Basic Bits of Science

During the first 50+ years of my life, my ego mind was carefully crafted in the Western tradition. The basis of my family’s worldview, the education system, religion, culture, also became mine. My mind was carefully organized to remember information in a linear time and space. My world was very black and white with little room for greys let alone colours. That understanding of the world, of course, continued into my adult life as instructor and coach, psychologist and executive director of a nonprofit agency.

After beginning to awaken in 2000, I was introduced to contemplative practices and a larger, cosmic awareness of who I Am and what I Am about.  I was also encouraged to explore the world of quantum mechanics, neuropsychology and other areas of science.

I wasn’t looking to become well versed in these ‘new’ perspectives of what’s really happening and what that has to do with me. My intention was to pry open, to loosen my analytical and linear mind to allow for new possibilities and potentials. I began reading introductory books such as The Dance of the Wu Li Masters (Zukav 1979*) and Quantum Mechanics for Dummies (Holzer 2009*). For months I resisted the invitation to open to more and different, to let my mind go loose. Finally, a few of the underlying principles began to sink in, slowly, to inform my thinking and my awareness of reality.

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

This principle was first stated in 1927. It says the position and the velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory (Wikipedia). That is, you cannot know a particle’s position and trajectory at the same time. It’s not new, just took a long time for the scientific community to allow and accept. Even Einstein is quoted as saying “He (God) does not play dice” (Britannica) when it first came out. My mind still fogs over a bit as I write this (forget about understanding the formula to the right!), but the essential impact for me lies in the idea of ‘uncertainty’. The specific science meant far less than the assault my mind experienced in its sense of safety in certainty.

Newtonian physics has laws for everything, I was taught, and everything acts according to those laws. From that perspective, I could predict and manipulate and do all those things that lead to my safety. Now, however, I had to let go of what I thought I knew. I learned that Newton’s physics might be the case in our world, but not in the sub-atomic areas that are the foundation for my apparent reality, and not in the Bigger Picture of the cosmos. Of course, Buddhists have known this for centuries as one of their basic understandings of the world, that of Impermanence (O’Brien 2018*).

Observer Effect

Heisenberg also discovered that in the very act of watching, the observer affects the reality that is being observed. In the Observer Effect, the observer and the system being observed became mysteriously linked so that the results of any observation seemed to be determined in part by actual choices made by the observer (Scott 2014*). This effect has a psychological correlate. When I observe the world, my thoughts about its possibilities affect it. In every moment and with every thought and emotion I have, I am breathing life into one of two realities: a reality that I dread or a reality that I desire. This beginning foray into what felt like foreign territory allowed me to continue to open to the new teachings and practices from those resources whose teachings are based in expanded consciousness.

Contemplative Practices

Then I began reading about the advances in understanding how and why contemplative practices work. As David Vago (2018*) writes, contemplative neurosciences refer to an emerging field of research. It focuses on the changes within the mind, brain and body as a result of contemplative practices such as mindfulness-based meditation, tai chi, or yoga, corresponding to the field of Energy Psychology.

And I discovered the work of Dr. Joseph Dispenza and his book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (2012*). Dispenza brings together the science of neuroplasticity with the practice of meditation as a way to shift old beliefs and patterns. Davidson and Begley (2012*) also speak of the role of neuroplasticity as they offer a way to shift your emotional life. Other Hay House authors such as Bruce Lipton, Deepak Chopra, Gregg Braden and Wayne Dyer are bringing new science to the masses, allowing all to understand how we are as we are and how it is that we can change. Information from cellular biology, epigenetics, neurochemistry, and brain function and memory are now available to support the view that mind, body and spirit are all entwined as part of the whole of our human experience. And they are not set in concrete.

All of this truly took months and years to allow and integrate into a new, higher perspective about who I am and an expanded awareness of what is going on. Along the way, I realized that our world, indeed all of creation, is like a hologram (remember Captain Kirk on the Enterprise?). We ‘program’ our experiences through our thoughts, our emotion, and what we choose to focus on.

We Are Creators of Our Reality

Our 3D reality has evolved over eons. It was created/programmed by the collective consciousness of those humans present on earth over time. We became human thinkers rather than human beings and the initial separation from our Soul grew until it seemed a distant thing to think about or even believe in its existence. Gradually, we depended more and more on our mental awareness, always searching for something more, but not knowing what it was. Yes, the human mind is amazing…and it has carried humanity into our present moments. And yet, operating from this place of separation from our divinity keeps us trapped in the 3D paradigm and its programming.

We have created our reality…both individually and as the whole of humanity, earth’s collective consciousness. We now have an opening to remember who we are as Souls. To connect with this divine source for support and guidance. To understand how we are creating our reality. And choose to focus on higher perspectives, releasing negative thoughts and emotions. We can gradually lift ourselves and humanity out of 3D and begin to create heaven here on earth.

I choose to integrate information from science into my knowing, my wisdom. As I receive new ideas or perspectives that boggle my mind, I feel my way through the emotional confusion. I recognize and release fear-based reactions. My Soul Self offers insights and I gradually integrate them into an ever-expanding view of who I am and how this all works. The expansion I experience depends on the subject. Generally, I realize more joy and freedom, more room for being me, hope for the future, and a sense of expanded awareness. Literally, we are remembering who we are, what we already know as Souls, and choosing to integrate that into our human awareness.

Most of the ‘how it works’ is still beyond me. Like 3D science, my human mind is not capable of understanding all of the Bigger Picture. Nor do I have the desire to do so. And yet…I choose to allow that which my Soul Self, my divinity, realizes as truth for me in that moment, always available to let go of what I think I know if a new higher perspective comes along.

I do know that not all of us are interested in or even open to thinking from a scientific perspective. However, my Soul knew that my mind needed this kind of information in order for it to even consider something new, whether it be yoga or the observer effect. I’ve been programmed with fear-based perspectives from the 3D consciousness – and these beliefs are deep, strong, and often unconscious. Perhaps your mind will also be calmed, quieted, knowing there’s some basis in science for higher perspectives and the process of letting go.

If science isn’t for you, let this go without fear of missing out. There are many paths that lead to expanding into Unity Consciousness. Bits of religion/spirituality and psychology are still to come…