I really like this, particularly consciousness as capacity for "participation", and reality as a "sacrament". "Participation" really captures the link between consciousness and our existence as parts of a greater whole, and how we have to actively engage and co-create our role in the whole.
Have you read Ilia Delio? The idea of reality as sacrament, and especially in the context of talking about consciousness and wholes, reminded me of her work.
One point of criticism: does it make sense to see the brain as a radio receiver for consciousness, if consciousness is a *capacity*? Being a receiver for a capacity would make the brain a potential for a potential. I also don't really see what problem it solves or advantage it brings.
What you wrote about our tendency to see reality as solid and measurable reminds me of Henri Bergson's idea that the "intellect" was made for thinking geometrically and mechanically and in terms of solidity, and is linked to "matter", but we have a deeper, older, truer way of seeing the world, "intuition", which more directly engages in the fluidity of reality, and is linked to "spirit".
You have hit on precisely the way we should be weighing and considering the phenomena of consciousness. Kudos and thank you Dig.
Humanity does face a challenge -- getting radios and water to work together! The metaphors are good, yet not so much when combined. Itself a good metaphor.
And that simply tells us they are just that -- metaphors for something yet fuller and yet smaller in its "ripple". So small it could be said to amount to ephemerality itself. I appreciate your call to participate with an eye for the sacred in everything, so as not to miss it.
I was just walking in a slight rain this morning and remembering how much I loved as child feeling hit my skin. Who wrote the rule saying playing in the rain was wrong? Go play in the rain and dance as you said with a language we all know and yet have faked ourselves into forgetting.
First off, thank you for reading, and for commenting. I sincerely appreciate it. I love what you've been putting out there on your Stack.
Reading your comment this morning inspired me to step outside into this steady May rainfall we've been having here for days now. Standing there, I was struck by this thought: perhaps we're not just precipitation, but a collective consciousness upgrade. The earth, all her inhabitants, and us, all receiving this annual renewal through water's direct language.
Thank you for your beautiful reminder to return to that natural state of wonder. Maybe that's the first step in unlearning our forgetting....simply feeling rain as rain again, and recognizing we're part of something much larger receiving its message together.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and engage with my introduction, Joseph! I am genuinely grateful for your thoughtful response.
I'm particularly pleased you resonated with the definition of consciousness as "capacity for participation". This formulation emerged after years of wrestling with traditional definitions that remained for me iincomplete. When we include the Triune God in our understanding of consciousness (which I believe is essential for a complete view), the participatory nature becomes central. Consciousness cannot just be simply awareness or information processing. It isfundamentally relational....our ability to receive from and respond to both divine consciousness and the created order. This participation allows us to become co-creators in a very real sense....not by generating reality ex nihilo as God alone can and does,, but by participating in its ongoing unfolding and revelation.
Your appreciation of reality as sacrament is.... heartening. The sacramental worldview is the backbone of my entire approach. the understanding that physical reality is never "merely" physical but always potentially revelatory of divine presence. However, it was only quite recently that i got smacked in the face with the notion that water serves as the quintessential example of this principle, but the insight still extends to all Creation. It seems to me that they sacramental view takes into acxount and comprehensively satisfies materialist reductionism and dualistic spiritualism, neither of which adequately captures the incarnational reality we inhabit.
I haven't read Ilia Delio yet but am excited to explore her work based on your recommendation! The convergence of consciousness studies with sacramental theology is particularly fertile ground, and I'm always eager to discover kindred thinkers.
Your critique about the radio receiver metaphor is excellent and gives me much to consider. You've identified a genuine tension: if consciousness is fundamentally a capacity, then portraying the brain as a receiver does seem to make it "a potential for a potential" as you insightfully note. I may need to refine this metaphor or find a better one. What I'm trying to convey is that our individual consciousness doesn't generate itself but participates in a larger consciousness field while maintaining its unique expression. Perhaps the metaphor of a prism might work better.....not receiving a signal but refracting and expressing an already-present light in a particular way?
The Bergson reference is great! His distinction between intellect (oriented toward the solid, measurable, and mechanical) and intuition (engaging with reality's fluidity) parallels exactly what I'm trying to articulate about our relationship with water. His élan vital concept also resonates with the consciousness-carrying properties of water I'm exploring. I'll definitely revisit his work as I continue developing these ideas.
Again, thank you for this thoughtful engagement. It's genuinely helpful to have such insightful feedback as I continue refining these concepts and is a large reason for my publishing here. Please keep em coming!
This is my cup of tea 🫖
Bottoms up.
