LOST on Earth's Mirror Matter Moon

or, Through the Looking-Glass Via Theoretical Physics — Not in Portland... In Starboardland

Note that the latest version of this theory is here: mirrormattermoon.blogspot.com
However, there is a lot of indirect evidence here that was left out of the current version.

In 2 Sentences: From Jacob and "Esau" to science and faith, all of Lost appears to be an homage to duality, including the island itself. The island is special because it exists on the dark side of the universe, with the dark matter there complimenting our "light" matter.

Lost might be a multi-layered homage 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 island world and Earth. Thus this dark island connects the two sides of the universe and is a place of epic duality. 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 a yin-yang-like struggle between the personification of light/life (Jacob) and the personification of darkness/death ("Esau"). As they can't exist without each other, for the conflict to end, both sides must perish or the sides must merge.

The light side faction is headed by someone who is born on Earth, moves to the island, and loses his or her 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 also seems to be a supernatural force that ensures the balance between factions. That force achieves its ends by communicating through ghosts and ensuring the movement of certain people, like Aaron, back and forth. It's probably meaningful that 815, the US Army, Juliet [thanks Christine], and possibly Desmond, may have all arrived on an equinox, when light and dark are most balanced.

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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 Dark Mirror Matter "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 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. Perhaps passing through a certain kind of window-like wormhole flips matter to mirror matter or vice-versa. If that's assumed, wormholes would be necessary for travel to and from a mirror matter world. In line with this idea is the fact that the island is packed with the stuff needed to allow you to pass through wormholes, namely those pockets of "negatively-charged exotic matter." Some wormholes would 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. The slow drift can probably be clocked at less than the top speed of the freighter, as an exchange between Ray and Desmond suggested the freighter was pursuing the island. Note that even a slow drift of 5 knots could move the island mass from Sydney to LA in a couple of months.

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. 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., mind-body duality, serpent monsters, vanishing islands).

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 or Hawking took control of the Others, and would make them candidates for their 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). [ Jacob did take a hit, but I imagined his followers to be on the defensive as well.]

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 around two years, 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.

Mike

P.S. — I can't help but recommend an excellent and different theory based on mirror matter by BigMouth.

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Further Evidence

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
• As an anonymous commenter points out, Ben's bullet wound switched from his left side to his right side between episodes

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..."
• Chang and the sub captain referred to the outside world as "the other side."
• 316 shifted from night to day, just as 815 should have, when entering the island's airspace. It seems like wormholes are necessary.
• * 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 his left, swings 180°, and ends on his right. [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.
• 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).

They're Not On Earth — Supporting Quotes Is everyone on the island from planet Earth? (pause) Yes. That may be one of the best Lost questions we've ever been asked. When you get asked questions like that, you have to be very careful how you answer. [from an interview with Jimmy Kimmel] 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. [from the producers; thanks to Mark and Lostpedia] 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. [from the producers] 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..." Damon Lindelof: I think that's a fascinating thought. And I couldn't possibly answer that question 'cause if we were to reveal something so ginormous as the fact that the island was moving … they would fire us instantly. And also, it would be much cooler if we would reveal something like that in the show. [from the LOST Podcast, Nov. 6, 2006; Thanks to Soother17 for finding this gem]

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
Life	Death

Initial Season 6 Plot Predictions

For many varied reasons, the apparent detonation will fail to prevent the construction of the Swan, and Jack and friends will be teleported to 2007.

As many people suspect, Richard will arrive with Magnus Hanso on the Black Rock. Although Magnus will die, Alvar will eventually be born on the island, leave, and later push for the creation of DHARMA. This lineage is important as it establishes a dark counterpart (Alvar) to the leader of the light/faith side.

Desmond will return to the island's past. Eloise knew Jack and friends had to return because she had seen them in the past. Presumably she knows the island "isn't done with" Desmond for the same reason. By being certifiably "special," Desmond might have a chance of undoing any catastrophe wrought by the bomb. If he returns with Penny to the 1950s, the couple would be good candidates for Adam and Eve.

