Lost might be a multi-layered ode to yin-yang duality (where one side can't exist without the other). Some physicists have argued that a complete universe needs to have two sides — two sides that exist in parallel but are normally invisible (or "dark") to each other — two sides where the matter operates in the same way, but where stars and planets formed in different patterns. The sides are different according to "mirror reflection symmetry," meaning that left and right are reversed on the very small scale of particle physics. The particles on our side (Portland) have "left-handed" interactions, and the particles on the other side (Starboardland) have "right-handed" interactions. This right-handed dark matter is known as mirror matter. In the words of Locke in Episode 1: "... Two sides... One is light... One is dark." Note which hand each stone is in.
Imagine a small, invisible world developed on a dark mirror matter asteroid that crashed into Earth long ago. The island would be a continent on a world "on the other side of Earth," as the producers have hinted. But this chunk of dark matter also contains exotic material that allows the natural formation of wormholes between the two sides. Thus this dark island connects the two sides of the universe and is a place of epic duality. People from around Earth have encountered the island and so it has served as the common origin of many mythologies (which incorporate the oddities of the island, e.g., resurrection, mind-body duality, serpent monsters, vanishing islands). Mimicking the ebb and flow of yin and yang, dominance over the island continuously shifts between light, faith-based (see Manichaeism), and dark, science-based, factions. When one side becomes too dominant, its power wanes and the other gains strength. Furthermore, the conflict incorporates the yin-yang-like struggle for power between Jacob and Esau.
The light side faction is headed by someone who is born on Earth, moves to the island, and loses his father; and the dark side is led by someone who is born on the island and moves to Earth (e.g., Hanso, Aaron). These representatives are symbolic of the dots in the yin-yang. There seems to be a supernatural force that ensures the balance between factions. That force achieves its ends by communicating through ghosts. • Flight 815 crashed on the September 2004 equinox to deliver Locke and ensure Aaron's birth on the island; Michael was kept alive to ensure that Aaron would get off the island; and John Locke will play the savior of this little world, as suggested by the cross formed by his right eye and the cut he received in the crash.
BELOW IS AN ELABORATION WITH UNNECESSARY DETAILS. This is a "living" document. I welcome your feedback. — Mike
Mirror Matter
"The island is invisible. If you fly over it, you can't see it. Satellites can't take pictures of it." [from a co-creator] Mirror matter (aka shadow or Alice matter, after Lewis Carroll's works) is a hypothetical form of (invisible) dark matter. It's based on a very basic concept in physics. Check out the latest Nobel Prize. Recent theorizing on mirror matter was sparked by work by physicists in Ann Arbor, MI. The key is that "our" side and the mirror matter side don't "talk" all that much. But gravity is shared between them, and the electromagnetic force can be felt between them to a limited extent. This weak bond lets the chunk of mirror matter remain loosely tethered to Earth, allowing some freedom of movement.
This theory is on some levels inspired by hard science, but it's absolutely science fiction. The one book focused on making mirror matter understandable is by Australian physicist R. Foot. A co-creator made the odd remark that the show would end "just outside the Crab Nebula." On the cover of Foot's book, 'Shadowlands' (the name for the mirror matter side of the universe) is placed, amazingly, just outside the Crab Nebula. That is, it might just be an artful way of saying the show ends on the island. And that huge foot... Paying homage?
