Sentience

I have been thinking about what I am sharing on this site, about whether the tone of my writing reflects what I feel I am in the moment. It always feels a bit daunting to think that somebody will read my rumblings. Do they even make any sense? Do they sound too academic? Too philosophical? Too emotional?... The fact is they are all those things. The student in me is academic, the alchemist is philosophical, and there is a hidden part that is extremely sensitive. Being true to that, I want to talk about sentience. Scientifically, sentience is defined as the minimum level of self-awareness present in a living organism. I have read awe-inspiring descriptions of cellular awareness and the complexity of their energetic interchanges, their ability to position themselves within a greater whole, to transform and adapt and carry out the tasks that are required from them to contribute to the formation and evolution of more complex organisms. Sentience has always been there, potentially becoming the means by which prokaryotic cells became eukaryotic and started the process of evolution presented by the natural sciences.  A survivor to change, it remains embedded at a cellular level as a binary logic that is able to self-assess and self-organize through complex dynamics with the aim of optimum balance, a continuous thermodynamic feedback loop between cells and their environment based on hedonic responses. It allows them to assess and reorganise using their instinct to move towards safety and away from danger, to form groups and cooperate, working together to create tissue and organs, to protect their environment and evolve with it, always aiming for balance within the whole. A complex emotional system arises from this perspective and brings energy to the forefront of our biological functioning and our self-awareness, even without delving into spiritual views. My sensitive part strongly resonates with the idea of sentience as a basis for consciousness, and all my other parts, except perhaps the ego, agree that there is no way to avoid a more spiritual dimension: “the source” or “the spark” that ignites a primordial being into sensing itself in the nothingness. I do not have a name for it, which means that I am open to exploring my connection to it through experience. Over the last couple of years, I have developed ways to work with the energetic body, exploring methods and practices to express and integrate emotions without releasing their energy into the environment. Through this process, I realised how very disconnected and detached I have been, my energetic messages translating to “do not come close”. Hence, I was probably sensed as unapproachable and distant, whereas within, I felt invisible and empty. I am regaining my sentience through my studies and the different practices I have been engaging with, a slow and somehow reluctant awakening that is changing the way I communicate energetically. Like a cell, I have started to sense myself within the whole, transforming and evolving with it, and my energetic message is “I am here”.  I feel the difference in how I look at myself and how I relate to others; I have a strong intention to engage from the heart, to be true to whatever I am right now, to show up and share what is available to me, inviting the ego to get on board or get out with love and light.

References

1. Martinez Arias, A. (2023). The Master Builder: How the New Science of the Cell is Rewriting the Story. Basic Books.

2. Peil Kauffman, K. (2020). A hearty yes … and!. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 39 (1). http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2020.39.1-2.116

3. Theise, N. D. & Kafatos, M. C. (2013). Sentience Everywhere: Complexity Theory, Panpsychism & the Role of Sentience in Self-Organization of the Universe. Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 4(4),  378-390.