The Perplexities of Consciousness, Part 2

The Perplexities of Consciousness, Part 2

“I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”[1] Max Planck

As we lay the groundwork for an exploration into consciousness, I find it interesting to ponder the possible edges of consciousness. Does consciousness begin at birth? Or continue after we die? Do we gradually become conscious as we become self-aware? Were we conscious in our mother’s womb? What sort of consciousness do we enter in our dreams? Are our memories remnants of consciousness past? Are there gradations of greater or lesser consciousness at different times in our lives?

Most of the hard physical sciences tend to avoid studies of consciousness because it defies traditional scientific study. Physics, or at least some prominent physicists, is a notable exception. While we may be able to observe what one is conscious of, we cannot observe what it is that is conscious of what we are conscious of. It is interesting to me that Physics would be the scientific area of study that (arguably) most often ventures into the mysterious realms of consciousness. It is the study of the laws that govern our physical world and often utilizes complex mathematical calculations to record and predict the characteristics of the natural world. None of the hard sciences are much given to studies of spiritual phenomena, and although physicists may not consider what some of they study as akin to spirituality, the parallels are hard to miss if we assume a relationship between spirituality and consciousness.

The famous theoretical physicist, Max Planck, considered consciousness as fundamental to our reality, saying that matter derives from consciousness. This sounds eerily similar to the first creation story in Genesis 1: “…And God said, Let there be…” Planck wrote that everything we experience “postulates consciousness,” as if we cannot observe it directly, but we know it by its impact on what we can directly observe. This is how what is called dark matter and dark energy, theorized to make up 95% or more of the known universe, is talked about. It is not anything we can directly observe or measure, but we can directly measure the impact of this mysterious something on objects we can observe and measure. In other words, something we cannot directly observe influences our reality in ways we can observe, even though we cannot identify the nature of the influencer. And so it is with consciousness – we can identify its presence within and around us, even though we cannot observe or measure what that presence actually is. Dark matter, dark energy, and consciousness are sophisticated, scientific terms that allow us to say we do not know something without actually confessing we do not know – at least not without postulating the existence of God or some divine Spirit into the discussion. Of course, our speculations about God are very much like speculations about dark matter, dark energy, and consciousness. We theorize God’s existence because of an observable impact on what we know and cannot otherwise explain.

I think the person that opened the study of Physics to becoming more willing to looking into that which cannot be known was Albert Einstein. His Theory of Relativity, in my layman’s simplification, blew enormous holes in what had been accepted science by showing that reality cannot be measured or observed independent of the observer – that we are inseparable participants in and influencers upon whatever we observe. In other words, it is impossible to observe something in its unobserved state. This is relevant to any consideration of consciousness because we cannot observe consciousness without expecting there to be some measure of influence on both the conscious being doing the observing (us) and that which we are trying to observe (the consciousness beyond ourselves).

If this seemingly non-sensical, circular discussion makes your brain ache you are in good company. That is a common side-effect of attempting to examine the ether within which we exist. If consciousness were something we could easily understand, it could not be the limitless ocean of possibility from which we emerge. Seeking a glimpse of that universal consciousness, however, is an important step in accepting our place in a universal family. For religious folks, it is approaching our Oneness with God, as Jesus prayed for us to do. For other spiritual folks it is approaching Christ-consciousness, which is awakening to our Oneness with all that is.

Consciousness is one whole, but our experience of it is assisted by studying it in various levels or states, from lesser to greater. Lower-level consciousness is likely where most of us spend most of our days and is characterized by the sense of ourselves as separate individuals, unrelated to others except by birth or shared interests. Higher levels of consciousness are characterized by recognizing the interconnectedness of all creation through both time and space. And this will be our exploration in the coming weeks and months.

This is the 2^ndin a series titled The Perplexities of Consciousness.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Max Planck (1858-1947), theoretical physicist.