Werner Heisenberg, postulated the famous Uncertainity Principle. He postulated that we can never know what goes on in the invisible subatomic realm and that ” therefore we should abandon all attempts to construct perpetual levels of atomic processes”.
Independently of Schroedinger and De Broglie, Heisenberg developed experimental data into tabular form, which he called matrices. His method was called Matrix Mathematics.
The quintessence of his theory is sample. The course of a single electron cannot be predicted and is uncertain. Newtonian Physics do not apply to the subatomic realm. Quantum Theory can predict the distribution ( probable ) with a beam of electrons, but Quantum Theory cannot predict the course of a single electron !
The earlier idea of the causal Universe is totally undermined by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
Niels Bohr, another New Physicist, wrote
Quantum Mechanics, entails, the necessity of a final renunciation of the classical idea of causality, with a radical revision of our attitude towards the problem of physical reality
The quantum physicist, David Bohm defined Reality as ” That which Is”
This is reminiscent of Spinoza and the Indian Seers who averred ” Absolute Being is that which Is”.
When De Broglie postulated that the electron is both a particle and a wave, the New Physics ( Quantum Physics ) was speaking the language of the mystics !
Is Man good-bad ? Yes, says Mysticism. Man is a composite creature. He is both good and bad, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and all human beings are dual personalities. Man is a contradiction ! Man is a paradox. Like the Electron, which is both a particle and a wave.
Shroedinger opined that electrons are standing Waves!
Heisenberg, another quantum physicist, opined that the highest levels of philosophy and physics are the same, in his magnum opus ” Physics and Philosophy”.
” Matter is a derivative of Consciousness ” said Prof De Broglie. “I regard Consciousness as fundamental” said Prof Erwin Schroedinger.
Truth is that, on the subatomic level, Science is not exact ! The Old Physics of Newton does not apply to the subatomic realm. The New Physics states that electrons are standing waves and Matter exhibits two properties – that of a particle and a Wave. Prof Shroedinger was sure that electrons are standing waves. Something was standing and he called it the Psi function or rather the Wave Function.
There is no such thing as Space and Time, as Newton thought. There is only an inseparable SpaceTime and we live in a four dimensional Space-Time Continuum. Fritjof Capra had voiced the same truth earlier. The dance of sub atomic matter, the galaxies, the black holes and of the Universe is Poetry in motion, is the Cosmic Dance & is symbolised in Oriental Philosophies as the Dance of Siva, the Lord of the Dancers worshipped by the Indians !
Like Capra’s “Tao of Physics”, Gary Zukav’s ” Dancing Wu Li Masters” shook the philosophic world.
It is called the overview of the New Physics. The Old Physics was Newtonian Physics which maintained that Space and Time are separate.
Einstein differed from Newton. Space and Time are not separate, they are one whole called Space-Time.
Old classical Physics of Newton gave way to the New Physics, that is Quantum Physics. De Broglie’s Matter_Wave Hypothesis postulated that Matter exists as both Particle and Wave. The fourth Dimension of Time was added to the three dimesions of Space, that is length, breadth and thickness.
Hermann Minnowski, the maths teacher of Einstein, postulated the theory of the Four Dimensional Space-Time Continuum. We live, breathe and exist in the four dimensional Space-Time Continuum, which is an Eternal Now.
This recent finding of the New Physics is the corroboration of Eastern Philosophies, which maintained that the Unified Field of Consciousness is the only Reality and that the Universe is a Universe of appearance.
Wolfgang Pauli revolutionised Physics with his statement ” that no two similar electrons can exist in the same atom”.
This came to be known as the Pauli’s Exclusion Principle. One electron excludes any similar electron.
In the heavens, we find that the Solar System is like the Atom. The electrons revolve in elliptical orbits around the central nucleus. Similarly the planets traverse in elliptical orbits around the central Sun. ” As Above, So Below” !
Kepler in his first Law of Planetary Motion opined that planets move in elliptical orbits with Sun as the Focus of the Ellipse !
If you extend the Exclusion Principle, we find that in the Solar system, no two planets are alike ! Jupiter differs from Mercury and so on !
The quintessence of the De Broglie Hypothesis , that Matter has dual properties, wave and particle properties, was taken up by Erwin Schroedinger. Electrons are standing waves ! The Electron is both a particle and a wave.
Modern Physics therefore has reached Transcendental Physics or the philosophia prima which used a dual language when it described Absolute Reality.
