PHYSICS BEYOND THE PHYSICAL Some considerations for extending the science of physics into higher realms of reality By Robert L. Shacklett, Ph.D. July 30, 1998 Human experience over several millennia has shown us that there exist realms of reality beyond the physical. Much of this experience has been recorded in various forms over the ages, but most of it has been disregarded by conventional science because it appears to lack “scientific credibility.”  The reasons for the neglect of this wisdom by mainstream science are not the subject of this outline. But suffice it to say that the 3 or 4 centuries that it has taken to develop a scientific worldview should not overshadow the wealth of experiences from the past and those that are still accumulating today. Such experiences include (a) the viewing and photographing of ghosts and similar transient phenomena; (b) the “out of body” experience (OBE) during which normal sensory input continues; (c) the “near death experience” (NDE) which shows that the physical brain is not always necessary for sensory processing; (d) descriptions of “higher realms” by those experienced in “astral projection,” reporting physical environments a lot like earth’s with matter, gravity, and light; (e) reports from visitors to the “astral plane” that matter there is susceptible to thought and intention with the direct creation of things from ideas. Each level of a reality experience seems to be distinct; with new-arrivals to that realm unable to see levels higher than their own. Experienced travelers do not seem to have this limitation. The level of consciousness of the individual seems to be a key factor in determining the kind of experience he or she has at any given level. I define consciousness to include an essence that is behind awareness – that which energizes or vitalizes an entity and provides its sense of being. Consciousness appears to be basic to all experience at whatever level. If it, indeed, infuses a being to the core, we will not necessarily find it hidden only in the interstices of physical matter. Light is reported to be another basic ingredient for each plane of reality. I use the term in a very general sense, not limited to EM radiation at the physical plane, but to include an analogous vibration of increasing rate that would correspond to a given level. Such “light “ would have to be intimately related to the matter at any given level, in much the same way that EM radiation is related to ordinary physical matter such as the election and other charged particles. This requirement implies that the nature and structure of matter at any given level conforms to a set of self-consistent (mathematical) rules appropriate to that level. The physical constants that describe the properties of our world are all related by various equations of physics. For this reason a new accurate measurement of one of the fundamental constants affects the values all the others. Periodic “least squares” adjustments of all the constants are routinely done in physics to find the best current values. This kind of inter-connectivity would have to prevail at each higher realm, with the fundamental constants describing the matter at a given level all related by sets of equations. A description of this kind implies that units of measurement exist appropriate to a level and that physical properties can be expressed in terms of these units. At the earth level, space, time, charge, and mass serve as the fundamental concepts on which all other measurements are based. In other words, the other physical constants are all expressible as some combination of these basic quantities. Some of the more important constants are speed of light, gravitational constant, Planck constant, elementary charge, electrical properties of the vacuum, fine structure constant, mass of the electron, mass of the proton. The phenomenon called life is a manifestation of consciousness expressing itself through the matter at a given level. This is not to say that matter is essential for life to express. On the contrary, life is able to express itself in ways that are beyond form. For example, we regard spirit as formless but very much alive. The mode of expression using matter requires that there be an interaction or coupling between physical matter and the non-physical levels of thought and intention. The term mind has traditionally been used to describe this interaction. I will use this same term to talk about the similar function at any other level. Conventional science is unable to explain how this interaction can exist. Apropos to this lack, there are a number of efforts currently underway, notably through the series of conferences at University of Arizona, Tucson, aimed at correcting this deficiency. Many investigators are looking into quantum mechanics for clues, especially the mystery of non-locality. A major impediment in the conventional scientific approach is that it is reductionistic rather than holistic. It searches for mechanisms in smaller and smaller structures off matter. For example, there is a rather large effort to show that consciousness may arise through quantum processes at the level of microtubules, tiny structures in neural tissue. While the research into microtubules is important, my number 6 point above, if true, would suggest that these structures are not the seat of consciousness. Nevertheless, the more