The John Searl Story
Believers and skeptics argue their cases in a compelling debate on the viability of Searl Effect technology - The John Searl Story is a film documentary about the extraordinary life of John Searl, including his claim to building UFO-like levity discs and a free energy generator that could solve the global energy crisis - DVD available 15 January 2009. Visit www.johnsearlstory.com for details.
John R. R. Searl inventor of the "Spatial Effect Generator", also known as the "Searl Effect Generator".
John Roy Robert Searl (born May 2, 1932) is a British inventor from Wantage, England. Searl claimed that between 1946 and 1956 he designed and constructed a device known as the Searl Effect Generator (SEG), variously claimed to be anti-gravity and perpetual motion device.cite web title=Swallowcommand homepage There is no evidence that these claims are accurate, and the existence of perpetual motion machines is in principle ruled out by the first law of thermodynamics cite web title="Perpetual Motion", University of New South Wales cite web title=Will Someone Build A Perpetual Motion Machine?
Searl was an apprentice employee of BR Rewinds in Grays Inn Road, London. There he gained permission to use the company's facilities and technical resources to make the device. He claims that, in December 1946, with all of the magnetic components manufactured to his specifications, he assembled the generator in his residence at 30 Crawley Rd, Haringey, London, UK; the initial prototypes worked to produced electricity but it generated unexpectedly extremely high voltage along with gravitomagnetism, following which the initial devices were dramatically lost during testing due to a strong anti-gravity effect. There is no independent verification of these claims.Fact|date=January 2008
Searl was convicted of stealing electricity by bypassing his electricity meter, and damaging the property of the electricity company. The Times, 26th November 1982, titled "Electricity thief risked blackout of the South"] He then engaged in a vendetta against the electricity company. The Times, 5th January 1983, titled "Engineer jailed for vendetta" title=Newspaper articles as video
Searl has since claimed that he and his colleagues subsequently built over 50 versions of his ‘levity disc’, of various sizes, and learned how to control them. He claims that persecution by the authorities resulted in wrongful imprisonment and the destruction of most of his work, so that he has had to start all over again. His claim that in the early 1970s one of his craft flew round the world several times without being detected does nothing to enhance his credibility.
In 1991 Anders Heerfordt investigated the claims of Searl concerning the devices that Searl claimed to have shown, as well as verifying claimed witness reports. None of these claims could be verified. Furthermore, Gunnar Sandberg has never seen any of the effects described. Sandberg, as reported through Heerfordt, found a son of Searl "who had seen disks being suspended from wires, so that they could be photographed, but who hadnt seen any demonstration of antigravity or free energy."cite web http://www.textfiles.com/bbs/KEELYNET/GRAVITY/searle1.asc |title=Heerfordt Investigation pt.1] cite web title=Heerfordt Investigation pt.2
Notes
External links
- http://www.searlsolution.com/ John Searl's Website London, England
- http://swallowcommand.com/ John Searl's latest Website Europe
- http://www.searleffect.com/ The Searl Effect , from John Thomas of Rochester, NY
People want "Free Energy", UFOs/UAPs?
There are reports of John Searl demonstrating his units to the BBC and also the entire town of Warminster was scared to death because of his experiments with his "levity disc". They called it "The Warminster Thing".
People thought it was aliens. They had town hall meetings on it that were filmed. It was the work of John Searl. People in the UFO community still those particular reports were aliens.
John Searl, a British inventor, is renowned for his creation of the Searl Effect Generator (SEG), which he claims can produce unlimited free energy and even facilitate antigravity effects. Searl’s journey began in the 1940s when he had a series of recurring dreams that inspired him to develop a device that could harness what he described as natural magnetic energy. These dreams served as a blueprint, driving him to explore the potential of magnetism and electromagnetism in a way that would unlock new possibilities in energy production.
How the Searl Effect Generator (SEG) Works:
The SEG consists of a unique arrangement of three concentric magnetic rings and rollers that rotate around them. The interaction between these components creates what Searl describes as a controlled magnetic vortex, capable of generating continuous electrical energy without any external fuel input. Once set in motion, the SEG is said to maintain perpetual motion, producing a surplus of energy that can be harnessed for various uses.
In addition to its energy-producing capabilities, Searl claimed that when the device reaches certain speeds, it generates antigravity effects. Objects in the vicinity of the generator are said to experience a levitating force, which could be a breakthrough for transportation technologies, including space travel.
