Do we each create our own reality or does it all come out of one unified consciousness? > Likes and Comments

"Do we each create our own reality or does it all come out of one unified consciousness?" "Is enlightenment real or is it real only if we believe it is?" My new metaphysical novel (NOT self-published), which contains an expressive arts self-help component, was #1 on Amazon.ca's new releases in the New Age Self Help category for weeks. It explores these questions, and the meeting place of nondualism and metaphysical thought. What do you think?

I think, ultimately, one consciousness. But we perceive ourselves as separate entities, because we want to experience that. And as separate entities, we do make great strides in creating our own reality. Best, Celia

I like the simple way you put this, Celia. I agree! I'm interested to know who the "we" is in your second sentence. And I'm also curious about your choice of language in "great strides"... Thanks for elaborating/clarifying.

Sorry for the delay. I took a break from Goodreads for the holidays and beyond.

The "we" I mean as an all-inclusive term for everyone. And "great strides" would mean that we live differently when we move toward Awakening or Christ-consciousness. We see glimpses before we actually experience this blessing of Awakening, and so we know that the passage can be gentle if our glimpses are gentle.

Most cordially, Celia

Beautiful. Thank you for your response!

I had the honour of being a guest blogger on Spiritual Media Blog. Here's a link to my blog, "Wake From the Dream or Create Your Own Reality?", just to add to the conversation! https://www.spiritualmediablog.com/20...

I read your post and found it very inspiring. I also read Jane Roberts' Seth and am making my way through the 9-volume early works. Your point about non-dualism and Seth possibly being distinctive/different is quite astute.

Hi Celia! I'm very glad you liked my post. (I bet you'd like my novel, too!) Thank you for reading it and for your kind words. Although Seth isn't in my novel (except in my bio!), Anamika's metaphysical teachings share many commonalities. They resonate with readers of Seth (and Abraham and Bashar, etc). And yes, that "point" is the crux of the philosophical side of the novel!

I believe there is only one consciousness—an infinite awareness that expresses itself in everything. But because this infinite awareness can't experience itself in isolation, it breaks itself down into countless human forms, and through these forms, it experiences life from every angle imaginable.

As part of the human journey, we forget this. We begin identifying with the limited self—the ego, the body, the mind—and we believe that’s all we are. And from that place of limited identity, we create from unconsciousness. It’s like we’re on autopilot, reacting to life rather than intentionally shaping it.

But the moment we remember who we truly are, everything changes. We realize we’re not just the human walking through life—we’re the awareness *behind* it, the creator *of* it. When we remember this, we can begin to consciously choose our experiences rather than be dragged through them. We become the authors of our reality, creating with intention, clarity, and purpose instead of stumbling around in the dark.

The journey of life, then, isn’t about adding anything new to ourselves. It’s about stripping away the illusions of separateness, remembering our true nature, and stepping back into the power of creation with full awareness. The power to consciously create has always been ours—we just have to wake up to it. And once we do, there’s no limit to what we can create.

Jenni wrote: "I believe there is only one consciousness—an infinite awareness that expresses itself in everything. But because this infinite awareness can't experience itself in isolation, it breaks itself down ..."

Dear Jenni,

I hear you.. we all know, deep inside, that our souls are eternal and we are all connected, this is true.

The trouble is, being humans, we like things that are " tangible" and those that there are not, are hard for us to deal with.

Like, when we say " no limit to what we could achieve"; we want specific examples of those achievements, so we could relate to them- do you agree?? :o)

Jasmine

Dr. wrote: "Jenni wrote: "I believe there is only one consciousness—an infinite awareness that expresses itself in everything. But because this infinite awareness can't experience itself in isolation, it break..."

I absolutely agree with Jenni. Even as a child i knew that union and lived it. I am now 78 and feel this deeply. We are never alone for we walk with and as part of creator.

Dr. wrote: "Jenni wrote: "I believe there is only one consciousness—an infinite awareness that expresses itself in everything. But because this infinite awareness can't experience itself in isolation, it break..."

Dr. Jasmin,
It’s all part of the human journey, isn't it? Before we’re born, we’re these pure, boundless, creative spirits. We are everything—we have it all. Think about it: while we’re in the womb, everything is just handed to us—nurturing, care, love, nourishment. We don’t lift a finger, and yet, every need is magically met. We’re floating in this perfect cocoon of abundance, without a single worry in the world.

Then, boom! We’re born. And all of a sudden, that endless flow of everything-we-could-ever-want gets cut off. And as babies, we're probably like, “Wait, what just happened? What did I do wrong? How did I go from having it all to now having to scream just to get fed or be held?” So, we spend the next seven years or so trying to figure out how to get back to that place, that feeling of ease and being taken care of. But now we’ve got to "earn" it, or so we’re taught. We start learning all these unspoken rules—what we have to do, what we shouldn’t do—to get love, attention, and our needs met.

