I’ve been reading The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. I’m a physics geek at heart and just can’t get enough of the mind-bending ideas physics wrestles with. It shows just how far off our perceptions are from the truth of reality. I think the same is true of our daily lives, we often don’t see people or events for what they really are. Even though this book is a scientific exploration about the origins of the universe that physicists grapple with everyday it also reveals a mystical aspect in the pursuit of science. The manner in which physics tries to clarify universal question parallels how mystics try to fathom the depths of consciousness. It’s striking that there are more similarities than differences.
Brian, I imagine he likes the informality, noted that one of the major contributions physics has given to understanding the universe is that everything is made up of atoms. And perhaps because everything in the entire universe is made up of the same substance it shouldn’t surprise us that after awhile everything seems the same. Literally it is. All the things we see, touch, taste, smell, are made up of atoms. (Actually quarks, and now perhaps strings, but lets not nit pick, the general idea is that there is the same basic foundational element at the root of everything in existence, or at least the existence we perceive.) Why I find this comforting, I don’t know. But it certainly gives a new meaning to the idea that everything is one.
When Brian talks about the principles of physics, “in all its mysterious and subtle guises – shin[ing] a powerful light into the darkness where truth awaits discovery.” I can’t help but think of the words every mystic, seeker, and knower of truth has written about the interior self. In a way we are all physicists. Mystics, psychologists, and seekers of all sorts are physicists of the interior. We do our work on the soul, it’s what Jung would call individuation. We shine the light of inquiry into our own darkness, our own deep mysteries, to discover the truth of our self. We are the scientific discovery, we are the great mystery.
Even though the outcomes of unravelling the mysteries of the universe and the soul may be different, I would imagine the process is quite similar; a lot of pondering, ruminating, theorizing and puzzling, and testable experiments. Except for the math, this is a major difference. But perhaps we should include a kind of math in the work of the soul, develop our own interior equation, maybe it would simplify what we need to focus on and show us what actually is working.
Self = {(curiosity)(open-mindedness) + ego/complexes} x [reverence + love]
The most amazing part is that we are all looking for the same things, no matter who we are or what we believe or what we do. We all want to come into contact with something larger than ourselves, with awe, with a sense of wonder. That’s why physicists and mystics are the same, both quietly look (outward or inward) and ponder what’s deeper. This openness to the unknown puts us in direct contact with that something larger than ourselves. Just because we can’t do the math doesn’t mean we can’t fathom the unknown. Doing the sincere work of the soul puts us into direct contact with it. This meeting, no matter how small, can shake us to our core. And I think we could all use a good shaking up now and again. A realignment with something we’ve left out of our personal equation. The depth of our soul meeting with mystery.
Here’s to experimenting with life in new ways that open us to the unknown.
kb
