What Came First – Observation or Matter?

There is no first. They both reside on different parts of the same energy spectrum. Lower energy is the physical matter of the universe and higher energy is the awareness. All energy is in a permanent state of existence. Observation of the lower energy is what causes it to appear. Awareness of the lower energy is what helps the observer distinguish between the two. In other words, if only awareness existed – there would be a vacuum of nothing to observe. If only matter existed – it would also exist in a state of nothingness. Neither awareness or matter came first – they both simply exist together.