As thoughts flow through my mind in a continuous “stream of consciousness,” I write down every idea and experience that comes to me in the moment. The stream of consciousness becomes a river that meanders through my mind, carrying with it the fragments of memories, emotions, and reflections. As I navigate this internal river, I am aware of its ever-changing nature, constantly shaping and reshaping the shores of my understanding. Putting these flowing thoughts into words reflects a desire to capture the fleeting and make it permanent. What follows is the result of this attempt.
Consciousness Redefined
The word consciousness has been appearing on my radar more and more. A red dot of recognition announces its presence all around. In my profession, consciousness is frequently associated with the word mind. The mind is the process that regulates the flow of energy and information in the field of awareness, hence the terms mindfulness or mindful awareness (1). In this consideration, the mind resembles a private theater located inside the head. As I sit in this cerebral auditorium, I look out and have a multisensory experience on the stage of consciousness. The mental screen projects a mosaic of sights, sounds, and sensations that coalesce into the unique content of consciousness. This inner theater is an exclusive venue for an audience of one. In this solitary auditorium, I become the observer and the observed, witnessing the interplay of my individual consciousness (2).
However, in my new area of exploration, consciousness has become synonymous with the soul or spirit. In the discussions about the enduring essence of an individual, the term soul continues to maintain its position as the most widely used descriptor. Following closely behind, spirit claims the second spot in terms of popularity. Surprisingly, in recent times, there has been a shift with the word consciousness steadily ascending to the forefront. For example, in my spiritual practice, during guided meditation, I am prompted to repeat this mantra, “I am not my body, I am not my mind; I am consciousness.”
Let me continue to follow my mind’s internal flow and try to define consciousness. Is it awareness? Is it intelligence? Is it experience? Is it a non-material existence that permeates the universe? All these questions float through my thinking mind, without offering ready-made answers. It is not easy to wrap my head around this concept, but I keep going.
Cosmic Consciousness
For the moment, let’s ask whether the entire cosmos is imbued with consciousness. Well, here I can find some answers. I am aware that many physicists think that way, including the father of quantum mechanics, Max Planck. He said: "Consciousness I regard as fundamental. I regard matter as a derivative of consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing postulates consciousness" (3).
This statement by Max Plank reminds me of panpsychism, the doctrine or belief that everything material, however small, has an element of individual consciousness. It suggests that consciousness is a central aspect of the universe, distributed throughout the natural world, not just in complex organisms like humans. According to panpsychism, even inanimate objects possess some form of consciousness or mental properties. This view challenges the idea that consciousness emerges solely from complex neural processes in the brains of living beings.
In following the same tradition, many years later, another theoretical physicist, Fred Alan Wolf, claimed that consciousness transcends space-time, viewing the entire universe as a living entity and emphasizing the concept of a singular, unbroken whole (4).
Some physicists, such as Wolfgang Pauli, indicated that physics was the study of the structure of consciousness because “consciousness underlies, is embedded in, and forms the fabric of everything around us” (5)
Hard Problem of Consciousness
After exploring these dizzying ideas, let's return to Earth and further discuss consciousness in more traditional terms, specifically concerning us humans. I will now turn to the philosopher David Chalmers, who introduced the so-called “hard problem of consciousness.” This problem relates to the difficulties in understanding why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. While science has made significant inroads in explaining the neural correlates of consciousness, the hard problem remains: why does the activity of neurons result in the rich and vivid experience of being aware? (6).
Chalmers' hard problem of consciousness does not explicitly advocate for or against the idea of consciousness as a modern equivalent of the soul. Instead, it highlights the difficulty of explaining how material processes give rise to the immaterial aspect of existence known as subjective experience.
Non-Locality of Consciousness
My stream of consciousness now meanders into the strange world of quantum physics, specifically to something known as the non-locality concept. This adds another layer to the discussion of consciousness when considering the relationship between mind, matter, and the nature of reality. Non-locality refers to the phenomenon where particles can be instantaneously correlated, regardless of the distance separating them. This violates the classical notion that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light, as implied by the special relativity theory of Einstein.
