Luminous Life
Dr. Jacob Israel Liberman
with
Gina Liberman and Erik Liberman
a few excerpts from the book
Forty years ago, while practicing as an optometrist, I experienced a sudden and very significant improvement in eyesight, with no measurable change in my eyeglass prescription. The effect of that miraculous event, which has now persisted for forty years, led me to the realization that while we look with our eyes, we do not “see” with them. This spurred me on a mission to discover the source of our true seeing: the connection between light, vision, and consciousness. Most importantly, it led me to ask, who am I, and who is truly the seer?
These questions drew me to study quantum physics and neuro- science, which inspired me to deeply explore the state of mind that led to my profound vision improvement. So I began a real-time experiment on the workings of my mind. My hope was to uncover a portal into the state of consciousness where profound healing occurs, which in turn would allow me to teach others how to replicate my experience. What I discovered over the years transformed my life and revealed some fundamental truths about light and vision. These insights allowed me to assist thousands of patients in restoring their natural eyesight without the use of glasses, forming the basis of my first two books, Light: Medicine of the Future and Take Off Your Glasses and See.
What followed over the next twenty-five years was a profound exploration into life, consciousness, and that elusive state we call presence. My discoveries, presented herein, helped me unravel how light continually guides our life. In addition, those breakthroughs were foundational to my development in 2006 of the first patented, clinically proven, and FDA-cleared medical device that significantly improved vision performance and contributed to my induction as president of the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) in 2010.
Light's Guidance
To better understand my findings, let’s start with light and a broader understanding of it. Light is more than waves and particles. It is a purveyor of consciousness. Light is not just “out there,” something we need to find in order to see. Light seeks us out and guides us in the same way it seeks out and directs a plant to grow toward it. There is something inherently alive in it. And, astonishing as it might seem, light not only enters us through our eyes and skin but also emanates from within us. Consider how babies perceive the world around them. Light ignites their awareness — unobstructed by thought, belief, or worry — and it radiates back into the world as an expression of pure presence. That is why their eyes sparkle. As we grow from babies who exist in this unfettered state into adults who are taught to look for life, love, and work, we overlook the fact that our eyes and minds are not designed to look for light but to respond to it. Pioneering experiments have confirmed that the eyes, which contain approximately one billion working parts, not only detect single photons of light before they take shape in form but also assimilate and distribute that information to our brains at unimaginable speeds. This entire process occurs before the conscious mind thinks about it and directs us toward what to look at. In addition, researchers have found cryptochrome, the chemical “sixth sense” that orients animals with the earth’s electromagnetic field, at highly concentrated levels in the human eye, calibrating us with the unseen “clock and compass” that guides group migrations of many species and even their reproductive cycles.
Looking for Presence
Despite popular belief, attaining presence is not about thinking or trying to be here now. Rather, it is a naturally occurring state that arises when our eyes and mind, triggered by light, focus on the same place at the same time. In response to light’s invitation and guidance, our eyes begin an intricate dance of aiming, focusing, tracking, and teaming. When light first “awakens” us, our eyes aim toward its emanation, initiating an all-encompassing presence. Though we often relate presence to attention, it has no tension associated with it. It is not a forced voluntary process of selecting one aspect of our environment to focus on while ignoring others. Presence is an involuntary response to an invitation by life’s intelligence pointing us toward our maximum potential. Our degree of presence is directly related to how effortlessly and accurately our eyes are able to aim. When the eyes aim effectively, making eye contact with — and thus, acknowledging — what has called to them, we experience congruence. This is a state of coming together, the perfect alignment of our outer and inner worlds, where extraneous noise around us diminishes.
Presence is so rare. When our physical eyes (which receive 80 to 90 percent of our life experience) are not aligned with our “mind’s eye,” it is impossible to experience presence or oneness. If you are middle-aged or older and have taken to using reading glasses, then you likely know what it feels like to try to read the small print on the label of a supplement container at the pharmacy without your reading glasses. The harder you try, the more your eyes strain. Yet the text on the container still does not come into focus. The way to see the text more clearly lies in releasing your effort and softening your focus, allowing your mind and your eyes to naturally align themselves. You cannot force this, but you can learn how to allow it naturally. Since awareness is curative, once you have experienced it, you will not go back to your old way of seeing or being.
