Mind Over Matter

People used to think that the world was flat, the earth was the center of the universe, planets were pushed around their orbits by angels, and objects fell to the earth because of their desire for the “cosmic center.” At first, ideas about gravity, friction, and laws of motion were crazy and unbelievable. Is this not the same situation presented here today concerning classical physics versus quantum mechanics?  John Bell believed that quantum mechanics “reveals the incompleteness of our worldview.” His concern with quantum mechanics “is not that an error will be found in any of its predictions, but that it is not the whole story.”

Classic mechanics explains how a physical object will act or react in a given situation (think back to when you learned about gravity and friction). Classical mechanics shows us a deterministic worldview – it shows that any object is created with a specific instruction set on how it must act and, on its most basic level, we can calculate what will happen in any given situation with a formula. Classical physics only deals with matter, you know there is a mind, but prefer to keep the two separate.

Experimental demonstrations of quantum theory, however, forces physics to acknowledge both the mind and the matter. Quantum mechanics is the theory that atoms do not act solely as waves or solely as particles, but rather, a combination of both. Essentially, this means that an atom can either be everywhere or nowhere – we only see the atom when we actively observe it.

Even classical physicists are forced to accept quantum mechanics on some level. In order to work with the benefits of quantum mechanics many adopted the Copenhagen Theory on quantum mechanics. This theory explains out much of the weirdness and allows physicists to use quantum mechanics without thinking about what the implications of quantum mechanics really are. It basically says that it is okay to treat the microscopic realm differently than the macroscopic realm. But why should they be treated differently?  A water molecule is a water molecule because of the atoms that combine to create it, so why would the individual atoms and the collection of atoms be treated differently?

 Quantum Enigma by Fred Kuttner and Bruce Rosenblum is an excellent book that explains all the details of the Quantum Theory and is quoted in this blog. Click HERE for more information

 Besides the idea that an atom is both ‘everywhere and nowhere,’ the quantum theory also demonstrates that “an observation of one object can instantaneously influence the behavior of another greatly distant object – even if no physical force connects the two” (think Butterfly Effect here). The worldview promoted with this scientific theory is one of free will:  something or somebody somewhere makes a free will choice and this choice can have implications all over the world.

Einstein labeled quantum mechanics as “spooky.” One third of our economy today depends on products based off of the predictions of the quantum theory, but the implications of this theory (not the practical uses) are what Einstein and many modern scientists today cannot believe. Basically, the quantum theory at its core states that an atom is everywhere – or nowhere – until it is observed. Since everything is made up of atoms, like a chair, this would mean that a chair isn’t there unless it is being observed. The more interesting part of this theory is what defines being “observed.” One explanation of who’s or what’s observation counts to make the chair exist is called entanglement. Basically, it says that everything in the universe is entangled with other things in some way (a form of observation) – which makes it possible for the chair to always seem to exist. 

Einstein and several other great scientists went out to prove one day that the quantum theory is wrong. Instead, their experiment not only showed them that the theory was correct, but the atoms seem to have instantaneous communication as well. This is even spookier because it means that somehow the atoms are able to influence each other by means faster than the speed of light – something that scientists have said is not possible. Entanglement once again would explain this instantaneous communication because everything is interconnected. Although quantum theory is still very much a mystery, the idea of entanglement and that somehow the whole universe works together almost as a force of its own seems to be very similar to eastern religion philosophy that the Ultimate Reality is more of a force or an “it” – not a “he” or God that rules over everything.

These articles seem to prove that entanglement theory may be possible… Makes you think!

Tribune Article - Sub-atomic particles break speed of light: Scientists

Reuters Article - Particles found to break speed of light

The universe has been around for 15 billion years, while human history has been around for merely 5,000 years. What is interesting about this is that if the universe has been around for so long without humans why do some religions insist that there is a human specific God. I believe that the universe is run by something, some force, which is more encompassing of time and everything in the universe – not just encompassing of the humans and their short time on earth. I feel that every person has a right to their own religion – why do some people think then that only one religion is the “right” one? Why can’t some force or energy that has been present in the universe for billions of years be the all-encompassing answer?

