As part of our Insider ConnectIONS offerings this Spring, we conducted two surveys to help us better understand our constituents’ perspectives on how the field of noetic sciences is expanding in the world, what elements of the noetic experience are most important, and how people are talking about consciousness in their lives. We are excited to share some of these perspectives with you!
On this page:
- The Importance of Inquiry on Interconnected Consciousness
- “Consciousness” Conversations – Who Is Having Them?
- A Multi-Generational Exploration
The Importance of Inquiry on Interconnected Consciousness
We asked: As we continue to explore questions about the interconnected nature of consciousness, in your opinion what are the most important ramifications of this inquiry?
The answer people designated as the “most crucial” was: People will wake up to our interconnection and start working together.
Given the state of global turmoil we seem find ourselves in these days, that this concern was top of the responses makes sense. One respondent stated:
“Collective consciousness is paramount for communities to progress in values and create change to improve the community future.”
Never before in the history of humanity have we had so many diverse yet widespread paradigms with which to contend. And yet the scientific evidence continues to mount: we are indeed connected at intrinsic levels, and some people are feeling this connection deeply:
“With our country in such upheaval I feel more connected to countless, faceless strangers that I know are sharing the same strong emotions…and it’s comforting somehow! I wonder if others are feeling this too?”
Survey respondents stated over-and-over again the need to not only recognize our interconnectedness, but to deeply integrate our experience of it and and use this to ignite change that fosters a thriving and just world.
“To me,the most important ramifications of the inquiry into the interconnected nature of consciousness are in the realm of ethics. How shall we behave, knowing that every thought, every word, every intention, affects the whole? What does it mean to live an ethical life in today’s world?”
Another respondent shared:
“To me it is about evolving humanity to the next level — one that is aware of our connectivity to each other but also links us to the spiritual – God, source, love. Acts of conscious and compassion can become game changing, causing shift to occur as energy aligns. i am not an expert but feel this wisdom deeply.”
We might quibble with one aspect of this comment: we feel we are all—each and every one of us—experts in this domain. It is the acknowledgement and awareness of this deep wisdom that makes us so.
“Consciousness” Conversations – Who Is Having Them?
We were also curious with whom people share their viewpoints on the topic of consciousness.
Most people (nearly 70%) said they talk with a small circle of friends, with family members and life partners coming in second (around 48% each). We were inspired to see that 11% of our respondents were happy to converse with just about anyone, and are comfortable chatting with strangers at the lunch counter about our connections in consciousness.
Yet nearly 1 in 11 respondents said they’d love to have someone to talk to, but don’t currently have that opportunity. As an organization dedicated to engaging a global community in the realization of our human potential, IONS provides a variety of ways people can connect with the noetically inclined, including:
- Our active Facebook page
- IONS Community Groups that meet in person around the globe
- Our bi-annual Conference (which takes place this July in Oakland, CA)
We hope that if you are the 1 of 11 (or if you just want to expand your circle of like-minded souls), you will check out one or more of these options.
A Multi-Generational Exploration
We wrapped up our surveys with an option to let us know into which generation you were born. IONS was founded 44 years ago by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and many of our original members are still with us today, so it’s no surprise that 80% of our respondents are Baby Boomers or older (born before 1964).
While the respondents to this survey are not necessarily representative of our full constituent base, it’s crucial that we also count the younger generations amongst our compatriots to ensure that the field of noetic sciences continue to foster global change. In the past two years we have been actively connecting with young people, primarily through our NextGen Initiative which brings awareness of and engagement with the noetic sciences by supporting emerging scholars and explorers.
Last year we hosted a 11-episode webinar series specifically for this demographic, and are delighted to see that 20% of survey respondents belong to Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z.
If YOU are a part of the Next Generation, or you know young people that might be interested in this work, here are some ways to get involved.
- Our bi-annual Conference (which takes place this July in Oakland, CA), which features the following NextGen elements:
- Apply for an Internship
- Start a Consciousness Club or Community Group
- Sign up for our email list to get alerts on our next webinar series
Thank you!
We are so grateful to the many hundreds of people who took the time to share their insights with us. We look forward to continuing this conversation!
