Sheldrake is a pioneer in this up-and-coming field of study. Metaphysical phenomena have long been "taboo" subjects for proper scientific research. But why not? It's a stigma dating back to the 17th century, Sheldrake's research has revealed, a prejudice once held by René Descartes. For readers interested in delving deeper into this subject, I highly recommend Sheldrake's book "Science Set Free."

Physicists know that quantum entanglement occurs ~ which is non-local interaction between subatomic particles. So why isn't non-local communication between organisms being more heavily researched?

Behind light pollution, we cannot see starlight or the Milky Way. But if a caveman visited a modern-day city, wouldn't he look up and say, "What on Earth happened to all the stars?" Could our modern-day prejudices still be making us the victims of an analogous type of myopia? The man-made world certainly overexposes us to many sensory inputs that may be keeping us from perceiving far more.

Like ancient Polynesian sailors navigating to distant islands across the ocean by means modern science can't replicate, since my concussion, I've been a lot more in tune with, well, let's just call it Earth's Magnetic Field. If birds can sense it, why can't we?

But then again, my theory is probably just ... for the birds.