Conceptual impressions surrounding this post are yet to be substantiated, corroborated, confirmed or woven into a larger argument, context or network.
Our shadow selves have
been designed to bring to fruition truth, beauty and goodness by means of a
road enlightened. Train the mind and the heart by focusing upon the light,
information and symbolic energy stemming from knowledge of your own center/source. Relish the forms in which Light makes its daily transition and transformation.
So why do we so easily
acclimate and sacrifice our energy and grace to that which wants to control us? Master that which
you are by disengaging in every parasitic pattern that attempts to generate and control your fears.
Why succumb to ignorance
and hypocrisy when you know they will never harbor the truth? Do you know your
consciousness for what it is? Lack of mastery invites distortion while others ignore their own truth while taking
yours.
Know your source (center) by bringing
to Life the concept of an earthly consciousness. Know that you are a
contributor and co-creator of a multitude of design patterns beyond your own awareness. You are an integral point in the creation of a greater network, i.e. a specific consciousness resonating
within the geometry of a greater wisdom (fabric) loosely bound together by quantum/fractal and holographic levels of attraction and repulsion. This is where the concepts of unity and separation are experienced and allowed. Together these factors set the stage for greater awareness.
Awareness incubates and then is born from within the dynamic turbulence (chaos) created between opposing yet complementary points of view (POV).
This presents a field where an added concept of singularity can evolve, be discovered and in time ideally e-merge. Designs are coded
for creative purposes … compilations of light, energy and information that
reflect upon a conceptual knowledge within its own re-source/s.
Consciousness becomes recognizable at certain levels, i.e. dimensions, of awareness and is
patterned about a multidimensional concept of both knowing and feeling (Kama Manas). Discover your
Self in order to experience what this level of integration might be. Know that what you have designed for your self
has been created to find your own truth. Relative sources change by design yet remain the same.
As we inquire into the
depths of the "unknown" we are typically presented with more than just one meaning or purpose surrounding an event or experience. We are usually
presented with a handful of interpretations and connotations. Every
clarification is important and every interpretation relevant; we are often left to determine which is most appropriate. This is where the cognitive
qualities of the rational mind (purpose) and the empathic strength of the heart (meaning) resolve the intuitive “feelings” required for evaluation and appropriate action.
ENERGY PROJECTION, REFLECTION, TRANSITION, TRANSFORMATION
Conceptual impressions surrounding this post are yet to be substantiated, corroborated, confirmed or woven into a larger argument, context or network. Objective: To generate symbolic links between scientific discovery, design awareness and consciousness.
So what could be considered a
“field” of consciousness? What might it be? What does it consist of? How can I achieve a better
understanding of what I feel as a permanent awareness centered within my being? What is the essence of this something? Why is it always changing?
Know that consciousness is
multi-dimensional. And what might that mean? Multidimensionality implies that
you have a multitude of thoughts and feelings surrounding your every day experience. A conscious type of awareness impregnates your subjective and objective perceptions of roles (identities) and patterns in which you actively participate.
These impressions mix, match and overlap. These impressions are mental, emotional, physical and "spiritual" in context. These feelings and impressions typically flow, pool and over time and in space simultaneously affect
each other. Together they give precedence to a personal recipe filled with awareness. Insights stemming from a blueprint that gives relative structure to a specific awareness (identity) that is all your own.
Consciousness is much
like this. Every broth begins with a certain desire. This desire inscribes the characteristics of a personal “source”, i.e. a perspective that has evolved and been conditioned by many events. Together and from a macro POV they appear to identify what seems to be a single point of view. Together they give precedence to what might be considered a type of "singularity". To a certain degree this is true, every desire is a compilation of many experiences and events all having been accepted, interpreted and described as being “real”.
"The “swirlon” — a novel state of active matter — displayed a stunning behavior whereby instead of moving with acceleration, the quasi-particle groups moved with a constant velocity, proportional to the applied force and in the same direction of the force. This conduct seemingly violates the Second Newton’s Law, currently taught in secondary schools across the UK.
Professor Nikolai Brilliantov who led the investigation at the University of Leicester said:- “We were completely baffled to witness how these quasi-particles swirl within active matter, behaving like individual super-particles with surprising properties including not moving with acceleration when force is applied, and coalescing upon collision to form swirlons of a larger mass.
