What Is Time?
The Nature of Time
What is time? Based on the classical (Newtonian) definition, time is defined as the progression of events from the past to the present into the future. It’s often viewed as the bridge between consciousness and the material universe. The Seven Rays (C8:30) suggest that time is connected to consciousness, space is connected to the material universe, and motion represents Source. The mainstream physics community is divided when it comes to time, and this is referred to as the problem with time. Essentially, two of their best theories, general relativity (governing gravity and space-time) and quantum mechanics (governing subatomic particles), cannot agree on what time is.
The general conception is that space/time is a four-dimensional concept that combines the three dimensions of space (length, width, and depth) with a single dimension of time into a unified whole. This is consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity. General relativity treats time as a flexible, dynamic, changing quantity interwoven with space. But when mathematical rules of the quantum world are applied to the entire material universe, time effectively vanishes from equations. This would suggest a static reality where nothing fundamentally changes.
Time As An Illusion
Is time more than just linear, fellow souls? Long before modern physics debated the concept of time — and before Marvel’s multiverse concept of time — Edgar Cayce (Clairvoyant and Healer, 1877-1945) encouraged us to let go of the illusion of linear time and embrace the idea that time is simultaneous. This aligns with the Block Universe Theory, which proposes that everything — past, present, and future — coexists simultaneously as a single, static, 4D structure. In this model, an event 100 years ago and an event 100 years from now are viewed as different coordinates on a cosmic map. Ergo, time would not flow. Rather, our consciousness would move through this fixed structure, perceiving a sequence that’s actually simultaneous.
The Law of One clarifies this by distinguishing between space/time and time/space (41:20, 70:19). It explains that space/time corresponds to our visible, physical reality while time/space corresponds to our invisible, metaphysical reality. While space/time locks us into a physical location while moving us through a strict, linear progression of time, time/space flips this dynamic completely — spatial constraints are bypassed entirely, and time becomes a three-dimensional, navigable landscape where all past, present, and future moments exist simultaneously, allowing the soul to observe entire lifetimes all at once.
This begs the question — is time a convenient illusion? What if time is merely a mental construct interwoven with our senses, perceptions, attachments, memories, and emotional states, as suggested by Buddhism? From a scientific standpoint, anything that can be measured, observed, and tested points to its reality. Even the Law of One affirms that there is past, present, and future for level 3 consciousness entities (16:22, 57:33) and that consciousness levels 4-6 all work within some system of polarized time. Illusion or not, time seems to serve a purpose.
Time As a Relative Construct
Is time relative to the observer? Both ancient Buddhist traditions and modern physics agree that time is not a rigid, universal backdrop, but a flexible experience tied directly to the observer. Einstein’s theory of relativity demonstrated that because the speed of light — 299,792,458 meters per second — is a strict universal constant that never changes, time itself must wrap or compress to compensate for a person’s movement. Essentially, space and time balance each other out: as your speed through space increases, your progression through time automatically slows down. This means that your physical frame of reference directly dictates how fast the material universe ticks around you.
This cosmic warping is known as time dilation, a dynamic where moving faster through space slows down your progression through time, and vice versa. For instance, if an astronaut travels on a high-speed rocket near the speed of light, they will return to find that less time has passed for them than for someone who remained stationary on Earth. Similarly, because gravity weakens with distance from the Earth’s core, time actually passes a fraction faster at the top of a mountain and at higher elevations than it does at sea level.
Diving deeper into quantum physics, theories like the Page-Wootters Mechanism suggest that time isn’t a fundamental element of the material universe at all, but an emergent property born from quantum entanglement — the invisible link where particles share the same state regardless of distance. To a hypothetical outside observer looking at the cosmos from the exterior, the entire universe is a static, frozen, and timeless system. However, from the inside, when an observer becomes entangled with a quantum clock, the pulses of these vibrational frequencies are perceived as the passage of time.
This perspective aligns with the Holographic Principle, which suggests that our entire 3D reality is actually a projection generated by information stored on a flat, 2D boundary. This implies that space and time are not the fundamental bedrock of the universe, but rather holographic wallpaper — a simulated experience decoded from a deeper, non-linear quantum information matrix.
Perception of Time
Time As a Function of Ether
Consider this fellow souls. What if time is a function of ether — a vibration in movement that changes in harmonic intervals? The Shift of the Ages (C16) suggests that as the etheric energy field’s vibration increases, the speed of light increases. As we move around from one part of the material universe to another, we are encountering all sorts of values of time in certain given intervals. If time is truly a harmonic movement that can change in harmonic intervals, then as the speed of light changes, does our perception of time change? While mainstream science suggests that the objective passage of time or our own time perception doesn’t change based on psychological conditions or emotional attachments, our subjective perception of time can change.
Perhaps the more attention, focus, and mindfulness we exhibit, the slower time seems to pass by. Mainstream scientific studies suggest that our DMN is typically active when our minds aren’t focused on a specific task, generating thoughts about ourselves. DMN is the default mode network associated with self-referential thought and mind wandering. Reduced DMN activity during meditation suggests a quieting of the internal narrative that often constructs our sense of linear time. How would this relate to why time seems to fly by when we’re having fun? Could this explain why our perception of time slows or stops when we’re experiencing flow states or experimenting with psychedelics?
Entropy Growth Orients Time
Something else to consider, fellow souls. Because entropy (order changing to disorder) growth orients time and permits memories, the flow of time is something that may pertain to neuroscience more than to fundamental physics. This is because the perceived flow of time may be an effect of thermodynamics and the brain’s ability to record chronological change, rather than a fundamental physical law.
If the flow of time is related to the brain’s ability to process change, then perhaps time could be considered a contributor to our suffering. Buddhism suggests that attachment to the perceived permanence of moments and the illusion of a continuous, separate self (anchored in linear time) is the root of our suffering. Perhaps this is why one of the fundamental practices of Buddhist teachings is mindfulness (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, SN: 56:11). Mindfulness is the process of actively focusing our awareness on the present moment with openness, curiosity, and without judgment. It involves purposely paying attention to our internal states (thoughts, emotions, sensations) and surroundings.
Ergo, we can dissolve the power of constructed time and find freedom from conventional time’s grip by cultivating a mindful approach — setting intentions and prioritizing tasks without being enslaved by schedules. We resonate with the concept that balance is fundamental to living freely in the present and eliminating our time-based identities amidst daily demands.