Here's Chapter Two of the Simple Explanation book. You've seen most of this in other articles, but now it's in one, coherent narrative. I've also updated the diagrams and corrected some minor points. This is the chapter introducing Units of Consciousness, fractals, and quantum mechanics. Buy the Simple Explanation book here.
Chapter Two
A Simple Fractal Model of the Conscious Universe
Each Unit of Consciousness (UC) is a pale echo of the Universal Unit of Consciousness. Or, to put it another way, each UC is a fractal replication of the Universal UC. So before we go any further, let’s talk more about fractals.
In 1975, mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term “fractal” in the first published paper on fractal geometry. Despite some initial resistance from the mathematical community, it was soon discovered that fractal geometry is unparalleled at measuring and modeling the world of natural phenomena.
Here's the definition of fractals from Wikipedia: “A fractal is 'a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole,' a property called self-similarity... Because they appear similar at all levels of magnification, fractals are often considered to be infinitely complex
This means that, as you can see by the pictures, a fractal design’s pattern repeats itself over and over again without end. The copies it produces are very similar but also slightly unique, as each iteration of the formula takes into account the results, or history, of the previous computation.
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| Romanesco broccoli displays a simple, self-similar pattern of conical florets repeating several times at smaller and smaller scales. The fractal formula that describes this broccoli can go on forever dividing the conical florets into smaller and smaller iterations of the mother cone. |
To put the Simple Explanation in fractal terms, our universe is populated by simple, recursive, self-similar structures of consciousness at arbitrarily small scales.
As explained in Chapter 1, as our universe expanded, over and over and over again, pale echoes of the Universal Unit of Consciousness attached themselves to the particles streaming out of the Big Bang. These self-replicating Units of Consciousness (UCs) can be described as fractal emanations of the originating fractal formula--the Universal UC.
Whereas Mandlebrot's best-known fractal, the Mandlebrot Set, looks like this bug below,
the fractal associated with the Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything looks like this torus.
In the Simple Explanation, the enclosure of our material Universe is a Very Large toroidal pattern at the "outside" edge of creation. This would be the Universal pattern at its largest fractal scale, the Universal UC, akin to the singular black void at the center of the Mandlebrot Set. Drilling downward from the greatest torus (the Universal UC) to smallest, the Units of Consciousness associated with sub-atomic particles are the smallest manifest fractal expressions of the Universal set. These smallest material instantiations of creation pass from the realm of pure consciousness through causal energy to material instantiation through calculations of the Universal fractal formula. The crossover from pure consciousness to material instantiation occurs at the edge of an infinite series of ever smaller fractal divisions proceeding downward from the lower limit of material instantiation (Planck's constant), and then energetically finer and finer until energy is finally suspended in the infinite stillness of non-being, the Metaverse.
In the Simple Explanation, the zero point at the center of the universal toroid is the source point where the pure undifferentiated consciousness of the metaverse is concentrated to singular manifestation. This is the crossover location between the undifferentiated unity and material creation.
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The personality we call God manages this Universe's collective karmic record and all of our memes (beliefs and narratives) as well as the physical laws of the material realm.
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In personal terms, my Self UC is a fractal division of the Universal UC, and so is every UC associated with everything in my body. The fractal calculations occur at every hierarchical jump of organizational complexity.
One spiritual implication of this fractal model is that the Universal UC may be visualized as both immanent and transcendent, as many spiritual traditions claim. Immanent within every one of my body's UCs, at the tiniest fractal crossover point at the center of each UC. Transcendent at the outer edge of the Very Large, where our Universal UC nests against the infinite, undifferentiated Metaversal UC ("God the Father," "Sat," "Pure Consciousness," the "Undifferentiated Unity"). We humans are suspended thusly, a particular fractal emanation of, and located within, creation, yet patterned directly from pure consciousness.
Now that we understand what the Simple Explanation means by fractal consciousness, let’s look at some of the features of these fractal UCs.
Units of Consciousness:
Each UC reflects a unique point of view in time and space.
