Thursday, March 27, 2008

Expanding our Universe, Expanding our Dimensions

This week’s blog is short. It’s meant to get you thinking and researching on your own. Now that you’re in tune with the fifth dimension, step back and view our universe with a different perspective. We can ask questions that we might not have asked before. How do angels fit into this universal view? What about the Biblical garden of Eden?

Remember an early Biblical story that encompasses both concepts. “The Lord God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:23-24)

For centuries, curious people have looked for the Garden of Eden. They’ve tried to determine its location. However, what if the garden doesn’t exist in this dimension? What if the Garden of Eden is a doorway to another dimension? That would explain why we haven’t found it. The Bible does not say that it no longer exists; it simply says that an angel is guarding the entrance.

So now, what about angels? Angels exist in spirit form, which means that using our new understanding of dimensions; they are not bound to any dimension, especially the third. Therefore, they may move between heaven and earth with ease.

It may explain how they help us too. What if they can see all our decisions from the fifth dimension as we talked about last week’s blog? They could potentially help us if they see the path we are on.

Even better, the existence of parallel universes would explain why God knows everything about us—what we’ve done, what we will do and what we will become. It does not take away free will, but put the stamp of approval on it! The existence of higher dimensions then makes Eden and the concept of angels a true possibility.

There’s so much to think about! What questions do you have?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Existing in the Fifth Dimension

Last week’s blog talked about human beings living in a four dimensional world. We said that while human bodies have height, width and depth, that we also live in a dimension of time (adding a fourth dimension).

But what if there are more than four dimensions? What if there is a fifth dimension, or a sixth? And what does that mean for us here on earth, stuck in the third/fourth dimension? Do higher dimensions have an impact on our lives?

Physicists have been looking into higher dimensions for quite a while. Einstein was working on his dimension theories before he died. In fact, physicists had introduced the idea that there are more than four dimensions early in the 20th century, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that a concept called String Theory really started to take off. Today, scientists are trying to get a handle on what exactly those dimensions mean for us.

String theory involves quantum mechanics and mathematics to describe a reality that includes up to ten dimensions (maybe more). The basic premise is to try and resolve the differences between gravity and atomic forces. “In fact, the theories that govern gravity and quantum mechanics are totally separate and totally incompatible in the four-dimensional world we know.” It then goes to show that in order to resolve these incompatible forces, we need higher dimensions.

Recently a “surfer” Ph.D., A. Garrett Lisi, claimed to have found a solution for resolving the differences between these forces using eight dimensional math. (Whoa! That level of math is way beyond me.) But his short video clip on You Tube is very interesting nonetheless. Visit the following link to view it if you like. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-xHw9zcCvRQ) (The way the forces of nature congregate in this video will be familiar to Christians – the triangle, a symbol of the Trinity.)

So if we can resolve the fundamental issues of incompatibility with the forces of nature with string theory, what makes up the fifth dimension? Some say mini-black holes, dark matter, cosmic inflation and other fancy concepts make up this higher dimension. Some say that the fifth dimension is just the fourth dimension of time wrapped around itself creating parallel universes.

What if those parallel universes were really the alternate actions that we could have taken in particular situations? Using our coffee example from last week’s blog, what if the parallel universes describe all the different courses of action we could have taken when we saw someone being robbed. The way we handle the situation changes or impacts those around us which in turn impacts the way the world works. Each action produces an alternate universe, changing everything around us.

Many of us at one time or another wish we could change the way we acted or what we did. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how that action would have affected our lives and those around us? If scientists do discover the fifth dimension, would we be able to see the impact of our actions? Would you choose to live in another parallel universe because the outcome was better?

Things to think about until next week…

If you are interested, a 2006 article from MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13070896/), science editor Alan Boyle says, “The problem with detecting the fifth dimension (or sixth, seventh, and so on) is that our bodies are built to measure only the three old-fashioned spatial dimensions, plus time as a fourth dimension.” (That same online article also has a short animation that depicts a three dimensional situation that leads to a particle “escaping” into the fifth dimension. It's pretty cool!)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Are We Three Dimensional?


