No thinking human being disregards or disrespects the role of science and its innumerable contributions to humankind. However, its legitimacy does not negate the beliefs of those who seek truth and understanding beyond the narrow confines established by a community with a tendency to dismiss anything that cannot be proved by its current methodology. Such is the case with skeptics who null and void all supernatural experience, as if it is not a part of the grand equation. Perhaps those who remain closed to the possibilities should consider the potential for discovery; the virtual foundation of all scientific inquiry. Its existence is not predicated upon the say-so of others. Rather than declaring paranormal activity an illusion perpetrated by the imagination on itself, or some complex mind/body interaction, consider another explanation. A suggestion: perhaps the time has arrived for the scientific-minded among us, those who frequently attempt to invalidate such experience, to consider that they might not yet grasp the notion. Is it entirely implausible that “reality” is more fluid and malleable a concept than science allows? Case in point: The Deep Field. In 2004 NASA aimed a camera, The Hubble Space Telescope, into what they presumed to be “dark space”, a black void in the cosmos. It was not expected to yield any particular return on the effort. Instead, what was revealed through a series of photographs expanded the human consciousness in unimaginable ways, fundamentally altered by a burgeoning concept of the Universe. Scientists gasped while the rest of us stared in wide-eyed wonder. Essentially, what had “always” been there was “discovered” using current technology, conceived by those with the imagination to question what, if anything, was out there in the darkness. They became the privileged first few to see the Light. Those who considered the possibilities were the same scientists who developed the theory, introducing the idea of pointing Hubble in one direction and simply leaving it there, in a singular position; the ultimate in time-lapse photography.
There are many who are certain of what they’ve seen, though remain uncertain of what it was; perplexed by a stunning vision of something no longer of this world, yet present and accounted for nonetheless. Expanding the mind can be a painful, scary process, blatantly challenging previously held beliefs. Scientists have “faith” in their theories. This is at the core of their compulsion to learn evermore. There is no final analysis in the realm of the supernatural. When did curiosity cease being an integral element of inquiry? Individuals who have experienced these undeniable encounters are often offended by the naysayers but need not be; discourse is necessary to revelation. Those secure in their own personal knowledge welcome it as intrinsic to the process of discovery. A human mind is complex. The variety of thought we are capable of producing enlightens us and opens new doors to those with a willingness to proceed down the path on a journey with no end. It is only when we become entrenched in our belief system, closing the door to possibility, that we deliberately stifle our own capacity to absorb knowledge. When someone is adamantly opposed to the concept of the supernatural, they limit only themselves, not the concept. Therefore, no threat is intended or perceived. Fear is often at the root of such reaction, though there is nothing to fear. Likewise, those in the paranormal community who claim to have all the answers are living in bad faith, believing the lie. There are no answers…yet. Those whose encounters were as close as they come openly attest to the “fact” that they have no clue what happened to them. How? Why? It is foreign and deeply disquieting. Disturbing, indeed.
In time, physics will likely produce the quantum leap necessary to furthering our comprehension. In the interim, there are the seekers among us, not so very different from the scientists. This is not a competition. When the scientific community begins working in tandem with the paranormal community, breakthroughs will occur and in fact, will become inevitable. This is not a war; conflict is inappropriate to the cause. It is not about convincing or persuading one side or conquering the other; not an argument but merely intellectual discourse. Hypothesis. New theory posited. Only when these two schools of thought merge as one, when science and spirituality link hands and walk this fascinating path together on a journey with no end, will these like-minded souls recognize each other as companions rather than combatants; a revelation in its own right. Dare we call it an epiphany?
Note the very large latch on this door
