Q: What will people learn from Consciousness from Zombies to Angels?
CdeQ: Readers will join me on the greatest adventure of all: an exploration of philosophy’s hardest problem, science’s final frontier, and spirituality’s deepest mystery. They will find seven simple steps on the path to knowing who they truly are.

I'm a professor of Consciousness Studies at John F. Kennedy University and Dean of Consciousness Studies at the University of Philosophical Research. I've been teaching and writing about consciousness for decades. It's my life-long passion.
I wanted to create a comprehensive, easy-to-understand “user’s guide” to to the mind—exploring the full spectrum of consciousness from philosophy through science to spirituality. This book is based on presentations and handouts I created over the years for my students to inform and inspire them about the nature and possibilities of our most intimate reality—consciousness.


Q: How did you come up with the title?
CdeQ: Originally, I wanted to write a kind of Consciousness for Dummies book—like Meditation for Dummies, Yoga for Dummies, Philosophy for Dummies, etc. But I wanted to call it Consciousness for Zombies. You see, in philosophy, a “zombie” is a very special kind of creature: It is just like a human in every way, except it has no mind or consciousness whatsoever. Then (after prompting from my publisher), I realized that probably only philosophers would get the pun. So I went to Plan B.

The subtitle of the book is The Shadow and the Light of Knowing Who You Are. It means that if we are really serious about exploring consciousness we must be willing to work with our own shadow and light. Everyone has a “Shadow”—those negative aspects of ourselves (our fears, guilt, shame, anger) that we have pushed down into our unconscious from early childhood. But whatever we suppress remains in us and we either project it onto others or it erupts in some kind of mind-body illness.

And we not only suppress our “miserable” selves, we also suppress our “magnificent” selves—those parts of us that are creative, powerful, compassionate, and loving. To really know who we are, and to grow as healthy spiritual beings, we need to embrace both our Shadow and our Light. As Joni Mitchell said: “If you get rid of the demons and the disturbing things, then the angels fly off, too.”

We need to embrace our inner “zombies” as well as our inner “angels.” And so: Consciousness from Zombies to Angels. It’s a “user’s guide” to the mind from “Z” to “A.” To make the most effective use of this guide, we need to use our four gifts of knowing.


Q: What are the ‘Four Gifts of Knowing’?
CdeQ: Each of us has many different ways of knowing, with the potential to be a philosopher, a scientist, a shaman, and a mystic. It all depends on where we focus attention and what gifts we decide to cultivate.

The Scientist’s Gift is our senses—and a method for testing our assumptions and beliefs through the power of rigorous observation; we use this gift to explore the world of matter, including our bodies.

The Philosopher’s Gift is reason and language; we use this gift to explore the realm of mind.

The Shaman’s Gift is feeling and alternative states of consciousness; we use this to explore the domain of soul.

The Mystic’s Gift is intuition and sacred silence; we use this to unite with the essence of spirit.

If we wish to truly understand consciousness, we need to cultivate and integrate all our “gifts of knowing.” It’s not enough to just study the brain using the Scientist’s Gift (though that is valuable, too). And using just the Philosopher’s Gift of reason, logic, and language gives us only intellectual knowledge about the mind (also useful if we want to talk or write about consciousness). However, it cannot bring us to the heart of consciousness itself which is experience. For that, we need to also cultivate deep awareness of feeling and intuition (the Shaman’s and Mystic’s Gifts).

We need these last two gifts to develop and evolve consciousness. No amount of information about how the brain works or intellectual knowledge of the mind will ever lead us to transformation. We need to be willing to be open to the full spectrum of consciousness—including our shadow and light, our inner zombies and angels. And to do so effectively, we need to engage in some form of psycho-spiritual practice.

It seems to me that the essence and aim of all spiritual practice is to help us cultivate what I call “experience beyond belief.”


Q: What do you mean by ‘experience beyond belief’?
CdeQ: These days, it’s quite common to hear people say, “you create your own reality” or “reality is whatever you believe.” The idea is that we can create or change the world simply by changing what we think or believe.

That seems to me to be a big mistake. Yes, indeed, consciousness does play a role in shaping the physical world. But be careful. The truth is not so simple—or as simplistic—as the popular cliché would have us believe. It is based on a confusion between “belief” and “intention.” Beliefs are mental habits that block our creative power. Intentions, however, are creative and have power to change lives. They are purposeful, focused expressions of consciousness through choice.

Beliefs, on the other hand, are frozen fragments of consciousness, static snapshots of reality. It works like this: first, at every moment, we are having an experience. Then, we interpret our experience using thoughts (words and ideas). But every thought is an abstraction, literally plucked from the ongoing stream of experience. Next, we solidify our thoughts by turning them into beliefs. We assume that what we think is true (that’s a definition of “belief” ). But we don’t stop there. We often go a step further and turn our beliefs into dogma by believing our beliefs. We insist that our beliefs equal reality (that’s the definition of dogma).

The problem is we then act based on what we believe. But, as everyone knows, a belief can be right or wrong. For example, some people believe that God exists, some people don’t. Who’s right? They can’t all be right, because those beliefs cancel each other out. And if beliefs really did create reality, then here’s what would happen: When people believe in God, God would exist, and when people don’t believe, God would not exist. So, God would be popping in and out of existence on the whims of what human beings believed. What a strange Supreme Being that would be!

It’s important to remember that any belief can be right or wrong (it may more or less accurately match reality or it may totally miss the mark).

However, an experience can never be wrong. Every experience always is exactly what it is. You can never have a “mistaken” experience. You can be mistaken only about your interpretation (thought or belief) of your experience.

Therefore, since beliefs run the risk of being wrong, and experience is never wrong, it makes far more sense to pay attention to your experience than to act on your beliefs. I’m saying that the goal of every spiritual practice is to eliminate the “middle man” of interpretation and belief, and to act directly from experience.

Here’s what typically happens:

experience —> interpretation —> belief —> dogma —> action

By contrast, when we cultivate “experience beyond belief” we become like martial artists, great athletes, or creative artists who act in the moment based on what they actually experience.

Have you ever noticed that consciousness or experience always happens right now. And, have you noticed when reality happens? Like experience, reality also happens right now. That’s very convenient. It means that our experience connects us directly with reality.