Jack and friends will become faithful guardians of the island (becoming Others and reversing their original status). Meanwhile "Esau" and a new band of dark/science arrivals will weaken the light/faith/Jacob side, gaining dominance after the light side's 16-year run.

Like Melanie suggests, Jacob will rise like a phoenix, perhaps entering the corpse of Locke or else the living body of Jack.

Fast-forward to circa 2024. Aaron will be the leader of the dark side, and Ji Yeon will have arrived and become leader of the light side (after Jin's death). With any luck, instead of rivals, they will become a couple, ending the show with the message that harmony between opposites is the only way to prevent mutual destruction.


Latest Notes (Rambling until Season 6 starts...)

BigMouth 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 26 (post Comic-Con):
* Jacob not taking the form of anyone else dispels suspicions that white-shoed Christian was a Jake-arition.
* It's tough to read Darlton's intentions with the what-if-the-island-were-destroyed videos. For a number of reasons — narrative, ontological, and commentary-wise — I think Faraday's plan will fail and Jack and friends will return to 2007 to confront "Locke." They may bounce around a bit on the way there, but there is probably only one, causally-secure (in a broad sense) universe.

August 1: Season 6 Poster

Light hieroglyphics on the left and dark on the right

September 3:
Professor John Cramer's 1989 "hard" sci-fi novel, Twistor, is apparently based on shifting property and people into mirror matter and back again. If you should happen upon the book, I'd naturally love for you to leave a comment on this page.

September 10:
Thanks to an anonymous commenter for catching this cool find by AddHawk on The Fuselage. As usual, the generous interpretation is that this is an intentional but buried allusion to mirror reflection symmetry. But really, who knows...



September 15:
For those who follow spoilers, here's my cryptic guess at what will transpire...
A fork on the plane will lead to some sideways action. But more likely than not, this will be a temporary diversion. Why bother? Maybe just for entertainment's sake, or maybe for a grand emotional arc involving a choice or a loss.

November 1:
Apparently "Esau" and Jacob were indeed designed to personify the black and white concept, which was introduced by Locke with the backgammon pieces. Moreover, the writers actually labeled them the "man in black" and "man in white." [from an interview with Damon that was captured by The ODI; see 25:00]

In reply to an email from Joel, here's a paper from 2000 on looking for mirror matter with the LHC.


November 8:
Perhaps "Esau," the man in black, sought to kill Jacob not out of revenge, but because Jacob, his figurative opposite, is the ultimate kill.

Locke's revival, Richard's preservation, Ben's recovery in the temple, the story of healing Juliet's sister, Jacob living beneath the protector of childbirth... They all suggest Jacob and the temple are associated with supplying life force. Jacob's touch may well have protected all he touched from death by Jughead — a 1-up before the fact, if you will.

But Esau's mission to kill Jacob, his ability to take the form of the dead, the monster, the chamber below the temple, the threats of Alex's "ghost" toward Ben... They seem to be associated with removing life force.

So "Esau" might have wanted to kill Jacob simply because it's his raison d'être.


November 14:
We can't leave out some of the biggest gods out there... Vishnu, the maintainer or preserver, versus Shiva, the destroyer or transformer.
I think the associations are obvious. Of course, there's also Brahma, the creator — and Jacob could very well correspond to, in part, a conflation of the two (Brahma and Vishnu). [Wiki]


November 30:
Two quick bits:

A. The original Jacob who said, "help me," might have merely been "Esau" trying—and mostly failing—to manifest within the protective circle of ash. See BigMouth's speculation about Claire breaking the ash and unwittingly permitting the entry of Esau.

B. Speaking of Jacob's security, Richard is the perfect righthand man for Jacob, as Esau can presumably never take the form of someone who cannot die.

In other words, that might be the reason for Richard's agelessness/immortality. Jacob needed a trustable gatekeeper. Of course, that assumes Richard wouldn't or couldn't be murdered and impersonated.


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).