All UCs are inwardly resonating waves propagated within the shell of the Universal UC, therefore all UCs are standing exactly in the same no-place. I am exactly where you are, where we all are. I am exactly where the UC of a quark is, where the UC of a skin cell is. I am no bigger or smaller than any other UC because size is irrelevant where there is no space, and there is no space “outside,” in the metaverse, where the Universal UC is situated. No matter the size or complexity of the material to which the UC is attached, from quanta to human to star system, our UCs are all the same no-size in the same no-place.
There is only one apparent time and place in the universe for any given observer. That place is always right here, right now, at this moment of conscious awareness. All units of consciousness realize their decision-making potential only in the crucible of here and now.
Each UC is capable of using the organizing principles that inform and sustain its existence in our universe. Quanta know how to be quanta; stars know how to be stars; lung cells know how to be lung cells; dogs know how to be dogs. Each UC is fully capable of doing the job put to the material it governs when it follows universal principles (the Tao, God’s Will, Absolute Truth, physics).
Every UC makes decisions affecting the material it governs. (A hydrogen atom, for example, decides whether or not and with which particular two oxygen atoms it will join to form a molecule of water, informed by various physical laws of the universe including its own “karma,” or history of past choices. An organism’s UC decides what to eat, when to mate, where to nest, and so on.)
UCs are social and additive in number— neighboring UCs tend to work together in harmony toward a common purpose.
All UCs aggregate hierarchically under more complex UCs. The more complex the UC, the fewer instances of it exist.
Life forms consist of the aggregated UCs of the material forming their bodies, plus the Self UC. The more complex the organism, the more UCs it possesses.
The degree to which any UC comprehends the physical universe is dependent upon the complexity of its aggregate UCs. There are so many little quanta UCs and atomic UCs that, despite their very simple material expression, they still have a pretty firm grasp of the Universe because they are all over the place. But their responsibilities are very narrowly defined--a quanta may only have one choice to make in its whole life, so that individual quanta's UC isn’t in a position to decide anything else. But, when you consider all of the quanta in this Universe, together they know everything there is to know about atomic structure. Actually, at the simplest level of material instantiation there is very little delusion, as the quantum UCs are so fresh and near the "center" where information streams in from the Metaverse.
The more UCs of the same level of complexity that are laterally linked, the greater their shared perception of here and now. This means, for example, that when you add all of the UCs together that make up my material body, their aggregated consciousness is about as aware as my singular Self UC. And those aggregated UCs (the “mud” and “meat” that make up my body) go everywhere I go!
Every UC has the free will to fulfill or contradict its responsibilities. The more complex the UC, the more sophisticated its decision-making abilities. The more complex the UC, the more opportunities it has to exercise free will. Despite the opportunity for free will, most UCs perform as expected—they “do their part,” they “work according to plan.”
Each functional organ system within an organism possesses its own UC that governs that organ. The lung UC governs the lung cells and coordinates laterally with the other organs; the brain UC governs the nervous system and works laterally with the other organs to maintain the body.
The Universal UC is the most complex UC of all, consisting of all potential as well as actual UCs of our universe, plus its own metaversal omniscience and organizational principles.
As complex systems die and disintegrate, their aggregated UCs are released from the responsibility of supporting that particular life or material instantiation and revert to their simpler states of molecular consciousness. A dead organism’s governing UC no longer presides over the aggregate, nor do the organ systems’ UCs remain after their organs shut down. Cellular UCs will remain until their cells die. The body’s molecular UCs hold it together until their cohesion degrades and only atomic UCs are left. And so on. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Departing UCs rejoin the Universal UC.
All UCs are self-aware, self-governing, with free will. You don't have to reach any level of sophistication to be a governing UC. Every UC governs the piece of material it is attached to, regardless of how simple or inert the material appears to us humans.
Free Will and Quantum Foam
This illustration from Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe shows how the appearance of matter transforms from smooth to chaotic at quantum level magnification. As depicted here, things look smoothest at the lowest magnification and appear increasingly active the closer you look.
