The Seven States of Creation - the Universal Order of Design

For this blog entry, it is a long one. At first I was just going to string together a collection of videos from an author of one of my favorite books entitled, The Reflexive Universe, by Arthur M. Young. Its an interesting theory, one that I think that should be developed further. Here I will be reviewing or summarizing them, and indicating where I think the theory should be corrected. I will also be comparing it to the writings and visions of Emanuel Swedenborg, as he offers quite a few insights into this theory, which provides an interesting view into the universe in which we live.

Based on his scientific observations and studies of ancient creation myths, Arthur Young proposes that there are seven "states" of existence.  And some of these observations correlate to the seven "days" of creation in Genesis. Swedenborg interprets these seven "days" as seven states of regeneration of man, and that is as far as he takes it. He also says that scripture has multiple levels of meaning -- and I think that Arthur M. Young has stumbled upon one of them. Man is truly a microcosm of the universe, in more ways than we know. Its a theory of understanding everything that exists - and everything that exists will belong to a certain level or degree of existence. Each level or degree of existence is defined by its constraints or freedom. Its at a primitive stage, something that has the potential to unify several things defined separately in physics, math, and biology. What are the seven levels?  They are as follows, although there is a mistake in Young's proposal which I will correct later:

1. Light
2. Subatomic particles
3. Atoms
4. Molecules
5. Plants
6. Animals
7. (Man).

Everything that exists, exists in one of those seven levels. Man is different from animals in that his soul is eternal, and after death has the potential to enter a realm of light. This of course corresponds to the light that exists in our physical universe. Light has the most freedom, and degrees of freedom are progressively lost until we reach the molecule. Then life begins as a growing being - life is organic, acting upon what is inorganic, gaining new levels of freedom. It is a comprehensive view of the universe, having the potential to unify all knowledge of science. Its at its infancy, and its something I would like to see developed further. Below is a summary of lectures that were once on Youtube but have since been taken down:

SPACE-TIME AND ESP

Young observed that the theory of Relativity does not properly account for the phenomenon of time, but tries to simply make it as part of space in the "space-time" continuum. Young mentions structure, and time is defined as "change." Swedenborg makes a distinction between space and time, which are related to the "substance" and "form" of matter. Young had initially struggled a bit to articulate a good definition, it is unfortunate he did not hear of Swedenborg's ideas. Like Swedenborg, he felt he needed to explore the physical reality of science to find the true inner nature of spirituality.

Young mentions an interest in ESP, and his surprise of his discovery of the reality of precognitive dreams. The scientific definition or understanding of time does not account for this.

He then jumps to discussing the four traditional elements of ancient myth: fire, water, air, earth, and how they are related to the four cardinal directions of space. While he tries to relate it to this theory, I think Swedenborg's interpretation of these symbols in myths is the more likely explanation: myths are expressions of the symbols seen in the spiritual world. Swedenborg observed that in heaven there were four quarters, which he explains in detail in his work, Heaven and Hell. A more valid point he makes is he mentions how in math the horizontal axis represents real numbers, and the vertical axis represents imaginary numbers. The first is used to indicate the state of something in space, and the second its state in time.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The "theory" of what Young is describing in the "Reflexive Universe" is in reality not a "theory": it is rather an orderly articulation of everything that exists. It has practical applications in science in properly ordering our extensive knowledge that we have gathered in the last few hundred years. This is something that those who are interested in Intelligent Design should pay attention to: while proponents of Intelligent Design may just seek to prove that God exists and leave it at that (which is why it is rejected in education), the design in creation that Young describes can accurately describe discrete degrees of order. It is a classification, vocabulary or accurate articulation of everything that exists. You do not need to say "Intelligent" Design. You just describe the mathematical properties of what is seen in the design: its order, or "Orderly Design." Things are not random, but exist and proceed according to order. At this point I will quote from Swedenborg:

"[God] is in His Divine order everywhere, inasmuch as God is order" (Heaven and Hell, n. 57)

"[The Lord] is Jehovah, from Whom is order. Hence it may be said that Jehovah is Order itself, for from Himself He governs order; not, as is supposed, in the universal only, but also in things most particular; for the universal is from the particulars" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1919.4). 

"...it is to be known that there are two things which constitute the order of the whole heaven, and thence in the universe; namely, good and truth. Good is the essential of order, all the things of which are mercies. Truth is the secondary of order, all the things of which are verities"(Heavenly Arcana, n. 2258.2). 

"The Lord is order itself; and therefore where He is present there is order, and where there is order He is present." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5703).

Once it is known that God is order itself, then it is known that man must live according to order:

"All order is from Jehovah, that is, the Lord, and according to this order things, one and all, are ruled by Him; but with manifold difference, namely, from will, from good-pleasure, from indulgence, and from permission. Those things which are from His will and good pleasure are from the laws of order as to good, also many which are from indulgence, and some which are from permission. But when a man separates himself from good, he then casts himself upon the laws of order that are of truth separated from good, which are such that they condemn; for all truth condemns man and casts him down into hell; but the Lord from good, that is, from mercy, saves him, and raises him up into heaven. Hence it is evident that it is man himself who condemns himself." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2447.2)

"That evil is contrary to Divine order, and good according to it, may be known by every one; for Divine order is the Lord Himself in heaven, since the Divine good and truth which are from Him constitute order, insomuch that they are order, Divine good its essence, and Divine truth its form. Divine order when it is represented in form, appears as a man; for the Lord, from Whom it is, is the only Man" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4839.2).

It is somewhat unfortunate that Young entitled his book, The Reflexive Universe - most have probably never heard of it and do not know what it is about. I would call it "The Universal Order of Design." While Swedenborg speaks of order in generalities, Young makes use of the particular knowledges gained in science to make discoveries in the patterns or order of things that exist. Young, however, sometimes get sidelined into interpreting some ancient myths, which is not essential to the theory.

For describing order, Young starts with molecules, and from there goes onto atoms, and then subatomic particles, and then light. These are discrete degrees of order in creation. Discrete degrees are not a continuous spectrum - they are different levels of order, with nothing in between. There is nothing in between a molecule or an atom, and nothing in between an atom and a sub-atomic particle.

At this point I would like to point out what I regard as an error in the theory: Young regards light, or the photon, as a discrete degree of order separate from subatomic particles. This is incorrect: light in itself is a subatomic particle as well, it is not a discrete degree of order separate from other subatomic particles.  But I will get to that point later on, to express what I think is a more correct view of the theory. As to why he symbolizes light, subatomic particles and the atom as a point, line, and tetrahedron, I am not so clear, except perhaps to express how lower planes of order are necessary to build higher planes of order.

DISCRETE DEGREES OF REALITY

Young further describes the discrete degrees of light, subatomic particles, the atom, and molecules. With subatomic particles, it is hard to know their position: according to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, we cannot know the exact position of certain particles. With the atom, this uncertainty disappears: we can better know the position of an atom. Young relates the position of a particle with its "identity".  The smaller we go, the principle of identity begins to break down.