Apparently, on the subatomic or quantum level, particles remain connected even when they appear to be separated. Albert Einstein referred to these connections as “spooky action at a distance.” When Einstein was alive, entanglement was merely an idea predicted by mathematics. Since then, researchers have been able to observe the phenomenon of entanglement in the laboratory and provide proof that it exists beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Non-local correlations in quantum systems suggest a form of interconnectedness at a fundamental level of reality. This interconnectedness could be seen as resonating with spiritual or holistic views that propose an underlying unity in the universe. If consciousness is considered a universal phenomenon, non-locality aligns with the idea that there is a deep, instantaneous connection between all that is.
Some interpretations of quantum mechanics propose that consciousness plays a role in the collapse of the quantum wave function, determining the outcome of measurements. This idea suggests a potential interaction between consciousness and the physical world at the quantum level. To further explain, I will quote another pioneer of quantum physics, Niels Bohr: "When we measure something we are forcing an undetermined, undefined world to assume an experimental value. We are not measuring the world; we are creating it " (7). Another prominent figure in physics, John Wheeler of Princeton, goes so far as to claim that the visible universe could come into existence only if someone observed it. Without such an observer, there would be no universe; it would still be in a state of pure potential.
Shifting Perspectives
Let me be clear here. Science that is still based on the Newtonian model of reality, leads to rationalistic, reductionistic, materialistic, and nounlike thinking. The rationalistic stance places a strong emphasis on reason, logic, and intellectual analysis as primary sources of knowledge and understanding. The reductionistic approach dissects complex phenomena into their constituent parts, aiming to understand the whole by studying its individual components. Materialism asserts that the physical world, composed of tangible matter, is the fundamental reality. Newtonian physics, which emerged in the 17th century, laid the foundation for a mechanistic worldview that views the universe as a clockwork mechanism governed by precise laws. A nounlike perspective treats entities as discrete and static objects. All in all, this science believes that consciousness is no more than an epiphenomenon - a byproduct of complex neural processes without intrinsic significance.
On the other hand, spirituality, and as I indicated quantum mechanics, deals with reality in a very different way. Quantum phenomena, such as entanglement and superposition, challenge the deterministic and materialistic foundations of classical physics. The static view of Newtonian physics contrasts with the dynamic and interconnected nature of phenomena, particularly in the realm of consciousness. Conscious experiences are better described as processes, constantly in flux and interwoven with subjective perspectives, challenging the rigid nounlike categories of classical physics. Consciousness, in this rendition, assumes the center of the stage; it is the primary aspect of reality. It is reality itself that manifests matter and energy and shapes the material world through knowledge (8).
The Quantum Revolution
Quantum theory is considered to be the most proven theory of reality. This has sparked a revolution in its application in many areas important to our lives. Pioneers and other scientists in the fields of theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, and mathematics have deep-dived into the quantum world, emerging transformed in their worldview from materialistic and dualistic perspectives to an idealistic one. Many of them have become devotees and students of Eastern philosophy and spirituality, embracing traditions such as Buddhism, Vedanta Hinduism, and Taoism.
They regard common sense and the ordinary view of reality as illusions caused by the mind's survival adaptation, driven by the desire to predict and perceive events in the outside world based on cultural and family traditions. It is not easy to shake off what seems to be the correct way of interpreting what is happening around us. Most of us are still under the spell of Descartes and Cartesian duality, where mind and body are separate realms. Some consider the view that consciousness and energy are the only reality from which everything else arises.
Dissociation and Reintegration
Julia Assante, scholar and psychic, claims: “I think of consciousness as sentient energy that tends to form constellations of identity, from simple cells to the most complex discarnates. When it focuses on material dimensions, it creates matter. The consciousness of each identity, no matter what the species, whether in the flesh or not, is unique. Yet all seek expansion and fulfillment. Discrete consciousnesses that make up individual selves form larger identities outside the physical, what mystics call oversouls which is an inconceivably vast resource of knowledge, inspiration, and energy” (9).
This position proposes that all reality resides within a universal form of consciousness, unbound by personal limitations, emerging as patterns of excitation. The formation of personal consciousness occurs through a process of dissociation from this universal consciousness (10). Dissociation creates a boundary or discontinuity in the integration of consciousness, memory, identity, and emotion. The unique perspective on death and the afterlife in this view states that bodily death ends dissociation. As a result, a reintegration of “memory, identity and emotion” lost at birth is reestablished (10). Rather than diminishing, the conscious inner life expands following physical death. Deepak Chopra claims that death “replaces time with timelessness and stretches the boundaries of space to infinity. Death reveals the source of life. It brings a new way of knowing that lies beyond the reach of the five senses. It reveals the underlying intelligence that organizes and sustains creation” (11). This assertion gets indirect backing from narratives of near-death experiences, psychedelic journeys, and mystical states of consciousness.
