Matter and Energy, Part 4
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
Quote attributed to Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).
What follows is part of an exploration about which I feel abundantly curious and poorly equipped. I likely will get some details wrong, but the foundational concepts which I attempt to articulate are fascinating. I trust where this falls short in accuracy is compensated for by intrigue.
The equivalence of matter and energy is a mysterious phenomenon evidenced in every aspect of creation. Most of us are oblivious to the inter-relatedness of matter and energy in our bodies and environment. Last week I explored the conversion of matter into energy, particularly in the conversion of fossil fuels (matter) into the energy that powers our homes and businesses. Because nothing is ever lost in the conversion of matter to energy, residual and reconstituted material byproducts like carbon dioxide remain when fossil fuels are burned to produce the heat that generates electricity because not all of the matter is converted to energy. Regardless, all material lives are powered by some process of converting matter into energy.
The conversion of energy into matter is less obvious. One foundational example occurs in plants where waves of energy from the sun’s rays initiate the process of photosynthesis, which transforms light energy into matter. Organelles within plant cells capture the energy from the sun and convert it to glucose, a form of matter, which provides fuel for plant growth. Plants then provide the primary food (fuel) for the growth of the many living forms of matter, including us.
Waves of energy are interesting phenomena because they are mostly invisible to human eyes, yet they penetrate and animate every aspect of life as we know it. A wave is defined as “a moving, dynamic disturbance of matter or energy in an organized and periodic
way.”[1] Waves can carry energy, and energy can express itself in waves. There are many different types of waves, but in its basic shape, a wave looks like the diagram on the left. A wavelength is the distance between crests or cycles of the wave. The frequency of a wave is measured in Hertz (hz), which is the number of wavelengths that pass a fixed point in one second. The frequency also refers to a wave’s speed or vibration rate. Ocean waves, which are energy passing through water, are produced by surface wind currents. We can observe their shaping and reshaping power as they crash against the shore. If one wave crest hits the shore every second, that wave has a frequency of 1hz. The wave frequencies we perceive as sound vibrate at rates between 20 and 20,000hz. In music, the note sounded is determined by the speed of the wave. The frequencies of visible light, which is another type of wave, are exponentially faster than sound waves. For example, the wavelengths of the light spectrum visible to us are measured in terahertz (Thz), which vibrate at billions of wavelengths per second. The colors we perceive differ only in the speed of their vibration.
The types and frequencies of waves within our human perceptual abilities may seem vast, but there are infinitely more types and frequencies of waves that we cannot perceive. Among the imperceptible waves known to science are gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, micro and radio waves, each vibrating within a specific frequency range. Who knows what other sorts of matter and energy – life, perhaps– exist in the vibratory realms beyond our perception.
The way I see it, science explores the realms of reality at the outer edges of our inherent human abilities to perceive and understand. What lies beyond the realm of science is lumped into spirituality, mystery, and the unknown. Of course, the boundaries of human and scientific perception and understanding are constantly expanding, but the spiritual realm is and always will extend infinitely beyond either. We are continually bombarded by energy-carrying waves that animate and power the matter constituting our lives, most of which are imperceptible. From the relatively slow waves we hear as sound to the much faster waves we see as color to the infinite range of vibratory frequencies below, between, and beyond, God speaks and sustains creation into being in the on-going cosmic dance of energy-to-matter and matter-to-energy conversions.
This is the 17th in a series of Life Notes on Space, Time, and Eternity. The opinions expressed here are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, contact me at ghildenbrand@sunflower.com.
[1] https://byjus.com/physics/wave-theory-of-light/, accessed August 15, 2023.
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