Interconnection and Interdependence

Each day this week I will discuss the evidence for our interconnection in the world. Our feelings of separateness can lead us to feelings of dissatisfaction because we have lost our connection to the universe, to who we really are.

Most spiritual traditions attempt to teach us how to realize a unity of mind, body and spirit; to expand beyond our societal traditions of individuality and disconnectedness. My purpose here is not to deny your individuality, but to expand your vision of yourself with the evidence of your connection to the universe.

Today – Origins - A Moment in Singularity (a.k.a. The Big Bang)
Tuesday - Holarchy
Wednesday - Chaos and the Hidden Order of Life
Thursday - Synchrony
Friday - Time and Place

Origins - A Moment in Singularity (a.k.a. The Big Bang)
According to the theory of general relativity, the initial state of the universe just prior to the Big Bang, was a gravitational singularity. Imagine all the matter and energy of the universe condensed into a single focused point. And then, BANG!!!!

In that moment before the Big Bang all matter and energy was in close proximity, including the tiny amount that would become us. Let me say that again, to our best understanding, all matter and energy arose at the same time and in the same moment, leading to us as beings.

The materials that we are made of are the same materials that the oceans, and land, all the animals and plants are made. The air that we breathe, the water that we drink is shared with all living things, now, in the past and for ever more. As far as scientists know, no matter or energy is destroyed or created, only converted into a different form of matter or energy. Forms may change, the materials and energy stay the same (e=mc2).

In the pursuit of superconductors, scientists have developed new understandings of atoms and how they act. Starting with theories by Einstein and Bose in the 1920’s, scientists recently reported making atoms work in unison at very low temperatures. This has demonstrated interconnectedness at the atomic level. As this is the very substrate of life, our connection to the universe actually starts here.

With the advent of genetic research we find that the average two unrelated humans share 99.9% of the same genetic material. Humans share 98% with chimpanzees, 79% with whales, dolphins, hippos and camels. Clearly, we are more genetically and physiologically related to other animals than not.

So, from the beginning to now, and into the foreseeable future, the physical connections between us and everything else can be found everywhere we look.


Photo by laura_world_wide via deviantart.com

The Search and the Struggle

After the spiritual search has begun, there will come a time when the destination feels so close you can touch it. This may go on for some time.

I characterize it as a vague feeling of frustration. It comes from an inability to solve what seems like a riddle in a language you don’t understand. It is an uncomfortable feeling that you want to stop, but may represent progress.

I liken this to a vibration or energy that builds without an avenue for release. It is like the feeling you get when you forget a name or are reaching for the right word. It is just beneath the surface.
Can this be the personality fighting your pursuit of true nature? Does the personality foresee its own decline and the resulting rise of the true nature?

I call this the struggle within. It is a sign of progress toward the destination. It signals a building realization of truth versus perspective, of true nature versus personality.

Life’s Answers

Some look to the horizon
The liminal zone
Seeking, searching for hope.
Only to find fortune has
Moved to a new distance.
And we are back
To a similar place
Without the reward.
This treasure is found
In a much closer place,
Right here where we started
Not far, but near
Inside, within.

Energy Cultivation

When we consider our energy level we probably first think of food, drink or rest. I have never tried them, but there is a whole array of energy drinks all promising to increase our energy. Of course, I love my morning coffee. There are energy bars available at every grocery checkout stand in the country. You can’t go a week without hearing you don’t get enough rest, or conversely, too much.

Certainly we cannot believe we are just a bag of complex chemistry; that a sip of some energy drink will have any lasting effect. Consider your ability to get on your computer to access and read this material. The neural network that forms your consciousness is truly a miracle of connectedness and interdependency.

There are ancient traditions of energy cultivation, based on understanding the body’s electrical channels. While not an expert, I have tried the outer dissolving (downward) practice of the Water Method successfully. The next time you reach for an energy drink or energy bar, check out the work of Bruce Kumar Frantzis and Dennis Lewis instead.