Fractal Geometry of God
The Underlying Order of the Universe
The fractal is the best available metaphor we have for both the underlying order of the scientific universe, as well as the transcendent manifestation of god. As such it is the perfect candidate to serve as a unifying principle behind a scientific god concept.
This is not to say that the universe IS a fractal in the technical sense of having fractal dimension. There are a variety of natural phenomena that have fractal structures, including galaxies and other big cosmological structures, and these seem to repeat the same dense core with orbital cloud pattern on the subatomic scale as well. While they aren't LITERALLY fractals the concept of simple rules, repeated infinitely, self-organizing into complex patterns that repeat themselves in infinite variations, is incredibly useful when trying to understand the universe holistically.
Mystic Fractal Traditions
The complex, repeating patterns of the fractal can also be seen in sacred art from most cultures. Mandalas exist in each of the Eastern spiritual traditions, while mosques throughout the middle east are decorated in beautiful mosaics that absolutely evoke the fractal.
Mystic visions throughout history have been described by seekers and so often resemble the infinite repeating fractal spirals we are starting to recognize everywhere we look. Psychedelics having made mystic vision available to the masses, there are now millions of people who have seen the fractal visions manifest themselves in ecstatic states of mind. Strong evidence in neurophysiology shows that fractal neural pathways may help our brains organize memories and recognize patterns in nature.
Bridging Science and Religion
The universe is like a fractal. It's based on simple rules that repeat themselves over and over for billions of years, producing infinitely complex self-organizing order with a common spiral thumbprint pattern that can be seen throughout.
God, being both immanent and transcendent, has both a physical nature (the universe) and an abstract nature (logic and mathematics). The fractal is the ideal representation for those abstract rules and the patterns they create that manifest themselves in the glory of physical creation. God and the Universe may not technically be fractals, but fractals are the closest concept we have to help visualize and understand these infinite concepts with our finite brains.
Visualizing The Fractal Universe
Websites and Videos Promoting the Idea of a Fractal God
If the notion of a fractal universe is new to you, then these videos are a good introduction to the concept. Given the incredible beauty and depth of fractals, it is hard to understand just how deep they go in a still image.
And while physics has not yet shown any evidence for nano-universes within subatomic particles, or that we might be some particle in a larger macro-universe, the notion has been blowing the minds of stoners like Carl Sagan and Homer Simpson ever since the discovery of fractals.
Regardless of how many iterations of the fractal pattern exist within our universe, or the universe of all universes, the pattern is everywhere. It is creation’s thumbprint. It is how simplicity leads to infinite complexity. If god is actually a real thing, the self-creating fractal universe is the closest thing we know of that it could be.