Mara Cortona
(United States)

Title of contribution:

Space and the Cosmocentric Stage of Consciousness

Where & when:

Space and the Cosmocentric Stage of Consciousness

When Carl Sagan said, “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself,” he stepped boldly into a cosmocentric consciousness — one that seeks to understand our place within the broadest system imaginable, one that encompasses the whole universe.

Today, some of our most promising solutions to environmental and social threats depend on the proper use of our extraterrestrial resources and space systems. At the same time, space exploration has served as a central unifying goal that transcends and includes our Earthly goals, resulting in models of collaboration and organization heretofore unseen on our fractured, fragmented planet (see the ISS). And still further, the spiritual experience most astronauts report upon seeing the Earth from space — known as the Overview Effect — has produced shifts in consciousness at both the individual and collective levels.

An integrated AQAL approach to space exploration is warranted now more than ever — the evolution of a cosmocentric consciousness, after all, cannot ignore our place in the cosmos.

About Mara Cortona:

Mara Cortona is a systems thinker and innovator at the intersection of aerospace technologies and human interest. She is the Executive Director of the Astropolitics Institute, a business coach for aerospace startups, and the founder of the think tank Nöonaut. With a diverse background spanning from robotics to education leadership, she excels at leading organizations to holistic solutions to complex issues.