The Grand Illusion: Why a Material Universe Made of Empty Space is Anything But Material
The Paradox of a Solid World in a Hollow Universe
I wrote this article with the hopes of appealing to both one’s intellect and something a little more abstact, their spiritual contemplations. It’s definitely not lite reading and is intended for those really wanting to look beyond the veil of reality at the macroscopic level of our senses, which as you’ll discover have very little interaction with “Reality.” We’re going to explore truly the illusion reality is, Eastern philosophy, correlations to Quantum Physics, and Consciousness Studies and their findings.
With each passing year, science is unveiling discoveries that align more and more with ancient wisdom, taught by sages, and gurus for millenia, as opposed to simply reinforcing the nature of reality viewed through the lens of scientific inquiry. The more we delve into our curiosity about the universe, the more and more bizarre and mysterious it becomes.
is Reality, Real?
Every morning we awaken to the perception that we live in a world of solidity: the firmness of the mattress beneath us, the weight of the coffee mug in our hand, the unyielding door we open to step outside. Yet, beyond the perception of our limited perception, at its deepest level, the universe is astonishingly empty—over 99.999999999999999% of what we call “matter” is in fact, completely empty space devoid of any solidity or physical aspect.
This reality that we think is “Oh, so real.” is illusory at best. To give this context, let’s look at what we are told is the foundation of the physical universe, the atom. Let’s look at a hydrogen atom - the simplest atom having only 1 proton, 1 neutron, and 1 electron. In scaling a hydrogen atom’s nucleus [it’s proton and neutron at the center] up to the size of the average orange (~8-10 cm across) the electron that orbits the nucleus (smaller than a grain of sand in this scenario) would orbit the nucleus (our orange) with a radius of about 5 km—over 3 miles—with a full diameter of roughly 10 km (between 6–7 miles) from the nucleus (again, our orange) with nothing but empty space between them. In other words, atoms - that we are told everything is made of - are almost entirely empty space!
This paradox—a reality that appears and feels “REAL,” is composed almost entirely of emptiness. This sets the stage for a deeper journey into “Reality.”
This mystery only deepens, and takes us further down the rabbit hole, when we view the quantum realm in which particles appear out of nothing, emerging from the void - underpinning reality - which we have no understanding of whatsoever. At this level of reality the immaterial becomes material from what appears to be nothing.
What if solidity is merely a cloak? Misleading, fabricated constructs/concepts we created in our feeble attempt to make sense of the universe? Theories that function as a feeble attempt to explain the unfathomable, impossible to understand, interactions and perceptions, rather than an absolute truth? Physics is leaning more and more into the idea, there is no physical reality and beginning to merge with what sages, gurus, buddhas, and wise men of the past have been telling us all along - there is only pure consciousness. The entire universe is a construct of consciousness with each one of us being smack dab in the middle of that construct that emanates from the center of our very existence - a pin point of conscious awareness. We each appear to be a fractal of the universe, the source field, universal consciousness, some call God, experiencing itself.
A fractal is a shape or pattern that repeats itself in smaller and smaller versions, no matter how much you zoom in.
YOU are the only doorway to existence and therefore every experience is only happening within YOU [the fractal of consciousness you experience as “YOU”], not without. In other words, there is no external reality, only the internal landscape of one’s mind projecting itself on a canvas we each experience as “Reality.”
Deceived by Our Senses: The Survival Illusion
Evolutionary Shortcuts
Human perception is incredibly limited when compared to the full spectrum of reality, which can be described in terms of frequency and vibration across the electromagnetic and acoustic spectrum, as well as other physical phenomena. To shape your perspective on the fragment of reality we experience, consider:
Our eyes see only an infinitesimally small sliver of light (roughly 0.0035% of the entire EM spectrum). Colors are merely neural constructions, interpretations of light wavelengths, not inherent properties of objects. Colors don’t actually exist - they’re created, or assimilated by groups of neurons in the brain that fire together to create the color in our mind in response to specific frequencies.
The same is true for sound. Our ears detect an inconceivably narrow band of sound frequencies (tiny, approximately 0.00002% of the vibrational spectrum). Sounds are air pressure fluctuations; that vibrate the tympanic membrane in our ear. Those vibrations create neural correlates in our brains that are interpreted as sound - music, voices, or noise.
Taste? Humans detect 5–6 primary tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, (sometimes fat) - all of these are molecules [vibratory in nature], which are effectively limitless in variety and concentration. What we can taste is infinitesimal, likely <0.0001%.
Then there’s smell. Humans have about 400 types of olfactory receptors, each sensitive to different odor molecules. We can detect tens of thousands of odors made from the combination of aromatic elements, yet the molecular universe is vastly larger. What we can smell is extremely small, likely far less than 0.0001% of surrounding aromatic, chemical reality.
