We Are Eternal Spirit
The French philosopher Pierre Tellhard de Chardin stated: ‘We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.’
Even though I have always believed this statement without question I still wanted to find as much evidence as I could to prove it, more out of curiosity than a need to know.
I began to look at life purely from a spiritual and religious point of view, I thought it would be the best place to start, but my research gradually led me to a scientific view point. The two are becoming so much closer together now. Some scientists are finding it hard to deny the many similarities between their experimental findings and the beliefs of great spiritual teachings. Most people prefer to trust science because over time we have been led to believe that it shows the true picture of life. In reality science is missing so much of the bigger picture.
First, I feel it is best to look at the nature of reality from a scientific view point because this will help you understand just what is going on. We may never know what the true reality is, but over the last century or so science has discovered that it's certainly not what is seems. It will take some time and a lot more evidence to convince most people that what they see as reality really isn't, because we rely too much on our bodily senses to give us a picture of ourselves and the world. Most of us believe that everything we are aware of around us is picked up by our senses, but in reality there is so much that we are unaware of. We are unable to detect certain frequencies, such as infrasound and ultrasound and also ultraviolet and infrared light. Our senses are unreliable, unable to show us the full picture. We only sense a fraction of the signals from the environment, enough for our survival. The senses are therefore incomplete and can be misleading. Everything we see, hear, smell, taste and touch becomes an image in our mind. The world is only what our brain can understand and translate into images but true reality is so much more than this. The world around us is an interpretation. We each see the world in a slightly different way according to what we believe it to be. We are spiritual beings. The physical body is the ‘vehicle’ that allows us to experience a physical life and to learn from those experience. In reality this is just an illusion created by spirit. I like to think of this life as our spirit having a very lucid dream.
It was in the late nineteenth century that science replaced religion and became the more dominant, materialistic way of looking at life, because it was more believable. Contemporary science claims that the only reality is the physical reality, and the mind was thought to be separate from the body. The world was seen as a multitude of separate objects and events. This led us to believe that we were separate from nature.
Most scientists don't want their world rocked by something they see as metaphysical and supernatural because it puts into question all they have been led to believe. They also have a need to see tangible proof. This dogmatic materialistic world view has had a negative influence on life. Materialists state that the universe has no spiritual meaning. They prefer to think that it is mechanical. We have lost the old ways and traditional beliefs and no longer see nature as sacred.
Contemporary science also believes that mind is confined to the brain and memories are material traces within the brain. As for consciousness, this is believed to be merely a product of brain activity. Dogmatic scientists even say that we have no free will. This is like saying we are similar to programmed computers and that there is no point to life. We have been led to believe that our minds have no power and that we are insignificant with little effect on anything. This is a very shallow way of looking at life and articles published in the journal of consciousness studies have shown that there are problems with these ideas. We really are very powerful beings with the ability to interact with our world.
Consciousness is the link to our spirit. The left side of the brain deals with the ego, our view of the physical world and the right side of the brain is aware of our connection to everything including the spiritual realm. This is proven by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD in her book My Stroke Of Insight. In it she talks about her stoke and how it affected her. She had a bleed in the left side of her brain which affected her ability to view the world around her. She could not make sense of anything. But the right side of her brain was working perfectly, so without the distraction of the physical world she was fully aware of her connection to everything. She said it felt blissful. She was aware of the energies of the doctors and nurses around her and when her mother came to visit Jill did not know her but she felt the unconditional love emanating from her and so felt safe. This book shows that life is not as mechanical as materialists would have us believe. Many major thinkers have understood that this world we live in is an illusion. We are living as if in a dream, a dream that our true self is creating as we go along.
It was when scientists looked deep into an atom that the turning point began. They found sub-atomic particles: such as electrons, protons and neutrons, but the vast majority of the atom is an abyss, a void and the more you search this void the more you realise that mass does not exist. Quantum physicists discovered that if you break matter down to smaller and smaller pieces you eventually reach a point where those pieces - electrons and protons etc. no longer possess the traits of objects. At sub-atomic level matter does not exist with any certainty but rather shows a tendency to exist and is hard to determine. It was discovered that the reason for this indeterminism was consciousness - the consciousness of the observer. Experiments, such as the double slit experiment were carried out that proved when electrons are not being observed they appear as waves and the only time they ever manifest as particles is when we are looking at them. Everywhere we look our consciousness in making something for us to look at. Our consciousness (our spirit) creates particles and so creates our reality.