However, our thoughts and beliefs always distort reality in some way. They remove us from the in-the-moment experience where we connect directly with what is. That’s why I encourage us to cultivate experience beyond belief. And to learn to act directly from experience:

experience —> action

Q: Are you saying we should give up all our beliefs’?
CdeQ: Not at all. We can’t help having beliefs (it’s what our minds have evolved to do, and they do that job very well). But we can choose whether or not to be attached to our beliefs. We can choose whether or not we believe our beliefs to be true. I’m encouraging us not to believe our beliefs. Rather, I suggest that we learn to notice them, and then release them, let them go.

Wisdom resides in our moment-to-moment experience, not in our beliefs. As habits of mind, beliefs are conditioned by the past. Experience, on the other hand, always occurs in the present moment—now.

Of course, I don’t want you to believe what I’m saying, either. I do, however, want you to listen with an open mind, and to allow yourself to feel and experience whatever comes up for you as you respond to the meaning of my words. Pay attention to what you are feeling—to the sensations rippling through your body. That’s the source of your wisdom. Not your abstract thoughts.

As long as we have bodies, we will have ego-minds, and as long as we have ego-minds we will have beliefs. We don’t have much, if any, choice about that. But we do have a choice whether or not to believe our beliefs.

I often remind students of Plato’s final words. On his deathbed, the great philosopher gathered his followers around him and told them that everything he had taught and written was nothing more than a “likely story.”

That’s how we should hold our beliefs—lightly, as “likely stories.”


Q: You talk about going beyond ‘physics envy.’ What do you mean?
CdeQ: Many people use “energy talk” to describe consciousness or spirit. They use words such as “energy,” “vibrations,” “frequency,” “resonance,” “waves,” “fields,” “mechanism,” and a current favorite, “nonlocal.” All of these words are borrowed from physics. They describe what goes on in the physical world.

But mind or consciousness is not part of the physical world. It is non-physical. In my work, and particularly in Consciousness from Zombies to Angels, I encourage people to “watch their language” when talking about consciousness. I point out that using “energy talk” misses the most important point about consciousness—namely it is subjective. Everything in physics, and all the terms borrowed from physics, refer to objects, to things in the objective world.

Consciousness is not an object, it is not objective. It is the subject of experience. It is awareness and choice. It cannot be detected by physical senses or instruments, and cannot be measured. Therefore, it makes no sense to use the language of physics to describe what cannot be physically measured.

Nevertheless, people tend to cling to “energy talk”—because, paradoxically, they think it makes what they say sound more “scientific” or more “grounded.” Actually, the opposite is true. The language of physics is the language of abstractions. If we want to be truly “grounded” then we should ground what we say in what we actually experience—and use “mind talk” instead of “energy talk.” We should not confuse the experiencer (consciousness) with what is experienced (energy).

Frequently, when I make this point, someone says: “But if we give up energy talk then we would have to invent a new language.” This surprises me. I point out that, in fact, we already have a very rich vocabulary for talking about consciousness—words such as “intention,” “attention,” “purpose,” “meaning,” “perceiving,” “observing,” “remembering,” “wanting,” “anticipating,” “believing,” “doubting,” “affirming,” “denying,” “imagining,” “judging,” “understanding,” “feeling,” “experience,” “choice” . . . and on and on. None of these words can be reduced to “energy talk” or be explained by physics.

Consciousness has its own very appropriate language. I’m suggesting that if we want to push beyond the final frontier, then we will make much better progress if we “watch our language” and use “mind talk” instead of “energy talk.”


Q: Your book has four parts. Can you summarize the key points?
CdeQ: In Part 1, we begin with the Philosopher’s Gift to explore: What is consciousness? I focus on the three core problems in philosophy of mind:

(1) Mind-body connection: How are mind and body related—does the brain produce mind, or does consciousness create the brain; do they exist in parallel universes or does consciousness “go all the way down”?

(2) Other minds: How can we tell if anyone else has consciousness—or even if rocks can feel anything?

(3) Free will: Do we really have choice, or is everything determined by God, by genes, or by physics?


In Part 2, we then shift to the Scientist’s Gift to explore: How the brain works and how consciousness is related to quantum physics.

We enter the curious wonderland of the quantum to see how its strange inhabitants may give us insights into the origins and nature of consciousness. If you ever wondered what a quantum is, what “nonlocality” really means, or why quantum physics might be relevant to consciousness, you will find easy-to-grasp keys to this fascinating domain.

I also show why recent advances in neuroscience and brain imaging that claim to “photograph God” are highly misleading. Yes, it is useful to know what goes on in the brain when someone is having a mystical experience, but no scientific instruments can probe or capture what goes on in an experience. Information about the brain is not the same as information about consciousness. Brain is not mind, and brain science is not consciousness science.

For that, we need a very different kind of science, with a very different approach. Instead of standard Plate-Glass science, which separates subject from object, we need a new “Looking-Glass” science, where there is no separation. In true consciousness science, the mind is exploring itself.

And once we turn the beam of inquiry back on itself—when awareness is focused on itself—we must be open to whatever bubbles up in consciousness. We must be willing to engage with our Shadow, with all the fears, and shame, and anger hiding out in our unconscious mind. In short, a consciousness scientist must be willing to undergo psycho-spiritual transformation.

Only when we open up to our inner “zombies” and “angels,” can we move forward on the path to enlightenment.


Then, in Part 3, we focus on the Shaman’s Gift and Mystic’s Gift and explore: Why consciousness is important. We learn how our minds fall into different patterns, or grooves of thought, and how to shift out of the habits that keep us stuck.

We learn how to recognize “strange attractors” that pull our minds this way and that. We learn how the ego is formed, how it grows into our personality, and becomes embodied. We also learn how to transcend these restrictions through creative acts of choice and letting go to realize our full potential.

Besides learning to recognize our patterns, the Mystic’s Gift takes us into the realm of scared silence, rooted in experience beyond belief. It helps us to accept all of who we are—our ego, our personality, our shadow, our light, our zombies and angels. We discover what it means to “Know Thyself” by following the seven steps to knowing who you really are.


Finally, in Part 4, we shift to “Consciousness in Dialogue.” One of the greatest satisfactions of being an author, teacher, and public speaker is the feedback I get from people who have read my books, attended a talk, heard me on the radio, seen me on TV, visited my website, or taken one of my classes. I get a lot of emails, and, thankfully, I’m often challenged to defend or clarify something I’ve written or said. It keeps me on my toes. Sometimes a real gem of a question whizzes through cyberspace and gets me thinking deeper and more carefully about an idea I’ve put out there.

