Often when talking to someone about God, they will say, “I’m a very spiritual person.” Usually this means that they feel some kind of connection with some undefined power that is beyond their understanding. To Christians, this kind of thinking should not be surprising. “In the beginning was the Word.” (John 1:1) God spoke the world into existence. (Genesis 1) Not only is the vibrations of creation still reverberating today, He is still speaking.
Probably because I am more weird than most, I have really gotten into the study of Quantum Physics lately. I’m not sure what sparked it (pardon the pun) but it is fascinating to watch Millennia of man’s scientific understanding and “truth” largely disintegrate into what some Quantum Physicists call a “spooky reality.” It is a place where physical and spiritual apparently connect.
One of the things I learned recently, concerns modern research on how we smell. For decades, many scientists have believed the Shape Theory of Smell which proposes a kind of “Lock and Key” mechanism. In this theory the unique shape of a particular molecule fits like a key into our olfactory receptors in the nasal epithelium (tissue). Depending on which “lock” the molecule fits into, we distinguish different smells.
While this theory works well much of the time, it has problems. For example the molecules that make up an almond are very different than the molecules for arsenic (poison,) yet if we didn’t know what we were smelling, we could easily mistake one for the other. This doesn’t seem like a good thing for evolution does it?
Without getting overly geeky or above my own head, many scientists now believe that even if the Shape Theory is partially true, it is not the whole story. Experiments have indicated that there is another process at play in our sense of smell. That process? Our nose “hears” smells! Huh?
That’s right. Apparently, similar to sound and light, smelly substances oscillate at distinct frequencies. In a similar way to how our ears distinguish different pitches and our eyes distinguish different colors, our noses appear to be able to distinguish smells based on the frequency of the object’s vibrations
In a universe the Bible tells us was created with light and sound, is it surprising that everything in creation vibrates? Is it any wonder that when people look at a beautiful mountain or stream that they “feel” spiritual? Is it any wonder that two-thousand years ago, before Newton or Einstein, the Apostle Paul said:
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20 NLT)
No, it’s no wonder at all that people feel spiritual. The only wonder is why anyone would be content to feel spiritual when they are invited to have a relationship with The Spirit.
Shalom!