Fractal Consciousness
I love fractals. They were a revelation to me when I first learned about them, as I imagine it was for science to learn there really are patterns in nature. “Mandelbrot’s reality has shapes undreamed of by Euclid, and surprises that ridicule the idea of order…clouds, coastlines, tree branches, commodity prices, word frequencies, turbulence in fluids, stars in the sky, a reputation, fame, the passage of history itself… - all are fractal shapes.” (Morrow, Lance. ESSAY: Let Us Recuse Ourselves Awhile. (Time, 03-05-1990), p. 72.)
In my book I suggest awareness of fractals might help spark the consciousness necessary to create a world outside of what are now considered to be our boundaries. Some researchers believe ancient civilizations were processing fractals long ago, evidence of which is found in ancient carvings and artwork. I always thought the Mandelbrot fractal resembled a sitting Buddha on its side. I believe fractals may be a much larger part of our subconscious than we realize; somehow they provide a link, or a bridge, to a larger universe; a Greater Reality - the Tao. In my own spirit I see them as a way the Tao reaches out to us and says, I Am.
For whatever reason fractals fascinate and inspire me. If you’re into them check out Ultra Fractal 4, which a friend turned me onto recently. I’m looking forward to tackling it myself and making some fun designs. I did this one a few years ago with an older program.
This is the super-fractal vegetable, Romanesco broccoli (photo courtesy of Jon Sullivan).
Mandelbrot set.
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Chaotic Utopia blogs a “Friday Fractal” although she’s taking off this week. Some of her past ones are amazing, tho.
http://scienceblogs.com/chaoticutopia/
I love fractals, as a programmer I hope to start playing with them soon.
It amazing the way you think you know how it’ll all turn out, then one small change in the initial conditions (or even as you go along) throws everything out and the results are totally surprising.
Good metaphor for life that!
I started to get into fractals a few months ago. Suddenly, pretty much every “out-there” topic i could think of became much more understandable and believable when i started viewing it from the perspective that reality is a fractal.
As i read through your blog, i see that i definately have to pick up your book.
“…there exists no intransigent opposites except in the beliefs of men. Anyone can rip aside the veil of Time. You can discover the future in the past or in your own imagination. Doing this, you win back your consciousness in your inner being. You know then that the universe is a coherent whole and you are indivisible from it.”
-Frank Herbert