Newtonian vs. Quantum Physics: How It Shapes Your Reality

The Baha’i writings say that humanity “is possessed of two realities, as it were: a reality connected with the senses which is shared in common with the animal, and another reality which is conscious and ideal in character.” 

Learn how these two branches of physics — Newtonian and quantum mechanics — shed light on each reality.

What Is Newtonian Physics?

Newtonian physics, also known as Newtonian or classical mechanics, is a branch of physics based on the laws of motion and gravitation formulated by the late 17th-century physicist Sir Isaac Newton. These laws, which explain inertia, acceleration, and the reaction for every action, describe how forces influence the motion of objects. 

His law of gravitation describes how the gravitational force is influenced by the masses of two objects and the distance between them. For example, an apple will take longer to fall from 15 feet than five feet, but due to gravity, it will accelerate at the same rate in both cases.

Newtonian physics describes how we experience this known physical reality in our three-dimensional universe. It explains how matter influences other matter and how objects move through space over time in a linear and predictable way. 

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It’s reasonable to view time as linear and predictable if we see ourselves as bodies moving in a material universe, but can these same constrictions be imposed on the spiritual realm? At a talk in London in 1911, Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, said:

Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with us is measured by the sun.

When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.

If there is no separation between us and the divine kingdom, then it appears that those souls who have ascended exist simultaneously in another dimension where an exchange of information and energy is possible, and time is not limited but eternal — a concept of time and energy that finds parallels in quantum physics.

What Is Quantum Physics?

Quantum physics, also known as quantum mechanics, describes the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic levels. Key concepts in quantum physics are quantization, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, quantum superposition, and quantum entanglement.

In his 2017 book “Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon,” Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor, neuroscientist, researcher, and bestselling author, explained that these quantum laws “deal with the unpredictable and the unseen — the world of energy, waves, frequency, information, consciousness, and all spectrums of light. Governing this world is an unseen constant — a single field of information called the unified field.”

The Baha’i writings also address this loving divine intelligence that governs this universe. Abdu’l-Baha wrote:

Likewise, look into this endless universe: a universal power inevitably existeth, which encompasseth all, directing and regulating all the parts of this infinite creation; and were it not for this Director, this Co-ordinator, the universe would be flawed and deficient.

It would be even as a madman; whereas ye can see that this endless creation carrieth out its functions in perfect order, every separate part of it performing its own task with complete reliability, nor is there any flaw to be found in all its workings. Thus it is clear that a Universal Power existeth, directing and regulating this infinite universe.

Dr. Joe Dispenza continued, “We can think of the Newtonian world as dealing with the objective — where mind and matter are separate — and of the quantum world as dealing with the subjective, where mind and matter are unified by energy, or better yet, where mind and matter are so connected that it’s impossible to separate the two. In the quantum or unified field, there’s no separation between two points of consciousness. It is the domain of oneness or unity consciousness.” 

Abdu’l-Baha discussed this connection between all members of this infinite universe. He wrote:

It is obvious that all created things are connected one to another by a linkage complete and perfect, even, for example, as are the members of the human body. Note how all the members and component parts of the human body are connected one to another. In the same way, all the members of this endless universe are linked one to another.

The Baha’i writings expand on our eternal collective reality that makes discoveries as well as the many proofs that establish the existence of the Universal Reality. In the quantum world of energy, frequency, and collective consciousness, time is infinite. In this realm, as you move through time, you experience all possible dimensions and potential realities, which many people refer to as the five-dimensional multiverse. To help us understand this concept, let’s examine the atomic model.

The Newtonian Classical Physics Model vs. the Quantum Physics Model of an Atom

For those of you who may have forgotten, all matter is made up of atoms, and matter, of course, is anything that has mass and takes up space. Inside every atom is a nucleus and subatomic particles like protons, neutrons, and electrons. If you’re like me, you were probably taught the classical model of the atom in elementary school, with electrons rotating around a central nucleus. However, that model is outdated and inaccurate in explaining the composition of atoms and the behavior of electrons.

Electrons actually don’t move in a fixed orbit around the nucleus. Dr. Joe Dispenza explained  that “electrons exist as waves of probability in an invisible cloud of energy surrounding the nucleus. Therefore, the atom is mostly immaterial energy and very little matter.” To illustrate how vast this cloud of energy is in proportion to the nucleus, he shared that if the nucleus were increased to the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, an electron would be the size of a pea and “the space where the electron could exist would be 85,000 square miles — that’s twice the size of Cuba.”

Note that he said “could” and not would exist. According to the uncertainty principle in quantum physics, we never know where an electron is going to appear. “It is only through the act of observation by an observer that it appears,” wrote Dr. Joe Dispenza. 

“Once an observer (mind) comes along and looks for it, the act of observation (directed energy) causes all the potential energy to collapse into an electron (matter); thus it manifests from a realm of infinite possibilities (an unknown) to a known. …When the observer is no longer observing it, the electron turns back into possibility — that’s the wave function.”

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This means that the infinite number of possible experiences that we can create are only limited by our imagination. As Abdu’l-Baha said at a talk in Paris in 1911:

Our imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.

Abdu’l-Baha also stated that this transformation can also result from purification:

Science teaches us that all forms of creation are the result of composition; for example, certain single atoms are brought together through the inherent law of affinity and the result is the human being. A number of primordial atoms have gone into the make-up of a plant, the result of which is this flower.

Again, looking into the mineral kingdom, we observe that this law of attraction is working in the same manner. Many atoms go into the composition of a piece of stone which through purification may reach to the station of a mirror.

As we cleanse the mirror of our hearts, we become more aware of the signs and attributes of God within and all around us. Furthermore, Dr. Joe Dispenza wrote, “Since consciousness is awareness and awareness is paying attention, when you are aware of it and pay attention to it, you begin to merge with it. Your experience of it will literally cause you to become it, and as you unfold deeper and deeper into this unified field, there’s more and more for you to explore and experience.”