The Absolute is Being The Absolute is Becoming The Absolute is Non Being
How can the Absolute be both Being and Non Being? The first definition of Absolute is that which is non relative; the latter definition includes the relative. When we say Absolute Being, we are talking about an Absolute which takes relativity in its embrace !
The Seer-Poets of the Vedas , used a mystic language when they described the Absolute
The One Thou Art; the Many also Thou Art
The Absolute Self was defined as subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest. ( Anor aneeyan and Mahato Maheeyan ).
The Seer Poets extolled Absolute Truth thus
Our mother Thou art; also our Father Thou art our close relative; also our beloved consort ! Thou art Wisdom, Thou art also Wealth Thou art our all in all, O Beloved Divine!
How will a quantum physicist address the Electron ?
O Electron ! Thou art a Particle; Thou art a Wave !
A mystic wrote
Thou Art Time; Timeless also Thou art ! Thou Art Space and all that is in Space ! Thou Art Causality and the Cause and the Effect !
The quantum physicist tells the mystic about the amazing discoveries of the New Physics ! The mystic is not surprised. That truth he has been talking for years ! Kanada, the mystic, the Seer-Poet defined Him as Atom ! ( Anurithi bhagavan )
Thou Art Absolute Being; Karma also Thou art Thou art the Atom; Also Time Inexhaustible The Cause of the Universe Thou art ! The Self of the transcendentalist Nature of the natural philosophers The Summum Genus of the logicians The gold of the miser The love of the lover The empire of the king The Scientific Mystery of the scholar The Poetics of the noble hearted The Nihil of the atheist The Unknown of the agnostic The Cosmic Consciousness of the Seer Thou art the Highest Principle !
Newton thought and Space and Time were separate but Hermann Minnowski unified Space-Time !
He wrote
“Henceforth, Time by itself and Space by itself were doomed to fade away into shadows; only a union of the two can preserve an independant reality”
Space-Time, one and inseparable and we live, breathe and exist in the Four Dimensional Space-Time Continuum.
This means accepting the views of the Seer Poets, who said that all these are the Becomings of Being !
The entire Universe is nothing but He & She. He & She, the Absolute and the Relative, the Infinite & the Finite, the Formless and then a delirium of forms, the One and the Innumerable – He and She, two in one, inseparable. It is a continuum of Consciousness Force ! The entire story of Evolution is the story of Her who rediscovers Him and tries to reincarnate him everywhere !
One aspirant thought about the difficulty of redeeming this world !
Why should I throw my arms to the shut heavens Or struggle against a mute inevitable Force Or hope in vain to uplift an ignorant race Who hugst their lot and mocks the Saviour Light ?
Why should I try to redeem this benighted humanity ?
But then, if all human beings think like this ( that one man cannot change the world ), the world will never change !
Then he contemplated Eternity and came to the conclusion that he should be the change to change the world.
So he changed himself, perceiving the Self in all.
Then he came to the conclusion that there is only one way to change the world. Self-evolution is the means.
He contemplated and meditated and sacrificed himself for the Noblest cause
His light and life is given to balance here The dark account of mortal Ignorance !
New Age – A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness & a Universal Philosophy
The New Age Movement (NAM) is a revival of spiritual and divine values and can be called as a Divine Regeneration Movement. New Age Philosophy has conquered the West intellectually and Western culture is currently experiencing a phenomenal shift – sociological, spiritual & ideological. It’s a secular, multi-cultural, multi-religious synthesis, of the Oriental mystical philosophies, mainly Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism & Western Occultism, emphasising Holism, the doctrine that Reality is organically One ( now taught in American Universities after Einstein’s Theory of Relativity ). .
Behind the evolution of the species, there is an evolution of Consciousness. The aim of Life is Self-Actualisation, to evolve to the level of Unity Consciousness, defined as the 7th state of Consciousness in Transcendental Philosophy.
The social disturbance caused by the Vietnam War, the threat posed by AIDS, the disillusionment with materialistic ideas and the erosion of faith in Morality & Ethics brought a sense of futility & meaninglessness in the Western psyche.The limitations of the Western system of Chemotherapy & adverse side-effects of antibiotics, sedatives and certain other drugs and the disillusionment with the promises of science & technology made millions turn to Oriental philosophies, occult practices & systems of therapy.( Interest in Alternative Medicine developed to such an extent that there are now more than 180 systems of Alternative Medicine. Exponents of New Age Philosophy in Europe and America include Transcendentalists like Thoreau, Emerson & Walt Whitman, Wordsworth, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), , & Theosophy introduced by Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831- 1891) & Col Olcott & the philosopher, Annie Besant. As the world witnessed a Consciousness Revolution, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga ,Zen, Carlos Castañada, the Beatles, Holistic Medicine ( both Western and Ayurveda ), Tantra, Astrology ( both Western & Vedic ) all became popular .
