Part 4 : Beyond the Scientific Method

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Previously, I was staunch in my beliefs based on the principles of physics and the scientific method. However, time has severely altered that perspective. From a variety of ghost encounters and hearing hundreds of stories of their reality, to the overwhelming evidence there are extraterrestrial entities, to an ensued budding occurrence of an object that suddenly appeared at 80,000 ft and then slowed to hover at 20,000 ft in the USA, all while breaking the principles of physics.

I have begun to reflect on whether there are actually some phenomena in the universe that cannot be explained with science. I have begun to appreciate that knowing reality cannot always be easily measured or predicted by experiment alone, and this has led me to become more open and curious about spiritual, metaphysical and philosophical ideas I once scoffed at. I have come to realize that reality is both more complex and exotic than scientists can describe and understand with their current repertoires. I realize now that there are part of the mysteries of the universe and these will continue to evolve and teach us, and we cannot hold onto just a single way to understand these phenomena and events. It has changed my mindset and expanded my perspective and it has awakened a curiosity and sense of wonder about the unknown, and made me entertain the nearest idea that there could be even more in the world that we just do not see or experience or have yet to understand.

Most profound was my experience with a stranger who, through a mutual friend, claimed to have the ability to predict my future and connect me to my past. This stranger and I had never met, but she possessed a remarkable knowledge of things known to me only, and I was quite impressed. For this moment, I was transformed as if my previous understanding of reality had been overturned, forcing me to reconsider everything that exists beyond my superficial interpretation of the world. Likewise, my exploration of astrology, a system that lacks scientific legitimacy, but that coincidentally has often proven to be highly accurate, added to my interest in the strange, complex, and mysterious universe. They have been a great source of introspection and contemplation, spurring me to keep looking for answers and exploring. There is a long history of skepticism towards astrology based upon the idea that the locations of the sun, moon, and the planets has an impact on the personality of a person, at birth.

While the scientific community has largely dismissed astrology, it continues to have a following and impact people's lives. A study out of Vanderbilt University published in "Nature Neuroscience" showing birth month affects the behavior and biological clock in the brain of mice was particularly surprising to me.

While the researchers did not promote astrology as a whole, they did recognize "seasonal biology" in their research. This has led me to wonder just how little we understand, including the accuracy of accepted ideas like the laws of physics, which is often also bound up in our human fallibility and biases. I now understand that some of the most general concepts, theories, and laws are also shifting and evolving as we learn more. This has taught me to keep an open mind and challenge everything, regardless of scientific opinion, to better understand our world and myself.

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