8-Circuit Model of Consciousness 101
If you prefer to listen while you read, or instead of reading, I recorded myself reading this post aloud across these two audio files for you:
Originally described by Timothy Leary and since developed and reframed by Robert Anton Wilson, Antero Alli, and myself, the eight circuit model of consciousness offers a blueprint to eight types of intelligence that human beings can access throughout our lives.
Exploring each circuit and how they interact with one another offers fertile ground for understanding ourselves in a fluid way as we evolve over time. There are four survival circuits that ground our experiences in the activating post-survival circuits—if we are lucky enough to experience such activations! Each survival intelligence is a supportive anchor to the expansive circuit nested above it in this configuration:
5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4
In turn, the expansive intelligences cause shockwaves back down into their corresponding survival circuits, so it’s important to nurture a strong foundation in these skillsets rather than dismissing them as less interesting or important.
Four Grounding Survival Circuits
The first four circuits contain the skills we need to survive. Humans are a social species, so our survival depends not only on having the kinds of physical resources we might typically consider necessary, but also the skills required to collaborate and evolve together.
Our values, priorities, and even our perceptions of our skill levels in the survival circuits are imprinted by our formative social and cultural environments. And, these intelligences are foundational to our explorations into the four consciousness-expanding intelligences.
Four Expansive Post-Survival Circuits
As opposed to the four survival circuits that every human being cannot help but develop just by virtue of being alive, the post-survival circuits have to have a catalyst to be activated.
Each of these activations brings a whole new dimension to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Each of these moments of activation is a moment in Chapel Perilous, where new information both rings with truth and meaningfully conflicts with our prior worldview.
If we boundlessly pursue greater skill in the survival circuits for their own sake, without the context and meaning offered by the post-survival circuits, we suffer a loss of purpose. We get stuck in a rat race. But, breakthroughs into the expansive circuits can be intoxicating, and each awakening causes shocks and ripples that have the potential to either support our growth or leave us feeling untethered.
So, what is each of these circuits really about? The rest of this post offers a quick summary of each circuit based on my framing of the model catalyzed by Antero Alli’s book The 8 Circuit Brain. You can expect a deeper dive into each circuit as well as how they interact with one another in the future!
Each window and relief in the Chapel Perilous art installation corresponds to one of the 8 circuits.
This installation was originally created for Burning Man in 2019 by Robert Leifheit and the Abraca Lab fabrication team with lots of support from our burning man camp, the Enchanted Booty Forest.
Circuit 1. Physio-Biological Intelligence. Anchor of Security.
This is the most primal intelligence, imprinted on us in infancy, anchoring our belief in what is nurturing or noxious—safe or perilous. It’s a powerful tool, and allows us to ensure our physical and emotional needs are met. But, it’s not all about survival. At a deeper level, it’s also about feeling our bodies deeply, and it forms the foundation of self-trust.
Without it, we may find ourselves lost, striving for more and more comfort and security in all the wrong places. If you find yourself with a circuit 1 imprint that leaves you feeling constrained by fear, scarcity, or a sense of insatiability, you can still cultivate circuit 1 intelligence by practicing committing with integrity to your own well-being. Move your body. Do those dishes. Pursue what’s nurturing.
Circuit 2. Emotional-Hierarchical Intelligence. Anchor of Power.
In early childhood, we observe how each of our family members’ emotions influence social dynamics within the family. Who has power? Why? This is where circuit 2 is imprinted. Through this intelligence, we develop emotional honesty. Our ego develops and we learn that identity is a relative thing—it’s difficult, if not impossible, to understand who we are without mirroring and comparing with those around us.
Developing a healthy and strong ego is the foundation of self-worth. However, oftentimes, grasping for our place and status in this world can be fraught with entitlement and manipulation, bending too much or too little to the emotional states of others. Pursuing status or control for their own sake brings conflict and isolation, and what’s more, it doesn’t really get to who you are. Get vulnerable. Listen to your emotions. What are they telling you about who you are and who you want in your circle?
Circuit 3. Cognitive-Conceptual Intelligence. Anchor of Clarity.
The domain of circuit 3 is what many people usually think about when they hear the word “intelligence.” It’s our anchor of clarity, and we use it to make sense of the world through models like language, mathematics, or scientific theory. It also allows us to communicate our thoughts and ideas to others. It imprints on us in childhood based on how our learning experiences feel during these formative years. Was there a lot around for you to be curious about? Did someone make you feel dumb whenever you made a mistake? Did you get the most praise for excelling in school or seeming smarter than your peers?
