Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari

Episode: FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: UC Berkeley Astrophysicist PROVES We LIVE in a CONSCIOUS SIMULATION - NEW EVIDENCE!
Guests: Bernard Haisch (Astrophysicist, UC Berkeley) & Marsha Sims
Date: October 10, 2025

Episode Overview

In this profound and thought-provoking conversation, host Alex Ferrari welcomes astrophysicist Bernard Haisch and collaborator Marsha Sims to delve into the intersection of modern astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and spirituality. The episode centers on their new book, "The Miracle of Our Universe", and advances the bold idea that the universe is not only a conscious simulation, but a mathematical, creative expression of a cosmic, non-anthropomorphic God.

The discussion is wide-ranging: from reconciling scientific rigor with spiritual intuition, to the physics and implications of the zero-point field, to the theory that “God's algorithm” runs our reality. Timely concepts like simulation theory, consciousness, free will, reincarnation, and the evolving openness of science to spiritual ideas are explored, offering a glimpse into a future where science and spirituality may fully coexist.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Science, Spirituality, and the Pursuit of Balance

[03:34 – 08:45]

• Personal Background & Faith
  • Marsha describes Bernard's early spiritual leanings, his Catholic upbringing, and his priesthood studies, emphasizing how faith and wonder at the universe shaped his dual path (04:48).
  • Bernard: "Some of this comes about by looking at the rules of science... and seeing how they fit together... Is there some major problem? I think it's possible to have these two disciplines simultaneously in hand..." (04:05)
  • Marsha: “A lot of times it’s something you have to have an intuition on—because it has to go on how you feel.” (06:10)
• Science vs. Spirituality in the Professional World
  • Bernard notes that science focuses on the measurable, while spirituality deals with the unmeasurable; both play an essential role in his worldview.
  • Alex and both guests observe that while open-mindedness to spirituality is growing among physicists, there remains resistance in the scientific mainstream (08:45).
• The Meaning of God
  • Marsha underscores that their use of 'God' refers not to a patriarchal being, but a cosmic, genderless consciousness:

    "God is a cosmic consciousness. He's a force. It’s a great, great force." (11:09)

The Big Bang, Zero-Point Field, and the Origin of Consciousness

[11:23 – 18:09]

• Spiritual Implications of the Big Bang
  • Alex’s question on what came “before” the Big Bang prompts Bernard and Marsha to discuss the Kabbalistic concept of “Ein Sof”—the infinite nothingness.
  • "God decided I need to have experiences, I need to have companions. So God created this force, we think the zero point field...which is a very vast electromagnetic field that's been around since the beginning of the universe." (13:56 - Marsha)
• Time, Nothingness, and Cosmic Mystery
  • Bernard: "No one knows how to do this because we're trying to get a model of nothing. And...what made nothing happen?" (17:06)
  • The idea that time itself may be different or emergent at the deepest levels of existence is pondered.

Quantum Entanglement and the Weirdness of Physics

[18:09 – 23:31]

• Quantum Entanglement Simplified
  • Bernard and Marsha unpack quantum entanglement and the double-slit experiment as evidence for the deep non-local connectedness of reality.
  • Alex ties this to subjective experiences—twin telepathy, intuition, and precognition—suggesting quantum physics offers a bridge to the spiritual worldview.
  • Marsha: "The conventional explanation is that each photon somehow knows that even though it goes through slit A or B, it is also in the same in the open position and vice versa. The wave is a wave of probability." (21:57)
  • Alex: “It’s like when two twins are across the world from each other and one gets burned and the other one feels it.” (22:16)

Zero-Point Field and Technologies of the Future

[23:32 – 31:44]

• The Casimir Generator/CG
  • Marsha describes their proposed device to tap into zero-point energy:

    "Jovion... has come up with a way...to provide humanity with an endless supply of totally clean energy...Our process then sends the photons through a photovoltaic cell and electricity will be generated. In this way it would be captured in a device we would call the Casimir generator or the CG." (25:32)

  • Bernard: “You’re really taking nothing out of the energy of the universe except doing that...taking energy of the universe through your experiment. This...intrinsically [cannot] be used for...any weapon.” (28:08, 31:10)

Consciousness, Frequency, and the Nature of the Universe

[31:46 – 33:02]

• Is the Universe Fundamentally Frequency or Consciousness?
  • Marsha: "We think the universe is consciousness, really." (32:14)
  • Bernard: "Frequency without something to frequent...is an undefinable...frequency has to be defined in terms of what it is that's frequenting." (32:24)
• On Human Limitations and Collaboration
  • Marsha notes Bernard's Parkinson's and their teamwork in writing, illustrating the integration of personal journey with cosmic exploration.

Simulation Theory and God’s Algorithm

[33:17 – 44:32]

• Simulation Theory as an Evolution of Spiritual Insight
  • Alex: "The concept of Maya from the Vedic text or the dream in from the Aborigines ... has been around for thousands of years...now physics is starting to catch up." (33:17)
  • Bernard: "That's the central point of our book ... a model of reality that applies to all living things and all planets ... this assumes that there is a God ... to exercise his own abilities by creating what he imagines." (34:24)
  • Marsha: "God wanted to create a universe full of interesting stuff so he could play and learn and grow, and you know, you have to experience ... he couldn't experience as a consciousness that he could experience through us and all the animals on the planet and, you know, other living beings." (37:54)
• Mathematics as the Language and Structure of Reality
  • Bernard & Marsha highlight the pervasiveness of mathematics in physics, art, and music as evidence for a mathematical underpinning guided by "God's algorithm."
  • Marsha: "Bach made sure he measured it out correctly. Johann Sebastian Bach...created each half step to be...the 12th root of 2..." (38:52)
• On Free Will and the Algorithm
  • Alex: "If we have free will, then how can we have predestinies?...It seems to me that we're God's algorithm because an algorithm has a direction, but it kind of does what it wants ... it's AI, essentially, it's learning and growing, but it's going on its own direction." (39:44)