One of the fundamental principles of the theory is that at each level or plane of existence, there are different degrees of freedom.  So at the level molecules, that degree of order is the most deterministic: we can measure and know whatever we want about a molecule. This is where science excels: it excels in knowledge which is deterministic. Atoms are less deterministic: although we know their position, it cannot be exactly determined how each atom will radiate or absorb energy. Particles are even less deterministic, as we cannot exactly know their position. Similarly, once the position of a photon is known, it no longer exists: the photon has been absorbed. That is Young's explanation, I will offer an alternative later.

FREEDOM VS. DETERMINISM

The more deterministic a level of order is, the greater the level of constraints, and the less degree of freedom for each particle. Young describes these degrees of freedom in terms of space and time. I do not think Young is completely accurate in describing these degrees of freedom in terms of space and time. Once we recognize this, it will be easier to see a gap in the theory which I will then fill. But an important point that Young makes: uncertainty is a fundamental part of the universe. Science tends to cover this up, as science would like to have everything be deterministic. This uncertainty, as a part of the universe, allows for something to exist we all value: free will. The freedom to make a decision, which is not deterministic. One may say: the universe was created so that free will might exist.

I would go with an alternative way of describing these levels of reality: they are discrete degrees of order. And this is a concept that is fundamental through all of Swedenborg's ideas: the concept of discrete degrees of order is not only applicable to all scientific knowledge, but also all spiritual understanding.  In spiritual development, lower planes of existence must be passed through to reach higher planes of existence. Swedenborg states:

"There are degrees of two kinds, degrees that are continuous and degrees that are not continuous. Continuous degrees are as the degrees of the waning of light from flame to its obscurity, or as the degrees of the fading of sight from what is in light to what is in shade, or as the degrees of purity of the atmosphere from its highest to its lowest level. These degrees are determined by the distance; whereas degrees not continuous but discrete, are distinguished as what is prior and what is posterior, as cause and effect, and as what produces and what is produced" (Heaven and Hell, n. 38).

Swedenborg's application of discrete degrees to human psychology and development is a large topic, and it is impossible to cover here. But these levels of reality in Young's theory, determined by science, provides a good foundation for understanding discrete degrees of order.

HIGHER DEGREES OF ORDER: LIFE FORMS

Young mentions higher degrees of order above the molecule: life, which includes Plants, Animals, and Man, on an upward path to gain more freedom from the constraints of the physical.  Everything created, must return back to its creator. On the chart, Young shows life on an upward path, as it begins to remove constraints and gain more freedom. A living organism can do one thing that a molecule cannot do: it can grow, and multiply. Here is an image of the diagram:

In the video, for the final seventh state instead of "Anthropotheos" (meaning, "God-man") Young has (Man), which he put in parenthesis, because he does not know what belongs there. This is one case where Young recognizes that the theory is incomplete.  What is in that seventh and final state?  I will cover that later, but one guess he provides is "God". For Molecules, Plants and Animals, Young mentions that these are the three kingdoms mentioned by Aristotle: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. But at that time Aristotle did not have enough scientific knowledge to be aware of these other kingdoms. The progression through these states or kingdoms is a process: the process of the Universe.

FOUR ELEMENTS OF ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY

Young mentions how each of the four levels correspond to the four elements in ancient mythology. I will skip over this, as it is not fundamental to the theory. One point he makes at the end: he makes uncertainty in the state of the matter equivalent to what we know as "free will."

PHASE ROTATION AND THE TORUS

Young discusses properties of phase rotation, and the donut-shaped torus. Whereas on a plane or a sphere a minimum of four colors are needed to color a map, a map on a torus requires seven colors. Thus a torus is a three dimensional shape that can be used as another representation of these seven states of existence. In another correspondence, he relates the four level to the four seasons of the year.

SUB-STATES

After some digression, Young now shows another portion of the theory: within each state of existence, there are seven sub-states, which he shows on a grid. Each sub-state corresponds to the other sub-state at the other levels.

Young goes through one of the sub-states in each level as an example.  But one thing that bothered me about the theory, which one can see in the chart: the second row, representing subatomic particles, is blank. I will fill this in later. Another error I feel he makes: he takes light, and tries to make the different spectrums of light into seven sub-states.  Also the seven sub-states of the seventh level are highly speculative, and the reason for that is that Young is forced to guess, deriving each sub-state from what is known from science at the other levels.

DEGREES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

Young now walks through the seven substates of the kingdom of animals - which is what we know the most about. Although he at times followed the biological classifications (at the Phylum level), at times he combined separate Phylae.  The key is to look for levels of organization in the animal.  Here are the increasing levels of organization seen in animals:

1. Paramecea (one-celled animals).
2. Metazoa (many-celled animals) - Sponges
3. Coelenterates (one organ animals) - having identity, or a center, or inside and out
4. Mollusks (many organ animals). Many filae were put together for this one.
5. Annelids (segmentation)
6. Arthropods (side segments, or legs) - all insects, crabs, lobsters, shrimp. Increased legs, until finally down to six. Highly developed instincts. Exoskeleton.
7. Chordata, or vertebrates. Nerve cord.

GAPS AND ERRORS IN THE THEORY

At this point I would like to stop: it is impossible to have just one blog entry on a theory that discusses everything. There is enough evidence, especially in the higher levels of existence that we know about, that Young is on the right track. He explains that for him, the grid was like filling out a cross-word puzzle: he knew what kinds of properties should go there, but in many cases he did not know if it existed or not. One example he uses is at one point he was looking for a "mobile" chemical. So when you compare each substate of each level with others, the same pattern constantly repeats, but with a higher level of organization. But I do not want to proceed further because there are obvious gaps in the theory, and Young was able to recognize some of the gaps. But in other cases he makes a mistake. So let's correct that now.

The first big gap in the theory is that the second state of existence, subatomic particles, is left completely blank. Young explains that at his time (he died in 1995) scientists were still investigating this area. The world of subatomic particles is so small that the only way we can derive information about them is to smash them together, and derive information from the parts that fly off from the collision. Its as if our finger tip was as big as the earth, and we try to smash two cars together and observe the flying parts to figure out what kind of engine each car type has.  And there is a lot of theory. But I think science has discovered enough where we can now take an educated guess as to what substates exist in the subatomic world. Another gap in the theory is the seventh state: it represents a higher level of existence than man. He puts "man" there, but this is incorrect: man represents the culmination of the animal kingdom. I feel he gets closer to the truth when he puts in different states of consciousness for each substate of the seventh level. But that is harder to verify: because as we shall see, I think this is describing a reality which cannot be measured by science.

