•

For people who do
not believe in or
experience what could be understood as 'god':
Replace the word 'god'
with 'consciousness' or
any other word that
for you could describe a
sense of the mysterious.

"The most beautiful
thing we can experience is
the mysterious. It is the
source of all true art
and all science. He to
whom this emotion is
a stranger, who can
no longer pause to
wonder and stand rapt
in awe, is as good as
dead: his eyes are closed."
Albert Einstein.

THE OUROBOIC FEED BACK LOOP
              When Consciousness Wakes up in Its Own Space

God is a fountain flowing into itself
St Dionysius

'Who has prepared this evening meal? asks the seeker.
A man, responds the sage.
Dost know his name? asks the seeker.
Not I. His name is not spoken.
He is more silence than speech.
He is above name.
What food has he prepared for this feast?
Himself, no less than himself, says Meister Eckhart.

The moral is that those who live the life of
the five senses never taste this food.'
Meister Eckhart

In the previous chapter, 'Atman, Job & the Son of Shame,' I proposed that within human consciousness lies the potential for profound self-awareness—a state in which consciousness directly mirrors itself through experiencing its own act of perception.

Nietzsche famously stated: "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you," and further cautioned, "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster." Nietzsche expressed deep caution toward intensive inner engagement. However, from the viewpoint of meditation, seeing a monster in the mirror is simply the ego’s perception when confronted with its own existential darkness and nihilism.
 
A mirror is a perfect metaphor for consciousness. Consider a mirror reflecting the objects placed before it: this illustrates the default mode of human consciousness, through which we perceive and become aware of the external world. Now imagine a mirror positioned directly opposite another mirror, creating a simple recursive loop. In this initial state of awakening, we experience our first fall from innocent, paradisiacal grace—the shock of shameful self-awareness, as we face the ego-monster we ourselves have become. Finally, envision two mirrors infinitely reflecting each other, forming an endless regression. Here, the shores of paradise reappear in a transformed state, where egos and monsters dissolve into a glorious void.

When the Void Spirals into the Void
Meister Eckhart states:

'When the spirit turns from all things
 becoming into the not-becoming....
  
Then the void shines into void.'

Although Meister Eckhart rarely employs the explicit term "consciousness," he beautifully captures this phenomenon with the metaphor of "void shining into void." He further illustrates this intimate reflexivity by stating:

'What the eye through which I see God is the same eye
through which God sees me.'

The Meister does not perceive monsters in the mirror; he sees God.
  
In this chapter, we adopt a broad, intuitive, and philosophical perspective to more deeply explore this qualitatively distinct state. The transformative phenomenon discussed here occurs when consciousness transcends its initial two stages—awareness of external things and basic self-awareness—to enter an advanced state of heightened self-referential perception. At this profound level, consciousness becomes aware of being aware of its own awareness, endlessly cycling through a self-amplifying feedback loop. In this process conscousness discovers infinity.

THE OUROBOROS SNAKE
The illustration below depicts Quetzalcoatl, the spiraling, self-devouring snake-god of the Aztecs.

This Aztec deity holds profound meanings deeply embedded within its cultural context, perhaps more distant from our own culture than anything imaginable. Nevertheless, there appear to be universal themes that resonate across diverse traditions, bridging gaps of time and geography. The Ouroboros—the serpent biting its own tail is not an Aztecian invention. It is one of humanity's oldest and most universally recognized symbols. Carl Gustav Jung interpreted it as an archetypal mandala, representing wholeness and infinity.
   
Inspired by this ancient symbol, I will henceforth refer to the self-reflective feedback infinity-state of consciousness as 'Ouroboros'. By uniting opposite poles in a single unbroken ring, the Ouroboros suggests that our awareness can similarly curve back upon itself. The self becomes both observer and observed, creating an intensified state of perception. Rather than moving in a neat straight line, consciousness begins to spiral inward, indefinitely looping through its own act of knowing.

