NOTES ON ENLIGHTENMENT -
THE FGOTT QUEST EVOLVES
A PRIVATE, MEMBER ONLY, SUBSCRIPTION BASED SITE
MEMBERSHIP DETAILS AVAILABLE AT
Spirituality and Science Converge
Eight hundred years ago the medieval philosopher Maimonides wrote that science is not only the surest path to knowing God, it is the only path. This remark was reason enough for his books to be burnt in some communities. Although I don’t agree that science is the only path, in the past century it has proven to be a viable path. In fact the scientific and spiritual communities have for the most part been engaged in a similar pursuit, that is, finding meaning to the existence we now inhabit.
Whether we set out to search for the laws of the creator, or the creator of the laws, we are climbing the same mountain, and in the end, both relying on belief. Modern science, especially Physics has in the past century moved into the realm of what I call “Spiritual Science” with the work of physicists Henry Margenau, David Bohm, and Amit Goswami; Biologist, Rupert Sheldrake, and Paleontologist Pere Teilliard de Chardin. Each of these scientists have pushed the limits of their scientific acumen to help us understand the impact of a non-local creative consciousness or force on our lives and by so doing expand our beliefs.
The scientists mentioned above, along with many of their peers in the scientific community, have come to acknowledge the formative role of the conscious obersever, local or non-local, on the behavior of the sub–atomic world studied by Quantum Physics or the perception of space and time outlined in what is now Einstein’s work on the Relativity of space and time. Both point to a universal or non-local consciousness that is now considered by some as an essential factor in the actual existence of our universe. The New Thought world has coined a variety of phrases over the past two hundred years in an attempt to label this Universal Consciousness; the best-known terms being Universal Mind, Divine Mind, Infinite Mind, Infinite Intelligence, Creative Mind, and God Consciousness
Margenau’s Universal Mind
The road to a viable theory of the Universal Mind is really a search for a science, or at least a philosophy of consciousness, and spans centuries. No scientist has embraced this concept of Universal Mind and has taken it further than Dr. Henry Margenau (1901-1997), distinguished Yale University Professor of Physics and Natural Philosophy, whose theoretical work embraced investigations into intermolecular forces, spectroscopy, nuclear physics, and electronics. Later in life Margenau served on a commission of the World Council Of Churches in developing an ecumenical position on nuclear weapons and atomic warfare.
Margenau was appointed Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and Natural Philosophy at Yale in 1950, a post he was to hold until his retirement from formal academic life in 1986. He also became a staff member at both the Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton and the MIT Radiation Laboratory. During his working career, he acted as a consultant to the U.S. Airforce, the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, Argonne National Laboratory, Rand Corporation, General Electric, and Lockheed.
Margenau wrote extensively on science, his works including Ethics and Science; The Nature of Physical Reality; and Quantum Mechanics and Integrative Principles of Modern Thought. In 1984 Margenau published The Miracle Of Existence where he proposed a physics-based theory of Universal Mind, which he considered a logical extension of the theoretical work done on Quantum Mechanics and the Theory of Relativity. His theory of Universal Mind would, for the first time, merge physics with spirituality while incorporating diverse religious and philosophical traditions.
Margenau’s Universal Mind Theory a “World Formula” is based on all the science and philosophy of consciousness that is known to date, which indicates that existence and evolution are ruled by the purpose of a Universal Mind or Consciousness. Margenau envisions an individual or personal mind or consciousness that is a subset of a Universal Mind or Non-local Consciousness, encompassing the attributes of what we have known as God. Margenau often refers to Universal Mind as God.
Margenau’s Factors of Individual or Personal Mind
Each individual mind is part of the Universal Mind. Its individual knowledge comprises not only the present but all past events as well. Individual or personal mind or consciousness has the following characteristics according to Margenau:
- This level of consciousness is experienced in three-dimensional space, with time flowing as a separate entity, only one point of which, one moment, the present is perceived.
- Through a slit in time the present is experienced, the past can be remembered but the future cannot be seen.
- This “time slit” makes the Individual or Personal Mind seem separate and distinct, but it is part of the Universal Mind.
- This time slit separation is referred to in Margenau’s theory as the “personal wall.” It produces the prevailing sense of individual isolation and gives this level of consciousness an identity as well as an ego.
- Freedom of will is made possible as realized by Quantum Physics - the future is based on probabilities, the probability distribution of possible happenings. This limitation to the probabilistic anticipation of future events is referred to as the Stochastic Inhibition- or stochastic wall – limiting personal consciousness by restricting knowledge of the future but permissive of individual free will.
- The three restrictions represented by the personal wall or personal isolation; the time slit or temporal restriction; and the probabilistic knowledge imposed by the stochastic wall are not absolute but can vary in strictness.
- A widening of the time slit would impact personal awareness of the future, resulting in the experience of precognition.
- A lowering of the personal wall would enhance the personal sense of identity with others – possibly occurring in prayer or meditation when the individual or personal consciousness merges with the Universal Mind. This could result in extrasensory perception in the form of coalescence of information, or mind reading.
- Margenau’s Theory might explain some Para psychological effects (Margenau strongly believed in the occurrence of paranormal activity).
Margenau’s Factors Of Universal or Non-local Mind
Ultimate existence is ascribed to the Universal Mind. All individual minds are part of the Universal Mind, which confers existence on all conscious, sentient beings in varying degree and these beings create - out of the minds bestowed on them - and in accordance with principles imposed by the Universal Mind, everything else they call real and existing. The Universal Mind obviously presents some of the attributes of God. The universal mind includes all of the following:
- Only Universal Mind, “cosmic consciousness,” possess existence in a full-unlimited measure.
- The Universal Mind is responsible for the universal laws of nature and encompasses all existence.
- The Universal Mind comprises the individual mind of each individual and is fully aware of their entire past and the future as it is created.
- The existence and successful applicability of universal laws of nature, for which only the universal mind is responsible, makes it possible for the individual mind to construct in absolute and verifiable fashion all objects of the external world, including the body and all of its parts, such as the brain.
- No time slit, no personal wall exists for the Universal Mind, - its knowledge of the future is not limited by quantum possibilities - it has the ability to travel back and forth in time as well.
- Universal Mind has no need of memory since past, present, and future are open to its grasp.
Margenau goes on to postulate the following: “each of us is the Universal Mind but inflicted with limitations that obscure all but a tiny fraction of its aspects and properties.
WITH LOVE, G.