Let us first start with one basic mistake he makes, which is somewhat of a big one: he puts light or the photon in the first state of existence. In many of his points he is influenced by myth and religion. But it is dangerous to derive scientific fact from a myth, so lets just stick to the scientific facts. The fact is, and any scientist will tell you, a photon of light is simply a subatomic particle. And just because it has no mass, or get absorbed when it is observed, does not mean it belongs in a completely different level of existence. So when you look at the first row of the grid in the video, he creates different substates of the kingdom of light by dividing it into seven different wave-lengths. If the second state of existence is the subatomic world, that is exactly where light belongs.  So now, we have the following states:

1. (unknown)

2. Subatomic particles

3. Atoms

4. Molecules

5. Plants

6. Animals and Man

7. (unknown)

Now that we have pushed light back into the subatomic kingdom, lets take a closer look at that one.

THE SEVEN SUBSTATES OF THE SUBATOMIC WORLD

Everyone who studies chemistry knows that there are protons, neutrons, and electrons. But there are many more subatomic particles than these. I think there are about 63 of them, and the interactions are complicated and in many cases unexplained. So what to do? When I took a look at this problem, I decided to start with the most simple principles. One thing I observed: just as there are four levels in Young's diagrams, so there are four basic forces of the universe. Each force is mediated by a subatomic particle. The four forces are as follows:

1. Gravity. This force is mediated by as of yet an unobserved particle, the graviton.
2. Electromagnetic force. This is mediated by the photon.
3. The Weak Nuclear force. This is mediated by W and Z bosons. It is responsible for "beta decay" - I kind of decay of the atomic nucleus to obtain the right balance of protons and neutrons. The W and Z bosons are extremely heavy when compared to the other particles.
4. The Strong Nuclear force. This is mediated by the gluon. It is responsible for holding protons and neutrons together in each atomic nucleus.

There are only four known forces in the universe, and their relationship to Young's theory is obvious: each level of force constrains a particle further and further, until its stuck and packed inside a small nucleus. Young speaks about how as we make a descent into the lowest fourth level, freedom is lost, there are more constraints, until particles get stuck as if they were in a frozen prism.

So, if on the left hand of the diagram we have force mediating particles, what goes on the right side? The particles that mediate a force all belong to a category known as "bosons". Now take a look at the following diagram, which classifies all of the known subatomic particles in the Standard Model:

On the left we have the bosons, which for the most part are force mediating particles. On the right we have another interesting category: fermions. Fermions include quarks (which includes protons and neutrons) and leptons (which include electrons). Gauge Bosons, which mediate force, all have a 1-spin (the hypothetical graviton has spin 2). Fermions, which includes all matter, all have a half-spin. In the middle we have something called Mesons. So, I would like to propose the seven substates of the subatomic world:

1. Graviton (mediates gravity) - hard to observe directly, but we know its there.
2. Photon (mediates electromagnetism)
3. W and Z Bosons (mediates weak nuclear force)
4. Gluons (mediates strong nuclear force)
5.  (??? - other stuff)
6. Baryons (includes protons and neutrons)
7. Leptons (includes electrons)

Note that in the fifth state, I put "other stuff".  That's because I don't know what to put there. I don't want a boson, that should remain on the left side of the diagram. What I would like is another kind of Fermion that has half spin, that has the property of matter.  So I did some research, and found something I never heard of: a "Skyrmion." What?  Well here is the definition:

"In a quantum field theory, there can be field configurations of bosons which are topologically twisted. These are coherent states (or solitons) which behave like a particle, and they can be fermionic even if all the constituent particles are bosons. This was discovered by Tony Skyrme in the early 1960s, so fermions made of bosons are named Skyrmions after him."

Apparently these things are hypothetical:

"The skyrmion is a hypothetical particle related to baryons. It was described by Tony Skyrme and consists of a quantum superposition of baryons and resonance states."

Bosons that behave like Fermions. Ok, I will "squirm" a Skyrmion in there for now.  I have absolutely no idea what these are. I may be wrong, but it shows the value of the system that Young developed: it allows you to define a state of matter or existence that has certain properties, which allows you to know what to look for to fill in the gap. (Some people are probably screaming, HEY what about that Higgs-Boson there? Did you miss it?? No, I will get to that later).

The highest states of the subatomic world, which include baryons and leptons, are used to build the atoms at the next state of existence. One point I would like to make, is that in every level, the seventh state is the most interesing: things that dwell in this state just about control everything. Here are the electrons, and its always the number of electrons in each atomic shell which determines how they bond together. Leptons also are unaffected by the strong nuclear force: its as if the particles at this state have obtained "complete freedom". This is in line with what Young says about his theory. When I come to think of it, I wonder why he missed this completely.

THE FIRST STATE OF EXISTENCE

Now that we have covered the subatomic world (albeit incompletely), we have another gap to fill: the first state of existence in Young's diagram. What goes here? If we think about it, molecules are composed of smaller simpler atoms. Atoms are composed of smaller simpler subatomic particles. So, what is more simpler that a subatomic particle? What is more simpler than a photon of light which has no mass? Or, to put it another way, what needs to exist before subatomic particles can exist?

When I thought about it, it is simple. The first state of existence is Space-Time. Without that, nothing afterwards can exist. Likewise, you need a piece of paper before you can draw a dot.

This again, is something that Young missed. People tend to think of space as "nothing".  Its not nothing, space is something.  Space and time are created things.  As this theory, which proposes seven states of existence, is related somewhat to the seven days of creation, look at how Genesis begins:

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. (Gen. 1:2)

This is not the primary meaning of the seven days of creation, but it is another level of meaning.  Young took the first day of creation where light is created, and extrapolated from that incorrectly. Its as if the first day of creation should have been the creation of space-time. But, those myth-makers probably did not know what "nothing" was, and skipped that state, or just called it something similar to chaos.

Now, once it is known that the first state of existence is space-time, if you listened to those videos of Young when he explained the degrees of freedom, you will notice something he says that does not make sense. Since he did not define a level for Space-Time, he then uses the concept improperly. He talks about levels that are free from space, free from time, and free from space and time. If you listened to it and it does not make sense, ignore it (it is because it will never make sense as it is incorrect.) So what are the degrees of freedom then?

First, it should be known that in empty space, scientists noticed something weird: virtual particles pop in and out of empty space at random. They come from nowhere, and then go back to nowhere. So returning to the degrees of freedom, what are they?  They are freedom of movement. Now lets go through the first four levels of existence:

1. Space-Time. Virtual Particles pop in and out. "Teleport" movement.
2. Subatomic particles.  Movement is now constrained into a particle-wave.
3. Atoms. Movement is now constrained into an orbit, or a smaller nucleus.
4. Molecules. Electrons now become further constrained in bonds between multiple atoms.

This concept is important, because it will play a role in understanding the seventh and final state of existence.