The Algorithmic Nature of Living Things

[44:33 – 49:00]

• "Cat Algorithms" and Universal Programming
  • Alex compares animal and plant instinct to algorithms, suggesting each species follows an internal "code" for behavior and perception (44:33).
  • Marsha: “Perfect cat algorithm, the dog algorithm, the turtle algorithm.” (44:33)
• Consciousness in Plants and Music’s Effect
  • Marsha recounts experiments showing plants’ different responses to different types of music, emphasizing classical music’s mathematical nature (46:08).
  • “Music is mathematical because the universe was designed by a pure mathematician.” (49:00)

Reincarnation, Purpose, and Evolution of Ideas

[53:04 – 57:44]

• Astrophysics and Reincarnation
  • Bernard: "I believe in reincarnation. I think it's essential to carry out, let God carry out his plans ... you can live multiple lives and they have a purpose." (53:22)
  • Marsha: "You can make up for mistakes that you made before. You get other chances." (54:25)
• Purpose, Calling, and Destiny
  • Marsha shares the story of how working on the book became a purpose and fulfillment for both her and Bernard (55:05).

The Present Moment & Humanity’s Spiritual Evolution

[57:44 – 61:24]

• Timing of the Message & Public Acceptance
  • Alex: “Would this book have even been accepted 30 years ago?” (56:39)
  • Bernard: “That's fair. That's a possibility.” (57:07)
  • Marsha: "It's a new view of consciousness, God, science, and reality, which is what's going on right now." (57:47)
• On Societal Shifts & The Pandemic
  • Alex and Marsha agree that times of collective pause (like the pandemic) have accelerated the mainstreaming of spiritual inquiry (60:53).

Life Lessons, Fulfillment, and the Nature of God

[62:39 – 69:16]

• Living a Fulfilled Life
  • Marsha: "Realizing my dreams is fulfilling my life..." (62:39)
  • Bernard: "Writing something like a series of books...accomplishes a purpose, I think. So that's what, to me, is life." (63:36)
• Advice to Younger Selves
  • Marsha: "Be confident in myself...Don't give up. Find a workaround if you run into a wall." (65:34)
  • Bernard: "To be true to themselves and find something significant to them..." (66:33)
• Defining God
  • Marsha: "God, a great cosmic consciousness that creates reality...God as a consciousness. You could say it was a force. Consciousness is a force. It's an awareness." (68:33)
  • Marsha: "Why would God condemn a part of himself to eternal fire and damnation? It's illogical." (73:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Science and Faith:

  "It's possible to be a scientist and to be spiritual, but you have to be open enough to see the spiritual side." — Marsha Sims (08:27)

• On Simulation Theory:

  "So we're proposing that God imagines all of the cosmic reality, the universe, by organizing his thoughts into computer like algorithms that run in his mind." — Marsha Sims (38:08)

• On Free Will vs. Algorithm:

  "The algorithm has free will within a box of parameters that it's set in. So it sounds very similar to what we are down here." — Alex Ferrari (39:44)

• On Music and Mathematics:

  "Is it possible that music is mathematical because the universe was designed by a pure mathematician?" — Marsha Sims (49:00)

• On Fulfillment:

  "Writing something like a series of books...I feel that's accomplished something that I came here to do..." — Bernard Haisch (63:36)

• On God:

  "God is a cosmic consciousness. He's a force. It’s a great, great force." — Marsha Sims (11:09)
  "God, a great cosmic consciousness that creates reality...God as a consciousness. You could say it was a force. Consciousness is a force. It's an awareness." — Marsha Sims (68:33)

• On Meditation and Connecting to God:

  "I sit in a quiet place and count backwards from a hundred...as it slows down, you can melt right into the beauty and grace of God...then I know that I am communicating with the cosmic consciousness." — Marsha Sims (73:56)

Important Timestamps

• [03:34] – Opening and balancing faith with science
• [11:23] – Big Bang, nothingness, and the zero-point field
• [18:09] – Quantum entanglement and laboratory experiments
• [25:32] – Casimir generator and tapping zero-point energy
• [34:24] – Simulation theory and God’s algorithm
• [46:08] – Plant response to music and mathematical art
• [53:22] – On reincarnation’s purpose and utility
• [68:33] – Defining God as cosmic consciousness
• [73:56] – Meditation, conscious communication with God, and message of hope

Final Messages

• Access to the Guests and Book:
  Learn more at www.themiracleofouruniverse.com, Facebook (search "The Miracle of Our Universe"), and on all major book retailers.
• Parting Inspiration:
  Marsha: “You have a guaranteed ticket to heaven because you are a spark of God and you are part of him or her...” (73:56)
  — Practice gratitude, meditate to quiet the mind, and recognize divinity within.

Tone & Language

Throughout, the episode is warm, thoughtful, accessible, and a blend of scientific seriousness and spiritual open-mindedness. Alex hosts with curiosity and respect, encouraging both evidence-based reasoning and intuition. Bernard gives measured, sometimes technical responses, while Marsha brings insight, compassion, and practical bridges between the science and spiritual world.

This must-listen episode is a comprehensive, inspiring integration of physics and philosophy, proposing that the universe is far more conscious, connected, and meaningful than traditional science has acknowledged.