Experiments and Demonstrations:
Throughout his career, Searl conducted several experiments to demonstrate the principles of the SEG. He built multiple prototypes, some of which reportedly achieved the results he predicted. In the 1960s and 1970s, Searl claimed that his early models successfully produced excess energy. He also conducted public demonstrations where objects were reported to levitate, allegedly due to the antigravity properties of the device.
One of the most well-known tests was conducted on a model known as “The Levity Disk”, a flying disc that supposedly used SEG technology. During several tests, witnesses reported that the disc ascended into the sky and hovered, showcasing the device’s antigravitational abilities. While detailed documentation of these experiments is sparse, Searl and his supporters believe that these demonstrations validated the SEG’s capabilities.
Searl’s work was largely self-funded, and despite facing challenges, such as the destruction of his lab and equipment, he persisted in refining his designs. In the 1980s, with renewed interest in alternative energy sources, Searl’s work began to gain more attention, with enthusiasts and researchers revisiting his concepts.
Inspiration Behind the SEG:
Searl’s inspiration for the SEG stemmed from a combination of his recurring dreams and a deep interest in electromagnetism. He believed that the universe is governed by natural energy flows, which can be tapped into with the right technology. He viewed the SEG as not just a machine but as a key to understanding the fundamental forces of nature. Searl often cited the works of earlier scientific pioneers like Michael Faraday and Nikola Tesla, who explored electromagnetic principles, as influences in his own research.
His approach to the SEG was both technical and philosophical. Searl envisioned a future where free energy would be accessible to everyone, eliminating the need for conventional fuel sources and providing a sustainable way to power the world.
Legacy and Vision:
John Searl’s SEG remains a fascinating concept in the world of alternative energy. His vision continues to inspire researchers interested in unconventional energy sources and antigravity research. Though many of his ideas await widespread adoption, Searl’s work pushes the boundaries of what we understand about magnetism, energy, and propulsion technologies.
The SEG, with its promises of free energy and antigravity, represents not just a technological breakthrough but also a philosophical shift toward exploring the potential of harnessing the unseen forces of nature for the benefit of humanity.
John Searl Makes a Comeback Taken from The July/August 2007 issue of Atlantis Rising (#64)
Professor Searl, assuming he can actually manage to get the SEG into production, next plans to attack what he sees as a fundamentally energy-wasting device, the car. Per him, only 30% of the energy generated by the engine actually gets to the wheels.
He aims to change that. If you thought regenerative braking on hybrids was something, just wait until you think in terms of having SEGs attached to the wheels, Generating power and recharging the battery pack as the vehicle rolls down the road.
Nor, fundamentally is there even a need for an internal combustion engine in such a car. It could be pure electric - pure electric without ever having to plug into an outlet, likely drawing power from a coal fired generator in the process. Zero emissions at the vehicle. Period. Of course, in the final pollution accounting, the material acquisition, manufacturing and shipping emissions would have to be factored in! After cars, Professor Searl intends to address trucks and trains. Only then does he intend to resume his decades - postponed antigravity flying machine work, what he calls the IGV, for Inverse Gravity Vehicle.
Searl PDFs
https://www.searlfx.com/books/law-of-the-squares-series/
Book 1 - https://www.searlfx.com/SearlFX-Books/Book1.pdf
Book 1A - https://www.searlfx.com/SearlFX-Books/Book1A.pdf
Book 1B: https://www.searlfx.com/SearlFX-Books/Book1B.pdf
Book 2: https://www.searlfx.com/SearlFX-Books/Book2.pdf
Review of Book 1:
Yes — this is worth reviewing in SVP terms.
My first read is this: Searl’s “Law of Squares” is not primarily a physics law in the usual textbook sense. It is a numerical ordering system based on balanced magic squares, which Searl believed encoded natural design conditions for his S.E.G. and I.G.V. technology. The PDF defines the “Searl Effect” as an effect from magnetized rollers moving around magnetized rings/plates, producing electricity and, under some conditions, ionization/cooling/propulsion effects. It says the S.E.G. is developed from the Law of Squares, and Book 1 covers squares 3 through 20 before square 21 begins.
The plain meaning of the Law of Squares
A “square” means an n x n grid filled with consecutive whole numbers.
For Searl, the square is “balanced” only when:
every row adds to the same number,
every column adds to the same number,
both diagonals add to that same number.
That common sum is called the value or line value.
So, in ordinary mathematical terms, he is working with magic squares. But he extends them into a design philosophy.
His key terms translate roughly as:
The SVP interpretation
In SVP terms, Searl appears to be looking for numerical conditions of equilibrium.
That is important.
He is not merely saying, “make a 3 x 3 puzzle.” He is saying that nature operates by ordered balance, and that if a machine is designed according to those balanced values, the machine may couple more naturally to hidden forces.