THE SEVEN SUBSTATES OF SPACE-TIME

Here I will be honest: I do not know if there are seven substates of space-time. And if there were, I do not know what they are. But if the overall theory is correct, there should be seven substates.  One option I considered was this for the first four substates:

1. One dimension.
2. Two dimensions.
3. Three dimensions.
4. Time

And obviously, that is as far as I can take it. Its as if each dimension becomes an additional "constraint", boxing us in the world of space-time. But suppose we take time to be the center, from which we have a frame of reference.  When we have a frame of reference, there are not 3 dimensions, but six: left, right, up, down, forward, backward. And 3 + 1 + 3 = 7. Perhaps it can be symbolized by this object:

Which of course, is the Jewish menora, which was always lit in front of the Holy of Holies.

Let us take the second dimension, and assume we can divide that further into seven further substates.  What are the seven substates of the second dimension?  At one point, Arthur Young starts to relate each level to a different geometric object: a point, a line, a plane, and a tetrahedron. He eventually links everything together in the donut shape of a torus. I wondered why he did not relate each level to a conic section.  How many conic sections are there?  This was first investigated, as far as we know, by ancient Greek philosophers, but is probably based on earlier knowledge from Egypt:

So there are four conic sections, which intersect the double cone, right?  Wrong.  There are seven.  If a plane intersects the exact middle of the cones, we get a point.  If the plane happens to lie exactly on the edge of a cone, we get a line. If a plane cuts the double cone in the middle, we get a plane, in the shape of two triangles. The seven conic sections are:

1. Point
2. Line
3. Plane
4. Hyperbola
5. Parabola
6. Ellipse
7. Circle

And, if we squeeze the diameter of the circle we end up with a point all over again.

Thus, when you add space-time as another level of existence, we can now organize our concepts of geometry into this system. The reason why I touch a bit on conic sections, is that the ancient Pythagorans used math as an introductory subject to introduce students into higher spiritual topics. In Young's theory, each degree or level can be divided into seven sub-degrees or levels. It is a beautiful theory. After you see this, you will want to remember all that stuff you learned in school and then forgot since you never used it.

One side note: I have created seven substates of the second substate (the second dimension) of the first plane of existence (space-time).  Thus, it is quite possible that each of the other substates can be further classified into seven sub-substates. Thus when Young takes light, and divides its wave-lengths into seven states, he may very well be correct.

THE HIGG'S BOSON AND SCALAR PHYSICS

The Higg's Boson was a new particle discovered in 2012 - and at first I thought, so what? Billions of dollars spent to find that? But having read up on it in light of my thoughts on this theory, it is a bit strange. The Higg's Boson is responsible for providing mass to all other particles. Or, to put it another way, the Higg's Boson is an excited state of the Higg's field, and it is this field which provides all particles mass. Its as if the Higg's field is the "stuff" that space is made of. So that is why I did not include it among the seven subatomic substates. Unlike the other bosons, however, the Higg's Boson has a spin of zero. And then I read this interesting statement from Wikipedia, on what the discovery of the Higg's Boson means:

Proof of a scalar field such as the Higgs field would be hard to over estimate: "[The] verification of real scalar fields would be nearly as important as its role in generating mass". ^[7] Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director general of the LHC project, stated in a 2011 talk on the Higgs field:^[24]

"All the matter particles are spin-1/2 fermions. All the force carriers are spin-1 bosons. Higgs particles are spin-0 bosons (scalars). The Higgs is neither matter nor force. The Higgs is just different. This would be the first fundamental scalar ever discovered. The Higgs field is thought to fill the entire universe. Could it give some handle of dark energy (scalar field)? Many modern theories predict other scalar particles like the Higgs. Why, after all, should the Higgs be the only one of its kind? [The] LHC can search for and study new scalars with precision."

The Higg's Boson is also known as the "God particle." So the proof of its existence is like the Second Coming among the physicists: it opens up a whole new door of reality. Coincidentally, it was discovered in 2012 - so maybe those ancient Mayans were right.  A scalar, as I understand it, is a mathematical concept where there is just a value associated with it. A scalar has no direction.  The Higg's Boson, having a spin of 0, is a scalar "particle" - or a value on a scalar field.  So this is why I do not put the Higg's Boson in the kingdom of the subatomic world: I put it in the kingdom of space-time, which may be a set of scalar fields. Particles in the subatomic kingdom in this theory have a spin of 1 or 1/2. And they have direction.  Scalar particles, which have a spin of 0, do not belong in this level, but belong rather in the lower level of space-time.

If this is correct, then...there should be seven substates of scalar particles. At this point we are diving into some highly theoretical physics. One particle hypothesized is the graviscalar, or radion. Its an excitation of the gravitational field. Another reason why I put Higgs-Boson into the Space-Time level, below the subatomic. So discovery of the Higg's Boson is very important. It is the first discovery of a scalar particle - before that, scalars were just used in theory to help explain the physics. Who knows? Manipulation of scalar fields, in the future, could allow us to eventually jump through space-time.


It may not be necessary to postulate other scalar particles to fill in the gaps of the first plane of existence. When researching this matter, I came across an article entitled s-channel Higgs Physics beyond the Standard Model, by G.G. Boyarkina, published in Particle Physics at the Start of the New Millenium. I will quote:

"It is quite possible that the actual Higgs sector in nature has more than one doublet of Higgs bosons or has Higgs bosons in other multiplets. This is expected in many theories that go beyond the SM (Standard Model)."

He continues further, and says:

"Let us consider the asymmetric LRM (left right model) (...) with the bidoublet and two triplets. After spontaneous symmetry violation we are left with the following Higgs bosons: 4 doubly charges scalars (...), 4 singly charged scalars (...), 4 neutral scalars (...) and 2 neutral pseudoscalars."

So theoretically, it is quite possible that multiple types of Higgs-Bosons will be discovered. And apparently theories outside the Standard Model predict that as well. The Standard Model explains many things about particle physics, and even made several successful predictions of particles before they were discovered. However there are known exceptions. The problem is, from the way I see it, is that the plane of scalar fields is a separate discrete order from from the plane of subatomic particles. Its as if atoms and molecules are jumbled together, and scientists are trying to figure out laws that explain both. If it is recognized that this is a separate, prior, discrete order of existence, that may help solve a few problems where the Standard Model does not apply. We have to give up the idea that we are dealing with billiard balls in a space of nothing: at the lowest levels, we are dealing with scalar fields, and if enough energy is directed at a certain point in a scalar field it manifests itself as a "particle." But it is a lower discrete order of existence.

