Existential Questions… Answered!
This is an excerpt from the free eBook ‘How To Change The World‘ Let’s take a moment to reflect on galaxies, star systems, plants, trees, animals, particles, cells and all of the ingenious mechanisms that make up our reality. Ever wondered why snowflakes show flawlessly geometrical patterns, or why plants know when to bloom and birds when to migrate? Ever wondered why you even have the ability to consciously witness such phenomena? “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.” – Albert Einstein This is not an attempt to preach about a religious dogma and give all credit to some deity. It is simply an observation inviting us to reflect further than the idea that this existence is all a coincidence with no consciousness involved in its inception. Some believe that it is unscientific to think this way, but after all, what is science? It is simply a tool assisting us in understanding the already intelligent mechanics of nature. We attempt to learn about it, yet it already existed in perfect harmony before we tried to. However, many scientists insist in describing such a rich, intelligent and lively existence as an unconscious and coincidental phenomena.
The only intelligence or consciousness that mainstream science seems to acknowledge is the intellect of our brain. To this day, we read in most science books that consciousness is merely an outcome of chemical processes in the brain, as if it emerged by coincidence out of brain tissue. It is said to be found nowhere else but in the brain. If we are going to accept that logic, then how could unconscious natural forces create a brain that is not only conscious, but that has a capacity for complex subjective experience? How could “non-consciousness” evolve into a mental system capable of asking why it exists? Why do conscious and experiencing beings—such as us—even exist in the first place? Why is there consciousness? Consciousness is undoubtably a problem that the scientific community continues to ignore due to its inability to provide a clear answer. “How is it that something as unconscious as the matter of the brain ever gives rise to something as immaterial as an experience? (...) Scientists find themselves in the strange position of being confronted daily by the indisputable fact of their own consciousness, yet with no means to account for it.” – Peter Russell Physics, biology, chemistry or any other science—despite their success in analyzing the material world—simply cannot explain the purpose and origin of existence.
They cannot account for the essence within each and everyone of us that makes us conscious individuals with a deep sense of self and of subjective experience. Our spark of being—the one that makes us creators, thinkers and observers with such a rich and multifaceted inner world—is undeniably beyond the bounds of mainstream science. So what is the force behind ingenious biological mechanisms such as our brains and bodies? What is the intelligence behind this ingenious existence? In order to know the answer as well as our role within the universe, we have to explore the deepest level of our reality. What is it made of? What are we made of? “My studies in mathematics and quantum physics explained how the entire material universe could have evolved from the simplest of the elements—hydrogen. Yet the most fascinating question for me had now become: How had hydrogen—a single electron orbiting a single proton—evolved into a system that could be aware of itself? How had the universe become conscious?” – Peter Russell When basing our understanding on a three-dimensional experience, our automatic reasoning will surely be that reality is made up of matter. Not to mention that the word “real” is mostly tagged upon all that is perceivable through our 5 senses. However, quantum experiments and neurological studies have proven this impression to be inaccurate. Reality is actually quite different from the images filtered by the brain.
The mind may find it ridiculous to even consider that what it so clearly perceives is not exactly as it seems. But who is to say that the human brain—which only serves as a decoder of abstract electrical signals—is the ultimate point of reference as to what is real and what is not? “Do you remember how electrical currents and “unseen waves” were laughed at? The knowledge about man is still in its infancy.” – Albert Einstein As much as Cartesian minds may conquer, it is primordial to set aside the scientific ego and open ourselves up to a path of uncertainty. Because the first step to understanding the fundamental construct of reality is to accept that it is quite unlike our mind’s perception of what is “out there.” As the reknowned physicist Erwin Schrödinger stated, “Every man’s world picture is and always remains a construct of his mind, and cannot be proved to have any other existence.” There is indeed no evidence, which could prove that the reality we experience “out there” is not a mere reconstruction of information received and filtered through our nervous system. As a matter of fact, studies show that the world we perceive through our eyes is merely our brain’s interpretation of electrical signals derived from light. Light is scientifically referred to as electromagnetic radiation, or simply as energy. We often think of light as the brightness we can see with our eyes, yet visible light is but a very small portion within a vast range of light frequencies.
The light frequencies known to the scientific community have been categorized and labelled in what is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light is a range of frequencies that project our three-dimensional reality. As these light frequencies enter the eye, it triggers chemical reactions in the retina, which produce electro-chemical impulses.
