I mentioned in February's column that Richard Bach's book Illusions was a major factor in my quest to understand how there could possibly be a Higher Power, a God-Force, that was Loving.  In April's column I talked about Dr. Paul's chapter of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and the impact it had on my Spiritual Belief system.  This month I am going to focus on another major influence in enlarging my perspective of how the Universe works, in expanding the intellectual paradigm that was dictating my relationship with life - Quantum Physics.

(I am using a quote about quantum physics from my book at the end of this column - as well as several short ones within it - instead of the beginning, because it works better that way.)

The groundwork was laid for paradigm expanding concepts of quantum physics by a mystical messenger named Albert Einstein.  There are several quotes that I use on the page facing the copyright page in the beginning of my book that come from individuals whom I consider to be mystical messengers.

This quote from Mark Twain speaks to the reality of human internal dynamics that I keep repeating throughout my writing.   Our intellectual paradigm - mental attitudes, definitions, and beliefs - determine our perspectives and expectations, which in turn dictate our relationships and emotional reactions.  If our intellectual paradigm is limited - if we cannot imagine a larger perspective of life - than what we perceive is limited, is out of focus.   If we cannot use our imagination to open up to different interpretations of what we are seeing, then we are wearing blinders and can only see a limited view.

As an example:  A traditional therapist / psychologist / psychiatrist has a limited perspective that restricts them to labeling behaviors - that are symptomatic manifestations of codependency in my belief - in such a way that they fit into the boxes their intellectual paradigm dictates.  A Freudian will twist everything to fit into the second chakra perspective that Freud was viewing life from.  A Jungian will come from more of a heart chakra centered point of view because Carl Jung reached that level of consciousness - but even then emotions are usually discounted. 

Someone who believes that brain chemistry is the higher power in determining emotional health, will look for chemical solutions.  (For more on this topic, see the addendum to my article Obsession / Obsessive Thinking Part 1 - which was originally published here on Suite 101.)

Einstein was not saying that knowledge was unimportant - what he was talking about is how the growth process works.   Here is a paraphrase of a paragraph in which I describe this paradigm / perspective expansion in another work of mine.

What I found, is that every time I let go of how I viewed some aspect of self, other people, and/or life, and surrendered to my intuitive guidance - I was led to a larger intellectual paradigm in which to view life.  By trusting my emotional, intuitive side, I was led to a larger perspective of life, a higher level of consciousness.  And I found - when the dust of my old shattered definitions had settled, and I started looking around and exploring the new perspective of reality / or some aspect of my reality - that everything eventually made perfect sense in a logical rational way.  I could not get to the new level through logic, but once I had trusted my intuition to guide me to it - it was perfectly rational.  The pieces of the puzzle fell into place because I was looking at the puzzle of life from a larger perspective.

(Intellectual growth in relationship to some concept / topic / area - physics for example, or a new invention of any kind - works dynamically through these intuitive, imaginative leaps of perspective.  The same dynamics apply to the emotional and spiritual growth process - and can cause emotional turmoil because what we need to let go of to grow emotionally are ego definitions that are limiting our relationship with self and life.  There is an inherent conflict between the human ego and the nature of the life experience for humans that I wrote about in this article: Loving and Nurturing self on your Spiritual Path.)

Einstein was able to make huge leaps in knowledge because he was willing to surrender to expanding his intellectual paradigm by trusting his intuition to guide his imagination into seeing the puzzle of life from a larger perspective.  He was able to think outside of the box - and make huge breakthroughs in understanding - because he learned to follow his intuitive, mystical guidance to higher levels of consciousness that afforded him expanded perspectives of whatever aspect of the puzzle he was looking at.

Albert Einstein stated that there were dimensions beyond the concrete three-dimensional one that humans experience.

"Physicists have now proven through Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the study of quantum physics that everything we see is an illusion.

Einstein, in looking at a macroscopic perspective of the Universe, said in his Theory of Relativity that there are more than three dimensions.  Human beings can only visualize in three dimensions.  We can only see three dimensions so we have assumed that that is all there is."

Einstein's pioneering work paved the way for the revolutionary, mind expanding concepts of quantum physics.

"One of the fascinating things about the Age of Healing and Joy that has dawned in human consciousness is that the tools and knowledge that we need to raise our consciousness, to awaken to consciousness, have been unfolding in all areas of human endeavor over time, and at an accelerated rate in the last fifty to one hundred years.

One of the most fascinating things to me, and a key in my personal healing process, is in the area of physics."

I was so desperate to find some meaning and purpose to life that I was willing to go wherever I was led in my quest to find a concept of a Higher Power that could possibly Love me.  I was open to the messages that were coming my way - and willing to buy Illusions when I discovered it in a grocery store at only 3 months of sobriety.  I was later willing to start reading and trying to understand quantum physics when I was led to books like The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukov.

And, let me tell you, I hated science in school.  In college I took geology to fulfill my science requirement - even though it involved twice as many course hours - because I hated physics and chemistry and such.  (I ended up really getting into geology by the way - fascinating stuff.)  So, we are talking a major surrender here.

I don't remember now how I was led to studying quantum physics - or when exactly on my Spiritual growth path it happened - but it was a major influence for me in a multitude of ways.  I will be sharing some of the ways this impacted my Spiritual beliefs in some future columns.  The following quote from my book however, is kind of a bottom line as I see it.

"Quantum physics has now proven that everything we see is an illusion, that the physical world is an illusion.

Everything is made up of interacting energy.  Energy interacts on a subatomic level to form energy fields which physicists call subatomic particles.  These subatomic energy fields interact to form atomic energy fields, atoms, which interact to form molecules.  Everything in the physical world is made up of interacting atomic and molecular energy fields.

There is no such thing as separation in the physical world.

Energy is interacting to form a gigantic, dynamic pattern of rhythmically repeating energy interactions. In other words, a dance of energy.  We are all part of a gigantic dance of energy.

This Universe is one gigantic pattern of dancing energy patterns.

Separation is an illusion.  There is energy traveling at thousands of miles per second in your body right at this moment.  There is energy interacting between, passing between, you and the chair you are sitting on, you and the air around you, you and any other beings in the room.

We are not separate.

Physicists have scientifically proven that separation in the physical world is an illusion. . . . We are all part of one gigantic, dynamic dance of energy.

Oneness is the Truth, the scientifically proven Truth, on this physical plane. . . . . The mystical Truth that we are all ONE in God has been known through the ages."

We are all connected.  We are all part of the ONENESS that is The Source.  The Great Spirit is present in everyone and everything.

Next in series: Vibrational Dance