Mind and Nature
Chapter 1
He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'
—Matthew 17:20
Have you ever put your faith to the test? Has any of your prayers been answered? Were you able to witness miracles? Have you ever been bewildered by events that almost seem supernatural?
In the history of science and technology, there has not been a profound discovery into which the mind and nature are connected, yet they are somehow intertwined in the fabric of reality.
We have seen and heard people professing miracles they witnessed and experienced in religious settings. Most are claimed to be the work of God himself. They proclaim that their prayers have been answered. They share accounts of their telepathic experiences.
These ideas, from a modern-day perspective, seem to contradict some of the fundamental laws in mainstream science. It’s an ongoing topic of debate and skepticism within the scientific community, however, there is a field of science, considered by most to be pseudoscience because of the lack of empirical evidence, that tends to shed some light on these areas of obscurity. Most of these phenomena are some of the hot topics of research in this field.
Here I would like to give my two cents on this topic based on Noetic Science.
Noetic science, also known as noetics, is a field of study that explores the relationship between consciousness, mind, and the physical world. The term "noetic" is derived from the Greek word "nous," which means "mind" or "intellect." Noetic science is often associated with parapsychology and the study of paranormal or supernatural phenomena, but it also encompasses broader inquiries into the nature of human consciousness and its potential effects on the physical world (the Lost Symbol, Dan Brown, 2009).
Noetic science is a highly controversial and speculative field. While some researchers and practitioners believe in the validity of the phenomena it explores, many skeptics and mainstream scientists remain critical and skeptical, citing a lack of empirical evidence and reproducibility in many studies. As a result, noetic science is often considered a fringe or pseudoscientific field by the broader scientific community.
With this brief overview of Noetic Science in mind, here is an amazing, yet mysterious story of an eleven-year-old boy who lives in a village.
*He is obliged to fetch water and collect firewood (dry logs) every day. He ensures that his tasks are completed before his parents come home to prepare for dinner.
He has a curious mind. He always wonders about how faith and miracles work. He always questions how the results of faith can be reproducible, which is impractical in reality. He would start putting his faith to the test. He would start small with a mindset such as, “I’m going to make it from here to there. Fingers crossed, I have no doubt.”, and he would jump from one rock to another without the notion that the receiving rock is immovable in the river. Sometimes he fails, sometimes he succeeds and it has become his habit.*
Necessity
One day on a gloomy afternoon, he wholeheartedly needed the miracle of faith, but this time not as a test.
There were two places where he could go and fetch water; the first and the preferable one was the creek. Because of its richness in taste, the whole community used to drink and brag about it 🙂. The second one was the water supply provided by the catholic mission. Though it was not the community’s preference because of its inconsistent nature due to fluctuation in pressure, it is the haven one would consider especially in times of gloomy afternoons where if they take the long road, the payoff would be little then the risk.
So he was about to go to the creek to fetch water but he realized that there was going to be a heavy downpour before he even reached the creek. So he decided to go to the catholic church instead. Usually, about 90% of the time the water supply is restored so it is not guaranteed that one goes home with containers full of water every time, yet he made a bold decision that he was going to fetch water from the church despite circumstances.
Transcendence
When he started his journey, he was transformed. His mind was consumed in the entanglement of faith suppressing the inner workings of the other five senses. He walked with a single purpose in life eliminating other thoughts and responsibilities that were hours away. He was elevated in the moral standard from a moral human to a divinity. He had gripped the handle of transcendence. He was once again able to control nature since Christ!
Yes I know it’s too much to mean someone who works on faith alone, but hey, you get the point though! Anyway, let us continue 🙂
So as he approached the tap, he could confirm that the water supply had not been restored for some days. Usually, the familiar and reliable indicator was the dry surroundings. He even saw that the tap was opened by the extension of the tap handle from its base but the water was not flowing (It is insane to keep moving towards the tap with 100% certainty that the water was not flowing). But that didn’t keep him from approaching the tap as his action was based solely on faith.
Miracle
As he reached the tap, nothing happened! But nothing had stopped him from progressing towards his objective. He simply lifted the container to the tap opening. RIGHT THERE, AT THAT MOMENT, it was MIRACLE! The water started flowing! 🎆.
That was more than enough. That was mind-boggling! One would go berserk! However, since he was in a state of hypnosis, he didn’t take a moment to realize what had happened. He waited for the water to fill the container.