Another reason why presence often eludes us is due to our emotional pain, or what I refer to as our allergies to life. Presence is difficult to experience if you have learned to brace against it or attempt to escape what life presents or triggers in you. Presence is not about picking and choosing your experience: yes, I will be present to this; no, I will not be present to that. The intelligence of life is constantly directing us toward presence. It is our opportunity to experience how life guides us in each and every moment, allowing us to breathe easily. Yet early-life traumas along with our emotional predispositions cause us to automatically recoil from particular people and situations. We are usually not aware of why this is happening. All we see are people and experiences that feel scary, uncomfortable, or over-whelming to us.
This is where the science of light and life magically unite, because we tend to respond to color in the same way we respond to life. Throughout my career I found that my patients were allergic to the colors that, on a vibrational level, corresponded to the life experiences they found difficult to process. So when they viewed those colors, they had reactions that affected them physically and emotionally, filling their minds and blocking their connection to presence. Once they used “color homeopathy,” which I will explain and demonstrate later in the book, and were able to embrace the colors that previously had caused reactions, they were able to experience greater presence with the life experiences that previously triggered them.
What Is Catching Your Eye?
I learned a great deal from observing my children when they were very young. Like most children, they often played with toys, leaving them out when they were finished. I repeatedly asked them to put their toys away, which only seemed to work when I insisted. I then had a strong feeling that if I see it, it is my responsibility. I began wondering what would happen if I started responding to everything that caught my eye. So I began an around-the-clock practice that went like this: anything that entered my awareness became my responsibility, anything that was my responsibility I would attend to, and anything I attended to I would complete. I did this practice for a week and did not let anything get by me; by Sunday, I was picking up cigarette butts off the street. After that week I was a more contented person. I realized how much time I had spent worrying about my circumstances, hoping they would change. But whenever I tried to decide what to do next, there was never any clarity. During this experiment, however, clarity emerged on its own, as whatever called to me became the next logical thing to do. This practice in presence — a kind of moving meditation — made me feel that I no longer needed to prioritize my schedule because life had already done that, drawing my awareness to whatever required its attention. In addition, my presence — and in turn, my vision — deepened as I stopped ignoring what I was seeing. I had the sense then that ignoring what we see might actually be at the root of much of the vision loss I saw in my practice. You will be encouraged to perform an exercise to “see” for yourself just how life-changing something so simple can be. In no time at all, a renewed sense of spaciousness and ease emerges.
I now know that life is continuously serving us our curriculum, and if we naturally respond moment by moment to what is calling us, we not only will experience an amazing state of grace and presence, but we will also develop a real sense of self-respect, knowing that we will meet whatever life brings head-on. By living choicelessly we benefit from the guiding compass of the universe, experiencing less stress and more joy, inspiration, love, and gratitude. Luminous Life explores the connection between light, vision, and consciousness, and its inseparable impact on presence. It brings you to the intersection of science and spirituality, quantum physics and mysticism, and neuroscience and Eastern philosophy. Grounded in science, supported by research and personal experience, it reformulates two millennia of spiritual wisdom into a practical philosophy along with the tools to help you finally experience that elusive and profound state we call presence.
Stop Looking and Start Seeing
When we “work” at being present, we remain locked in a pattern of excessive effort and thinking. Rather than responding to light’s invitation to full awareness, we remain lost in thought, plans, and anxiety, and we see the world through the tunnel vision created by those concerns. Those thoughts lock our reality into place, freezing light into matter. If we stop trying to be present and instead tap into our breath, align our eyes and mind congruently, and respond to life’s invitations, presence finds us. Presence is what arises when we embrace all that life (and light) has to offer. When we stop searching, we start finding. By looking less, we see more. When we allow the light within us to merge with the light that guides us, we experience oneness. Without any effort, we relax into a state where we have no decisions to make. There is no confusion, second-guessing, thinking, or searching for answers. There is just beingness — an acceptance of life as it is.