Many times you hear people say “I am a three dimensional person.” But are they selling themselves short?

Philosophers will say that your three dimensions include mind, body and spirit. Mathematicians will say you exist in an x, y, and z space. Scientists will say…uh…what will scientists say?

There are many theories today concerning our dimensional world. In fact many theories go beyond our three dimensional concepts into higher dimensions. Many of us feel ill equipped to deal with such ideas. It makes our brain hurt.

For the next several blogs, I’m going to introduce a few new ways to think about dimensions that will hopefully lead you to explore and consider your place in those dimensions. I’ll give you websites that have been helpful to me and others and encourage you to branch out on your own to explore new ideas on this subject.

If you’ve had high school geometry, then you comprehend the mathematician’s concept that objects in three-dimensional space occupy a length, width and depth. A good and easy example is the cube.

But physicists take a step further. They introduce the concept of time being the fourth dimension. Our three dimensional bodies travel down the road of time.

For example, you decide to meet a friend at Starbucks at 9am. However your friend doesn’t arrive until 9:30am. That half an hour has moved along a straight line of time and although you may have not moved from the chair in which you are anxiously awaiting your friend, time has moved you. You can’t get that half an hour back (currently) either!


For a more in depth explanation, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU1fixMAObI

The beginning part of this video gives a clear explanation of the fourth dimension (plus it will help for further blogs).

If we accept time as the fourth dimension, then we also accept that time has an impact on us. For example, during your half an hour wait at Starbucks you sat quietly sipping your latte. Suddenly you saw a thief attempt to steal a woman’s handbag. You jumped up, headed outside and conveniently tripped the thief as he ran by. Realizing the gig was up, the thief ran off and you returned the handbag to the appreciative woman. You used that time to impact the events and the people around you.

Now let’s say that a different scenario occurred. During your latte sipping time you witnessed the attempted handbag crime. But instead of acting, you sat passively and watched the thief make off with the handbag. This time you used the time to watch the events which also had an impact on those around you.

But how often do we realize that our actions in time impact what others do? We impact events and people with our actions which in turn impact how others change events and people around them.

Reflection on this idea may cause you to wonder if time indeed has a purpose. If time has a purpose, then has it always existed? Is a created vehicle for us or a benign side product of the three dimensional world we live in? What do you think?

There is so much to discover! Come back and see where you fit into the universe!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

The Bees Are Dying

Humans are not the only ones distracted by cell phones.

Yes, the honey bees that pollinate everything from flowers to crops are dying or at least they are disappearing. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the phenomenon that describes the abandoning of bees from their nests.

This might sound silly at first. Why is it such a big deal? Here’s the crux of the problem: if the bees don’t pollinate the flowers of crops, then we don’t get the rewards of those crops – food. Our food sources become severely depleted.

So what is the cause of the disappearing bees? Scientists believe the use of a cell phone causes bees to become disoriented. According to a German study (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/12138730/detail.html ), the radiation from cell phones disrupts the bee’s navigation systems. Disoriented, the bees can’t find their way home.

As many as 24 states in the U.S. have reported losses of 50 to 90 percent of their bee colonies. (With such loss, this problem becomes just as important as global warming, doesn’t it?)

Are we that different from bees?

Many times we use the “radar” in the business of life to keep track of our spiritual life. Ultimately we want to focus on the goal of eternal life, but are soon distracted by other things. Daily life here on earth draws our attention to competing issues that seem big at the time: our houses, our cars, what vacation we need and even what shoes we are wearing. We begin to hone in on things that seem important, but in the end should remain on our periphery.

When bees get lost from their homes, they wander aimlessly, they don’t eat and they eventually die. When we don’t feed our lives spiritually, we wander aimlessly too. Feeding our spiritual lives is what keeps our radar working and keeps us coming “home” for nourishment.

So the next time you’re on your cell phone, remember the bees. But also remember that when you become distracted by other things, you lose your life’s radar too.