2nd Miracle
When the container was about to fill, the water pressure started decreasing. But he had a strong conviction that despite the circumstances, the container would fill before the water stopped flowing and he stood firm on his belief. The flow rate of the water continuously decreased until it eventually stopped flowing at all. The very last drop from the tap fell into the container and it created the meniscus on the mouth of the container, indicating that the water which was made available at that moment was ultimately to serve the needy boy without excess.
Appreciation
He walked home with the container full of water. In the evening during dinner time, he regathered his thoughts and realized the miraculous event that took place and was amazed. He shared the experience with his family and all marveled as they realized the possibility of such an event to occur in reality, which is of course nearly impossible.
Noetic science suggests that faith, in the sense of strong belief and trust in certain ideas or experiences, can be a transformative force in a person's life. They argue that faith can lead to positive changes in health, well-being, and personal growth. Noetic science has explored the connection between faith, belief, and healing. Some studies have investigated the placebo effect, where a person's faith in a treatment or intervention can lead to real improvements in health, even if the treatment itself has no active ingredients.
Noetic science often includes the study of spiritual or mystical experiences. These experiences are sometimes seen as moments of deep faith or connection to a higher power. Researchers in this field may explore the psychological and physiological effects of such experiences.
Noetic science can also touch on the mind-body connection and how faith or belief systems can influence physical health and well-being. This perspective suggests that a person's beliefs and attitudes can impact their physical health outcomes. Some studies within noetic science focus on near-death experiences (NDEs). These experiences often involve profound spiritual or transcendent elements, and they can influence an individual's faith or beliefs about the afterlife.
Furthermore, Noetic science may intersect with parapsychology, which investigates phenomena like telepathy, precognition, and telekinesis. Some researchers explore how belief in these phenomena can influence their occurrence.
Chapter 2
Most modern-day churches are operating merely on the virtue of faith. They have exercised and harnessed the true power of faith, which then became their testimony. The elders of these churches testify to curing diseases, healing disabilities, restoring flourishing lives, and more. Other religions such as Muslims, Buddhism, Hinduism, and others have also experienced and testified to the workings of faith. Some people have also experienced the power of faith outside religious boundaries. Arguably, faith played a very important role in determining the position of the human species in this intricate web of life since the origin of human consciousness. The workings of faith have been testified in folklore and religious texts.
If you take a deeper look into faith, you will come to an understanding that faith is boundless. Faith is an intrinsic property of human consciousness. It is an integral part of self-development. It is independent of external factors. As an intelligent species with higher cognitive ability than other animal species, faith is a component of these dynamics that distinguishes human consciousness from other animals. It is the revolutionary feature of human consciousness that gives humans a greater advantage of survival over other species.
Jesus, like other great teachers in the past, made several directive statements informing us of this human capability, as quoted below in one of the bible texts.
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.
— Mark 5:25–34
Jesus realized the power of faith that can be radiated from within. The impact and influence it can have on the natural harmony of the four-dimensional reality. But he stressed a lot about being pure in heart for faith to manifest. In other words, do not doubt as it dismisses the essence of faith.
If you also take meditation into account, it aligns perfectly with these viewpoints. Meditation is an ancient practice that has roots in various cultures and traditions around the world. It has been used for thousands of years as a means of achieving mental clarity, relaxation, self-awareness, and spiritual growth. Different cultures have developed their forms and techniques of meditation, often with unique philosophical and religious foundations. Meditation has proved to be an effective ancient relic of many wonders that have since transpired, such as the curing of diseases, foretelling of the future, yielding crops, and other miracles.
Meditation is the practice of nurturing faith in the power of inner stillness. Through the act of sitting in silence and turning our attention inward, we come to recognize the profound truths that faith unveils. In meditation, we trust that within the depths of our own consciousness lies a wellspring of wisdom, peace, and connection to something greater than ourselves. As we cultivate this faith and regularly visit the sanctuary of our inner selves, we discover that meditation is not merely a technique but a sacred journey into the heart of our faith, where the divine and the human meet in profound unity. With that, I would like to finish off with a statement made by Sivananda Saraswati, a yoga guru, and a Hindu spiritual teacher. He said, "Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity."
Conclusion
In summary, faith is pure and it is the state of mind where one transcends the echelons of mental mastery where doubt is negligible. To draw a parallel, take Ohm’s law into perspective. Current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance. When resistance approaches zero, current almost approaches infinity. If you associate faith and doubt with current and resistance respectively, you'd be able to draw some quantitative relationship between faith and doubt. I believe that for one to truly harness the power of faith, there has to be an absence of doubt.
Disclosure
The short story was my personal experience when I was eleven.