The quantum chaos illustrated above can be used to model the principle of individual free will. Looking at the illustration, the lowest magnification at the bottom of the tower appears smooth because most of the UCs are performing more or less as expected. On the top plane, at the highest magnification, the free will decisions made by the sea of UCs reveal their individuality.
UCs are not automatons nor interchangeable bricks in a wall, but entities with free will. If a lateral cohort of UCs decides to not work together, then chaos will win out and the erstwhile structure they formed will collapse.
It is to the benefit of all that most UCs operate according to the metaversal plan and that there is enough redundancy of duties to accommodate each UC's free-will decisions. It is only when examining each individual UC's activities up close that the chaotic nature of free will is even detectable.
My Self, the Governor of Whoville
Collections of UCs have a governing Self UC one step higher up the hierarchical chain than the aggregation making up their body and its systems. This means, for example, that each atom’s Self UC governs its collection of sub-atomic particles and makes the atomic-level decisions; UCs of molecules govern their collected atoms and make molecular-level decisions, and so on.
“I” am the aggregate UCs of my material body, from the subatomic particles to molecules to cells, all the way up through the UCs of the body’s organ systems. Plus, “I” am also the self-aware unit of consciousness generated at conception. Like all UCs, this capital-letter “Self” came into this universe as a perfect echo of the Universal UC. The job of this Self UC is to oversee the body’s aggregate UCs and to join laterally with other UCs like myself to build things.
As you can see by the diagram below, the simpler the UC, the more of them there are, while the more organized and complex the UC, the fewer of them there are. While there is only one "me" (represented by the triangle), my body is comprised of 11 organ systems made of 78 organs, which are in turn comprised of 50 trillion specialized cells made up of such a large number of atoms and molecules that I don't know how to read or write the numbers. And every hierarchical jump in complexity brings a new UC into the world along with the newly formed object. That’s a lot of UCs in here with “me!” I affectionately refer to my aggregation of UCs as “Whoville” and our body as “Meat Mountain.” I am the Governor of Whoville. You have your own Whoville and Meat Mountain. Our UCs are tied to these various material instantiations and so have become localized in time and space, and are no longer omniscient and omnipresent but only so many pieces of matter, or "mud."
Although it may feel as though I am the only conscious entity inhabiting this body of mine, my physical body is actually home to all of these aggregated UCs, each with their own jobs to perform, each making the decisions put to them, each laying down their own karmic record. Lucky for me, their job is to hold me together and facilitate this life of mine, and they generally go along with the program and do a good job.
Note that the "mind" or ordinary consciousness, as well as the subconscious, are artifacts of the organ systems, organs, and cells that make up the body. In other words, the mind is the meat's thought process, not the Self's. The mind usually works on behalf of the ego through the efforts of Whoville, whereas the Self UC works on behalf of the Universal UC, often without thought.
The Self UC isn't always doing its job of conscious decision-making. The human mind may be preoccupied with thoughts or songs or emotions, which blocks the Self UC from making any here-and-now decisions. This leaves most decisions up to the body's aggregate UCs. Activities like walking or driving a car, having sex, eating, or taking a bath can all be carried out by the body's organ level UCs and “mind” outside the Self’s awareness.
“I” am influenced in my decision-making by many forces acting upon me as I approach the here and now. These forces include the karmic records and meme bundles of my Self UC and my body’s aggregate UCs, and the karma and memes of those around me. Despite the multitude of influences acting upon me, it is always within my power to make a free-will decision at any particular moment.
The Fractal Roots of Consciousness
To recap: Within the confines of my skin, countless UCs of varying levels of complexity work together to keep my body alive and fully functional. At each descending level of complexity, from my governing Self UC down through the organ systems, organs, cells, organelles, molecules, atoms, and quanta, my body's UCs deal with increasingly simpler tasks even as the matter associated with them becomes smaller and more numerous. The simplest and most numerous level of materially instantiated consciousness is associated with the quantum foam that forms at the finest fractal edge between matter and energy.
