Image by Davide Dalese from Pixabay

In This Article:

• How quantum physics disrupted assumptions of objective reality
• The role of the observer in shaping the universe
• Why the inner and outer worlds are not separate
• The move from objective science to intersubjective understanding
• How we participate in dreaming reality into being

You’re Not Just Watching the Universe — You’re Affecting It

Classical physics -- the physics that existed before the discovery of quantum physics -- was about uncovering what was thought to be the preexistent laws of a separately existing universe that objectively existed independent of observation.

Quantum physics, however, has obliterated the classical notion of an independently existing world forever. According to quantum theory, the idea of a world independent of our observation is ultimately incorrect. To quote Wheeler*, “Nothing is more important about quantum physics than this: it has destroyed the concept of the world as ‘sitting out there.’ The universe will never afterwards be the same.”

* Renowned theoretical physicist John Archibald Wheeler, a colleague of both Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, is considered to be one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century.

The Collapse of Objectivity

Quantum physics forever shattered the idea of there being a fixed and entirely objective existing world—it has proven that there is no such thing! Once we take in this realization, the universe—not to mention ourselves—will never be the same.

In Wheeler’s words, “the mind-bending strangeness of quantum theory” is revealing that our observations are not only part and parcel of what we observe, they are what we observe. Our perception of the universe is a part of the universe happening through us that has an instantaneous effect on the universe we are observing.

The act of observing changes the observed—this is known as the observer effect. It is ironic that physics, long considered the most objective of all the sciences, in pursuing its dedicated quest to understand the deep nature of the material universe, has dispelled the very notion of an objective universe.

Semi-Objectivity and Quantum Uncertainty

It is important to recognize that, based on abundant experimental evidence, some aspects of the quantum world do not seem to be entirely observer dependent and appear to have some kind of semi-objective character. Electrons, for instance, have a constant mass and charge that does not change depending upon the context in which they are measured.* Electron spin and polarization, on the other hand, are a function of and appear to be created by our observations, their properties changing depending upon how they are measured.

The universe appears to exist in a mysterious in-between realm (reminiscent of a Tibetan bardo†) that seems partly fixed (thereby appearing semi-objective) and partly created through our acts of observation. Just as we are unfamiliar with something that is observer dependent, we are also very unfamiliar with the notion that something can appear to be partially—but not wholly—objective (this is not to say, however, that what appears to be objective actually is objective).

No Objective Reality?

If, when we hear that there is no objective world out there, we think there is nothing out there at all, this is an incorrect understanding. Rather, what is meant is that the universe out there isn’t objective in the way we’ve been conditioned to think it is, if we think that it is something separate from us that is not influenced by our observing it. It’s as if the universe out there appears to be an amalgam of something that both is and is not an artifact of our perception.

One of the insights of quantum physics is that “purely objective” science turns out to be impossible. Speaking about quantum physics’ realization that the observer affects the observed, the great doctor of the soul C. G. Jung comments, “the result being that reality forfeits something of its objective character and that a subjective element attaches to the physicist’s picture of the world.” In other words, the subjective component of our knowledge must necessarily be taken into account.

The world that we experience is showing itself to us in the specific way it does as an instantaneous reflex (reflexion/reflection) of the way we are observing it. This means that our inner attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions—all subjective states of mind—are playing a central role in the evocation of the particular form in which the world appears to us moment by moment.

To understand our world as fully as possible, we need to unify the objective/scientific and the ­subjective/mental spheres of knowledge, moving from a science of objectivity to a science of intersubjectivity.

Integrating the Observer into Science

The unification of the objective and the subjective areas of experience should conserve the richness of each as well as maintaining their relative independence. Speaking “from the perspective of life,” Nobel laureate Wolfgang Pauli is of the opinion that we are not treating matter “properly” if we are “totally neglecting the inner state of the ‘observer.’”

Previous to the advent of quantum physics, physicists pretended that they were not involved in their own experiments by maintaining the illusion of a disembodied objectivity. The psyche of the observer, however, is an integral part of the process being observed.

Quantum theory has opened up the door to a profoundly new vision of the cosmos, where the observer, the observed, and the act of observation are inseparably united. *To quote Walter Heitler, “The separation of the world into an ‘objective outside reality’ and ‘us,’ the self-conscious onlookers, can no longer be maintained. Object and subject have become inseparable from each other.”

The Illusion of Separation

When we talk about a world out there that objectively exists, we are at the same time subtly implying—and seemingly evoking—that there is a world in here that is separate from the world out there. A world out there and a world in here go together, they reciprocally co-arise and mutually reinforce the idea of each other.