I’ve collected these “gems” over the years, and have created an archive of “MindBytes”—a series of questions and answers organized under headings such as “God,” “Energy,” “Cosmos,” “Evolution,” “Miracles,” “Quantum,” “Time,” “Beliefs,” and, of course, “Consciousness.” These are “learning nuggets” that highlight important questions, and I include examples at the end of each chapter. Part 4 of the book is composed of longer dialogues on topics such as “experience beyond belief,” “consciousness, energy, and evolution,” “are rocks conscious?” and “is consciousness the same as spirit?”

Q: What are the seven steps to knowing who we really are?

CdeQ:

Watch Your Language
Pay attention to the words you use when talking about consciousness.

Be precise. Get beyond “physics envy.” Use “mind talk” not “energy talk.”

Identify the Problem
What do you want to know about consciousness?

1. Mind-body problem: How are body and mind related?

2. Problem of other minds: How do you know whether anyone else has consciousness, or what’s going on in others’ minds?

3. Problem of free-will: Do your really have a choice or is everything determined by physics or by god?

Learn How to Look
How do you explore consciousness? Learn the difference between our Four Gifts of Knowing—Scientist’s Gift of senses; Philosopher’s gift of reason; Shaman’s gift of feeling; and Mystic’s Gift of intuition and sacred silence. Learn why understanding the brain is not the same as knowing your mind.

Recognize Your Patterns
How do you organize your thoughts and beliefs? An attractor is a tendency of a system to fall into a recurring pattern. We all have unconscious habits of mind and patterns of behavior that drive us. What attractors or patterns drive you?

Consciousness is a complex system that shapes itself around four major types of “attractors”— point (ego), cycle (personality), torus (new possibilities), and strange (creative self-expression).

Point attractor—kicks in when you are fixated or obsessed with something. When used to focus attention, it can be positive. It is the way of the ego.

Cycle attractor—jumping from one fixation or addiction to another, oscillating between competing desires. When the cycle attractor kicks in, we move back and forth between attraction and aversion, between positive and negative. It is the way of personality.

Torus attractor—a way out of the repetitiveness of ego and personality habits. Instead of cycling back and forth between pleasure and pain, we “break the spell” and spiral into new possibilities. It is the way of embodied imagination.

Strange attractor—combines order and chaos, creativity and stability. Opens us up to choice and creativity. It is the way of self-expression.

Transformation is a whole-system shift that involves all attractors—the ego point, the personality cycle, the embodied torus, and the strange Self.

Know Thyself
The keystone of every spiritual philosophy—from Socrates to Buddha—is the question: Who are you—really? Are you your ego, your personality, your body, or your soul? Do your have a core self? Are you an avocado or an artichoke? Can you get beyond your ego? What happens if you let go of your cherished beliefs?

Embrace Your Shadow
Only by accepting and integrating all of who you are, can you truly know who you are and step on the path to transformation.

From early childhood, we have all suppressed fear, shame, guilt, and anger. We have stuffed “negative” experiences down, out of consciousness. But these demons never went away. They live in us, in our bodies and minds, as our “shadow” self—our “inner zombies.”

We have done the same with our “light,” too. Along with our miserable selves, we have blocked off our magnificent selves. We often fear our greatness and are ashamed of our power. We suppress our “inner angels,” too.

Transformation happens only when we acknowledge and embrace our full humanity—our Zombie shadow and Angel light.

Practice Transformation
Transformation is not a one-time event. It is a lifelong process that requires cultivating consciousness at every moment, in every circumstance. It’s a never-ending dance between ego and spirit, between Shadow and Self, between Zombie and Angel.

All seven steps to knowing who you are can be summed up in a single phrase: experience beyond belief. And this last step itself involves its own seven steps—reflecting the fractal nature of transformation.

Q: What are the seven steps to transformation?

CdeQ:

Step 1: Accept that beliefs are natural.
We all have beliefs. There’s no getting away from that. It’s a simple fact of life. It’s natural to have beliefs—it’s what our minds are for. They evolved to give us maps or shortcuts that help us navigate through life. Just don’t mistake your beliefs for reality. The map is not the territory. You don’t drive your car onto the map and you don’t eat the menu. Yes, beliefs are natural, nevertheless they disconnect us from reality.

Step 2: Realize that every belief is a habit of mind.
Thoughts and beliefs are abstractions—literally “snapshots” of reality taken from the ongoing flow of experience as it happens moment by moment. They are frozen fragments of consciousness, mechanical habits that keep you stuck in the past. Mesmerized by your beliefs, real life flows past unnoticed. Here’s how it works: You have an experience. Then you interpret it. Turn it into a belief. Then into dogma. Beliefs, then, are nothing but mental habits, stepping stones to dogmatism and fundamentalism.

Step 3: Recognize the origin of beliefs.
Every belief is composed of thoughts, and every thought begins as a feeling. Think about it: Long before you could think or speak, as an infant your life was flushed with feelings. Feelings come first. They are grounded in your body and connect you with reality.

Step 4: Focus on feelings in the body.
Feelings are literally the sensations you experience in your body. Learn to pay attention to them. Take time out to sit quietly and just notice what’s going on, without trying to change anything. Simply feel your sensations—in your chest, around your eyes, in your legs, your back, your belly . . . Remember: Every thought begins as a feeling, and feelings connect us with the world. They are messages from nature. Learn what it means to feel your thinking—and not just think your thoughts.

Step 5: Stop believing your beliefs.
“But,” you say, “if I don’t have any beliefs, I’ll have nothing.” Far from it. In fact, letting go of beliefs opens you up to what is really happening in your experience—right now! And experience is the royal road to reality. Have you noticed: Experience and reality always happen together, right now. Also, notice I didn’t say “stop having beliefs.” That would contradict Step 1. As long as you have a mind, you can’t help having beliefs. It’s what the mind does naturally, and you have little choice about that. But you do have a choice whether or not you believe your beliefs. You do not have to believe that your beliefs are true. Instead, you can learn to hold beliefs as “likely stories,” as Plato once said. So, take courage, let go of your beliefs, don’t hold onto them, and see what happens. I promise: You won’t disappear, you won’t die.

Step 6: Cultivate being the Witness.
As you practice sitting quietly, feeling the sensations in your body, noticing thoughts as they come and go, arising from your feelings, you will come to a new realization about who you are. You are not your mind. You are not your thoughts or beliefs. In fact, you are not even your feelings. In this evolving state of consciousness, you will begin to experience a new sense of freedom. You may begin to notice something quite profound: someone, or some other part of you, is observing everything that is going on. The question is: Who? That’s the sixty-four-billion dollar spiritual jackpot. It’s the essence of spiritual practice. Who, then, is observing the flow of thoughts through your mind? Well, that’s who you are! You are the Witness that unifies self and world. And the way to get to this realization is by practicing experience beyond belief.