These travel along nerve fibers to the back of the brain, which is where vision is interpreted.
The brain then analyses the data it receives, and recreates its own picture of what is “out there.” However, what is “out there” is quite unlike the coherent and conceivable world we experience through our senses. “Consider our experience of the color green. In the physical world there is light of a certain frequency, but the light itself is not green. Nor are the electrical impulses that are transmitted from the eye to the brain. No color exists there.
The green we see is a quality appearing in the mind in response to this frequency of light. It exists only as a subjective experience in the mind.” – Peter Russell Even though we have labelled certain light frequencies with names such as ultraviolet or gamma rays, they are all just light.
There are no definitive breaks or boundaries when it comes to light, but only a continuous range of energy, which can lower or raise its vibration speed. It is within this ocean of light, that our ingenious brain is able to translate a small percentage of light frequencies into what we call our visible “reality.” Makes you wonder about everything else we are not seeing... Everything is inherently made of light in different frequencies and this does not exclude solidity. Just as light can manifest itself in a frequency range that is perceivable through sight, it can also manifest itself in a frequency range that is perceivable through touch. It doesn’t mean that the objects we experience are solid by nature; it only means that our brain interprets them as solid. “What we have called matter is energy (light), whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses.
There is no matter.” – Albert Einstein Of course, the thought of matter being “immaterial” will seem farfetched to the mind, because its only reference point is the human senses. But let’s not forget that all of our senses are the product of an ingenious computer called “the brain” which, again, is only a decoder of electrical signals. Our 5 senses will never give us an accurate picture of what is truly “out there,” because they can only experience what they are designed to experience. Without a brain programmed to transform light into electrical signals, and electrical signals into visible shapes, colors, sounds and sensations, there is only light of different frequencies and vibrations. As the great inventor, electrical engineer, and scientist Nikola Tesla stated, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” “Are not millions and millions of blobs of energy and light, photons and electrons? They make up this imaginary three-dimensional solid world, which does not exist at all according to Relativity or Quantum Mechanics.
The only realities we know are the ones our brain manufactures. A brain receives millions of signals every minute. And we organize them into holograms which we project outside ourselves and call it ‘Reality'” – Dr. Robert Anton Wilson As the quote above states, “blobs of energy” and “light” are terms that would best describe the smallest, most elementary particles that make up the material world. Most linear minds would hope to find proof of their solidity, but the truth turns out to be more puzzling than the easy-to-grasp concept of size and mass. We all know that matter is composed of atoms. Yet studies now reveal that each atom is composed of 99.9999999% empty space.
They are nothing like the “solid balls” science once described them as for two thousand years.
The remaining 0.0000001% of the atom represents the elementary particles that are hundreds of thousands times smaller. This means that if we enlarge an atom to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus of the atom would only be as large as a tiny grain of rice, and so are the electrons orbiting around it. As the early twentieth-century British physicist Sir Arthur Eddington stated, “Matter is mostly ghostly empty space.” The discovery that matter is mostly immaterial seemed too uncomfortable for the minds of physicists to grasp.
Therefore, in an attempt to at least ascribe solid properties and measurements to the elementary particles of matter, physicists have encountered another so-called “anomaly” within the quantum world. Experiments show that elementary particles can behave and look like particles, but are not solid in essence.
They are truly and inherently “waves” of potential existence. “With the advent of quantum theory, it was found that even these minute subatomic particles were themselves far from solid. In fact, they are not much like matter at all—at least nothing like matter as we know it.
They can’t be pinned down and measured precisely.
They are more like fuzzy clouds of potential existence, with no definite location. Much of the time they seem more like waves than particles. Whatever matter is, it has little, if any, substance to it.” – Peter Russell The reason for this abstract description is precisely because what appears to be elementary “particles” behave in a most abstract manner.
They are inherently spread out as waves of light—without a defined and measurable substance or location like we would expect “solid” particles to have. However, this light carries all potentialities in terms of how it can manifest itself. In other words, light has the potential to project itself in many ways, which would explain why—despite there being only light—we experience a world of many particles, textures, colors, sounds and so on. “This isn’t the world of electrons. It’s the world of potential electrons.” – John Hagelin, Particle Physicist, Ph. D. According to quantum studies such as the double slit experiment, that which defines what potentiality the wave will “choose” is the presence of a conscious and observing entity. Physicists can now say for a fact that the very presence of a conscious mind observing and intending to define or measure a particle, consequently determines the aspect and location in which it takes form. This strange phenomena has made the attempt of objective measurement impossible.