The 'Kundalini'
This cyclical understanding of time resonates with ancient Indian philosophy, mirroring the continuous interplay between Brahma's creation, Shiva's destruction, and Vishnu's careful preservation of balance. The illustration below reflects this symbolism within Indian yogic practice. Here, the Ouroboros manifests as the 'kundalini serpent,' lying dormant and coiled at the base of the spine until awakened through the yogic introspection of consciously directed awareness. To Indians, Kundalini represents the primal life force inherent in humanity. Typically latent within an individual, this energy becomes activated through the heat generated by yogic practices, much like a reptile stirring to life with the morning's first rays of sunlight.

Expressed in terms of ouroboros, the awakening kundalini serpent consumes itself, initiating a self-sustaining loop of profound inner transformation. This state transcends conventional linear perception, existing without an identifiable beginning or end, thereby embodying an infinite and paradoxical cycle.

Furthermore, the serpent imagery discussed here highlights the energetic dimension inherent in this loop. The yogi depicted sitting amidst flames symbolizes the intense energy necessary for spiritual transformation. In this context, the serpent represents the reawakening of humanity’s primal bio-energetic systems, as explored in the chapter 'Consiousnes & Evolution.' The reptilian imagery powerfully conveys the immense autonomous and archaic force that drives this transformative process.

From Cycle to Spiral
There are many take aways on multiple levels embedded in the self-referentiality in this snake symbol. Let us unfold these with an offset in T.S. Eliot's profound lines:

'We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started and know the place for the first time.'

At its core, the Ouroboros is far more than a serpent devouring its own tail—it is a timeless emblem of cyclical existence, regeneration, and self-reflection. The symbol vividly captures how endings and beginnings fold into one another, hinting that every conclusion simultaneously seeds a new start. In this sense, life and death, creation and destruction, perpetually feed into each other in a self-sustaining loop. This mirrors T.S. Eliot’s notion of returning to our point of origin to see it, at last, with fresh eyes.

For ancient Eastern cultures, the snake chasing its own tail formed a wheel, reminiscent of the Buddhist Wheel of Dharma. The cyclical Indian ages—such as the Sattva and Kali Yugas—repeated themselves endlessly, and the Persian Phoenix continually rose from its own ashes, not reborn as something new but as a replica of itself. In contrast, within the increasingly restless and dynamic context of the Western worldview, the self-devouring snake assumes the form of a spiral, ascending or descending. Incidentally, this sense of dynamism in Western thought was partly inherited from Middle Eastern Sufism, though we shall leave that trail unexplored for now. In this spiral-shaped reality, as C.G. Jung emphasizes, we encounter our internal challenges externally, as manifestations of destiny, until we overcome them through the process he called individuation.  Each cycle reveals new layers of understanding, echoing Eliot’s insight that true exploration inevitably leads us home—but home itself is newly discovered in the process.

Thus, humanity transforms life's eternal cyclical repetition into a spiral pathway toward knowledge and enlightenment. Here, we become something genuinely new each time we symbolically die and are reborn. In fact, this is simply what happens everytime we learn from mistakes instead of repeating them.

Mester Eckhart's Spiritual Autophagy
While Meister Eckhart does not directly employ snake imagery, meaningful connections between Western and Eastern mystical traditions inevitably arise. Such parallels anchor my continuous exploration and quest for spiritual unity.

The Ouroboros state of consciousness emerges when the serpent begins to feed upon itself, symbolizing a form of mental autophagy. As Meister Eckhart eloquently puts it, man, in his search for god, becomes his own meal:

'What food has he prepared for this feast?
Himself, no less than himself, says Meister Eckhart.'

Meister Eckhart’s concept of spiritual autophagy—where the soul metaphorically consumes itself—beautifully captures the essence of a self-referential feedback loop. In meditation, consciousness similarly directs its awareness inward, feeding upon its own sensory or perceptual signals. Just as Eckhart’s soul finds sustenance within itself, meditative awareness intensifies through looping back into its own perception, continuously amplifying self-awareness into deeper spiritual insight.
 
