Dreaming the World into Being

“The world appears to you so overwhelmingly real

because you think of it all the time;

cease thinking of it and it will dissolve into thin mist.”

Nisargadatta Maharaj

According to quantum physics, past and future are not separate, location doesn’t exist, the world only comes into existence once observed, and this thing we call reality is one of many, possibly infinite, parallel dimensions. People only perceive a limited view of the multi-dimensional reality we live in, according to their readiness, and level of consciousness. In other words, people only see what they are capable of seeing.

One of the most groundbreaking findings in quantum mechanics is that if you split matter into its smallest possible pieces, particles stop behaving like solid matter. These subatomic particles can appear either as waves, particles, or a mysterious cloud of “potentiality”, while magically unbound by any particular location. All subatomic particles possess this type of shape-shifting ability. To make things even more puzzling, when an electron isn’t being observed, it behaves as a wave. The only time it takes a physical form of a particle, is when it is being observed. This theory has been further expanded into views of “quantum probability”, that still eludes many modern day scientists. Danish physicist Niels Bohr, who received a Nobel Prize in 1922 for physics, stated that if subatomic particles only exist when observed, they cannot be classified as independent objects, nor separate from the observer.

So if matter is not solid, nor bound by time or location, as quantum research suggests, its apparent solidity must then be illusion. Many seemingly paranormal experiences in the non-linear world deemed not real suddenly no longer seem impossible. Stories of shamans journeying between dimensions have been recorded for centuries. When a shaman or a medium enters a non-ordinary state of consciousness to retrieve information from the spirit world, could it be that he or she is able to glimpse into the many parallel dimensions of existence, theorized by quantum physicists? And what about those who can materialize objects out of thin air, shape-shift or become invisible, commune with the animal and plant kingdoms, perform remote healing, and countless other mind-bending skills?

Quantum events do not occur just in the laboratory. They also happen inside our brain, on this page, and everywhere around us. When you observe any part of the mysterious dream behind the illusion, the great matrix of energy, you can learn to change reality and alter the entire dream. Quantum physics research suggests that consciousness affects matter as we observe it. Everything we do, say, or think, is altering the fabric of reality. When we truly understand the implications of “dreaming the world into being”, we have the potential to become responsible conscious co-creators.

Ancient Hindu teachings say that creation is the dream of Brahma. In shamanic cosmology, shared by many indigenous cultures around the planet, we are all co-creators of a collective dream-experience we call “reality”. Shaman elders teach that if we dream our world into being with loving kindness, for the benefit of all, we are creating heaven on earth, but when we dream from a place of fear, jealousy, or envy, we increase suffering in the world. This view is also shared by a sect of Tibetan Buddhism that teaches conscious dreaming as a tool for awakening, also known as Tibetan dream yoga.

In the world view of quantum physics, all matter is interconnected in an unseen web of mysterious, collective intelligence. When looking even further down the rabbit hole, there appears to be a deeper order behind our level of existence that gives birth to the whole quantum soup we experience as reality.

Physicist David Bohm referred to this level as “the implicate order”. Einstein’s theory of relativity proposed that time and space are not separate, but part of a unified whole he referred to as “time-space continuum”. Bohm further expanded Einstein’s vision by saying that everything in the Universe is part of a continuum – everything is connected.

Similarly, shamans of the Andes and Amazon believe that we are all connected in an infinite fabric of creation. If we believe that we are separate from everything and everyone else, we only create conflict and suffering. It is only when we become aware of the underlying interconnectedness that we can begin to truly access our dreaming power, and participate in raising the consciousness of the collective dream.

Adapted from the Shamanic writings of Aleeiah