By Marja de Vries
What are universal laws?
When something operates in line with the universal laws
‘Societies in Balance’
The underlying dynamics of the Universe
Universal principles describe the underlying dynamics of the order and harmony of the universe. The universal laws are not a theory nor a model, so it is not something someone has thought up, but instead it is the underlying truth, which individuals can recognize as their own truth when they are sufficiently in contact with who they really are, with their true nature. For we can attain an understanding of the operation of the universe – and so of the world – in two different ways:
The most common way in our Western culture is by collecting – with the help of our rational linear mind – analytic knowledge of the parts. Next we use this knowledge of details to try to create an image of the whole with the use of models and theories. This is an almost impossible task, because also moderns scientists know that the whole is more than just the sum of the fragmented parts. Moreover this way misses the insight and understanding of the coherence and inter relatedness of all the parts.
The other way to acquire insights into the operation of the universe is less well-known within the Western culture. This way considers the world and everything within it as a whole. In this case we look at the operation of the dynamic principles and the relationships between all parts that together form the whole. This perspective gives us a basic understanding of the dynamics of the universe, leaving nothing outside the picture. This way reveals that everything is one great interconnected and well organised whole, which operates according to a limited number of relatively simple universal laws. In fact all dynamic and organizing principles of the universe can be described as seven Universal Laws. This means that all movement in the universe follows these principles. Besides these Universal Laws there also exist many derived laws or principles, as a result of the operation of these seven universal laws. Insights into these Universal Laws gives us a frame within which the different aspects of ourselves and the world around us fall into place like pieces of a puzzle. And more important, it gives us insight into what works and what doesn’t work, because when something is in line with these Universal Laws it creates little or no resistance at all, it is in line with our true nature and in harmony with the greater whole.
The book The Whole Elephant Revealed
In my book The Whole Elephant Revealed, Insights into the existence and operation of Universal Laws and the Golden Ratio I describe extensively the operation of the underlying dynamic of the universe as seven interconnected Universal Laws: the Law of Oneness, Correspondence, Vibration (and laws derived from this universal law), Polarity, Rhythm, Cause and Effect, culminating in the Law of Dynamic Balance. As part of this last universal law I also describe the Golden Ratio as universal mechanism behind form, creation and patterns for growth (including growth of consciousness).
I describe these Universal Laws as well based on the common insights of many different wisdom traditions as based on cutting-edge scientific understandings that seem to confirm these principles. By explaining the operation of these laws based on many diverging sources as clearly as possible, I attempt to take the Universal Laws out of the realm of ‘mystification, belief or rules’ and instead show how they can help us understand how things work in the universe.
They are the laws, that have been operating in harmony from the beginning of time to create worlds and universes. Whether we like these Universal Laws or not, as long as the universe endures, they will endure, for the universe exists by virtue of these laws, which form its framework and which hold it together. They are constant, immutable and can not be bent. They are universal, because they work on all levels of reality. They do not discriminate and apply to everything and anyone, any time any place.
The Universal Laws are no rules that tell us what to do, but describe the nature of how things work in the universe. Therefore we can use these insights to understand why things go the way they go and can insights into the operation of these universal principles help us to find meaning in the events of our lives. On the one hand this reveals that we can take full responsibility for our own lives. On the other hand we can by understanding the operation of the Universal Laws consciously choose to have these principles operating to our advantage. This makes it possible to purposefully create the best possible experiences for ourselves and others and to make conscious choices for our future.
A golden thread of Universal Truth running through all wisdom traditions
First I describe the operation of the universal laws based on insights found in the many different wisdom traditions. As one aspect of the golden thread of Universal Truth that runs through all traditions and sources of ancient wisdom of the world, I discovered the existence of these Universal Laws. According to some sources understanding of these laws were taught by old masters, among whom Hermes Trismegistus. According to others insights into their operation has its origin in the Vedic tradition from ancient India, where they were written down for the first time more than five thousand years ago. In fact, the Universal Laws have been revealed by the mystics of many different ages and cultures and are confirmed by many philosophers.
They concern the wisdom of the mystery schools of the past and of many indigenous people of today. According to the Arhuaco Indians from Colombia for example, these laws are not made up by them or by someone else: “It is knowledge based on the deepest insights and highest states of consciousness. The most elevated point is beyond the four directions (meaning beyond the levels of reality that exist in space and time). There exists the knowledge about the past, present and future, about everything concerning the world, the waters and the other planets. About how we maintain the many aspects of Nature in balance, so that everything will always continue to exist in harmony. This knowledge has been passed down since ancient times from mamo to mamo, from generation to generation.” (1)
The Universal Laws are known under many names. In the Hermetic philosophy they are called Hermetic Principles. They are called cosmic laws as long as the cosmos is considered to encompass all that exists in the universe. They are called spiritual laws to emphazise that they (also) work on the spiritual plane and can be used for our spiritual development. And they are sometimes called laws of nature to indicate that everything in Nature works according to those laws. The Universal Laws have been kept secret for a long time, while they were part of the esoteric teachings – in contrary to the esoteric, public teachings. For that reason they are also called esoteric laws. Many of us have not been aware of the existence of these laws and have experienced that as a great lack. But recently these Universal Laws are found in channelled work, in the popular books about ‘How to be successful’, and they are more and more rediscovered by anyone who get deep enough in touch with his or her inner knowing.
