Awareness, the Universe, and You
The huge benefits of awakening to all that you really are
About Holograms
(this website is under construction)
Inroduction to Holograms
This page describes what holograms are, and looks at different types of hologram, from the well-known holograms of light (optical holograms), to what I am referring to as Holograms of Life. I am proposing that the Source of Life creates the whole Universe as a hologram of Life using its Awareness.
The definition of holograms in the following paragraph is my own, as I like definitions to say what something actually is, rather than how it is made or features that it has:
"Holograms are realistic illusions in the dimension in which they appear, made from an image which has one less dimension than the hologram itself has, by illuminating the image by a "vital force" that brings the image to life by adding an additional dimension."
There are different types of holograms which are made in different ways. The common principle they share is that an image plus a "vital force" that illuminates it, which have (n) dimensions between them, combine to create an illusion which has (n+1) dimensions. The term "vital force" is one I am using in a spiritual sense. The term usually used by the mainstream in relation to common optical holograms is simply "light".
A major feature of holograms, but not what they actually are, is that "the whole is in the part and the part is in the whole".
Holograms were first discovered by Dennis Gabor in 1947. He coined the term hologram from the
greek words holos, meaning ‘whole,’ and
gramma, meaning ‘message.’ He was awarded a Nobel prize in physics in 1971 for his work.
Most articles published about holograms speak only about the commonly occurring holograms of light, (where the vital force is Light) as if they were the only type of hologram. Therefore let's look at them first, in the next section.
Holograms of Light (Optical Holograms)
Holograms made with light as their vital force, often referred to as traditional optical holograms, are common in our world, and are often thought to be the only form of hologram. Numerous articles have been published about them, with most of the emphasis being on how they are formed. These articles give no acknowledgement that holograms could be made with a different "vital force".
Because optical holograms are so common and because they enable us to easily see the principles and features of holograms, they are a good starting point to lead into discussion of other types of hologram.
Optical holograms with n=3 dimensions are formed from images with n=2 dimensions (on a flat two-dimensional plate), illuminated by light.
The next four paragraphs are about as technical as this site gets on holograms. Just skip them if you want to. However, if you want more information about holograms of light and how they are formed, there are numerous articles online.
There are two main types of holograms of light. These are reflectance holograms and transmission holograms.
Reflectance holograms are formed by reflecting light from a holographic image. These are typically small images as seen on credit cards and driver's licences for added security, and on small marketing materials to give them additional appeal.
Transmission holograms are more complicated to form, requiring two beams of light that have been split from a single light beam, which is usually a laser beam. These beams are reflected several times before they both pass through the same holographic image on a flat plate. The 3D holograms formed are unrestricted in size, so are usually much larger than reflectance holograms.
One type of "screen" used to display large transmission holograms is three-dimensional water sprays consisting of many very fine droplets of water sprayed into the air. This type of hologram can be quite large.
What is Required for Something to be a Hologram?
I believe that the three things required for something to be a hologram are a "vital force" (such as light), a suitable holographic image (with n dimensions), forming an illusion with (n + 1) dimensions.
I do not believe that it depends on the particular method used to create the hologram, as this depends on the type of hologram it is. For example, reflection holograms and transmission holograms are created using different methods, but they are both types of holograms.
One feature all holograms seem to have in common is that "the whole is in the part and the part is in the whole". This is consistent with how holograms got their name, based on Greek words for "whole message", mentioned at the top of this page.
Other Types of Hologram
Holograms of Sound, Electrons, and Simulated Images
Three other types, very much less common than Holograms of Light, are holograms made with sound and holograms made with electrons, and holograms made with computer simulated images rather than physical images. These types are spoken about more in technical and scientific areas rather than everyday life. These types are mentioned here only to make the point that holograms can be made with other things in addition to light.
The Universe as a Hologram
Articles that use this phrase are mainly quite technical articles. Links are given to two of them in the next section.
Articles on the Universe as a Hologram
Some Highly Technical Presentations (optional reading only)
It was only quite recently in terms of human history that it was proposed that the Universe might be a hologram, in 1998. This was proposed by theoretical physicists, and it has led to serious articles in respected publications.
Links to two of these articles are provided below. The only reason for mentioning these articles is to show that the concept of the Universe being a hologram is being taken quite seriously by theoretical physicists.
The two articles are extremely technical, way over my head. If you want to, just skim them until they get too much. They do not need to be read to be able to follow the rest of this website.
First Article, from Scientific American
Second Article, from Vox Website
The first article talks about up to five dimensions (for (n + 1)), while the second article speaks of only three, as with optical holograms.
