From New Dawn 200 (Sept-Oct 2023)
Most people in the Western world, consciously or unconsciously, fluctuate between two polar orientations toward life – a religious vs. a secular outlook, which is driven by people’s perceptions of modern science. On the extreme end, religion tends to be close-minded and promotes an “us and them” mentality. Secular extremes promote a kind of smug, elitist intolerance that sees religion as the last refuge of the Neanderthals.
In this article, we will address a third paradigm, a spirituality compatible with the advanced new sciences.
Both religion and science are two branches of human endeavour that deal with the most basic questions of our existence – who we are, where did we come from, why are we here, and what is the nature of the world in which we live? Philosophy too deals with these questions, but philosophy is really a bridge or a by-product of these two more fundamental pillars of inquiry into the human condition. A sharp divide appears to exist in the way religion and science study and approach these questions so that the average person has to choose which is the correct view.
RELIGION VS. SCIENCE
How do you believe life started? How is it maintained? Was it all caused by random particle interactions that somehow created increasingly complex organisms and ultimately led to life? Or, do you believe that life originated through the actions of a deity? Perhaps you simply just don’t know and belong to the vast gray area of those who choose to ignore the tough questions and just forge ahead with life. But any way you cut it, your basic conscious or subconscious convictions about these matters influence the quality of your personal life and the character of our cultures, institutions, nations, and human conditions.
The belief that life is pure random chance as traditional science says has led to a certain secular, existentialist outlook on how you live and conduct yourself. It might cause conscious or subconscious feelings of futility and fear, both of which have consequences for physical and psychological well-being. Of course, believing in God doesn’t necessarily immunise you from problems, and people can certainly hold distorted, fearful notions of God. Misguided religious zealots often cause far more damage than morally responsible atheists. So, how can we proceed to a better understanding of life?
Ironically, fear is the common denominator between secularism and religion as practised in the Western world. It is the fear of not truly knowing at a gut level that we are part of a continuing whole as opposed to separated, transient specks that might permanently blip out of existence at any time. Fear and religion are commonly equated, but fear and science?
One characteristic of traditional science is that it analyses parts like the physicians who specialise in hearts, eyes, and bones rather than looking at the body as an integrated whole. This approach is fragmented and thus promotes a fragmented, fearful view of life limited to what the five senses can detect, and the five senses cannot detect very much.
A way does exist to transcend the limitations of secular science and traditional religion. It has to do with the practice of acquiring a particular type of knowledge and experience that puts you in contact with a higher intelligence. Such an experience gives you a certainty that you exist within a larger framework than the visible, material world. It opens you to receiving information to help you perceive new patterns in the fabric of life. Such knowledge can guide you to evolve physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It can help you become independent of the beliefs and dogmas of others because it is not based on faith but on personal experience.
The basis of this knowledge has support in both the new sciences and recovered ancient spiritual traditions. This is a Third Way, a spiritual path supported by quantum science leading to realms beyond the limitations of materialistic science and traditional religion.
THE FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE
We can go about our daily business. We can think that politics, economics, wars, and social interactions are the things that most affect our lives, but that is a misperception. Everything begins with the individual. Remember this premise because we’ll come back to it again.
All the greater movements of the world and societies occur because of beliefs that start in the mind of the individual. The mind of the individual is largely shaped by the collective, accumulated knowledge of human history. Knowledge, in turn, derives from three primary sources – raw sensory experience, logical reasoning as in science, and intuitive revelation, which is related to abstract or creative thinking. This form of knowledge is more tied to religious and spiritual expression.
