Astronomers and cosmologists debate back and forth about the size of the universe and whether it is bounded or infinite. The question can not yet be answered in traditional space-measurements like light-years, it may not even be answerable. In one sense at least though, it is accepted that the universe is indeed infinite. There are an infinite number of points, locations if you will, in the universe.

How can there be an infinite amount of something within a finite space? Easy, dimensions. I'm not talking about Dimension X, where the Ninja Turtle's enemies came from. I use the word in it's original sense, height, width, and depth. Imagine you are making a sandwich with 2 dimensional slices of cheese. How much would you need to make a stack ½ an inch thick? Since the cheese has NO thickness you would have to keep piling it on forever and you would never get any closer to done. In other words, you would need an infinite amount of two dimensional pieces  to fill ANY 3D space. Infinity residing within finite limits. Just like there are infinite decimals between any two numbers.

In three dimensions the effect is slightly more difficult to visualize. It makes it easier to imagine it like a movie. A movie is not actually moving pictures, but a series of 2 dimensional (height and width) still pictures with information stored in depth (along the film). On the film each inch or so of depth contains new height and width information. The world around you right now is just like that picture, except the display is 3 dimensional and the new pictures are stored in the dimension of time. Movement is how we see time.

A movie flashes at 24-36 frames per second, what about actual movement? Move your hand in front of you face for one second. How many discreet locations did your hand exist in during that time? Infinite right? If you need help to understand this, think back to the cheese slices. Any 3D object is made up od an infinite amount of 2 dimensional slices, even your hand. When you move your hand by the smallest increment possible you are moving an infinitely thin slice over a infinitely thin amount. How many times would you have to do that to travel any distance? That's right, we are seriously overusing the word infinite today.

So we have established that there are infinite points in space, which we use time to move between. But what is time as a dimension? Any dimension can be described in terms of the others. For instance, a horizontal dimension can be described by the vertical lines that cross through it. Likewise time can be described by all the movement that ever has and ever will happen. Read that last part again. Ever Will Happen. What about choices, what about free will, what about conscious creation? Well, there has to be a dimension above time. We know that each dimension contains an infinite measure of those below it. In any width there are infinite slices of depth, in any time there are infinite locations. Extend this out and you realize that in any fifth dimension, there are infinite timelines. What to call this fifth dimension? I call it probability. It is the dimension that provides free will and choice. It is the dimension that our choices really affect, directing our timeline.

An interesting side effect of this logic is that all the timelines you DON'T choose still exist. For every choice you make there must be at least two outcomes, two universes, two YOUs. The question becomes, is there one you, one universe that is most real and all the others are just shadows, or are they all equally real. Scientist working on the Many Worlds interpretation of String Theory are asking the same question, and often arguing about it. The answer though seems quite clear.

If I tell you to divide infinity by 5, what is the answer? Infinity, of course. Any fraction of an infinite quantity is itself infinite. Thus any timeline or set of timelines from the infinite group, probability, is equal to any other timeline or set of timelines. All timelines are equal, there are an infinite number of yous out there in an infinite number of parallel universes. If we're not careful we'll have the complete works of Shakespeare any time now.

©2000, Tom Burke.   Printed in the Oct-Nov 2000 Issue of the Conscious Creation Journal.  http://www.consciouscreation.com (Feel free to duplicate this article for personal use - please include this copyright notice.)