Exploring Cosmic Consciousness
Let me make something clear. I don’t claim to be an expert in quantum physics, neuroscience, or Jungian psychology. But, I am a wandering soul swimming through the void — a tiny fish in the sea, relentlessly questing upstream to understand the complexities of human consciousness. And this is one of my attempts to do just that.
We’ve touched on the mysteries of the personal unconscious and pondered the age-old question: What is consciousness? After exploring these concepts, I can’t help but wonder:
How does this shadowy world within us relate to our understanding of reality? And, how does it tie into the grander scheme of a Conscious Universe?
In this essay, we’re not just revisiting these concepts; we’re connecting them to a grander scheme to understand a perplexing possibility. We’ll discuss the personal and collective unconscious, synchronicities, and quantum physics, and ponder the implications of the holographic principle and simulation theory. This is my feeble yet earnest attempt to piece together an answer to the captivating riddle:
Are we cogs in a Universal mind machine?
Unseen Forces of the Unconscious
So here we are, standing at a crossroads and asking far-out questions that many don’t even consider in their lifetime.
Are our minds components of a larger, more complex system of consciousness?
First, let’s revisit how the personal unconscious shapes our perception of the world around us. The personal unconscious, a phrase coined by Carl Jung, is the invisible hand guiding our thoughts and actions. It’s the hidden world of thoughts, emotions, and memories that are buried beneath our conscious awareness. It influences our relationships, choices, actions, beliefs, career paths, passions — our entire conscious reality.
This unseen force within us isn’t just a repository of hidden fears and desires; it’s actively molding our perception of reality and is intricately linked to the collective unconscious. You may be asking: What exactly is the collective unconscious? Well, we aren’t sure exactly what it is. But, we sure as hell are trying to figure it out.
The Bottom of the Iceberg
Remember the iceberg we talked about in an earlier essay? The collective unconscious is at the very bottom of the iceberg. It’s the most hidden aspect of our psyche and the hardest bit to integrate.
This collective unconscious is a giant database of human experience and knowledge inherited from our ancestors. It’s like a universal hard drive loaded with themes, motifs, and symbols that resonate across cultures and time.
Jung called these collective manifestations Archetypes. These archetypes represent fundamental human experiences and are ingrained in our collective unconscious. Some of the more commonly known archetypes are the Hero, the Shadow, and the Wise Old Man.
Bridging Jung and Quantum Physics
But let’s cut through the fat. Are we just neurons in some gigantic cosmic brain, or what? To unpack this question, I’m going to attempt to take Carl Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious a step further by drawing parallels to quantum physics. Interestingly, both hint at a hidden link between all things.
Quantum physics through quantum entanglement, shows that there is an interconnectedness at a subatomic level where particles seemingly affect each other instantaneously over distances. This mirrors the underlying interconnectedness proposed by Jung in the collective unconscious.
The Jungian concept of the collective unconscious suggests a type of mental & emotional network shared across humanity. This idea aligns nicely with quantum entanglement. In the quantum realm, particles communicate instantaneously regardless of space and time.
Mysticism Meets Science
Now, you might think I’m veering into mysticism here, and to be honest, I am! That’s the fun part about exploring these concepts. They straddle the line between science, pseudoscience, and mysticism challenging us to break through the boundaries of conventional thought. Even Einstein said,
‘Every true theorist is a kind of tamed metaphysicist.’
And, Jung? He was well acquainted with the quantum world. He rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest scientific minds in history: Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger. Jung even had a bromance with Wolfgang Pauli, one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics. Both noticed parallels between quantum entanglement and synchronicities.
Synchronicities: The Universe’s Secret Language
Have you ever thought about someone, and out of the blue they reached out? Or discovered a book that perfectly solves the problem you have been wrestling with in your mind, just when you needed it most?
These are classic examples of synchronicities that Jung described. It’s those coincidental moments when two or more meaningful events unfold without any obvious cause-and-effect. Yet, a pattern or significance connects them. But Jung’s observations of this phenomenon take this concept a bit further. Synchronicities are what Jung called, ‘meaningful coincidences.’ To Jung, these synchronicities are expressions of the archetypical energies at play in the collective unconscious.
When it came to quantum mechanics, Jung saw something fascinating: a link between synchronicities and quantum entanglement. These experiences aren’t just twists of fate. It’s the Universe speaking to you — reminding you of the underlying connection in all things. I think it’s about time we listen.
Entangled Minds: The Quantum Connection
In my view, quantum entanglement — what Einstein referred to as ‘spooky action at a distance’ — offers a compelling explanation to understand the phenomenon of synchronicities. In the quantum world, entangled particles influence each other instantly, regardless of the time and space separating them.
To understand what I mean, let’s unpack the double-slit experiment a bit — it’s as if the mere act of observing can change reality. Particles seem to know when they’re being watched and change their behavior. Or, could it be our perception and comprehension of the object that transforms it?
If you haven’t crossed paths with the double-slit experiment yet, check out this video featuring Dr. Quantum. Trust me, even a fifth-grader can wrap their brains around it when Dr. Quantum breaks it down:
The Observation of Reality is Stranger Than You Think
To me, this quantum misbehavior aligns with Jungian psychology. In Jung’s view, the mind is far from a passive entity; it’s an active participant in shaping reality. Our consciousness, much like the observer in the double-slit experiment, doesn’t just perceive reality but interacts with it, influencing the collective unconscious.
Our personal growth and discoveries send out ripples, touching and being touched by the collective human psyche. Like those entangled particles, our individual minds are intricately linked to the web of entwined consciousness.
So, if you think you can’t change the world, guess again. Every thought, every small breakthrough we have, sends ripples into the infinite ocean of collective experience. Just as our bodies evolve over eons, so does our psyche, dynamically sculpting the evolution of human consciousness and reality across millennia. This process both shapes and is shaped by the collective human experience, in a continuous exchange of influence and expansion. It mirrors the expansive nature of the Universe itself.