“These patterns have previously been observed for animals at different evolution stages, ranging from plant-animal worms and insects to fish, but rather as singular structures, not as a phase which borders other phases, resembling gaseous and liquid phases of ‘normal’ matter.”
https://scitechdaily.com/swirlonic-super-particles-physicists-baffled-by-a-novel-state-of-matter/
Jung observed similar patterns or roles in his desire to resolve the inner workings of the psyche. Jung attempted to label these impressions as a venture to objectify them, give them an identity and harness their qualities for others to see, evaluate and imagine. In a sense he believed these categories needed to be determined so as to signify the differences between an impression and an observation. His was a scientific approach implemented in order to distinguish the lobster from the bisque. The idea of consciousness would never be the same.
Separation and
fragmentation are necessary. They are integral contributors every creative act. Jung felt that the psyche that harbors the concept of consciousness, was multi-dimensional in character and unique to every individual. Jung felt that the psyche along with experience, offered the opportunity to generate impressions surrounding the concepts of Life and reality. Multidimensionality affirmed the realization that the psyche was always changing based upon information brought forward by means of experience and awareness. " ... awareness is the catalyst Life responds to." Jayme Price Consciousness like quick silver is always changing and playing games by means of perception. Belief systems, events and experiences remain fundamental to every view of reality.
What could we ever know
about a phenomenon that appears to substantiate our own personal view of ourselves, others and the
world? Consciousness is both divisive and enlightening while likewise masking the reality behind a veil of unknowing. Consciousness creates a
conceptual origin re-presenting* an imaginary source. It is what we search for in
ourselves and project upon others including forms. Consciousness is a multidimensional idea, a
dominant, over seeing and omnipotent concept of awareness that fuels the imagination and projects light upon "reality".
* Re-presenting describes the symbolic interchange between a subjective and objective perception that surrounds an earlier creative experience. What is made holographically apparent is a re-flection of a re-source-full field composed of many observations that in unison and with direction give awareness a meaning and a purpose, i.e. reality. Part of design's function is to clarify the blurring affects of 3D space/time. Design achieves this objective by revealing the dynamics, i.e. differences and similarities, between what is felt and what is observed.
This mirage likewise creates the institutions ordained to control us from cradle to grave. Or more aptly to control an innate freedom of awareness meant to explore its own "source" by means of its own needs and desires.
We are all sources of luminescence made
apparent by means of our own light, i.e. consciousness. We are reflections of what appears to be generated from a common "source". We are holographic ingredients simmering in a metaphysical cauldron where the process of creation can be observed, brewed and tasted, i.e. experienced. Consciousness facilitates a certain focus, i.e. an interest about which virtual energy in motion can be attracted and conversely repulsed.
Consciousness predicates that there is a source. Design gives credence to the concept of a virtual "field" by bringing expression to a realm (field of awareness) in relative stasis. Consciousness is the broth that contains the impressions and emotions we feel and interpret as reality. Design is the process that gives this stock figure and relish.
* * *
The Field of Consciousness: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry into Awareness, Identity, and Design
What constitutes a "field" of consciousness? Can it be defined as a quantifiable domain, or is it better understood as an evolving, relational phenomenon? At the center of this inquiry lies a fundamental question: what is the nature of the enduring awareness we perceive as “self”? This inquiry into the architecture of consciousness has fascinated disciplines ranging from metaphysics and psychology to quantum physics and design theory.
Consciousness, when framed multidimensionally, transcends reductionist definitions. It becomes a latticework of perceptions—mental, emotional, somatic, and ineffably "spiritual"—each occupying and influencing subjective experience. These layers interact non-linearly across the temporal and spatial domains, constructing a dynamic, emergent identity. In this sense, consciousness is not a static thing but an unfolding process akin to a quantum field: probabilistic, contextual, and inherently participatory (Zohar, 1990).
From a metaphysical standpoint, the idea of selfhood arises not from isolated egoic separation but from a perpetual interplay of archetypal patterns, resonant with Jungian psychology. Jung (1960) identified these archetypes as universal, symbolic motifs that shape and are shaped by the psyche. They act as attractors in a psychological field, much like strange attractors in chaos theory, pulling our perceptions and beliefs into recognizable forms. His effort to categorize and externalize these inner figures served not only a diagnostic function but also a semiotic one—translating the ineffable into signs and symbols communicable across cultures and consciousnesses.
