The Real Da Vinci Code, Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, resolves the age-old problem of holism versus atomism. Leonardo said it best: "The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds." -Leonardo Da Vinci, "The Magical Proportions of Man" Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (the Da Vinci Man with four arms and four legs in a square and circle) is the most popular secular symbol in the world. My ten years of research suggests that the Vitruvian Man is a universal symbol for greater love, relationships, success, health and the new age 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, the paradigm for world peace. A New Renaissance! The Da Vinci Man is a universal translator between scientific models (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and religious symbols (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the circle). Therefore, the Vitruvian Man (Da Vinci Man) is a bridge between science and religion. There are amazing similarities between the sacred geometry of the Da Vinci Man, Yin-Yang, Star of David, Tree of Life, Christian Cross, Angels and Kabbalah. Unifying and Non-Changing Holism versus Change and Separation of Atomism The two cojoined Da Vinci forms in the square and circle represent a philosophy of indivisible wholeness. The current, although vanishing, paradigm of science is still anchored in the belief of classical physics, which separates man from his environment. This would have the effect of separating the two cojoined forms of the Da Vinci Man. The New Physics of Indivisible Wholeness, launched by David Bohm and his student John Bell, is more open to investigating the integration between science (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and spirit (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square). Leonardo, the greatest scientist of his age (considered to be the first modern scientist) was also the greatest artist of his age. He is the model for a holistic approach that combines science with art into one wholeness. The reductionist or atomist point of view, still prevalent in science, arose in the 17th century (along with the rise of science versus spirit). The Renaissance was a period of integration and holism. Holism was popularized by the Greek philosopher Parmenides (5th century BC), who believed that the essential reality of life was non-changing, unified and whole. He taught that the world of change and phenomenon was essentially illusory. This theory, adopted by Plato (4th century BC), is similar to a religious experience. The philosophy of Parmenides laid the foundation for modern unified field theory and the quantum vacuum. When the electrons of an atom are in their least excited state (e.g., at absolute zero temperatures), they are closest to the nucleus of the atom and a ground or vacuum state is created. Proponents of vacuum state theory believe that all things emerge from virtual fluctuations within the non-changing vacuum, which lies at the core of all atomic and subatomic phenomenon. It has been theorized that the vacuum state is over a billion times more powerful than the atomic state (matter). This supports the belief that an all-powerful nonmaterial reality lies at the heart of material reality. The theory of Parmenides is altered and validated by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (5th century BC), who believed that everything was in constant motion and change, as well as profoundly unified. Instead of the four elements of earth, water, wind and fire, Heraclitus proposed that all was part of the element fire, constant in its flickering and changeability. Heraclitus would be pleased that modern physics demonstrates that electrons are in constant motion around the nucleus of the atom, which also consists of protons and neutrons in constant motion around each other. Heraclitus would also add that a profound unity underlies this change. This is similar to the philosophy of the Yin-Yang T'ai Chi. Leonardo embraced the philosophy of Heraclitus--the philosophy of constant change. Leonardo was influenced in this by his own work on hydraulics (the movement of water). He applied his knowledge of the movement of water to the movement of birds in flight (movement in air). Leonardo also embraced the philosophy of Heraclitus, which spoke of the underlying unity of creation, in his search for the squaring of the circle represented by the Da Vinci Man. This was the search for the unified field of Leonardo's time. The Oracle of Delphi first proposed it at the time of Parmenides and Heraclitus. Leonardo devoted twenty years of research to this endeavor, filling up hundreds of pages with illustrations in his Codex manuscripts. Some believe it was Leonardo's greatest passion. On the other hand, the Greek philosopher Democritus (4th century BC) believed that all matter could be reduced to essential particles or atoms. This laid the foundation for modern quantum theory, the study of atoms and subatomic particles. It was also a foundation for the Copenhagen theory of quantum physics, which proposes that we accept that the particle and wave nature of electrons and protons exist, yet it is not necessary to examine if they are part of the same phenomenon. According to the philosophy of Parmenides, this would be like saying that elephants (which represent holism) don't exist. It is like saying that the elephant is sometimes a snake (its tail) and sometimes a tree (its legs), but never part of the same whole. The unfortunate consequence of atomism is that it requires us to artificially separate from our environment. This imposed duality leads to alienation from ourselves, others and nature. This creates fear and addictive behavior in order to overcome our fear. Atomism without holism also leads to an "us versus them" mentality, a need to conquer and control our environment, even destroy it, in order to remove the imposed feeling of aloneness and separation. Democritus and Heraclitus are often portrayed as the happy and tragic masks of comedy, like Yin and Yang. I propose that the holism of Paramenides is a circle around these two cojoined masks that represent atomism and constant change. This reminds us of the circle surrounding the two cojoined forms of the Da Vinci Person. Atomism is like the contracted Da Vinci Man with arms outstretched. Change is like the expanded Da Vinci Man with arms uplifted. This is why the Da Vinci Person is a perfect model for the 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, as proposed by David Bohm, the grandfather of Bell's Theorem, which indicates that all things are interconnected and indivisibly whole.
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