Step 7: Spend more time in ‘sacred silence.’
In the end, the core wisdom of all spiritual traditions is some form of “Let go and let God.” Learn to just be—by yourself or in community. Be comfortable beyond thoughts, words, judgments, or beliefs. You don’t need to sit still and quiet to practice this, but it helps. It takes some discipline to tame the mind, to wean it off its diet of beliefs, to break the habits of thoughts, desires, and fears that inevitably distract us and distort reality. After a while, though, when you pay more attention to the Witness, you come to realize that the deepest source of wisdom is not what you think or believe. Rather wisdom lies in that space of “sacred silence” beyond all words and ideas, where what is shines forth. Those who open up to it, often call it the Source.

Christian de Quincey, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy and Consciousness Studies at John F. Kennedy University; Dean of Consciousness Studies at the University of Philosophical Research; and Director of the Center for Interspecies Research. He is also founder of The Wisdom Academy, offering private mentorships in consciousness; and cofounder of The Visionary Edge, committed to transforming global consciousness by transforming mass media. Dr. de Quincey is author of the award-winning book Radical Nature: Rediscovering the Soul of Matter and Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness through Relationship. His latest books are Consciousness from Zombies to Angels and Deep Spirit. Samples of his writings on consciousness and cosmology are available at www.deepspirit.com.

Like millions (probably billions) around the globe, I was delighted to the point of tears the night of Nov 4 when Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. Sadly, my delight and optimism have been eroded by many of the decisions he has made since that historic night.

And he's not yet even in office! 

His appointment of Zionist Rahm Emanuel as Whitehouse Chief of Staff (as I recall, the first slot he filled) triggered alarm bells. I was, and remain, concerned by a number of other appointments since then (including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State)—and especially today's announcement of Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence. While an admiral, Blair condoned and actively supported the mass murder of hundreds (possibly thousands) of defenseless innocent children, women, and men in East Timor by the Indonesian military under the command of General Wiranto. 

In his role as admiral, Blair (along with Bill and Hillary Clinton) supported the Indonesian occupation of East Timor during the 1990s. At the height of a wave of ruthless attacks on indigenous Timorese that killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands, Blair personally informed top Indonesian general, Wiranto, of unwavering US support (contrary to the US Congress). Blair lied to the Indonesians and he lied to the US Congress. He continued to support the Indonesian military until international outcry forced the Clinton administration to withdraw its military and diplomatic backing.

Now Obama is taking the same path. I was appalled this morning when I heard him describe Blair as a man of "unimpeachable integrity." Clearly, Obama knows this is not so. After all, having lived in Indonesia, he is probably more informed about its recent history than most US politicians. For Obama to choose, as head of National Intelligence, a man who is guilty of abetting mass murder of innocent indigenous people while they sought sanctuary in churches and cemeteries, is even more alarming than his selection of Rahm Emanuel.

And, as John Pilger points out in his New Statesman article (Jan 8, 2009, “Holocaust Denied: The Lying Silence of Those Who Know” ), Obama's silence on the current Gaza holocaust signals his complicity in this most recent US-supported mass killing by Israelis.

Until today, I was willing to give Obama the benefit of doubt. I was open to the possibility that he was surrounding himself with people who would challenge him—because he was confident in his own strength and integrity, and because, in the end, he will call the shots. But when he calls an advocate of mass murder a man of "integrity," it loudly proclaims Obama's own lack of integrity. Like most politicians (Kucinich seems to be a rare exception), Obama is willing to "play politics" even when it involves the deaths of innocent men, women, and children (not to mention untold numbers of other animals who suffer and die as a result of the human insanity of war). 

Obama's silence about the Gaza holocaust is just another indication of his lack of consistency and integrity. He was quick to speak up about the Russian invasion of Georgia and the terrorism in Mumbai—but not about the Israeli invasion of and chronic terrorism in Gaza and Palestine in general. 

"Change we can believe in"? More like: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

I teach a course called "Paradigms of Consciousness" at John F. Kennedy University. We spend eleven weeks exploring the dynamics of beliefs, about how our stories affect us as individuals, as communities, and as global "eco-citizens." This week, we shuddered to a halt when we looked at the impact of human actions on the natural environment.

Revelations about the scale of the problem left some students feeling helpless, even despondent. The situation seems so hopeless, and the consequences so vast and inevitable. One brave student, not happy that I identified human actions as the main culprit in climate change, emailed me with a very direct question:

“I believe there is innocence at the core of every human, and that humans haven’t intentionally damaged the planet. Do you disagree?”

Her question got me thinking. And in response I wrote a lengthy essay. Here are the main points.

Human Innocence
Given the evidence pro and con, I simply don’t know whether every human being possesses an innate and abiding innocence of the heart. I’m not even sure I know what “human innocence” means. If, for instance, it means that no human carries any responsibility for the impact our species has on our surrounding ecology, I do not accept that. It is quite evident to me that all of us living in modern civilization make choices every day that contribute, one way or another, to the degradation of the environment—and we are responsible for those choices. In short, that means we are not “innocent.”  

I’m not just talking about our ecological footprint (some eco-footprint is unavoidable from every member of every species). By “choices,” I’m referring to those decisions we make with our purchases and other actions even though other, less eco-impacting, alternatives are available. In my experience, few people consistently live lifestyles where they always choose optimum eco-sustainable actions. Of course, some do come much closer than others to living lightly on the land. But even organic farmers use internal combustion engines to transport their produce, and they use electricity in their homes. I don’t know of anyone who lives entirely off the land, powered by sun and/or wind, and who produces their own food and raw materials for clothing and housing. Even if people are unaware of alternative options, ignorance is not the same as innocence. Who among us, then, is truly innocent?

It is hardly a matter for dispute that human activity contributes significantly to climate change and global warming as a result of the vast amounts of CO2 we emit into the atmosphere daily, weekly, monthly, annually, for decades and centuries. Yet despite all the hard science to back this up, the outgoing Bush Administration has shown a profound disregard for the health and integrity of local and global ecosystems. Even worse, by their actions political and corporate leaders demonstrate they are willing to intentionally destroy ecosystems (e.g., by leveling mountaintops to access coal reserves and pouring polluting sludge into the surrounding environment. Bush has just cleared the way to make this legal for mining companies [source]). The politicians who enable this to happen along with the corporations and individuals who participate in making this happen are by no stretch of imagination “innocent” in my view. They do, indeed, intentionally harm the environment and other species—all in the biased belief that “humans are special” (“God’s chosen species" ).

