Beyond Mindfulness – How Mindedness Reconnects Us to Meaning

Mindfulness, as it’s often practiced in the West, is a simplified version of ancient spiritual traditions like Buddhism. While undeniably effective for stress reduction, its widespread adoption has often come at the cost of its spiritual roots. John Vervaeke, a cognitive scientist and philosopher, highlights this disconnect with the concept of religio—the sense of deep connectedness to oneself, others, and the universe.

Modern mindfulness focuses on self-regulation, encouraging individuals to “stay in the moment.” However, this pragmatic approach lacks the transformative power to answer profound existential questions, such as:

• Who am I beyond my immediate experience?
• How do I fit into the larger fabric of existence?
• What is the purpose of my suffering and growth?

In a society increasingly marked by disconnection and fragmentation, mindfulness alone often fails to bridge the gap between the personal and the universal.

Introducing Mindedness: A New Path to Meaning

Mindedness, as conceptualized within the Meta Emanation Theory 2.3 (MET2.3), goes beyond mindfulness. It seeks to restore religio by fostering a deep sense of connectedness and resonance with oneself, others, and the cosmos. This is not just about coping with life’s challenges but about transforming how we experience and engage with reality.

Where mindfulness focuses on regulating thoughts and emotions, mindedness integrates them into a larger, interconnected  Mind, Body and Soul framework, addressing the meaning crisis at its roots.

Why Mindedness is More than Mindfulness

1. Restoring Connection Through Religio

Mindedness acknowledges that human beings are relational at their core. Instead of isolating practices to the individual, it emphasizes:

• Connection to others: Cultivating relationships that reflect deeper archetypal and spiritual patterns.
• Connection to the cosmos: Aligning personal rhythms with universal cycles and principles.

This restoration of religio transforms the individual from a self-contained entity to an integrated part of a larger, meaningful whole.

2. From Stress Management to Transformation

Mindfulness excels at helping individuals manage stress, but mindedness goes further. By focusing on resonance and integration, mindedness facilitates:

• Narrative transformation: Rewriting personal stories to reflect universal truths and align with archetypal patterns.
• Transcendence of the self: Moving beyond ego-centered existence to experience unity with the world.

3. Incorporating Spiritual Resonance

Central to mindedness is the concept of energetic resonance centers (often called chakras in Eastern traditions). These centers connect the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of human experience, aligning individuals with universal rhythms through practices such as:

• Deep reflection on personal and cosmic patterns.
• Exercises that harmonize energy centers with magnetic field lines, grounding the individual in a larger reality.

How Mindedness Addresses the Meaning Crisis

John Vervaeke describes the meaning crisis as a modern plague of disconnection and disintegration. Without religio, we lose our sense of being embedded in something greater than ourselves. Mindedness offers a path out of this crisis by:

• Reconnecting the individual with universal principles: Through archetypal and cosmic patterns, individuals rediscover their place in the grand narrative of existence.

• Healing fragmentation through integration: Mindedness bridges the gap between science and spirituality, self and other, individual and collective.

Unlike mindfulness, which often isolates individuals in the “present moment,” mindedness invites them to situate their present within a continuum of meaning and connection.

Practical Steps to Cultivate Mindedness

If mindfulness is a stepping stone, mindedness is the bridge to a more meaningful life. Here’s how you can begin:

1. Align with Cosmic Patterns

Observe natural cycles—daily, seasonal, or cosmic—and reflect on how they mirror inner transformations.

 2. Resonate with Energy Centers

Engage in practices that align your energetic resonance centers with natural and cosmic rhythms, such as:

• Body-orientated therapy like osteopathy and somatic IFS, to focus on resonance and alignment.
• Reflecting on the interplay between emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

3. Practice Narrative Reflection

• Explore your life’s story through a broader lens. Ask yourself:
• How do my personal challenges mirror universal archetypes?
• What patterns repeat in my relationships and actions?

4. Engage in Collective Rituals

Move beyond individual practices to participate in community rituals that celebrate shared meaning and connection

Conclusion: A Call to Revolution

Mindedness is not just a technique; it is a revolution in how we approach life, meaning, and connection. By restoring religio and embracing resonance, it offers a profound alternative to the fragmented, reductionist worldview that dominates modern life.

The time has come to move beyond mindfulness. It’s time to embrace mindedness—not just for personal growth, but for the healing of our collective soul.

 

Key References from John Vervaeke’s Work

John Vervaeke Professor at the University of Toronto, has extensively explored the contemporary “meaning crisis”—a pervasive sense of disconnection and lack of purpose affecting many in modern society. His work delves into the historical, cognitive, and cultural factors contributing to this crisis, emphasizing the importance of “religio,” or the deep sense of connectedness to oneself, others, and the world.

1. “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis: Part One: Origins” NEW BOOK (2024!) by John Vervaeke (Author), Christopher Mastropietro

   • After I’ve seen his comprehensive 50-part study series this is still one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. Vervaeke traces the evolution of human cognition and culture, examining how historical developments have led to the current meaning crisis we are in. He discusses the role of wisdom traditions,  the watered down spirituality in the West and the cultivation of meaning in addressing this crisis.

2. Concept of “Religio” (in Hellenistic meaning):

   • Vervaeke introduces “Religio” as the fundamental sense of connectedness that underlies meaningful experience. He argues that the erosion of practices and communities that foster religio has contributed significantly to the meaning crisis.

3. Integration of Cognitive Science and Spirituality:

   • Vervaeke’s work often bridges cognitive science with spiritual practices, exploring how ancient wisdom can inform modern understandings of the mind and meaning. He emphasizes the relevance of practices that enhance religio in cultivating a sense of purpose and connection.

Recent Scientific Literature on the Meaning Crisis (2023-2024):

1. “Global Polycrisis: The Causal Mechanisms of Crisis Entanglement” (2023):

   • This paper discusses the interconnected nature of global crises, including environmental, social, and psychological dimensions. It highlights how overlapping crises exacerbate feelings of uncertainty and meaninglessness, contributing to the broader meaning crisis.
     Cambridge University Press

2. “The 2023 State of the Climate Report: Entering Uncharted Territory” (2023):

   • This report outlines the unprecedented changes in global climate patterns and their implications. The escalating environmental crisis is linked to existential anxiety and a deepening sense of disconnection from the natural world, elements central to the meaning crisis.
     Oxford Academic

3. “World Scientists’ Warning: The Behavioural Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot” (2023):

   • This paper explores how human behaviors contribute to ecological crises and how these, in turn, reflect a deeper behavioral crisis. It underscores the need for a transformative shift in human consciousness to address the root causes of the meaning crisis.
     MAHB