18.1.b
Addendum to The Living Universe
We are living in Concentric Circles
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Circles within circles
In our first article (1.4), we encountered ‘circles within circles’, in which the image of Man is drawn within the framework of the astrological working model. If Man would define himself as merely a biological phenomenon, determined by Nature and its laws, that would simply be the end of the story.
Identity
But if Man attributes a consciousness to himself, and calls himself an I-sayer, then analogical thinking will lead us back in the opposite direction. For in this astrological working model, with us standing in the center of our own sphere, we are encompassed by a larger sphere, the sphere of Earth.
By analogy, at the center of this sphere we would expect a core of consciousness to be present. In other words, the sphere around Earth, the Zodiac, can be considered to have been cast out by an intelligence as well,an intelligence that animates this sphere and fills it with its life.
Subsequently, at the center of the larger sphere encompassing the Tropical Zodiac, the Sidereal Zodiac, there would be another intelligence, which in turn animatest his larger sphere.
Consciousness
From the assumption of a human consiouness the analogical thinking brings us to the image of bigger encompassing spheres of consiousness in which our sphere is embedded. This image emerges from the assumption of a human 'I' .
And although this is not demonstrable in a material sense (17.1), analogical reasoning does actually imply this reversal of thought.
Group consciousness
Not just for ourselves, but also for groups we can envision such a spherical center. This may be a family unit, a neighborhood, a sports club or any other group of kindred spirits. The coherence of the group is rooted in an identification with a common factor, such as a similar genetic or social origin, or common interests or shared ideas.
As a matter of fact, whenever ‘I’ (or ‘we’) is spoken, such an enveloping sphere can arise.
Consciousness and Self-awareness
In a social sense, the effects of such an enveloping group sphere are well-known. A weakness of Self can be supported by a group as a substitute identity. This plays a role in every developmental process. Within the embrace of the group, the individual consciousness gets the chance to mature into its own uniqueness in relation to the environment, after which it can emancipate and individuate and ultimately start to function as a center itself.
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