Our skin feels pressure, temperature, and vibration—never the shape or essence of atoms that are simply, coalesced energy fields themselves. But again, what we feel is only the thinnest slice of reality (vanishingly small, perhaps <0.001%) that we’re immerse in. The sensation of hardness is really electrons in the atoms/field of energy comprising your fingertips’ repelling the electrons/field of energy of another object/surface. Said another way; two opposing fields of energy [not actual physical matter] creating a bio-electric impulse processed by neural correlates in the brain interpreted by the mind/consciousness.
Evolution rewarded these tricks by helping us hunt, hide, and reproduce. But the utility of these illusions, tantamount to a virtual reality video game, are not the ultimate reality. To pierce the veil, we must learn to question every “solid” truth our senses present.
Taken together, if we consider all 5 senses, humans perceive well under 1% of reality, likely in the range of 0.0001% – 0.01% depending on how you define “reality” in terms of frequency, vibration, and molecular information. Said another way, 99.9999% of reality is imperceptible to us.
This aligns with concepts from both consciousness studies and recent discoveries in quantum physics: our perception is but a very narrow bandwidth “user interface” for a vastly richer and infinitely more complex reality (as physicist Thomas Campbell and others suggest). Science is moving more and more in the direction that consciousness itself is the basis of all that is.
So let’s explore some perspectives on the basis of reality put forth in ancient wisdom that’s almost been lost, but much needed by modern society. It just might provide a conscious foundation, provide the peace of mind we’re all searching for.
Eastern Wisdom: Consciousness as the Ground of All Being - The basis of reality
For millennia, sages, gurus, and mystics have journeyed inward, discovering realities that science would only later begin to glimpse.
A. Advaita Vedanta: The Non-Dual Heart
Brahman: The unchanging, infinite consciousness that underlies all phenomena - in the west referred to as “God.” It is imperceptible, inconceivable, irreducible, beyond thought, beyond form, and yet the source of every form.
Atman: The individual soul, not separate from Brahman but its unique expression. The famous mantra "Tat Tvam Asi" (“Thou art That”) underscores this unity. Unlike many Western traditions that draw a line between Creator and creation, Eastern philosophy sees them as inseparable. Think of a raindrop rising from a vast, invisible sea of vapor that saturates every nanometer of air: it emerges out of and yet, within that mist, remains immersed in it, and carries within itself the full essence of its original source, the ocean. In every drop of rain lies the entire constituency of the ocean—just as every individual soul is a microcosm of the infinite whole.
One of the most awesome and beautiful analogies of this concept, was an allegory given by Lao Tzu over 3,000 years ago, and I’ve written about in my blog titled: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN, AND WITHOUT. It’s a 3 minute read, but I believe will really solidify this concept of each of us as a fractal of something much bigger.Maya: The cosmic illusion—or more specifically “the illusion of self”— the roles we play, a creative play whose beauty hides its emptiness. When we awaken from Maya, as I written about in the past, we see that all diversity in separateness is but emerging waves on an energetic sea of consciousness.
Meditation practices in this tradition guide the practitioner to witness thoughts and forms, then rest as the silent awareness in which they appear and dissolve. An allegory is witnessing thoughts as clouds. Become the sky.
B. Buddhism: Emptiness as Freedom
Śūnyatā (Emptiness): Everything lacks inherent, permanent existence. The “self” in the Buddhist tradition is a fluid aggregation of perceptions, sensations, physiological interactions, [every cell is endlessly changing], and mental formations.
Everything’s Connected: Every phenomenon arises in relationship with countless conditions—nothing stands alone. Everything is existence is lending itself to every experience every other sentient/conscious being in existence is having.
By directly observing the impermanent, interdependent flow of experience—through mindfulness, insight, and meditation—the practitioner dissolves the need to cling or tether themselves to transient experiences or things, revealing an open, spacious mind in which compassion and wisdom naturally arise.
C. Taoism: The Flowing Source
Tao (pronounced Dao): The ineffable root of all that is and is not. It, Tao, flows through mountains, rivers, and our hearts alike.
The Tao Te Ching teaches that “emptiness” is the vessel’s [our] power—without space, a pot holds nothing.
Cultivating Wu Wei
Wu wei, often translated as “effortless action,” does not mean inaction or passivity. Instead, it reflects a way of moving through life with such alignment to the natural order (Tao) that action flows without strain, resistance, or excess willpower.
Strength Through Openness
When we live by force—pushing, grasping, attempts at controlling—we drain ourselves by swimming against the current of reality. Strength is not found in rigidity or domination, but in receptivity. Openness allows us to sense the subtle currents of change and adjust with grace. An example of this is the strength of water: soft, fluid, yielding, yet powerful enough to carve valleys and wear down stone. Think of the Grand Canyon.
