You Are an Aperture Through Which the Universe Experiences ItselfHave you ever felt like you’re more than just a body or a brain, like your existence is connected to something vast and mysterious? The phrase You are an aperture through which the universe experiences itself speaks directly to this feeling. It suggests that you are not separate from the universe, but rather, a part of it serving as a window through which consciousness observes and feels.
What Does Aperture of the Universe Mean?
The word aperture typically refers to an opening, like the lens of a camera that lets in light. In this context, it means that you are a conscious opening, a passage through which the universe becomes aware of itself. Your thoughts, feelings, and senses allow reality to observe its own creation.
This idea reflects a spiritual and philosophical perspective found in both ancient teachings and modern science-inspired thought. It’s a powerful reminder that human beings are not separate from the cosmos we are part of its unfolding story.
The Connection Between Human Consciousness and the Universe
From a scientific standpoint, everything that makes up your body carbon, oxygen, iron was formed in the heart of stars. You are literally made of stardust. But beyond your physical composition, your conscious awareness sets you apart as a thinking, feeling piece of the cosmos.
This awareness allows you to
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Observe nature
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Reflect on your existence
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Ask questions about meaning
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Create art, music, and stories
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Experience love, joy, fear, and wonder
In doing these things, you’re not standing outside of the universe you’re part of its self-expression.
You as a Vessel of Experience
Every moment you live is a moment through which the universe is alive. Your laughter, sadness, curiosity, and awe are not isolated they are experiences the universe could not have without you.
Think of it like this
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When you see a sunset, it’s the universe seeing itself in color
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When you hear music, it’s the universe listening to harmony
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When you think deeply, it’s the universe reflecting inward
This way of seeing things gives life a sense of deeper meaning. You’re not just passing through life you are helping life understand itself.
The Role of Perspective
Each person is unique. Your upbringing, personality, culture, and emotions create a singular lens through which you experience the world. This individual perspective is what makes your consciousness valuable.
Imagine billions of different apertures, each offering the universe a different point of view. That diversity of experience is not random it’s essential. It means that the universe doesn’t just see one version of reality, but many, all at once.
The Influence of Alan Watts and Similar Thinkers
This idea is often linked to philosopher Alan Watts, who spoke about the illusion of separateness and the unity of all things. According to Watts, the sense of being a self apart from the universe is just a mental construct. In truth, he argued, we are the universe expressing itself as humans.
Watts and similar thinkers invite us to shift our thinking
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From I am a human in the universe
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To I am the universe, aware of being human
It’s a subtle change in wording, but a massive change in worldview.
Why This Perspective Matters
When you believe that you are connected to everything around you, your approach to life changes
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You become more empathetic, seeing others as extensions of yourself
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You appreciate nature as something you are part of, not separate from
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You become more mindful, realizing that each moment is unique and precious
This mindset can lead to greater peace, purpose, and responsibility. If you are the universe experiencing itself, then how you treat others, the Earth, and yourself becomes much more meaningful.
The Power of Presence
Being an aperture through which the universe sees doesn’t require you to do anything extraordinary. It simply asks you to be present.
Presence means
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Paying attention to your surroundings
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Noticing your thoughts without judgment
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Feeling your emotions fully
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Engaging with others with awareness
In doing so, you become more open. The aperture widens. Life becomes clearer, richer, more interconnected.
Living with Cosmic Perspective
So how can you live with the awareness that you are part of something so vast?
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Practice stillness – Sit quietly, breathe deeply, and remember that just by existing, you are participating in something enormous.
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Stay curious – Wonder about how the universe works. Ask questions about life, space, and time. That curiosity is part of the universe’s exploration of itself.
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Express yourself – Create, speak, write, move. Your expressions are the universe’s way of adding beauty to the world.
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Connect with others – Love, listen, and support people. You are not isolated you are among many apertures, all interconnected.
You are an aperture through which the universe experiences itself is not just a poetic idea it’s a call to see yourself as something sacred. Your life is not small, meaningless, or accidental. You are here so that the universe can experience what it’s like to be you.
In every breath, in every step, in every thought you are opening a small window through which existence can feel, reflect, and grow. That’s not something to take lightly. It’s something to live with purpose and wonder.