If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
- William Blake
Metaphysics is the study of laws that govern the nonphysical Universe, such as Spirit, mind and intelligence. The physical Universe is actually a reflection, or projection, of the metaphysical Universe. The metaphysical Universe was around long before the Big Bang gave rise to the physical Universe. Indeed, it is the cause of the physical Universe; mind creates matter, not the other way round.
To get to the heart of metaphysics, contemplate for a moment these questions:1. Whose idea was it to have these primordial gas clouds clump together, ignite and then explode?
2. Who devised the ingenious method to create almost a hundred known natural elements from just hydrogen, helium and gravity?
3. What is orchestrating all of that stardust into such sophisticated and complex forms of life?
The answers to these questions do not reside in the physical Universe; they are answerable only within the context of the metaphysical Universe - of Spirit, mind and intelligence. All three of these things are just different aspects of the same vast, expansive, unbounded and infinitely creative intelligence.
The flawless coordination of nucleosynthesis reactions and exploding stars are just one expression of that intelligence. Indeed, the mechanics by which the nuclear processes occur have only come within the scope of human comprehension in the past fifty years.
If you only looked at the physical Universe, the conclusion about life and its purpose would be straightforward: none of us should be here and this is all a cosmic accident and life has no meaning. This is a common view held by people who spend their entire lives studying the physical Universe, and it is a reasonable conclusion based upon the objective world with which they are concerned.
Nevertheless, to go from stardust to highly intelligent human beings is an incomprehensible leap. Make no mistake, in spite of appearances, there is an infinite intelligence orchestrating these primal building blocks into profoundly sophisticated structures. This intelligence expresses itself into form to give us the world we experience, and the minds and bodies with which to experience it.
Now, it is time to consider a remarkable concept that allows us to put the metaphysical realm into a simple framework.
HOLONSThe term holon was coined in 1967 by Hungarian philosopher Arthur Koestler in his book “The Ghost in the Machine”. The word holon is derived from the Greek word holos, which means „whole. It also adds the suffix „on, as in proton or neutron, which suggests a particle or part. So what is a holon?
As the name suggests, a holon is a whole/part. It is something that is a whole unto itself whilst, simultaneously, being a contributing part of another „whole.
The essential feature of holons is that they are systems nested within one another. To clarify the concept, take this book as an example. The letters are parts of words, but they are also self-complete as letters. Letters are parts of words, and words are parts of sentences. That is, letters are „wholes within themselves and „parts of the next higher level of wholeness, words. The same is true of words in relation to sentences and so on to paragraphs, chapters and beyond. This concept applies to everything, not just text.
Every system is a holon; from subatomic particles to atoms to molecules to galaxies and even the entire Universe as a whole. Quarks and leptons are parts of atoms, atoms are parts of molecules, and molecules are parts of the Universe. That is, they are all self-complete wholes, whilst also being a part of a more encompassing whole.
We call this organization of holons, or whole/parts, a holarchy. A holarchy is simply a hierarchy of holons. The following diagram represents the holarchy of a book:
Book
Paragraph
Letter
The Holarchy of a Book
Note that as you move your point of focus up or down the holarchy, your perception of what is a whole and what is a part will also change.
Everything in the Universe is a holon and is organized into a holarchy. It is the sub-structure of the entire Universe, both metaphysical and physical.
OPPOSING DRIVES OF HOLONSBefore we look at how the metaphysical Universe fits into the framework of holons, you should understand an important implication of the whole/part structure of the Universe. That is, because a holon is a whole and a part, it has two opposing drives. It has a drive to preserve its partness, and a drive to integrate into wholeness. The following diagram illustrates these opposing forces:
Agency Drive Preserve individuality
Communion Drive
Opposing Drives of Holons
These drives give rise to the eternal battle between the Ego and Spirit, our partness and our wholeness. Put simply, the aspect of our Self that seeks to:
² Preserve our individuality is our Egoic or lower self. ² Integrate into wholeness is our Spiritual or Higher
The following table gives a clearer picture of the result of these competing drives.