With presence, life becomes magical. We not only feel better, but our stress dissipates and our bodies heal. We respond to life more fluidly, developing an ability to be with whatever arises, flowing in response to life in the same way that children do. Infants and children do not look for anything; they simply respond to whatever calls their attention. When we reawaken this innate ability in ourselves, our lives transform radically. We enter a state that some call “the zone,” “the flow,” or even “genius consciousness,” in which “we” disappear and our knowledge is no longer limited to information received from the five senses. We become more empathetic toward ourselves and others, and more intuitive. Rather than reacting to one situation after another, we start flowing with life and, over time, we become increasingly aware of experiences just before they occur and can now “welcome” them. It is a miraculous state of being.
What you might call the “divine inspiration” encoded in light moves us in a direction that is expansive, infusing us with a deep desire — beyond the wish for anything personal or material — to embrace our most potent longing for oneness with the vision we have been given. There remains only a witness who is present, spacious, and imperturbable. Everything appears clear and seems to scintillate. The resulting sense of peace is so blissful that it may bring tears to our eyes. No matter how many miracles we experience, each new wonder is always astounding, inviting in more such experiences and reminding us that all of life is literally beyond belief. Over the past twenty- five years I have been transformed from an eye doctor and vision scientist to an “I” doctor fascinated by consciousness and the science of life. Barely a day goes by that I am not in awe of this marvelous world we live in and the people I encounter. I am excited to share what I have learned because it has transformed my life, and I believe it can transform yours as well.
No matter how many miracles we experience, each new wonder is always astounding, inviting in more such experiences and reminding us that all of life is literally beyond belief. Over the past twenty-five years I have been transformed from an eye doctor and vision scientist to an “I” doctor fascinated by consciousness and the science of life. Barely a day goes by that I am not in awe of this marvelous world we live in and the people I encounter. I am excited to share what I have learned because it has transformed my life, and I believe it can transform yours as well.
How Light Guides Us
In addition to jellies, whales, and penguins, many other creatures — ranging from butterflies to songbirds — take part in extraordinary migratory journeys guided by something outside themselves that is inseparably aligned with something inside them. In the absence of maps, printed directions, and GPS technology, how do they find their way to their locations — never varying their routes, never getting lost, never second-guessing themselves, and never bickering with one another about the right route to take? In reality, we humans are equipped with the same guidance technology as jellies, whales, and these other amazing creatures. Birds, for instance, appear to have a built-in compass in their eyes, as their retinas contain high concentrations of the light-sensitive protein cryptochrome, which affords them the ability to detect the earth’s magnetic field. But cryptochrome is not unique to birds; it is a prehistoric protein found in microbes, plants, and animals that helps control daily rhythms and the detection of magnetic fields in an increasing number of species. Some researchers believe that birds can actually see these invisible fields superimposed above their normal vision. Humans were thought to have only five senses, while animals such as birds, whales, and turtles had a sixth sense that allows them to orient themselves during these long migrations. The human eye also contains high concentrations of cryptochrome. Human cryptochrome can act as a magnetic sensor, suggesting that we too may be equipped with such a sixth sense, aligning us with the intricate navigational system of the planet. One obvious difference between these animals and us: they do not override their inner guidance system with thinking. They do not question the arc of the sun. They do not choose to follow or not follow it. They do not trust the light, nor do they distrust it. They merely follow the light as it leads them to their destination.
What Is Light?
