When you look up the word "Metaphysics" in the dictionary, you get a definition similar to the following:

Seems simple enough at first glance. But the word "Metaphysics" has many personalities these days - and can mean many different things depending on who you talk to about the subject. Some see it in the old traditional sense - Aristotle's Metaphysics, for example, which was written almost 2,400 years ago, asks us to consider the "easy" questions such as "What is being? What is a thing? What is the 'thing-hood' of things? What makes our world a world of things at all?"(a)

In fact, the more we learn about our natural world, our physical-selves and the universe around us, the more we realize how little we really know and understand. For example, now that science feels they have a good handle on how the Universe "works", several really, really BIG questions loom...

"what came before it?"

"is it infinite?"

"if not, what's beyond it?"

"what caused it to be"

"what's controlling it"

"how am I a part if it" 

And so now we've moved right back to the basics again. The same questions that have been pondered throughout the ages are still relevant today. These are the "deep" questions that traditional science cannot yet answer - and that move to the realm of what some call God, Universal Intelligence, Universal Mind, etc.  

If you've read any Quantum Theory, String Theory, etc., then you probably noticed how physicists have started to sound much less scientific and well.., a lot more 'Metaphysical' when describing their theories. The reason for this may be that science at that level has truly moved beyond the physical, into the realm of Metaphysics.

Still, traditional science is (very importantly) based on empirical evidence - physical proof that something "is". In Metaphysics, that type of proof is not readily available.

The term, Metaphysics, still has more personalities though. There are those who see it as being all about ghosts, auras and seances. There are some who automatically discount Metaphysics as some kind of new-age voodoo.

For me, Metaphysics has always been about the search for meaning. As humans, we are observers in the Universe - but our visual observations of "reality" are really limited to our own immediate surroundings - and even that which we see around us is of an illusory nature, colored by our beliefs, culture and experience. What we see beyond our world, in the vast swath of sky above our heads, is simply not there. We are simply viewing light particles that are millions and billions of years old. Definitely not real-time viewing.

So, to get in touch with our Universe and explore the true meaning of our existence, we have to go "beyond the physical", or into the realm of Metaphysics. On a personal level, this normally requires a thorough examination of our selves. In other words, digging deeply into what makes us each see the world in the unique way that we do - questioning our pre-conceived notions of life's meaning and opening our "eyes" to change in our approach to life. Because, underneath ALL of THAT, lies the quiet, powerful and eternal energy of it all. It goes far beyond just you, far beyond just me, far beyond us as a people - and far beyond our planet as our home. In this realm, we connect with the Universal Energy that permeates all space and time.

Some will say that there are other, more direct paths to enlightenment than trying to intellectualize the process - and that may be true. But, I also believe that this contemplative Metaphysical journey can be very fulfilling as well - and will likely make the eventual meditative path you may embark on later, much more direct and effective.

There are two complementary Metaphysical paths in my view. The first being that of coming to an understanding of self - and the second being the ability to help others along that path of understanding as well. While it's great to know yourself and get in touch with your Metaphysical Being, it's much better to also help others find their way along that same path. THAT, in my opinion, is the value of Metaphysical training..., helping others to find their way through the fog of their previous programming about what life is and what it can be. After all, we are all connected more deeply than most could ever imagine.

In our country (the USA), as well as other Western and free countries, we are fortunate to have little limitation on how we choose to live. That doesn't mean you will never experience friction from others, or society in general, when we go against the grain. But it's up to you as to how you will allow any friction you do experience to affect you. Most of this time, the battle between what you feel is right for you - and what you actually do - is ALL within your own head. Learning to listen to your true self is the key to living a life of fulfillment.

Where science and religious myth end..., The study of Metaphysics begins. Your mind reflects the Universal Energy that surrounds all of us. It's really too bad that our words, pre-conceived notions and our daily modern lives happen to get in the way. Let go of all that.

If we can, at least for a short time each day, connect with the Universal Mind through meditation, that would be a giant leap forward toward getting in touch with our Metaphysical reality. Be it sitting meditation, or moving meditation practices, the important thing is that you do it.

Don't believe in that sort of thing?

OK, I understand..., it's not easy for many people to comprehend that there is something else to life besides working like crazy to fit in with a particular cultural ideal. The majority of people in the world today go through the same routine, day-after-day, their whole lives without ever stopping to think why?

Why do yo do what you do for work?

Why do you live where you do?

What are your hopes and aspirations?

The world is full of people who feel attached to a country, beliefs, lifestyle, cultural ideals, etc.., without EVER asking WHY? Certainly, there are people and cultures around the world that are suppressed - sometimes violently. Those people have very little choice in regard to their circumstances. But the majority of us ARE free to choose - free to decide. We are free to look at life as it is. But sadly, few make the choice to do so. The truth is that many base every decision in their life on how they think others will view them. Think about it for a second.... House - Neighborhood - Car - School, etc.

Of course, not everyone feels they can afford the luxury of choice when it comes to those things... and that also creates animosity and conflict. Why strive like that? What good does it do? We all live - we all die... Let's look at the bigger picture here... When was the last time you stopped to consider the amazing place in which you exist? Not just our planet..., but the Universe in which we live? Right now at this second, we're all zooming through space at a ridiculously fast rate around a rather insignificant star, in a rather insignificant arm of a very common spiral galaxy. There are billions upon billions of other stars in our small galaxy..., and..., ours is just one of trillions of other galaxies in our known universe. Yikes! We have no idea of how large our universe is..., what could possibly be beyond it and where it could have come from.

Not only that..., but when we look up into the night sky with our eyes, or with all but the largest telescopes, we're only really seeing the stars in our own galaxy... everything else is just too far away to see. And that's not even not even the most incredible part... The fact is that what we are looking at is OLD. Only the stuff in our own solar system is less than an hour old. Everything else you see is many thousands, or millions, or billions of years old. You are looking back in time as you look into the sky. It is NOT a real representation. It is an illusion.

Closer to home, our daily lives on Earth are an illusion as well. What we see, hear, feel and smell are all the result of electrical and chemical signals being sent to our brain. These senses are further filtered by our cultural upbringing, past experiences and overall state-of-mind. We do not see the world as it really is... only a version of it that's colored by our expectation of how we expect it to be.

Now is the time to stop and make the effort to go beyond our pre-conceived notions and expectations of how we feel the world should be.., to seeing it as it really is. What is that? Well, words do not have the capacity to describe that. It is something that can only be experienced... Go forth and experience it for yourself.