Born in 1837, Richard Maurice Bucke immigrated with his family to London, Ontario, Canada when he was one year old. At 21, he enrolled in McGill University Medical School, later moving on to specialize in psychiatry. In 1877, Bucke was appointed head of the Provincial Asylum for the Insane in London, Ontario.
At 36, Bucke had a sudden enlightening experience that changed his understanding of himself, the world and consciousness. Years later, he understood the true meaning of this experience—that it was not a form of mental aberration, but a sign of the emergence of a new, evolving cosmic mind. In his book, Cosmic Consciousness: A Study of the Evolution of the Human Mind (New Jersey, The University Book, Inc: 1982), he presents a theory that explains the evolution of the human mind from simple to self consciousness and finally to cosmic consciousness.
Simple Consciousness and Self Consciousness
Simple consciousness is defined as an awareness of the self in the world without recognizing that it is apart from the world. According to Bucke, the lack of language in animals is evidence that they are capable only of simple consciousness. While animals may be highly prescient, they have not shown evidence of metacognition—the ability to stand back and reflect on not only the world around them but on their own mental processes as well. This awareness of self existing in a world that is apart from it (63) places the human mind within the context of self-consciousness. Metacognition and language are evidence of a distinctively human mind that allows man to develop a moral sense, a musical sense and an eventual cosmic sense. From self-consciousness, man is poised for the next evolutionary leap to cosmic consciousness.
Cosmic Consciousness
The passage from self consciousness to cosmic consciousness has several characteristics:
1) an experience of subjective light and elation; some call it “ecstasy”;
2) intellectual stimulation: man has a clear conception that the universe is a living presence whose foundations are love and wholeness;
3) the sense of immortality;
4) loss of the fear of death and sense of sin;
5) a sense of sudden and instantaneous awakening; many describe the experience as a dazzling flash of lightning in the dark, illuminating the landscape;
6) transfiguration in the person who experiences cosmic consciousness; Bucke claims that a marked and pronounced change takes place in the person’s appearance;
7) the transfigured self has much greater capacity to learn and initiate action.
Examples of those who have experienced cosmic consciousness include Gautama Buddha, Christ, Plotinus, Dante, Francis Bacon, William Blake and Walt Whitman, to name a few of Bucke’s chosen pantheon.
Bucke’s discussion of cosmic consciousness is relevant today within the context of the imminent Planetary Ascension Year—2012. The idea of the return of the Golden Age, when cosmic consciousness becomes universal has been widely circulated by the spiritual traditions of ancient civilizations. The Mayans, for example, have developed an intricate map of man’s evolution from cellular matter to cosmic transformation. They have calculated a precise schedule for the emergence of this change, projected to occur during the period between February 11 2011 and October 28 2011. Emergence of this level of consciousness will result in a holistic citizenship of the universe.
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