Since humanity’s first sunrise, seers have wondered about the nature of light and suspected that this mysterious and all-pervasive phenomenon must be fundamentally related to our deepest questions about God, life, and the meaning of existence. The Bible tells us that life began with the dawning of light, and virtually every spiritual tradition identifies light with the Creator, speaking of the “divine light,” the “light of God,” and describing spiritual evolution as the process of “enlightenment.” Health and well-being are commonly thought of as an emanation of light — or “glow” — a radiance that cannot be described. Glowing physical health is primarily a function of the power of our “inner sun,” and our glow seems to increase as our awareness expands. At full illumination, this radiance becomes visible to the naked eye, which is why great actors are often likened to “stars,” and saints are traditionally depicted as being surrounded by brilliant halos and described as “illumined.” Many of our verbal expressions also illustrate the countless ways in which light manifests in our everyday lives. We say that pregnant women are “glowing,” and when we feel inspired we say we have had a “flash” of insight. When someone is very smart, we say they are “brilliant”; and when they have changed their beliefs or thinking, we say they have “seen the light.” When we speak of a new idea, we might say “a light bulb went off.” When we want someone to calm down, we might suggest they “lighten up.”
A photon, which has no mass, can cross the cosmos without using any energy. So for light beams, time and space do not exist. More recently, however, quantum physicists have described light as the foundation of reality. According to theoretical physicist David Bohm, “Light is energy and it’s also information, content, form, and structure. It’s the potential of everything.” We live in a universe that appears to be created and nourished by light. According to German writer and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “All life originates and develops under the influence of light.” This becomes obvious when we experimentally place plants, animals, or humans in darkened environments and notice that their vitality and well-being gradually diminish, bringing their lives to a halt. Without light, there is no will to live. We are literally robbed of the spark that propels our spirit.
With such recognitions, the artificial distinctions we have between science, health care, and spirituality are dissolving, and each is being traced back to light. Mystics, scientists, and healers now agree, in their respective terms, that light holds the secret to human awakening, healing, and transformation. Yet we still do not understand what light is. Light is made up of photons, and it is believed that subatomic particles are composed of photons, which are the fundamental building blocks of what we call matter or reality. Photons are formless, invisible, and without attributes. They have no mass, weight, or electrical charge, and thus cannot be directly perceived or measured. That is why we never truly see light. And yet everything we see, hear, smell, and touch is made of photons. According to American polymath and author Walter Russell, not only is seeing “a sensation of feeling light waves through our eyes,” but “hearing is a sensation of feeling light waves through our ears. Tasting and smelling are sensations of feeling light waves reacting upon mouth and nostrils.”
David Bohm took things a step further when he stated, “All matter is frozen light.” The quantum reality Bohm describes is founded on a simple principle: light and life are the same energy in two different states of existence, form (matter) and formlessness (light). In its formed or frozen state, light energy composes all the matter in the universe — everything we see, touch, and measure. Bohm’s statement refers to the transformation of light into matter — how light becomes life, its potential energy. What is just as important, however, is how life or matter can, once again, become light. In essence, we live on sunlight. Plants absorb the formless energy of light from the sun and store it in their leaves. When we eat those plants, we literally ingest frozen light, use it, and what remains is its formless essence ... light.
In this very moment, light is guiding your eyes to these words, illuminating meaning and creating a connection between you and this book. That connection is called presence. Without light you would not be able to see these words. They simply would not appear to your eyes. Light literally brings the words to you, creating a sense of inseparability between perception and meaning. The light that brings you the words you read also brings “to light” the people, situations, and opportunities required to spur your evolution. It takes you by the hand and leads you where you need to be and when you need to be there. And light’s guidance has no side effects. However, we must remember how to recognize it. It is the same with everything we see. Light — from the sun, from lamps, from fire — reflects off objects and interacts with our eyes, releasing energy and information about those objects, which are then magically transformed into an image that appears full of light. But, it is not actually light. It is just a mental interpretation that we experience as brightness.