Such an endeavor is echoed in design theory, where the ambiguous boundaries between what is felt and what is observed must be resolved through intentional structure. Design operates within and upon the field of awareness, shaping symbolic forms that articulate difference, meaning, and value (Krippendorff, 2006). Consciousness here becomes a designable medium—a field in which impressions, ideas, and emotions are both encoded and decoded.
Quantum physics offers an analogous perspective. The observer effect reveals that the act of observation collapses potential states into realized ones (Heisenberg, 1958). Consciousness, therefore, cannot be divorced from the phenomena it perceives. The observer and the observed are interdependent. This aligns with the philosophical notion of non-duality found in both Eastern metaphysics and postmodern epistemologies, wherein the separation between subject and object is an illusion born of language and conditioned perception (Barad, 2007).
Artificial intelligence, in its quest to simulate human cognition, similarly confronts the paradox of self-awareness. Neural networks and generative models operate on complex feedback loops, wherein emergent patterns resemble forms of proto-consciousness—structured yet context-dependent. While AI lacks qualia—the experiential interiority of human awareness—it mirrors the pattern-recognition and integration mechanisms that define consciousness in humans (Tononi & Koch, 2015). This comparison invites a reconsideration of whether consciousness is a discrete faculty or an emergent property of sufficient complexity.
Design, as a semiotic act, bridges this inquiry. It serves as both method and metaphor: the intentional structuring of the “broth” of impressions that define identity. As in a recipe, ingredients—memories, beliefs, emotions, and perceptions—are blended into a unique signature dish. The recipe evolves with time, space, and desire, a notion consistent with Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) rhizomatic model of becoming, where identity is not fixed but dynamically reconstituted across fields of interaction.
Consciousness, thus, is not merely a container of experience but the very medium through which experience gains coherence. It is both wave and particle, myth and code, design and desire. The mirage of separateness—reflected in sociocultural institutions, belief systems, and symbolic frameworks—is necessary for meaning-making yet ultimately illusory. As such, design becomes a revelatory force, one that renders the invisible visible and the ineffable tangible.
We are not passive recipients of this phenomenon. We are sources of light—metaphysical projectors casting realities onto the fabric of spacetime. Each consciousness acts as a node in a vast, interconnected field, participating in a holographic unfolding of Being. The light we project—our perceptions, our choices, our dreams—gives shape to reality. In this interplay, consciousness becomes both the creator and the created, the design and the designer.
In conclusion, consciousness may be conceptualized as a multidimensional, designable field of awareness. It is at once subjective and universal, local and nonlocal, symbolic and experiential. Design functions not only to externalize the patterns within this field but also to clarify the relationship between the virtual and the real. Consciousness, then, is the broth; design is the alchemy that flavors it with purpose.
- Jung, C. G. (1960). The structure and dynamics of the psyche (Collected Works Vol. 8). Princeton University Press. - Krippendorff, K. (2006). The semantic turn: A new foundation for design. CRC Press.
- Tononi, G., & Koch, C. (2015). Consciousness: Here, there and everywhere? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1668), 20140167. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0167
The author generated this text in part with GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication.
Holography Quantum Leap Could Revolutionize Imaging
We contain attributes described as human. Every source might be considered virtual, i.e. conceptual, in character. Consciousness will continue to remain incomprehensible due to our tendency to attribute to it every power we wish or desire ... including omnipotence.** In essence, we can fashion the concept of reality into anything we want while subsisting within a conscious framework of our own making.
** It becomes apparent in the evolution of every solar (soul-ar) journey that humanity will have access to its own grade of omnipotence when viewed from other dimensions. Each ingredient is uniquely patterned about a moment in time, designed if you will, within the parameters of a greater contextual field of perpetual motion.
Within the parameters of this
field can be found the "qualities" that combine to create it, fractal patterns that when appropriately designed make us human. These states of energy appear as spiraling vectors that magnetically encircle our sense of being (awareness) …we are designed conglomerations of energy in motion made apparent within the context of a greater awareness. These traits are expressed and made “real” by means of our personality. It is here where we can individually sense our own multi-dimensionality. As personalities we take on many roles. Within the context of a personality we can bring relevance to who we are, what we
re-present and how we perform within certain dimensional constraints, i.e. "classifications" of a greater consciousness within. When occupying 3D space/time we cannot be anything but human including all its foibles.