Objective human knowledge came through practical observation of the world around us, first by empirical observation through the senses, and later by various forms of reasoning. But parallel to these objective forms of knowledge was a subjective source that was more abstract and intuitive. This allowed early humans to sense rhythms of the earth and experience things in such a way as to give rise to art and abstract concepts such as gods, spirits, and other representations of unseen forces.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
Religion is derived from this subjective knowledge just as early science derived from the objective forms above. But here’s the catch. Because intuitive information is subjective, as it is passed from the sage or prophet to the masses, it is susceptible to distortion. Prophets spoke the heart of God but their followers started religions. Not having the prophet’s direct experience, the followers had to interpret. This left room for misunderstandings and the selfish agendas of mass mind thought. The spiritual knowledge revealed by the prophet became encased in dogmatic distortions, usually to gain power or control by one class of people over another.
This is the main distinction between spirituality and religion – true spirituality is a continuing personal journey and a personal experience while religion is more like being stuck on a faith in the dogmas and teachings of others.
OLD RELIGION VS. OLD SCIENCE
The simplistic traditional religious conception of God as a bearded old emperor on a throne in heaven dispensing stern justice for our sins or rewards for our good deeds was greatly eroded in the last century by the discoveries of materialist science. Unfortunately, this liberation from a limiting religious concept was replaced by an equally limiting scientific concept.
Materialistic science developed over the past few centuries using a combination of rationalistic deduction and empirical observation of the properties of matter and material organisms. The central notion of materialist science is that creation, life, and reality arise from and can be explained by the interaction of physical particles. In other words, matter is the be-all and end-all of existence.
The view says that particle interaction gives rise to molecules that combine to form not only planets and physical laws but also simple organisms. These organisms continue combining in greater complexity, culminating in human beings. Consciousness is explained as a byproduct of the neural activity of a physical brain. One thing to note – in this scheme of creation, no adequate theory has explained how organic life evolved from inorganic particle matter. Scientists either ignore this issue or explain it away by dubious (and unscientific) suppositions.
This materialist picture of creation is a now basic orientation or worldview. It expresses itself in many forms, but three scientific theories, in particular, stand out as the cornerstones that shaped the modern human mind.
Newton defined the laws of physics that described a mechanical nature of fixed material objects interacting in a solid, material universe. Descartes introduced a dualist philosophy that said mind and matter were separate and distinct phenomena. In biology, Darwin’s theories displaced the notion of a Creator with the concept of species evolving from lower forms in greater complexity with the chain reaching its peak in human beings.
RELIGION DISMANTLED
Suppressed by the Church for centuries, science lashed out on all fronts with a vengeance. Because creation, life, and reality could now apparently be explained by materially based processes, any notion of God, higher intelligence, or transcendent consciousness was taken out of the equation. God was dead. The materialist orientation spread to every form of human thought.
The Bible was systematically deconstructed and relegated to amusing myth at best, harmful mind control at worst. And, ironically, the success of science in taking down religion was predicated on the fact that traditional Western religion was itself materially based despite purporting to be spiritual.
Orthodox Christianity misunderstood the archetypical, symbolic meaning of the Christian story. Instead of seeing Jesus’ advent as a seminal event of higher revelation, it concentrated on a virgin birth. Instead of understanding the meaning behind the profound spiritual wisdom he taught, it concentrated on physical miracles. Instead of perceiving the crucifixion as a metaphor for the way human fear and ego crucify the divine spark trying to awaken within us, it concentrated on the physical agony of his death as a blood sacrifice for our sins. Finally, instead of seeing the resurrection as the awakening of dormant divine wisdom within us while still alive, it perceived the resurrection as physical bodies rising from the grave.
This focus on literal and material interpretations left traditional religion right on the home field of materialist science. Dismantling the historicity and miracles of the Bible or, at least, casting grave doubt on them, was easy using scientific material rationalism. After all, you can mathematically quantify the apple falling from the tree, but how can you prove a formula for raising the dead?
THE POLARISATION & FRAGMENTATION OF HUMANITY
The shift from religion to science has had a profound effect on the psychology, feelings, and outlook of every person on the planet. We now live in a polarised world. The assault of science has driven many people back into a limiting, fundamentalist interpretation of God and religion, often with violent results. Islamic fundamentalism is largely a reaction to people’s religious comfort being torn out from under them by the onslaught of a modern, materialistic world outlook.
