There exists a possibility—largely absent from mainstream discourse—that consciousness might be emerging on a far larger galactic scale prior to the human or individual scale. This idea is explored in greater depth in the recent article "The Cosmic Web and Consciousness" and further unpacked in the book Planetary Foresight and Ethics. This hypothesis reorients our understanding of cosmic evolution: instead of viewing consciousness as an accidental emergent property of terrestrial brains, we might consider it an underlying pattern or tendency in the very fabric of the cosmos—emerging first in galactic structures, then cascading down to planetary and biological forms.
This shift in perspective raises a profound question: could consciousness be a structural feature of the universe itself, embedded in the logic of geometry and mathematics, rather than a product of biological or physical mechanics? In this view, consciousness is not generated by matter but rather revealed through specific geometric alignments, thresholds, and transitions. Ancient Indo-Iranic traditions may have intuited this truth. The recurring attention to planetary alignments, most notably in the grand pilgrimage of Kumbh Mela, reflects a cultural memory that certain cosmic configurations are not merely symbolic but potentially catalytic—triggering deeper layers of awareness, communion, or transformation.
From this vantage, the hard problem of consciousness (HP)—why and how subjective experience arises—might not be resolved through physicalist explanations at all. Instead, the answer could reside in a geometric insight or a yet-unknown mathematical theorem that underlies what the Indo-Iranic traditions called Rta (or Arta)—the cosmic order that sustains truth, harmony, and right action. Rta was never a passive natural law; it was a dynamic equilibrium, a rhythmic balance that governed both the stars and the soul.
What if Rta is not just a spiritual metaphor, but a real geometric order—one whose logic binds the galactic structure to the awakening of consciousness? In that case, mathematics—not physics—would be the true root of our universe. We would not inhabit a psychophysical reality (where mind emerges from matter), but a psychomathematical one (where mind and matter alike emerge from the unfolding of fundamental mathematical forms). In such a cosmos, transitions of awareness—personal or planetary—are not random but determined by the deeper architecture of number, ratio, and form.
This line of thought encourages a bold rethinking of both science and spirituality. It unites Indo-Iranic cosmology with cutting-edge theoretical speculation. And perhaps most critically, it invites us to widen the scope of the consciousness debate—moving beyond neural circuits and digital minds, and toward the possibility that consciousness is a property of the universe at large, waiting to be decoded not through code or chemicals, but through geometry, alignment, and foresight.
Such a reorientation may not only illuminate the ancient mystery of consciousness—it might just provide the key to our planetary and post-planetary ethical evolution.