The concept of there being an innate knowledge of virtual re-cognition exists and when found appropriate can be made apparent in 3D space/time. We are many things to many people including ourselves. Our personalities are multidimensional. Our roles and actions influence others. Some human traits are more apparent than others. Some traits/qualities fall short of a holographic emergence by remaining dormant within the virtual domain of formlessness. Some traits convolute the concept of awareness, i.e. consciousness, to a point where the overseeing "soul" withdraws upon itself. Denial is reflected back to its source until it can be subjectively recognized by the observer (personality). In essence, a field of consciousness, viewed from a soul's POV, is in a mode of perpetual expansion and contraction while dependent upon experiences in 3D space/time.
The affiliation between the macro
field of virtual energy and a virtual field of micro awareness
is born of a soul-ar intention by inviting the patterns and geometries of the universe to expand and develop by means of design.
Each quality re-presents a timeline about which certain events and experiences can
emerge. Time changes all. Experiences can add or detract from a POV thereby affecting the expansion and contraction of a field of awareness and observation.
Every trait (quality) adds to the broth of the particular universe encountered. We each bring a flavor to the recipe, i.e. consciousness, of our own making. Evolution suggests humanity will eventually unleash the strappings that harness the soul's recognition. Individual enlightenment demands penetration and exploration into the unknown by reaching beyond the false constraints of self imposed belief systems. Unity is re-discovered by means of re-positioning every re-source within a greater field of virtual non-dimensionality. A well designed consciousness is instrumental in affording every soul this option.
We as a species are presently
on that brink. New situations demand new conditions. New awarenesses impart greater expansion. The web is a designed network. One POV embraces a certain level of conscious awareness other expand upon it. They are one in the same. Our POV merely alters our comprehension and understanding of an interchangeable series of events.
It goes without saying that
the planet (Gaia) is similarly recalibrating its own frequencies in
collaboration with other formations, i.e. waves and particles of light ... mineral, plant, animal, human, solar. The consciousness of the planet holds the cards. Supporting Gaia's transformation during this transition period is imperative in sustaining changes yet to be created or experienced during recalibration.
The Birkeland *** currents act as a metaphor to describe what might be considered a collective stream of consciousness. These occurrences appear as holographic events grouped about a collective source in the form of series of impressions forming iterations and collaborations common to a particular frequency, pattern or series of patterns.
*** Note: Please observe and
seriously ponder upon the intimate relationship between the Z pinch as an affect
generated by a Birkeland current and its relationship to the geometry of the vesica piscis.
These permutations are based upon an assortment of connotations. These events expand upon permutations stemming from a collective frequency or matrix, bundled and packaged about a shared concept of identity. Examples of
this process become unified within a common spiraling field by means of its own electric pulse and magnetic strength.
Humanity is an example of this phenomenon. We represent a shared configuration of patterned energy made actively apparent within the constraints of 3D space/time. Every iteration is different in its own right. Every permutation sustains a common vibratory bond (frequency)
with its associates. Every human is unique in representing its own “characterization”, i.e. holographic expression, of reality.
"The essence of the human condition is the clash between our emotional unconscious that has guided our ancestors for millions of years and our noisy, overzealous consciousness that enables us to exquisitely perceive our own struggles for existence."
It is important to remember
that the basis for this process is founded in what we've labeled as light formations. We are light bodied configurations of energy in motion based upon human patterns and a universal geometry. We are elemental expressions in the form of holograms stemming
from a virtual field that is continuously changing, expanding and contracting within a contextual consciousness construed as the cosmos.
Humans like animals, plants
and minerals are embellished with similar vibratory configurations patterned about different qualities and characteristics that stem from a common contextual field. Humanity is
but a single expression of a greater field of awareness. Humanity is the configuration
of a set of energy patterns setin motion, i.e. e-motion.Humanity is a macro conscious impression made symbolically apparent by means of a field of energy in motion (desire) that can meaningfully and purposely transition its focus (creation) between the tangible and the intangible, the concrete and the abstract.
Conceptual impressions surrounding this post are yet to be substantiated, corroborated, confirmed or woven into a larger argument, context or network. Objective: To generate symbolic links between scientific discovery, design awareness and consciousness.