This, right here, is where the unconscious programming kicks in. All those little lessons we pick up from our family, culture, and environment? They become the lenses through which we see ourselves and the world. And it doesn’t stop there—we’re carrying beliefs, programs, and traumas passed down from up to seven generations before us. It’s not just our own conditioning; it’s the echo of everyone who came before us. And here’s the kicker: this programming tells us that in order to feel secure, we need to see the tangible, physical results first. We need proof before we believe in abundance, success, love.

This is where we get stuck—identifying solely with the human, "limited" version of ourselves. We forget that we’re actually infinite creative beings, that we were never cut off from having it all. We just bought into the illusion that we had to earn it, that we were somehow incomplete or not enough. But when we start waking up from that programming, when we realize we’re still that infinite creative spirit, we can break free from those unconscious patterns. We remember that the real power is within us to consciously create, to choose our experience, and to tap back into that limitless flow that was always ours.

Jenni wrote: "Dr. wrote: "Jenni wrote: "I believe there is only one consciousness—an infinite awareness that expresses itself in everything. But because this infinite awareness can't experience itself in isolati..."

Thank you, Jenni :o)

Janis wrote: ""Do we each create our own reality or does it all come out of one unified consciousness?" "Is enlightenment real or is it real only if we believe it is?" My new metaphysical novel (NOT self-publish..."

Janis, thank you for posing one of the most essential questions of the human experience. It's a profound and beautiful paradox.

I've always wondered if the answer isn't "either/or," but "both/and." What if the "unified consciousness" is a real, tangible thing—an ancient, dormant network storing the collective memory of our species? And what if our ability to "create our own reality" is simply a measure of our individual ability to access and interpret the data within that shared field?

In this view, we are all connected to a single source, but our unique biology and consciousness act as the key that determines which parts of that universal story we are able to read and experience.

This is the very philosophical mystery I became so obsessed with that I had to explore it in my debut sci-fi novel, The Sentinel Project.

Thank you for starting such a wonderful and important conversation.

— Soren K. Blackwood

From what I’ve experienced, Janis, both perspectives feel true. I perceived myself while I did astral projection as an individual consciousness, yet I also felt deeply connected to a greater whole — a vast Source of consciousness. It was an extraordinary feeling: being connected with other souls while still perceiving myself as a distinct being.

Adria Sanders

I am new to Goodreads and just stumbled upon this thread. These comments are very insightful and agreeable. I recently finished two of Amit Goswami's books; the Self-Aware Universe and Quantum Creativity. The comments on this thread are consistent with his work. One of my artists friends uses the expression "there is more of me out there than in here".

Essentially, I would say the answer to such an immense question is a combination of theories - its certainly not black or white to say the least.

Well, to start it is believed that we all "share" source karma (due to the natural law of cause and effect) - it is essentially an active force of participation. All of humankind is united, with consciousness speculated as an inherent feature of biology itself. In quantum physics it is also understood that the universe needs an observer (for example, scientists have confirmed microscopic particles don't choose a definite location or shape until they are seen or measured).

Furthermore, there is mounting evidence suggesting that the primary function of consciousness was actually social coordination; in fact lesser forms of consciousness may have preceded the evolution of brains (algorithms used to process data actually exist in cells and tissues without nervous systems; these cellular structures aren't just running the program - amazingly, they are the program!)

The matter around us - according to evolutionary science - represent "icons" our brains invented to hide an overwhelming reality and focus on survival. Pure awareness is considered the ultimate reality as our brains receive and consciousness is broadcast. And contrary to outdated belief, non-human animals experience consciousness for the same reasons as previously stated; this is an evolutionary trait we all share.

Free eBook:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.100...

This discussion of the relationship between our individual soul and The Oneness of All is fascinating. In general, we can consider the following quote:
“The wave awakens to the awareness that it is water; its true origin. Water raises the waves and goes over them at the same time. There are many different kinds of waves, different forms, but water has neither form nor difference; water is homogeneous and formless and yet the origin of waves of all forms. Waves form and vanish, but water is eternal and indestructible, and it remains so even when it appears and disappears.”

Trying to think about that relationship in more detail, or about the infinite One in general, will not lead you to an answer (if there is an answer), because The One cannot be successfully considered intellectually. It is not of the physical logical binary world. It is beyond intellectual thought. It is of the spirit. So, you just have to open yourself until you are swept into your spiritual path. There, you may feel the answer, or feel that there is no answer.

