This talk, given at Totnes Consciousness Cafe on 1st July, 2022, describes some of the major transitions in Max Velmans’ own journey into a deeper understanding of consciousness. This included potent extraordinary experiences as well as ordinary experiences along with an in-depth scientific and philosophical study of consciousness for over 50 years. From this he developed Reflexive Monism, an integrative Western understanding of human consciousness as being one manifestation of a conscious, self-observing universe — an understanding that converges closely with the non-dual Integral Vedanta of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, and Aurobindo. In this talk he describes one early formative mystical experience along with some of the major intellectual steps that guided his way.