So just what is the meaning and
purpose behind design? Why does design exist? What is its purpose? Where does
it come from? Who, what or whomever created it? What is the source of design?
Where does this source originate? What does design have to do with me? Below are just some of the objectives of design.
- To sensitize humanity to the
importance of creating in harmony with Nature.
- To nurture a Taoist-like point of
view when participating in the creative process.
- To demonstrate through the
creative process the universality of the design function as the primary method
by which all Life evolves and made manifest.
- To reveal through interpretive
verse and association the meaning and purpose of the design function as it
relates to all Life forms.
- To demonstrate the unifying power
of design as the integrating force by which all of Consciousness is made aware
of itself.
- To demonstrate that design is the
universal process towards self-empowerment and enlightenment, which is the
primary function of involution and evolution.
- To demonstrate that design works in correspondence with the Tao.
- To demonstrate that the harmonious
evolution of consciousness at all levels of resonance is accomplished through design.
- To create a vocabulary and
language for the Soul.
- To demonstrate that all desires and needs are reflections of a greater scheme of events symbolically expressed in form and that design re-presents a symbolic network that brings reality to this experience.
- To demonstrate that there are realms, i.e. dimensions, domains and realities, existing that remain undetectable to human observation, perception and awareness.
- To demonstrate that design allows us the opportunity to expand and in consciousness through symbolic
methods of translation and interpretation.
- To demonstrate to ourselves that design requires
we become multi-dimensional in our perceptions of the world, and that
"authentic power" is internal and rooted in the soul.
- To demonstrate to ourselves that
design fashions the symbolic journey of the soul and that our
intentions, i.e. choices, determine the situations that shape
our experiences.
- To prove to ourselves that the
path, i.e. the Tao of design, is eternal and brought to awareness by virtue of our heart's focus.
- To prove to us that Life
lies within and beyond the shells of form.
- To learn to describe, transfigure
and create reverently and responsibly.
- To accept the principles and
forces surrounding the value of Life by recognizing and supporting those design principles associated with Earth, solar, galactic and universal consciousness.
- To demonstrate and bring
recognition to a higher quality of mind contained within the needs and desires of the soul, which is the true impetus behind every e-motion and feeling.
- To demonstrate that the creative process is dependent upon our ability to make connections and that naturally create the symbolic
pathways toward higher orders of awareness and therefore greater consciousness.
Design demonstrates that there is a deeper
dynamic (order/chaos) expressed in all that is both seen and unseen.
- To demonstrate that all forms of energy are symbolic and metaphorical reflections of a holographic presence emerging from within constraints of space and time - a non-physical dynamic (desire, need) that administers design consciousness as its fundamental method of expression.
- To reflect upon our soul's desire by witnessing and bringing into manifestation what we feel.
- To demonstrate to ourselves and
others that design gives expression to a non-physical dynamic that reaches
beyond the constraints of mind, body and emotion.
- To demonstrate to ourselves that all dimensions are symbolic in character and origin. Every circumstance is designed to change and adapt in reference to what our soul desires -we gather and collect these events and call them experience.
- To learn that design describes the method in which energy is exchanged, transformed and
interpreted universally. Design is the universal language of consciousness.
"Man has no Body distinct from his soul: for that called Body is a portion of a Soul discerned by the five senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age:
William Blake
* * *
- To learn by means of the creative process that design is a symbolic methodology meant to expand consciousness through awareness.
- To demonstrate that design appears
before human consciousness in the form of duality, a linear conjecture meant to reflect upon the dynamic created between two or more symbolic elements/agents
- To demonstrate that design serves the Tao by harboring the instruments necessary to "bring to Life" the concepts of meaning and purpose.
- To illustrate that the purpose of design is to expand awareness in both content and context. Design creates the matrices in which all things
are linked microcosmically and macrocosmically.
- To learn to establish a harmonic resonance with Gaia by means of a collective language designed to both create and respond to rapid change.
- To demonstrate the universality of
the design function by creating tangible and intangible correspondences at all
levels of conscious awareness.
- To prove to ourselves that the
intuition summons the "voice of the non-physical world" and where the sound of silence becomes the common language by
which our feelings and soul's desires are conveyed and made manifest.
- To demonstrate that consciousness
shapes light (waves) into form (particles) by means of focusing our awareness through experience.