A potential reference to parity inversion (matter to mirror matter and vice-versa). Swap West for East and you get the location of the wreckage instead of the location of the plane's disappearance. [Thanks, Jason!] More here. The idea is that the location of the wreckage is ridiculously far off because it sets up an Easter egg.The Moon
The idea is that the little moon — a very tiny planet if you're more comfortable — has only ocean and the large and small islands. That's it. Juliet: "So they have a boat — sailing in circles will keep them busy." A dark matter moon also gives a reason for Apollo Bars made of dark chocolate, "Dark Territory," and "Black Rock," which is ultimately what the island is. The sun in the sky would be Nemesis or another mirror matter star at roughly the same location as our sun. In fact, there's a video by Speaker (a LOST insider) that features a dark sun. The "exit" in the Sahara, Uluru, and the "pockets" Hawking described presumably contain dark matter and/or the exotic matter contained within the island. If there is a pocket near Portland, it's probably at Beacon Rock, which might be where Ben was born and might be exactly 90° from the exit. In Narnia, the lamp-post marks the path to Shadowlands (Earth). Similarly, the Lamp-Post marks the path to Shadowlands (the world of mirror matter). To continue with the science-inspired fiction, near limitless energy could come from a matter–mirror matter heat engine.Through the Looking-Glass Via Little Wormholes
Wormholes were originally thought to let you pass into a mirror universe of sorts. Plus, Lewis Carroll used an early version of the concept when devising his "looking-glass" world. Passing through a window-like wormhole flips matter to mirror matter or vice-versa. Some wormholes bridge different moments in on-island and off-island time. Hence, a different angle of entry or exit can deposit you in the past or future. And a failure to find an angle that directs you through a wormhole means you're stuck (like Desmond on his boat). It's like a spacecraft entering the Earth's atmosphere. If you enter the atmosphere at too steep an angle, you'll burn up; if you enter it [at] too shallow an angle you'll bounce off and back into space. And I think that that analogy is a good one for how you have to get on or off the island. [from the producers]Movement — Inspiration for Global Afterworld/Island Mythologies
This theory offers two ways in which the island can move: (1) the moon literally slides around (even orbiting within) Earth due to a weak electromagnetic connection to Earth, perhaps being attracted to electromagnetic hotspots; (2) the whole moon jumps geographically and through time via wormholes. A wheel-turn apparently enlarges the radius of a wormhole to be large enough for the entire landmass to slip through, and is a dramatic demonstration of the latter way. (1) fits with what the producers call the "slow drift" that is typical of the island's movement and (2) fits with the "big jump" they say occurred after Ben turned the wheel.
Because it moves, the island world has served as the inspiration for Duat (the Egyptian underworld), Atlantis, Lemuria, the invisible island that was the birth place of Apollo, Tartarus, and so on. The movement can explain how the island can collect people and objects from locations around the earth, like the small drug plane, the Black Rock, Desmond, Flight 815, etc.
Because it moves, the island world has served as the inspiration for Duat (the Egyptian underworld), Atlantis, Lemuria, the invisible island that was the birth place of Apollo, Tartarus, and so on. The movement can explain how the island can collect people and objects from locations around the earth, like the small drug plane, the Black Rock, Desmond, Flight 815, etc.
Smoke Monster — Native Creature / Inspiration for Global Dog/Serpent Mythologies
In short, it's a life-form that developed on this little world while humans developed on Earth. And, running with the theme, it mirrors. It explores and learns, building a repertoire of behaviors, sounds, and appearances that mimic what it experiences. Because it evolved on a world with a dominant electromagnetic field, it perceives electromagnetic fields. Hence, it mimics the shape of the fields it encounters and is at home among the rich sources of electromagnetism in the core of the island. Contact with the monster has inspired global dog/serpent-related mythologies, like Cerberus, death-spirit of Erebus, the god of darkness and shadows; and Ammit, the Egyptian monster/goddess who devours sinners who enter the underworld.
DHARMA Initiative
DHARk MAtter Initiative? (might be a stretch) But the DHARMA logo — an inverted version of the "Inner-World"/"Later Heaven" arrangement of the Bagua — fits well. The actual center of the Bagua is the yin-yang, and the trigrams comprise light (yang —) and dark (yin --) elements. DHARMA's mission was to exploit the island to try to address the Valenzetti equation. From a broader perspective, DHARMA represented the "dark" side from the early 1970s until the time they were purged. The Namaste gesture symbolizes a peaceful meeting of the left and right hands. However, as Ben said, "one side had to go, one side had to be purged."