THE SEVENTH PLANE OF EXISTENCE

In Young's theory of the Reflexive Universe, the seventh state is just about completely blank. This is the state of existence beyond animals and man. Although he admits he has no idea what goes there, I think he is close to the truth when he started to fill in that gap with different states of consciousness. So what higher state exists beyond man? These are internal psychological states and ways of living. As a human develops, he/she will pass through discrete stages or planes of existence. And this is where Emanuel Swedenborg comes in. Like Arthur M. Young, Swedenborg was a scientist in search of the soul, and tried to make use of scientific knowledge in order to find it. He wrote a massive work entitled The Animal Kingdom...and then his scientific inquiry stopped. This is because his internal vision was opened, and he began to see visions of the spiritual world. And then these revelations started to explain the spiritual sense of the Bible. He went into reclusion, and came out with this massive multi-volume work, Heavenly Arcana (also known as Arcana Coelestia, meaning "Heavenly Secrets"). You will not hear of him in church. Because the visions explain where the modern Christian churches have turned away from God in their theology, and he does not mince his words. If we read the first sections of Heavenly Arcana, it begins with Genesis and he proceeds to provide the spiritual meaning of the seven days of creation. Readers will have probably noticed some similarities between the different planes of the theory of the Reflexive Universe and the first chapter of Genesis. In Heavenly Arcana, each "day" of creation is a state, and the seven days are seven states of spiritual regeneration. Man begins with his selfish ego, and the first state of regeneration is when he/she sees spiritual light: that one is a sinner, that any good inside of a person originates from a higher source: God. The light of the first day is the spiritual truth. When one accepts the truth, one passes into the second state, which is a state of temptation. Because the way one lives may not be aligned to the spiritual truth. Then temptation and conflict results. Higher and higher states are described further. If you read it, you can probably figure out what spiritual state you are in. Most do not even enter the first state, and many stay stuck there when they refuse to live by the truth.

The way Swedenborg interprets the literal sense of scripture is through symbols, a system he called "correspondences". Every thing, plant and animal in the universe corresponds to a higher spiritual state. Completely independently, Arthur M. Young also discovered that each substate of the different planes of existence correspond with each other. Young's theory of the Reflexive Universe is one and the same with Swedenborg's system of correspondences. The reason why Swedenborg could not find it, and Young could, is that in Swedenborg's day atoms and molecules were for the most part unknown, except theoretical postulates among philosophers. However, Young does not know how to deal with the seventh plane of existence, which is the spiritual state. And that is where the visions of Swedenborg comes in: it fills in the gap of the seventh state. Whoever revealed this stuff seems to have anticipated the roadblock that science would come to for the seventh plane of existence. Because the internal spiritual world is something that cannot be measured by science. They are internal psychological states, which we do not know until we experience them. And that is where psychologists come in, except their theories are not as systematic as what was revealed to Swedenborg: always it's one piece there, another piece over there. Just like physicists have just discovered the Higg's Boson: that is just another small piece of the puzzle.

So what does Swedenborg have to say how about the system of correspondences? A lot. This was knowledge well known to the ancients, knowledge that has been completely lost. Lets cover what he said about the fifth plane of existence, plants:

"I have spoken with angels concerning representatives, to the effect that there is nothing in the vegetable kingdom on the earth which does not in some way represent the Lord's kingdom. They said that all the beautiful and comely things in the vegetable kingdom, derive their origin through heaven from the Lord; and that when the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord flow in into nature, such things have actual existence; and that the vegetative soul or life is from this. Hence are representatives. Because this is not known in the world, it was called a heavenly arcanum" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1632).

"It has been given me to know from much experience, that in the natural world and its three kingdoms there is not the smallest thing which does not represent something in the spiritual world, or which has not something there to which it corresponds. Besides many other experiences, it was also made evident from the following. At a time when I was speaking of the viscera of the body, and was tracing their connection, from those which are of the head to those which are of the thorax, and so on to those which are of the abdomen, then angels above me led my thoughts through the spiritual things to which those viscera corresponded, and this so that there was not the least error. They did not think at all concerning the viscera of the body, of which I was thinking, but only concerning the spiritual things to which they corresponded. Such is the intelligence of angels that from spiritual things they know all and every one of the things which are in the body, even the most secret, which can never come to man's knowledge; and indeed all and every one of the things which are in the universal world, without fallacy; and this because from thence are causes, and the principles of causes.
"The case is similar with the things in the vegetable kingdom; for not the smallest thing exists there which does not represent something in the spiritual world and correspond thereto, as has been frequently given me to know by like intercourse with angels. The causes also were told me, namely, that the causes of all natural things are from spiritual, and the principles of those causes from celestial; or, what is the same, that all things in the natural world derive their cause from truth which is spiritual, and their principle from good which is celestial, and that natural things proceed thence according to all the differences of truth and of good in the Lord's kingdom, thus from the Lord himself, from Whom is all good and truth. These things must needs appear strange, especially to those who cannot or will not ascend in thought beyond nature, and who do not know what the spiritual is, and therefore do not acknowledge it" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2992-2993).

Throughout Swedenborg's visions, he also discusses the symbolic correspondences of animals, and every object and thing that appears in the Bible. Moreover, concepts are divided into discrete degrees, where one spiritual state must proceed the following state. He also speaks of planes of human development:

"Man's life after death is according to his voluntary part, not according to the intellectual. The will is being formed in a man by the Lord, from infancy to childhood; which is effected by innocence that is insinuated, and by fondness for parents, nurses, and children of about the same age; and by many other things which man knows nothing of, and which are celestial. Unless these celestial things were first insinuated into the man while an infant and a child, he could by no means become a man; in this way the first plane is formed.
"But as a man is not a man unless he is endowed also with understanding, will alone does not make the man, but understanding with will; and understanding cannot be procured except by learning and knowledges. He is therefore to be imbued with these by degrees from childhood; and in this way the second plane is formed. When the intellectual part has been instructed in learning and knowledges, especially in the knowledges of truth and good, then first the man can be regenerated; and when he is being regenerated, truths and good are then implanted by the Lord, by means of knowledges, in his celestial things with which he was gifted by the Lord from infancy; so that his intellectual things make one with the celestial; and when the Lord has so conjoined these, the man is gifted with charity, from which he begins to act; and this is of conscience. In this way he first receives a new life, and this by degrees. The light of this life is called wisdom, which then takes the first place, and is set over the intelligence. Thus the third plane is formed." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1555.2-3)

Man, the culmination of the sixth state of existence, then becomes the basis or foundation for spiritual development in the seventh.  There is much that Swedenborg has to say about the seventh state of existence...innumerable in fact. Swedenborg once said that since God is infinite, in heaven there are infinite things.  I will continue a bit more on Young's theory and Swedenborg in subsequent blogs.

Freeware Multiplayer Games for the Family

With the advent of computers, the internet, and social networking, the net affect of this is that society is becoming less social. Online interactions are no substitute for face to face interactions. I heard of instances where two children in the same room do not talk to each other, but instead will use their devices to constantly text each other. Boys are also spending more time on video games rather than playing with each other. The days when families would sit around and play a simple board game together are disappearing. Rather than fight this trend, it can be bent toward the better good. I decided to go on a hunt for freeware multiplayer games that the entire family could play. I guess what initiated this is that I realized just how much time boys spend playing first person shooters, and tried to find a better substitute. For this search, I used the following criteria:

1. It must be free. While the trend is towards tablets and smart phones, there are tons of freeware games available on the PC. However most of them are not of high quality, so this requires a bit of searching. 