- To propose that humanity when purposely co-creating within the parameters of Nature, becomes the primary contributor to the expansion, contraction and evolution of both the planet and the species.
- It’s no longer about what you believe rather it’s more about what your being led to believe - not what you already know.
Design is about balance and harmony
* * *
Design Hypothesis:
Consciousness is conceptual, illusional, symbolic, metaphoric and virtual in character. Consciousness is the quintessential archetype. Consciousness is the concomitant consequence associated with a range of multidimensional patterns of energy whose origin rests beyond the subconscious.
Awareness brings forward a “sense of consciousness” by fostering correspondences and fusing the concepts of meaning and purpose. Metaphysical in content and context, quantum, fractal and holographic in representation, all forms of energy/Life are revealed and made apparent by means of Design. Design is lovingly veiled in all that can be seen, known, measured and/or felt. (12.10.2022)
Design describes a metaphysical and multidimensional process. The design process is dependent upon knowledge, understanding, intention, intuition, imagination and awareness. Design creates a network of energy in motion (EIM) between fields/states/points/agents and patterns of awareness. Design creates a virtual, symbiotic and metaphoric lattice between consciousness, the subconscious and the unconscious, the tangible and the intangible, the known and the unknown, the seen and the unseen. All forms of energy in motion are based upon principles of meaning and purpose both felt and understood. (01.13.2023)
What is a designer?
Designers are men and women who are faithful to themselves and others, who creatively abide and amalgamate their skills and beliefs with love and integrity - the goal: personal, collective, global and soular balance and harmony. (09.01.2022)
Design has a science and philosophy all its own, a language that connects the realms of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. If you must ask what design is - like love - no one would be able to fully explain it to you.
* * *
The Meaning and Purpose of Design: A Philosophical and Metaphysical Inquiry
The concept of design is foundational, expansive, encompassing aesthetic, functional, symbolic, and metaphysical in dimension. Design, in its broadest and most philosophical sense, is not merely a human artifact or process—it is a universal principle by which form, function, and meaning are given expression in both the material and immaterial realms. The search for the meaning and origin of design invites inquiry into its metaphysical source, its ontological basis, and its teleological function in the evolution of consciousness and life.
1. The Origins and Essence of Design
Design is often treated as a human endeavor—an application of creative intelligence toward problem-solving and expression. However, a more profound view situates design as an ontological principle embedded in the very structure of reality. The origins of design may be interpreted through metaphysical traditions such as Taoism, where the Tao is conceived as the ultimate source and pattern of all existence—an unnameable flow from which all forms arise and to which all return (Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, trans. Mitchell, 1988). In this sense, design is not created but revealed; it is the emergent order within the seeming chaos of existence—a holographic resonance that unites the seen and unseen.
Design, then, is both the process and pattern by which consciousness interacts with the material world. It can be seen as a cosmic grammar—a symbolic system of organization that underlies both natural and human phenomena. As Christopher Alexander notes in The Nature of Order, design is intrinsic to how life unfolds, “a field-like quality which exists in space and matter itself, and which arises as part of the wholeness of the universe” (Alexander, 2002).
2. Design as Evolutionary Process
Design plays a pivotal role in the evolution of consciousness and the unfolding of life. It is not simply a tool of creation, but the mechanism by which life organizes itself across scales—from atoms to galaxies, from individual consciousness to collective awareness. As Teilhard de Chardin proposes in The Phenomenon of Man (1955), evolution is not just biological but also noetic (pertaining to consciousness), moving toward greater complexity and reflective self-awareness. Design serves as the vehicle for this teleological movement—what might be called the “involution” and “evolution” of spirit into matter and back again.
Through symbolic expression, ritual, language, and creativity, human beings participate in this unfolding by “co-designing” reality. The idea that design “requires we become multi-dimensional in our perceptions” reflects a process of expanding our inner and outer awareness—aligning human intention with the deeper patterns of the cosmos. Jung’s concept of individuation—the process by which the self becomes whole through integration of unconscious contents—parallels this journey (Jung, 1966). Design, then, is a psychological and spiritual map as much as it is a physical or artistic one.