Sixth Great Extinction
In my writings and lectures, I often express acute frustration at the dire plight of so many of our kindred species whose share of the planet is denied, disrupted, or destroyed—as a result of chronic self-serving human actions. These endangered species are the true innocents. As is now widely known, we are living through the sixth great extinction on Earth (the last one occurred about 60 million years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out). This time, however, the extinction is being caused by a single run-away species—humans. My sense of urgency is fueled by a growing awareness that we (and other species) are running out of time. Experts predict that within thirty years fully one-third of all mammalian species will become extinct as a result of human activity (including, for example, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, cheetahs, tigers, rhinoceros, and on and on . . . along with countless other species of birds, reptiles, and fish). According to recent estimates, between one quarter and one third (29%) of large ocean fish species have declined in population by 90% due to over-fishing and pollution (source). I find the numbers staggering, almost beyond belief. In my opinion, anyone who is not alarmed about that is either not paying attention or simply doesn’t care because they have bought into the self-serving myth that “humans are special” (I think of Sarah Palin and fellow fundamentalists as extreme examples).

The Crisis is Real
It really doesn’t help to adopt a Pollyanna perspective that, despite the evidence, “everything will turn out all right in the end,” or that we really shouldn’t talk about the prospect of environmental catastrophe in polite company. No amount of “let’s all stay positive” head-in-the sand wishful thinking will help us address the various crises in any useful way. I’m urging us to “wake up” and take responsibility. That means becoming informed about what is really happening—including the shocking “shadow” aspects of human actions and intentions, without ignoring the “light” inspiring visions for a better, more compassionate and sustainable world. Reality always includes both shadow and light. Always. We need to acknowledge and embrace that dance.

Choosing Levity and Creativity
In the essay to my students, I added something I didn’t get around to in class. It’s this: While I do think we need to wake up to the stark realities facing us, I don’t think it is useful or productive to allow ourselves to be brought down by the gravity of the problem. Yes, I want us to be more alert to the dangers and more awake and aware of our responsibilities. At the same time, I encourage us to walk through the world with levity and a light heart. Even while (or if) we feel pain and grief (indeed, anger) at the predicament our civilization has created for ourselves and other species, we do not have to slide into ineffectual despair or depression. We can, instead, take responsibility for our participation in the situation and allow ourselves to fully feel that pain, grief, anger, and fear, and simultaneously choose to relate to each other and nature with a light heart to match our deliberate lightness of step as we move through the world. We do not need to give up our sense of humor while acknowledging the seriousness of the crises. Creativity is enhanced by the levity of a light heart—even in the face of dark realities.

A Time of Opportunity
An ancient Chinese proverb tells us: “Every crisis is also an opportunity.” Indeed, we are now confronting what looks more and more like a major disruption and breakdown of our ecological, economic, and social systems, unprecedented since the birth of human societies. A civilization rooted in, and profoundly dependent on, a fossil-fuel based industrial technology/economy to boost the march of human “progress” is simply not sustainable. Even if (when) we switch to alternative sources of energy (solar, wind, geothermal, wave) the current lifestyles of modern civilization cannot be sustained. The fact is that only a fossil-fuel based economy can provide the enormous energy needed to mine the raw materials, transport them, process them, and distribute the products needed to manufacture solar panels, wind generators, etc. (I don't consider nuclear energy a viable option.) It is disappointing and sobering to realize that even alternative energy technologies are deeply dependent on fossil-fuel technologies. Our addiction runs that deep. The remedy lies within us and around us. We have the opportunity to change our foundational myth, to change our story about the place of humanity in nature, and to choose radically different actions, by expressing ourselves more creatively in ways that enhance our relationship with the natural world.

'Dark Night, Early Dawn'
We are rapidly running out of the fossil fuels that modern industrial civilization relies on to feed, clothe, house, transport, educate, and entertain our populations. Sooner or later, our numbers will have to be drastically reduced and our ways of life radically altered (e.g., by learning to live together in much smaller communities, living off locally produced food and raw materials). We are just in the very early stages of this profound social shift. It seems quite likely that the time of transition will at the very least be disruptive and uncomfortable beyond mere inconvenience; more likely, it will be a time of acute and prolonged physical and emotional disturbance, even suffering, for a great number of people. The good news is that some of us will survive, in reduced numbers, and will be faced with the challenges of creating a new society that is intrinsically more ecologically sustainable and sane. 

Not to Be Repeated
Although there is no guarantee that those who survive the global crises will not repeat the grave errors of past generations (e.g., maintaining the myth that “humans are special” ), we can be sure of one thing: There will be no Second Industrial Revolution based on non-renewable energy resources. This planet can be raped only once of its deposits of “ancient sunlight.” Once the oil, gas, and coal are gone, they’re gone. Our species will then have to turn to other, renewable, sources of energy (solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal, etc.)—including a return to a much greater and widespread reliance on muscle power. I do not foresee a return to pre-industrial or pre-agricultural ways of life. We cannot go back. But our post-industrial (and post-information) societies will have the benefit of building on the lessons learned from all past generations—from the potentials of alternative localized technologies, from the values and errors of global industrialism all the way back to the wisdom and limitations of indigenous hunter-gatherer societies. The opportunities for a far more environmentally integrated human species will be rich and potent. And these possibilities, also, lie hidden in the heart of the current crises.

Consciousness Shift
And so we come to the main point of the essay. We have good reasons to be optimistic about the long run—even though getting there will take its toll. Most important, the turning point will require a radical mutation in consciousness, involving increased and deepening awareness that we are truly interbeings, as Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh pointed out. Each of us is, without exception, mutually dependent on our relationships with the full symphony of all other sentient beings. The coming paradigm shift in consciousness will involve a recognition that, at its core, consciousness is intersubjective—that, literally, we co-create each other, and thereby participate in the co-creation of our world. Truly: We are the world! That realization and awareness will come with an enhanced sense of willing responsibility for the consequences of our intentions and actions. Visionaries, such as Jean Gebser and Sri Aurobindo, refer to this “mutation” as the “Integral” phase in the evolution of consciousness.