Creative Flow
The Tao’s spontaneous flow is endlessly creative, generating new forms without premeditation. When we quiet the restless grasp of ego and drop into presence, we find ourselves moving in rhythm with this flow. Decisions become clearer, actions more precise, and outcomes less burdened by friction. The effort we once thought necessary is replaced by trust in the unfolding moment. Wu wei is lived in small, everyday choices—listening deeply before responding, allowing silence to shape speech, moving with rather than against challenges. Over time, this practice reveals that the deepest power lies not in imposing will, but in embodying harmony. True mastery of life comes not from control, but from allowing the mystery of the Tao to work through us.
Let’s tie this into what science has revealed to us . . .
Quantum Physics: When Matter Melts into Mystery
Modern physics, like a mirror, reflects the same insights but in a more scientific approach - essentially with equations and experiments. What has quantum physics revealed about reality? There is no objective reality - and reality is infinitely more bizarre and mysterious than we can begin to wrap our minds around.
A. Wave-Particle Duality
One of the most striking discoveries in quantum physics is that fundamental entities like electrons and photons (packets of light energy) defy our everyday categories of “particle” or “wave.” Instead, they exhibit both natures depending on how we observe them. The classic demonstration is the double-slit experiment:
Setup: A beam of electrons (or photons) is directed at a barrier with two parallel slits, and a detection screen sits behind the barrier.
Unobserved Passage: When the particles pass through the slits without any measurement or observation of which slit they traveled through, the detection screen behind the partition with the slits in it, reveals an interference pattern—alternating bright and dark bands—characteristic of waves overlapping and reinforcing or canceling each other, much like ripples in water.
Measurement at the Slits: If an observer watches, or detectors are placed at the slits to record which slit each particle goes through, the interference pattern vanishes. Instead, the particles arrive in two distinct clusters behind the slits, behaving like, or exhibiting the pattern of distinct particles, going through either slit.
This dramatic change—wave-like interference collapsing into particle-like impacts—occurs simply because of the act of observation. It suggests that the quantum system does not commit to a definite path until it is measured or observed. In essence, the observer and the observed are inseparable, and reality at the quantum level appears to be a participatory process. Measurement or observation - bring our attention to something - “collapses” the range of possibilities into a single outcome, revealing a universe where consciousness, information, and physical phenomena are deeply intertwined.
For those who find this too abstract to conceptualize, there’s a wonderful video available that explain this and will crystallize this concept for you.
Click here: Double Slit Experiment
B. Quantum Entanglement: The Cosmic Web
Quantum entanglement is one of the most baffling and profound phenomena in modern physics. Two or more particles can become intertwined so that their properties become a single, unified system—even when separated by vast cosmic distances. The classic Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) thought experiment first highlighted this “spooky action at a distance,” [Einstein’s explanation] and subsequent experiments have confirmed that no hidden variables can account for the instantaneous correlations observed.
Shared Connection: When a single particle or atom breaks apart, it can release two new particles at the same time. Because they’re ‘born’ together in this one event, they stay linked—almost like twins who remain connected no matter where they go.
Dice Analogy
Imagine rolling two dice that are magically linked. No matter how far apart they are—one in New York and the other in Tokyo—if one shows a 6, the other instantly shows the same result.Twin Analogy
It’s like identical twins who somehow share a secret connection. Even if they’re on opposite sides of the planet, the instant one feels something, the other reacts at the exact same time.
Distance Doesn’t Break It: Even if one particle is on Earth and the other is across the galaxy, if you check one, you instantly know something about the other.
Beyond Space and Time: This strange connection suggests that, deep down, reality isn’t just separate pieces spread out in space—it’s more like everything is part of one big, connected whole.
Entanglement hints at the universe’s deep interconnectedness: beneath the illusion of separate objects lies a seamless quantum web in which information and correlation transcend conventional boundaries. This is eerily similar to what mystics, sages, and gurus have told us for eons.
C. Vacuum Energy & Zero-Point Field
Contrary to what our intuition tells us, that tends to think in concrete terms, especially ones we’ve been taught, “empty” space is far from barren. According to quantum field theory, every point in space is permeated with fields whose lowest energy state still exhibits fluctuations—known as zero-point energy. These fluctuations manifest as fleeting virtual particle–antiparticle pairs that constantly pop into and out of existence, giving the vacuum a very dynamic quality.
Casimir Effect: When two uncharged metal plates are placed just nanometers apart in a vacuum, they experience an observable attractive force. This force arises because the plates restrict certain vacuum fluctuations between them, demonstrating that the quantum vacuum has real, measurable effects.
Lamb Shift: Precision measurements of hydrogen’s spectral lines reveal tiny energy shifts (the Lamb shift) that occur because the electron interacts with vacuum fluctuations—another clear sign that “nothingness” is in fact, a sea of potential.
