Paramahansa Yogananda taught us how to heal anxiety and depression with these three powerful affirmations from his book back in 1924:
"I relax and cast aside all mental burdens, allowing god to express through me his perfect love, peace, and wisdom."
"I will, with my own will, which flows from the divine will, be calm and patient under all circumstances."
"I am submerged in eternal light; it permeates every particle of my being. I am living in that light, the divine spirit fills me within and without."
All light stems out from darkness. Darkness can only exist in the absence of light. Where there is light, there are shadows. Shadows require light to exist. A shadow is a reduction of light, not a total absence. "Shadow"—the hidden, unconscious, or repressed aspects of the self—must be acknowledged and integrated into the conscious mind ("the light") to achieve psychological wholeness and prevent destructive outbursts. Rather than erasing the darkness, the goal is to reveal it and bring it into the light, thereby preventing it from consuming the personality. Very few make it through awakening without becoming a monster themselves. Every individual harbors a repressed, uncivilized, or dark side—regardless of how moral or virtuous they believe themselves to be. The belief that this darkness is absent in oneself is a form of dangerous ignorance that leads to "shadow projection," where one denies their own flaws and projects them onto others. "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate," highlighting that confronting this inner darkness is essential for psychological maturity and avoiding personal demise.
All things exist as energy. We are vessels that utilize chemical energy and experience it through emotions. We are biological machines fueled by ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Emotions, e-motion, energy in motion, where you apply your thoughts, words, and action, is where you apply your energy, where focus goes, energy flows.
Everything that was ever invented was first observed. The critical role of observation in the innovation process, where natural phenomena, patterns, or accidents provide the foundational idea for a new creation. Many foundational technologies were derived from direct observation of nature or physical processes.
The Heisenberg observer effect describes how the act of measuring or observing a quantum system inevitably disturbs it, altering its state. The observer effect is often misconstrued to mean that human "consciousness" affects reality; however, in physics, it refers to the physical interaction of measurement tools (detectors) with the system. It is often confused with the, but distinct from, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle applied to electromagnetism dictates that the electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields cannot be simultaneously measured with absolute precision, with an uncertainty relation of for a spatial volume. This fundamental limit means electromagnetic waves possess intrinsic quantum, non-classical, and fluctuating natures.
The K radiation and quantum mystery of potassium refers to the fascinating, naturally occurring radioactivity of Potassium-40 (K) and the, until recently, poorly understood, rare quantum decay mechanisms that make it a significant, quiet, and sometimes mysterious participant in both biological and geological processes.
1. The Radiation: Potassium-K40
While potassium is essential for life, a tiny fraction of all natural potassium (0.017%) of all pottasium is the radioactive isotope K40. With a half-life of 1.25 billion years, it is a "primordial" radionuclide (present since the Earth's formation). Because potassium is abundant in the human body (muscles), we are all walking sources of weak radiation, often measured by "banana equivalent dose."
K is unique because it decays via three distinct routes, creating a "triple" radioactive mystery:
Beta Decay (89.6%): Decays into Calcium-40 (Ca), releasing a fast electron (beta particle).
Electron Capture (EC) (10.3%): Decays into Argon-40, emitting a high-energy 1.46 MeV Gamma Ray.
Positron Emission (0.001%): Decays into Argon-40 (Ar), emitting a positron (antimatter).
2. The "Quantum Mysteries"
The mystery of potassium isn't just that it is radioactive; it's how it decays and what that implies for the universe.
A. The Missing Decay Pathway (KDK Experiment).
Until very recently, one specific path—electron capture directly to the ground state of Argon-40—had never been directly measured, making it an "unknown background" in dark matter searches.
The KDK Collaboration (Potassium Decay): Experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2017-2023) finally measured this, helping scientists refine the age of the Earth and improving precision for detector simulations in particle physics.
B. The "Spin-Forbidden" Long Life K has a surprisingly long half-life (billion years) for a positron emitter.
The quantum reason is that the decay requires a massive change in nuclear spin (from 4 down to 0), a "spin-forbidden" transition that makes the decay highly unlikely, thus slowing it down.
C. The "Mysterious" Heat Source For decades.
Scientists debated whether K was a major radioactive heat source inside the Earth's core. New high-pressure/high-temperature experiments suggest it can dissolve in iron, making it a significant, long-term heat producer in the core of Earth (and Mars), affecting planetary magnetism.
D. Quantum Biology/Biology Mystery. Because K is a major source of internal potassium radiation, there is emerging research regarding its impact on DNA damage, metabolic regulation, and the "bio-photons" emitted by living systems.
E. Ultracold Potassium and Quantum Gases.In laboratories, researchers use potassium (K39, K40, K41) to create "degenerate quantum gases" to study exotic states of matter, such as superfluids, which are used to simulate quantum behavior in solids.
In short, the potassium 40 isotope is a tiny, ancient, quantum-mechanical time bomb, slowly releasing energy from the birth of the solar system, making it essential for geological dating, a nuisance for dark-matter hunters, and a subtle factor in our own biology.