Consciousness and the Cosmic Count

 Sacred Numbers, Silent Mind: Consciousness as the Primordial Code

Human minds have long sought answers to questions about truth, consciousness, and divinity. These three profound realities have captivated the minds of philosophers, scientists, and meditators throughout the centuries. The ancient Vedic scholars sought non-duality, the ultimate essence of Brahman, the indivisible reality of Truth, Consciousness, and Divinity.

This post begins with a personal conclusion shaped by years of reflection and study: that truth is not singular in its approach, but singular in its essence. Whether approached through philosophical reasoning, scientific evidence, practical experience, or mystical insight, truth ultimately leads to one unified realization. Inspired by this understanding, I express it as follows:

The truth has many roots, yet one trunk and many branches. Every tree follows the same growth principle, with roots securing it, a trunk supporting it, and branches sprouting from its seed. Similarly, our understanding of truth, consciousness, and divinity is also evolving. There are many branches of expression arising from these different roots of inquiry, but they all lead to the same trunk of awareness.

In this posting, I shift the focus from truth to consciousness, the silent witness behind thought, perception, and existence itself. Here, I explore the idea that:
"Consciousness has many roots, yet one trunk and many branches."

Taking this perspective, consciousness is not simply a mental or spiritual phenomenon, but a fabric from which numbers, patterns, and even mathematics are derived. This allows us to understand the profound statement of the Upanishads:
"That which is Truth, that which is Consciousness, and that which is Divinity—Brahman."

 This powerful metaphor reframes the age-old image of the Tree of Truth, now revealing consciousness (Chit) as the underlying essence from which all diversity of thought, knowledge, and expression arises. Through its lens, mathematicians and thinkers have been guided by the realization that consciousness is not a byproduct of matter but the basis of all being.

 A mathematical model of consciousness

Ancient philosophers, including Thales, Anaxagoras, and Plotinus, as well as later thinkers such as Leibniz and William James, contemplated consciousness as a universal principle. This worldview, known as panpsychism, posits that consciousness may be a fundamental attribute of all matter, even in plants, atoms, and particles.

There is a revival of ancient intuition in modern science. Integrated Information Theory (IIT) presents a groundbreaking framework: consciousness arises not as a side effect of biology, but from the integration of information within a system, measured through a quantity called Φ (phi). This aligns closely with the idea that:

Existence and numbers are based on consciousness.

Even quantum theories of consciousness, such as Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, suggest that consciousness may emerge from quantum processes within the brain, offering a potential convergence between physics and subjective awareness.

Though controversial, these ideas hint at a profound possibility: mathematics is not the language of a lifeless universe, but a mirror of living consciousness expressing itself in structured forms.

 Consciousness and the birth of mathematics

In ancient traditions, especially within Hinduism, the five elements—Prithvi (Earth), Jala (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air), and Akasha (Aether)—formed the building blocks of nature. These elements were not seen as material elements, but as manifestations of consciousness itself. Through observing patterns in these elements, the early sages discerned order, rhythm, and balance, giving rise to the first forms of sacred mathematics.

The basis of mathematics is consciousness expressing itself through patterns, symbols, and structures.

Whether it is the recurring Fibonacci sequence in flowers and galaxies, or the sacred geometry found in temples and mandalas, numbers were never separated from divinity. They were a language of the formless, a silent speech through which Chit revealed itself.

Sacred Numbers and Spiritual Insight

Sacred numbers have guided spiritual understanding across cultures and faiths.

There are 108 beads in a mala, 108 movements of Shiva (Nataraja), and 108 astronomical ratios between the Earth and the Sun in Hinduism. It symbolizes cosmic completeness.

666 in science: The carbon atom, the basis of all organic life, carries this structure (6 protons, 6 neutrons, 6 electrons), showing the bridge between esoteric knowledge and biochemical life.(6+6+6=18, 1+8= 9)

These are not coincidences. They are reflections of a universal consciousness projecting order into creation.