That is close to several SVP ideas:
1. The value is like the neutral center.
The whole square resolves into one repeated sum. Every row, column, and diagonal returns to the same value. In SVP language, that value behaves like the dominant center or neutral resultant of the field.
2. The square is a field condition.
Searl says each square is a “space frame” and each level is a “time frame.” In SVP-CMC terms, we could say: the square defines the spatial ordering, while the level defines the phase/octave/time placement of that ordering.
3. The rows, columns, and diagonals are sympathetic pathways.
A valid square is not balanced in one direction only. It is balanced through multiple pathways. That corresponds to SVP’s idea that a true sympathetic structure must be coherent through several axes of relation.
4. GO and NO-GO are harmonic permissibility.
A “GO” value is one that can resolve into whole-number equilibrium. A “NO-GO” value cannot. In SVP terms, this resembles the difference between a condition that can close into sympathy and one that remains discordant or incomplete.
5. Shared values are especially interesting.
Searl notes that some values can be shared by more than one square. For example, the same line value may fit a 3-square, 6-square, 7-square, or 9-square. That is very SVP-like: the same governing value appearing in different “bodies,” “orders,” or “octaves.” This is essentially sympathetic correspondence across different field structures.
The most important example
Searl gives a 3 x 3 example with a line value of 705.
A 3 x 3 square has 3 numbers per row. So:
705 ÷ 3 = 235
That 235 becomes the center value.
In SVP terms, the center governs the field. If the desired value were 706 instead:
706 ÷ 3 = 235.333...
That would require a fraction, and Searl rejects fractions/decimals as “NO-GO.” So the field cannot close as a whole-number harmonic condition.
This is very close to saying:
A field condition must resolve into an integral center.
If the center is fractional, the condition is not naturally coherent.
That is one of the strongest SVP parallels in the book.
Where I would be cautious
The mathematics of magic squares is real. The interpretive leap is the claim that these squares directly determine magnetic propulsion, anti-gravity, or free-energy operation.
So I would separate the material into two layers:
Layer 1: The numerical law.
This is understandable. It is about ordered, balanced, whole-number matrices.
Layer 2: The physical claim.
This is not demonstrated merely by the tables. Searl appears to believe the correct numerical values guide material selection, magnetization, AC/DC treatment, roller/ring design, and field behavior. That may be a design philosophy, but it is not yet a proven physical derivation from the pages reviewed.
In SVP-CMC language
Searl’s Law of Squares may be read as:
A method for discovering which numerical field-conditions can resolve into a stable neutral resultant across multiple axes of expression.
Or more simply:
Searl is trying to find the arithmetic of coherence.
That is exactly where it becomes interesting for SVP.
Keely used musical ratios, subdivisions, thirds, sixths, ninths, chords, concords, discords, centers, and sympathetic association. Searl is using square matrices, line values, levels, groups, and GO/NO-GO conditions.
Different language. Similar instinct.
Both are asking:
What arrangements allow energy, matter, motion, and center to come into lawful sympathy?
My preliminary conclusion: Searl’s Law of Squares is best understood as a numerical map of balanced field conditions. In SVP terms, it is an attempt to tabulate which “conditions” can become coherent enough to serve as a neutral-centered operating structure.
Review of Book 1A:
Book 1A is a continuation, but it is not merely the same story repeated. The foundation is the same: Searl still treats the Law of Squares as the root ordering principle behind the S.E.G., I.G.V., design, and “nature’s” structure. But Book 1A appears to add supporting material, applied tables, correspondence, controversy, and practical-design implications that Book 1 only introduced.
The clearest clue is the page titled “Supplement 1A to Book 1.” It says these books represent what Searl “has to know” and how he applies that knowledge to design work and thinking. That means Book 1A is not a new theory so much as an expansion of the method.
What is the same
The central story remains:
The Law of Squares is Searl’s master code of balance.
Book 1 defined the basic terms: square, value, level, group, option, GO/NO-GO, space frame, time frame, and the idea that balanced numerical fields govern design. Book 1A continues from that same premise.
In SVP terms, the same core idea remains:
A valid square is a field-condition that resolves into a common neutral resultant.
Rows, columns, diagonals, shared values, and square groups are still treated as pathways of lawful balance.
What Book 1A adds
Book 1A appears to add several important layers.
First, it gives more design-context material. The table of contents lists items such as “S.E.G. design drawn by David Stirling,” “S.E.G. computer calculations,” “Group 1’s shells value contents,” “Group 2’s shells value contents,” “corner values,” and “values of building blocks.” That suggests Book 1A is moving from “what is the square law?” toward “how are these square values organized for design work?”