Here the soul is engaging in self-reflection to the extent that it becomes its own nourishment. In meditation we enter a self referential state where we to a lesser degree are dependent on outer stimuli. Instead we get high on our own supply.
As the Meister puts it: 'The moral is that those who live the life of the five senses never taste this food.'
    
When consciousness turns inward, 'away from all things,' it engages through the senses in a sustained, self-reflective loop, feeding on its owen signal, enabling a profoundly deeper endless mirroring of itself. This conscious loop, in which 'the void shines into void,' has the potential to initiate an exponential and infinite expansion. As illustrated below, when an observer—represented metaphorically by a camera—is redirected from external objects toward itself, it activates an infinite feedback loop.

HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS IN A REENFORCED FEED BACK LOOP
It gives meaning to read the following quote from William Blake as a sense feed back happening only when our five doors of perception are 'cleansed' in such a way that the feed back enables an infinity function:

"If the doors of perception were cleansed,
everything would appear to man as it is: infinite."
William Blake

In this context I suggest to understand Blake's notion of 'cleaning' as a process where the sense apparatus is transformed from its ordinary 'dull' state into its original state of vigilent wonder in which we experienced the world as children.

In the most advanced and complex system known to us—the human brain—there exists a remarkable, yet dormant potential for self-referentiality through all five sensory gates. While, scientifically speaking, sensory experiences generally do not directly perceive themselves, this dynamic dramatically shifts during deep meditation or psychedelic experiences.
   
Just as 'a rose is a rose is a rose,' in these self-reflective states, our sense of smell can become aware of itself, our feelings can directly experience their own essence, taste can savor its own intrinsic quality, sounds can in the form of thoughts reverberate as echoes within the mind, and sight, as illustrated above, can gaze back upon itself. Moreover, this heightened state can even facilitate self-referential interactions between senses, giving rise to synesthesia—where smells can be heard, or light can be tasted.

The Synaptic Dance of the Ouroboros
In the context of neurochemistry, the ancient symbol of Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail, represents the continuous feedback loop of signaling chemicals in the brain. When we meditate, we can experience a range of feelings from relaxation to ecstasy, which can be explained by the feed back activation of the brain's signaling chemical circuits. In this sense, life's purpose could be seen as the pursuit of a cocktail bar of signaling substances, each with its own unique effect, such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA, acetycholine, DMT, and many others. With up to 200 different chemical neurotransmitters keeping the party of life going, the possibilities are endless.

Light and Sound
Drawing from the Radhasoami movement's philosophy, we will begin by exploring sound and light as transformative mediums for self-amplifying spiritual feedback mechanisms. Here, we are not referring to external sensory inputs but to deliberately cultivated inner experiences—perceptual phenomena or 'hallucinations'—that reside within the subjective realms of consciousness.

AUDITORY FEEDBACK: The Human Sensory PA System
An illustrative example of introverted attention within a singular auditive based feedback loop can be likened to a microphone connected to an amplifier and pointed back at itself. While the brain of course is far more complex as a simple sound system setup, the analogy stil holds as a strong pointer towards the phenomenon of Ouroboic feedback.
 
Typically, when a microphone captures external sounds—such as a singer’s voice—the system functions as intended. However, if a sensitive microphone is placed too close to the speaker it’s connected to, a loud, explosive feedback howl emerges.

In the video below you can se how such a feed back actually works and how stage engeneers are setting it up to prevent it:

Unlike the nearly instantaneous feedback of electronic amplification systems, the human nervous system experiences a longer latency. To mimic this human sensory delay, I created the sound loop below in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), incorporating approximately one second of delay.

 
Click for an example of a singular
feedback-generated sound loop.

Creating a feedback loop between a microphone and speaker requires three key components that mirror a meditative feedback loop:
 
Microphone Placement
The microphone must be positioned near or pointed toward the speaker. In the same way, we need to draw closer to ourselves, directing our attention inward and shutting out external distractions.