More on the Mythology and Supernatural Elements
Jack thought that "Adam and Eve" died without trauma to their bones and were laid to rest in the caves 40 to 50 years ago, which could have corresponded to a "purge" of the "dark" (science) side that occurred as Widmore took control of the Others, and would make them candidates for Widmore's parents. Likewise, Alvar Hanso, the apparently un-aging great grandson of the captain of the Black Rock, may have been born on the island, only to leave and later become a leader of the dark side (i.e., DHARMA). 
A prediction is that in 2008 some grand event will mark the subjugation or purging of the light faction (see the Spider Protocol) and the ascension of the dark faction (see the reconstitution of DHARMA). Until then (and perhaps always), the balancing force will try to maintain the light/dark balance by communicating from the spiritual realm through apparitions. The shoe color of the apparitions might give away which side they're supporting or the side of their death (seems consistent so far; black for island death, white for Earth death, though "Christian" wears brown boots when he lures Claire away; Andyo_uk argues for an obsession with shoes in the comments).From a "science" standpoint, the freaky supernatural stuff is due to an ability to manipulate the electromagnetic force. People who are "special" in the psychic sense are attuned to electromagnetism and are able to see events on the island or do "psychic things" on the island because of it. The crashing birds, for example, are likely a result of Walt changing the EM field around himself. (Many migratory birds rely on EM fields for geomagnetic navigation.)
In agreement with mind/body dualism, the whispers seem to be disembodied souls. Also see Ka, a ghostly component of the ancient Egyptian conception of the soul.
Appreciation of One's Duality is Central to Character Development
Producer Carlton Cuse: We are interested in exploring how good and evil can be embodied in the same characters and the struggles we all have to overcome the dark parts of our souls. It's as though the island forces you to see your true self in the mirror. [Thanks to HearingVoices for discussion] The characters are forced to confront their inner demons. Examples: Hurley and his guilt; Jack and his failure to be a great man by the standards of his father; Sawyer dealing with "Sawyer;" Boone acknowledging his love for Shannon; Desmond and Charlie and their sense of worthlessness; etc. On a side note, Locke gave up his left kidney, and then had it murdered by Sawyer. This left-side/science sacrifice later saved him from death when he was shot by Ben.Wrap Up
LOST begins with an opening right eye. [Thanks to blacklodge for pointing this out] Will it end with an opening left eye back on Earth or a closing right eye on the island? Or neither? After all, this craziness could be 100% wrong.I've been tweaking this now and then for over a year and a half, and I get great help. I owe a great debt to posters on The Fuselage and DarkUFO, the commenters on this blog, and people whose commentary on this theory I've unwittingly and happily run across on the Web. They have, at the minimum, given these ideas some resonance and offered amazing and intelligent feedback. Thanks for reading.
P.S. — I can't help but recommend an excellent and different theory based on mirror matter by Big Mouth.
Further Evidence for Mirror Matter
If you're a fan of the show, you've surely seen a billion references to mirrors, reversals, inversions, and Alice in Wonderland (mirror matter is also known as Alice matter, in reference to Lewis Carroll's works)...- Backward speech, rabbits, chess games
- Episodes entitled "White Rabbit" and "Through the Looking Glass"
- Jack reads to Aaron from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
- Charlie crosses with the wrong hand (left instead of right) in the Looking Glass
Ana Lucia's shirt was white before the crash and mysteriously changed to black after the crash [Thanks to jane_eris and others for this]- Hurley, oddly, crashed into a large collection of mirrors at the start of the second half of the show
Beyond the Show Proper:
"Bad Twin," the book from The Lost Experience, includes twin brothers who are identical except for their handedness. That's a perfect analog to the matter/mirror matter distinction. [Thanks to Konstantin for this]
- In a broadcast by DJ Dan, there was a taped interview with a student working on a project, apparently for the Widmore Corporation:
Interviewer: "So, uh, then what are the possible applications of this research?- Student: "Pretty much, we were asked to simulate an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to knock a space-borne body out of its recurring orbit."