Holograms of Life - Part 1
The term "Holograms of Life" is one I have coined to refer to holograms where the vital force is Life itself, and Awareness in particular. It is quite possible the term has been used by other authors as well.
I am referring here to the same thing that the theoretical physicists were referring to, the Universe as a hologram, but from a spiritual perspective. This is by postulating that the "vital force" that creates the Uninerse is "that which cannot be named" as referred to on previous pages of this website. Its role as Awareness seems to be its most significant role in creation of the whole Universe.
You will not see the term "Holograms of Life" used by theoretical physicists in the mainstream, nor will you see them referring to "that which cannot be named", as they do not think of it from a spiritual perspective.
What properties do Holograms of Life have to justify calling them holograms? They will be looked at in terms of the three properties mentioned near the top of this page, which are listed as items 1-3 below, and a key property of holograms will be considered in item 4 below:
- What illusion is created as the hologram?
- What is the "vital force"?
- What is used as the image?
- Is "the whole in the part and the part in the whole"?
The following quotation summarises my thoughts well. Just because something is an illusion in the dimension in which it exists does not mean that it does not exist at all. My view is that it does exist, as the things from which it is made, which are discussed next.
Holograms of Life - Part 2
1. What Illusion is Created as the Hologram?
The hologram is the illusion of the physical Universe and that our lives are being lived there.
We have known for decades that physical "reality" is an illusion. Many years ago (when I was at high school), the teaching was that everything physical is made of atoms, and atoms consisted of very small physical objects called electrons, protons and neutrons.
We were taught that the volume of atoms is almost entirely empty space, as the electrons are extremely small in relation to the diameter of their orbits around the nucleus, which is where the protons and neutrons are located.
The teaching now is that everything within atoms exists as an energy cloud, with the potential to solidify into physical sub-atomic particles when Awareness of an observer is focused on the illusion of the physical object.
The well-known double slit experiment in quantum physics provides evidence of this. Here is a link to an easy-to-follow video presentation of it on YouTube:
Link: Dr Quantum - Double Slit Experiment
There are many other videos on YouTube about the double slit experiment and about the Universe being a simulation. I believe that the word "hologram" is a more accurate description of how physical reality is formed, by Awareness, rather than by an artificial simulation. The ideas in items 2 to 4 that follow convince me of this.
Continued in Part 3 and Part 4 of "Holograms of Life" below.
Holograms of Life - Part 3
2. What is the "Vital Force"
The world of form referred to below refers to the physical world and physical Universe.
The next two quotations below say that everything is made of Consciousness. On the home page it was explained that Consciousness is Awareness applied to "something", a subject.
The "something" that it is applied to is the image from which the hologram will be formed, as discussed in item 3 that follows. Awareness of the image is Consciousness of it.
The One Life with its one Awareness is the Vital Force that pervades the entire Universe.
Absolutely everything that appears to exist is made out of Awareness/ Consciousness, which is the Vital Force that gives life and realism to the Hologram(s) of Life. This is similar to the role of light in an optical hologram.
In the case of optical transmission holograms, there are some quite detailed technical explanations for how the illumination of 2D holographic images on a flat plate by light can create realistic 3D holographic images. However in this case the 2D images were made especially, using two beams from one light source shining on a real 3D object.
Obviously we do not have detailed technical explanations of how Holograms of Life are created, but at least we are able to know the components, as described on this webpage.
Holograms of Life - Part 4
3. What is Used as the Image?
It is what we are, in terms of our beliefs, thoughts, perceptions, emotions and fears about ourself and our world, that is combined with the Vital Force of Awareness to create the illusion of our physical life. Excitement has a positive effect, fear has a negative effect.
"The Kybalion" is a book published in 1908, authored by "The Three Initiates". They were associated with the New Thought Movement that emerged in the early 1900's, which I hold in high regard. It wrote of seven hermetic principles, based on anciant teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure.
The first of its seven principles is the Principle of Mentalism: "The Universe is a mental creation of the All, suggesting reality is ultimately shaped by the mind". A summary of all seven principles is available here, if the link is still active:
Link: Summary of the Seven Hermetic Principles
I think that the Principle of Mentalism describes the image component well, however the Vital Force of Life itself is the other component that forms Holograms of Life, and it needs to be honoured.
4. The Whole in the Part and the Part in the Whole
Previous quotations on this site have made the point that we are the whole Universe, experiencing itself from a unique viewpoint via each of us. The two quotations that follow are reminders of this:
Taking the Universe as the Whole and each of us as a Part, it is not difficult to see that the Whole is in the Part and the Part is in the Whole.
