The Magic of the Mind: Where Mysticism and Modern Physics Meet

Imagine if you had been given a gift -- a magic wand of sorts --and you were told that you could use this wand at any time to create what you wanted in life. How much would you pay for such a gift? What would you be willing to sacrifice to get it? Now, what if I told you that this gift was free? Not only is it free, but you already possess it. I know it seems outlandish, sort of Harry Potter-esque, but it is in fact the case. You see, that magic wand is your mind and you are the magician. You just don’t know it. This is what is meant by becoming “conscious” -- conscious of who you really are, what you have been given, and what you really can do.

As my teacher Goswami Kriyananda puts it, we are living in the golden womb of creation. We are deeply blessed because we can experience (see, taste, smell, touch, hear) all that we want to experience. That is what’s so special about living on the Earth plane. For example, if you want to experience what it would be like to be wealthy, you can experience it, provided you continue to desire it. Depending upon your karma, it will manifest in this lifetime or a future one.

But how do we do this? By understanding and applying the yogic principle: “Ahambrahmasmi” which is Sanskrit for: “I am the creative principle.” This principle means we are co-creators with God. Like God, we have the power to project, preserve, and dissolve our creations through the magic wand of the mind. In other words, our thoughts create our reality.

One of the exciting and groundbreaking discoveries of modern physics corroborates this principle. Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, who are among the founders of quantum physics, discovered that an electron is not a particle but a sum of all probabilities at once. When we observe it, it freezes into a particular state. This is known as the Copenhagen interpretation because that’s where Bohr resided. So this means that matter -- in its fundamental state -- is indivisible because it is basically energy. And this energy freezes into a state or takes on form when it is observed. When it isn’t observed, the electron takes on the properties of a wave.

In her book, The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, investigative journalist Lynne McTaggart eloquently translates recent scientific discoveries for the lay audience. Here are some excerpts in which she describes the pure potential of the subatomic world:

…electrons, for no reason, elect to transit from one energy state to another. Once you peered closer and closer at matter, it wasn’t even matter, not a single solid thing you could touch or describe, but a host of tentative selves, all being paraded around at the same time. Rather than a universe of static certainty, at the most fundamental level of matter, the world and its relationships were uncertain and unpredictable, a state of pure potential, of infinite possibility.

Once we fully understand the ramifications of the Ahambrahmasmi principle and of recent breakthroughs in quantum physics, we re-gain control and direction of our lives. We realize that we are the captain of our ship. We are creating every moment of our existence. The trick is to create consciously. However, most of us have been doing it unconsciously or rather, subconsciously. The karmic desires embedded in our subconscious mind are dictating our every move. It’s like a software operating system in our mind/body complex of which we are unaware. As a result, we live in darkness -- unaware of the creative forces that are responsible for creating and recreating the circumstances of our lives. We think that these forces are outside of us and we struggle to control them. We suffer over our lack of control. When we realize that the creative forces are within us, we awaken to our true nature and to our true potential.

Next, we need to develop self-awareness throughout every moment of our existence, so we become aware that we are creating on a conscious and subconscious level, in our thoughts, words, and deeds. The tool for developing self-awareness is meditation. Meditation enables us to bring our awareness into the external world. With that awareness, we watch ourselves throughout the day and monitor our creations.

Ultimately, we want to apply the principle of Ahambrahmasmi to know or experience our true Self. This is why we are all here. As Sogyal Rinpoche writes in his book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, “All the spiritual teachers of humanity have told us the same thing, that the purpose of life on earth is to achieve union with our fundamental, enlightened nature.” When we experience our true nature (which, in yoga, is called Self-realization), we experience bliss, joy, peace, and wisdom. It is the heaven that lies within each of us!

May you be blessed with this wisdom, that you may be an even greater blessing to others.

All the Vedas speak of and this whole universe are but projections of You, imperishable Brahman, conjured up by Maya, the mother of illusion. And through the art of Maya, we are charmed by her creations. Know that all of Nature is but a magic theatre, that the great Mother is the master magician, and that this whole world is peopled by her many parts. -- Shvetashvatara Upanishad.

© 2007 Laura Svolos