- Interviewer: "Uh, space-borne body. Like what, exactly?"
- Student: "Like the moon." [Transcript from Lostpedia]
The Whitman poem in the online game leading up to Season 4 is poem # 180 in "Leaves of Grass."- The Compass logo for the Maxwell Group has left and right (East and West) reversed.
- Svalbard? The only connection to Svalbard in recent memory is "His Dark Materials" [Thanks to tdciago for this]
More:
- The Big Dipper appears to have had two stars removed, suggesting the stars are not meant to be our own. [Thanks to jane_eris and others]
- The species are different, as noted by Arzt. Sure, the EM field might contribute to this; but whenever someone speculates about mirror matter worlds they mention how the species would be different.
- Mikhail has only one eye. Here's part of R. Foot's description of Miros, a fictitious mirror matter world: "Miros is a planet made of mirror matter — atoms composed of mirror electrons and mirror protons and mirror neutrons. Miros is somewhat different from Earth though. It's a bit smaller with deeper oceans, but there is life on Miros. The people of Miros are a bit strange, they have very large feet and only have one eye ... Thus, Miros isn't much like Earth which just illustrates that microscopic symmetry of particle interactions does not translate into a macroscopic symmetry."
- The "Hatch Painting" in the Swan depicted: (1) a light female figure above/behind the water and a dark male figure in the water (a normal Penny and inverted Desmond?), (2) A collection of right-side-up stick figures above the waves and upside-down figures below the waves, (3) a trajectory that corkscrews to the right (like a diagram for a right-handed, mirror matter particle) apparently representing Des' path as he fell from the boat, (4) houses beneath the waves, (5) a moonlit night above the waves and a sunlit day beneath the waves. Is that meant to be Ayers Rock in the upper left?
- Boone — not a philosopher, but the BooNE experiment(s) at Fermilab regarding dark matter
The Large Hadron Collider (referenced by the producers) is mentioned in Foot's book regarding research into mirror matter, as is aurora australus (which was seen in the online game preceding Season 4)- Part of the summary of "Valis" from Philip K. Dick's site: "an ancient, mechanical intelligence orbiting Earth..."
They're Not On Earth — Supporting Quotes Is everyone on the island from planet Earth? Damon Lindelof: If an island is defined by land mass surrounded by water, they are on an island. Carlton Cuse: Right. That's good. DL: Right. CC: Yeah, I don't think we should say anything more than that. DL: Yes, that's how that's... CC: That's right. DL: This is about definitive answers. We have defined the term 'island'. We have confirmed that they are in fact on one. CC: And it's surrounded by water. DL: It is. CC: But everything beyond that is kind of up for grabs. What's great about those worlds [Narnia, Oz, and Wonderland] is they're all worlds on the other side of Earth. That is to say they're not fantasy realms like in Star Wars. Narnia is actually connected to the world that we know and so is Oz, as is Wonderland... as is our island. (gasp) ... I think that's a pretty good place to stop [the podcast]. There's no where to go from here. It aint a good place to start. Malkin, the psychic: Every day I meet people lookin' for a miracle, desperate to find one. But there are none to be had. Carlton Cuse: ... from Marvelo815: "So I was thinking… Does the island move? How does Eko's short range plane … go from Africa to somewhere near Australia? Maybe the island is forever moving..." |
Consolidated Recent Comments* Arrivals seem to typically occur on the equinox (e.g., 815, the US army in 1954, Juliet [thanks Christine], maybe Desmond).
* 316 shifted from night to day, just as 815 should have, when entering the island's airspace. It seems like wormholes are necessary.
* Chang and the sub captain referred to the outside world as "the other side."
* As an anonymous commenter points out, Ben's bullet wound switched from his left side to his right side between episodes.
