Space is a Field of Separation
Source is Whole, Entire and Complete. There is no Separation at this level.
Creation fundamentally is an exploration of possibility through projection into separation. This provides an alternative experience of reality, within the all-knowing unified consciousness of Source.
We can experience things by being them. For example, we can know love by being in love, or anger by being angry and so on. We can also experience things by standing apart from them and viewing from a distance, i.e. through separation. For example, we can view a painting by standing back from it. We can view a landscape by going up a hill, to view it from a height and so on. Creation associates with this latter separated mode of experience.
Creation entails Source projecting separation within Itself and entering into this reality, to explore and experience Its own Nature through the possibilities and perspectives of alternative realities.
The first act of creation is a projection into separation. This allows for the possibility of experiencing separation within Source. It allows for ‘things’ to manifest in isolation, both from the inherent unity of Source and from other ‘things’. It allows for diversity to manifest infinite degrees of variety. It also allows for such ‘things’ to interact, to create a wide variety of experience.
Space is a product of separation. As with time, there are degrees of separation, from a high degree of unity close to Source, to progressively more defined and diverse degrees of separation further out in creation.
In physical reality, we can view space as an absolute framework or stage that hosts our experience of creation at this level. We can regard space and time as immutable foundations for creation. It’s difficult for us to imagine anything outside the context of space and time.
However, space is a derived rather than an absolute reality. The Absolute and foundational reality that contains and hosts all of creation is Source, the unified field of pure consciousness. Space derives its nature from processes of separation. The nature of a space depends on the quality and degree of separation that projected it.
This means there can be many different spaces. These can be nested by progressive degrees of separation. There can also be a multiplicity of spaces deriving from diversity in the separation process. This can be visualised in the progressive branching of a tree. There is one primary trunk at source, but eventually many individual branches, twigs and leaves populating the outer extremities.
The concepts are abstract, but the attached diagram attempts an illustration.
The primary act of creation entails a Projection into Separation. This leads to further projections into Separation, but also involving Polarity to add Diversity. Progressive Projection and Diversity provide a wide variety of Reality Fields of Experience within Creation.
Separation manifests as Distance in Space
We experience space in terms of Distance. This is the degree of separation between ‘objects’ or locations within that space. We also quantify or measure separation in these terms, for example, by lengths, widths, heights and so on.
When ‘objects’ project into a space they tend to be Localised in that space. Rather than being non-local or ‘everywhere’, as in the unified state, they are now confined to a specific location or sequence of locations within the space. They have a unique location rather than being ‘everywhere’.
Also, ‘objects’ tend to exclusively occupy their local space. This means that the objects or forms that populate a space divide or sectionalise that space, creating further separation and diversity within it. We have the example of countries dividing and occupying space on the surface of the earth or the houses on a street carving up its space. This individuation adds diversity and character to the space.
There is a Multiplicity of Spaces
It now becomes useful for us to view space in terms of separation rather than being a singular or monolithic reality. Space isn’t Absolute. There can be progressive degrees of separation, as Levels in the ‘vertical’ direction. There can also be variety in the processes of separation within each Level, in the ‘horizontal’ direction. This leads to a multiplicity of spaces.
In the vertical direction, spaces are differentiated by different levels of density and degrees of separation. There can be high degrees of Unity and Freedom in the Levels close to Source. Further out, separation is defined in progressively more concrete, dense, localised and rigid forms. We have an analogy with the states of matter. We have the dense and rigid Solid state of matter at the outermost extreme. Then the more fluid Liquid state. Then the still freer and more fluid Gaseous state and finally the more energised matter state of Plasma. These correspond with the traditional 4 Elements of Greek philosophy – Earth, Water, Air & Fire.
Within each Level, Polarisation processes cause further differentiation and separation. For example, we have a fundamental polarity between Matter and Anti-Matter. Our physical reality field is almost entirely matter based. Creation requires a balance between polarities. This entails a parallel reality field composed almost entirely of anti-matter. The polarity process generates separation between these reality fields, so that at this level we only experience one side of the polarity. Polarity is discussed in more detail separately.
