Time & the Crystal of Eternity
Recorded 13th Jan 2026: Bernardo Kastrup on the ultimate Koan
Koan /ˈkəʊan,ˈkəʊɑːn/ noun a paradoxical anecdote or riddle without a solution, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and provoke enlightenment.
"I'm hand-waving" Bernardo admitted in this session on the bewildering paradox of time. "If you're looking for this neat analytic closed package in which everything falls in its place, and everything is logical, and everything is internally consistent, you're not going to get it."
Instead, when investigating time, Bernardo aims for what Peter Kingsley calls mêtis: "to tie ourselves into enough knots of self-contradiction that at some point, the cognitive tension becomes so high that you step out of it, and then you see it."
In this extended 2.5hr meeting our minds were prodded, pulled and unravelled as we grappled with the ultimate koan. How the singularity is this present moment. How thoughts could be instantaneous. How illusions convey truth.
The key is to grok how the Crystal of Eternity, the semantic web of associations and archetypes outside time, gives rise to the dynamic richness of life, and our valid sense of purpose, when projected onto time.
Our maps distort what they describe
If this gets frustrating, I recommend the below video. It becomes immediately obvious how a map can make one thing clear whilst distorting another.
It is a mathematical inevitability: Any two-dimensional representation of our three-dimensional globe will stretch something out of proportion,
So whilst our linear and logical models of reality might be useful in one moment, they are useless in another. The invitation is to step out of their two dimensions! (and pick the right map for each moment).
Recommended reading and viewing
Further to our discussion, Bernardo highly recommends Peter Kingsley's book Reality, and the movie Arrival, perhaps Hollywood's most successful depiction of what experience outside time might be like:
Where Bernardo disagrees with Jung
The Crystal of Eternity is Bernardo's metaphor for the structure of reality outside time. It contains all the archetypes which manifest in our lives.
Whilst Jung's view was that archetypes are infinite, Bernardo proposed the evidence from complexity science suggests another alternative. This science was largely developed after his death, and confounds our normal intuitions. Incredible complexity can arise from just a few simple starting points, which could account for the bewildering array of diversity we see in manifestation.
We further discussed how:
- Space and time are cognitive constructs
- Thoughts could be instantaneous
- Illusions convey truth - the direction of time conveys meaning
- We experience time, but not flow
- The big bang, Christ's death, the resurrection... are happening now
Bernardo Kastrup
Time and space for empathy
What is the practical significance of any of this?
We mentioned two important factors last week related to a reduction in personal suffering.
Equally important is the recognition of our shared identity with every other living creature. When we recognise how we collapse time to extend concern for our past and future selves, we can further extend our identity to include all sentient beings. Bernardo shared a heart-felt thought experiment to taste this experience directly.
Dealing with empathy overload
With so much suffering in the world, empathy can become overwhelming. If the amount of empathy opening up through these discussion becomes distressing, I recommend having a look at this study. It indicates that compassion is a more sustainable response:
"In order to prevent an excessive sharing of suffering that may turn into distress, one may respond to the suffering of others with compassion. In contrast to empathy, compassion does not mean sharing the suffering of the other: rather, it is characterized by feelings of warmth, concern and care for the other, as well as a strong motivation to improve the other’s wellbeing. Compassion is feeling for and not feeling with the other."
If you have found other ways to help navigate any disorientation that comes up from our conversations, do please share them in the comments below, or on telegram.
Audio Book - Daimon and the Soul of the West
Bernardo is giving away his five free copies of audio book The Daimon and the Soul of the West.
Rather than randomly give them out, I thought it could be nice to share these with people who are able to set up extra zoom meetings for members to meet.
All you need to do is a pick a time, schedule a zoom room and share the details with me and other members on telegram.
You don't need special skills to host - just the initiative. If you like, you can consult AI for some prompts.
If you get 5 members or more, take a screen shot (with consent!) and email me amir@adventuresinawareness.com and I'll send you the link to get a copy of the book. (Limited to the first 5 people.)
Time Stamps
0:04:00 Defining Consciousness: that whose excitations are the qualities of experience
0:13:00 Do thoughts have duration?
0:21:00 Does idealism separate space and time?
0:23:00 Experience of time in different species
0:27:00 Is nature continuous or made of discrete bits?
0:37:00 How can there be cognitive overload outside time?
0:40:00 Metacognition requires extension (space/time)
(+ psychedelic anecdote)
0:46:30 Purpose means time only flows in one direction
0:49:00 How illusions convey truth
0:55:00 Maybe time is all there is?
0:59:00 Time is experienced but descriptions of flow are wrong
1:07:00 Self-contradiction for realisation beyond logic
1:18:00 Bernardo recommends Peter Kingsley’s ‘Reality’
1:24:00 The singularity is this present moment.
1:35:00 Bernardo’s seed for idealism planted at CERN
1:43:00 An experiential account beyond time
1:58:00 The Crystal of Eternity if before excitation
2:09:00 Bernardo’s disagreement with Jung: Finite archetypes
2:14:00 Thought Experiment: Empathy with all beings