The Ripple Effect
Some of the most exciting work has been in the field of Quantum Physics. Researchers have long understood that the basic building block of matter, the atom, could be broken down into its basic components: protons, neutrons and electrons. We have come to understand that these components are not absolute, but can be broken down into even smaller particles, called leptons and quarks, which in turn can be broken down even farther. The theory is that when you go down far enough, there is no finite bit of matter, there is only energy. This has been popularized by two recent movies: What the Bleep Do We Know and The Secret. The concept espoused in these movies is that since everything is energy, our thoughts can be used to interact with that energy to effect changes in our environment.
The Ripple Effect is based on the belief that the energy of our intentions, through both thought and action, does ripple out through time and space to effect our environment.
To this, we add two accepted theories of physics: entrainment and wave characteristics. Entrainment is the process by which two vibrating or oscillating systems which would have different periods when operating independently, will lock into phase and operate in synchronicity when they interact with each other. You can demonstrate this yourself by setting two pendulum clocks on a wall together. No matter what the initial timing is, they will eventually swing together.
Wave theory teaches us that, unless acted upon by an external effect, a wave will continue to travel out without a change in its initial amplitude or wavelength. In addition, when two waves intersect each other, the height of the effect is the sum of the heights of the two individual waves.