In the middle of this polarisation is a large gray area of people who are confused and disheartened. Thanks to science they no longer believe in religion, but in facing life’s difficult problems they have an innate spiritual yearning that persists like a smouldering ember, and atheistic science can never satisfy that need. Traditional religion and traditional science have one other thing in common besides their materialistic outlooks on life – they have both done an efficient job of suppressing the human spirit.
THE THIRD WAY
Another path exists to explain creation, reality, and the human dilemma. It is a path of hope, for it unifies advanced sciences such as quantum physics with the core precepts of an ancient spiritual wisdom buried within every major religion on earth. As more people become aware of this relationship, it will transform our lives in ways that liberate us from literal religion and atheistic science. It will provide a viable framework to understand many of life’s mysteries and put some sense of control back in our lives.
QUANTUM PHYSICS
Let’s begin with the scientific side of the ledger. Quantum physics is turning traditional science on its head the same way materialist science turned traditional religion upside down.
Quantum physics demonstrates that material particles do not exist in and of themselves in a fundamental or natural state. What exists is really waves of light smeared across infinity, a cosmic menu of all possible outcomes or choices, if you will. Only when observed by a conscious observer does the possibility wave collapse into an observable point particle and become physical reality.
Other startling phenomena exist at the quantum level. Particles are able to communicate with one another instantaneously over vast distances in a non-local manner, meaning with no apparent connective medium or signal between them. Einstein called this process “spooky.” Particles can also make quantum leaps where an electron disappears at one level of energy or orbit and reappears at a higher level without any intervening movement. That would be like the earth disappearing and suddenly popping into the sun without passing through Mercury, Venus, or Mars.
Quantum physics is showing that the particles on which materialist science is based do not behave at all like the classic Newtonian model. It’s showing that mind or consciousness does not behave at all like Descartes’ dualist philosophy states. It’s shooting holes in Darwin’s version of human origins and creation. Most importantly, it indicates that creation was not a bottom-up process of particles- to molecules- to organisms- to brains- to consciousness. Rather it was a top-down process beginning with consciousness.
CONSCIOUSNESS
To understand the astounding and counterintuitive findings of quantum physics, comprehending the role of consciousness is essential. Let’s begin with a definition. Consciousness is awareness. Specifically, it is intelligent awareness capable of choice and direction. The quantum phenomena described above only make sense if consciousness is the primary source of reality. Quantum physics says that our reality begins with energetic light waves of possibility. These possibility waves only collapse into material particles upon observation. But, who is doing the observing? Both Max Planck, the founder of quantum physics, and the ancient spiritual texts tell us that a single Conscious Intelligent Mind or awareness is doing the observing.
Then what is the nature of this Consciousness? From where does it arise? Does it have a material or non-material origin? Material science would claim that consciousness arises from matter as a function of the material brain. But quantum physics shows that only conscious observation collapses wave energy into matter, so how can the thing that is bringing matter into existence be created by it? This paradox rules out consciousness being created by matter.
Now let’s take a page from Descartes’ dualist philosophy. Say that mind (consciousness) and matter are separate and distinct dimensions that somehow interact with one another. So, consciousness is an immaterial force working with matter by some undefined means. Sounds reasonable, even a bit spiritual, right? But in order for matter to receive direction from an immaterial consciousness, there has to be a continual exchange of signals, of information, and that means energy. This can’t pass the laws of physics which state that energy in the universe is constant. The universe can’t be adding new stuff, so we have another paradox.
Now the Third Way comes into play. All paradoxes are eliminated and all quantum phenomena explained if we see consciousness as the source of all reality. It is the matrix or energy net that encompasses everything observable and unobservable. So consciousness is both particle and wave, matter and energy, observer and the thing observed. This means that when consciousness chooses and collapses a possibility into reality, it chooses from within itself, not from some outside immaterial dimension, hence no paradox. This explains how particles far removed in space instantly communicate with one another. They’re both the same energy manifesting at different points. It explains quantum leaps as an instant transfer of Universal Mind’s focus from one point to another, the way a man might look at a new car and then suddenly fixate on a beautiful woman.