The main characteristics of these altered states are unity and oneness, transcendence of time and space, intense positive emotions of love, joy and peace, loss of ego or self, ineffability (difficulty expressing the experience in words), deep insight and understanding (noesis), subjective experience that is more real than any other reality, and others (12). A key element is the feeling of unity, wherein one undergoes a merging with the entirety of existence. This unity entails acknowledging the interconnectedness of everything and discovering a shared essence at the heart of the inner subjectivity or inner reality of all things, despite their diverse and seemingly distinct identities and separations (13).
Individuals who have undergone these states can be profoundly affected, often resulting in substantial shifts in their outlook, core values, and overall state of well-being. One of the common effects is a sense of transcending the limitations of the physical body and a diminished fear of death. A sense of knowing about the continuity of consciousness after physical death is frequently encountered due to the experience of transcendence, interconnectedness, and dissolution of ego boundaries.
Magical Thinking or Transcendent Wisdom
The new stream in my consciousness river leads me to express doubt in this paradigm shift. Could it be considered as just magical thinking of a child or undifferentiated (pre-rational) thinking of primitives, in which wishing for something to happen is enough for it to manifest as reality?
Ken Wilber rightfully warned about what he calls the pre/trans fallacy. He writes, “Since development moves from pre-personal to personal to transpersonal, and since both pre-personal and transpersonal are, in their own ways, nonpersonal, then pre-personal and transpersonal tend to appear quite similar, even identical, to the untutored eye” (14). He further indicates that reductionist scientists and many others who are deeply entrenched in traditional thinking tend to reduce all spiritual and transpersonal experiences to the pre-personal (pre-rational) stage of development. They advocate a worldview in which human rationality is the height of development and the ultimate achievement of the human mind. They can't even consider the existence of higher levels of consciousness, post-conventional morality, and greater complexity in understanding reality. Hence, according to Ken Wilber, understanding the pre/trans fallacy is crucial for appreciating the complexity of human development and avoiding misinterpretations that can hinder personal and collective growth.
Integral Worldview
The worldview I identify with the most is the integral one, primarily characterized by a self-reflexive attempt to bring together and synthesize elements from other worldviews or domains that tend to be viewed as mutually exclusive—such as science (or rationality) and spirituality, imagination and logic, heart and mind, humanity and nature. In this worldview, opposing perspectives are understood to be part of a greater whole or synthesis, on a "deeper level," resulting in "both-and" rather than "either-or" thinking. Such a holistic or integrative perspective may lead to a profound sense of connection with nature and an understanding of earthly life as imbued with a larger consciousness.
1. Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind, by Daniel Siegel, W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition, 2014
2. Consciousness, by Susan Blackmore, Sterling, 2005
3. The Observer, Sunday, January 25, 1931, Max Planck Interview
4. Space-Time and Beyond, by Fred Alan Wolf, Bantam 1983
5. The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche, by Carl Gustav Jung, Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, et al., Ishi Press, 2012
6. Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness, by David J. Chalmers, Journal of Consciousness Studies. 2 (3): 200–219, 1995
7. Are We the Reason Everything Exists? By Robert Lanza, M.D., Psychology Today, November 20, 2023
8. The Spiritual Universe, by Fred Alan Wolf Ph.D., Moment Point Press, 1999
9. The Last Frontier: Exploring the Afterlife and Transforming Our Fear of Death, by Julia Assante Ph.D., New World Library, 2012
10. The Idealist View of Consciousness After Death, by Bernardo Kastrup, Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, Vol. 7: pp. 900-909, 2016
11. Life After Death, by Deepak Chopra, Harmony, 2008
12. The psychedelic mystical experiences in the human encounter with death, by W. N. Pahnke, Harvard Theological Review, 62: 1-21, 1969
13. Mysticism and philosophy, by W.T. Stacy, MacMillan Press, 1960
14. The Pre/Trans Fallacy, by Ken Wilber, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 22: 5-43, 1982
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