Shadow and Light
If highlighting the “human predicament” and confronting the complex transition between crisis and opportunity disturbs our cognitive or emotional equilibrium, consider this: Each of us, as humans (indeed as animals), has the capacity to experience the full range of emotions—from anger, to sadness, to fear to joy. To the degree we allow ourselves to experience and express the depths of our “negative” emotions we will likewise be open to experiencing and expressing the heights of our “positive” emotions. Conversely, to the extent we deny or suppress our “shadow,” we also suppress our “light.” We all contain both. As healthy, integrated beings, we need to learn to acknowledge our “zombie” and “angel” aspects, and learn to embrace all of who we are. 

I think that is a necessary first step in healing our relationships with the awesome and mysterious world that gives birth to us, sustains us, and one day will receive us back into its ever-replenishing womb.

EcoAnxiety: How Are You Affected?

A colleague of mine, Rebecca Elliott, is a life coach who focuses on ecological and sustainability issues. Her clients experience a variety of responses to environmental threats, such as peak oil, climate change, and habitat destruction.

Take a look at some of the ways her clients deal with eco-overwhelm. Do any of these reactions strike a chord with you? Rebecca guides clients toward a process of healing and creative action aimed at taking charge of their status as eco citizens.

Common Defenses Against Environmental Awareness:

• Denial: Dismissing the evidence.
• Manic defenses: Stuffing anxiety under happy thoughts.
• Scapegoating: Rejecting the bearer of bad news.
• Regressing: “I can’t do anything about it anyway” (the child position).
• Paranoia: “It’s all rigged, a hoax, a conspiracy.”
• Repression: Deliberate turning away.
• Stoic passivity: “We can live with it.” “We’ll adapt.”
• Submission to authority: “The experts will handle it.”
• Distraction: For instance, workaholism, shopping, and sports.
• Distancing: “The crash won’t happen to me/us”.
• Defaming: “Tree huggers,” “flag worshipers.”
• Magical thinking: “Good thoughts will fix the world.”

and, in case you didn’t recognize yourself in any of the above, you can add:

• Projection: Seeing in others whatever we deny about ourselves.

Result: psychic numbing.

Solution: transformation of consciousness.

All Is One

find out more

Q: I understand that paradigms shift over time, and that cultures transition from one to the next.  But what if the “old” paradigm is clearly crumbling, the “emerging” paradigm makes sense, and yet we don't fully accept the “new” because the “old” is so deeply rooted?  How do we make the shift in ourselves?  Why do we sometmes fight the shift?

Here’s the challenge: We are born into the dominant cultural paradigm, and we swim in it unconsciously as a fish in water. But sometimes we wake up. We have experiences that don’t fit into the mold of the “old” paradigm—i.e., we have anomalous experiences. So what do we do?

I think the first thing is to discover as best we can just what the dominant paradigm tells us about the nature of reality, and then look to see which elements of it we accept and align with.

Next, we identify those aspects of our own experiences and beliefs that don’t fit the dominant paradigm, and look to see in what ways the dominant paradigm needs to shift in order to accommodate these “anomalous” experiences. (That’s what we investigate in my “Paradigms of Consciousness” class at John F. Kennedy University.)

What elements of the “emerging” paradigm (systems holism and perennial philosophy) transcend and include the “old” paradigm in ways that make room for the kinds of “anomalous” events experienced by millions of people around the world?

Paradigms have great potency. They are, in effect, the framework of beliefs and assumptions that shape our understanding of reality and how we fit in. This potency is amplified because for the most part the beliefs we inherit from the paradigm are unconscious.

As long as we are unaware of them we have little or no power to choose to do or believe anything different. That’s why it is so difficult to “shift” a paradigm. In fact, we cannot as individuals shift a paradigm because it is a collective phenomenon.

But we can honor our own experiences and refuse to deny or invalidate them just because the dominant paradigm has no place for them. If we do stand by our own experiences and are willing to communicate and live by them, then we play our part in “seeding” the paradigm with “anomalies” that, sooner or later, will accumulate to the point where the old paradigm buckles under their weight, and crumbles. At that point, a paradigm shift occurs. But it is beyond our control.

We make the shift in ourselves by following the process I’ve outlined above:

1. Become aware of the elements of the current dominant paradigm (materialism/mechanism).

2. Become aware of elements of what seem to be an “emerging” paradigm (e.g., systems holism and the perennial philosophy).

3. Observe and note any personal experiences that do not fit the “old” paradigm.

4. Look to see if our “anomalous” experiences are aligned with elements of the “emerging” paradigm.

5. Cultivate the practice of experience beyond belief to liberate ourselves from “buying into” a whole new set of limiting beliefs.

Which leads me to the next question . . .

Changing Beliefs

Q: You ask us to take a look at our current beliefs, so I do. Most of my beliefs seem sensible and grounded, but a few are clearly ridiculous, and I want to change these beliefs. Any suggestions about how to go about this?

I’m not sure you have quite grasped the essential point I’ve been making about “experience beyond belief.” Yes, by all means examine your current beliefs. Even better, observe the process by which you turn experiences into beliefs:

experience —> interpretation —> belief —> dogma —> action.

The point is not whether our beliefs are “sensible and grounded” (many of them are). The point is that they are beliefs. And beliefs are the residue of expired experiences; they are fragments, habits of thought, and may have no bearing on what is actually occurring in our moment-by-moment experience.

So, what I’m suggesting is that for psycho-spiritual liberation, changing our beliefs is not enough. We need to get beyond beliefs by learning to experience our experience as it is happening. Cultivation of this practice involves learning to identify with and to focus attention on our experiences rather than on our beliefs. (This involves unlearning what we are taught by our educational system and wider culture). So, my mantra is: Cultivate experience beyond belief.

[See Radical Knowing for more on this.]


Experience Beyond Belief

Q: I know who I am, and I know God and reality by my beliefs. Without beliefs I would know nothing.

I suggest it’s the opposite: Holding onto beliefs is what blocks you from really knowing who you really are or what reality is.

Therefore, I encourage you to give up attachment to your beliefs (not any belief in particular—but to beliefs in general—and especially those cherished beliefs you just know to be true).

Beliefs are habits of mind, frozen fragments of consciousness. They are static snapshots of reality. Even if we change them, beliefs cannot embrace the dynamics of ever-changing reality. In short, our beliefs (all our beliefs—yours, mine, everyone’s) inevitably and automatically distort reality. So, a good spiritual practice is to let them go.