As the roots of a plant send out finer and finer tendrils at each level of fractal branching, our hierarchically arranged aggregate UCs seem to nest closer and closer to the Original Fractal Formula--the Universal UC--at their simplest and most numerous levels. Whereas the concerns of the world often obscure my human-level Self UC, the UC of a single sub-atomic particle or wave (anu), having a fairly limited view of creation and few choices regarding activity, is the least distracted by Ego and most attuned with its originating Source.
At the deepest physical level of instantiation, the countless quanta that form the building blocks of our bodies are associated with countless less-deluded UCs, all tapping their roots directly into the organizational source of our Universe ("Universal UC," "God," "Sat," "Original Fractal Formula").
As I visualize the roots of Whoville, I visualize roots penetrating from my skin inward, finer and finer, to the depths of my material being. Within my body, all of my aggregated UCs drill fractally "backward," smaller and smaller, toward the zero-point field at our shared core. Whereas my Self UC may appear a long way off from God, especially if I conceive of God outside the Very Large, if I instead turn inward and "fall back," I am as near to God as the center point of all of Whoville's myriad UCs. This is a new way to interpret the practices of "centering" and "grounding." When ancient teachings speak of God residing in the hearts of man, this Simple Explanation suggests the heart may be interpreted as the shared zero-point field at the shared center of our fractal Units of Consciousness.
A Simple Explanation of "The Great Commandment"
Known as "The Great Commandment" in Judaism, Leviticus 19:18 states: “ Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” This commandment is reiterated by Jesus and Paul several times in the New Testament, as here when Jesus counsels the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:19, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Commentaries on this commandment usually focus on its Golden Rule aspect--to treat others as you would wish to be treated. The Simple Explanation puts it this way: "In order for units of consciousness to join and work together for the greater good, they need to share information relevant to the current situation, they need to be in harmony with the metaversal plan, and they need to love one another."
While we human-level UCs often struggle with loving others, many of us also struggle with loving ourselves, so how do we accomplish the Great Commandment?
It may help to realize that "I" am not alone in this body of mine, but co-inhabit this material space with countless other UCs devoted to instantiating "my" body. The commandment to "love myself" is a reminder to be kind and wise in the governance of the UCs that make up my Self's body. I am the ruler of their galaxy--I am the "Governor of Whoville," to borrow from Dr. Seuss.
When I ignore the information coming "upline" from my aggregated UCs, my physical body may suffer emotionally and physically. If I ignore my aggregated UCs altogether, they are like sheep without a shepherd, and my emotional and physical body will surely suffer. I must be the wise ruler of this body, as it is my governing Self UC that is responsible for this little galaxy. This can be considered the essential rationale for loving myself. It is not my own Ego I am loving--it is Whoville’s galaxy of devoted UCs.
If I cannot act with wisdom and love toward my own mud and meat, then how can I act with wisdom and love toward other UCs at the lateral level--my "neighbors"? The "neighbor" that I am commanded to love is any nearby unit of consciousness. It is the job of every UC, no matter its hierarchical level of complexity and sophistication, to work together for the good of all. A human's neighbor would be other hierarchically-similar UCs in common purpose (human and non-human), but also “downline” to Whoville, and “upline” as part of some greater purpose.
Lao Tzu put it this way in Verse 68 of the Tao Te Ching: “The best way to win a battle is to avoid confrontation. The best way to get the job done is to make sure that others’ needs are met. This ancient principle is known as 'living in harmony' with your fellow UCs. Living in harmony brings out the best in others. When you live in perfect harmony with others, you live in perfect harmony with the metaverse.”
All of creation is called upon to work together with others for the survival and benefit of all. This is a Simple Explanation of The Great Commandment.
Quantum Entanglement and Karma--
Matter behaves differently at the very small level than it does at our ordinary, visible level. At the smallest levels of material instantiation, two objects can be "entangled," meaning that what happens to one object affects what happens to its partner.
