Holographic Paradigm (The Implicate Order)

By Scott Jeffrey

The Theory in a Nutshell

The late physicist David Bohm posited a wonderful theory of the universe’s holographic nature. A hologram represents both a visible and an invisible image created by the interference patterns of a split beam of laser light (light of a single wavelength). Bohm called the visible “unfolded” reality (the one we can visually see, like the three-dimensional metallic image on a credit card) the explicate order and the invisible “enfolded” domain the implicate order. Although this “folded” domain is beyond measurement and conscious observation, the implicate order is more than just an abstract concept. The implicate order is an unobservable realm beyond the linear, space-time experience, similar to the concept of “phase space” discussed in Chaos Theory.

Significance to Consciousness and Spirituality

The holographic model represents a profound leap toward spiritual reality, illuminating three key distinctions:

1. In a hologram, every point contains the whole. For example, if you broke a holographic image of a pinecone into a hundred pieces, each piece would contain the entire image of the pinecone, not just that particular piece.
2. The appearance of a holographic image changes depending on the viewpoint of the observer. The image itself never changes; we only perceive a change based on where and when we observe it. This parallels discoveries in Quantum Theory where the observer and the observed are inextricably linked—the observer’s intention affects what he observes.
3. A holographic universe implies there is an unseen realm (implicate order) that is governing everything that occurs in the observable world. Moving beyond the linear mental construct of causality (a component of the Newtonian paradigm), we see that everything arising in the physical world is a manifestation of the implicate order, or the unmanifest realm. Creation is unfolding in each instant from the unmanifest realm. As Dr. Hawkins’ asks, “Where is the Empire State Building before it is built?” It is a potentiality of the unmanifest domain that, when the necessary conditions present themselves, becomes manifest in the physical world.

More on the Scientific Convergence:

Quantum Mechanics: The Observed and the Observer are One
Chaos Theory: Nonlinear Dynamics & the Science of Wholeness
Fractal Geometry: The Organizing Patterns of Life
The Implicate Order: The Universe as a Giant Hologram
Hypothesis of Formative Causation: Morphic Resonance & Hidden Fields

References:
Bohm, David. Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge Classics, 1980.
Hawkins, David. Power vs. Force: Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2002.
Talbot, Michael. The Holographic Universe. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992.
Wilber, Ken, ed. The Holographic Paradigm and other Paradoxes. Boulder: Shambhala, 1982.