We can’t help having beliefs (it’s what our minds are evolved to do, and they do that job very well). But we can choose whether or not to be attached to our beliefs. We can choose whether or not we believe our beliefs. I’m encouraging you not to believe your beliefs. Rather, I suggest that you learn to notice them, and then release them.

Wisdom resides in our moment-to-moment experience, not in our beliefs. As habits of mind, beliefs are conditioned by the past. Experience, on the other hand, always occurs in the present moment—now.

I’ll meet you there . . .

Belief is not Truth

Q: I’ve been brought up to believe that my beliefs are my truth. And the new quantum paradigm teaches us that beliefs create reality. Yet you seem to be saying that our beliefs are not a guide to what is true.

First, quantum science has nothing to say about beliefs, and does not support the idea that beliefs create reality. That’s just a “pop” distortion of some complex and profound ideas emerging from quantum physics.

People believe all sorts of things, but that doesn’t make them true. Belief does not equal truth.

People used to believe the world was flat. Many people still believe God is a man with a white beard sitting on a throne in the sky. Some people believe in the tooth fairy. Some people believe the holocaust never happened. A great many people believe their particular religion is “the” one and only way to salvation. Some people believe in God. Some people don’t believe in God. Who’s right?

They can’t all be right, right? God either exists or does not (there can’t be an in between). Simply believing in something doesn’t bring it into being—otherwise God would be popping in and out of existence moment by moment at the whims of the beliefs of theists and atheists. That would make God little more than a puppet dancing to the differing beliefs of humans.

Holding dearly to the belief that beliefs are true, doesn’t make it so.

So experiment: Just try out living for a few days as if your beliefs may not be true. What would that be like? Would you disappear? Would you be lost? Would you lose your identity? Would you die? Or would you feel a new sense of liberation because instead of beliefs you begin to trust your actual experience moment to moment (being careful, of course, not to turn those experiences into new beliefs!)? Try it. You might be surprised.

In my forthcoming book, Consciousness: From Zombies to Angels, I explore more deeply this relationship between beliefs, experience, and reality. Getting beyond your beliefs is one of the seven steps to knowing who you really are.

You can pre-order a copy by clicking here:

A colleague replied:

First of all I want to say that I am 100 per cent in alignment with your goal of “a saner, healthier, more equitable, more sustainable, more compassionate world for all species.”

I have explored these questions through living them. I have been a vegan, vegetarian, eating only “happy” animal products. I used to live on an organic farm. I have volunteered for Greenpeace, the Green Party (both in the U.S. and U.K.). I have explored deep and transpersonal ecology, social ecology, eco-feminism, eco-Marxism/Anarchism/Capitalism, animal rights, and welfare ethics, bioethics etc. I have protested fox hunting, climate change, global capitalism, marched for peace, etc.

So I share your concern that a holocaust has been unleashed on nature by humanity. It's heartbreaking, on top of all the inevitable heartbreaks of life—what a waste. Ultimately, my goal in life and for all people is to live in the mystery, to live in love—now.

Even if I am not able to articulate it fully in words, I have a sense that everything is especially special, and what is special about humans is this: We can consciously learn how to manifest beauty, love, joy, compassion, truth, authenticity, wildness, non-attachment, intimacy, trust, light, heat, health, life—Divinity.

My response: I’m with you all the way in your project to “live in the mystery” and “to learn to manifest beauty, love, joy, compassion . . .” Yes!

I'd like to explore two points you make: First, to say that every species is special makes sense. It means that every species has something unique that makes it that particular species. You could say it is part of the definition of what being a species is. But to say that all are “especially special” is a contradiction. It’s just not possible that everything is more special than everything else. The problem with the notion “humans are special" is that it implies we are especially special or uniquely unique. I think such self-aggrandizing hubris is the source of the “holocaust” on nature you mention. That is why I say we need to change our fundamental guiding story as a civilization. That is why I write my books. That is why I teach.

The other point, directly related, is when you say “what is special about humans is this: We can consciously learn to manifest beauty, love, joy, compassion, truth, authenticity, wildness, non-attachment, intimacy, trust, light, heat, health, life—Divinity.” I see this as just another version of the fundamentalist credo that God made humans “stewards” of the Earth.

What basis do you have for asserting (believing) only humans have the capacity to consciously learn to manifest beauty, love, joy, compassion . . .? Isn’t that just an assumption? (perhaps motivated by a deep-seated, unconscious urge to put humans above the rest of nature—and that, I think we both agree, is a recipe for ecological disaster). Anyone who has spent time with other species—such as dogs, dolphins, whales, parrots, chimps, gorillas, elephants—knows that they also appreciate and manifest love, joy, compassion, etc. How can you know whether or not this is accompanied by conscious intent? Why would you assume it is not?

What's the Evidence?

How much evidence do we need to show that every “special” quality attributed to humans is also exhibited by other species? These qualities evolve, and are on a spectrum. Humans shine brighter on some qualities; other species shine brighter on different qualities. The most recent example is the striking, even startling, evidence that young chimps have memory abilities far superior to humans’. Name any other “special” human quality, and then do the requisite interspecies research; you will find evidence for that trait in some other species, too.

If your commitment to human specialness is evidence-proof, that would make it pure ideology—just fundamentalist faith. If not, what evidence would shift your position?

Have you ever hung out with a dog, for example, and noticed his/her commitment to “joy, love, compassion, authenticity, wildness, non-attachment, intimacy, trust, light, heat, health, life?” How would you know whether a dog or any other species has a conscious commitment to beauty or divinity? Do dogs show appreciation for human notions of “beauty”? Hardly. But, then, when was the last time you or I rolled around in some deliciously smelly piece of decaying flesh, or licked a leaf where a raccoon had pissed the night before? I won’t even ask why you think humans are the only species with a hotline to divinity.

I’m urging us to nudge ourselves out of the (ultimately self-destructive) rut of anthropocentricism. Here’s a question: Are we the only species that has the capacity to shift our species perspective? Can dogs shift from canine-centricism? Chimps from chimp-centricism? Dolphins from cetacean-centricism? Can other species besides humans adopt the perspective that other species also have a valid perspective on reality? How would you test this? Or would you jump to the conclusion that there’s no need to test because you already “know” the answer? (fundamentalism).