* There's something intentionally odd with the iconic shot in Episode 1 where Jack runs out of the jungle and scans the beach. As J. Wood points out, the POV shifts almost impossibly from Jack's left to his right. Specifically, the shot begins on the left side of Jack, swings 180°, and arrives on Jack's right at the conclusion of the swing. [Thanks to Matt, who formulated that description and pointed out Overlord's thread about J. Wood's observation and analysis.] The generous reading in terms of this theory is that the shot alludes to the shift from left-handed Earth to the right-handed island world. Whatever its actual purpose, it's very cool.* If you're curious about Jughead disrupting the causal loop, consider what Damon just said:
"Not everybody is interested in Faraday's mission. It's a very divisive issue and one that the audience is feeling too. It would be a big cheat, erasing the last five years of the show, and making it so that we never came to this island in the first place." [from the NY Post, via Andy's site].
Regarding The Incident:* Are they actually Jacob and Esau (that would be pretty wacky)?
* Jacob and "Esau" discussed recurrent arrivals and conflicts. That seems to fit the yin-yang thing, but it also fits with a similar back-and-forth conflict that is supposed to occur between the twin brothers.
* As Jenny A. points out, Jacob and his nemesis wore white and black shirts when they were discussing the arrival of what might be the Black Rock. Likewise, Juliet used a rather black rock to trigger the flash of white light (presumably the detonation).
* It remains an open question as to whether the apparitions appear on behalf of themselves, "Esau," or Jacob. [see Ka] To extend the old shoe color = side argument, white shoes might connect an apparition with Jacob and black with "Esau." But the footwear isn't always black or white. For example, when Christian "takes" Claire he's wearing brown hiking boots.
Some Initial Season 6 Plot Predictions:
Jack and friends will be teleported to 2007. Because the detonation was underground and the fuel might have deteriorated, the damage might not have been catastrophic. The Swan will then be built after the breach in the exotic matter is secured, and the radiation will cause the fetal problems. Everything on the show fits with this undisrupted timeline. Of course, it's not guaranteed.
Desmond and Penny will become Adam and Eve. Eloise's comments suggest that she had seen Desmond on the island in the past. Perhaps they played a role in securing Jughead — maybe ensuring that the detonation would not be catastrophically strong. Of course, another pair being zapped back to the 1950s and possibly playing the same role would also work.
Like Melanie suggests, Jacob will rise like a phoenix, perhaps entering the body of real Locke (then he can really live up to that scar-cross on the right side of his face).
Jack and friends will join the Jacob team, and a wave of Esau-ish-guy's people (perhaps DHARMA Mk II) will invade.
The conflict can really end in one of two ways: Peace between the sides (as Jacob may wish for) or the death of both Jacob and "Esau." Like yin and yang, to remove one, you must remove both.
I think we need to leave room for Aaron to ascend to a leadership position (of the "Esau" side). Ditto, perhaps, for Ji Yeon (as leader of the Others, as she was born on Earth). That would suggest a continuation of the cycle, or a conclusion when they are adults.
| Manifestations of Duality | |
| Light | Dark |
| Yang | Yin |
| Jacob | "Esau" |
| Faith | Science |
| Others | DHARMA |
| Free will | Determinism |
| Earth | Island |
| Left-handed matter | Right-handed matter (maybe) |
| Ji Yeon | Aaron |
| Location of planted plane | Where 815 dissappeared |
| Hawking/Widmore | Alvar Hanso |
Feel free to suggest revisions or additions. I'm not sure the aspects should be grouped by column; but I suppose they could be.
Big Mouth makes the brilliant suggestion that Claire was used by "Esau" (in control of "Christian") to break the circle of ash, and thus allow "Esau" access to the cabin. "Esau" was then in place as "Christian" to intercede and instruct John to move the island. That seems too right to be wrong. :-)
July 6: I have this growing suspicion that Jacob will take Jack as a new vessel. Why? Because the John and Jack pairing is the most intense in the show, and "John" and "Jack" will need to be on equal footing for a proper rivalry and resolution.
PLEASE NOTE: This is yet another new blog post. Your wonderful comments are here (just prior version), here (prior to that one) and here (earlier still).
