The model of universal oneness supported by quantum research appears to be a new concept, but it’s among the oldest spiritual thoughts. Both animism and pantheism are extremely early forms of spiritual belief that embrace the oneness of all things. Animism also claims there is no separation between the spiritual and material world. Pantheism is a Greek word derived from “pan” meaning all, and “theos” meaning god, or quite literally “all god.” In other words, both animism and pantheism not only see the universe as one indivisible whole; they also say that whole is the Divine. Since quantum physics has discovered the universe is permeated by consciousness, many physicists now agree with these ancient teachings.

Some of the earliest writings that explain universal Oneness are found in a collection of poems and dialogues called the Upanishads.  Some scholars believe these writings may date back as early as 6000 BC and were composed by both male and female sages over a period of several hundred years. The Upanishads originated in ‘forest academies’ along the banks of the upper Ganges River in India. The Sanskrit word loosely translates as “sitting down near,” and brings up the image of students sitting at the feet of a teacher. But in this case the purpose was not so much instruction as inspiration, and each participant was expected to learn through their own personal experience of the Divine.

Since the sages who composed these gems wanted us to concentrate on the message rather than the messenger, they were written anonymously. Although the Upanishads are associated with the Vedas (the oldest Hindu scriptures) they are surprisingly free of Vedic ritual and stand on their own as wisdom sayings. As Eknath Easwaran, a spiritual mystic and scholar explained, “[The Upanishads] place us at home in a compassionate universe where nothing is “other” than ourselves—and they urge us to treat that universe with reverence, for there is nothing in the world but God.”

Although the Upanishads were written thousands of years before quantum research existed, the two complement one another. The Chandogya Upanishad tells us, “In the beginning was only Being, one without a second. Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self.” Most importantly, the Upanishads goes on to tell us, “You are that. . .you are that.” 

Instead of approaching the Divine with preconceived notions, the Upanishad writers displayed a willingness to empty themselves of preconceived notions and be taught by their own personal experience of Ultimate Reality. As we look at a few more excerpts from the Upanishads, you’ll get the gist of what they learned when they experienced Source directly. The first lines are taken from the Aitareya Upanishad. In this text, capitalized words such as Being and Self refer to Ultimate Reality:

Before the world was created, the Self alone existed;

Nothing whatever stirred.

The Self thought: “Let me create the world.”

He brought forth all the worlds out of himself.

As the poem opens, Ultimate Reality exists alone in a state of pure consciousness and potential since “nothing whatever stirred.” The key here is the word nothing, which can also be thought of as ‘no thing.’ No separate material ‘things’ existed, but the quantum sea of potential, like the ocean, is actually a continually seething maelstrom of activity.  Of course the next words, “Let me create the world” are simplistic, but they clearly make the point that consciousness must instigate creation.

The “creation words”  in the Upanishad are echoed in Genesis, which also gives a description of the material universe coming into existence through thought. In Genesis chapter one, we find the creative statement, “Let there be..” repeated eight times, and after each statement new material forms came into being. The portion of the Aitareya Upanishad you just read goes a step farther than the Bible when it implies that not only is the Divine pure consciousness, it is also the energy that consciousness interacts with to bring form into existence. In other words, Source is both the consciousness and the infinite energy potential that comprises the foundation of the universe.

The Chandogya Upanishad adds more detail and tells us exactly what this means for each of us:

In the beginning was only Being,

One without a second.

Out of Himself He brought forth the cosmos

And entered into everything in it.

There is nothing that does not come from him.

Of everything he is the inmost Self.

He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.

You are that…you are that.

The writer explains that everything in existence not only came out of Source, but continues to be permeated and sustained by the Divine. This means that everything, on every level of the universe is Source, including you. The conclusion: you are that—you are the Divine!

The model of universal oneness supported by quantum research appears to be a new concept, but it’s among the oldest spiritual thoughts. Both animism and pantheism are extremely early forms of spiritual belief that embrace the oneness of all things. Animism also claims there is no separation between the spiritual and material world. Pantheism is a Greek word derived from “pan” meaning all, and “theos” meaning god, or quite literally “all god.” In other words, both animism and pantheism not only see the universe as one indivisible whole; they also say that whole is the Divine. Since quantum physics has discovered the universe is permeated by consciousness, many physicists now agree with these ancient teachings.

Some of the earliest writings that explain universal Oneness are found in a collection of poems and dialogues called the Upanishads.  Some scholars believe these writings may date back as early as 6000 BC and were composed by both male and female sages over a period of several hundred years. The Upanishads originated in ‘forest academies’ along the banks of the upper Ganges River in India. The Sanskrit word loosely translates as “sitting down near,” and brings up the image of students sitting at the feet of a teacher. But in this case the purpose was not so much instruction as inspiration, and each participant was expected to learn through their own personal experience of the Divine.

Since the sages who composed these gems wanted us to concentrate on the message rather than the messenger, they were written anonymously. Although the Upanishads are associated with the Vedas (the oldest Hindu scriptures) they are surprisingly free of Vedic ritual and stand on their own as wisdom sayings. As Eknath Easwaran, a spiritual mystic and scholar explained, “[The Upanishads] place us at home in a compassionate universe where nothing is “other” than ourselves—and they urge us to treat that universe with reverence, for there is nothing in the world but God.”

Although the Upanishads were written thousands of years before quantum research existed, the two complement one another. The Chandogya Upanishad tells us, “In the beginning was only Being, one without a second. Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self.” Most importantly, the Upanishads goes on to tell us, “You are that. . .you are that.” 