We can further refine the operations of consciousness in this manner – Consciousness with a capital “C” is the fundamental intelligent energy (call it God, higher intelligence etc.). This Consciousness manifests itself as different points of consciousness with a lower case “c.” That would be you and me and every self-aware being. In quantum scientific terms, capital “C” and small “c” would be called non-ordinary and ordinary consciousness respectively. Big “C” Consciousness is the fundamental light or energy which, like using multiple projectors, projects all reality through us small “c’s.” Collectively, we participate as the aware observers who draw forth material reality from the quantum light wave. We see that the New Age concept of co-creation does have a basis in quantum theory.
THE SPIRITUAL WISDOM TRADITION
The astonishing knowledge quantum physics brings about creation, life, and reality was revealed thousands of years ago by the threads of a universal spiritual tradition, the wisdom of which permeated every major religion or philosophy, pagan and modern. One branch of this tradition, in particular, was striking in its many parallels to modern science. It was called Gnosticism. Listed below are some of its key beliefs:
- God is One, encompassing Energy, Mind, and Matter
- The One appears as many
- The kingdom is within you, the spark of the divine is within you
- You are made in the image of God
- As it is above, so it is below
- Do unto others as you would do unto yourself
- God is everything, everything is God.
All these wisdom teachings were echoing quantum theory thousands of years ago in the non-technical languages of their day saying that every single thing in creation proceeds from conscious intelligence, and we as human beings are part of that conscious intelligent awareness.
We’ll limit the discussion of the ancient tradition to three key precepts:
God is Consciousness, the one and only energy that permeates all reality seen and unseen.
Light is the vehicle by which this Consciousness expresses itself. Light is intelligent energy and it carries directive information.
This Consciousness divided itself into many points of consciousness as an outflowing of its light essence.
We saw above how consciousness is the only thing that explains the paradoxical and strange behaviour of the quantum world that makes up our physical reality. Einstein’s famous formula E=MC² shows that matter and light are interchangeable forms, that is, matter comes from light and resolves back into light. This is a bookend proof of the findings in quantum physics that particles do not occur at the most fundamental levels of reality, only waves of light exist. At some point owing to the actions of consciousness, these light waves crystallise into particle matter. Astounding but true.
Quantum physics has also confirmed that light contains intelligent information. It’s by the action of light photons (pulsations of light) that matter combines into the unique forms that make up the variety of objects we see in the world. Only something containing intelligence can make such distinctions, only something containing information can create organised forms the way DNA contains the exact information to form our bodies.
Taken collectively, these findings of modern physics do nothing but reaffirm the three spiritual principles above.
TRADITIONAL SCIENCE & RELIGION REVISED
The limitations of traditional religion and science may now be superseded by a liberating new paradigm. I say superseded, not trashed, bashed, or discarded, for this assumes there is nothing good or redeemable in science and religion, and that’s just not so. Let’s take the three pillars of traditional science, Newton, Descartes, and Darwin. Quantum physics exposes their theories as incomplete or incorrect in some of their applications and conclusions. That’s not to say they are categorically wrong. They explain certain functions accurately, but they can’t explain the whole of which they are a part.
Newtonian physics works well in explaining certain functions of the observable world, but it can’t account for effects under Einstein’s relativity or the sub-atomic world, and it can’t come close to explaining the fundamental operations of matter and consciousness. Therefore, its view of a determined universe as a giant machine is incorrect. Descartes’ dualism seems to define a working relationship between mind and matter for day-to-day purposes, but it is fundamentally incorrect in missing the true underlying unity of the two. Darwin’s theory only explains evolution within species. It never explains the creation or origin of life. It doesn’t even demonstrate how one species evolves into another, like apes into humans, except as an article of faith. The fossil record supports a more quantum leap view, that is, species like human beings came about quite suddenly upon acquiring consciousness.