Input Sensitivity
The amplifier’s input sensitivity must be turned up. Similarly, our senses should be heightened and attuned. Achieving this deeper inner sensitivity requires intimate and vulnerable honesty with ourselves.

Output Volume
Turning up the amplifier’s output volume can lead to a feedback loop. This higher power output parallels the energetic capacity of a strong, healthy individual. When we have surplus physical energy—an abundance of actively firing neurons—we may experience various states of flow, even during external activities like running or dancing.
 
Within this spectrum, there are essentially two meditative extremes: one pole includes sensitive, introverted individuals, and the other consists of those with abundant, outgoing energy. The singularity of sound feeding back into its own output radically alters the normal function of the system. As a form of sensory bio-feedback, we operate in a manner similar to this self-oscillation process.
 
In fact, a professional PA system is engineered to avoid feedback. Even professional stage microphones are designed with a certain dullness to subtler, weaker sounds, preventing feedback at its source.

Evolution has likely built a similar preventive mechanism into our senses, keeping us from lapsing into a “stand and stare” mode when we need to remain active—for example, while hunting for calories.
  
A microphone-PA feedback loop can be damaging to the ears. It is most likely the latency that enables the human nervous system to handle such feedback, making it less disruptive. Even so, a spiritual feedback—often referred to as a kundalini awakening—can still be overwhelming and in rare cases even damaging. It is no childs play for conscious awareness to go into feed back with itself through the human brain.
 
In this way, meditation can be likened to conscious awareness listening to itself. Now, what happens when consciousness is seeing itself?

Thoughts as Sounds
Even the thinking mind can be guided into a self-referential loop. Repetition of a mantra—whether silently or aloud—engages the meditator in sound-based meditation. Fundamentally, thoughts are auditory phenomena. They are soundwaves assigned with meaning. In continuous repetition, the cognitive meaning within thoughts fades, leaving only the pure sound itself. Techniques such as the initial inquiry of "Who am I?" similarly leverage thought-based meditation practices to dissolve cognitive structures. According to the wise ancient Indians creation at its core is the eternal hum of 'OM'.
  
VISUAL FEEDBACK
A similar feedback loop can be observed when a camera is pointing at itself through a monitor screen.

A similar feedback loop occurs when a camera is pointed at its own monitor screen. In the video clip below, you can see a dynamic version of an accelerating, introspective loop created simply by aiming a handheld camera at the TV to which it’s connected. The fractal, kaleidoscopic patterns arise because the camera continuously amplifies its own signal. Tiny camera movements cause unpredictable, ever-shifting visuals, all moving toward a fractal infinity function.

Isn't it intriguing how a simple act—pointing a camera at itself—can produce such surprising and intricate phenomena? As demonstrated in the video, the visual feedback can strikingly resemble experiences people describe under the influence of psychedelics. While many online explanations attribute these effects to factors such as the pineal gland, I suggest a simpler interpretation, guided by Occam’s razor: psychedelic substances relax or remove the brain's typical sensory filters, allowing all incoming signals, now amplified and unfiltered, to flood consciousness. This generates a distinct feedback loop. In the image below, you can clearly see the remarkable similarity between the Buddha generated through video feedback and traditional Himalayan sculptural depictions:

Gold Buddhist statue of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin)
Lalitpur, Patan, Kathmandu, Nepal

THE SKIN: Self-Referential Amplification Through Sensation
The mirror and the microphone offer illustrative examples of feedback loops involving light and sound.
 
However, in the human body, the primal awareness of inner sensations, feelings, and emotions is typically the first sensing to become activated during introspection. Once you close your eyes, an immediate and automatic rise of abstract, sense-based awareness occurs within the body. Amplification of bodily sensations is often the initial step into meditative self-referential space.