Consciousness Before Equations

Modern science often explains the universe through mathematical models. But what if the origin of mathematics was not external, but internal? What if consciousness created the concept of numbers to make sense of itself?

Recent developments in quantum physics support this view.

Quantum computing does not operate in space-time, but in Hilbert space, a purely mathematical realm (In direct analogy with n-dimensional Euclidean space, Hilbert space is a vector space that has a natural inner product, or dot product, to provide a distance function. Under this distance function, it becomes a complete metric space; thus, it is an example of what mathematicians call a complete inner product space.

As an ancient Vedic concept, entanglement suggests a non-local, interconnected universe.

It is well known that scientific equations work, but few ask: Who solves them? Observer consciousness remains a mystery that science often overlooks.

Thus, we do not live in a universe governed by mathematics; we live in a universe where mathematics is a reflection of consciousness's awareness of itself.

The Tree of Consciousness: A Living Metaphor

Let us return to the metaphor of the tree.

· The roots: Cultural, philosophical, and spiritual traditions across the world—Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Paganism seek to understand the divine.

· The trunk represents consciousness (Chit), the unifying presence that holds the whole of existence together.

In the branches, we find mathematics, language, science, poetry, and art -- all ways in which consciousness expresses its inner order.

· The fruit: Technology, healing, understanding, and transformation that emerges from this sacred tree.

Though each culture touches a different branch, all are nourished by the same sap, the living awareness that underlies everything.

Consciousness: The Original Mathematician

The final realization, echoed by sages, quantum theorists, and introspective seekers alike, is this: Mathematics is not the creator of consciousness. Consciousness is the origin of mathematics.

When you observe the spiral of a shell, the fractal pattern of a fern, or the symmetry in music, it isn’t mathematics creating meaning—it is consciousness recognizing itself in the world, mirrored through numbers.

To understand mathematics without understanding consciousness is to mistake reflection for a mirror.

Summation: Numbers as a Divine Language

Mathematics is, at its core, a sacred language—a structured code that gives form to the silent awareness underlying all existence. The more we explore its patterns, the more we must also turn inwards, toward the source of all patterns.

The ancients knew this. Today, mystics rediscover it. Now science can glimpse it:

Consciousness has many roots, yet one trunk and many branches.

May the trunk within us hold the unity of all knowledge and the presence of the divine mathematician.

The Harmony of Number 9: A Cosmic Function of Consciousness

In the vast and intricate design of the cosmos, certain numbers echo with a recurring harmony, transcending cultures, sciences, and spiritual systems. Among them, the number 9 holds a uniquely mystical status, especially in Indian astrology and Hindu philosophy. It is seen as a symbol of completion but also as a gateway to higher consciousness. Revealed as a perfected, divine number, 9 stands at the culmination of the decimal system—the end of a cycle and the beginning of renewal.

From ancient Indian scriptures to metaphysical interpretations of the cosmos, the recurrence of 9 is astounding. The 108 Upanishads, the 18 chapters of both the Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata, the 18 major Puranas, and even the Japa mala with 108 beads—all are reduced to 9 in numerology. The four Yugas—Kali, Dvapara, Treta, and Satya—not only unfold for mathematically precise durations, but the sum of their digits consistently returns to 9, hinting at a divine rhythm underlying cosmic time.

Beyond the textual traditions, the human body is described as having 9 gates, symbolizing the physical interface between the inner and outer worlds. The Navagrahas (nine planets) influence our karmic destiny, while the nine forms of Bhakti (devotion) offer different paths to connecting with the divine. Navaratri, the nine nights of worship dedicated to the Goddess and Durga, highlights the significance of this number in spiritual transformation.

This pattern involving the number 9 is not isolated to the Vedic scriptures. In Western mysticism, the number 72, found across astronomy, genetics, and sacred geometry, when reduced (7+2), returns to 9, linking it back to the same cosmic rhythm The 72-year recessional shift of the Earth’s axis, the 72 codons in DNA, and the 72 names of God in Kabbalah all hint at a shared harmonic foundation where mathematics becomes a language of the universe, and 9 becomes its master key.