2. It must be simple. Just because it is simple does not mean it is boring. Complicated interfaces often have better play value for those desiring a more strategic game, but it is a barrier of entry for younger children and those who just want a short game to play. This rule eliminated quite a few turn-based and real time strategy games. 

3. It must be a multiplayer game. This could either be at the same computer, or over a LAN (local area network). If you have an internet service provider and have wireless throughout your house, then you can easily have a LAN game. Note that the Windows firewall will block most network games, so you will need to allow them through in order to communicate. For some I made an exception and included games where you could join a public server - but the whole point is to come up with a game where you are playing with someone you know. Also you may need to monitor the online chat. 

4. It must be non-violent. There are many multiplayer games that are first person shooters with a war or military theme. These are easy enough to find, but are inappropriate for family play. This eliminated a lot of games, and it made the search more challenging. However if the graphics were cartoonish, or the game not so violent, I made a few exceptions to this rule. 

5. It must not be a computer version of a board or card game. Why do I add this rule? Board and card games are easily found. And many just do not hold the attention of young children. I almost made an exception to this rule, but in the ones I found the interfaces were just too complicated for the casual gamer.

So what did I find? Well, what I found was quite surprising, and some of the finds were a bit weird. For no cost, you can join a family together in a network game on any desktop or laptop PC. You do not need a top of the line computer to have a lot of fun. Moreover, many of these games do not require Windows - you can find an old computer, install Linux on it, and revive that old piece of hardware. If there were multiple choices in the same category, I tried to select the best. So here is the list, in no particular order:

BAT N'BALL

Remember the game of Warlords on the Atari? On the Atari Warlords, up to 4 players could play, where each player had a castle of bricks on one of the four corners of the screen. The objective was to bounce a moving ball to destroy the other persons bricks and hit the king inside in their castle. It was one of my favorite multiplayer games on the Atari. This is the PC version of it, but only for up to 2 players using the same machine. It uses old graphics, but it is still quite playable. There is a twist on the old game: once a player dies, another ball comes into play, guaranteeing a quick end to the game for another round. This is the best alternative I could find, if anyone finds a better one let me know (besides using an Atari emulator, of course). Click here for the Bat N' Ball download.

PLASMA PONG

As I included Bat n'Ball as an Atari Warlords clone, I sought to find a good multiplayer pong game. This psychedelic version of pong takes place in a sort of plasma fluid field, where you can push the plasma to project the ball, or suck in the plasma to make the ball come back to your paddle. You can actually experiment with the fluid dynamics on this one. Author's site is down, so click here to download Plasma Pong. You will need to answer the installer questions carefully to avoid any unnecessary downloads. Note that when you run it, it may say certain DLLs are missing - these are in the game directory, and you have to copy it to the windows\system32 directory. Also, if you are prone to epilepsy, the documentation warns to stay away from this game. Due to the fluid mechanic calculations, this one may not work well on older computers.

BLOBBY VOLLEY

This one is simple, yet a lot of fun. Here, you are a blob of jello playing volley ball against your opponent. This one can be played either at the same computer, or over a LAN network. Normally when a ball would hit a blob of jello it would splatter, but not in this game. If children find it too hard to react to the ball, you can simply slow down the speed using the menu options. Click here for the Blobby Volley download site.

NAPKIN RACE

In Napkin Race, you are a tiny toy car riding on a bumpy napkin. Very good 3D graphics, and fun to play: one car is "it", and the objective is to be the first to tag that car. This can be played with another player over a LAN network. This is another favorite of mine along with Blobby Volley. If you don't like being a blob hitting a volley ball, I am sure you will enjoy driving a toy car on a bumpy napkin - the game uses realistic physics.

Click here for the Napkin Race download.

MARBLE ARENA 2

Suppose you get bored of driving a toy car over a bumpy napkin. You want to play in a 3D virtual world where more than 2 players can play at once. For that, I found a surprising gem: Marble Arena. Here, you are a marble in a 3 dimensional world where you must roll your marble around and collect stars. There are multiple maps, which keep growing, and you can apparently create your own. In one map, you must hit soccer balls with your marble into the goal. I don't know yet if there is a "tag-your-it" game as in Napkin Racer. If you decide to be more evil, you can knock another player's marble over the edge of some maps, where they fall for a short while before they will be regenerated at the starting point. You can change the look of your marble, your player name, and there is built in chat functionality if you happen to not be in the same room. I have not completely explored this game, but this is professionally done and was quite a surprise find. This multiplayer game works over a LAN, which I got it working on both Windows and Linux computers, but only after removing the password protection so that anyone could join. As a server master, you are in complete control, and you can even change maps in the middle of the game: however, if you change maps, each player can "vote" yes or no to determine if the majority of players want a different marble map. If there is one draw-back to the game, I noticed that at times when marbles move there were not enough frames to show smooth movement. While kids love it, I would like to see some more multiplayer games such as tag or capture the flag. Click here for the Marble Arena 2 website.

TOBLO

Here is another 3D game, and offers more competitive game play than Marble Arena as you can play the game "capture the flag" in one of two teams: either angels or demons. There is no shooting in this game, but it takes place in a destructible world of blocks which you can pick up and throw at other players. Even if one does not like capture-the-flag, all children do like to build up blocks and knock them down. This is fast-paced, and can be played between four players over the LAN network, but more AI bots can be included. Good fast-paced game play. This particuluar game won several awards in game design competitions. If you have more than four players, you will have to stick with Marble Arena 2. On an older Windows computer, I did get an error message where the graphics card or driver needed to be updated, so it may not work on older systems. Click here for the Toblo download.

BONTAGO

If block building is all you want, and more strategy, Bontago offers a 3D strategic game where you must take over a map territory containing flags by building block towers. The taller your tower, the more area you control. When dropping a block it may tumble into an area where you do not want it to go, and will have to work with that on subsequent turns. Blocks come in different shapes, and this one can be played by up to 8 players.  AI bots can be included, and there is an option for team play. A tutorial is included to help players become familiar with the interface. Many optional parameters can be adjusted to modify the game play. Click here for the Bontago download.

BLOCK TOWERS

Yes, another block building game. Block Towers is a 2-4 player game like Bontago, except on steroids and in 2 dimensions only. Remember, it does not have to be complicated or in 3 dimensions to make a good multiplayer game. This must be played on the same computer. You can either build your own tower or throw blocks at the other player to get him/her to fall off his tower. This was done by some individual, currently available on his public skydrive. Click here for more info on Block Towers.

INFINIMINER

If you want a 3D multiplayer world where you can build things out of blocks, check out Infiniminer. You can compete and try and dig to find the most gold, or it can be a casual cooperative game like Marble Arena 2. The popular Minecraft game got its inspiration from this game. This one is free, and allows you to setup your own server. Click here for the Infiniminer website.  One thing I found in play-testing, is that you should try to install this game in some other folder than c:\Program Files - otherwise you will not be able to change the configuration settings or save your Infiniminer worlds for future play.

