Hidden Layers of Reality
abracad, · Categories: science and spirituality, spiritualityWho are we? What is this reality that we're part of? Why are we here at all? These questions lie at the depths of our being, and their answers - should we ever find them - would dictate the very purpose of our existence.
As a species we have evolved from single-celled organisms into beings that can travel in space, probe the very building blocks of our bodily nature and the universe we inhabit, and create works of art capable of moving us to the core. And yet for all our tremendous mastery of knowledge there appears to be a boundary that we cannot penetrate.
The 18/19th century mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace postulated a super-intelligent "demon" having knowledge of the position and momentum of every particle in the universe. Laplace's demon also possessed some kind of super computer able to process this vast dataset, thus availing it of the universe's entire future and past. This presented a gloomy scenario for mankind, as it completely removed the role of free-will. It also opened a can of moral worms with regard to law, crime and punishment (how could someone be punished for committing crimes that were predetermined?)
Then, in the 20th century, along came quantum physics and with it Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. In a nutshell, Heisenberg showed that Laplace's demon was theoretically impossible, since we can never obtain precise information of the simultaneous position and momentum of any particle. Heisenberg essentially demonstrated a limit to scientific understanding.
Furthermore, the experimentally well-proven quantum theory reveals an inherent randomness in the behavior of the most elementary particles that form the material realm. The great scientist Albert Einstein's response was that "God does not play dice with the universe."
Despite the overwhelming evidence for the validity of quantum theory our innate experience, and instinct, tends to concord with Einstein. Our experience of the world is based on deterministic cause and effect; we push the switch, the light comes on... But can both views be right? And can this paradox offer a glimpse into the true nature of reality?
There is a mass of anecdotal evidence of paranormal phenomena, ie happenings that transcend the known laws of science. Raise the subject in just about any gathering and you’ll likely find someone who’s experienced something they couldn’t quite explain. These experiences extend throughout history and across cultures. And interest in the technological information age remains as strong as ever, with a Google search on the term paranormal returning no fewer than 21,400,000 matches.
Might it be such experiences offer a glimpse into reality sufficient to keep us motivated, but not quite enough to encourage abandonment of our earthly mission to return “home†prematurely?
And might the more enlightened beings such as Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed… have enjoyed certain knowledge rather than occasional glimpses of ultimate reality, in order to educate the rest of us via the leading Spiritual models (religions) existing today? Indeed, might these (and other teachers) be different incarnations of the same benevolent entity? The late Pope John Paul said “Though the routes taken may be different, there is but a single goal to which is directed the deepest aspiration of the human Spirit.â€
Spiritualist mediums often speak of the earth and Spirit realms co-existing, but at different vibrations (the earth is lower and Spirit higher). Communication between the living and the departed takes place when the medium raises his/her vibration and the Spirit communicator lowers theirs, to the degree that both become aware of the other.
Modern physics has two well-established theories – relativity, which explains what happens on a very big scale, ie the behavior of the cosmos; and quantum mechanics, which explains the very small. Both theories contradict the “common sense†view of reality, and both have striking parallels with descriptions of reality given by ancient Spiritual philosophies.
The problem is that relativity and quantum physics differ, ie the set of laws explaining the very small doesn’t apply to the very large and vice versa. Thus the quest of physics since Einstein has been to find a grand, unified theory that combines relativity and quantum mechanics into an explanation of everything. Though no accepted theory has yet emerged, one of the strongest candidates is superstring theory, which relies on multiple dimensions existing beyond the perceived four of space-time. Might the highest of these dimensions equate to what, over the centuries and across traditions, has been called Spirit?
Whether science will ever produce a single theory that explains everything is debatable. But the fact science is moving to accept multiple dimensions beyond those forming the physical realm in accordance with traditional Spiritual teaching could be significant. A multi-dimensional model could accommodate both the material world we inhabit and the Spiritual plane from which we emanate. The increasing convergence between science and various Spiritual traditions suggests the reality we perceive is but part of all that exists. And this part is ever influenced by events within the higher parts, which in turn are primarily influenced by Spirit.
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