Instead of approaching the Divine with preconceived notions, the Upanishad writers displayed a willingness to empty themselves of preconceived notions and be taught by their own personal experience of Ultimate Reality. As we look at a few more excerpts from the Upanishads, you’ll get the gist of what they learned when they experienced Source directly. The first lines are taken from the Aitareya Upanishad. In this text, capitalized words such as Being and Self refer to Ultimate Reality:

Before the world was created, the Self alone existed;

Nothing whatever stirred.

The Self thought: “Let me create the world.”

He brought forth all the worlds out of himself.

As the poem opens, Ultimate Reality exists alone in a state of pure consciousness and potential since “nothing whatever stirred.” The key here is the word nothing, which can also be thought of as ‘no thing.’ No separate material ‘things’ existed, but the quantum sea of potential, like the ocean, is actually a continually seething maelstrom of activity.  Of course the next words, “Let me create the world” are simplistic, but they clearly make the point that consciousness must instigate creation.

The “creation words”  in the Upanishad are echoed in Genesis, which also gives a description of the material universe coming into existence through thought. In Genesis chapter one, we find the creative statement, “Let there be..” repeated eight times, and after each statement new material forms came into being. The portion of the Aitareya Upanishad you just read goes a step farther than the Bible when it implies that not only is the Divine pure consciousness, it is also the energy that consciousness interacts with to bring form into existence. In other words, Source is both the consciousness and the infinite energy potential that comprises the foundation of the universe.

The Chandogya Upanishad adds more detail and tells us exactly what this means for each of us:

In the beginning was only Being,

One without a second.

Out of Himself He brought forth the cosmos

And entered into everything in it.

There is nothing that does not come from him.

Of everything he is the inmost Self.

He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.

You are that…you are that.

The writer explains that everything in existence not only came out of Source, but continues to be permeated and sustained by the Divine. This means that everything, on every level of the universe is Source, including you. The conclusion: you are that—you are the Divine!

The model of universal oneness supported by quantum research appears to be a new concept, but it’s among the oldest spiritual thoughts. Both animism and pantheism are extremely early forms of spiritual belief that embrace the oneness of all things. Animism also claims there is no separation between the spiritual and material world. Pantheism is a Greek word derived from “pan” meaning all, and “theos” meaning god, or quite literally “all god.” In other words, both animism and pantheism not only see the universe as one indivisible whole; they also say that whole is the Divine. Since quantum physics has discovered the universe is permeated by consciousness, many physicists now agree with these ancient teachings.

Some of the earliest writings that explain universal Oneness are found in a collection of poems and dialogues called the Upanishads.  Some scholars believe these writings may date back as early as 6000 BC and were composed by both male and female sages over a period of several hundred years. The Upanishads originated in ‘forest academies’ along the banks of the upper Ganges River in India. The Sanskrit word loosely translates as “sitting down near,” and brings up the image of students sitting at the feet of a teacher. But in this case the purpose was not so much instruction as inspiration, and each participant was expected to learn through their own personal experience of the Divine.

Since the sages who composed these gems wanted us to concentrate on the message rather than the messenger, they were written anonymously. Although the Upanishads are associated with the Vedas (the oldest Hindu scriptures) they are surprisingly free of Vedic ritual and stand on their own as wisdom sayings. As Eknath Easwaran, a spiritual mystic and scholar explained, “[The Upanishads] place us at home in a compassionate universe where nothing is “other” than ourselves—and they urge us to treat that universe with reverence, for there is nothing in the world but God.”

Although the Upanishads were written thousands of years before quantum research existed, the two complement one another. The Chandogya Upanishad tells us, “In the beginning was only Being, one without a second. Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self.” Most importantly, the Upanishads goes on to tell us, “You are that. . .you are that.” 

Instead of approaching the Divine with preconceived notions, the Upanishad writers displayed a willingness to empty themselves of preconceived notions and be taught by their own personal experience of Ultimate Reality. As we look at a few more excerpts from the Upanishads, you’ll get the gist of what they learned when they experienced Source directly. The first lines are taken from the Aitareya Upanishad. In this text, capitalized words such as Being and Self refer to Ultimate Reality:

Before the world was created, the Self alone existed;

Nothing whatever stirred.

The Self thought: “Let me create the world.”

He brought forth all the worlds out of himself.

As the poem opens, Ultimate Reality exists alone in a state of pure consciousness and potential since “nothing whatever stirred.” The key here is the word nothing, which can also be thought of as ‘no thing.’ No separate material ‘things’ existed, but the quantum sea of potential, like the ocean, is actually a continually seething maelstrom of activity.  Of course the next words, “Let me create the world” are simplistic, but they clearly make the point that consciousness must instigate creation.

The “creation words”  in the Upanishad are echoed in Genesis, which also gives a description of the material universe coming into existence through thought. In Genesis chapter one, we find the creative statement, “Let there be..” repeated eight times, and after each statement new material forms came into being. The portion of the Aitareya Upanishad you just read goes a step farther than the Bible when it implies that not only is the Divine pure consciousness, it is also the energy that consciousness interacts with to bring form into existence. In other words, Source is both the consciousness and the infinite energy potential that comprises the foundation of the universe.

The Chandogya Upanishad adds more detail and tells us exactly what this means for each of us:

In the beginning was only Being,

One without a second.

Out of Himself He brought forth the cosmos

And entered into everything in it.

There is nothing that does not come from him.

Of everything he is the inmost Self.

He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.

You are that…you are that.

The writer explains that everything in existence not only came out of Source, but continues to be permeated and sustained by the Divine. This means that everything, on every level of the universe is Source, including you. The conclusion: you are that—you are the Divine!