We typically either think of these two realms as separate, or that these two distinct realms are interacting, but quantum physics shows us that the inner (subjective) vs. outer (objective) is a false dichotomy. These are not two separate realms that are interacting, but rather are an indivisible whole—they are one whole quantum system with no separate parts.

Creating this artificial distinction between the inner and outer worlds is an unconscious and unexamined presumption that is not only not correct, but obscures the true unified nature of reality and prevents us from realizing our true nature.

Dreaming the Universe into Being

Operating in concert with each other and the universe at large, we, as observers, are participating in a joint venture with the world out there. Niels Bohr, one of the founding fathers and principal interpreters of quantum physics, pointed out that, just like within a dream, in our lives we are simultaneously actors and spectators; we are both observers and the observed, subject and object, dreamers and the dream. It’s as if in our sharing a dream space together, we are collectively dreaming up our universe while simultaneously being dreamed up by it.

Quantum physics has shown that the idea of safely standing behind a slab of plate glass while passively observing the universe is impossible. Wheeler refers to the idea of the universe being out there, existing separately from ourselves, as an “old idea.” It is an outdated idea whose expiration date has been reached.

It is impossible to gain information without changing the state of the system being measured. We invariably bring about a different world by the very act of trying to determine the state of the world. To quote Walter Heitler, “The separation of the world into an ‘objective outside reality’ and ‘us,’ the self-conscious onlookers, can no longer be maintained. Object and subject have become inseparable from each other.”

Active Participation in Reality

A simple way to envision this is to imagine a blind person trying to understand what a snowflake is. The blind person can touch the snowflake (which will melt it from their body heat) or put it in their mouth and taste it (which will dissolve it), but through whichever means they try to apprehend the snowflake they inevitably change it.

Another example is when we use a thermometer to measure ­temperature—this process, however slightly, heats up or cools down the thing being measured.

Speaking about reality, physicist Vlatko Vedral gets right to the point when he says, “Rather than passively observing it, we create ­reality.” In quantum physics, we are no longer passive witnesses of the universe, but rather we unavoidably find ourselves in the new role of active participants who inform, give shape to, and in some mysterious sense create the very universe we are interacting with.

The Participatory Universe

Making this point, Wheeler says, “Useful as it is under everyday circumstances to say that the world exists ‘out there’ independent of us, that view can no longer be upheld. There is a strange sense in which this is a ‘participatory universe.’”

The revelations of quantum physics are potentially helping us to begin to become conscious of our participation in dreaming up our world. To quote Wheeler, “In order to make sense out of the mysteries ahead, we’ll find ourselves forced to recognize the participatory character of the universe in a much deeper way than we now see.”

A perfect illustration is when we are absorbed in a dream and have forgotten that we ourselves have something to do with creating it. Wheeler was fond of bringing up the words of the poet Antonio Machado: “Traveler, there is no path. Paths are made by walking.”

Becoming conscious of a process that we have always been unconsciously involved in not only opens up the possibility of a radical transformation of the human experience but could also open up previously unimagined frontiers of human freedom that could utterly remake our world.

Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission.
Published by Inner Traditions Intl.

Article Source: The Quantum Revelation

The Quantum Revelation: Awakening to the Dreamlike Nature of Reality
by Paul Levy. (2nd edition, revised and expanded)

Revealing the quantum nature of our world and ourselves, The Quantum Revelation shows how quantum physics has become a modern-day spiritual path for awakening and expanding consciousness with particular relevance for the challenging times we are living through.

Explaining the world-transforming effects of quantum physics, Paul Levy shows how discoveries in this field—widely considered the greatest in the history of science—can wake us up from the disempowering spell of the reductionist, materialist worldview, thereby helping to dispel the collective madness that has befallen our species. He explains how quantum physics helps us to consciously realize our vast evolutionary potential and awaken us to the malleable, dreamlike nature of reality, a realization that unlocks the creative spirit hidden within our own minds.

For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

Paul Levy is a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence and a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for more than 35 years. He has intimately studied with some of the greatest spiritual masters of Tibet and Burma. He was the coordinator of the Portland chapter of the PadmaSambhava Buddhist Center for over twenty years and is the founder of the Awakening in the Dream Community in Portland, Oregon. 

He is the author of The Madness of George Bush: A Reflection of Our Collective Psychosis (2006), Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil (2013), Awakened by Darkness: When Evil Becomes Your Father (2015) and The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality (2018, updated and revised in 2025), and more. 

Visit his website at AwakenInTheDream.com/

More books by this Author.

Article Recap:

This article by Paul Levy explores the profound implications of quantum physics, revealing that reality is not fixed or objective. Instead, it is shaped by our observation and consciousness. The piece dives into ideas like the observer effect, intersubjectivity, and the participatory nature of the universe, offering a transformative perspective of our role in creation.

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