When I engage in debates on this topic, and challenge the notion of “human specialness,” I have been accused of being a “traitor to my species.” Typically, I respond with a mix of obviousness and humor: “Some of my best friends are humans.”  I am not down on humanity per se. I do love the magnificence and spirit of humanity. I want us to survive as a species. But I do not want us to cling to a metaphysical story that elevates us above the rest of nature; a story that is doomed to fail us and bring down many other species with us. Seeing it happen all around the world, at a rapidly increasing rate, saddens my heart. And I'm often angry at our profound stupidity and self-serving greed.

Do Science and Spirituality Make Us Special?

Yes, there is something special about humans: We can ask these deep metaphysical questions. We can debate them. So what? Does it make us especially special? Does it make us superior?

Does an ability to construct complex and subtle abstract models—we call them “cosmologies,” “metaphysics,” “science”—mean we are superior to other species? Who decides that? How much of our civilization is, ultimately, created in the service of over-inflated human egos? And, really, why should we assume that even engaging in spiritual practices that lead to experiences of “unity,” “divinity,” “transcendence,” or “transformation” is a mark of superior or special consciousness?

Couldn’t it be that we humans feel a need to engage in such psychospiritual practices precisely because we are constitutionally out of sync with the rest of nature? I’ve never met a parrot who needs a priest, a rabbit longing for a rabbi, a gorilla searching for a guru, or a dog howling for the divine. What we assume to be great achievements of the human mind may, in fact, be magnificent expressions of a profound pathology. Maybe. I don’t assume I know the answer to this either way.  What I do know is that I don’t know of any evidence that marks humans as “especially special.” And certainly I do not know that humans have any “divine” or “natural” right to exploit other species.

I want us to recognize and acknowledge that we, necessarily, experience, perceive, and interpret the world, and our place in it, from a thoroughly human perspective. And part of that perspective, understandably, is self-serving. But we also have the ability to realize that what applies to us also applies to other species. They, too, naturally and inevitably, experience, perceive, and interpret the world, and their place in it, from their perspective. We simply have no right or reason to assume that our perspective trumps all others. That’s my bottom line.

We’ve all seen them: bumper stickers and decals of a fish with legs symbolizing Darwin’s theory of evolution. And then, from religious creationists, the “counter-decals” of a fish-with-a-cross swallowing “Darwin’s” amphibious fish. The battle of the decals is just one way the debate between creationists and evolutionists overflows onto our streets.

But there’s an alternative: a philosophy that shows why both religion and science have got it wrong—and right.

To move beyond the sectarian clashes and wars in these troubled times—between fundamentalists in both religion and science—we need a wiser, more coherent, account of who we are and how we came to be. We need a revised and renewed vision of creation and evolution. We need a deeper and broader understanding of both religion and science.

Both Wrong and Right

Religion is wrong to place the “Creator” beyond nature (as supernatural).

Science is wrong to deny intelligence (consciousness or spirit) at work in evolution.

Religion is right to hold the view that there is creation and that creation possesses intelligence. And religion is right to deny that the birth and evolution of our world happened by chance.

Science is right to hold the view that evolution produces different species, including humans. And science is right to deny that some “supernatural” intelligent designer is responsible for the wondrous diversity and interconnectedness of living and non-living forms.

Best of Both

In the new view, creation is not the result of some “supernatural Creator.” Nor is creation a one-time event. Instead, creation is continuous and natural. Evolution is not random and unfolding without the guidance of a deep intelligence. Nature itself is naturally intelligent and creative. That’s how evolution occurs.

Instead of a “higher” intelligence, let’s be open to a deeper intelligence. Instead of “dead” and “dumb” matter, let’s be open to sentient and intelligent matter.

Then we can have the best of both worlds—integrating the great insights of both religion and science. The “missing link” is consciousness. The ability to have experience, to feel, to be aware is a complete mystery to science. Evolution cannot explain it. Religions take it for granted that this ability is unique to humans (or, at best, to creatures with brains). The fact of consciousness highlights the shortcomings of both science and religion, and it offers a way out of the seemingly endless debate between evolutionists and creationists.

New Worldview

We need a new worldview where religion recognizes that consciousness (intelligence or spirit) is not “supernatural,” but is part of the natural fabric of cosmos, Earth, and life, and where science recognizes that matter itself “tingles with the spark of spirit,” that evolution is guided from within. This “new” philosophy or worldview is called “panpsychism” or “radical naturalism.” We could also call it “intelligent evolution.” (Actually, it’s a very ancient philosophy, shared by indigenous cultures throughout the world.)

If we shift to such a view, then we can begin to transcend the squabbles between those who believe in supernatural “intelligent design” and those who believe in random evolution.

The biggest challenge facing modern science is to explain the mystery of consciousness. A science based on the assumption of “dead” insentient matter exploding from a random Big Bang cannot account for mind. Yet consciousness is the one thing we can be absolutely certain exists.

The biggest challenge facing mainstream religion is to remain relevant in a world increasingly dominated by scientific knowledge.

The philosophy of intelligent evolution can help science and religion meet these challenges. In a nutshell, it takes us beyond the dogmas of both:

Beyond Religion: The world was not created by a supernatural transcendent God (in seven days or 13.7 billion years).

Beyond Science: The world did not come into being from a random Big Bang followed by billions of years of random chemical and biological evolution.

Instead, the most coherent story about how the world came to be (a world where both matter and mind are real) recognizes that

* Spirit is not supernatural (above and beyond nature).

* Evolution is not without purpose or intelligence.

The new philosophy offers a way to honor the deep insights of both religion and science.

Intelligent Design

Yes, there is an “intelligent designer” at work in evolution. But the intelligence (call it “God” or “Spirit” or "Creative Ultimate") is intrinsic to nature. Nature itself is intelligent (has sentience and consciousness, purpose and meaning) “all the way down” to single cells, molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles.

Evolution

In this new view of nature and evolution, matter itself is intelligent. Matter is “adventurous.” Evolution is the great adventure of matter exploring its own creative potentials. As matter evolves, its native intelligence or consciousness evolves, too. So by the time human brains come on the scene, matter or nature has achieved the remarkable ability to be self-reflective—to know that it knows—and to ponder the eternal questions in religion, philosophy, and science: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? Why is there anything at all?

Intelligent Evolution: A Sacred Fish with Legs?

Instead of the amusing (and silly) bumper-stickers pitching Darwin against Jesus (evolution vs. religion), we can come up with a new set of symbols and sound-bytes:

Picture a decal that shows a fish with legs and a halo, indicating that evolution is a sacred process because spirit is active in the development of species. Evolution is natural and creative. We could say “Spirit Matters” or, just as meaningful, “Matter Spirits.”