Instinct, Intuition and Spirituality (March 2026)

The December 2025 article puts forth the hypothesis that a hitherto unknown form of energy could be the primary cause of the spiritual effect. In contrast, psychology identifies spirituality as the result of a sequence of events.

Endogenous stimuli, such as meditation, and exogenous stimuli, such as bereavement or childbirth, act as triggers. According to the findings of neuroscience studies, this initiates interactions between neurotransmitters, hormones, and neural pathways, facilitated by electrochemical and metabolic energies. The limbic system (particularly the amygdala and hypothalamus) then modulates itself according to the complexity of the brain circuits involved. The formation of instincts is initiated by the simplest connections, while more intricate networks give rise to intuition. The integration of consciousness circuits to the process provide the conditions for the emergence of spirituality.

These researches posit that instinct, defined as the innate inclination to act, is an inherent characteristic of any animal possessing a nervous system and fundamental brain circuits. This program of reflexes is centered on survival, and governed by predetermined circuits. Intuition, in contrast, is the inner conviction regarding a course of action, and arises from more intricate information-processing circuits within the unconscious. Any animal that incorporates knowledge acquired through experience, memory, and sensory cues into its decision-making process demonstrates a form of intuition. This phenomenon has been documented in various species, including the genus Homo (sapiens and Neanderthals), great apes, dolphins, elephants, corvids, parrots, and certain marine or migratory animals.

Spirituality, defined as a sense of interconnectedness with oneself, others, and nature, is, in turn, the consequence of the formation of unconscious content (i.e., archetypes and symbols) that is subsequently integrated into one's conscious awareness. According to Jung, instinct provides the fundamental information, while intuition facilitates the unconscious processing that transforms it into a vision, symbols, or an inner path. Consciousness interprets the resulting effect as spirituality. The profound spiritual inquiries—namely, those concerning death, security, belonging, love, kinship, and power—are, therefore, deeply intertwined with fundamental instincts, including survival, reproduction, the preservation of the group, and the quest for status.To date, this type of spirituality has been identified exclusively in the genus Homo.

Consequently, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and neurobiologists concur that instinct, intuition, and consciousness are prerequisites for spirituality and the fundamental causes of its manifestation. These elements are necessary and sufficient for understanding the causal background of spirituality. In the event that an energy other than those currently recognized (electrochemical and metabolic) is required in the process, it should be linked instead to the direct causal past of instinct and intuition. This perspective posits that only animals endowed with instinct, intuition, and consciousness are capable of developing a spiritual capacity. This phenomenon would not be observed if spirituality were exclusively attributable to an energy, even an as yet unidentified one.

This conclusion remains valid even when considering only initial stimuli, such as meditation, bereavement or childbirth as direct causes. It is exemplified by the EDV model. In this model, these stimuli are linked to the "Vitality" group. They engage with elements of the "Cosmos" group, encompassing diverse forms of energy, including but not limited to electrochemical, metabolic, and as yet unidentified categories. These forms of energy exert a direct influence on elements of the "Sensors" group, to which nerve cells belong. Subsequently, the transmission of information by the sensors is processed by elements of the "Converter" group, such as the nervous system and the brain. The interaction between these elements gives rise to components of the "Product" group, namely instinct and intuition. These products interact with one another, creating, with the help of consciousness, a spirituality that nourishes the stimuli of the "Vitality" group and thus closes the feedback loop.

The model presented in the September 2025 article regarding an emerging spirituality appears to align more closely with research findings than the model of spirituality viewed solely as the expression of an unknown energy. While the role of energy in this phenomenon cannot be discounted, it appears to exert a more direct influence on instinct and/or intuition. The physical principle of causality of the material world, which governs the precedence of events that produce an effect, is thereby respected.

However, it is imperative to acknowledge the existence of an additional principle of physics that must be taken into consideration. It has been established that every physical body contributes to the increase in the entropy of the universe. This increase in entropy can be defined as a state of increased disorder and a homogeneous distribution of energy. However, the evolution of life over time progresses in the opposite direction, marked by an increase in the complexity of the body and mind of species. This issue will be the focal point of the forthcoming article.