The Interplay of Consciousness, Religion, and Science

In this episode of The Deep Dive, we explore the idea that 'reality is both a reflection of you and reflecting on you'. We'll examine how our perception shapes our experience of the world and how shifting our internal orientation towards the positive can influence the outcome of reality. We'll discuss techniques like meditation, which can help us to consciously collapse possibilities into a more positive reality, and the importance of questioning our core beliefs as we evolve. Our conversation will touch upon the concept of 'qualitative experience' or 'qualia' - the subjective, felt experience of consciousness - and how this relates to our individual journeys of self-discovery. We will also examine the idea that 'progress is looking for a place to stop', encouraging listeners to find contentment and peace in the present moment, rather than constantly striving for something more.

Chapter 1: Beginnings

I was born into the age of communication. The internet, created only four years before my birth, marked the beginning of an era where the collective human consciousness expanded exponentially. Yet, it wasn’t the internet that initially shaped me, but a more ancient form of communication—books. Specifically, a collection called the World Book Encyclopaedia that my mother bought for my sister and me, paying it off well into my twenties. Those volumes ignited my awareness, and it is from that early spark that the person behind these words was formed.

Those books opened my eyes to the vastness of space and time, to interconnected systems, and to the histories of both nature and mankind. I was fascinated. But alongside this collection, there was another set of books—the 72 books of the Bible—that also formed a significant part of my childhood. The wisdom within them provided insight and a sense of deeper meaning, offering a different perspective on the mysteries of the universe when viewed with an open mind.

I was, and still consider myself, a student of both machine and mind. My mother encouraged my thirst for understanding as much as she could while raising two children on her own. She’d find dismantled electronics, evidence of my destructive curiosity, on a daily basis. Rather than stifling my creativity, she chose to nurture it, allowing me to approach problems with exploration and energy even today.

However, over time, our conversations became less productive for me. Everything she said was backed by her unwavering belief in the divine, and my increasingly mechanistic questions were often answered with, “Just pray about it.” The dichotomy between science and religion didn’t fit with her life-long understanding of spirit and consciousness, and so I found myself oscillating between those two extremes, torn by the new knowledge I was discovering.

Chapter 2: Awakening of the Mind

Consider this: the Genesis story condenses 14 billion years of existence into the first few sentences—the seven days of creation. The Bible, then, is the story of man—the birth of modern civilisation. The story of Adam and Eve represents the birth of the ego. Adam ate from the tree of knowledge and became self-aware—aware of himself as separate from the rest of creation.

For this sin, God banished man from the paradise he had created, cutting humanity off from nature, from the rest of His creation. The first testament is a record of our struggle to know ourselves again, to atone for our perceived sins and reconnect with God. The second testament offers a course correction: God humbles Himself to the level of man, becoming man, and saying that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

Christianity, like many other religions, suggests that we are divine beings. From the Father we were born, and to the Father we shall return. But what does it mean to be 'God-like'? I often liken the ego to a wave, and God—Creation, Life, the Universe—to the sea. 'I think, therefore I am,' we say. 'I am unique, different from others, perhaps better.' Just like a wave, we define ourselves as distinct. But a wave is only part of the sea; it is water. The ego is the wave, but what is a wave if not water? This, I believe, is the essence of being God-like: understanding that we are both the wave and the water. We are individual and yet part of the whole. This is the essence of life, of existence.

So what does Jesus mean when He says, 'I am the way, the truth, and the light'? I believe He is speaking to this interconnectedness. The second testament teaches us how to live a life aligned with this truth—how to safeguard life, to meditate, and to reconnect with the divine. It is a guide back to the water from which we came.

Though Christianity is my primary frame of reference, I believe that all religions share a similar story—our search for truth, for a deeper connection with ourselves and the universe. We are striving to rediscover the knowledge of self that we lost.

Scientists have recently discovered the Higgs boson, sometimes referred to as the 'God particle.' This is one of many breakthroughs in our quest to understand the fundamental building blocks of the universe. But what are we truly searching for? Like the wave, we are trying to understand our nature by examining ourselves, but are we asking the right questions?

To realise that the wave is water is profound, but what does it mean? Are we part of the universe, or is the universe part of us? Are we our bodies, or are we our minds? The answer seems elusive because the question itself is often incomplete.