There are 6 million New Age sites on the Web and the NAM consists of a massive & well organised network consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, foundations, clubs, lodges, and spiritual groups whose goal and purpose is to prepare the world to enter the coming Aquarian Age. ( The Age of Aquarius ). In astrological symbolism, Aquarius represents Spirituality and Pisces Rationality. The Piscean Age, an age of Computer and Cybernetics revolution, will be followed by an Age of Consciousness Revolution or a Spiritual Revolution, the Aquarian Age.
Some New Age Organisations are : California New Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World Goodwill, The Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical Society, Amnesty International, Zero Population Growth, the Forum, Planetary Initiative for the World We Choose, the Club of Rome, Church Universal & Triumphant, Christian Science, and the Unity School of Christianity.
New Age believes in the essential goodness of Man and the Divine Spark in Man and the New Age movement is not a unified cult system of beliefs and practices, even though its roots derive from Vedic Philosophy. There is no central authority, no official leader, no headquarters, nor membership list, but instead is a network of groups working toward World Peace and Universal Love. There are millions of worldwide followers of various New Age practices and the world is moving from Chaos ( Disorder ) to Cosmos ( Order ) ! This is a Phase Transition from Entropy ( Disorder ) to Order !
Significant influence has been gained by NAM affecting almost every area of Occidental culture — Sociology, Psychology, Medicine, the Government, Ecology, Science, Arts, Education, the Business Community, the media, entertainment, sports, and even the Church. Organised spiritual forms such as Christian Science, Unity and even forms of Witchcraft ( from the German ‘ Wicca’ meaning the Wise; Witchcraft means the Craft of the Wise ) are all its expressions. Various Human Potential Seminars, Transcendental Meditation, Zen Meditation and some Alternative Holistic Medicine practices are also its manifold manifestations.
Some popular New Age publications and journals are New Age Journal, the Z Files, Clarity, Body Mind Spirit, Yoga Journal, Gnosis, East West, Noetic Sciences, the Millenium Being and Omega. The new tendency of people now is to view everything from a New Age perspective
The major goal of the New Age Movement is to prepare Man for entering the Aquarian Age and to bring world peace in an already bruised world. “All is wrong with the world” said Shaw & some of the other goals of the NAM are to establish an entirely New World Order in the fields of Economy & Government. The idea of a World Government was proposed by Bernard Shaw earlier and was implemented by Mahesh Yogi and occurs in the writings of the foundational apostle of the New Age Movement, Alice Bailey.
The word ‘Initiation” is derived from the Latin “In ire” to go within and Initiates were termed by the Great Master as the salt of the Earth. The mystic Ward defined Reality as “Within and within and within and within” . Another mystic described it as “It is hidden, it is hidden and it is hidden”. To the mystic, self evolution is the means and only by changing and correcting ourselves can we change others . The primary goals of the movement then, are to prepare the world to receive the Divine Consciousness and to enter the Age of Aquarius, thus establishing the New World Order.
New Age Philosophy believes that human evolution can be accelerated, if not in the entire mass of humanity, at least in suitable individuals. Human nature is perfectible, through an intensive process of purification and Initiation.
The New Age Movement is secular & universally diffused over the earth’s surface & its basic underlying philosophy emphasises Gnosticism and Occultism. (Gnosticism is an ancient philosophy stating that Divine essence is the highest reality, and that the Self of man is actually this Essence. Behind the phenomenal world is the Transcendent Reality which Intuition alone can see ). It bears a remarkable resemblance to the Universal Religion that H.G. Wells predicted would one day take over the world.
The six main characteristics of New Age thinking are: (1) All is Unity; (2) All is Divine (3) Humanity is divine (4) A change in Consciousness; (5) All religions are One; and (6) Cosmic Evolutionary optimism.
Basically Dialectical Integralism, New Age Philosophy unites both Matter and Spirit.
Spirit shall see through Matter’s gaze Matter shall reveal the Spirit’s face !