I really like this, particularly consciousness as capacity for "participation", and reality as a "sacrament". "Participation" really captures the link between consciousness and our existence as parts of a greater whole, and how we have to actively engage and co-create our role in the whole.
Have you read Ilia Delio? The idea of reality as sacrament, and especially in the context of talking about consciousness and wholes, reminded me of her work.
One point of criticism: does it make sense to see the brain as a radio receiver for consciousness, if consciousness is a *capacity*? Being a receiver for a capacity would make the brain a potential for a potential. I also don't really see what problem it solves or advantage it brings.
What you wrote about our tendency to see reality as solid and measurable reminds me of Henri Bergson's idea that the "intellect" was made for thinking geometrically and mechanically and in terms of solidity, and is linked to "matter", but we have a deeper, older, truer way of seeing the world, "intuition", which more directly engages in the fluidity of reality, and is linked to "spirit".
You have hit on precisely the way we should be weighing and considering the phenomena of consciousness. Kudos and thank you Dig.
Humanity does face a challenge -- getting radios and water to work together! The metaphors are good, yet not so much when combined. Itself a good metaphor.
And that simply tells us they are just that -- metaphors for something yet fuller and yet smaller in its "ripple". So small it could be said to amount to ephemerality itself. I appreciate your call to participate with an eye for the sacred in everything, so as not to miss it.
I was just walking in a slight rain this morning and remembering how much I loved as child feeling hit my skin. Who wrote the rule saying playing in the rain was wrong? Go play in the rain and dance as you said with a language we all know and yet have faked ourselves into forgetting.
Eli,
First off, thank you for reading, and for commenting. I sincerely appreciate it. I love what you've been putting out there on your Stack.
Reading your comment this morning inspired me to step outside into this steady May rainfall we've been having here for days now. Standing there, I was struck by this thought: perhaps we're not just precipitation, but a collective consciousness upgrade. The earth, all her inhabitants, and us, all receiving this annual renewal through water's direct language.
Thank you for your beautiful reminder to return to that natural state of wonder. Maybe that's the first step in unlearning our forgetting....simply feeling rain as rain again, and recognizing we're part of something much larger receiving its message together.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and engage with my introduction, Joseph! I am genuinely grateful for your thoughtful response.
I'm particularly pleased you resonated with the definition of consciousness as "capacity for participation". This formulation emerged after years of wrestling with traditional definitions that remained for me iincomplete. When we include the Triune God in our understanding of consciousness (which I believe is essential for a complete view), the participatory nature becomes central. Consciousness cannot just be simply awareness or information processing. It isfundamentally relational....our ability to receive from and respond to both divine consciousness and the created order. This participation allows us to become co-creators in a very real sense....not by generating reality ex nihilo as God alone can and does,, but by participating in its ongoing unfolding and revelation.
Your appreciation of reality as sacrament is.... heartening. The sacramental worldview is the backbone of my entire approach. the understanding that physical reality is never "merely" physical but always potentially revelatory of divine presence. However, it was only quite recently that i got smacked in the face with the notion that water serves as the quintessential example of this principle, but the insight still extends to all Creation. It seems to me that they sacramental view takes into acxount and comprehensively satisfies materialist reductionism and dualistic spiritualism, neither of which adequately captures the incarnational reality we inhabit.
I haven't read Ilia Delio yet but am excited to explore her work based on your recommendation! The convergence of consciousness studies with sacramental theology is particularly fertile ground, and I'm always eager to discover kindred thinkers.
Your critique about the radio receiver metaphor is excellent and gives me much to consider. You've identified a genuine tension: if consciousness is fundamentally a capacity, then portraying the brain as a receiver does seem to make it "a potential for a potential" as you insightfully note. I may need to refine this metaphor or find a better one. What I'm trying to convey is that our individual consciousness doesn't generate itself but participates in a larger consciousness field while maintaining its unique expression. Perhaps the metaphor of a prism might work better.....not receiving a signal but refracting and expressing an already-present light in a particular way?
The Bergson reference is great! His distinction between intellect (oriented toward the solid, measurable, and mechanical) and intuition (engaging with reality's fluidity) parallels exactly what I'm trying to articulate about our relationship with water. His élan vital concept also resonates with the consciousness-carrying properties of water I'm exploring. I'll definitely revisit his work as I continue developing these ideas.
Again, thank you for this thoughtful engagement. It's genuinely helpful to have such insightful feedback as I continue refining these concepts and is a large reason for my publishing here. Please keep em coming!