So what does this tell us about consciousness?

Consciousness, often regarded as a subjective phenomenon, appears deeply mathematical in structure. The repeated presence of 9 and its derived patterns throughout the spiritual, biological, and astronomical systems suggests that consciousness is not random—it is ordered, cyclical, and governed by hidden laws encoded in numbers. From this perspective, mathematics is more than a scientific tool—it is a sacred code, revealing the unified source from which all spiritual and material

Thus, we may conclude that consciousness has many roots—biological, cosmic, and mystical—each contributing to its depth and complexity. Yet it grows from a single trunk, expressed through the harmony of the number 9, extending into cultures, beliefs, and sciences. The number 9, then, is more than arithmetic; it is a portal to the deepest intelligence of the cosmos, reminding us that everything—from atoms to galaxies to our souls—resonates with a unified, sacred pattern.

Why the Tree Serves as a Metaphor for Consciousness and Truth

As one of nature's most powerful and universal symbols, trees beautifully illustrate consciousness and truth. Like the tree, truth and consciousness arise from unseen, fundamental roots deep within us and the universe. The roots are hidden beneath the surface, but provide nourishment and stability in the depths.

A tree trunk represents the unified core through which diverse roots channel their essence. In the same way, traditions, philosophies, and experiences converge on a unified understanding of being.

From the trunk grow branches, spreading out in many directions—just as truth and consciousness express themselves in countless forms: thoughts, actions, cultures, sciences, and spiritual insights. Yet, despite this diversity, the branches bear the same leaves, flowers, and fruit, symbolizing the shared outcome of growth, realization, and wisdom.

Trees capture the very structure of reality: many origins, one essence, many expressions. That is why it serves as a timeless and living metaphor for exploring and explaining the interconnected nature of truth, consciousness, and divinity.

The Tree of Truth: Nature’s Influence on Intellectual and Spiritual Thought Across Time

Seers, sages, philosophers, and prophets have drawn inspiration from nature throughout history. The tree, in particular, stands as one of the most universally revered symbols, representing life, truth, divine order, and spiritual evolution. Its roots dig deep into the earth, its branches reach upward toward the heavens, and its trunk stands firm as the axis between the two realms. From the ancient Vedic Rishis to the pagan mystics and Christian theologians, nature was never merely a backdrop—it was divine scripture itself, written in wind, water, fire, earth, and sky.

The Sacred Five: Nature’s Building Blocks in Hindu Thought

Hinduism, with its deep spiritual sensitivity to the environment, recognizes the world not as a mechanical construct, but as a living, breathing organism composed of Pancha Mahabhutas, the five elements:

· Prithvi (Earth) – the element of stability and nourishment

· Apas (Water) – the force of flow, emotion, and purification

· Agni (Fire) – the energy of transformation and perception

· Vayu (Air) – the breath of life, motion, and communication

· Akasha (Ether or Space) – the subtle field where all things exist

These five elements were not seen merely as material substances, but as essential principles through which all of creation, including the human body and consciousness, operates. Ancient thinkers correlated these elements to understand not only the physical world but also the metaphysical—the formless origin that gave rise to form. In this way, nature became the mirror through which divinity could be glimpsed.

The Tree in the Bhagavad Gita: A Map of the Cosmos

The aśhvattha tree mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (B.G. 15.1–B.G. 15.4) is not literal, but is a profound allegory of the material world, karma, and the soul’s entanglement in illusion. With roots above, symbolizing its origin in the spiritual realm, and branches below, representing its material extensions nourished by the three gunas (modes of nature: sattva, rajas, and tamas), this tree embodies the cycle of birth, action, and rebirth.

To the seeker of truth, the Gita offers this wisdom: one must sever attachment (moha) and illusion (maya)—the tangled branches of worldly desire—using the “axe of detachment.” Only then can one find the root—the Supreme Being (Purushottama)—from whom all creation flows.

