A Talk with Jacob Liberman, OD, Phd, author of Luminous Life: How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living

Early in your optometric career, you experienced a sudden, significant, and lasting improvement in your vision during a meditative experience. Can you tell us about that?

I removed my glasses, noticed the room was blurry, closed my eyes, and began my daily meditation practice. Sometime during the process, I became aware of myself and everything else in the room I was meditating in. The fascinating thing about it was that everything I was aware of with my eyes closed was crystal clear, at a level I had never before experienced. In addition, I couldn’t tell from where I was seeing. It was as if the room was filled with eyes, all seeing at the same time. I felt as if I had become the sky.

When I opened my eyes, everything remained clear. It was so unusual, that I drove to my office to examine myself. My eyesight improved by 300%, even though the optical measurements of my eyes (my prescription) remained the same. My conclusion was that we don’t see from the eyes alone. That was 40 years ago and I am now 70. Yet, I still see well at distance and near without the use of glasses.

What is the relationship between the scientific and spiritual aspects of light?

The Bible speaks of God as light, spiritual traditions speak of consciousness as light and physicists describe the energy we call light, as the ground of reality from which all life emerges. The bible describes God as being omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Scientists use different words, but essentially describe light as behaving as if it is also omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Scientists and spiritualists often think they have nothing in common, and are speaking about two different things. In reality, however, they are merely using different words to say the same thing. While a scientist looks through a microscope to discover truth, the mystic discovers truth through direct experience.

What is the difference between vision and eyesight?

Eyesight is a related to looking, while vision is associated with seeing. Eyesight has to do with reading an eye chart while vision is our response to what we see. That’s why the expression, “I see” means I understand. Eighteenth-century essayist, Jonathan Swift, said, “Real vision is the ability to see the invisible.” Today, we know that the eye can detect and respond to a single photon of light. In response to this infinitesimally subtle invitation, the eye reflexively moves toward that which is calling it, and it does this without our conscious awareness. So vision is a holistic process that involves our entire being. It includes eyesight and a great deal more.

What is “presence?”  And how does it differ from “being present?”

Being present is a term we often hear today. We often speak of others as needing to be more present. As if presence is something we can do. But presence is not a voluntary function. It is an involuntary response to an invitation from the intelligence of life. Presence occurs when the light catching our eye merges into oneness with the eye physical eye, the mind’s eye and the eye of awareness.

What do you mean when you speak about the “intelligence of life?”

The intelligence of life is the force that animates all living things, from the smallest single-celled organism to the Universe itself.

You speak of color as a healing modality. How does that work?

The idea of light as an integral part of life and creation was evident since the beginning of time. In fact, all life on earth evolved under the influence of light. That’s why the portion of the Universe we reside in is called the Solar System, which means of or derived from light. Today, we know that all biological life is composed of and dependent upon light. All physiological functions are light dependent. Ninety-eight percent of the sun’s light enters the body through the eyes, the other 2% via the skin.

Rainbows allow us to see the difference colors of the light spectrum. Eastern mystics felt that each color of the rainbow corresponded energetically to a different energy center, or chakra, in the body. Many people use color for physical healing. However, I discovered that color was inseparably linked to our emotions. Each person seemed comfortable with some colors and uncomfortable with others. The colors we like are related to the life experiences we are comfortable with. The colors we dislike correspond to life experiences we tend to recoil from. By exposing someone to small doses of the colors that made them uncomfortable, eventually neutralized their reactions to those colors. By uncovering our unresolved emotional issues and desensitizing us from those past traumas, we are able to reduce a great deal of stress, resulting in greater awareness, more energy and a profound sense of wellness.

What do you mean when you say we can live on light?

Light is a nutrient. In fact, it is nature’s optimal fuel-mix for life. When we eat plants and animals, we are literally consuming “frozen light.” However, we also ingest light directly. We have been led to believe that the food we eat is the source of our body’s energy. However, only one third of the energy our body produces comes from the food we eat. Two-thirds comes from the light we ingest. Just as solar energy can power a buildings, light also powers our life.

The importance of light is easily observed – for example how plants position themselves toward it or how it guides numerous animals on migratory journeys that put GPS to shame. How have humans hindered this inherent navigational system?

It is not so much about how “we” have hindered Light’s guidance. We have all been conditioned to believe that “we” are in charge of and in control of our lives. But we must all discover whether that’s actually true? Are we living life, or is life living us. If we are living life, then our GPS will have limited accuracy because it is an extension of our limited beliefs. But if life is living us, then our GPS is an extension of the navigating source of the universe itself.

What would be your top three tips to get our inner GPS back on track?

Notice everything that catches your eye, allow it to guide you to whatever requires your attention, and complete that job.

Jacob Israel Liberman, OD, PhD, developed the first patented, FDA-cleared medical device for vision improvement in 2006. He is the author of Luminous Life: How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living by Jacob Israel Liberman, OD, PhD with Gina Liberman and Erik Liberman Foreword by James L. Oschman, PhD, author of Energy Medicine. Published by New World Library