The sages and avatars throughout the ages have advised us that the real universe is the spirit world which can’t be seen and the physical universe we know and trust with our 5 senses is merely an illusion. Well I have to say that the cold shower I took this morning did not feel like an illusion. Nevertheless I find myself more and more in alignment with this model of reality every day.
Let me start with Tiller’s equation:
MASS ↔ ENERGY ↔ CONSCIOUSNESS
Mass could be defined as information which has been (temporarily) crystallized into physical form. Energy could be described as information on the move, in flux, making changes. Consciousness could be described as information in its purest potential form. Thus everything can be defined in terms of information.
Perhaps you find this a bit dry? A tad hypothetical? Of little or no use clinically? I beg to differ. The ability to view life in terms of information is the key to health (and disease). The interesting thing about information is that it seems to come in all shapes and sizes. It is beyond definition. Wherever you look there is another way to see it. As the Daoists say, the moment you describe it, you lose it. The task may be thankless but we must make some attempt.
How would you define the difference between inanimate objects and animate life? Right now I would say: it’s a difference in quality of information. Living systems exhibit intelligence whereas inanimate life is a passive receptacle of information.
But rather than exhibiting intelligence, I’d rather say that you and I are infused with information. Consciousness is described as an emergent property in so much as it seems to emerge from the relationships between physical systems (ie: neurons firing back and forth). I think it’s the other way around. Intelligent information drives functionality. First came the intelligence and slowly but surely the physical system evolved to house or carry this intelligence in physical form.
What does all this have to say about health and disease? Well first let’s define them in terms of our model where health becomes the property of living systems which carry a level of intelligence sufficient to sustain themselves. This intelligence must perform all internal functions necessary and respond to external stimuli in a way which raises or at least does not detract from or reduce the intelligence quota.
For want of a better analogy I’ll suggest you think of it in terms of a bank account where we are trying to keep the balance in the black. We are looking to make the net effect of our daily experiences a cash positive transaction.
OK so if that’s health, what’s disease? Quite simply the opposite. Any interaction internal or external which reduces the level of intelligence damages the functionality of the entire system. The physical structure is no longer infused with enough information to sustain internal order. If the deficit becomes big enough then death results.
It’s interesting to consider surgery in this light. Basically by removing an organ or body part we are acknowledging that this part of the body has deteriorated to such an extent that the rest of the body can no longer sustain life in that location (or even in the entire system). We see the physical deterioration but it’s my contention that the decline in information has preceded the damage in the anatomy and physiology.
What kind of inputs are positive? Well to mention just a few: yoga, qi gong, tai chi, meditation, prayer, contemplation in the countryside, love, friendship, belief, visualisation, compassion, healing rituals, proper nutrition, placebo, moderate exercise, connection with the elements, and of course above all balance in all things.
Consider homeopathy where there is no physical element left in the healing input. In my opinion homeopathy harnesses the information inherent in naturally occurring substances so as to deliver an input of information to the patient. It is no coincidence that many of the most powerful homeopathic remedies are made from substances which occur naturally in the human body (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, …). As the world became able to carry more of the information which exists in pure potential all of the physical elements became infused with that information in a heterogeneous way (ie: sulphur took on a different meaning from sodium, and so on…).
Essential to the functionality of any multi-cellular system is the efficient and appropriate transfer of information. Besides the well accepted neurological and hormonal systems, we see that much faster, more immediate communication systems exist. The regularity of cellular orientation in connective tissue points to its ability to act as a single lattice crystal capable of delivering information instantaneously.
In this way when tiny signal inputs are delivered in a meaningful way, big changes result. The early Chinese pioneers plotting the meridians were akin to the early oceanic explorers, discovering the channels that connected us into one single system. Anything which disrupts the flow of information will lead to disease. Generally this becomes associated with the weakest link and there will be a loss of information before there is a loss of structure or physiological functionality. The better physician works in the information domain to correct the imbalance by delivering a meaningful, therapeutic signal that bridges the gap in information.
Every individual cell acts as a micro-sized radio station transmitting and receiving electromagnetic energy. It tells its neighbours how things are going and the signals from neighbours collectively gel into tissue or organ signals delivering signals that indicate the overall state of health. We are literally humming with information. As long as we continue to communicate in this way, there is every chance to stay healthy. Evolution has taught us how to respond to most situations in a way which conserves health (intelligence).
So where does the information or intelligence come from? Well the answer appears to be everywhere and no where. It seems to be non localized. It can be delivered from many miles away but it seems that the closer we are in the exchange the better (or is that just another belief system which amplifies the effect?).
It seems that our conscious choice of what to believe and how we put those beliefs into practice are decisive in delivering healthy outcomes. Belief literally seems to seek out and deliver the relationships and structures necessary to deliver itself. It’s a mystery to me but I’m OK with that. Perhaps I need to raise my own intelligence level a bit more before I can understand it better.
May the balance of your information flow today be positive.
Further reading: I began by mentioning Tiller’s equation. For more background on this, refer to any of the books by William A. Tiller, Ph.D., such as “Some Science Adventures with Real Magic” or “Conscious Acts of Creation.”