THE EXISTENCE OF ESSENCE

Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Where did God come from?" I believe humanity has an abiding heart desire to know our Creator, and to discover who we are, where we came from, and why we are here. An understanding of 'essence' should provide an adequate answer to this and many other provocative questions, and  it may also provide support for the teaching of "Intelligent Design" which is currently being debated in science classrooms. Life is filled with mystical and scientific mysteries, but essence is perhaps the greatest of them all.
 
Essence is an enigma which can only be comprehended through an examination of scientific, philosophical, and religious thought. This study will attempt to confirm and describe the existence of essence on three 'planes' of reality: the mental, the physical, and the astral. The term 'essence' is defined as that which is essential for the existence of both living organisms and non-living matter. It is that, in being, which underlies all outward manifestations and is either permanent or changeable. It has substance, it is a necessary constituent or element, and it may also be an entity. An 'entity' is something that has a real and separate existence either actually or in the mind.    
 
On the mental plane, essence can be shown to exist in the form of a concept and possibly in the form of an entity. The human mind has the incredible capacity to conceive ideas, and then to devise ways which turn those ideas into concrete realities. To understand this, it must first be realized that minds fabricate essence. To illustrate, a blueprint is designed by an architect before the construction of a skyscraper. Therefore, the 'essence' of the skyscraper is all the elements of structure and function, conceived by the architect, which enables it to accomplish it's purpose. In this sense, the essence of an object is in the mind of it's designer. This, simply put, is a concept of essence 1. However, such is not the case with the procreation of life. For example, no man or woman can design their own child by developing a mental concept of it before mating. Essence as entity must design the child for them, and the characteristics of the offspring are generally identical to that of the parents. If human life is designed by essence, then the mind of man may be an image of essence itself 2. The ability to imagine, design, and create reflect the attributes of essence. Could it be possible for essence not only to be a concept of the human mind, but also to be a universal entity whose purpose is to replicate itself in humanity?   
 
On the physical plane, essence may exist as the foundation for both living and non-living matter. Animal life, plant life , and every microorganism is dependent on Deoxyribonucleic Acid for its' very existence. Regardless of ones evolutionist or creationist standpoint, one must acknowledge that all of the biological information for the development of an organism is contained within DNA molecules, including those of humans. DNA is the substance of which genes are composed, which in turn design the chromosomes that assign the physical traits of the parents to the offspring through reproduction. It is the essential function of DNA to maintain design, and it may also have the ability to adapt a new or different design. It also has the ability to replicate itself, indicating that essence may reside within it. For non-living matter such as minerals, chemicals,or gases, we need to search deeper for the existence of essence. We know that it is the combination of atoms within molecules that design and sustain the many different elements. Inside the atom are found the proton, the neutron, and the electron, and the interaction between them is vital to it's function. Recently, scientists made the discovery of an even smaller particle of matter, which they term the "quark" 3. These invisible forms of energy can only be detected by using atomic accelerators and a highly sensitive measuring apparatus. As the fundamental building-block of all matter, could essence be the designing and sustaining force inside the atom, or can a more tangible intelligence be found at the organic level where the purpose of essence is highly comparable with that of DNA?     
 
The third area of examination for the existence of essence is the astral plane. Logical human reasoning dictates the existence of a force, or "Prime Mover" as Thomas Aquinas once called it, which set the cosmos in motion and established laws to maintain an orderly universe. Without such primordial law chaos would be continuously exhibited and the formation of galaxies and solar systems an impossibility. For instance, planet Earth obeys a gravitational law in it's orbital relationship with the Sun, providing a sustainable environment for life to exist; and the moon maintains it's distance from the Earth because of a similar law, and tidal conditions reveal an amazing equilibrium between the two 4. Remarkably, the stars and planets appear to be self-sustaining, but may not be entirely self-existent. For example, the Sun generates radiation because of an almost endless supply of hydrogen at it's core, but when the supply finally runs out it's fusion reaction will cease, causing the inner core to collapse. This will send the Sun into a Super-Nova, destroying half the Solar System with it. 5. Therefore, it only seems reasonable to assume that if essence does exist, it must be the embodiment of all scientific law, and the impetus for all things that move.  
 
There are two major viewpoints concerning the existence of essence on the astral plane. First, consider the universe of time, space, and matter in a circular pattern, a product of an evolutionary process, ever growing, ever changing. This would indicate the absence of an originator, and essence would therefore exist within all matter, making it omnipresent or ubiquitous 6. Hinduism lends it's support to this viewpoint, for it teaches that the universe, especially all life, undergoes cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, ad infinitum 7. Secondly, consider the universe from a linear perspective, a product of  an intelligent designer, or Creator. This implies a point of origin for the cosmos, and essence would now be characterized as being pre-existent; that is to say, before the existence of time, space, and matter. Christianity lends it's support to this viewpoint, for it teaches that in the beginning God created all things by the power of his word 8. Consequently, essence that is considered omnipresent continually designs and moves the universe, while essence that is considered pre-existent has already designed and moved the universe. Can we, as individuals designed by essence, determine which viewpoint offers the more valid explanation?
 
In order for anything to come into being, something must already be in existence. If there was ever a time when absolutely nothing existed, then nothing could possibly exist today 9. Matter cannot create itself out of nothing; therefore if matter has not always been, then a primordial creative Spirit must always have been. If essence is omnipresent, then all things would be Divine. If, on the other hand, essence were pre-existent, then it alone would be Divine. As an entity, essence may be present in the human soul. It could be the originator of matter, the designer of life, the mover and sustainer of the cosmos. In conclusion, all logical, rational, and objective approaches to this amazing subject will most assuredly reach the same astounding paradox: There is no such thing as nothing. Something has always been in existence, and that something is the essence of the universe.
 
Revised May 2000 by John Mattithyah (Original essay written in 1989)
 

Bibliography and Footnotes:

1. Credit for this concept goes to Jean-Paul Sartre. Philosophy: An introduction to the art of wondering. J.L.Christian. Published 1973 by Rinehart Press. Page 197. Sartre opposed the view that man is designed by essence.
2. The First Book of Moses called Genesis, chapter 1, verses 26 & 27;  chapter 2, verse 7.  The Book of Job, chapter 32, verse 8;  The Hebrew Prophet Zechariah, chapter 12, verse 1;  The Psalms of David, chapter 82, verse 6.
3. Popular Science magazine, November 1994, page 120. In April of 1994 scientists discovered the "top quark", thus validating a 1969 theory by Australian physicist Charles McCusker.
4. Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, volume 18, page 65.
5. Astronomy magazine, January 2000, page 45.
6. The term 'pantheistic' may be substituted here. Can God truly be everywhere, without being everything?
7. The Bhagavad Gita, the gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna. Translation by Shri Purohit Swami. 1977 by Alfred A. Knopf Publishing. Pages 88, 89.
8. The Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1-3;  The Gospel of St. John, chapter 1, verses 1-3.
9. This deductive approach to God's existence surfaced during the late Renaissance Period, most notably in the works of the 17th century British Philosopher John Locke.
   

                           
Famous Quotations:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."   -Jesus of Nazareth
 
"O Divine Spirit, Thou didst create my body. It is well, for thou art present in it. Thy being is perfect. I am made in thine image. I am perfect."   -Paramahansa Yogananda
 
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."   - Albert Einstein