When Albert Einstein predicted on paper that space-time can be warped by gravity, which itself happens as a result of relative distortion between 2 stars (stars here includes planetary bodies), little did Scientists believe they could visibly witness what appeared to be simply a theoretical assertion.
But this year, the visible witnessing of collisions between two Black holes some 3 billion light years away confirmed the high probability that space-time can indeed be warped. Now, this means many things: Time and space are actually relative and there is a high possibility that one can travel back and forth in time, as already demonstrated with Particle Physics. (It is worth mentioning that a sort of nano-second travel back in time would require enormous vast energy)
All these seem weird, but it is an exciting period for the Conscious mind. Adam could just have fallen with one person and Christ might just have been crucified and risen in another .
What does a Babalawo see when he spreads his 'opele', could it be some astral contact from a time warping with the past that allows him to fathom an event from time immemorial and to discern it with the present event?
What about the authenticity of such phenomena as astral travels and the reality of space leap, called 'egbe' and 'kanako' especially in African arts?
Long before Einstein discovered the potentiality of this time warping, Yorubas have been practicing what would still take Science ages to actualize, but the inability to create a written body of knowledge and the strain of encapsulating everything within esotericism has limited scientific advances in Yoruba land.
It is so difficult to distinguish truths from magic, dark arts, or negative forces within the actions of making and remaking through verbal rituals such as ofo, ogede, afose and ayajo; such that society have majorly (at least openly) preferred to throw away the baby of truth with the water of evils contained for fear of being contaminated and affected. This has had a drastic impact on Yoruba civilization and societal development .
Ultimately I believe everything created is designed to be known and would operate by spoken 'Word' . 'Siri' is just a little sign of how this can be actualized .
Yoruba indeed has a body knowledge that is full of wisdom and intuition, but rather than out of malice, there is a real lack and absence about the wherewithal of incarnating their ingenuity from esoteric ideas, to easily deciphered language through mystery skills like Mathematics, Calculus and Geometry.
For instance, if the need to know the explanation behind recorded actions like egbe and kanako amongst other scientific knowledge cannot be met, the credit would keep being transferred to the West as is happening.
It is often being said by Yoruba esoteric members that 'The deep can be known by the deep'. This is said to bolster their claim of not letting any knowledge out from their circle; but it is worth mentioning that the more the deep lets out through the right channel, the deeper it travels. A deep that is contained and refuses to let out, would remain shallow relative to those who are adept at exposing the deep through the right channel. Here lies the superiority behind the foundation of Western esotericism.
The grave they say, is full of 'might haves'. It takes courage to let go of knowledge and move on.'Oogun ti a ko ba fi han omode, nise lo ma n parun ' .
The truth is that 'oogun gun' ( knowledge is an infinite) and often 'omode ko mo oogun o n pe e l'efo' ( Knowledge is not for the mediocre) but the reality is that the little Science known today is let out from deeper esoteric ideas mostly from the West, who builds her civilization by stooping to Africa, mostly through the Egyptian deep cultural knowledge, from whom flows the vast African spirituality and ideas that they know today and which they utilize to foster their technological and scientific advances.
Yoruba still starves from ignorance borne out of a determination to perpetuate the ponding of their esoteric ideas . For instance, the vast wisdom and knowledge, both physical and spiritual still lays buried in Ife. The wonder discovered through the accidental discovery of 'Ori Olokun' is just a tip of the iceberg.
Christians, through the ages have always held the Eucharistic celebration as a travel back in time to Calvary. This notion was weakened by the vast Protestant arm of Christianity from the Reformation of the Middle Ages, but it is still a body of truth held firmly within Catholicism. Time and Space may be one great illusion, or rather a massive disproportion from our current perception as we are finding out with Relativity.
Let us attempt looking the opposite way of Relativism , that is, instead of looking outwards towards the galaxy, let us search deeper within the subatomic levels, a study which is often referred to as Quantum Physics.Think about it this way: The theory of relativity deals with the movement of heavenly bodies: stars, galaxies, planets etc. while quantum theory deals with particles in their extreme simplicity and subatomic sizes(the tinier they are the more quantum they become) such that we can say quantum Physics is the opposite of theory of relativity.
The shocking unpredictability of the behavior of atoms therein, when broken down to their smallest particles or when treated as waves, was as a result of a new branch of Physics called quantum mechanics which has gained much ground since the early 20th century .
Relativity is predictable and can be arrived at using mathematical laws and scientific postulates. Everything appears to have a definite position, a definite momentum, a definite energy, and a definite time of occurrence. However, in quantum physics, things are vague and their theories cannot pinpoint the exact values of a particle's position and momentum or its energy and time, rather they provide only ranges of probabilities in which that particles might act.