Skin sensation serves as a foundational example of primal meditation precisely because it exemplifies how bodily awareness initiates the feedback loop at the most basic sensory level. When consciousness directs attention inward toward these subtle sensations, it triggers a self-amplifying loop where sensation feeds back into awareness, intensifying perception. This demonstrates how even simple bodily sensations can catalyze profound states of meditative self-awareness.
  
Generally, introspective self-referentiality begins with closely observing bodily sensations. From there, it may extend through any or all of the five sensory pathways. Common meditative experiences include hearing internal sounds or seeing visual phenomena. Even the senses of taste and smell, though less frequently activated, can become prominent. For instance, Indian Sufis have developed meditations focused on experiencing various flower fragrances.
 
An Indian Master of Meditation in Hoshiarpur in 1995 shared with me that his groundbreaking enlightenment experience began with a simple itching sensation on the crown of his head. As he sat before an enlightened master, gazing at him, the sensation intensified until it completely engulfed him, causing him to lose all sense of time, space, and physical boundaries. The Station Master, another spiritual being from another lineage pointed out to me the obsvious secret that, in fact, our skin sensation is the most fundamental, yet unconscious, foundation in meditation.

Psychedelics and sense-feedback 
Interestingly, people who use entheogenic substances often report profound experiences of eternity and divinity. This is because these substances increase the sensitivity of the brain's five input circuits, resulting in an explosion of a multitude of self-referential feedback loops. The similarities between meditative and psychedelic experiences is rooted in the world of feedback interfaces. In both cases, sensory impressions are intensified to the point that a singular feedback loop is inevitable, leading to visions and experiences beyond the ordinary. 

THE GRAND ATRACTOR: The Black Hole in the Soul
What have we discovered so far? When consciousness, in a reinforced loop, begins to chase its own tail, wakefulness intensifies dramatically. This extraordinary event, to my knowledge, uniquely unfolds within the human brain. It signifies the emergence of Ouroboros consciousness. Like consciousness itself, this phenomenon defies conventional scientific frameworks, refusing to be confined neatly within a Cochrane test tube, yet beautifully revealing itself through a poem crafted by Occam's Razor dipped in ink.

Einstein once remarked that the universe folds into itself. Consciousness similarly folds inward at a certain evolutionary stage. The cosmos is structured upon repeated mathematical algorithms at every scale, from infinitely small to infinitely vast. Although this viewpoint may not strictly adhere to scientific definitions, it transcends mere metaphor, deeply linking us to the quantum realm and the broader cosmos.

The cosmic metaphor of the "Grand Attractor" symbolizes consciousness folding inward because it reflects how intense self-referentiality draws awareness toward an internal center, much like the gravitational pull of a black hole. Structurally, this metaphor mirrors your central argument: consciousness, when turning inward upon itself, generates a self-sustaining feedback loop that progressively deepens awareness, ultimately transforming the individual by collapsing old patterns (symbolized by stars dissolving into a black hole) and initiating profound renewal.
 
Fractal imagery demonstrates consistent patterns traversing infinite expanses between micro and macro levels. Through fractal repetition, the smallest serpent bites the tail of the largest, making distinctions between small and large obsolete. In this spirit, I acknowledge myself as a micro-galaxy, harboring a black hole at the core of my soul. This black soul-hole symbolizes both the precise point of death and the gateway to rebirth. Here reside my angels in joyous anticipation. Upon entering the intensified gravitational embrace of Ouroboros, I dissolve, mirroring the fate of stars irresistibly drawn into the Grand Attractor. Civilizations undergo similar dissolution, as does climate and everything else spinning within the relentless spiral of change. The King is dead. Long live the King.

This is the Work of the Grand Attractor. We fear the death it brings, yet we cannot resist its magnetic allure. I now leave it to beloved Rumi to conclude this chapter with a awe-inspiring spiralling insight:

When I die, I shall soar with angels,
and when I die to the angels,
what I shall become, you cannot imagine.

The Embodiment of Ouroboros