The question modern science cannot answer is the reason why light defines itself as a particle the moment we observe and define it. This quantum anomaly is scientifically known as “the measurement problem.” “The measurement problem is this: an atom only appears in a particular place if you measure it. In other words, an atom is spread out all over the place until a conscious observer decides to look at it.” – Prof. Jim Al-Khalili “And anytime we attempt to look at particles beyond a certain level, the very act of observation changes (their) lanes.” – Dr. Dean Radin To put it simply, the fundamental nature of reality is originally “open” to all potential outcomes, yet our very consciousness is intimately hooked to the one that shall be experienced. We literally are the creators of reality. As the physicist Dr. York Dobyns stated, “without us, there would just be this expanding superposition of possibilities with nothing definite ever actually happening.” “Any exchange of energy between any two atoms in the universe involves the exchange of photons. Every interaction in the material world is mediated by light. In this way, light penetrates and interconnects the entire cosmos. (...) Although all we ever see is light, paradoxically, we never know light directly.
The light that strikes the eye is known only through the energy it releases. This energy is translated into a visual image in the mind, and that image seems to be composed of light—but that light is a quality of mind. We never know the light itself.” – Peter Russell “For the rest of my life I want to reflect on what light is.” – Albert Einstein Modern science is not in the business of asking what this light, this energy, this empty space or this wave of potentiality is—all terms aimed at describing the fundamental construct of our reality. It aims at describing the way things work, but barely ever questions what or why it is this way. Some claim that answering these questions is a job for philosophers, not physicists. However, everyone agrees that quantum theory works, but most of those who study it are not quite sure what it means. “The tighter physics have tried to grasp on to physical reality, to understand what it’s really made of, what are the core building blocks of life at the basis of it all – life, the universe, slips through your fingers. And you come up with something that’s increasingly abstract. And that’s what the unified field is; pure abstract potential. Pure abstract being. Pure abstract self-aware consciousness, which rises in waves of vibration to give rise to the particles, the people, everything we see in the vast universe.” – John Hagelin, Particle Physicist, Ph. D. To this day, modern science avoids asking what light or consciousness even are. From an atheist’s point of view, we should only acknowledge whatever measuring devices or material evidence can quantify. Meanwhile, the religious community maintains the illusion of separation between man and spirit while refusing to acknowledge any piece of information that challenges religious doctrines. Why remain in segregation when the world is full of dots waiting to be connected? Why cling to our beliefs when we could instead seek to understand the nature of reality with an open mind? Dogma—whether spiritual or scientific—seems to have clouded a truth that does not require adversity with the desire to prove ourselves “right” and others “wrong.” But once we set aside our egos and allow our consciousness to expand beyond the beliefs we cling to, we will begin to wonder how we could have missed the obvious: The parallels between the light of physics and the light of consciousness do not contradict each other, because they are each other. From a scientific perspective, light is the source of everything we experience. And from a spiritual perspective, consciousness is the source of everything we experience. If only more scientific minds would acknowledge the conscious nature of light when observing the conscious ways in which it manifests both in nature and ourselves. And if only more religious minds would rise beyond the belief in separation and acknowledge the oneness of all life. In the end, uniting both science and spirituality lead to the same realization: Light is consciousness and consciousness is light. We are Light. We are consciousness. We are one.