Western science and the universal laws
Besides describing the Universal Laws based on the insights that can be found within the wisdom traditions, in my book The Whole Elephant Revealed I also describe these same principles based on recent scientific understandings. For at this moment, recent cutting-edge scientific research is well underway to confirm the operation of these Universal Laws. This way it becomes clear that understandings based on the dynamics of the whole, as found within the wisdom traditions, and understandings based on details, as found within Western science, in fact are complementary. The synthesis of both perspectives makes it possible to rediscover these underlying principles, that are of precious value in this time of great imbalance and worldwide changes.
The operation of the universal laws and the Golden Ratio are at the basis of:
The universe and all of Life
Optimal functioning of ourselves as individual
Optimal functioning of organisations
Optimal functioning of societies
The universal laws, our free will and our soul
We, human beings, have the option of using our free wil, so we are free to choose to act in line with these Universal Laws or – consciously or unconsciously – to act against them. When we understand these principles and know how they work, we can use them to our advantage. Might we choose to act in harmony with these principles, then we are on our way to live in harmony with our true nature and with Nature and the world around us. Insight into the operation of the Universal Laws helps us to understand how and why things happen and comprehension of these laws gives us the opportunity to be in charge of our own life. When someone lives in harmony with these principles, all things can be created and manifested.
Understanding of these laws also gives us insights into the process of development of our awareness of our soul. Once understood, they can be used as guidelines to expand our consciousness. When we consciously bring our lifes in line with these laws, we will receive support from the universe in many surprising ways. For example, see for applying these understanding for networking the article Acting in correspondence with the universal laws.
(1) quote from We Are One, Land & Ziel van Inheemse Volkstammen, composed and edited by Joanna Eede, in collaboration with Survival International, Published by het Spectrum, Houten, NL, 2009; p. 125.
What is the Golden Ratio?
An other aspect of the golden thread of Universal Truth that runs through all wisdom traditions of the world is insight into the Golden Ratio (also known as the Golden Mean or the Golden Section). While the universal laws describe the dynamics of ‘energy’ responsible for harmony and order the universe, the universe also has a marvelous order in its ‘form’, causing an awe-inspiring beauty in the universe. In the dynamic universe the essence of form is not static, but instead is permanently subject to change and cannot be seen separately from the energy associated with it. We can therefore consider ‘energy’ & ‘form’ as an inseparable dynamic unity. The universal laws describe the dynamics of ‘energy’ and we find insights in the principles of ‘form’ in the different wisdom traditions as the principles of sacred geometry. Key principle in the sacred geometry is the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio (1, 618…) is the unique ratio exiting in the universe between the Whole and the part. Because of the very special and unique properties the Golden Ratio creates ‘unity in ratio’, causing within the multiplicity and diversity of forms unity and harmony in the universe.
Golden Mean spiral (‘unity in ratio’ between spiral windings)
Throughout the universe and everywhere in nature we can find this Golden Ratio, e.g. as the Golden Mean spiraal and/or in the form of two succesive numbers of the so-called Fibonacci’s series (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 etc.). If we take two successive numbers of the Fibonacci’s series and we divide each by the number before it, we will find – specially with the higher numbers – that the results approach the value of 1, 618… the Golden Ratio.
|The Golden Mean spiral in the form of galacies||The Golden Mean spiral in the form of the Nautilus shell||The Golden Ratio as two successive numbers of the Fibonacci’s series in pinecones: 8 spirals and 13 spirals in opposite directions (13 : 8 = 1, 625)||The Golden Ratio as two successive numbers of the Fibonacci’s series in sunflowers: 34 spirals and 55 spirals in opposite directions (55 : 34 = 1,617647)|
The harmonic ratios, which create visible or audible forms and which we experience as beauty or which move us, can also be found in our own body, showing that we take part in the same design and that we are in essence a harmonic component of this universal pattern. In other words, an insight into sacred geometry also contributes to a perception of who we are.
Quantum Golden Field Theory
(March, 2008) On the website where much information of Dan Winter – a pioneer on Golden Ratio in physics – is to be found, is the news that professor El Naschie, also mentioned in my book, in his newest paper (january 2008) announces that a synthesis of several new scientific insights culminated in the recent development of what may be termed Quantum Golden Field Theory. The Quantum Field Theory already existed, but of course this ‘Golden’ in this new theory is because the essential part the Golden Mean ratio plays in these new understandings! See for more
Science: The Golden Ratio in the quantum world
(January, 2010) Recent scientific research suggest that the Golden Ratio is present indeed at all different levels of reality. At January 7, 2010 an article with the heading “Golden Ratio discovered in a quantum world” announced a publication about this in Science of January 8, 2010. It concerns a publication of research of a researchteam of well known institutes of physic research in Europe (the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), in cooperation with colleagues from Oxford and Bristol Universities, as well as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK). For who is interested in more details, see the announcement.