In the Bible and many other religions, the consequence of failing to reconnect with this fundamental truth is clear: we lose ourselves. In science, we have done away with this notion of punishment, but the question remains: what is life, and what is our place in it?

I grew up identifying as a Christian, and I still do, though I struggled for a time. I couldn’t accept the Bible stories as literal fact, and by some people’s standards, that made me a 'backslider.' But let me explain why I still consider myself a Christian.

One evening, I had a conversation with a Muslim Uber driver. We discussed life and, naturally, the topic of religion arose. I asked him, 'Do you think you would still be a Muslim if you hadn’t been born into it?' He confidently answered yes, because he believed he was chosen. I pressed him further, questioning whether I, as a non-Muslim, wasn’t chosen, to which he replied that the choice was still mine.

His response didn’t fully satisfy my original question, which was about the role of chance. After all, where we are born, the family, community, and even the time we live in, heavily influence our beliefs. If any one religion got it 'right,' then the consequences of being born into the wrong one—eternal damnation—seem disproportionately harsh for something so reliant on luck.

So why do I call myself a Christian? Because I believe. Belief transcends truth—it becomes subjective. The truth I believe in is this: life is sacred, and we are part of a larger whole. Whether you arrive at this truth through Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or science, the path is valid. The ultimate truth is that we are all part of life, and life itself is precious.

When our ego grows strong, we focus on the wave and forget the water. But the wave is still part of the ocean, just as we are part of all creation. That, I believe, is the essence of Jesus’s teachings and of life itself: we are, simply, life.

Chapter 3: The Conscious Universe

There’s an idea that the universe only comes into existence when it is observed. This notion is exemplified in quantum physics, where particles seem to exist in a superposition of states—waves of potential—until they are observed, at which point they collapse into a definite form. This is demonstrated in the famous double-slit experiment where photons, under observation, choose to behave either as a particle or a wave depending on the perspective of the observer.

So why does this happen?

Our universe exists in four known dimensions: three spatial axes—length, width, and depth—and the fourth, time, which we experience linearly. If time didn’t exist as a dimension, everything would happen at once, in all places and at all times. But time, like perception, introduces order to our experience of reality. It is the filter through which existence is observed.

It stands to reason, then, that we create our own reality by the very act of perceiving it. The universe collapses into a form, much like the wave function of a photon, when we interact with it. In this sense, we are not just participants in the universe; we are co-creators. Our conscious awareness defines the parameters of reality itself.

This is why the universe feels so finely tuned—it’s not merely a product of random events or cosmic accidents. It is a reflection of our collective consciousness, shaped by the act of observation. The more complex our interactions, the more intricate our reality becomes.

The concept of 'fine-tuning' has led some to suggest the multiverse theory—that there are infinite realities, each with its own unique set of physical laws and constants. Yet, what if our reality feels engineered because we are part of its design? Our consciousness, when interacting with the universe, creates this finely tuned reality.

Chapter 4: Consciousness and Complexity

As we delve deeper into the nature of consciousness, we begin to see that it is more than just a passive observer. Consciousness is the ability to manipulate energy and, by extension, to shape reality. The more complex an organism or system, the greater its capacity for consciousness.

If we view consciousness as a field of energy—akin to gravity—then we can begin to understand its role in the universe. Just as gravity becomes more pronounced in the presence of greater mass, consciousness might become more potent in more complex beings. This could explain why humans, with our highly complex brains, have a more profound sense of self-awareness compared to other animals. Our brains are, arguably, the most concentrated centres of information processing in the known universe.

In the same way that a black hole warps spacetime, our consciousness might warp reality in ways we have yet to fully understand. The relationship between energy and information is fundamental, and just as black holes are centres of energy, our minds are centres of information. We shape reality through our awareness, and our collective consciousness helps to form the world we perceive.

Chapter 5: Evolution and Adaptation

Natural selection and human selection diverge in a world where we no longer rely solely on evolution to shape our future. Humans have become a new force of nature, creating diversity and complexity in ways nature itself would not. Our ability to select traits, behaviours, and even the direction of our species is a testament to our dominance over the natural world.

Consider the evolutionary changes that occurred when humans migrated out of Africa into colder, harsher climates during the ice ages. Skin lightened to absorb more vitamin D, noses became narrower to warm cold air, and bodies adapted to retain heat. But now, in an age where technology and culture guide much of our evolution, we no longer rely on nature to select the strongest or the most adapted.