We are in an age where science is our predominant worldview – and many people depend on science and nothing else to explain why things happen a certain way. Just think back to the beginnings of religion – something more of an animistic type of religion. They would see something fall to the earth and explain that spirits caused the thing to fall to the earth. In the modern world, many today would say that it wasn’t spirits, but gravity that caused the thing to fall to the earth. The even more modern and groundbreaking idea is that Einstein’s theory of relativity is not enough to explain the intricacies of how gravity works and that perhaps there is something more to it, something more to do with quantum mechanics, something called the quantum theory of gravity. Science is ever changing and as we learn more and more. We once thought the world was flat. Who is to say that the modern day theories of how life works and how the world is will stand up to the test of time and further research and studies??

The Hindu view of the Ultimate Reality is Brahman – or a sort of ultimate force or power that permeates everything. Although many of the Hindu religion choose their own personal deity (such as Vishnu or Shiva) to help them relate to Brahman, the main philosophy of Brahman is similar to ideas put forth in quantum theory. For the world to remain in balance it is important to believe that all humans, animals, and nature are all of the same stuff and are all interconnected. Not only is this important in religion, it is important in the way we live – as shown through basic scientific, epidemiologic, and ecologic principles. You could say that you are the Ultimate Reality, as long as you did so with the understanding that you are not the ultimate reality as in a god, but as a small essential piece of the whole.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne tells us how to use positive energy to tell the universe what you want.

Click HERE for more information.

A small essential piece of the whole. Every tiny atom in the universe has energy that contributes to the flow of energy all over the world. The key is learning how to focus that energy to achieve your own goals. How do you do it? I believe it is all in the mind. It is by sparking a reaction in the universe by your free will choice to achieve something you want (recall that this would be a form of observation in the entanglement theory). Whatever you want can be great or small.

Talking with Horses by Henry Blake is a great introduction on the basics of horse communication using your body energy. Click HERE for more information.

 I like to think about using this type of energy while I am working and communicating with horses: think about how when you are angry, or energetic, or sad and how the horse knows this and feeds of your energy. When you are anxious or nervous, so is your horse. When you are confident and calm, your horse will trust you and feed off that energy. When I am working with horses on the ground, I can change my energy to get them to respond how I want. If I want a horse to get away or move forward, I increase my body energy – I stand tall, a move with power, I focus on what I want – I direct this energy towards the horse so that he moves likewise.

My favorite little experiment I test to see if it is the cues and actions that prompt the horse or the energy that you use to do so, is to work with a new horse person. When I have a horse loose in an arena, I can ask it to walk, trot, canter, turn, or stop based on the position of my body and the amount of energy I “push” towards the horse (When horses are really responsive, I can do this by barely moving at all. Sometimes, however, I do need to use my arm as a pointer or a whip). I often teach new horse people this technique in lessons to get a horse to respect and listen to them. Using the same horse, the lesson student will try to do the same thing I just did. This time, however, even with the use of a whip, the student has trouble even getting the horse to move forward and I will find them right next to the horse, tapping it with the whip with no response. Why can I stand in the middle of the arena and have the horse move around me and why can the student get right next to the horse with no response? It is all about the energy! The student’s energy is unsure, maybe even a little timid. Therefore, the horse feels no need to listen to them.

Horse trainer, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, is a master of using body language and energy to work with horses. Watch how closely the horse mimics each movement he makes on the ground.

My own example of riding a horse using body language and proper energy. Watch at the end of the video how interested and happy the horse seems to be with me.

Your mind is really a powerful tool. Think about how you want to direct your energy – whether it is on something small like focusing on asking a horse to move, or on something big like landing that new job by thinking positively. I admit, this does seem really far-fetched. I find it interesting, however, that similar theories have been present in religions as old as Hinduism and in groundbreaking scientific theories as new as quantum mechanics. What I know for sure is that the world and the universe it is a part of is a very strange place and we are not even close to discovering half of its mysteries.