At first glance, morphic resonance and retrocausality may seem unrelated — one arises from biology and consciousness studies, the other from interpretations of quantum physics. But dig deeper; they may describe different facets of the same underlying reality.
Morphic Resonance in Brief
Morphic resonance is the idea proposed by Rupert Sheldrake that natural systems inherit a memory from similar systems that came before. Behaviors, forms, or patterns become easier to repeat over time because they are “remembered” by morphic fields.
For example:
- Once a species learns a new behavior, it’s easier for other members — even in different locations — to know it too.
- Crystals form more easily once their structure has appeared elsewhere.
Traditionally, this resonance flows from past to present.
What Is Retrocausality?
Retrocausality is the idea that the future can influence the past. In some interpretations of quantum mechanics — like the Transactional Interpretation or the Two-State Vector Formalism — events are not determined only by past causes, but also by future boundary conditions.
This means a particle’s behavior might depend not only on where it came from, but also where it’s going.
In the macro world, this would imply that your intentions tomorrow could shape events today.
Though counterintuitive, retrocausality is gaining attention as a way to explain quantum entanglement, the measurement problem, and even phenomena like precognition.
A Possible Link: Time-Independent Information Fields?
Here’s where things get truly interesting.
If morphic fields are not bound by space or time, as Sheldrake proposes, then the information that shapes behavior may come not only from the past but also from the future. Morphic resonance could be bidirectional, meaning the form of a future event might “pull” on the present just as the past “pushes” on it.
In other words, morphic resonance might be retrocausal in nature.
Think of it like this:
- A cat somehow knows its owner is coming home — not because of past routines, but because a future event (the arrival) resonates backward in time through their morphic connection.
- A yet-to-be-discovered behavior pattern might feel “intuitive” to a species because it already exists in the future morphic field, and the present aligns with it.
Implications for Consciousness and Animals
Cats, dogs, and even humans might be more than passive recipients of past memory — they may be sensitive to attractors in the future.
- When your cat sits at the window before you’ve even left work, is he sensing your intention?
- When flocks change migration patterns en masse, are they tuning in not to past instinct but emergent future conditions?
This would explain the timeless quality many pet owners notice in their animal companions: how cats “just know ” or behave as if tapping into a knowing that transcends the here and now.
Final Thought: Is Nature a Feedback Loop?
If both morphic resonance and retrocausality are real, time may operate more like a loop than a straight line. Behaviors and forms could be shaped from both ends — past and future — interweaving memory with anticipation.
And perhaps cats, in their mysterious way, are navigating these feedback loops more gracefully than we are.
After all, they’ve never been too concerned about clocks.
“This isn’t time travel—it’s resonance. If memory isn’t stored inside us but carried in fields, and if causality can ripple backward, then our actions suddenly become part of a timeless melody, not just a forward march. The idea that behavior or form can echo across time loops invites a deeper view: that we’re not just historical actors, but contributors to a living field that shapes past, present, and future. Thank you for sketching a map where time isn’t a battleground but a flowing loop we’re always navigating.”