Everything in the universe is energy and energy is influenced by mind. Matter appears when being observed. Existence is a field of energy, an infinite sea of possibilities waiting to happen. The consciousness of the observer is the energy that influences matter and determines how energy behaves. Consciousness experiences energy as matter. These findings show that we are in control of our lives. Our thoughts have energy that have a great influence on ourselves and our lives. Some physicists have stated, "You cannot observe something without changing it in the process." Our mind creates and controls reality. This is our spirit creating this life as it goes along, attracting the experiences it needs to learn the lessons it is here to learn.
The fact that there is no real physical world, at least not in the way we think of it, shows that it is all just mind - consciousness created. Nothing is as solid as it seems, everything is mostly empty space. Our personal realities are created by our consciousness. When scientists were examining the atom they became aware that the particles within it were appearing from the void. They realised that the void, though empty of matter, was filled with essence. They also began to realise that it is intelligent: It is in fact universal consciousness of which our, seemingly individual, consciousnesses are a part. Scientists have always tried to avoid anything metaphysical but inadvertently they found God.
We may feel individual but we are all one, all part of the universal consciousness which was felt by our ancestors and which was given the name God.
Scientists suggest that the universe is what it is because of the creative force of consciousness, our beliefs and what we accept as reality. Mystics and seers through the ages affirmed that consciousness is fundamental in the universe. The universe is nothing but a mental creation of everything, because in reality everything is mind. The universe is composed of energy and consciousness. Everything is consciousness including us. The brain does not create consciousness but consciousness constructs the brain and everything in the universe. From the great universal consciousness comes individual consciousness and from there springs the ego and the mind. Our true self - our deeper inner self - is consciousness.
Einstein believed that a human being is part of the whole universe, a part limited in time and space that experiences thoughts and feelings as separate from the rest - a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. Leading consciousness researchers rediscovered what ancient cultures have always known, that we are linked by more subtle and encompassing connections. These are now known as transpersonal connections. Ancient people did not regard these connections with distant people as illusions but modern societies do. The modern mind is not fully ready to accept these connections as real because it is not obvious to the senses. Traditional connections are viewed as paranormal in modern society but in reality it is a perfectly normal, natural, thing to be able to connect with others through a deeper subconscious level.
The elementary particles that make up the world and everything in it are all basically the same, yet there is such variety. How is this so? What is it that informs these particles what to be? It is obvious that there is a great intelligent force instructing them, holding them together in just the right way. The void which became known as the field, is a matrix of energy which connects two or more points in space, it is a region of influence, it is a great spiritual consciousness and it is through this conscious field that we are all connected.
An eminent researcher called Burr was convinced that the field of consciousness controlled development of every living form. Something teaches the molecules where to be. Einstein said "the field is the only reality.” All knowledge is held in the field - universal mind, universal consciousness - and because we are all part of this universal consciousness, we are able to access that knowledge. In the Eastern view the unity of all things is seen as part of the cosmic whole. In ordinary life we do not see the unity, but divide things into separate objects and events. This is so we can cope with life; we need to see things this way in order to experience physicality and feel separate. As we then begin our journey back to spiritual reality we can then appreciate our truth, our light and love more easily.
Everything is connected in the field and everything interacts with everything else through the field and communicates with all. The field has no limits. It informs all things and all living things are attuned to their environment. When one plant or creature is hurt surrounding plants and creatures react to it. All of nature, including us, is in constant telepathic communication through the field. Distance does not limit this connection. Nothing should be seen as separate.
In Sanskrit and Indian cultures this field is known as the akashic field, an all encompassing medium that underlies all things and becomes all things. It is real but so subtle that it cannot be perceived until it becomes the many things that populate the manifest world. The ancient Rishis reached it through a spiritual way of life. Clearly there is so much more to us than the elements that make up our bodies. Our real and purest state of being is that of infinite awareness and eternal divine consciousness, all part of a greater intelligence. We are guided by this higher intelligence. We channel the energy and intelligence of the universe. Inside each of us is a great soul, and each soul is connected to each other soul and to the universe, the source, God. We are all one.
