Changing Paradigms – What is Truth?
Much of the confusion in the world is due to 2 conflicting Paradigms existing side by side.
What’s a paradigm you ask? A paradigm (from the Greek “paradeigma or pattern”, is a scheme for understanding and explaining life. Paradigms represent the thoughts, values, and assumptions which underlie a culture or a society.
We become invested in the Truth of our Paradigm and disregard one different from ours. Yet the foundation for all paradigms is a combination of science and mysticism.
The thoughts and assumptions of the paradigm most of us grew up with, and the majority are still living with, is based on the science of the 17th through 19th Centuries (Newton, Descartes…) and can be summed up as:
Reality is only those aspects of human experiences which are external and repeatable (like the workings of a clock). All aspects of human experience which are self-developed, inwardly conditioned, unique or purposeful are unreal.
In the 20th Century, beginning with the work of Einstein and extending onto current Quantum Physics a new paradigm emerged.
“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want, and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” – Albert Einstein
Many of us grew up believing the first paradigm and have evolved (meaning accepted the science of change) into the Quantum Paradigm. The Quantum paradigm is the scientific proof of the Wisdom passed down through the ages. Our Consciousness has spiraled full circle, from what we knew only intuitively to what is now accepted scientifically.
This year I want to bring you with me on a dialogue about these paradigms. I hope together we can stimulate compassion for individuals following one paradigm or the other, and compassion for ourselves as we jump back and forth in our own evolutions.
To start, here is a brief summary of the basic beliefs of what Deepak Chopra, MD termed as Traditional (Newtonian) Paradigm and the Quantum Energy (Einstein) Paradigm.
Assumptions in Traditional (Newtonian) Paradigm
Assumptions in Quantum Energy (Einstein) Paradigm
1. There is an objective world independent of the observer, and our bodies are an aspect of this objective world.
1. The physical world, including our bodies, is a response of the observer. Physicists have found that even passive observation of quantum phenomena can actually change the measured result. We create our bodies as we create the experiences of our world.
2. The body is composed of clumps of matter separated from one another in time and space.
2. In their essential state, our bodies are composed of synchronized vibrations of energy and information, not solid matter.
3. Mind and body are separate and independent from each other
3. All matter is just vibrations of various underlying fields. I experience the more objective vibrations as my body, and the more subjective vibrations as my mind. These two sets of vibrations, known as resonance (a type of motion, characterized by oscillation between two states), are so closely tied that they “sync” with each other. The vibrations of the mind (thinking and emotions) are reflected in the body, and vice versa.
4. Materialism is primary, consciousness is secondary. In other words, we are physical machines that have learned to think.
4. The biochemistry of the body is a product of awareness. Beliefs, thoughts, and emotions create the frequencies that create the chemical reactions which uphold life in every cell. An aging cell is the end product of disruptive frequencieis.
5. Human awareness can be completely explained as the product of biochemistry
5. Impulses of intelligence create your body in new forms every second. What you are is the sum total of these impulses, and by changing their patterns (their frequencies), you will change..
6. As individuals, we are disconnected, self-contained entities. This has allowed the Principles of Scarcity (not enought for both of us so I’ll climb over you to get mine), Domination ( I deserve more because I’m more powerful (a man) , smarter, whiter, more religious… than you), creating Fear and Oppression and ultimately War.
6. Although each person seems separate and independent, all of us are connected to patterns of intelligence that govern the whole cosmos. Our bodies are part of a universal body, our minds an aspect of a universal mind. What you do to another you do to yourself first.
7. Our perception of the world is automatic and gives us an accurate picture of how things really are.
7. Perception appears to be automatic, but in fact it is an learned phenomenon. The world you live in, including the experience of your body, is completely dictated by how you learned to perceive it. If you change your perceptions; you change the experience of your body and your world.
References: Chopra, Deepak, M.D. (1993) Ageless Body, Timeless Mind Harmony Books, Crowne Publishing and Random House. New York. pp 4-7.
Henry, Jill EdD (1988) Development and Learning for Transformation, Doctoral Dissertation UGA
Over the coming months we will explore together each of these 7 Assumptions, their implications and what they mean for how we live our lives. Join me!