TEEWORLDS

This is a very fast paced two-dimensional shooter game, where you will need to join an online server to join a game. It is highly popular, and the play is addicting. I would recommend it for older children. Yes, you do have guns, bazookas, and a large hammer, but it is all very cartoonish and each player is a round-Kirby like character that immediately regenerates. You also get a grapple hook where you can swing from ceilings or grapple other players. Games tend to either to be to hit other players the most, or there are capture-the-flag team like games. The only drawback of this game is that unlike Kirby, you can't just open your mouth and swallow the other players like Kirby could in other Nintendo games. Game play is crazy - for this, see a sample of it in the following youtube video:

Click here for the Teeworlds website.

HEDGEWARS (or alternative, WARMUX)

Yes, you want a cartoonish type 2D shooter, but not in real-time like Teeworlds. For this, try Hedgewars, where you play on a team of Hedge hogs that take turns trying different weapons to hit another opponent. Hedgewars is well-done, and looks like a free version of Worms Armageddon - except you are playing with hedge hogs, not worms. If you want an alternative that uses worms, try the alternative game WarMUX - it is similar, and I have not decided which is better. Although it allows network play, as it is turn-based this can easily be played at the same computer. Click here for the Hedgewars website. Or, click here to download WarMUX. Both of these are good.

BITFIGHTER

You want a two-dimensional shooter, but not without blowing up cute Kirby-like characters in Teeworlds and you want it to be in outer space. For this, try Bitfighter, a two dimensional shooter with space ships. There are multiple games to play in multi-player mode: Soccer, Zone Control, Capture the Flag...and others. Some of the levels are obstacle courses, and some have asteroids in them if you want to play a little bit of that within the level. You can even create your own map with a map editor. With this one you want to make sure you have a mouse, as ship movement is controlled by the keyboard, but aiming and shooting by the mouse. Click here for the Bitfighter website.

CONTINUUM

Again you want a two-dimensional shooter, in space, but better than Bitfighter. For this try Continuum, originally known as Subspace. This used to be a commercial game which was abandoned by the company, but somehow stayed alive through its online community - its been around since 1995. Despite being just a two dimensional space shooter, it requires a high degree of skill: each ship has a preset amount of energy, which gets used up as you shoot or accelerate with your thrusters. This energy goes down if you get hit, and if it goes below zero your ship is toast. So you can't just blindly shoot and accelerate in this game. And unlike Bitfighter, movement in Subspace is more realistic as you will drift - in Bitfighter there is no drift in movement. For most multi-player game you will need to join a public online server. However there is a download of the client which includes a "pre-setup Subgame2 server", allowing you to setup your own zone for gameplay, but I have not experimented with it. The easy way around this is that as a parent you can always join in on the same public server, just to keep an eye on the online chat - for the most part, people just come there for the fun. For a private server, stick with Bitfighter, which is beginning to look like a clone of this game. Click here to download the Continuum client.

BZFLAG (or alternative, HOVER TANK 3D)

This again is close to a first person shooter game, where you are in a tank and must survive longer than others, shooting other tanks. However I loved the old game of Battlezone, and this one brings back good memories. There are two modes of play: either shoot and destroy as many other tanks as you can, or capture the flag of the opposing team. There can be up to five teams in a game. There are online games, but there is apparently a way to setup your own server and make it private. Setting up your own server does not look easy - but there is an online wiki on how to arrange the configuration file. If you want an alternative multiplayer 3D tank game, try Hover Tank 3D. Click here for the BZFlag website.  Or, click here for a download site for Hover Tank 3D.

ARMEGETRON ADVANCED

If you want something fast-paced and nerve-racking, but don't want the guns of Teeworlds, try Armegetron Advanced, where up to 8 players can compete in a Tron-like game. And for those of you who have never seen Tron - nor the excellent reboot movie that came out recently - Tron is a game where light cycles enter an arena, creating a wall behind them. The objective is to survive the longest without crashing into a wall. Click here for the Armagetron Advanced web site.

CULTRIS II

In Cultris II, you duel one on one with another player in the game of Tetris. Tetris, involving placing geometric shapes, is somewhat educational for children as well. You can play side by side or join a public internet game. Different game modes are supported, all with team play. Click here for the Cultris II website. There are many alternative choices for this one.

MR. BLOCKO

Mr. Blocko is similar to Tetris, except you have a little block shaped guy who must push the blocks together to make them disappear. This game is for 2-4 players playing at the same keyboard. Click here to download Mr. Blocko.

FLOBOPUYO

This one is similar to Cultris, but instead of geometric shapes in Tetris you have smiling bubbles, which you must rotate to join to other bubbles of similar color. I would say this is the easier version which younger children would enjoy more. However it only supports side-by-side play, no network play is supported. Click here for a Flobopuyo download site.

THE BUB'S BROTHERS

So you like bubbles? In this game, you are a bubble-blowing dragon, and must capture other monsters by blowing bubbles at them, similar to SpongeBob. You then pop the bubbles to get a prize in the form of fruit, which you then eat. Children will love this one. Multiple players can join in on the same computer, or over a network. There are also public servers where you can find a multiplayer game. Click here for the Bub's Brothers download site.

BOMBERMAN GAMES

There are several freeware clones of the popular game of BomberMan, and I have not had time to find out which one is best. In the clone Bombermaan up to 5 players can join in on a maze and blow up blocks (or each other) and grab prizes. And just when you think you have cleared the level, solid blocks drop and confine players to the center, until there is one survivor. Multiplayer is only supported on the same machine, there is no network play for this one. For a similar game that allows network play, you can try BomberClone, but the game play is a bit better on BomberMaan. Other alternatives include Bomberman Multi, and Mega Bomberman. I'll come back to this one later, or drop me a note with your recommendation.

SAVAGE WHEELS

An older but playable game of demolition derby, where you must try to crash and destroy the other person's car. Cars and trucks are of different types, each with strengths and weaknesses. During game play, bugs will appear in the arena which you must squish in order to gain health or different abilities - which is the key to survival in this game. I guess squishing bugs does not count as violence?  Not sure, but since its a bug I made an exception. This can be played by 2 players on the same computer. There are several download sites for this game, search for it and pick one.

WIZARD DUEL 2

This is a 2 player duel between two wizards on a small 3D island, where each player has one of four spells to cast at the other wizard: quicksand, hurricane, flood and fireball. Quicksand will cause your opponent to sink into the ground. Hurricanes will cause the wizard to spin very rapidly in the air, flood will cause the other wizard (or yourself) to drown, and fireball will cause him to burn a bit. Ok, maybe not completely non-violent but the water and music are quite peaceful, allowing you to meditate while you attack your opponent, so I guess it balances out. Multiplayer can take place on a LAN. Click here for the Wizard Duel 2 download.