The Living Tapestry of the Universe & Consciousness
The collective unconscious not just a passive repository, but a dynamic exchange where we all both contribute to and draw from our collective wisdom. It’s a living, breathing entity, constantly evolving with each individual’s experiences and insights. In mystical terms, it’s similar to the Akashic records — a cosmic ledger of all human events, thoughts, and emotions.
Nikola Tesla, known for his revolutionary contributions to electromagnetism, spoke of his experiences with this hidden universal sea of knowledge.
Tesla credited his brilliance to a source beyond his mind, suggesting a connection to an unseen network of knowledge and inspiration:
“My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.” — Nikola Tesla
It’s as if Tesla was tapping into this universal reservoir, channeling insights that were waiting to be discovered in the collective mind of human consciousness. This notion of collective learning opens up a whole new dimension in our understanding of the integrated and shared reality of human consciousness.
Tesla wasn’t the only one who credited his ideas to this universal knowledge base. Erwin Schrodinger hinted at a profound and mysterious connection to something beyond human intellect. He once said,
“The total number of minds in the Universe is one. In fact, consciousness is a singularity phasing within all beings.” — Erwin Schrödinger
Collective Consciousness & Morphic Fields
Others have made a similar connection as well. One theory that touches on this concept is known as morphic resonance. It’s a theory observed by Rupert Sheldrake, a botanist, that points to a ‘field of information’ that exchanges with consciousness through some kind of universal force. In Sheldrake’s words, it’s “the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species.”
In Sheldrake’s theory, once a new behavior is learned by a sufficient number of individuals within a species, it becomes easier for others to learn. Even more interesting is that geographical boundaries do not limit this phenomenon. If a group of birds in one part of the world learns a new foraging technique, for example, birds of the same species on the other side of the world can quickly pick up the same skill. This theory is still heavily debated in scientific circles. But still, it’s a fascinating concept to think about.
And, when we bring the holographic principle and simulation theory into the mix, it gets even stranger. Now, we can start to draw connections to the quantum realm that are not just philosophical, but also potentially scientific.
Reality as a Projection of Consciousness
The holographic principle suggests that the entire Universe is a complex projection on a two-dimensional surface. Think of an artist who skillfully creates images on a flat canvas that seem to leap out in three dimensions. This principle hints that our reality might not be what it seems. It suggests that there’s a hidden layer of information behind everything we perceive.
What if our consciousness is also a holographic event? Similar to pixels on a screen, what if each thought, emotion, and memory is a tiny part of a larger more intricate web of collective consciousness? What we experience in reality could be a sophisticated illusion by intelligent design. Each one of us experiences a slice of the whole, yet contributes to the entirety. Here we can make connections between the holographic universe and a shared collective consciousness. The fabric of reality itself might be more interrelated than we realize.
In the Matrix: The Programmed Reality
Let’s consider the implications if we combine the holographic principle with the notion of simulation theory — the idea that our entire reality is like a highly advanced computer program. You know how pixels on your computer screen come together to form a complete image? In the same way, each of our individual consciousnesses merges into a network that holds the totality of human experience.
When aligning this idea with the holographic principle, we begin to see that the Universe could be an intricate simulation where everything, even the smallest particle, is a piece of a larger whole.
Consciousness itself could be seen as part of a simulation where each thought, emotion, and memory are coded elements within a program that contributes to the overall experience of our collective reality.
If our reality is a simulation, it suggests that our thoughts and experiences might be influencing our perceived reality more than we think. This ties into the idea of a collective consciousness since there might be a higher dimension of design playing out in our projected conscious reality.
The Architect of the Universe
So, we hashed out how reality could be a sophisticated simulation. But who or what is the programmer? Could the reality we experience be one layer to a much larger cosmic onion within a multi-dimensional Universe, influenced by forces beyond our comprehension? A reality predetermined by the parameters of a simulated matrix? I have to admit, it makes me cringe to think about it. However, the rules within our simulation may not be as ironclad as we think.
We start to see cracks in our understanding of reality when we peer into the quantum realm. In the quantum world, our classical understanding of physics begins to fracture and break. Could these be glitches in the matrix? Glitches within the simulation that reveal an underlying structure that is outside of this programmed reality? Do these quantum anomalies hint at a hidden connection between the mind and the universe? There are striking similarities between the structure and complexity of the human brain and the Universe.
The Synchronicities of the Brain & the Universe
Our brains, with billions of neurons, and the Universe, with its network of galaxies, both organize into a similar pattern.
Take a look at the below image. Can you guess which is the Universe and which are neuron connections in the brain?
The parallels between the brain and the Universe are difficult to ignore. It’s fascinating that the fractal patterns in the Universe reflect the brain’s neural structure. The resemblance isn’t just a structural coincidence. The way information is processed and transmitted in the brain is remarkably similar to how galaxies interact and exchange energy.
For more details on the similarities between the brain and the Universe, you can check out this article:
Surprising Similarities Between The Human Brain And The Universe
If you want to understand yourself, you will understand the whole universe
The Synchronicity of the Macrocosm & Microcosm
These synchronicities nudge us towards a radical idea: that the macrocosm of the Universe and the microcosm of the human mind influence the fabric of our conscious reality.
The striking synchronicities between the human mind and the vast expansive Universe point to a larger conversation. One where science, philosophy, and mysticism begin to intertwine. Now, we are exploring possibilities that go beyond current scientific measurement and experimentation.
Although we are left with more questions than answers, one thing remains clear: an interconnected web of consciousness is a compelling possibility.
© 2023 Evelyn Ann Rose. All rights reserved.
saveer neet