The perception of miracles and downward causation

THE MICROCOSM & THE MACROCOSM
We live between large and small. Here the microcosm and the macrocosm are represented by the mathematical symbols of less than which points to the left, and greater than which points to the right. In addition to the traditional ladder of sizes they also represent; the earth, geology the interaction of large and small, expansion and contraction, the primacy of math, the resolution of dualities, and a breathing exercise.
In the early science of traditional religion, we believed the earth was the center of a moral struggle. We hovered somewhere between heaven and hell. The Star of David connects heaven to earth, so does Calvary, as well as the Islamic moon and star. Even astrology makes this connection. But as we peered through the microscope and telescope, we gained a new understanding of the true vastness in which we lived.
We learned that we were made cells, and the stars were suns. We understood atoms and chemistry, and saw how stars formed galaxies. We understood the workings of atomic nuclei, and peered into the Big Bang. And once again, when these two worlds of size were taken together, we found ourselves very near the center. So we’re not so big and not so small, but held in the center, in the ‘arms of size’, cradled between the atoms and the stars. But the symbol can remind us that size doesn’t matter in other ways as well.
Certain shapes, called fractals, are the same regardless of size. Examples include; clouds, trees, and spirals. Fractals are strangely hidden inside other physical processes as well. One of these processes, one that connects the microcosm to the macrocosm, is called chaos. A familiar example of chaos is smoke rising from a candle. At first, it flows straight up, then a microscopic imperfection is amplified, and what was once straight, now becomes chaotic.
Amplifying the microcosm is also a familiar theme in movies, where a small incident frequently turns into something big and chaotic. But a more important example comes in the way cosmic rays cause mutations in DNA. Small effects on DNA can have big effects on evolution.
The microcosm influences the macrocosm. And the macrocosm influences the microcosm. For instance, every time you hitch up a battery, you move single electrons. Indeed, these world interact in ways too numerous to mention.
Greater than and less than can also symbolize the four forces, these are not spiritual forces, but they do allow us to exist. The four forces are; Gravity, Electricity & Magnetism (electromagnetism), The Strong Nuclear Force and The Weak Nuclear Force. Gravity and Electromagnetism can move things at great distances. So they are remembered by points on the end of greater-than. The two other forces, which are primarily short range, can be remembered by the two remaining points on less-than.
Quantum mechanics, the physics of particles and the microcosm, and classical mechanics, the physics of gravity and the macrocosm can also be visualized by the two arrows. A unifying theory of both, called ‘Quantum-Gravity’, is expressed by the diamond in the middle. Quantum mechanics also shows us that ‘God plays dice’ and that randomness, even if it is hard to accept, is quite real. Quantum mechanics may also explain some aspects of ESP.
Greater than and less than also mean more or less. More or less than translates into addition and subtraction, which, through many emergent steps, forms the bases for much of mathematics. Math seems mystical, and they say ‘God speaks in numbers’. But the obviously adaptive quality of mathematics seems no more mysterious than other products of evolution. Indeed, whether mathematics is discovered or created seems to disappear if one sees life as emerging from feedback.
Greater than and less than also represent, attraction and repulsion, or contraction and expansion, or Yin and Yang, universal themes indeed. Examples of expansion and contraction, or tension and compression, can be found in supernovas, bones and muscles, and suspension bridges. Examples of activation and inhibition can be found in DNA, the brain and computers. Not to mention issues surrounding good and evil. The universe seems to be almost perfectly balanced between expansion and contraction.
We couldn’t live if parts of the universe didn’t contract. Indeed, love itself could be thought of as emerging from contraction. The forces of nature bring things together. The strong nuclear force brings nucleons together and creates nuclei. Electromagnetism brings together protons and electrons and creates the atom. Then gravity brings together dust and rocks and creates a planet. So it’s natural to think of a more complicated form of contraction as bringing together; couples, tribes, cities, nations and finally the whole world. And now we huddle together in the context of an expanding universe.
In addition to reconciling dualities, the two arrows could be thought of as a call to meditate on your own breath. Located in the center of THE OCTAGOD, in a position that could be considered the nose or chest, expansion and contraction could mean breathing itself. But if you think of this as a meditation, say ‘ooooo-ct-aaaaaa’, and imagine something from science!