(this website is under construction)
Inroduction to Holograms
This page describes what holograms are, and looks at different types of hologram, from the well-known holograms of light (optical holograms), to what I am referring to as Holograms of Life. I am proposing that the Source of Life creates the whole Universe as a hologram of Life using its Awareness.
The definition of holograms in the following paragraph is my own, as I like definitions to say what something actually is, rather than how it is made or features that it has:
"Holograms are realistic illusions in the dimension in which they appear, made from an image which has one less dimension than the hologram itself has, by illuminating the image by a "vital force" that brings the image to life by adding an additional dimension."
There are different types of holograms which are made in different ways. The common principle they share is that an image plus a "vital force" that illuminates it, which have (n) dimensions between them, combine to create an illusion which has (n+1) dimensions. The term "vital force" is one I am using in a spiritual sense. The term usually used by the mainstream in relation to common optical holograms is simply "light".
A major feature of holograms, but not what they actually are, is that "the whole is in the part and the part is in the whole".
Holograms were first discovered by Dennis Gabor in 1947. He coined the term hologram from the greek words holos, meaning ‘whole,’ and gramma, meaning ‘message.’ He was awarded a Nobel prize in physics in 1971 for his work.
Most articles published about holograms speak only about the commonly occurring holograms of light, (where the vital force is Light) as if they were the only type of hologram. Therefore let's look at them first, in the next section.
Holograms of Light (Optical Holograms)
Holograms made with light as their vital force, often referred to as traditional optical holograms, are common in our world, and are often thought to be the only form of hologram. Numerous articles have been published about them, with most of the emphasis being on how they are formed. These articles give no acknowledgement that holograms could be made with a different "vital force".
Because optical holograms are so common and because they enable us to easily see the principles and features of holograms, they are a good starting point to lead into discussion of other types of hologram.
Optical holograms with n=3 dimensions are formed from images with n=2 dimensions (on a flat two-dimensional plate), illuminated by light.
The next four paragraphs are about as technical as this site gets on holograms. Just skip them if you want to. However, if you want more information about holograms of light and how they are formed, there are numerous articles online.
There are two main types of holograms of light. These are reflectance holograms and transmission holograms.
Reflectance holograms are formed by reflecting light from a holographic image. These are typically small images as seen on credit cards and driver's licences for added security, and on small marketing materials to give them additional appeal.
Transmission holograms are more complicated to form, requiring two beams of light that have been split from a single light beam, which is usually a laser beam. These beams are reflected several times before they both pass through the same holographic image on a flat plate. The 3D holograms formed are unrestricted in size, so are usually much larger than reflectance holograms.
One type of "screen" used to display large transmission holograms is three-dimensional water sprays consisting of many very fine droplets of water sprayed into the air. This type of hologram can be quite large.
What is Required for Something to be a Hologram?
I believe that the three things required for something to be a hologram are a "vital force" (such as light), a suitable holographic image (with n dimensions), forming an illusion with (n + 1) dimensions.
I do not believe that it depends on the particular method used to create the hologram, as this depends on the type of hologram it is. For example, reflection holograms and transmission holograms are created using different methods, but they are both types of holograms.
One feature all holograms seem to have in common is that "the whole is in the part and the part is in the whole". This is consistent with how holograms got their name, based on Greek words for "whole message", mentioned at the top of this page.
Other Types of Hologram
Holograms of Sound, Electrons, and Simulated Images
Three other types, very much less common than Holograms of Light, are holograms made with sound and holograms made with electrons, and holograms made with computer simulated images rather than physical images. These types are spoken about more in technical and scientific areas rather than everyday life. These types are mentioned here only to make the point that holograms can be made with other things in addition to light.
The Universe as a Hologram
Articles that use this phrase are mainly quite technical articles. Links are given to two of them in the next section.
Articles on the Universe as a Hologram
Some Highly Technical Presentations (optional reading only)
It was only quite recently in terms of human history that it was proposed that the Universe might be a hologram, in 1998. This was proposed by theoretical physicists, and it has led to serious articles in respected publications.
Links to two of these articles are provided below. The only reason for mentioning these articles is to show that the concept of the Universe being a hologram is being taken quite seriously by theoretical physicists.
The two articles are extremely technical, way over my head. If you want to, just skim them until they get too much. They do not need to be read to be able to follow the rest of this website.
First Article, from Scientific American Second Article, from Vox WebsiteThe first article talks about up to five dimensions (for (n + 1)), while the second article speaks of only three, as with optical holograms.
