I like to pretend that Consciousness is a fundamental disentropic (organizing) principle of reality, underlying Space and Time. At the smallest level, I imagine Consciousness to be simply a sentient pulse underlying all else, a beating rhythm that can somehow feel itself and its surroundings.

I think of Consciousness as analogous to an electric current, which is transformed into heat, sound or sound-and-light, depending upon the “load” that it runs through (stove, radio, television, etc.); or not flowing at all if applied to the ends of a rubber rod. Except that Consciousness manifests much more subtly as sensations, emotions, analysis and intentions. In the same way that some are color-blind, there are many (rubber) people who can’t sense “Presence” in a nonmaterial sense; whereas others’ lives are full of meaningful and specific nonmaterial experiences that cannot be made moot by the opinions of scientific others. You can’t ask a radio about visuals; it has no concept of them. All the radio believes in is sound because sound is all it experiences. But ask the television . . .

Since Consciousness has an essentially field-like and subjective quality, the Conscious Universe can be understood as having been constructed uniquely within each individual, much as every computer with use becomes immediately unique, even though the initial state of the factory hardware and software (the Physical Universe) may be virtually identical.

Consciousness is protean in that it can take many forms, run many programs. Each mind is a singularity. For some minds, the universe is overseen by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent personal presence called capital g “god”. For some, Consciousness conjures ghosts and/or angels from the immersive soup of the conscious field. And/or demons inhabiting dreamtime. For others, the universe is silent. Each of these manifestations is real and true and existential for a certain person at a given time and place. god is surely real. Only not for everybody. Some people are completely happy (and loving) without a god. There is one god. There are gods. There is no god. It all depends on how you frame your inquiry.

Cohabitating on planet Earth are more than seven billion humans with unique personal universes (and innumerable other perhaps less complex universes for fauna, flora, and mineral entities, all the way down to pulsing subatomic structures), with a vast Spacetime continuum the same objectively at classical levels for each, but with the conscious experiential component varying over a wide range from proud and full-of-hope to bored to justifiably paranoid.

Our vast individual universe and the myths that we have realized in experiencing it (World View) are developed over time from our encounters in life and how these encounters are filtered and interpreted. At a young age patterns are formed. Consciousness allows the universe to be reshaped in unlimited meaningful ways. In fact, the shape of the nonmaterial contents of one’s universe can change over time, as in cases of habitual abuse; or instantaneously in response to extraordinary pressures such as a conversion experience, a so-called falling-out-of-faith, or unmitigated trauma.

As with their minds, everyone’s experience of life is uniquely their own, as obvious to the self and unassailable by another’s logic as any others’ experiences are to themselves. Consciousness has many channels and ways of manifesting to the mind and body. In a sense, we each exist in a bubble wherein the individual experience of the nonmaterial universe is unique yet coherent in the midst of a sea of bubbles in an unimaginably fine-grained medium. The quantum vacuum is roiling with the activity of evanescent virtual particles, bubbling in and out of consciousness, as it were.

Cohabitating on planet Earth are more than seven billion humans with unique personal universes (and innumerable other perhaps less complex universes for fauna, flora, and mineral entities, all the way down to pulsing subatomic structures), with a vast Spacetime continuum the same objectively at classical levels for each, but with the conscious experiential component varying over a wide range from proud and full-of-hope to bored to justifiably paranoid.

Our vast individual universe and the myths that we have realized in experiencing it (World View) are developed over time from our encounters in life and how these encounters are filtered and interpreted. At a young age patterns are formed. Consciousness allows the universe to be reshaped in unlimited meaningful ways. In fact, the shape of the nonmaterial contents of one’s universe can change over time, as in cases of habitual abuse; or instantaneously in response to extraordinary pressures such as a conversion experience, a so-called falling-out-of-faith, or unmitigated trauma.

Once you begin to entertain the notion that Consciousness is as fundamental as Space and Time, then some of the current mysteries of physics can seem to make more sense. Dark Matter can be imagined to be the gravitational effect of Consciousness on Space; and Dark Energy, the propulsive force of Consciousness through Time, causing the Physical Universe to expand. String theory’s six (or more) extra dimensions can mean that for every momentary event there are at least six other “dimensions” that add to the mix: x, y, z, t, s₁, s₂, s₃, s₄, s₅, s₆—six more currents or positional constructs for each zeptosecond point location—allowing for sensation, emotion, thought, etc. Such variety this allows!

Once Consciousness is accepted as a real elemental possibility, scientists can begin to tie together the concepts that its existence would suggest and imagine methods to identify, measure and perhaps even to quantize how string-theory dimensions (with an estimated 10⁵⁰⁰ permutations) interact consciously with Spacetime. Through applied imagination, an understanding can begin to develop of relationships between emotions, feelings, thoughts, dreams, and such psychic claims as premonitions, distant viewing, astral projection, and many other conscious attributes so easily dismissed by physicalist scientists as stupid, fraudulent; imaginary, illusory, naïve; or at least beyond the realm of scientific inquiry.

What are the Laws of Consciousness? Aspects of interaction between Consciousness and Space-and-Time can be imagined as falling into four categories: Karma, Chaos, Will and Grace. That is, universally, to the laws of cause and effect (Karma) and extreme sensitivity to initial conditions (Chaos—shit happens sometimes regardless); and individually, to initiative (Will) and release (Grace)—Yang/Yin. These are four interacting mechanisms through which Consciousness realizes change.

Occurrences in space and time affect Consciousness; and through Consciousness, we can literally alter space and time. It’s all interconnected.

Yes, at the deepest level, All is One—Space and Time and Consciousness—a singular energy swirling, rippling, swelling. Failing to acknowledge this, the species seems headed down the road to extinction. Powerful economic interests are served in the short term by denying our commonality: stir up dissension and hatred, divide and conquer. This is the ultimate naiveté.

Most importantly, with acceptance of Consciousness, the concept of Love, or more precisely Compassion, can begin to be scientifically investigated and its effects verified, classified and quantified. I imagine Compassion to be a universally healing force in the fabric of the Conscious Universe at the interface between bubbles. Compassion, a feeling of commonality with all, is the principle that allows the “bubbles” manifesting divergent conscious experiences of reality (World Views) to interact without harm to their occupants. Indeed, it is the only way to ensure universal respect for human dignity. We’re all human.

Ultimately, armed with this knowledge, science can progress by adding an additional angle from which to inform any decision-making process: What does Love suggest in regards to the solution to this problem or predicament?

The universe is in a sense truly magical, that is, conscious. What wonders Consciousness has wrought on the planet! Once Compassion is imagined more deeply and realized more fully, then Peace will naturally evolve. At least I can pretend.