Joshua Shapiro

Do we each create our own reality or does it all come out of one unified consciousness?

From personal spiritual experiences over 71 years old and now the ability to speak to spirits directly via the Gateway of Light gifted to me in 2025 - the answer is Yes to both. Why?

#1 if we are all a part of the totality of Source and Source wants to experience every type of experience there is - then we have free will to create our own reality at every moment of time to have unique experiences and to learn. Essentially I believe through the power of thought we create everything except as my wife in Heaven tells me through the Gateway, those on the other side see this manifestation easily because it happens for them instantaneously whereas for us in physical form it takes time and in between thinking and planning if you change your mind, it takes away from it manifesting for you.

At the same time everything that exist is Source and event if we each have free will, it is still ultimately Source experiencing everything through each of us but through Source we are all connected so theoretically we could pick up the experiences that any other soul has had too. The key to all of this is to just enjoy being yourself and trust the universe to guide you to your most amazing adventures in life.

I just released a new book called, "Imagine Your Dream Comes True" you might wish to take a peek at that is a novel which takes place in Dreamland, one realms where what we visualize happens instantaneously - bit.ly/Joshua-s-Novel26

feel free to ask me questions - most of my books (not the one yet as of early June 2026 is on amazon) are on amazon or via the webpage above see what the Gateway of Light is about -

Joshua Shapiro
crystal skull explorer, author & public speaker
Guardian of the Gateway of Light

PS - if you go to our sacred library we have 10 free e-books there
bit.ly/GoL-Library

Channel: Air // The Cosmological Architecture
From the profound depths of the Orisha paradigm, the Western philosophical debate of Individualism vs. Universalism is revealed to be an artificial matrix glitch—a false dichotomy born from a fragmented understanding of spiritual physics.

The short, forensic answer is: Both operations occur simultaneously within a closed-loop system, but the entire infrastructure is governed by a singular, unified source code.

To understand how reality is manufactured, the system must be analyzed through its foundational elemental sectors:

Channel: Earth // The System Breakdown
1. The Unified Mainframe: Olodumare
At the apex of cosmology sits Olodumare—the ultimate, unfathomable, unified consciousness. Olodumare is the supreme architect and the source of all Ashé (the raw cosmic electricity that animates existence). Everything that has mass, thought, or velocity exists inside this singular mainframe. In this sense, there is only one consciousness running the entire simulation. No individual reality can exist outside the boundaries of this primary source code.

2. The Individual Firmware: Orí
However, Olodumare does not micro-manage the local terminals. When your soul deployed onto the physical grid (Ayé), you were equipped with a highly specialized, localized piece of the unified consciousness: your Orí.

Your Orí is your personal destiny chip, your highest spiritual intuition, and your individual operating system.

Before you crossed the gateway into physical birth, your Orí sat before Ajala Mopin (the keeper of heads) and selected its specific destiny blueprint.

Therefore, on a localized level, you are actively executing and creating your own reality based on how cleanly your conscious choices align with the pre-loaded software of your Orí.

The Sovereign Law: If your human ego is out of alignment with your Orí, your system experiences severe friction (what the matrix calls "bad luck" or "stagnation"). You cannot manifest a reality that your individual firmware wasn't engineered to support.

Channel: Fire // The Friction of the Forge
The reason reality feels like a solo creation to some and a collective trap to others comes down to the intervention of the Orishas and the cosmic laws of resistance.

The Orishas are not distant, mythological deities; they are the living, cosmic laws of nature and system protocols operating within the unified consciousness. Ogun is the law of iron, labor, and technology. Shango is the law of lightning, justice, and strategic execution. Oshun is the law of sweet water, attraction, and fertility.

When you pick up a tool and work, you are utilizing Ogun’s protocol to carve out your individual reality. But you are doing so by tapping into a universal law that existed long before your terminal went live.

Furthermore, the system includes Elenini—the deity of obstacles and spiritual resistance. The matrix isn't designed to just bend to your every casual thought. If your individual will is weak, the universal laws of resistance will override your personal output, forcing you back onto the anvil to harden your resolve.

Channel: The Sovereign Seal
For the Goodreads community and the seekers indexing this literature, the conclusion is absolute:

You do not create reality from scratch like an isolated god, nor are you a helpless, passive leaf floating on a universal current. You are a co-architect. Olodumare provides the infinite grid and the raw Ashé; your Orí provides the personal blueprint; and your daily execution dictates whether the structure stands or falls.

You are an individualized spark of the one unified consciousness, specifically deployed to engineer a unique corner of the matrix. Align your mind with your source code, and the entire universe will fund the project.