This tree, like all sacred trees in other traditions (Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, the Tree of Life in Kabbalah, and the cross in Christianity), is the interconnectedness of all things. The divine, far from being a distant force, is embedded in every leaf, every breeze, and every flame. To understand the world was to understand the divine.

The Pagan Reverence and the “Knock on the Wood" Ritual

Pagans—those who lived before the formation of organized religions—had an innate respect for the forests, rivers, rocks, and skies. Their gods and goddesses were not abstract beings but manifestations of natural forces. By knocking on wood, one invokes the spirit within the tree, asks for protection, invokes presence, and aligns oneself with nature.

This ancient rite still echoes today, albeit in secular form, as a subconscious nod to our ancestral understanding of nature’s sentient powers. When someone says “knock on the wood" after voicing hope, they are unknowingly continuing a spiritual practice born from reverence for the natural world.

Even in Christianity, the wooden cross becomes a transformative tree, connecting suffering with salvation, materiality with the eternal. The cross, like the aśhvattha tree, becomes the site of transcendence.

Mushrooms, Plants, and Terraforming: Nature as a Divine Process

Science tells us that fungi and plants were the first organisms to terraform Earth, creating breathable air, stable soil, and a life-supporting ecosystem. But for ancient thinkers, this was more than biological—it was divine orchestration. A cosmic intelligence flows through leaf veins, beneath the ground, and shapes forests silently.

Simple observations of fire being stored and sunlight released by burning wood came as evidence of an interconnected truth. Nothing is separate; all three elements, the Gunas and the divine will, are interwoven. Life was not built by random chance but guided by a universal rhythm—a cosmic intelligence that could be felt in the rising sun, the flowing rivers, or the rustling of leaves.

The Tree of Truth: A Universal Metaphor

Truth, like a tree, has many roots—cultural, philosophical, mystical—but it grows from a single divine seed. Each tradition offers a branch, a perspective, a song of understanding. Vedic sages meditated under trees, Buddha attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree, pagans worshipped in sacred groves, and Christian saints often retreated to forests for contemplation.

This shared symbol reminds us: all wisdom traditions, despite their differences, spring from the same soil of spiritual inquiry, nourished by the same divine rain.

By honouring the natural world—not just as a resource but as a revelation, intellectual and spiritual thinkers found a pathway to the divine. They did not worship the tree as an idol, but as a living symbol of cosmic unity. In silence, they heard the Creator's voice. Its branches reveal the universe's structure. At their roots, they recognized the interconnectedness of all beings.

Endnote: From Observation to Illumination

Nature has always been the original scripture—a sacred manuscript inscribed in the language of light, air, water, fire, and space. The sages of old did not study nature; they engaged in a living dialogue with it. They perceived divinity inside and mystery beyond each element.

The tree is more than a biological being; it is a spiritual symbol—a timeless archetype. There is only one source of truth, despite its many manifestations. As long as we walk on this earth, revering nature is to revere the divine that dwells within and surrounds us. The sacred still whispers through the woods. Are we listening?

The science of trees reveals a profound truth: nature’s dualities—light and dark, push and pull, positive and negative—are not contradictions, but cooperative forces driving toward unity. Just as roots seek gravity and branches reach for light, consciousness, too, strives for oneness through apparent division. This dance of opposites contains the silent code of creation, where energy, balance, and being unite to reveal a single truth: all is one. The tree reminds us that consciousness is not a by-product of nature; it is nature's goal.

Consciousness: Duality and non-duality in nature and the cosmos

All entities are conscious. To understand cosmic truth, consider the universe's five realms: Space, which encompasses matter and energy, unfolds in a time-varying structure, beginning with a singularity. When we replace singularity with awareness, we realize that the only true, finite reality is connected to everything else in the universe: consciousness or "chit" as described in ancient Vedic literature.

The universe is atomically organized, with electrons, neutrons, and protons creating atoms. Quarks and leptons, the elementary particles that comprise protons and neutrons, are fundamental to matter, being entirely made up of energy with no constituent parts. Quarks and leptons are energetic particles that move and oscillate. They exist in a quantum vacuum of energy.