LITTLE FIGHTER 2

I said non-violent games, right? Well, if the graphics are cartoonish I said I would make an exception, and this is an excellent high-quality fighter game with Manga style graphics. Different characters can be selected which each have different abilities. During game play objects will drop in which you can either drink for health, or pick up and use as a weapon. Up to 8 players can play in a local network game, or up to 4 players on the same computer. If this is too violent and you would like to listen to peaceful music with water while you kill your opponent, stick with Wizard Duel 2, but the graphics are not nearly as good.  Click here for the Little Fighter 2 website.

SUPER MARIO WAR

So you want a multiplayer fight, with your favorite character Mario.  Here, there are hundreds of levels to choose from, and the basic game play is to jump onto your opponent and squish him or her flat.  Click here for the Super Mario War website.

WORLD OF PADMAN

When I first set out on this search I said no first-person shooters, but for this I made an exception. The game World of Padman is a high quality multiplayer shooter, a project which originally started off as a modification of Quake III arena. The graphics have been overhauled to give everything a cartoonish-toy look, to provide an extremely nice first person shooter without any violent war theme. Since its based on the Quake III 3D engine you don't get jerky graphics like you do in Marble Arena 2. The download is over a whopping one gig (!). See the following video which gives you an idea of the game play:

Click here for the World of Padman website.

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

Now you have many options to setup a multiplayer game in your own home. And even if you don't know how to setup a LAN game, many games can be played on the same computer. There is something here for everyone. Forget having to buy another game or a new console. Gaming does not have to be a solo experience. This list is by no means comprehensive, but I tried to select the best. If you find any better choice, drop me a comment - perhaps this blog entry will be updated in the future.

Substance and Form

In Aristotle's Metaphysics, Aristotle concludes that a particular substance is a combination of matter and form.  The matter of a house is what it is composed of: the brick, timber and stones.  This is the potential house.  The form of that matter - the house built composed of that material - is the actual house.  For Aristotle, form and matter are the two co-principles which are required for any substance to have an existence.  Matter without form cannot exist, and there can be no form without matter.


If I were to give modern definitions to Aristotle's concepts of substance and form, I would say "substance" is any particle that had mass, and "form" is the state of that matter which defines how it interacts with other matter.  If we look at the structure of an atom, the nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons, around which electrons orbit.  Protons and neutrons is what provides the most mass of the atom - this is what was previously known in philosophy as "substance."  The electrons which orbit the nucleus have very little mass, but are constantly changing in state: this is the "form" of the substance. The electrons are what provide form to the substance of the atom: they define how the atom bonds with other atoms, and they are constantly changing in state.  If we were to look at the substance of water, its state of liquid, steam or ice is defined by the state of its electrons. Protons and neutrons, for the most part, are static and just provide the weight.

Recently, scientists finally confirmed the existence of the Higgs-Boson particle, and this is apparently what provides mass to all other particles. As I understand it, there is a field that permeates all of space, and the more each particle interacts with that field of space, the more "mass" it has. Imagine objects travelling through water: the more resistance the shape of the object has to the surrounding water, the slower it travels. In the subatomic world, this resistance to the field of space is "mass." In one of his visions Swedenborg had a conversation with Newton, who stated that the biggest mistake he made in physics was that he conceived of space as "nothing."  Space is not nothing, it is a field - and modern physics has confirmed this. Space and time are created things.

Substance and form, at a subatomic level, is defined by how a particle interacts with space and time. The more a particle interacts with space, the more mass it has. The more a particle moves through space, the more it provides "form." Movement through space, or changes in state in space, is what gives us our concept of "time." Without a change in state or movement, there is no time. Particles which move the fastest - photons and electrons - are those which best provide the form of substance or matter. Photons have no mass - photons provide light, and it is light which provides our concept of form for all matter.

Substance and form, or space and time, are the two principles which underly all that exists in the universe. In the spiritual world, Swedenborg saw that the realms of heaven and hell exist outside of space and time. It is this world which existed before space and time were created in the physical universe. In the spiritual world, instead of space, there is love. The closer one feels to another soul, the closer one appears to that person. Thus spiritual societies are formed according to one's love or interests. "Birds of a feather will flock together." You will be with the one you love the most in heaven. In the spiritual world, instead of time, there are changes of state. In the physical world, the reality that we know as space and time corresponds to love and truth in the spiritual world. Love and truth corresponds to man's will and understanding. This spiritual world is described in more detail in Swedenborg's work, Heaven and Hell.

In the spiritual world, instead of physical substance and form, and instead of space and time, there is nothing but love and truth. Anything that appears in the spiritual world has a correspondence to love and truth. Moreover, love and truth are not simply abstract ideas: love and truth are spiritual substances, a higher level of existence which does not interact with our own five physical senses. And this is the subject of the book, Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom. Emotions, feelings, intuition - all of these which we experience internally have a true spiritual reality:

"...the substances and forms which are love and wisdom are not visible to the eyes like the organs of the external senses. And yet no one can deny that those things of wisdom and love which are called thoughts, perceptions, and affections, are substances, and forms, and that they are not volatile entities flowing from nothing, or abstracted from real and actual substance and form, which are subjects. For in the brain there are innumerable substances and forms in which resides all interior sense which has relation to the understanding and the will." (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 42)

The way Swedenborg attempts to demonstrate this is that he explains that our knowledge of substance and form comes from how those external objects affects one of our five external senses. Exterior substances and form thus correspond to more interior spiritual substances and forms in the brain: everything that we experience through the senses will trigger a corresponding affection or thought. However I have sought to explain it in a different way according to how substance and form are related to space and time, and how space and time correspond to love and truth in the spiritual world.

If love and truth are truly spiritual substances beyond the physical, then what is the ultimate form in which love and truth appear?  According to Swedenborg, the ultimate form of love and truth is the human form.  The will (love) and understanding (truth) are made one in action, or in being useful. And the form that is the most useful or utilitarian is the human form. Thus, "all of heaven conspires to the human form" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5110.3), and, "every society in like manner forms a man; for the image of the whole heaven flows into the societies, and causes them to be like; and not only into the societies, but also into the individuals in the society, whence each individual has a human form, for every one in an angelic society is a heaven in least form" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 6605). Also, "the angels themselves appear in a human form in the heavens altogether according to the truths which pertain to them in good, with a beauty and brightness according to the quality of the good from truths" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 8988.3). Man, having a human form, is heaven in a microcosm.

As the ultimate form of love and truth is the human form, the foremost insight that Swedenborg makes is that God Himself is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom: He is thus Substance and Form itself. And as He is the origin of all things of substance and form, He indeed is the very-most Man, the God-Man, and appears to angels in human form. Thus it is true that God made man in his own image. The ancients, who worshipped God as Man, did not anthropomorphize Him, they knew the truth. The opposite is true: God anthropomorphized man. God is not an abstract concept: He is the One Being who has a Human form, from whom all things exist. This is the reason He could make an appearance on our earth, incarnated in the human form of Jesus Christ.