The more you expand your consciousness and awareness the higher you vibrate. The higher your frequency the more consciously aware you are and the more light shines from and through you and so you become enlightened. Scientists know that every living thing is made of light. Plants receive light from the sun and turn it into life. We feed on plants so we too are made of light. Light forms the building blocks of life. We are oscillating beings of light. Our luminous energy field is a blue print of our lives. This is the aura of energy and light that surrounds us, the light of our true self and our spirit.
When talking about the body it is important to include the spirit, the inner, true self. The body is material while the spirit is ethereal. Without the spirit the body would not be. The spirit is the puppet master that animates the body. The "us" that lives in our physical selves isn't limited by the skin that defines our bodies. The everyday world is not the real one. We are living an illusion, a reflection of something more real. Our body is from this material world but our soul - the living force that expresses itself though us - is based somewhere else, a larger reality we cannot see from here.
Einstein said "everyone who becomes involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that there is a spirit manifest in the laws of the universe, a spirit vastly superior to that of man." Something convinced Einstein that the universe is alive and we are part of it. You are a great spirit energy that will live on long after your physical body has perished because your spirit, your consciousness continues on merging once more with the eternal spirit that is part of. In this earthly physical life we are only able to use a small fraction of our total consciousness and it is consciousness that is your true self, for at your core you are pure energy, pure love and pure spirit. Your body is the junction between the visible and the invisible worlds.
Do not attempt to divide the life of matter from the life of spirit, they are not separate. There is no division in the universal kingdom. They are parts of one life. The things of matter react on spirit and spirit reacts on matter. We all have the sensory skills needed to feel the vibrations around us. When our frequency synchronises with a parallel universe it allows us to perceive it as visions, knowledge and enlightenment. The informed universe gives us a new view of the world, life and mind. The mind is able to access information from the universe well beyond the range of our five senses. We can be in touch with almost any part of the world, whether here on Earth or beyond the cosmos. This has been shown by the findings of psychiatrists who place their patients in altered states of consciousness and record the impressions that surface in their minds.
We only detect a small portion of the information that constantly bombards us. To be fully aware of it all would be too much for us. We know what we need to know for our survival. Native tribes seem able to communicate beyond normal senses. The customs, artifacts and buildings of diverse peoples who live in different points of the globe have similarities. Entire cultures seem to share information among themselves even though they are not in any known contact with each other. We are all linked by more subtle and encompassing connections called 'transpersonal' connection. Even normal people possess paranormal powers. Only a unified field can explain this connection between bodies.
Most of us are unaware of the great essence of nature and who we really are. We have lost our way and need to look deep within ourselves to find our true nature and feel the inner connection we have to our higher selves and the world around us. The world is a virtual game in which we have agreed to represent ourselves. We build it as we interact with it. This is the secret humans have been searching for for millennia. The basic oneness of the universe is not only the central characteristic of the mystical experience but is also one of the most important revelations in modern physics (more apparent at sub-atomic level). The Eastern view of the world is organic. For them all things are connected, all of the same reality. This is central to their beliefs.
Stanislar Grof found that in deeply altered states of consciousness many people experienced a kind of consciousness that appears to be that of the universe itself. They described what they experienced as an immense field of consciousness with infinite intelligence and creative power. This field does not feature anything in manifest form but contains all existence in potential, the ultimate source of existence. This can also be experienced during deep meditation; this vast field constitutes the primary reality of the universe. Everything including ourselves is nothing more than a field of energy, of light, all interacting and influencing each other.
Meditation is the key that opens the door to all the knowledge in life. By entering an altered state of consciousness we can access information that links us to other people, to nature, to the universe and to the consciousness of those who no longer live in this physical world, those in spirit. We can expand our awareness by quieting the mind and calming the mental chatter. We need to separate the mental noise of the imagination from the psychic signals. When doing this we access a non-local awareness. The best meditation is to sit quietly by yourself, make sure you will not be disturbed, keep your back straight and focus on your breathing, this enables your mind to be still and calm.
Always remember you are more than this, you are an eternal spiritual being having a human experience. And also remember that your thoughts have energy and power to send out prayers and love that can and do make a difference to yourself and the world around you.
Sheila - PIN 500203