How To Use Rhine Cards For ESP Testing


You now have a deck of twenty-five Rhine cards. There are three types of ESP 
you can test for with these cards. Your results will probably be more accurate if 
you have three people participating in the experiment; one "sender", one 
"receiver", and one "observer". The "sender" handles the cards; the "receiver" 
reports which cards he or she thinks are being handled; and the "observer" records 
the data. The sender and receiver should not be able to see each other; they should 
sit with their backs to each other, or even in different rooms.

1. Telepathy
The sender shuffles the cards thoroughly. Then he takes one card at a time and 
turns it face up. He records which card it is, and concentrates on the card for a 
short time. The receiver attempts to "read" the sender's mind and tell which card is 
being viewed; she records which card she thinks the sender is viewing. Continue 
until the deck is used up. Compare the two lists.

2. Clairvoyance
The sender shuffles the cards thoroughly. Then she takes one card at a time, 
WITHOUT LOOKING AT IT, and puts it into a different pile, keeping them in the 
order they were. The receiver records which card he thinks has been turned up. 
When the deck is used up and the receiver has completed his list, the sender or the 
observer takes the deck and records the actual order of the cards. Compare the 
two lists.

3. Precognition.
The receiver records a sequence of twenty-five cards in the order she thinks they 
will be dealt. THEN the sender shuffles the cards, and records the actual order 
produced by the shuffle. Compare the two lists.

In all three types of experiment, the score that would be expected from pure 
chance is five correct out of twenty-five. However, the score on one run is 
meaningless. Keep track of the scores for at least one hundred runs of one type, 
with the same sender and receiver. Only if the score is significantly higher or lower 
than an average of five correct per run is there any evidence of ESP.