Second, it adds many more shared-value tables. Book 1 already showed that some line values can be shared by more than one square. Book 1A’s contents page expands this massively: values shared between 3² and 6², 3² and 7², 4² and 5², 5² and 11², and many more combinations. In SVP terms, this is significant because shared values are like sympathetic bridges between different orders of structure.
Third, it includes practical and material topics. The contents mention “Shape Memory — Materials,” “Trig Converter for Inductance Measurement,” “Green House Effect,” “Fluoridation,” and the “Whatley Road Solar Project.” So Book 1A broadens from pure square arithmetic into applications, materials, environment, instrumentation, and social commentary.
Fourth, it contains letters, disputes, and justification of Searl’s position. There are letters from publishers and institutions, plus sections responding to critics and discussing government, media, and invention. This is more biographical and defensive than Book 1.
The SVP-CMC reading
In SVP terms, Book 1A seems to deepen the idea that Searl’s squares are not only “magic square puzzles,” but catalogs of permissible field relationships.
Where Book 1 says:
Here is the law of balanced squares.
Book 1A says:
Here are more of the relationships, correspondences, shared values, materials, and design implications that follow from that law.
So the story is the same at the root, but Book 1A gives more of the architecture around the story.
The most useful SVP translation would be:
Book 1 gives the principle of numerical equilibrium.
Book 1A begins mapping the interconnections between equilibria.
That matters because in SVP a single isolated harmony is less important than how harmonies communicate across centers, octaves, fields, and subdivisions. Searl’s shared-value tables may be his version of that.
My preliminary judgment
Book 1A is more detailed, but not necessarily clearer. It expands the data, context, and applications, yet the underlying explanatory method remains Searl’s own idiosyncratic system. The best way to read it is not as conventional engineering proof, but as a design grammar: a catalog of numerical conditions Searl believed could be translated into magnetic, material, and field structures.
In short:
Book 1 = the basic Law of Squares framework.
Book 1A = a supplement showing more shared values, applied tables, design clues, supporting letters, and broader commentary.
Review of Book 1B:
Book 1B is still the same root story, but it adds a different and important layer. Book 1 introduced the Law of Squares; Book 1A expanded the sharing relationships among square values; Book 1B appears to focus heavily on the opposite condition: rest frames / not-sharing values.
What Book 1B says it is
Book 1B explicitly states that it “extends Book 1 and 1A” and enlarges upon man, structure, the S.E.G., and the energy front. That is a clear signal that Searl intended it as the next supplement, not as an independent book.
It also says this is the third book released to help people understand Searl’s thinking and knowledge, and that it is associated with Book 1 as a second supplement. So structurally:
Book 1 = foundation
Book 1A = first supplement
Book 1B = second supplement
The major new idea: “rest frames”
The big new technical emphasis in Book 1B is the repeated phrase “REST FRAMES”, especially:
3² not sharing — Book 1
4² not sharing — Book 1
5² not sharing — Book 1
7² not sharing — Book 1
11² not sharing — Book 1
17² not sharing — Book 1
19² not sharing — Book 1
That is different from Book 1A, which concentrated heavily on values that do share between different squares.
So in SVP terms:
Book 1A is about sympathetic bridges.
Book 1B is about non-sharing frames, isolation, spacing, and boundaries.
That is a significant development.
SVP-CMC translation
In our language, Book 1B is exploring something like:
Which numerical field-conditions stand alone and do not sympathetically couple to other square-orders?
That matters because SVP is not only about sympathy. It is also about discord, insulation, separation, neutralization, differentiation, and boundary conditions.
A value that shares between several squares is like a common harmonic bridge.
A value that does not share is like a self-contained field state.
That could correspond to:
a node that does not entrain,
a rest condition,
a boundary frame,
a phase-isolated condition,
a non-communicating octave,
a “dead zone” or non-transfer condition,
or a stable individualization that resists assimilation.
This makes Book 1B more interesting than it first appears. It is not just more tables. It is the negative-space map of the Law of Squares.
What else Book 1B adds
Book 1B also broadens far beyond square arithmetic. Its contents include S.E.G. materials, periodic table material, periodic properties, rare earth magnets, corrosion, magnetism, power supplies, lithium alloy iron sulfide batteries, spacecraft power, voltaic cells, relative motion, laser diodes, man-machine communication, and computer discussion. It also includes many letters to or from publishers, government figures, aviation departments, the Ministry of Defence, the Queen, President Carter, the Royal Mint, and others.
