I grew up in the church, and although I now count myself among those who identify as ex-Catholic, I have a renewed interest in scripture these days. Passages such as “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind” Romans 12:2 and Psalm 82:6 “You are gods” hold new meanings for me lately.
How come? Well, simply put, it’s because of my interest in science. Psychedelic research about endogenous (within the human body) DMT plus mind-bending theories about the quantum realm have brought me back to scripture.
To unpack my science and scripture connection, I’ll start with theories of human perception. I’ll link back to the biblical references at the end, but go with me on a journey to explore the fascinating research that explains how we make sense of the world around us. As you’ll see, there is a lot more to us than meets the eye! Human beings are exquisitely designed.
How do we make sense of the world around us?
Scientists have long held the belief that our eyes work in somewhat the same way as a camera does – that there is a one-to-one correspondence between what our eyes perceive and the picture produced in our mind. The theory holds that our eyes take in light, convert this to electrical signals, and our retina relays this information to the brain's visual cortex where the image is processed and interpreted. This explanation originated in the 10th century and it is still the most popular theory on human perception today.
However, this understanding of how vision works has been called into question. For example, Yale neuroscientist Karl Pribram spent seven years studying the brains of monkeys as they performed visual tasks. He discovered that a photographic-like image represented in the brain does not accurately describe how our visual processing system works.
Also, his research revealed no one-to-one correspondence between the external world and the brain’s electrical activity. Looking at a square did not produce the electrical activity in the visual cortex in the form of a square. This lack of correspondence between what the eye was perceiving and how the image was represented in the brain was puzzling to Pribram. He knew the conventional theory was inaccurate, but he didn’t have an alternate way of explaining how we perceive the world.
However, he started to gain some insight when he reflected on his past research on human memory. Previously, he had found that the brain stores memories not in discrete locations. Rather memories are distributed throughout the brain based on holographic principles. Drawing on this understanding, Pribram developed the theory that our vision is also holographic.
What is a hologram?
If you watched the original Star Wars movie, you’ll remember the famous scene when Princess Leia appears as a hologram in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi. It turns out that holograms aren’t just a sci-fi phenomenon. They are based on solid science.
Holograms are created when a laser is split in two and overlap each other (creating an interference pattern), resulting in the appearance of a 3D object. This video shows Michael Jackson, Tupac and Elvis Presley, each performing live – after their death – through holographic technology. Humans have learned how to create this technology, but you could say the originator of this tech was God herself.
I’m saying this based on my bias towards a belief in intelligent design. Nonetheless, Pribram did discover holographic principles form the basis for how we naturally process visual information.
Here’s how this works. Our eyes absorb electromagnetic energy (light), and our cells communicate through light (biophotons). At the quantum level, we process incoming visual information by creating holographic representations in our minds.
According to the holographic theory of vision, the same principles that let us see Michael Jackson on stage years after he died apply to how you and I automatically process the world around us.
As the above video shows, Michael Jackson’s performance moved some audience members to tears. How could that be? Isn’t it just a mirage? In one sense, it is just an illusion. Still, holograms do appear to us to be real. And it’s now become a valid theory (albeit not the only theory) about how we naturally perceive the world.
What is real anyway?
This revised theory of human perception may have us wondering – is what I’m seeing the exact picture of what is ‘out there’? After all, the holographic model of vision tells us that the picture of reality in our brain is not a picture at all but a hologram. But it gets even more bizarre when we take this one step further and consider that scientists are now exploring how the universe is holographic.
Next month, a group of scientists from leading universities from around the world are meeting to delve into this area of study further. It’s not an entirely novel concept, though.
As I wrote about in a previous post, our Central Intelligence Agency examined the holographic theory of the universe many decades ago as the basis for how human consciousness functions. And some physicists have been saying this for a long time – that this truly is a mental universe. Objective reality may be far more subjective in nature than we think.
The spirit molecule within us
This brings me back to DMT, the “spirit molecule” that lives within us. There is mounting evidence now to suggest that DMT is a neurotransmitter. The spirit molecule has been found to exist in the brain at concentrations comparable to other known neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. DMT is believed to be the neurotransmitter of perception.
As a drug used in research, this plant medicine often gives people the experience that the world they enter is more real than waking reality. People commonly report seeing geometric forms, and the experience feels real, even though it’s often labeled as just a hallucination.
Laurent Nottale, a French astrophysicist may have some answers for why the DMT world feels so real. In his book, Fractal Space-Time And Microphysics: Towards A Theory Of Scale Relativity, Nottale explains that geometric, fractal shapes make up the fabric of space-time. What this suggests is that the 3D visuals that appear during a DMT trip are not your brain playing tricks on you – it’s not an illusion. You are getting a rare look at the building blocks of our cosmos. The term, hallucination that we often apply to such experiences doesn’t do the experience justice.
It's somewhat mind-blowing to consider that 'normal' reality may be the hallucination, and the psychedelic space may be the 'real' reality! I don't subscribe to the belief that we are living in a simulation but I do think that we do have more ability to change the world than we are led to believe.
All of this science points to humans being quite powerful. It's causing me to have a new appreciation of scripture. And, if we truly are gods, what an enormous responsibility we have to make this world more liveable for generations to come.