There is no separate “God,” nor is there an absence of divinity. Every human, animal, plant, rock and blade of grass is an expression of the same spirit, of the same light, of the same consciousness. “The world we are experiencing today is the result of our collective consciousness, and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking responsibility for helping create it.” – Rosemary Fillmore Rhea It is in understanding our oneness, that we become aware of our true power to create change. Our energies altogether create a collective consciousness which is what projects our reality. If we are collectively caught up in separation, hate, judgment, fear, competition and survival, it is no wonder our world reflects that energy. Our beliefs and perceptions literally shape the world we experience. As more of us raise our consciousness beyond this illusion, not only will our actions reflect greater wisdom and potential, but our higher vibration will elevate the collective consciousness and stimulate change. Consciousness, light, spirit, the universe or God are all terms often used to describe the source of life. But to avoid confusion and dogmatic connotations, Source is the word that we will used from now on. If we are all Source incarnate, then why are we not born aware of this? And for what purpose would Source manifest itself as galaxies, stars, planets and living organisms? Why would Source manifest itself as humanity? These are very good questions that can be best answered by putting ourselves “in the shoes” of Source, before it has projected into numerous forms, before the “big bang.” What would you do as pure formless consciousness, with nothing outside of yourself to interact with but with the limitless potential to create and experience life within yourself? You would probably use that potential and go for it! There are zillions of planets in the universe—many of which are likely to be hosting different species and experiences. But let us focus on the one we know best: planet Earth. Like all other planets; it is spherical; enabling us to explore it through and through without ever reaching an edge. It has gravity, which enables us to stick to it without floating all over the place. It has this amazing eco-system that nurtures the needs of every creature living on it. It is beautiful and full of textures, smells, tastes and colors. Doesn’t it sound like the perfect experiential playground? Similar to how the trunk of a tree splits itself into several branches, you would individualize your consciousness so that you could experience and interact with yourself as seemingly separate beings. Sounds more fun than to play alone, doesn’t it? Much like it is more enjoyable to watch a movie with many characters than it is to stare at a black TV screen, it is a more enriching experience for Source to project itself into many forms rather than remaining formless. As we have learned in the previous chapter, there is no doubt our bodies are incredible mechanisms designed to decipher this “light show” into an intricate experiential playground. That is what our bodies are after all; vehicles in which consciousness experiences. “Knowing that I am different from the body, I need not neglect the body. It is a vehicle that I use to transact with the world. It is the temple which houses the Pure Self within.” – Adi Sankaracharya This is why we are we not born aware of it all. To understand why, we need to put ourselves once again “in the shoes” of Source. Wouldn’t you find it a tad too predictable if you entered an experience knowing you are the creator and recalled every detail about your creation beforehand? Imagine being the creator of an amazing video game and you were given the opportunity to take a pill that would wipe out your memory about every quest and mission, enabling you to experience them anew. Sounds like a more exciting way to play, right? “I wish I could replay it, but have it all be new again, like it was when I first played it. Being able to discover everything again and have the feeling of not knowing what was around the next corner.” – Excerpt from a Video Game Forum Thread The same intention applies to Source. Souls purposely take on temporary veils covering the memory of their origin. That way, Source can experience life with a fresh pair of eyes and rediscover itself anew. Pure formless consciousness is not identified as one particular thing, it is in fact nothing in particular! As we have come to understand in the previous chapter, Source is a field of infinite potentiality, ready to get creative. Being nothing in particular, would you not want to experience yourself as many distinct beings and through unique journeys? That is why despite Source’s inherent oneness, every manifestation and experience of it is different. Each and everyone of us represents a unique potentiality of Source and will experience the world differently. To stick with the video game analogy, wouldn’t it become stagnant to play the same game over and over again and always with the same character? Diversity allows the Source to be enriched from many different experiences and view points. “You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.” – Alan Watts “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” – Carl Sagan What is Source doing all of this for? Our minds may have hoped for a more complicated purpose but to put it simply; Source is an artist. It could be compared to a painter, however it does more than simply paint the scenery and characters. It enters the painting, embodies the characters, experiences the scenery and becomes so engaged with its creation—forgetting it is in fact the source of it. A beautiful aspect of this cosmic game is that while we allow ourselves to forget our true nature, we simultaneously give ourselves the opportunity to rediscover it throughout our journey. In other words, our purpose is to play, learn and rediscover who we are in the process.
The state in which we fully recall our true essence of Source is commonly referred to as “enlightenment.” “Enlightenment means waking up to what you truly are and then being that.” – Adyashanti It may sound aimless to “go through so much trouble” when you end up returning where you came from. But the goal isn’t so much to enter a physical experience only to rush our way back to enlightenment. It is to take with us all of the beautiful lessons and expansions that have resulted from experiencing life. Much like a painter expands his talent the more he paints, Source expands in knowledge and creativity the more it experiences. Enlightenment is a gradual process, similar to peeling layers off of an onion.
The center of the onion represents the core essence of Source within us all.
