Ironically, physics—probably the most rigorous branch of science—has often empirically validated core mystical beliefs in its great discoveries, such as the theory of relativity, quantum physics, and just recently, that of the Higgs boson. Physicists tend to be optimistic about using their exciting discoveries to uncover the quintessential mysteries of the universe, primarily the circumstances leading to the Big Bang and the birth of the universe.
Although news releases over the past week have disseminated the confirmation of what has been dubbed the “God particle,” most of the public and even a majority of scientists, have not celebrated the findings. One of the reasons for being less than enthused is that the physics involved is very abstruse; the other reasons are beyond the scope of this blog. However, count me as one of the fair number who is jazzed about the announcement.
In 1964 Scottish professor Peter Higgs et al advanced the theory that an elementary particle existed in a field that permeates all of space and that other elementary particles obtain mass upon interacting with it. For decades, over 6000 particle physicists have collaborated to crunch the numbers and many were involved in building a massive, ultra-complex machine to determine if Higgs and his protégés were indeed right. Quite understandably, these scientists were overjoyed several days ago when Higgs’ hypothesis was confirmed.
The phenomenal machine mentioned above is called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is housed at the world-renowned CERN in Geneva Switzerland. In a 17-mile-long tunnel, the LHC created millions of mini Big Bangs per second to generate traces of Higgs bosons—tiny subatomic particles. The scientists dedicated to the multi-decade project theorize that further investigations of the Higgs bosons will ultimately unlock the final secrets of the subatomic universe (including quarks)—hence the term “God particle.”
Frankly, as a mystic, I don’t require scientific proof of my profound beliefs and direct experiences. However, it is heartening to have physical/material and statistical corroboration of principles I’ve subscribed to for years. The fundamental or foundational mystical principle is that the Divine, or God’s essence, is contained in everything, everywhere.