Many people think of the eyes as two cameras mounted on the face, but in reality they are elaborate and complex extensions of the brain, and each of these extensions is designed to both absorb and emit light. Each eye contains 126 million photoreceptors. Approximately 95 percent of these receptors (called rods) are distributed spaciously throughout the retina. The other 5 percent (called cones) are primarily compacted into a tiny area called the macula. Rods are extremely sensitive, functioning under low-level light conditions and responding to motion. Cones are less sensitive, adapted to color perception and high-resolution vision. Based on their design, rods seem to be able to sense things before our conscious mind registers their form. The human eye can detect a single photon of light. Since a photon is the smallest undividable unit of energy, our eyes are designed to operate at the quantum level of reality, and our vision has been honed by evolution to function at its maximum potential. Yet photons are technically invisible. They do not create an image that the brain can see, yet this minute amount of light still “calls” the eye. In response to this infinitesimally subtle invitation, the eye reflexively moves toward that which is calling it, and it does this without our conscious awareness. Cones inspect things carefully when the situation demands it but require significantly brighter light to do so. Vision is primarily a global process that continuously aligns us with the greater whole and zeros in on details only when necessary. Our life experiences are primarily the result of the ongoing interaction that links our eyes with light.
The process of vision — our response to what we see — begins within a few quadrillionths of a second after light enters the eye, enabling the information encoded in light to be transmitted to, and interpreted by, the brain and all systems connected to it at light speed. We might think, “Look at that car.” In reality, light bounced off the car, attracted our eye, entered our brain, and sent signals down various nerve endings long before the thought “Look at that” surfaced. Hence the wisdom behind the expression “It caught my eye.” Yet rarely do we ask what the “it” is to which we are referring. My sense is that this “it” is the same light the Bible refers to as “God,” and quantum physicists describe as the formless bedrock of consciousness guiding every step of our lives — the intelligence of life.
Light guides more than just our eyesight. It also guides our breathing, our heartbeat, our sleep-wake cycle, and much more. The eye contains nonvisual, light-sensing cells that are developed and functioning long before the rods and cones that process light into vision are operative. In fact, these cells may be present at birth, confirming that light entering the eyes directs our body’s homeo-dynamic process from the earliest stages of life. When light enters the eyes, the entire brain lights up because the light does not just travel to the brain’s visual cortex, enabling us to see. It travels along several different routes that involve the entire brain, significantly affecting all our life-sustaining functions as well as our emotions, balance, and coordination, to name a few. For example, light entering the eyes goes to the “brain’s brain,” the hypothalamus, which regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, as well as our reaction and adaptation to stress. Using light-activated information, the hypothalamus communicates with the body’s true “master gland,” the pineal. The pineal is the same structure that allows humpback whales to use light during their annual migrations.
Referred to as the “third eye” by Indian mystics and the “seat of the soul” by seventeenth-century mathematician and philosopher Descartes, the pineal gland, the body’s “regulator of regulators,” shares information about environmental light changes and the earth’s electromagnetic field with every cell of the body at the same instance of time. In doing so, each cell effortlessly upgrades and synchronizes its function with Mother Nature, bringing us to our natural state of oneness with no effort or thinking required. So when light contacts the body’s energy field, it resonates first with the pineal. The pineal, acting as the conductor of the endocrine symphony, then entrains the pituitary, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, gonads, and adrenals, translating light energy into electricity, magnetism, and eventually to chemical energy itself. It has now been confirmed that the order of endocrine entrainment in the human body correlates completely with ancient medical systems that describe the workings of the body’s major energy centers or chakras.
All biological life is composed of, and dependent on, light. The term solar system means “of or derived from the sun.” In fact, 98 percent of the sun’s light enters the body through the eyes, and the other 2 percent enters by way of the skin. Thus, light is the primal nourishment for life. The body is a biological light receptor, the eyes are transparent biological windows designed to receive and emit light, and all physiological functions are light dependent. For example, routine exposure to sunlight reduces resting heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, while increasing energy, strength, endurance, stress tolerance, and the ability of the blood to absorb and carry oxygen. After forty-five years of investigating light and its therapeutic applications, I have concluded that the intelligence of life summons us through light, guiding and illuminating our entire life’s journey. Light and life are inseparable.
Living A Luminous Life
www.jacobliberman.org
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