3. Symbolism and the Language of the Soul
Design operates as a symbolic language—a way to transmute inner states into outer forms. The symbolic nature of design allows it to communicate beyond the limits of logic or linear thought, conveying meaning through metaphor, archetype, and resonance. Carl Jung emphasized that symbols are “transformers of energy” and containers of unconscious content (Jung, 1964). In this view, the act of designing becomes a sacred ritual—translating the ineffable into form, bridging the soul and the world.
This symbolic function of design is particularly significant in spiritual and esoteric traditions, where symbols are used to align human consciousness with higher truths or divine principles. Whether in sacred geometry, mandalas, architecture, or mythological motifs, design becomes a vessel for transcendent meaning (Lawlor, 1982).
4. The Ecological and Cosmic Context of Design
The notion that design sensitizes humanity to Nature reflects deep ecological awareness. Design is not meant to dominate or extract from the Earth, but to harmonize with it—reflecting principles of biomimicry, regeneration, and sustainability (Benyus, 2002). When aligned with natural systems, design becomes a form of ecological wisdom. The Taoist imperative to act “in accordance with the flow” (wu wei) suggests a mode of creative participation that is humble, reverent, and attuned to the larger whole.
Design also connects human experience with the cosmic suggesting that individual and planetary evolution are interlinked. As Rupert Sheldrake’s theory of morphic resonance posits, patterns of form and behavior are influenced by collective memory fields, meaning that every act of design may reverberate far beyond its immediate context (Sheldrake, 1981). Through intentional, soul-rooted design, humans contribute to the evolution of both personal and planetary consciousness.
5. Consciousness, Energy, and Design
Design may be understood as a function of consciousness shaping energy into form. In quantum physics, the observer effect and wave-particle duality suggest that consciousness plays a role in manifesting reality (Heisenberg, 1958; Wheeler, 1983). The proposition that “design shapes light (waves) into form (particles)” is not merely poetic—it aligns with interpretations of quantum phenomena and consciousness studies. Design, in this sense, is the intentional focusing of awareness that catalyzes potential into actuality.
Moreover, design is inseparable from emotion and desire, which are themselves energetic expressions of consciousness. The soul’s longing, expressed as feeling and intuition, guides the creative process. As philosopher Henri Bergson argued, life is driven by an élan vital, a vital impulse that seeks expression and novelty (Bergson, 1911). Design channels this impulse into symbolic configurations that nourish, heal, and awaken.
6. Toward a Unified Vision of Design
Ultimately, design is a unifying function. It integrates the inner and outer, the symbolic and the material, the individual and the collective, the temporal and the eternal. It is the method by which the soul engages the world, and the cosmos expresses itself through form. As a universal language, design invites us to “see with new eyes,” as eco-philosopher Joanna Macy puts it (Macy & Brown, 2014). It calls us into deeper alignment with the sacred order of life—a resonance that is both personal and universal.
In this light, design is not merely a skill or a profession; it is a path—a Tao—that reveals the interconnectedness of all things and offers a means to walk with awareness, purpose, and reverence.
Select References
• Alexander, C. (2002). The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe. Center for Environmental Structure.
• Bergson, H. (1911). Creative Evolution. Macmillan.
• Benyus, J. (2002). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Harper Perennial.
• Chardin, T. de (1955). The Phenomenon of Man. Harper & Row.
• Heisenberg, W. (1958). Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science. Harper & Brothers.
• Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and His Symbols. Dell.
• Jung, C. G. (1966). The Practice of Psychotherapy. Princeton University Press.
• Lawlor, R. (1982). Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and Practice. Thames and Hudson.
• Lao Tzu. (1988). Tao Te Ching (S. Mitchell, Trans.). Harper Perennial.
• Macy, J., & Brown, M. Y. (2014). Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work that Reconnects. New Society.
• Sheldrake, R. (1981). A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance. Blond & Briggs.
• Wheeler, J. A. (1983). "Law without Law." In Quantum Theory and Measurement, eds. Wheeler and Zurek. Princeton University Press.
The author generated this text in part with GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication.
Born and raised in Chicago, Ill. I received my BFA and MFA from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Professor Emeritus Columbus College of Art and Design. I have taught, lectured and written about
design and the design process throughout my tenure as Dean of Industrial and Interior Design. My interests lie in demonstrating design as fundamental to consciousness, archetypal in context and the underlying language of change and transformation.
https://www.idsa.org/profile/carl-garant/