The 13 main principles of New Age Philosophy are:
(1) One Global Order – One World Governement, One Currency, One Universal Being. (2) Universal Energy, Universal Matter, Universal Life, Universal Soul As God (3) An Eternal Universe – Uniform in Space and Unending in Time (4) Divine practices ( Astrology Yoga & other esoteric arts) (5) Syncretism ( Unity of all Religions ). (6) The need for Meditation ( for generating altered states of Consciousness ); (7) Life is Cyclical- Everything is cyclical, subject to the cyclical upheavals of Time. (8) Holistic Medicine & Vegetarianism (The patient is more important than the Doctor & Alkaline diet) (9) Pacifism ( Anti-war activities); (10) Reincarnation; ( The Law of Conservation of Soul ) (11) The Evolution of Man into Divinity; ( The latent Life Force evolving naturally to the Divine ) (12) The Union of Man with the Divine; ( Merger of man into the Infinite ) (13) Matter’s Illusoriness; – Esse est percipii – Perception is Essence; Mind is Substance.
The practices of the New Age are psychic practices like : Astrology, Reiki, Bioenergy, Chi energy, Chakras, Nirvana, Christ- Consciousness,Spiritualism, Native American Spirituality, Prajna, Out-of-body/near- death experiences, Reincarnation, Yoga, Meditation and the occult disciplines, as well as psychotherapeutic techniques and scientific applications of the healing powers of crystals and pyramids.
Some commonly used New Age terms are: Quantum Healing, Transmutation, Transfiguration, Guided Imagery, Reincarnation; Positive Thinking; Human Potential; Holistic; Holographic; Synergistic; Unity; Oneness; Transformation; Awakening; Networking; Communal Sharing; One-world/globalism/new world order (i.e., One language, One Government, One currency, One religion); Cosmic Consciousness; Zodiac, etc.
Some New Age practices are: Transcendental Meditation, Parapsychology, Inner healing; Biofeedback; Yoga; I Ching; Reflexology; Therapeutic Touch; Transpersonal Psychology; Witchcraft; ; Magick; Tai Chi; Shamanism; Hypnotherapy; Acupuncture/Acupressure; Martial arts; Zen; Relaxation; Silva Method (formerly Silva Mind Control); Visualization; etc.
Some prominent New Agers are: Jeremy Rifkin, Norman Cousins, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, John Denver, George Lucas, Norman Lear, Alice Bailey, Alvin Toffler, Dr. Barbara Ray, Benjamin Creme, Levi Dowling, George Trevelyan, Fritjof Capra, Abraham Maslow, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ruth Montgomery, Shirley MacLaine, J.Z. Knight, Marilyn Ferguson and David Spangler.
Soothing audio environments are created by New Age musicians and they believe rightly that Music has psycho-therapeutic properties. ( This concept is derived from the Vedic Philosophy that All music is Samaveda, the 4th Veda of the Indians ). Born of an interest in spirituality and healing in the late 1970s, it is often used as an aid in meditation.
Essentially meditative, New Age Music is soothing to the Soul. Isnt Music defined as the food for the Soul ? Harmonic consonance, uplifting themes, contemplative melodies & nonlinear song forms are the characteristics of New Age music. Even natural sounds or sounds from Nature and traditional electronic instruments are used by New Age musicians. With roots in classical music or Eastern Music, New Age music is often meditative. Prominent New Age musicians include vocalist Liz Story; harpist Andreas Vollenweider, electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty , electronic-music pioneer Brian Eno, multi-instrumentalist Kitaro & solo-piano artist George Winston.
New Age practices have almost conquered the world. Athletes are using guided imagery. Graduate schools of business are invoking T M, Yoga, and Tarot cards in teaching courses on creativity in business (e.g., Stanford Graduate School of Business). Based upon Astrology, the Science of Time, stock market gurus employ Fibonacci numbers and “Wave Theory” in their forecasting.
We can summarise that the term New Age is an innovative term derived from the mother of all sciences, Astrology, indicating that this earth is undergoing an evolutionary transitional phase from the Piscean Age of Scientism to the Aquarian Age of Divine Wisdome, Cosmic Consciousness , Knowledge and Love. Since the New Age is a conglomeration of spiritual practices, let us analyse the basic principles of N A M
1. The Divine Source of Authority. New Agers do not claim any source of authority — Only Inspiration by the Divine. By the Divine we mean a principle within, the Divine Spark or the Self and many are there who receive the revealations of the Self within or the intuitive insights of the Self.