Holograms of Life - Part 1
The term "Holograms of Life" is one I have coined to refer to holograms where the vital force is Life itself, and Awareness in particular. It is quite possible the term has been used by other authors as well.
I am referring here to the same thing that the theoretical physicists were referring to, the Universe as a hologram, but from a spiritual perspective. This is by postulating that the "vital force" that creates the Uninerse is "that which cannot be named" as referred to on previous pages of this website. Its role as Awareness seems to be its most significant role in creation of the whole Universe.
You will not see the term "Holograms of Life" used by theoretical physicists in the mainstream, nor will you see them referring to "that which cannot be named", as they do not think of it from a spiritual perspective.
What properties do Holograms of Life have to justify calling them holograms? They will be looked at in terms of the three properties mentioned near the top of this page, which are listed as items 1-3 below, and a key property of holograms will be considered in item 4 below:
- What illusion is created as the hologram?
- What is the "vital force"?
- What is used as the image?
- Is "the whole in the part and the part in the whole"?
The following quotation summarises my thoughts well. Just because something is an illusion in the dimension in which it exists does not mean that it does not exist at all. My view is that it does exist, as the things from which it is made, which are discussed next.
Holograms of Life - Part 2
1. What Illusion is Created as the Hologram?
The hologram is the illusion of the physical Universe and that our lives are being lived there.
We have known for decades that physical "reality" is an illusion. Many years ago (when I was at high school), the teaching was that everything physical is made of atoms, and atoms consisted of very small physical objects called electrons, protons and neutrons.
We were taught that the volume of atoms is almost entirely empty space, as the electrons are extremely small in relation to the diameter of their orbits around the nucleus, which is where the protons and neutrons are located.
The teaching now is that everything within atoms exists as an energy cloud, with the potential to solidify into physical sub-atomic particles when Awareness of an observer is focused on the illusion of the physical object.
The well-known double slit experiment in quantum physics provides evidence of this. Here is a link to an easy-to-follow video presentation of it on YouTube:
Link: Dr Quantum - Double Slit ExperimentThere are many other videos on YouTube about the double slit experiment and about the Universe being a simulation. I believe that the word "hologram" is a more accurate description of how physical reality is formed, by Awareness, rather than by an artificial simulation. The ideas in items 2 to 4 that follow convince me of this.
Continued in Part 3 and Part 4 of "Holograms of Life" below.
Holograms of Life - Part 3
2. What is the "Vital Force"
The world of form referred to below refers to the physical world and physical Universe.
The next two quotations below say that everything is made of Consciousness. On the home page it was explained that Consciousness is Awareness applied to "something", a subject.
The "something" that it is applied to is the image from which the hologram will be formed, as discussed in item 3 that follows. Awareness of the image is Consciousness of it.
The One Life with its one Awareness is the Vital Force that pervades the entire Universe.
Absolutely everything that appears to exist is made out of Awareness/ Consciousness, which is the Vital Force that gives life and realism to the Hologram(s) of Life. This is similar to the role of light in an optical hologram.
In the case of optical transmission holograms, there are some quite detailed technical explanations for how the illumination of 2D holographic images on a flat plate by light can create realistic 3D holographic images. However in this case the 2D images were made especially, using two beams from one light source shining on a real 3D object.
Obviously we do not have detailed technical explanations of how Holograms of Life are created, but at least we are able to know the components, as described on this webpage.
Holograms of Life - Part 4
3. What is Used as the Image?
It is what we are, in terms of our beliefs, thoughts, perceptions, emotions and fears about ourself and our world, that is combined with the Vital Force of Awareness to create the illusion of our physical life. Excitement has a positive effect, fear has a negative effect.
"The Kybalion" is a book published in 1908, authored by "The Three Initiates". They were associated with the New Thought Movement that emerged in the early 1900's, which I hold in high regard. It wrote of seven hermetic principles, based on anciant teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure.
The first of its seven principles is the Principle of Mentalism: "The Universe is a mental creation of the All, suggesting reality is ultimately shaped by the mind". A summary of all seven principles is available here, if the link is still active:
Link: Summary of the Seven Hermetic PrinciplesI think that the Principle of Mentalism describes the image component well, however the Vital Force of Life itself is the other component that forms Holograms of Life, and it needs to be honoured.
4. The Whole in the Part and the Part in the Whole
Previous quotations on this site have made the point that we are the whole Universe, experiencing itself from a unique viewpoint via each of us. The two quotations that follow are reminders of this:
Taking the Universe as the Whole and each of us as a Part, it is not difficult to see that the Whole is in the Part and the Part is in the Whole.