When I had my near-death experience, I became part of what looked like a gigantic web that covered the earth and stretched into infinity. I could not explain exactly what this web was at the time, except that it looked like it was made of trillions of neurons and in a vast, interactive network that binds us all. I somehow knew that each neuron represented a life and each life had a tiny spark of light inside its nucleus. The tentacles of each neuron were entwined with the next one, connecting us all and weaving together a tapestry of twinkling lights that hung on the ceiling of the universe. During my research for this book, I came to understand that those sparks of light are quarks. I share an excerpt from the chapter, Quarks of Light, from my book of the same title;

Scientists specializing in quantum physics are making the case that we are all made of the same stuff and that our brains trick us into believing we are separate. All matter is made of atoms. Atoms have a nucleus that contain protons, neutrons and electrons. These particles in turn are made of quarks, the smallest building blocks of matter. Broken down to the subatomic level they are made of pure light. These quarks combine and have a variety of intrinsic properties that create infinite possibilities in the universe; the unique combinations determine whether something is going to be a tree or a person.

To think that quarks of light could be the fundamental essence of all creation, makes me wonder—are we conceived through light? Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago made a stunning discovery in April of 2016. A radiant burst of light, known as a zinc spark, occurs when a human egg is fertilized. It was also discovered, the size of these “sparks” is a direct measure of the quality of the egg and its ability to develop into an embryo. Teresa Woodruff, one of the study’s two senior authors and an expert in ovarian biology said, “We discovered the zinc spark just five years ago in the mouse, and to see the zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking.”

Be it a human embryo, a plant, or the entire universe—all of creation begins with a spark of light.