The layers represent the beliefs and perceptions we take on that have shaped our identity thus far, all while enabling us to “forget” our core. And it is through our journey that we gradually “peel off” our illusions, layer by layer, until we uncover the core of our being—the Source of infinite potential that we are. To put this information into context, notice how in our personal lives we often go through experiences that challenge certain beliefs and mental limitations we have adopted and held on to. Even our relationships seem to bring to our awareness all of our emotional baggage, fears and sensitivities. It is as if the universe conspires to make us transcend whatever is weighing us down. This is exactly the case. We, as souls, set ourselves up by orchestrating the perfect experiences that will enable us to learn and further uncover our true nature. For example, someone who has taken on the fear of what other people think and has finally “peeled it off” will probably tell you that they now feel lighter, more peaceful, less limited and closer to who they truly are.
They have uncovered more of who their true essence, which is of greater freedom and potential. Having released this veil, they now radiate more light, more soul, more consciousness. In other words, they have “de-programmed” certain beliefs and perceptions out of their psyche, and now have one less veil clouding the truth. “In every moment of our lives, there seems to be two different versions of reality taking place. One, is the surface reality and it is where who you think yourself to be exists as the main character in the movie of your life. It is in this surface reality where you interact with the other characters, make choices, and advance your storyline. Deeper than this surface reality, yet always existing within it, remains a spiritual reality. This reality remains peaceful and unmoved by the actions and reactions of the surface reality. It views the characters in the surface reality as various messengers delivering the wisdom of the spiritual reality, so the characters can learn exactly what each has been brought to learn in every scene of life’s vivid movie. It is from this spiritual reality where one might imagine the soul resides, with one’s lifetime serving as an interactive way for the soul to impart its wisdom to a world of characters.
The characters we think we are, deliver soul wisdom to one another and reap the rewards by becoming more conscious.” – Matt Kahn Many spiritual or religious beliefs hint at enlightenment, but then turn it into a means to an end, a rare accomplishment or an act of repentance to compensate for the belief in our separation and inferiority to “God.” It is not that such beliefs are wrong to have, but it is only a matter of neutral observation to find their root in the illusion of separation. Those who seek enlightenment often believe they must become “something else” than who they truly are when it is in fact the opposite. Those who follow a religious dogma often feel unworthy of “God,” as if it is this separate entity with enough of an ego that he is ready to burn any of his children who will not praise him or read a book he wrote. Does this truly resonate as wisdom? We are not separate from Source. Enlightenment is not about becoming better or more worthy, it is simply about “unlearning” every illusory perception we have taken on until we are left only with the truth of our being. We are already “it.” “The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some superhuman accomplishment, and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being. It is a state of connectedness with something immeasurable and indestructible, something that, almost paradoxically, is essentially you and yet is much greater than you. It is finding your true nature beyond name and form.” – Eckhart Tolle Many of us are probably scratching our heads thinking “then why would Source choose to experience all the war, pollution, poverty and corruption of planet earth?” Maybe it is not that we—as Source—precisely chose to experience such things, but wanted to see how far the illusion of separation could go. What if we wanted to feel what it is like to believe ourselves to be totally separate from one another and our environment to see what would come of it. Sure, we could say that hell came of it. We could say that it was all a big mistake. But as was suggested before, we are here to create experiences, learn from experiences and enlighten. Let us remember that the intent of Source is to expand in awareness and creativity through all potentials; all routes of experience. From this higher perspective, there is no “right” or “wrong” routes, but only the opportunity to grow and rediscover ourselves through unique paths.
The question we should ask ourselves is: what can we learn from this one? The separated state we are in may have brought about a world of disharmony and chaos, but this reality offers the opportunity to learn powerful lessons. We would not have the opportunity to learn how to reclaim our true power if it was not for this challenge. We would not have the chance to grasp just how bright and powerful our light can be if it was not for experiencing our light as dim and as divided as possible. It is the illusion of separation that enables Source to undergo an awakening of its true potential and oneness—a knowing of itself via experience. Imagine how much more powerful the realization of our true nature would be coming from an experience of such disconnect. “We have created the illusion of separation in order that we may experience the reality of Oneness. Only when we are outside the reality can we experience it. It is our wish to know ourselves as who we really are. Thus, we must first create the experience of who we are not.” – Neale Donald Walsch .
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