“I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness.”
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (April 23, 1858 – October 4, 1947) was a German physicist who is widely regarded as one of the most significant scientists in history. He developed a simple but revolutionary concept that was to become the foundation of a new way of looking at the world, called quantum theory.
In 1900, to solve a vexing problem concerning the radiation emitted by a glowing body, he introduced the radical view that energy is transmitted not in the form of an unbroken (infinitely subdivisible) continuum, but in discrete, particle-like units. He called each such unit a quantum. This concept was not immediately accepted by physicists, but it ultimately changed the very foundations of physics.
In 1905, Albert Einstein used that concept to explain the photoelectric effect, and in 1913, Niels Bohr used the same idea to explain the structures of atoms. From then on, Planck's idea became central to all of physics. He received the Nobel Prize in 1918, and both Einstein and Bohr received the prize a few years later.
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I love it when I read a quote by one of the more creative, intuitive theoretical physicists and in their words, I see one of my paintings clearly reflected. How directly and with what amazing clarity the physicists often speak of my deepest experiences.
In regards to the above quote, one can literally perceive “matter as derivative from consciousness,” and it is our right to do so as living beings existing in this very dynamic time/space dimension—if we wish to. Why would we not want to explore the true power of our consciousness? One wise man likened it to having a small jet and taking the tires off of it and having it pulled by oxen to plow the field. What do we gain by holding to a more limited form of consciousness? How could that possibly benefit us, we who were created to wonder, to imagine, to explore, and expand? I do not think, as a human species, we have even come close to achieving our true potential in consciousness!
How then do we explore consciousness? For myself, I often begin by simply feeling the mood or the energy of the place I am in. By doing that I can feel my gaze softening as I look beyond objects to the intangible—the formless. A whole different realm of perception starts to open up. Now I am ready for the next step which is to go deeper to subtler levels of perception by seeing/sensing a changeless life in space. I keep asking myself, “What is here that is not changing. As I keep looking, I become quieter and my awareness heightens as my attention focuses on this changelessness. At first, it is revealed in the subtlest hint and then grows in awareness as the moments pass, becoming alive with beingness, an intelligence—and a “quiet” power (yet unequaled ultimately by any other power I have seen). I have been amazed at how powerful and all-inclusive this changelessness is.
As the experience unfolds, mysteriously, though it also seems very natural, my sense of self starts to lift from its state of body identification and expands into this changeless field of consciousness ever so gently. Accompanying this is the realization that the nature of the forms surrounding me has fundamentally changed. They are no longer seen as solid, but are now energetic—"holographic.” They are made of consciousness, and incredibly they are seen as effects—projections of this larger field of consciousness. These forms are literally like the forms in our dreams at night which only have the appearance of being solid until we awaken from the dream and see that they were merely energy patterns projected by our imaginative consciousness upon the field of consciousness. From this perspective of an expanded Self, we can see what Planck means when he says, “I regard matter as derivative from consciousness.” And more importantly—we can experience “matter as derivative from consciousness.” For some, this exploration and discovery into consciousness may at first seem unfamiliar, yet one will realize it is the foundation of one’s very being and there is nothing else one is more intimately connected with.
I would like to end this blog by pointing to the free download of my award-winning illustrated book, “Tobe and the River Is.” To give this gift during these financially challenging times, emotionally and financially, is a great privilege for me. https://www.perception4u.com/bookgift. The book is an entertaining story, yet beneath that and more importantly, it is a detailed road map on how to get to this living field of consciousness. Tobe, the main character, goes through the process of discovery as he learns to perceive consciousness (the River Is) and then to swim in it. The book was also written with the intent of helping people become more comfortable with states of consciousness that are more expansive, showing that the awakening of consciousness only magnifies the enjoyment and enrichment of life. It is this expanded, elevated consciousness that allows us to finally see all the miracles of existence around us. Being in that consciousness fills me with unfathomable peace and joy. And it brings with it strength and confidence because no longer are the oxen pulling the jet through a laborious field but I am aligning with my true potential. My being is simply expressing life as it was intended to.
Thank you for giving this post your attention and time.
Micah Sanger