Individuality Agency Drive Ego
Lower Self Serve yourself Self-Preservation Wholeness
Communion Drive Spirit
Higher Self Serve others Integration
Holons are systems nested within each other. This is true for every system and there are no exceptions. We can even think of the metaphysical Universe, of Spirit and mind, within the framework of holons. Mind is comprised of interacting parts that form an integrated whole, therefore mind is a holon. Mind consists of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination. Mind flows through consciousness, or awareness. The following diagram represents the structure of the metaphysical Universe:
Pure
Universal
The Holarchy of Mind
There are two levels of mind, encapsulated by Pure Awareness itself. Universal Mind includes and transcends the individual mind. That is, individual mind is a part of Universal Mind, but is also a whole unto itself. Although both minds are of the same substance – intelligence – they differ significantly in degree. If Universal Mind were an ocean, then individual mind would be a droplet from it.
We are, simultaneously, individual beings with individual mind and universal beings with Universal Mind. The veil of separation is so deceptive that most people have no idea how to access the Universal level of mind.
INDIVIDUAL MINDIndividual mind is the same as local mind. We experience it as the intellect and Ego. We are all intimately familiar with this level of mind. We experience it as our objective, rational mind and our everyday awareness. The instinctual priorities of this level of mind are self-preservation and reproduction.
The intellect is constrained within the rules of logic and reason. That is to say, it is limited to thinking in parts. Its expertise is in breaking down wholes into parts to see how they interact. The study of cause and effect relationships, analysis and scientific inquiry are all hallmarks of the intellect.
The most interesting thing about this level of mind is that it gives birth to the Ego. Its function is to keep us separate from everything else, or individualized, and is a vital part of our functioning. Because of this, the Ego cannot see beyond itself to the next level of wholeness. That is because no holon can see beyond its own level of wholeness. Thus, it can never perceive the Universal Mind directly. Only by suppressing the Ego and intellect can one glimpse beyond the separation and fragmentation to the Universal Mind.
UNIVERSAL MINDThe Universal Mind is non-local and atemporal, meaning it is unbounded and independent of time. The hallmark of this level of mind is creative intelligence, which makes it the most profound phenomenon in the Universe. It is the creative powerhouse behind the design of all of nature and life. This intelligence translates DNA into living things, transmutes elements in stars and caterpillars into butterflies.
The big secret of the ages is that you have access to this intelligence. However, it is not obvious because this access is necessarily indirect. The reason is that direct exposure would overwhelm the intellect in a flash. Nevertheless, through your Inner Power you can tap into it.
We experience the Universal Mind subjectively as intuitive impulses, guidance and inspiration. It resides in the domain of the Higher Self. Its thrusts are growth and expression. The intelligence at this level of mind is unbounded, holistic and contextual.
Unlike our intellect, which is bound to think in parts, the Universal Mind has the capacity to think in wholes and has a direct connection to the fertile grounds of causality itself, Pure Awareness. It does not need to pull anything apart to understand it – it knows precisely how everything affects everything else. Creativity and self-expression are the hallmarks of this intelligence.
The Universal Mind encompasses the same intelligence that gives the perfect expression of seeds into sunflowers. It effortlessly translates the coded sequences within DNA into the vast array of life. It turns thoughts into things in a creative way.
PURE AWARENESSIn the science of metaphysics, Pure Awareness is also referred to as First Cause, The Absolute, The Light or Universal Consciousness. Whatever you call it, it is the silent observer of all things, physical and metaphysical. The key feature of Pure Awareness is that it is the level of metaphysical causality. Everything else in the realm of mind is simply an effect of this vast, unbounded and infinitely intelligent awareness.
Its role in the structure of mind is a special one. If letters on a page represented mind, Pure Awareness would be the paper upon which they are printed. It embraces and includes all levels of mind. Its thrust is transcendence: to go beyond what went before. It is the conductor of the symphony of the Universe.
In the next part, you will learn about the building blocks of your Inner Power, how to tap into the intelligence of the Universal Mind and finally a powerful method for accessing Pure Awareness itself.