Reality — Is This All There Is?
What is Reality?
Today, most people don’t spend much time pondering what reality is. And so, it is probably your primary “reality” belief that you live in the physical world of matter (solid stuff). But what if you were told the physical Universe is merely an illusory manifestation created by universal consciousness? Or, what if it was explained that you have a higher self that you are not self-aware of? And that this higher self is not part of this manifested world called Earth, nor is it anchored in this solid density of energy that you are experiencing in this physical 3D reality. That’s a lot to take in.
Instead, what if your higher self is an aspect of the eternal Creator source — a multidimensional infinite ‘oneness’ that spans the entirety of existence — from which it became possible for you to experience your life in this 3D reality?
Even more challenging is the precept that ‘you’ created not only this reality (or framework) where you believe you exist at this moment — but also countless other simultaneous realities where you exist as slightly alternate versions of yourself. Yes, that’s a lot more to take in. But what if this 3D reality we all call home is merely an illusion?
The Maya
As Deepak Chopra explains and according to a concept in ancient India, we are all part of Maya — the Sanskrit term for an ‘all-enveloping illusion.’ When the doctrine of Maya arose in India’s ancient past, it was unlike any other concept, thought, or teaching.
And it wasn’t a religious notion or someone’s stroke of genius. Instead, there was a natural connection to Maya that we have lost. The relationship of a creator to its creation. When Maya is discussed today, it is viewed as an esoteric concept that no modern person in the West gives much credence to.
Even when the concept was first recognized in ancient India, Maya had already been around for as long as anyone could remember. And for evolutionary purposes, it has worked very well. Witness the immense creations of civilization as part of Maya. But the continuity that makes the ‘all-enveloping illusion’ so convincing has three significant issues:
1. No one can explain where the human mind came from. To this day, no one can point to how thought arises or even what a thought is.
2. Pain and suffering seem universal, yet so-called lower animals don’t exhibit visible pain and suffering. Why do humans?
3. Our self-awareness keeps asking, “Who am I, and why am I here?”
These issues with Maya seem philosophical — but they did not emerge from abstract thinking. There has just always been this feeling that couldn’t be explained. A familiar feeling that caused even ordinary people to ask, “Is this all there is?” We still don’t have the complete answer.
Is this all there is?
Part of the answer to “Is this all there is?” lies deep within your soul essence. At this deep level of understanding, you know that all that manifests in this 3D reality is simply part of your local mind experiencing this reality. It is also part of the experience of the universal nonlocal mind that permeates all existence. Yet, one still wonders: Where does the core of my existence lie? What is the truest, purest reality? Are we all infinite aspects of universal consciousness bouncing our self-aware reflections around in some cosmic hall of mirrors? And if so, then for what purpose does that occur?
And here are some more questions: Why are there both seemingly physical and nonphysical realms in existence? Do we cycle between such aspects of existence endlessly without any ultimate purpose or destination? What about all other life forms on Earth and throughout the cosmos? Do they experience the same journey as humans? Are some cosmic entities further ahead on the path — and can they teach us something? What is real and unreal? What is truth, and what is an illusion? When will we be able to discern the difference?
In everyday life, no one looks around and says, “This whole world is something my mind created.” But as you sit quietly for a moment, try to sense who and what you really are. Realize that effortlessly and naturally, you are simply here. And your sense of self is your acknowledgment that you exist. To be conscious and to exist go together. The sense of self needs nothing to prove or justify its existence. Meanwhile, the I (the local mind) tapping into universal consciousness has given us every human value, every civilization — and every piece of art, music, science, and technology in this 3D reality.
Most of reality is invisible to the human senses
Now I’m going to go all ‘science’ on you. The ‘electromagnetic spectrum’ is defined as the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies. The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from below one hertz to above 1025 hertz. That corresponds to wavelengths from thousands of miles in length down to wavelengths that are a fraction of the size of an atomic nucleus.
This frequency range is divided into separate bands. The electromagnetic waves within each frequency band are called by different names. Progressing from the low frequency (long wavelength) end of the spectrum, we have radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, and X-rays. Gamma rays are at the high-frequency (short wavelength) end. Radar, sonar, AM/FM radio, TV, and Shortwave are all part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Scientists now state that this entire electromagnetic spectrum (of which visible light is only a tiny part) represents only 0.005% of all the energy in the Universe. Interestingly, the cosmic objects studied by astronomers are typically unreachable and can be understood solely by analyzing the electromagnetic signatures they emit and absorb. On top of that, only about 5% of the ‘mass-energy’ of the Universe is atoms — the kind of stuff you, me, the stars, and galaxies are made of. Quite literally, at least 95% of “reality” is simply invisible to us. This means the entire discipline of astronomy — including Einstein’s vaunted theories — is based on an awareness of less than 5% of creation. We perceive so little and yet think that is all there is.
When we look through our eyes, we see nowhere near the totality of this reality. We merely decode information from a small part of the visible light spectrum. We are literally blind to everything else. There are countless other energies at different frequencies that are a part of this reality that we are not yet experiencing — nor even aware of.
It’s important to note that the human brain functions like a highly sophisticated computer. But it can only show what it has been designed and programmed to display. And the human body is a biological receiver/transmitter that decodes our reality via our five senses.
And so, we have been trying to interpret what our limited five senses can present to us in order to explain the entire nature of existence. And since those very senses can only detect an infinitesimally small portion of reality, we should become much more aware that the full spectrum of existence is way beyond our current understanding. There are entire realms that coexist around and in the same “space” as us. But we cannot perceive them through our very limited human senses and awareness.
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