The prime characteristic of cosmic consciousness is, as its name implies, a consciousness of the cosmos, that is, of the life and order of the universe . . .
Along with the consciousness of the cosmos there occurs an intellectual enlightenment or illumination which
alone would place the individual on a new plane of existence – would make him almost a member of a new species.To this is added a state of moral exaltation, an indescribable feeling of elevation, elation, and joyousness, and a quickening of the moral sense, which is fully as striking and more important both to the individual and to the race than is the enhanced intellectual power.
With these come, what may be called, a sense of immortality, a consciousness of eternal life, not a conviction that he shall have this, but the consciousness
that he has it already.Only a personal experience of it, or a prolonged study of men who have passed into the new life, will enable us to realize what this actually is . . .
The view [ that the philosopher ] takes is that our descendants will sooner or later reach, as a race, the condition of cosmic consciousness, just as, long ago, our ancestors passed from simple to self-consciousness. . . .
He believes that this step in evolution is even now being made, since it is clear to him both that men with the faculty in question are becoming more and more common and also that as a race we are approaching nearer and nearer to that stage of the self conscious mind from which the transition to the cosmic conscious is effected.
He realizes that, granted the necessary heredity, any individual not already beyond the age may enter cosmic
consciousness.He knows that intelligent contact with cosmic conscious minds assists self conscious individuals in the ascent to
the higher plane.He therefore hopes, by bringing about, or at least facilitating this contact, to aid men and women in making the almost infinitely important step in question.
We’ve seen this before:
All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is the ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the overman: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment…
Since we invented fire, evolution has been in our hands.
It starts with us behaving as more evolved beings.
Then, we move forward…