37 Dimensions of Light

A Quantum Revelation

I just came across a peculiar scientific discovery in an instagram reel that I couldn’t shake. Physicists recently demonstrated that light can exist in 37 dimensions simultaneously. At first, this number seemed arbitrary, an odd choice dictated by the constraints of the experiment. But something about it felt strange. Why 37? Not 12, 24, 64—numbers that already carry both mathematical and spiritual significance. 37 seemed obscure, unassuming, almost random. And yet, as I went deeper, I found it appearing across religious and mystical traditions, carrying meanings that hinted at something profound.

What I initially assumed was a meaningless quirk of quantum physics began to feel like a bridge between science and ancient metaphysics. A rabbit hole opened, leading from the Buddhist path to enlightenment to Christian miracles, from Kabbalistic cosmology to numerology and the unified field. The deeper I looked, the more it seemed that 37 is not just a number—it might be a structural key to the way reality organizes itself.

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The Quantum Experiment: Light in 37 Dimensions

First, let’s break down what the experiment actually discovered. (Admittedly I don’t fully get it, but here goes).

A group of physicists recently ran an experiment using quantum entanglement and photonic manipulation to push the boundaries of what we know about reality. Specifically, they were testing something called the Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) paradox—which is basically a way of proving that the universe doesn’t work the way classical physics says it should.

The goal? Create a quantum system where light exists in more dimensions than we can normally perceive.

Using precisely controlled light pulses, they managed to get photons to exist in 37 independent quantum states at once. But this isn’t “dimensions” the way we think of them in sci-fi or string theory—these aren’t extra physical directions in space. Instead, think of it like 37 different possible conditions a single particle could exist in, all superimposed on top of each other.

So why 37? Was it random? Some cosmic secret buried in the nature of light? Not exactly. It turns out the number was determined by the Hilbert space, the mathematical system that describes quantum states. The more dimensions a quantum system occupies, the more deeply entangled it can be. And for this experiment, 37 was the upper practical limit—the point where they could still control the system without it collapsing into chaos. So, maybe a cosmic secret buried in the nature of light after all.

On its own, this might sound like just another weird quantum experiment, but the moment I saw that number—37—something gnawed at me. It felt oddly specific. Not the usual numbers we see in science or sacred geometry. So I went digging to see where else 37 shows up in history, mysticism, and theology, and what I found was something I couldn’t ignore.

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37 in Buddhism: The Path to Enlightenment

Buddhism has an explicit reference to 37 spiritual principles—the Bodhipakkhiya Dhammas, or “Factors of Enlightenment.” These are considered essential mental qualities for achieving liberation from suffering and transcending illusion.

They are divided into seven categories:

• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (awareness of body, feeling, mind, and phenomena)

• The Four Right Efforts (preventing and abandoning unwholesome states, cultivating and maintaining wholesome states)

• The Four Bases of Power (qualities that lead to spiritual strength)

• The Five Faculties (faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom)

• The Five Strengths (the faculties fully developed)

• The Seven Factors of Awakening (qualities leading to full realization)

• The Noble Eightfold Path (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)

Each of these directly concerns perception, consciousness, and the nature of reality—which is precisely what quantum mechanics is beginning to reveal as fluid and multidimensional.

If light itself can occupy 37 states simultaneously, is it possible that consciousness has 37 dimensions of awareness?

But it doesn’t end with Buddhism. There’s so much more.