For some weeks, a question has been bugging me: do the brain and the Universe (also) compare with respect to sleep? The (surprising) answer is – actually – a Yes because both the brain and the Universe do not sleep. Only our body sleeps while our mind – and soul – do not sleep (eg, dreaming).
Nevertheless, the notion of a sleeping universal body is not weird at all in human history:
In many creation myths, the world is born from a dormant entity or a state of “primordial sleep” or chaos. A specific example in cosmological stories is the idea of a sleeping god or giant whose “dream” or awakening creates reality.
Source: Google AI Overview
and
“Stoic Universe – The Stoic philosophers of ancient Greece (3rd Century B.C. and after) believed in a kind of island universe in which a finite cosmos is surrounded by an infinite void (not dissimilar in principle to a galaxy). They held that the cosmos is in a constant state of flux, and pulsates in size and periodically passes through upheavals and conflagrations. In the Stoic view, the universe is like a giant living body, with its leading part being the stars and the Sun, but in which all parts are interconnected, so that what happens in one place affects what happens elsewhere.”
Let’s suppose these “two” alternatives (for argument’s sake):
- a Universal Body: this would match the notion of a universal blueprint (eg, Body, Mind & Soul in lifeforms);
- a Universal Mind: this view is consistent with panpsychism (eg, Wikipedia);
- the edge of that cosmic coin is an (improbable) cosmic coincidence or a cosmic “error”.
The odd similarities between the human brain and the Universe beg the question if there are more similarities. For those similarities, please see my 2026 blog on The wheel of Life, Nature & Universe and my 2019 blog annex Nautilus article The Strange Similarity of Neuron and Galaxy Networks.
While our body is rather “flat”, our skull or head is rather “round”.
The human brain is round (or more precisely, globular or hemispheroidal) rather than flat. It is shaped like a large, wrinkled, two-sided walnut and fits tightly within the rounded cavity of the skull.
According to scientists, the galaxies and the Universe are rather “flat” while planets and suns are rather “round“.
Yes, current evidence indicates the universe is geometrically flat on a large scale, but this is fundamentally different from the physical, pancake-like shape of galaxies. While galaxies flatten due to gravity and rotation, the “flatness” of the universe means its spatial curvature is near zero, following Euclidean geometry rather than curving like a sphere.
Sources: Google AI Overview and Wikipedia
My preliminary conclusion: The saddle-shaped Universe and the walnut-shaped human brain suggest an additional similarity that may relate to balance & symmetry (ie, saddle, walnut). For some other similarities. please see these blogs:
- 2019: How to Understand the Universe When You’re Stuck Inside of It (Quanta);
- 2021: The Droste effect;
- 2022: (originally:) Blueprint: micro and macro.
The striking structural and functional similarities between the human brain and the universe have inspired scientists, philosophers, and writers to draw parallels between the cosmos and consciousness. Here are some of the most prominent quotes and perspectives highlighting the relationship between the brain and the universe: [..]
Google AI Overview; click on the link for their many selected quotes
The Sleeping Beauty (Suite), Op. 66a, TH 234 – 5. Waltz by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
video, Wiki-composer
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise
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