I remember first delving into modern physics like it was yesterday. In the spring of 1981, my mentor at RIT, Dr. Lynn Fuller, blew my mind when he told us the story of Schrödinger'sSchrödinger's Cat.
The fundamental law of quantum mechanics, Schrödinger'sSchrödinger's wave equation, describes the state of a single particle by a single quantum wave. The intensity of this wave at any position represents the probability of observing the particle at that position. What does that even mean? Well, this video might help explain it.
When you run an experiment with quantum particles, their particle/wave duality has them behave as both a wave (energy) and a particle (matter), except when you add an observer to the experiment. An observer alters the experiment such that the quanta behave only as matter. Schrödinger'sSchrödinger's Cat was a thought experiment where a cat is kept in a steel box with a booby trap inside that would release poison if a Geiger counter detected a subatomic particle. If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Only if it is observed. To determine if the Cat was dead, you had to observe it. Wave-particle duality requires that you observe a quantum system to locate the position of an electron. This stuff is tough to wrap your head around. Suffice it to say that modern or quantum physics relies on Einstein's theory of relativity, which states that matter is energy in its most elemental form.
So how does this apply to us and the ordinary course of discussion here?
Newtonian physics is in the realm of cause and effect. It applies to the macro world where we do something, and there is direct action. Quantum physics is more like causing effect. To understand the system, we must observe it, which alters it.
When applied to our lives, Quantum creation is the act of observation and creating a future we desire from the infinite possible outcomes, like an electron in a cloud around a nucleus.
In a Newtonian sense, we are grateful for what has happened in the past. In a Quantum sense, we are grateful for an imagined future. In being grateful, our behaviors change in subtle ways to bring our imagined state into reality. Here is an example from my recent history.
I find flow in playing music. I am grateful today for the future breakthroughs, practices, and performances. I also find flow in public speaking. I yearn for the day I can be back in front of real people, and I am grateful today for that eventuality. This past weekend I was given an opportunity that manifests from those two flow states. I was asked to be a guest lecturer at the Berkely College of Music in my practice area as a High-Performance Coach.
Carl Jung first posited the idea of synchronicity, those haunting coincidences that make you think someone up there is pulling strings for you. I submit that it is more tangible than that. Those seemingly coincidental occurrences, bad or good, manifest from our emotional state in the now. From a favorite song, "I can tell your future just look what's in your hand."
More to come.
If you want to geek out on quantum physics, check out this fantastic website. The videos are top-notch.
References for this essay are from Steven Hawking'sHawking's "A Brief History of Time." And Joe Dispenza'sDispenza's "Break the Habit of Being Yourself."