Together, these experiments confirm that what we call “matter” is really a “ripple,” a “wave,” or “excitation” in an all-pervading quantum field, rather than solid, standalone, static bricks of substance.
Expanding on this concept, physicist John Archibald Wheeler coined the phrase “It from Bit,” proposing that every physical “it”—every particle, every force, every measurement—arises from a binary yes/no bit of information at the quantum level. Thomas Campbell, who wrote the “Theory Of Everything” - arguably the most comprehensive explanation of reality I’ve heard, shares a similar sentiment. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking . . . “THE MATRIX.”
In this view, reality itself is an immense conscious, informational process, hinting at a conscious or informational substrate/foundation beneath the perceived “solidity” of the physical/material world.
Consciousness Studies: The Unbridgeable Gap
Science explains neural circuits and brain chemistry with elegance—but misses the essence of experience: the observation of color, the taste of coffee, the ache of longing.
A. The Hard Problem
Philosopher David Chalmers coined the term “the hard problem” to highlight a mystery at the core of consciousness studies. Science has made huge strides in uncovering the mechanics of the brain: we can scan brain activity, track which neurons light up when you see colors, or even identify regions tied to emotions, memory, and decision-making. These discoveries are often called the “easy problems” of consciousness — not because they’re simple, but because they deal with measurable functions.
The hard problem goes a step further:
Why does brain activity produce an inner experience at all?
It’s one thing to say neurons fire when you see the color red, but that doesn’t explain why seeing red feels like something. Why does it have a quality — a vivid, subjective sensation — instead of being just a mechanical/chemical process of the brain?
In other words, neuroscience can explain how the brain processes information, but it doesn’t explain why information processing is accompanied by conscious awareness — the fact that it feels like something to be you, living inside your skin.
There’s this gap between objective measurements (what we can observe going on in the brain) and subjective experience (what it “feels” like to be alive) is what makes the Hard Problem so perplexing.
This has lead of course, to two main theories:
Panpsychism: Proposes that consciousness is a fundamental property of matter—every particle harbors a sliver of a universal field of consciousness/awareness.
Analytic Idealism: Argues that reality is mental at its core, and the material world arises within universal consciousness. The material world is an illusion - a virtual reality [not necessarily a simulation].
Leading neuroscientists and philosophers—like Christof Koch and Bernardo Kastrup—now take these once-marginal views seriously, bridging science with the ancient insight of eastern philosophy.
Convergence: A Unified Vision
At first glance, Eastern philosophy, quantum physics, and consciousness studies may seem to describe entirely different realms—yet they each point to the same deeper truth from complementary perspectives.
From the Eastern traditions we’ve learned the non-dual nature of Brahman and Atman, the emptiness (Śūnyatā) of all phenomena, and the power of effortless action (wu wei) in aligning with the Tao. Quantum physics reveals that particles exist as observer‑dependent wave functions, that entangled systems defy classical separations with non‑local connections (“spooky action at a distance”), and that even a perfect vacuum is teeming with zero‑point energy. Meanwhile, the “hard problem” of consciousness highlights how subjective experience eludes purely material explanations, prompting theories like panpsychism—the idea that mind is a fundamental aspect of reality—and toward idealism, where consciousness itself is primary.
Far from contradicting one another, these insights weave together into a unified mosaic: the world we call “material” is really a dynamic interplay of awareness, energetic fields, and perceptual participation. In other words, reality is a seamless tapestry of consciousness, energy, and perception.
So then, what does all this say about LIFE & DEATH?
Life, Death, and the Illusion of Endings
In a universe woven from timeless consciousness:
Birth and death, like everything in an endless sea of energy, are merely transitions of form, like waves rising and falling on the ocean of awareness, or drops of rain forming from an invisible sea of water vapor.
Energy never arises nor vanishes—it only transforms. So too consciousness flows perpetually, uncreated and indestructible.
Stories of near-death experiences [of which I’ve listened to over a thousand], shared visions, and continuous memory across lifetimes hint at this deeper continuity beyond the body.
You were never born; you will never die. You are the boundless field in which life dances.
Pulling all this together:
A Practical Invitation
This is not abstract metaphysics—it’s an invitation to live differently:
Inquiry: Question every “solid” belief. Notice the spaces between thoughts.
Meditation: Rest as the silent witness. Watch your life unfold in the theater of awareness.
Compassion: Recognize the same consciousness in all beings—let empathy bloom.
Creativity: Flow with life instead of resisting. Embrace wu wei in your actions.
When you awaken to your true nature, everyday existence transforms. Working, loving, and even dying become expressions of the infinite.
You are not a collection of atoms navigating empty space. You are the ever-present field of awareness, orchestrating the cosmic dance.
Step beyond the illusion—your true self awaits.
I would love to hear your thoughts, perspectives, and experiences, and invite you to comment below.
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Love & Light to You in your continued Journey of Self-Discovery!