The Third Way poses two big course corrections in traditional science and religion. First is the limited and damaging view of materialistic science that life derives from matter instead of matter deriving from consciousness. Second is the traditional religious view that humanity is a separated creation of God as opposed to being a projection of the divine consciousness itself in material form.
THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE THIRD WAY
Recognising the fact that consciousness creates everything and that we are all part of that consciousness means, as Jesus said, the kingdom is within. We are not separated from the divine force, we are a projection of it and we, in turn, can truly be co-creators of our reality. We cannot do this out of our ordinary consciousness, however. We must align with our non-ordinary Higher Consciousness through meditation or other practices, but this is readily achievable for all.
Achieving this puts a measure of control into our seemingly random lives. Once we learn the principles of how higher intelligence works, we begin to focus on those things that have value to us, and we can even develop a notion of what it is we should truly value. We find our lives working better and old, negative patterns break up. We’re incentivised to become more spiritually responsible and aware because we understand the payoff is putting the power of the universe on our side. We can replace the moral values of religion, already eroded by traditional science, with a higher spiritual concept of wholeness so it becomes our own self-interest not to hurt others because we see how we ultimately hurt ourselves.
One of the most life-altering experiences is having a direct communication with higher intelligence and receiving information that proves out in the “real” world. Some people become medical intuitives; others develop intuition that helps their financial or life decisions. The applications are many. When we experience the operation of this information in our lives as it translates from the psychic into the material realm, we have passed beyond faith in the unseen (religion) and graduated to knowledge that the unseen is the true underlying reality (spirituality).
Few people understand the real meaning of quantum physics to date, fewer still understand the hidden spiritual wisdom of the past. Once these concepts go mainstream, they will transform our world and exponentially propel the evolution of our consciousness. If you doubt this statement, consider this – a few hundred years ago, the Church had its grip around the neck of the truth. Science gradually bled through this iron curtain. In our lifetime, we saw the accelerated erosion of such fear-based concepts as a judgmental biblical God. Traditional science, for better or worse, has shaped the basic world outlook of most people today. But science replaced the old concept of God with an empty shell of chance occurrences – life, the great accident – which is not such a great life after all. We went from the frying pan into the fire.
But a new genie is now out of the bottle. It’s taking the form of quantum physics echoed by rediscovered ancient Gospels shedding light on a universal wisdom tradition. It provides a truer picture of creation, reality, and of our human origin and purpose. It’s an empowering message that transcends the limitations of traditional religion and the dulling atheism of materialistic science. It’s taking time to filter into the mass mind awareness, but when it catches on, we’ll see a quantum leap in all aspects of human activity as we discard the yokes of our past religious and scientific beliefs.
Charles Sanders Peirce, a pioneer of the modern scientific empirical method, wisely said that the conclusions of science are always tentative. The scientific method should be self-corrective, discarding outdated knowledge to make way for new discoveries. By continued application of this method, science can detect and correct its own mistakes, and thus eventually lead to the discovery of truth. Many scientists have forgotten this wisdom. They’ve fallen into a religious-like orthodoxy of static, dogmatic beliefs that stifle alternative information such as what has been presented in this article.
What a great discovery to realise that the God of quantum physics is actually the God of the ancient mystics come to reclaim a place in our consciousness. This merged knowledge can dispel the limiting errors of our previous works, and that is evolution in action, not stagnation in ignorance. Though we do not have the final insight on these matters, I fervently believe the closest we will come to discovering universal truth is the point where the objective world of science intersects with the subjective world of mystic spirituality.
To explore this subject in depth, read Peter Canova’s new book Quantum Spirituality: Science, Gnostic Mysticism, and Connecting with Source Consciousness (with a foreword by James Redfield), available from all good bookstores.
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