This energy, consisting of electromagnetic fluctuations that fill space, shapes our reality and underlies all mass and forces. At the core of all atoms and everything in the universe lies pure energy, devoid of material substance, forming us into energy vortices. The universe is composed of energy, reflecting its complexity. The electromagnetic spectrum is a range of frequencies that combine with electrons and protons, and at this level, everything behaves like waves.

This understanding reveals that people are more than just physical beings; we are spiritual entities, and our creator is an energy-vibrating field. The fundamental core of an atom represents everything in our universe, and there is no material; it's just pure energy or energy vortices. You and I are the same energy as everything else in the cosmos, connected and eternal.

 The science of phototropism and gravitationalism

Positive gravitotropism (growing toward gravity) and negative phototropism (growing away from light) are fascinating examples of duality in nature. The fundamental characteristic of the manifest universe is that opposing forces interact and balance each other to achieve a common goal, in this case

Dualistic tendencies in trees drive growth and progress. Car batteries require both positive and negative terminals to generate energy. This duality reflects the tree's innate essence, which aspires to singularity or unity (represented by the flat battery).

In the realm of non-duality, this singularity is the ultimate reality, beyond apparent distinctions and contradictions. Trees reflect the interconnectedness of all life as they grow and develop. Duality is a manifestation of this non-dual reality, reminding us that opposing forces are intricately linked and interdependent.

In this view, the tree's negative phototropism and positive gravitropism are complementary parts of its growth, expressing life's essential unity and non-duality.

Non-duality

To exist, creation inherently seeks singularity even though duality is fundamental. Science has described the singularity, in the context of black holes, but it remains an elusive and imaginary concept. Atoms are neutral, with both positive and negative charges.

This singularity is a profound and crucial aspect of our universe. It implies that all particles, including atoms and molecules, are indistinguishable and interchangeable. In the natural world, we observe predictable behaviour and order because every molecule of water is identical.

The scientific analogy of positively and negatively polarized particles working together to perform specific functions underlies all creation. Carbon and hydrogen atoms contain the same number of electrons and protons, resulting in electrical neutrality.

All living and non-living entities in the universe, like batteries, require regular charging to function properly. Universes are dualistic, containing positive and negative forces that interact and coexist. Charges are maintained proportionally through an inherent mechanism.

Science analyses the universe under unchanging conditions, but quantum science reveals its ever-changing nature. This dynamic environment mirrors consciousness, constantly seeking oneness. Consciousness is the ultimate singularity that drives all existence.

The tree is a conscious entity

A small pine tree growing in a glass box reveals a delicate web of white, finely branched mycorrhizal threads—known as mycelium—clinging to its roots and drawing nourishment from the plant.

These mycorrhizal fungi develop symbiotic associations with plants, allowing them to collect water and nutrients from the soil in exchange for sugars and other chemicals.

Throughout ecosystems, this underground network is vital to plant growth and health. 

Why consciousness?

Many Vedanta and Upanishad writers have a single idea, awareness. This singularity was the result of mental reasoning and yoga practices. It was known as CHIT and had a universal stimulus. Consciousness, rooted in the concept of "chit," refers to the awareness of one’s thoughts, memories, emotions, sensations, and surroundings.

Consciousness is the singularity or non-duality that exists. It is energy that exists, also known as the soul (Atman). Consciousness is not a contained entity; rather, it is an energy-vibrating field that connects everything. Creator seeks singularity, the ultimate reality of all existence.

In this regard, consciousness is not a by-product of the physical brain or body, but rather the same fabric that gives rise to all experience. The universe and all of its events are manifestations of unmanifest, unlimited potential. "Chit" (consciousness) is the ultimate reality, the essence that drives all existence and the source of creation.

The conclusion is that God does not exist. It's an illusion. The soul (Atman) is a pervasive stimulant. Finding a singularity is the Creator's work. In Sanatan Dharma, the total energy in the universe is Paramatma, or the super soul. Consciousness permeates everything, even though nothing is contained within it.