Traits once deemed vital for survival—such as strength, speed, and aggression—are no longer necessary for reproduction or success. In fact, we have reached a point where lower testosterone levels and less traditionally 'male' traits are just as likely to be passed on as their higher counterparts. This is a direct result of our newfound power to shape our destiny through societal rather than natural selection.

But what does this mean for humanity? We have become the architects of our own evolution, and the consequences of this shift are profound. We are no longer bound by the same laws that shaped us for millennia. Instead, we are now co-creators of the human experience, designing ourselves in a world we have fashioned with our own hands.

Chapter 6: Dimensions of Consciousness

If we extend the idea of co-creation into the realm of higher dimensions, we must consider the possibility of entities that exist beyond our limited perception of time and space. These beings, if they exist, would interact with us in ways we cannot fully understand, perhaps communicating with us not in a single moment, but across the entirety of time itself.

This is where the concept of fourth-dimensional beings comes into play. Just as we can manipulate objects in three dimensions, these beings may manipulate time in ways we cannot comprehend, leaving signs and synchronicities that guide us along our path. We might only become aware of these signs when we shift our consciousness beyond the confines of linear time—when we live a life aligned with our deeper truth.

This brings us to the idea that to become a fourth-dimensional being ourselves, we must transcend the limitations of time. We must live authentically, beyond the constraints of any single moment, and align ourselves with the flow of existence. In doing so, we can become co-creators not just of our reality, but of time itself.

Chapter 7: Energy and the Fabric of Reality

Einstein showed us that mass and energy are interchangeable—matter is simply condensed energy. When we consider the relationship between energy and consciousness, it’s possible that the act of observation—the focus of our consciousness—manipulates the energy around us, shaping our reality.

In physics, anything with mass distorts the fabric of space-time, creating gravity. The more mass, the greater the distortion. If we extend this analogy to consciousness, we might say that the more awareness or complexity a being possesses, the greater its ability to influence reality. Just as a black hole bends space-time with its immense mass, so too might a highly conscious being bend reality with the focus of its awareness.

There are still many mysteries to unravel. Could there be an unknown force—like the relationship between the gluon and Higgs fields—that ties together the fabric of existence and consciousness? Could black holes, with their incomprehensible energy, represent a point of ultimate consciousness, collapsing all dimensions into a singularity?

Chapter 8: Our Place in the Universe

What if our understanding of the universe is limited not by science or religion, but by our collective imagination? Each civilisation has its own truth, its own way of defining reality. Ours is built on a foundation of science and reason, but what if ancient civilisations saw the world differently—so differently that we struggle to comprehend their remnants?

History shows us that collective consciousness evolves, creating new truths with each generation. Younger minds view the world through different lenses than their elders, and this shift can be seen in the way societies change over time. Our perception of reality, and thus our morality, is fluid—what was true for the Mayans, or for any ancient people, may be as foreign to us as the concept of a flat Earth.

We strive for balance, but balance is not universal—it is shaped by the culture, context, and understanding of each people. For some, balance required harmony and peace; for others, death and violence were necessary counterpoints.

Our reality is a product of our collective consciousness, shaped by what we observe, believe, and agree upon. The pursuit of truth is eternal, but truth itself is ever-changing, shaped by the minds that seek it.

Chapter 9: The Conscious Cosmos

The final chapter brings us back to where we began: consciousness is the creator of reality. We exist in a universe that feels engineered because it is—a product of our awareness, shaped by our interactions with the cosmos.

Our understanding of physics tells the story of how the observable universe reacts to being observed, but it does not tell us what the universe truly is. The act of observation—the transfer of information from light to our minds—creates the reality we experience. Photons, which make up light, do not experience time, and the universe, too, exists beyond time and space in a way we can barely comprehend.

Everything is connected, from the smallest particle to the vast expanses of space. As we continue to explore, observe, and question, we are creating new realities with each discovery. Our consciousness is the key to understanding the universe—not just as observers, but as co-creators.

In the end, the search for truth is not a linear journey, but an ever-expanding spiral. The universe is not something we passively inhabit; it is something we actively shape. As we evolve, so too does our understanding, and with it, the very fabric of reality itself.

Episodes