For quantum particles to be entangled, they must both have been part of the same larger system/object at one time. When the larger object to which they both belonged no longer holds its integrity, its parts are no longer physically yoked. These now freed quantum particles may relocate to entirely different places in the universe, but they never forget their original family, so what happens to their previous family members continues to affect them. That's a simple explanation of quantum entanglement.
Quantum superposition refers to the universe's unending balancing act that preserves perfect poise amongst entangled quanta. So let's say you have a pair of entangled photons and that these two photons know how to spin right and left. What happens with superposition is this: if you cause entangled photon A to spin to the right, photon B will, of its own accord, and without you touching it, spin to the left. This quality of superposition makes "action at a distance" possible because you don't have to do anything at all to photon B to make it do something. You only have to affect photon A. Furthermore, it turns out that if A is entangled with B, and B becomes subsequently entangled with C, then A and C are now also entangled. This is known as entanglement swapping.
The new field of quantum computing takes advantage of these properties of entanglement to transfer and store information. In quantum computing, entangled particles are created by blasting apart their family unit and trapping the subsequent quanta in a computer matrix, called a "register." The quanta trapped in the register then respond to stimulation and perform calculations (i.e. make choices). Our universe is a giant quantum register.
The principle behind teleportation works off these same principles: it is possible, theoretically, to prompt changes amongst entangled objects so that it appears as though an object has travelled from one place to another. But nothing “travelled” anywhere. Not even information. It is the relationship amongst the entangled objects that causes manipulations at A to result in predictable changes in B and C.
Superposition is a word that refers to the fact that entangled objects will not reveal their superposition outcomes until one of them makes a choice when prodded to do so. Up until that choice point, either one of the entangled pair may be the one to, for example, spin right, which would force the other to spin left to maintain universal balance. If, on the other hand, the object was made to spin left, then its supersymmetric partner would be the one to spin right.
Karma and Consciousness
Through quantum entanglement we can now model a dynamic mechanism for karma. The Simple Explanation suggests that sub-atomic quanta are simply a fractal order of magnitude step-up from energetic patterns which are themselves step-ups from thought patterns generated by the Universal Unit of Consciousness. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to find metaphorical harmony between material and “spiritual,” or immaterial, law.
In review, the Simple Explanation's definition of karma is this: Karma is the mechanism through which the consequences of behavior inform future potential. Karma is a force of influence that arises out of the decision-making history of every unit of consciousness in the universe. Each UC generates its own karma. We are all affected by one another’s karma. The more a unit of consciousness has in common with another UC, the more it is affected by the other’s karma. Our aggregate karma affects all of creation.
To this definition we can now add the dynamics of quantum entanglement: Your actions affect not only you, they affect me to the extent we are "entangled." And, because of entanglement swapping, not only am I affected by you, but so is everyone else who is entangled with me, and everyone else entangled with them. And so on, and so on, and so on. And we are affected not only by actions, but also by each other's memes, which cycle into and throughout our shared transpersonal consciousness. (We’ll cover memes in Chapter 3.)
This entanglement principle may be the reason why all separation and estrangment is so difficult--"what God has joined together let no man put asunder." The reason is that we cannot truly separate what was once joined; when we do, supersymmetry with the other continues, whether we are aware of it or not.
Here’s another implication of the entanglement principle--as we are all fractal replications of the Universal UC; we are all in a supersymmetric relationship with the Origin—the Universal UC. This is why all UCs not only affect one another to the extent they share entanglements, they all feel the direct pull of Consciousness. The continual cycling of information from the Universal UC affects us all, all of the time. This is "information" in its truest sense—laying webs of consciousness throughout creation through principles of karmic entanglement and supersymmetry.
This is how it is that Lao Tzu could say in Verse 21 of the Tao Te Ching, “The life force within is self-evident. Thus, life itself provides trustworthy evidence of the originating source. From the first moment until now, the manifestations of consciousness remain ever the same. Thus do we all bear witness to the Creator, the Originator. This is accordingly how I know the ways of every thing and the origin of all things: by observing what is within me.”
