The universal mind, or universal consciousness theory, is a metaphysical concept suggesting an individuating essence of all beings and becomings in the universe. It includes the being and becoming that occurred in the universe prior to the emergence of the concept of

mind The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

, or "persona" according to Carl Jung. This term refers to a singular, select consciousness within each being. The human aspect of universal (global) consciousness, in the opinion of Jacob Robert Davis, can network. It addresses psychological being and becoming. The interactions that occur in that process without specific reference to the physical and chemical laws that try to describe those interactions. Those interactions have occurred, do occur, and continue to occur. Universal consciousness is the source that underlies those interactions and the awareness and knowledge they imply.

Introduction

The concept of the universal mind was presented by

Anaxagoras Anaxagoras (; , ''Anaxagóras'', 'lord of the assembly'; ) was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. Born in Clazomenae at a time when Asia Minor was under the control of the Persian Empire, Anaxagoras came to Athens. In later life he was charged ...

, a

pre-Socratic philosopher Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

who arrived in Athens some time after 480 BC. He taught that the growth of living things depends on the power of mind within the organisms that enables them to extract nourishment from surrounding substances. For this concept of mind, Anaxagoras was commended by

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

. Both

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

and Aristotle, however, objected that his notion of mind did not include a view that mind acts ethically, i.e., acts for the “best interests” of the universe. The most original aspect of Anaxagoras's system was his doctrine of ''

nous ''Nous'' (, ), from , is a concept from classical philosophy, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, for the cognitive skill, faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is truth, true or reality, real. Alternative Eng ...

'' ("mind" or "reason"). A different Greek word, '' gnósi'' (knowledge), better reflects what is observed in the wider world of organic and inorganic beings than just the human world. Chu Ch’an says, “The universal mind, therefore, is something to which nothing can be attributed. Being absolute goes beyond attributes. If, for example, it were to be described as infinite, that would exclude from it whatever is finite, but the whole argument of the book is that the universal mind is the only reality and that everything we apprehend through our senses is nothing else but this mind. Even to think of it in terms of existence or non-existence is to misapprehend it entirely.” pp. 8–9 The term surfaced again in later philosophy, as in the writings of Hegel. - Hegel writes:

Descriptions

There are no definitions of the Universal Mind, but two authors within the New Thought movement offer vague descriptions in superlatives such as omnipotence.

Ernest Holmes Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (January 21, 1887 – April 7, 1960) was an American New Thought writer, teacher, and leader. He was the founder of a spiritual movement known as Religious Science, part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spi ...

, the founder of the

Science of Mind The Religious Science movement, or Science of Mind, was established in 1926 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical spiritual movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applie ...

movement:

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

author Charles Haanel said of the universal mind and its relationship to humans: The nature of the universal mind is said to be

omnipresent Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to describ ...

References

Sources

* Anaxagoras. (2013). Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Deluxe Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica. * Blofeld., J., under pseudonym Chu Ch'an,1947 "The Huang Po Doctrine of Universal Mind" * Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, '' The Phenomenology of Mind'' * Robert Anthony, ''Beyond Positive Thinking: A No-Nonsense Formula for Getting the Results You Want'' * Martin E Moore, ''The Universal Mind & I: Intelligent Spiritual Philosophy'' * Charles Haanel, "Master Key System"

External links

The Huang Po Doctrine of Universal Mind
{{DEFAULTSORT:Universal Mind Concepts in metaphysics Spiritual concepts Conceptions of God

Introduction

Descriptions

See also

References

Sources

External links