The Golden Mean mathematically well-founded
In my book I refer to an article by Nigel Reading Dynamical Symmetries: Mathematical Synthesis between Chaos Theory (Complexity), Fractal Geometry, and the Golden Mean(1994). This Britsish architect lives at the moment in China and wrote recently a corrected and much more extensive version as Dynamical Symmetries | Asynsis: Sustainable Emergent Critical Design (2011). This is an article for those interested in the synthesis between Complexity Sciences, Fractal Geometry and the Golden Mean leading to a sustainable architectural design approach and is mathematically well-founded.
The shift toward a new worldview
Insight into the operation of the universal laws reveals in fact a complete new worldview. We can only be consciously aware of our own worldview though, when we are able to look at it from some distance. Only then we are able to see that what uses to be so common for us. Besides only then we will be able to see that othe rperspectives are possible too. The shift from the old well-known worldview to the new worldview based on ‘that what works’ and so based on the universal principles and the recent scientific understandings that seem to confirm this, can be summarized as follows:
|from fragmentation||to wholeness|
|from alienation||to relations|
|from conformism||to authenticity|
|from effort||to joy|
|from discussion||to dialogue|
|from things||to processes|
|from coincidence||to choices|
|from chaos||to harmony|
|from head||to heart|
|from fear||to love|
|from we are victims of situations and limited in our capacities||to we co-create our own reality and potentially we can do anything|
The new worldview can also be described like this:
There exists a beutiful order in the universe. Everything appeares to be one coherent and dynamic whole. The universal princples describe this complex dynamic system of natural order in the universe as a whole in which everything is connected with everythind, in many different planes of reality shading into each other, and where everything permanently vibrates, moves and mutually influences each other. The picture of reality that emerges on a basis of these universal principles is not, however, that of a chaotic universe. On the contrary, they create a universe in which continuous dynamics perpetually generate a marvellous order out of chaos. If this system is not disturbed, everything time and again works toward balance and harmony, which is revealed as the true essence of the universe.
While everything in the universe emanates from one and the same Oneness or Source, where everything is interconnected. The universe is multidimensional, with many different planes or levels of reality. The physical reality is in fact just one of these planes or levels, the universe being much greater and more amazing than our familiar five senses and our ordinary consciousness would lead us to suppose. Everything that exist is energy and therefore everything is movement. Duality is the nature of the universe and everything has a certain rhythm. Nothing stays and everything comes and goes. In this dynamic whole every effect has its cause and all visible effects have a non-visible cause.
Besides everything in the universe is composed of two active, dynamic aspects. These two active principles appear in many different forms, but the basic pattern of these two opposing aspects is that of expansion and contraction. They often are described as the male and female principle. The male principle – expansion – is directed outward and the female principle – contraction – is directed inward. The cooperation of this pair of dynamic forces, that exists in everything, causes that all energies in the whole universe tend permanently to restore a dynamic balance. Growth and development occur where there is a certain degree of imbalance in this dynamic equilibrium, inclining toward the inwardly directed uniting and integrating female aspect. A dynamic balance enabling optimal growth and development occurs when the degree to which the balance inclines toward the inwardly directed integrating ‘female’ aspect corresponds to the Golden Ratio. In other words, the Golden Ratio is the optimal ratio for growth.
About the Golden Ratio:
- Museum of Harmony and Golden Section (an Russian website):http://www.goldenmuseum.com/index_engl.html
- Website with a lot of information of Dan Winter: http://www.goldenmean.info/indexdw.html
- Website about biogeometry of the Egyptian architect Dr. Ibrahim Karim: http://www.biogeometry.com/english/index.php (in englsh)
About the universal laws and the Golden Ratio:
- Alexandersson, Olof, Living Water: Viktor Schauberger and the Secrets of Natural Energy (1976/1990), Gateway, Dublin.
- Anonimous, The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece (1908/1940), The Yogi Publication Society, Chicago. (For those who like to read the full text)
- Bartholomew, Alick, Hidden Nature, The Startling Insights of Viktor Schauberger (2003), Floris Books, Edinburgh.
- Coats, Callum, Living Energies: Viktor Schauberger’s Brillant Work with Nature Energy Explained,(1996/2001), Gateway, Dublin.
- Doczi, György, The power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art and Architecture (1981/1994), Shambhala, Boston & London.
- Gilbert, Robert J., The Hidden Energy Science of Sacred Geometry: Ancient Traditions and Recent Breakthroughs, the Spirit of Ma’at Magazine, March, 2008.
- Lawlor, Robert, Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and Practice (2001), Thames and Hudson, New York.
- McArthur, Bruce, Your Life: Why It Is the Way It Is and What You Can Do About It, Understanding the Universal Laws, 1993, A.R.E Press, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
- Milanovich, Norma en Shirley McCune, The light shall set you free (1996) Athena Publishing, Albuquerque, NM USA.
- Vries, Marja de, The Whole Elephant revealed: Insights into the existence and operation of Universal Laws and the Golden Ratio (2012), Axis Mundi Books (translation of De Hele Olifant in Beeld (2007), Ankh-Hermes bv, Deventer).