2. The Lord. – Since Matter and Energy can neither be created or destroyed and the sum total energy in the Universe is an absolute constant ( Universal Being ), the Lord did not create the world, He became the world. Monism –( “All is Unity” ) averrs that there is only One Essence in the universe, everyone and everything being a part of that essence. The Self is an utter Being and all these are its Becomings. New Agers view God as an Impersonal Life force, Consciousness, or Energy (e.g., the “Star Wars Force”) mainly but they also believe in His personal aspect, as the Ocean ( which is Formless ) can take the form of an iceberg! They averr that every human has a divine spark within him because all created beings are reflections of the Divine Idea. The eternal state is called by various terms among different New Age groups, i.e., God-consciousness, Universal Love, Self-Realization, the I AM, Higher Self, Brahman, Nirvana, etc.
2. The Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Christ Consciousness or the Divine Consciousness is what the New Age advocates mean by Christ. . In other words, Christ is a Divine Principle rather than an individual, such as Jesus. This idea of Christ Consciousness asserts that Jesus was only one of the Christs, but that He equipped Himself to receive the Christ Consciousness (i.e., He was a great Master who attained Christ Consciousness), as did other prophets like Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed. New Agers believe Dr Paul Brunton who stated the Jesus spent 18 years in India absorbing Indian Mysticism and that he was initiated into the highest esoteric doctrine.
3. Human Destiny. Man is the measure of all things and is more divine than the animals & hence the salvation of the world depends upon Man. Cleansing the negative elements from the collective subconscient should be the aim of humanity. Once Negativity is cleaned from the collective subconscient, the human positive energy will shine forth and the noble ideals of the New Age will be actualised in an era of Enlightenment. Since man is intrinsically divine and perfect, his only real problem is ignorance of that fact. Gnosis means experiential knowledge and Salvation in the New Age is for man to become enlightened through this Divine Gnosis. New Age groups offer various spiritual techniques to enable individuals, and ultimately the world, to evolve into this Unitive Consciousness . These techniques may include psychotechnologies for attaining altered states of consciousness – Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Zen, Attunement , Channeling (Spirit guides), Psychics, Acupuncture, etc.
4. The Ethical Opposites, Good & Evil – Believing in the Oriental philosophies, New Agers make the distinction between good and evil. All wickedness is weakness and Evil is imperfection. By the method of Trial and Error, we come to know what is good and what is bad for the world and we have to transcend the dualities.
5. Reincarnation. New Agers believe in the ancient Vedic philosophic concept of Reincarnation — that through a long process of rebirths, man can eventually attain Divine perfection. They also teach the Universal Law of Karma –(( The Law of Cause and Effect ( Every effect has a cause ), the Law of Action and Reaction, the Law of Retribution ))- that what a person sows , he shall reap. This is also the doctrine of God’s non-responsibility, that the Self is not responsible and it is the Ego which experiences bitter & sweet mental experiences due to its own Karma.
6.Salvation is Self-Actualisation and Sin is Ignorance – SSome theoreticians taught the concept of Man’s Original Sin. New Age exponents teach the concept of man’s essential goodness. Instead of systems which emphasised the human negative aspect and sin, New Age highlights that every man is essentially divine and it is a sin to call man a sinner ! However, New Agers speak of troublesome desires which are natural impulses which retard human evolution and make the Ego move away from the Self. Sin is merely ignorance of man’s essential divinity. The atrophied spiritual consciousness of the normal man who lives in ignorance of his Divine Self is Sin. Like the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that Energy cannot be created or destroyed, the Law of Conservation of Soul states that the Soul can neither be created nor destroyed. Matter exists in 3 states, liquid, gaseous and solid and matter cannot be created or destroyed. Nothing ever begins to be. Similarly Life does not at physical birth begin to be. It merely enters physical conditions and assumes physical guise. It merely undergoes a parallel transformation into conditions which preexisted in other conditions. The Soul is reincarnated in different bodies in a continous succession of lives. The good or bad Karma earned in the present lifetime determines one’s subsequent incarnation. Attaining higher states of Consciousness should be our aim.There are many different paths to the goal of Divine perfection and we should be tolerant of other paths.
The divine Aurobindo predicted that spiritual influences from India will trigger off a global spiritual movement.There will be Mass Incarnations ( many people divinely inspired ) who will work for World Peace and Universal Love !
I saw them cross the twilight of the Age The massive barrier breakers of this world The sun-eyed children of a marvellous dawn The architects of immortality Carrying the magic Word, the mystic Fire Carrying the Dionysian Cup of Joy !
The four systems of Philosophy which triggered the N A M are Hinduism, a product of 5,000 years of development, Buddhism, circa 560 B.C., Taoism, circa 500 B.C & Druidism, circa 300 B.C, the religion of the Celts, which extended upto the Middle Ages.
