Modern physics rests upon the foundation of mathematics, a symbolic language. But what is the foundation upon which this magical mathematics rests? Indeed, what is mathematics and why does it work? If we cannot answer these questions our scientific explanations of the Universe are based ultimately upon things we do not understand. A clue to the answer may be the fact that both modern science and ancient metaphysics have the same common foundation -- the use of symbols of similar characteristics.

For the Hebrews, Arabs, and Greeks, numbers and letters were intimately connected, i.e., the letters of the alphabets were also the symbols for numbers. Thus, these languages and their alphabets are particularly intertwined with the numerical, mathematical and algorithmic thought of these ancient peoples. In addition, ancient cultures claim a universality or sacred status for traditional alphabets such as Sanskrit, Islamic, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Tibetan.

Although both modern science and ancient metaphysics have the same goal of affecting or changing physical reality, they applied their symbols differently. The scientists and engineers seek to understand and modify the world through their use of mathematical symbols -- a process external to themselves. The mystics and shamen seek to understand and modify the world through their use of sacred symbols -- a process internal to themselves. Thus, the scientist/engineer/doctor performs the change at the physical pattern level, within space-time, whereas, the mystic/shamen/healer performs the change at the archetypal pattern level, beyond space-time.