So this volume is part technical supplement, part archive, part argument, part public record.
Compared to Book 1A, it feels less like a clean mathematical continuation and more like Searl assembling evidence, context, tables, correspondence, materials, and commentary around the square system.
The strongest technical distinction
Book 1A asks:
Which square values can be shared across multiple square-orders?
Book 1B asks:
Which square values do not share, and what is the true spacing between them?
That distinction is valuable.
In SVP terms:
Shared values = sympathy, resonance, transfer, harmonic correspondence.
Non-shared/rest-frame values = differentiation, insulation, discreteness, individuality, boundary, non-transfer.
That maps very well to our SVP-CMC polarity:
Assimilation requires shared condition.
Individualization requires non-shared condition.
Dominance requires the correct governing relation between the two.
My judgment
Book 1B is not a new story. It is the same Searl story extended into another dimension.
But it does add useful detail because it completes the other side of the Law:
Book 1 gives the balanced squares.
Book 1A gives shared values — the sympathetic links.
Book 1B gives non-shared rest frames — the separations and boundaries.
From an SVP viewpoint, that makes Book 1B potentially important. If Book 1A shows how fields communicate, Book 1B shows where they do not communicate — and that may be just as important for design.
DP: There are over 10-12 books. They are large and on a slow server so are difficult and time consuming to download. I'll keep trying to download them - until I lose my patience.
ChatGPT: Understood, Dale. No need to fight the server all at once. From Books 1, 1A, and 1B, the pattern is already emerging clearly enough to build a working map.
So far the sequence looks like this:
Book 1 establishes the basic Law of Squares: balanced square fields, line values, levels, groups, GO/NO-GO values, space frame, time frame, and the claim that the S.E.G. design proceeds from this numerical law.
Book 1A expands the sharing side: which square values can appear across multiple square orders. In SVP terms, that is the sympathetic-bridge side of the system — values that can communicate across different numerical bodies.
Book 1B expands the non-sharing/rest-frame side: values that do not share with other squares, plus broader material on S.E.G. components, elements, magnets, corrosion, power supplies, batteries, and correspondence. In SVP terms, this is the boundary, isolation, and differentiation side.
A practical way forward is to treat the books as an archive rather than as a linear textbook. For each new PDF, we can answer four questions:
What new technical idea does this volume add?
Is it square-law arithmetic, S.E.G. engineering, personal history, correspondence, or commentary?
Does it expand sharing, non-sharing, materials, magnetic structure, motion, or power generation?
How does it translate into SVP-CMC terms?
That way, even if you only manage to download a few more, we can build a cumulative “Searl Map” without drowning in tables. My suspicion is that many later books will repeat the same worldview but add more specialized tables, devices, letters, and claims. The key will be identifying which pages contain actual design logic versus which are background, polemic, or archival material.
DP: OK, Searl is a curiosity. I met him and read his books. Got nothing from them. It is reported he created a free energy generator and levitated real models. I'll post what we found so far to svpwiki and let it go.
ChatGPT: That sounds like the right judgment, Dale.
Searl is worth noting, but not worth getting bogged down in unless a later volume reveals something much more concrete. From the three books reviewed, the useful takeaway is limited but clear:
John R. R. Searl’s Law of Squares appears to be a numerical design doctrine based on balanced magic-square structures. He treated these squares as “space frames” and their levels as “time frames,” using line-values, shared values, and non-shared “rest frames” as a supposed guide to the S.E.G. and I.G.V. designs. In SVP terms, the most sympathetic reading is that Searl was attempting to map coherent and non-coherent field conditions: shared values as sympathetic bridges, non-shared values as boundary/rest conditions, and the common line value as a neutral resultant. However, the books reviewed do not provide enough conventional engineering detail to verify the reported claims of free-energy generation or levitating models. They are best treated as a curiosity, a symbolic/numerical design system, and an archival note rather than a working technical manual.
That would make a fair svpwiki entry: respectful, not dismissive, but not credulous either.
The SVP connection I would preserve is this:
Searl’s system may be compared loosely to SVP in that both seek lawful numerical relationships behind motion, force, matter, and structure. But where Keely and SVP work through vibration, sympathy, chords, centers, and subdivisions, Searl’s presentation works through square matrices, line-values, levels, sharing, and rest frames. The correspondence is conceptual, not demonstrated as an engineering equivalence.
I think “curiosity” is the right shelf for it unless one of the later books gives actual build parameters, material treatments, magnetization patterns, roller/ring geometry, or test data.
See Also