we understand about neural tissue the better chance we have of understanding how consciousness can operate the physical body. It should be noted here that neural tissue does not exist for simple one-celled creatures, such as amoebae or paramecia, yet it is reasonable to assume that some level of consciousness is operating their bodies. Therefore, the locus and mechanism of the connecting process remains a mystery for even the simplest of living systems. In other publications, Gough and Shacklett have proposed that the mechanism for the connection can best be modeled by mathematics. The device they chose is known as the Penrose twistor. Twistors exist at the Planck length, the “bottom of space-time,” and serve to separate the two realms of mind and matter, at the same time providing appropriate connecting links between them. Thus there can exist a one-to-one correspondence between any particle in space-time and its non-physical counterpart – possibly its “etheric body” which would exist in higher dimensional spaces adjacent to the physical. Humans experience this one-to-one correspondence each time they move a muscle intentionally. The brain may or may not be involved. Cellular memory, such as in the fingers of an accomplished keyboard player, seems to operate independently of the brain. Practice perfects this correspondence which is not present in the newborn babe. It takes a baby a couple of years of practice before he can reliably operate his body. Psychokinesis is the phenomenon where we are able to move or affect objects outside of ourselves through mental effort alone. For most people, this ability must be learned, and it is rather rare and hardly ever 100% reliable. This suggests the coupling between our thought/intention and a distant object is often weaker than that between the infant and the muscles it wishes to operate. Nevertheless, the fact that the phenomenon exists shows that the mind is non-local in its effects. In this way, mathematical physics helps fill in gaps in our understanding that would remain complete mysteries otherwise. Of course, obtaining experimental validation regarding such linkages is out of the question, since matter probes are only able to reach to the level of the nucleus but not far beyond. The Planck length is 18 orders of magnitude smaller. Therefore, physics and the sciences depending on it for support must be content with theoretical exploration of these realms. In other words, the mind is the only tool we have for this important work. It is reasonable, therefore, to presume that similar theoretical exploration of the linkages between other realms of reality can be helpful to our understanding. However, because a scientific vocabulary has not yet been developed for discussing or describing such realms or their linkages, I need to be cautious about the terminology employed. I will try to define all terms used. It is essential that we identify some common characteristic or attribute of the matter at the various levels of reality. Both physics and the esoteric wisdom point to the same basic concept, and that is vibration. The question is, how are we supposed to understand this concept as applied to these unseen realms? At the physical level (earth plane), vibration is described in terms of cycles per unit of time, or frequency. The variation is in some physical quantity, such as a length or a distance, an electric or magnetic field, a temperature or other thermodynamic quantity, or any other measure of a physical magnitude. The important thing is that time is always the independent variable. Esoteric usage is more casual, of course, with scientific time not being a consideration. Instead, vibration (or “vibes”) is a felt experience, not a measurement. Often, the term energy is borrowed to lend more quantitative meaning to the experience, as in, “I really could feel his energy.” The obvious problem we encounter in applying this concept to higher realms is that of time. We have already implied that the familiar concepts of space and time may not be usable at higher levels, at least not the ones used in earth-level physics. However, the concept of duration is not foreign to visitors to such realms, with the intensity of an experience being a factor in judging time lapse. However, while personal time or duration in a higher realm may be much more subjective than our clock time here, the stability of matter in that realm would indicate that whatever parameter corresponds to vibration rate there is not all that different from its meaning here. The implication of this statement is that there exist fundamental constructs analogous to space and time. In fact, electronic transmissions from the astral plane showing pictures of landscapes, houses, and people represent that realm in very similar terms to those of earth. The principle difference, however, is mentioned in point 3(e) above, namely, that thought and intention, in a much more immediate and direct way than we experience on earth, can affect the matter. If the above point is valid, and the meaning of space and time (distance and duration) in higher realms is similar to that on earth, this strongly implies that other physical constants associated with any given realm are really constants. It needs to be pointed out here that there are many metaphysical sources, which assert that our perception of the physical world – space-time and matter – is a creation of mind. In addition, when solid matter is probed to its foundation leveling the sub-nuclear domain, there is no solidity there, only waves. This shows that our minds make up the solidity we experience. Using the astral plane as an example, an entity inhabiting an astral body needs to move around. We can presume that the body would come equipped with the appropriate sets of “muscles” and “nervous tissues” so that the entity’s consciousness can operate the body. So we are back to point 13 and the need for a coupling mechanism. I see no reason not to employ the twistor for this service, just as in point 17. Of course, its parameters would have to correspond to the physical constants of the astral plane and the “Planck length” that goes with such constants. The higher dimensional spaces that are used by an astral level mind for thinking, matter manipulation, and body control are unique to the astral and are not necessarily connected to other levels. In other words, the constraints we experience on the earth plane because we inhabit physical bodies would have their counterparts on other planes. (See point 4.) Exceptions to this rule will be discussed below. A corollary issue that is raised by the above points is that although a body is not essential for life, it is convenient to have one to experience a given level. It is reported that after death, an earth dweller (depending on how advanced the soul is) may choose an astral or higher plane with an appropriate body, or he or she can remain in the state of pure consciousness. Another issue that needs addressing is the one about information “bleed-through” from one discrete level to another. For example, there is a lot of information originating at higher levels that humans can access through the process known as channeling (formerly called mediumship). In order for an inter-level connection to be made, (a violation of the constraint mentioned in point 29) the energy level (vibration rate) of the receiver (the channel) must be raised while that of the sender must be lowered so that it corresponds. This is like tuning a radio to the same frequency as a transmitter to pick up a signal. A slightly different example exists with the electronic process mentioned in point 26. In this case there is no human at the receiving end, only an electronic instrument. The major effort must be made at the transmitting end. According to the experts working in this field, a rather large group of researchers in the astral have been working on the technical problems and recently have been successful in sending electronic messages, including TV images, to earth-based receivers. The psychic environment of the receiver must be carefully controlled in order for reception to take place. Again, a matching of frequencies is needed. The “tuning” process is something that takes place within the consciousness of the individual and is accomplished through intention. The physical body (at whatever level) is coupled to this process and produces a feeling state that provides feedback and a sense of “resonance” when the desired vibrational level is achieved. At the earth plane, there are rare instances of people being gifted with this ability at an early age; but for most humans, tuning is a skill that requires a lot of dedication and discipline to learn. In point 10 I mentioned the inter-connectivity that prevails between all physical parameters in a given level or realm and that these connections are represented by a set of mathematical equations that share a number of variables. Now I would like to switch the perspective from one level to the entire universe of material levels, ranging all the way from the gross physicality and density of the earth plane to the highest plane wherein still exist some material substance. (Please note that this limitation allows for the existence of even higher non-physical or spiritual planes.) The issue I wish to bring up is the possibility that there may be a law relating all these levels. There is a Bible story in Genesis 28 about the dream of Jacob in which he sees a ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. I mention this to invoke an image of a succession of levels that are all connected by another mathematical relationship, that of the fractal. It is well known that fractal mathematics applies to numerous processes and structures at the earth level. Such a connecting link between levels makes sense in view of the ease with which experienced OBE travelers make their journeys. To summarize, I propose that the physical aspects at any given level of reality are characterized by a set of mathematical equations. This means that the matter at that level as well as the bodies inhabited by living beings there are subject to whatever physical laws are operative at that level. The fractal law mentioned above governs the frequency at each level and thereby the properties of the matter there. The twistor introduced in point 17, serves as a natural link between the light entering a level from above and the matter at that level. Furthermore, the physical properties of each level can reasonably be assumed to be intimately related to the light at that level. Indeed, light appears to be the creative source of all the matter at all levels. We can regard such light as emanating from a divine source at the uppermost level.