The Zero Point Field, Morphogenic Fields, quantum fields, Jungian fields of collective consciousness—the list goes on. These are some of the names of fields appearing in many popular books that explore the connections between science and intuitive wisdom. In the very broadest sense, all things are of one source. But, to effectively apply our understandings, it is helpful to differentiate one thing from another. Each of these fields is unique in content and behavior, which will be covered here, but first, we’ll want to explore what constitutes a field.
One of the first ideas of how fields worked came from the study of magnetism. In this respect, a field is an area in space that contains a force’s sphere of influence. In other words, something that cannot be seen directly (the force) acts upon something that can be seen directly (an object) when the seen object comes into the area near the force (the force’s field of influence). Magnetism is considered a force. By emanating this force, a bar magnet can attract metallic objects that are placed nearby. It cannot affect metallic objects that are beyond its field of influence. The magnet’s field extends only so far outward into the surrounding space. The influence of a stronger magnet extends further out.
In the popular literature of today, a field is generally considered to be a matrix or a medium that connects two or more points in space. In “Reflections on Field Theory”, Malcolm Parlett states that a field is “a set of principles, an outlook, a method and a whole way of thinking which relates to the intimate interconnectedness between events and the settings or situations in which those events take place.” This is nowhere more evident than with a gravitational field or the zero point field in cosmology.
This idea was, in great part, spawned by the advent of quantum physics and a particular discovery into a special phase state of matter. Solids, gases, liquids, and plasmas are all made up of particles, and it is the behavior of these particles that distinguishes one state from another. Matter can be transformed into different states by a change in heat.
Normally, gas particles move around randomly at high speed often colliding with one another. But, when they are brought to super-cold temperatures, a peculiar thing happens. They enter an exotic phase state known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Instead of acting like individual particles moving randomly, they begin to act as a single entity and move in concert with one another. When liquids are cooled this way, they become superfluids, meaning that they loose all viscosity. When some solid materials are super-cooled, they loose all resistance, becoming superconductors.
Empty space—without clumped matter—is super cold. In fact, it’s below -4000F. So, any stray particles floating in that space exhibit the unique characteristics of a BEC. The space between you and everything else on this planet is far from being super cold and thus, is not subject to these unifying characteristics.
The unifying aspect of a BEC helped establish another branch of physics known as field theory. Because of its Gestalt approach, it is in many ways, a return to the common roots of Eastern and Western philosophy that predate both the ancient Egyptian and Greek ideas about nature on which Western philosophy is based. It has opened new avenues for biological investigations including renewed interest into the electrical and magnetic fields surrounding the body. It’s worth noting that the magnetic field around the heart is about one millionth of the Earth’s magnetic field. With 6.5 billion people on the planet, the collective heart field of humans alone is larger than the magnetic field naturally produced by the planet.
The Jungian fields, which are the repositories of collective conscious, and the Morphogenic fields, espoused by Rupert Sheldrake, have entirely different characteristics than the fields researched by quantum physicists. These fields deal primarily with the information used by species in their daily activities. Similarly, some philosophers, mystics and intuitive practitioners state that there are energetic templates that are held in collective repositories. These provide the basis of structure taken by all material things. All of these ideas are not far from those recorded by Plato and Aristotle of the Forms and Ideas that constitute the manifested reality we experience as objects. However, even Plato and Aristotle disagreed on where this information resided, as do many philosophers of today.
It is likely that in some way all of these fields do exist and, in some manner, they interact with one another. It is also likely that it will be some time before we have the tools of subtle discernment, whether rational, intuitive or technological, to distinguish one field fully from another in a way that we can effectively apply that knowledge for the good on a broad scale.
Some content excerpted from The Sage Age – Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom
© 2008 MaAnna Stephenson
Content may be used freely with proper credit and a link to www.SageAge.net