Band Member Voices
March Culture Column - QUANTUM PHYSICS: THE STUDY OF BIMAADIZIWIN
By Nazhike, Mille Lacs Band Member
As Anishinaabe, we didn't learn about spiritual energy in a classroom. The manidoog placed it in this world in order for Anishinaabe to be taken care of. Our most recent Elders called it Bimaadiziwin. Loosely translated as "Life" it can also refer to "Life Force." It is a powerful element we rely on and its source is directly from the spirit world.
This Bimaadiziwin is the force that causes alignment between your thoughts and your actions, between your words and your responsibilities, between your spirit and the impact you have on the people around you. It is spiritual energy expressed through intuition, vision and motivation. This alignment is what we know as "Anishinaabe Purpose."
We all have a reason for living and we harness Bimaadiziwin in order to achieve this goal. Quantum Physics is the study of the energy that underlies all matter and interaction. It examines the invisible field where particles behave not as fixed objects but as probabilities shaped by observation, relationship and energy exchange. This quantum field is the structure that connects all things beyond the visible. It demonstrates that nothing exists independently, that every particle responds to influence, every system is affected by presence. Observation is not passive, it participates, in order for anything to exist, it must be realized/ seen. Measurement is not neutral, it alters behavior. In this way, Quantum Physics describes the mechanics of alignment between energy and expression and between unseen forces and visible results.
Where Bimaadiziwin speaks of intuition, vision and motivation guiding purpose, Quantum Physics explains how focused attention, consistency and interaction influence reality. It reveals that energy precedes structure, that probability precedes certainty and that what appears solid is in constant motion beneath the surface. If Bimaadiziwin is the lived alignment of spirit and action, Quantum Physics is the energetic architecture within which that alignment operates.
Keep in mind that your life is not random. It is a cycle of Bimaadiziwin being manifested in a physical world. You have direct access to that energy for the benefit of your life. We are encouraged to avoid praying for strength as the Manidoog may put you in tough situations to be strong. With an understanding of quantum physics, what we give is what we receive. Rather than praying "Please give me guidance" say "I am grateful to be guided" and rather than "Please take care of me" say "I am taken care of." This change in intention and focus will align your life to how you are declaring it.
When we hear our Elders offering up our Asemaa, they are declaring how things are rather than asking for things to be a certain way. They declare that Anishinaabe are taken care of, that our ways are strong, that there are Manidoog here to guide us and we are grateful for all that we are given. In making these declarations, Bimaadiziwin causes it to be so in the past, present and future.
As Anishinaabe, we need to be mindful and aware that the energy will not do the action for us. We need to deliberately live the lifestyle we declare and in doing so, we will tap into energy beyond our comprehension. Bimaadiziwin is only a word, an action and a decision away. Miigwech.