Why all this? It is interesting to know that the smaller a thing is, the more it operates outside our normal basic propositions and mindset. Think of 2 + 2 having the potential of being 8, 54, 34, 23 and any haphazard number.
Scientists are using this quantum postulate to delve deeper and deeper into the search for the constituent of our being and the root essence of life, as is being demonstrated at CERN with the LHC.
From a spiritual perspective, it is obvious that attempts by man towards Scientific facts could be seen as one huge parable that can be a pointer to the real Truth for a believing mind.
Christianity may consider Science as one huge parable that could be studied towards grasping truths which can only be achieved from a conscious mindset, that which is popularly referenced to as faith. Faith's dismissal of Science (Duly called Natural Philosophy) would be tantamount to Theology doing away with Philosophy.
Quantum theory sounds silly. In fact, Albert Einstein initially rejected the probabilistic notion of its proposition, according to him: 'God does not play dice with creation'; but today, it is difficult to deny the reality of quantum theory in scientific and technological fields because its postulate has enhanced the creation of many equipment that we take for granted these days, ranging from our electrical appliances to medical equipments to aircrafts.
The reality within Quantum Physics has reflected some deeper Christian truths, some of which are outlined:
1. The smaller (humbler) we are (just as quantum mechanics) the more we operate outside the realm of predictable laws and are immersed in the mind of God which-to me- is mercy.
2. Our judgement can be flawed because of the unpredictable that happens when a man operates within littleness, which is humility (which is truth).
3. The Law is very relevant ( Christ did not come to abolish it) and General theory of Relativity as Einstein proposed, is more relevant in our age today as ever. But moving deeper, there is a quantum realm we cannot fabricate and we get there only by littleness.
4. St Paul said at a stage 'who can know the mind of God' (Rom 11:34) and at another stage 'judge nothing before its time' (1cor4:5). We should be slow to judge, God's ways in this age of Christ are entirely bereft of ours, it is like Quantum physics.
5. The Bible also spoke about 'time and chance' happening to all things (Eccl 9:11) and at a point even Christ said 'he didn't know who...only His Father knows ('Math20:23 / Math24:36)This is the extent of the mind of God, that even His Son, while in the flesh, was unaware of at some point.
6. Quantum theory has made many people believe that everything happens only by chance and that there is no God who controls anything and they have succumbed to a psychological exasperation, because there is a limit to which human rationality can journey.
7. Or otherwise instead of grasping what little can be controlled within the quantum realm , many have held unto the factorization of the bigger controllable law and format of Relativity. Herein is the cause of its dictatorship.
8. Within littleness lies an unpredictability which we can trust in. Herein is mercy, herein is faith. God's mind resides within the quantum that we cannot 'control'. Let us 'let go' and 'let God'!
It is often said that after all has been said and done, and Science reaches the summit of the mountain of truth, it would find Theologians - for ages- on that summit awaiting their arrival.
While Yoruba esotericism lacks the scientific and mathematical language of proposing its depth of knowledge to modernity, Western Christianity has also struggled to find a method of faith proposal to the modern mind. The confluence between Western Christianity and Yoruba esotericism lies within Theology, the belief in the supremacy of a higher unseen power(s) that controls absolutely everything. Science as a principle tries to ignore this fact.
There is a question, a void, a disproportion between the reality of everyday occurrences, its applications, and the meaning of everything that Theology could as yet not 'match' - in verbal explanation- the correspondence that Science offers, albeit flawed. Science explains our everyday occurrences while Theology asks us to believe an 'uncertainty' that for many does not correspond .
It is often said that for those who believe, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible. From faith's perspective, it could be argued that it is far easier to build a system than to provoke conversion. Christians may find an alibi in the sayings of Christ that 'And even if someone should rise from the dead, 'they will not believe'(As Abraham told Dives).
Yet, the modern mind searches for a correspondence, a meaning, reasons behind life and their cultural experience. But they do this from the external and from a largely Relativistic perspective. The mind before matter quantum manner of Theology Is largely ignored. As such modern mind presently has a bent towards an embrace of Science, obviously because science appeals more to the senses. Theology appears to loose its voice to Science in spite of its number.
The triumph of Theology may well lie within science itself, such that, as quantum rationalism grows, the consciousness, agility and energy within littleness would increase and the sacredness of life would be more obvious. There would be more awe against war and the irrationality of many similar intricate questions that beg for cogent and rational answers.
But as long as life exists, knowledge would grow, for there is nothing hidden that would not be revealed; and explanations would go on because it is by the Word that the world would be recreated and civilization built.