Our Relationship with Space is conditioned by Separation
When we view space in physical terms it appears enormous and possibly even infinite. When we look up into the sky on a clear night, we see vast expanses of space and multitudes of stars, galaxies and so on. If we were able to travel out into space, exploring its extent and boundaries, what would we ultimately find?
It is difficult to make sense of these issues in conventional terms. However, viewing space in terms of separation provides a different perspective. The vastness of space in relation to our present condition is then a measure of our separation. Our seeming ‘smallness’ and isolation becomes a measure of the degree to which we have projected into separation, from the inherent Unity and Wholeness of Source, which transcends all separation. It’s less the case that Creation and Source are vast, to the point of being infinite. It’s more that we have become ‘small’ in relation to the reality of Source.
The question – ‘How big is space?’, then becomes – ‘How separated and remote are we in Source?’.
This points the way forward for space travel. Realistically, we cannot reach far into the deeper reaches of space using our present rocket technology. The alternative is to move upwards to a level, where separation is less. Then move ‘horizontally’ within that level and descend back to the physical level at our destination. We have an analogy with air travel. We ascend into a less dense medium (air), travel horizontally at much greater speed in this medium and land back on earth at our destination. Moving between levels or dimensions in creation obviously entails new approaches and associated technology, beyond our present capabilities. But this can come available, as we evolve to being able to manage it.
Consciousness Projects into Space & Experiences Reality within such Spaces
We experience space through the agency of Consciousness or Aliveness. It is the interaction of consciousness with a field of separation that creates our experience of space. We project or individuate consciousness, as a point of focus in space for this purpose. The experience is conditioned both by the local character of space and by the quality of consciousness engaging with it.
Consciousness derives from the inherent Wholeness and Unity of Source. Its nature tends towards Integration and Connection. It provides continuity in our experience of space. Consciousness projects successively through all the intermediate levels on our pathway from Source into Creation. Ideally, we hold conscious connection through these levels.
However there are natural boundaries between the levels in creation. These help us to focus on our current location in space, without being too distracted or confused by other realities. We also suffer from high degrees of fragmentation in consciousness, for reasons that are discussed in Chapter 12 – ‘Fall in Creation’.. In practice, for example, when we die in physical reality our consciousness returns to the level above it, from which it individuated at birth. Also, in sleep and in certain meditative or contemplative practices our consciousness moves up and down through these ‘vertical’ levels in creation. However, our capacity to retain or process memory from these other realities is limited by the capacity of our physical and other bodies and by our current conditioning.
Likewise, our capacity to perceive and interact with neighbouring or parallel realities at this physical level is limited. There can be some bleed through in such as psychedelic experiences or altered mental states. But this is often very chaotic and destabilising.
Parallel realities are not necessarily far away in terms of physical distance. We have an analogy with all the differing TV channels being broadcast simultaneously through the air. The channel or reality we experience depends on which one we tune into. Similarly with all the parallel streams of information and opportunities for experience being broadcast simultaneously by differing websites on the internet. We are becoming increasingly accustomed to choosing from a range of possible realities to experience.
Structure arises in Separation
In the wholeness and freedom of unity in Source there is no need for structure. Structure entails boundaries and relationships between entities or ‘things’. This implies separation, division and multiplicity.
Structure provides order between and within fields of separation. It also serves to hold in place the separation we wish or need to experience, for as long as we need to experience it. The greater and more diverse the separation, the greater the corresponding complexity of structure.
As with other features in creation, there is a progressive gradation in structure, from the pure simplicity of unity in Source, to the intense complexity arising from wide diversity and multiplicity further out in creation. Source is the ultimate in simplicity. It simply IS! When we are dealing with complex structures we are further out in creation. Distilling underlying Principles helps reduce complexity.
The simplest and most basic expression of structure is a point. This is the original point of origin for structure, any structure, and the final point of dissolution. Absence of structure should not be regarded as absence of existence. Pure Existence lives quite naturally and happily beyond and without structure.