The essence of living things are cascades of fractals.
Related patterns recur enthusiastically at progressively smaller scales… seemingly random but decidely chaotic.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, (DNA) with its double helix entwined like a ladder.
Cells.
Fractals are seen with the “naked” eye, as in this beehive:
And they are unseen (as in this close-up view of Sartoli cancer cells):
To me, fractals are concepts too. The specialized membranes of neurons in the brain are designed to control the entry and exit of ions (sodium, potassium, chloride). Voltage changes occur. Information is transmitted. Voila! We have a thought! Neurons firing:
Fractals. Infinitely complex and “thought” provoking. Literally. The Scientific American reported on an interesting study in August of 2013. In short, in went something like this: There were two groups of test subjects that were given questions on a computer screen that they had to answer. One group was told that an image of the correct answer would flash very quickly on the screen; so fast that they could not see it with any awareness. It was implied they were being tested to see if their brains could pick up on that instantaneous flash and thus, get the answers correct.
But the second group was told the flash was simply an alert that the next question was coming up. Guess who got more questions correct, time and again?
The first group. Is this because the brain subliminally ‘saw’ the correct answer flash before they were asked it? Nope. Because the kicker is this: Both groups WERE quickly flashed something, but it was simply a random string of letters that was flashed for both groups. It can be concluded that because the first group “thought” they were given privy to the right answers, they actually did better on the tests.
Is it because they trusted their hunches? Because the power of thought did influence the outcome here. Does this explain how sometimes people can think themselves well? Does it describe positive outcomes from mass praying? There is power in thought. I’m sure you’ve heard “Be positive” or “you have to think it before you can be it.”
Fractals have power. Like thoughts, many of the most astounding fractals are unseen, unless one possesses a powerful microscope. This is vodka under a microscope:
Below, this is fruit punch:
It is said that in order to understand the cosmos, Einstein closed his eyes and imagined himself travelling at the speed of light to visualize and experience in his mind’s eye space, time, and how we fit in the universe. Such visualization changed our perceptions of the universe itself.
Salk, the man responsible for developing the polio vaccine had a similar visualization process that started in the fractals of thought and led to his breakthrough. He used to picture himself as a virus or cancer cell or immune system, and his scientific discoveries came to him from there.
What truly happens in our brains when we listen to a “motivational” speaker?
Maya Angelou (Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014), KNEW the power of her voice. As a child she was raped. When she spoke aloud the man’s name who was responsible, (a man named Freeman), he was murdered, perhaps by Maya’s uncles seeking retribution. She became mute for years, making the association that her words could be so powerful as to result in someone’s death. But you’ve heard the story, no doubt. It’s history that she went on to speak again and truly utilize the power of that voice to inspire on a soul level.
Voices have a dynamism. A capacity to empower. I can’t describe in meaningful words what patterns awaken in me. I have said before that I think in associations, from one thing to another. If I am playing the app FlowFree on my iphone, I may get a visual flash of watching Jeopardy the game show or a sensation of eating strawberry ice cream. This is because I was doing those things simultaneously while playing FlowFree and my brain has blinked over to these by means of flitting associations. When in deep thought (some call this meditation) I intuitively envision a labrynth that I follow in thought, walking through it at peace.
As I lifelong selective mute, I never take my voice for granted.
As an artist, I wonder at the fractals seen and unseen.
As a writer I try to communicate my wonder.
As a human being I strive to be positive, because my thoughts empower me.
For more on close-up microscopic pictures, please visit Bevshots on the web, after you like this blog of course :
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