Many societies value circuit 3 intelligence immensely, but focusing too narrowly on it can close us off to other ways of knowing, make us miss out on the beautiful complexities of life, or give us an easy escape from actually feeling our emotions. If that’s you, try spending some time outside of your head and in your heart, in nature, or around a fire, deeply listening to other people’s stories. Anchoring into the wisdom of the body is another rewarding way to listen to more than just the thinking mind.
Circuit 4. Societal-Social Intelligence. Anchor of Belonging.
At first glance, Circuit 4 Societal-Social Intelligence gives us the tools to fit into a community on a local scale. Taking a broader view, this intelligence metabolizes cultural messages about gender, class, or religion to help us fulfill a communal role that secures our ability to belong. This circuit’s lessons are imprinted on us in adolescence. And, since it’s the last of the survival intelligences, it’s the last of the circuits that all human beings gain in one form or another just by virtue of living, without awakening into the expansive circuits.
If belonging seems threatened, we might try harder to conform or put others down. But, consider the feedback loop you might create when you choose your prescribed role over your genuine soul. Give authentically, and let the way you show up in your community define your role in it.
Circuit 5. Neurosomatic Intelligence. Shock of Ecstasy and Bliss.
Circuit 5 neurosomatic intelligence is the bridge from survival to post-survival experiences, and can be awakened by breathwork, yoga, feeling high, falling in love, or anything that induces a state of bliss so powerful that we realize there’s more to life than just making it through the day.
It’s profoundly shocking to face that all of our efforts spent just on surviving to this point have barely scratched the surface of what it can mean to be human. Recovering from such a shock requires a strong foundation of circuit 1 security—otherwise, we’re left chasing the next high. So, keep cultivating that foundation of self-trust! And, if you want to learn what it would mean to harness the vague and exciting “something more-ness” of circuit 5 neurosomatic intelligence, check out circuit 6.
Circuit 6. Neuro-Magical Intelligence. Shock of Freedom and Autonomy.
If circuit 5 is about understanding that there’s more to life than just surviving, circuit 6 is about leveraging that something more for our desired purposes. This intelligence is rooted in intuition and in perceiving the relative nature of reality so you can bend it to your will, metaprogramming your undesired imprints and beliefs into something new, accessing psychic abilities, practicing magick, and more. It is often awakened through transformative or traumatic experiences or a spiritual awakening.
Without the support of a strong circuit 2 intelligence, the shock of realizing we have greater autonomy than we had realized has its own perils. Staying connected to consensus reality even while creating our own reality is essential to avoid falling into the trap of spiritual bypassing, which is both harmful and disconnects us from others. Keep practicing empathy, be curious about your impact on others, and embrace vulnerability to stay in balance.
Circuit 7. Mytho-genetic Intelligence. Shock of Unity and Synchronicity.
Circuit 7 intelligence unlocks abstract concepts and non-ordinary states of consciousness. It involves a deep understanding of myth, metaphor, and archetypes, and contextualizes us in what came before and what will come after. Our place in the larger cosmic order and collective consciousness is revealed, and we understand we are part of—and shaping—a story that transcends time and space.
A profound crisis of disconnect often awakens this intelligence, and we realize we are not separate individuals, but rather, interconnected beings in a larger web of life. It can be hard to explain these truths in the ways of knowing we may have been limited to in circuit 3, so try to stay flexible if you find yourself disoriented or struggling to explain your newfound understanding in words. Remember that adopting a new model that “explains it all” would be a step back, so hang with the complexities and contradictions that abound.
Circuit 8. Nonlocal Subatomic Intelligence. Shock of Impermanence and Death.
Circuit 8 is about truly internalizing the experience of the Void as one’s true nature. Release from identification with the ego and the physical body is the core of this experience. Integrating this knowledge into day to day life means understanding that nothing is real and all that is real is nothing, but still making the choice to be kind. To do those dishes!
Deep contemplation or profound loss often awaken this intelligence, which brings the shock that everything in the material world is impermanent and constantly changing. Yet, in the midst of this impermanence, a deeper sense of peace and stillness can be found. You are pure consciousness. Connecting this truth back down into circuit 4 can make the daily dramas of being in community pale in comparison to the immeasurable beauty of being and witnessing other humans as they be.
Alright, y’all—I can’t wait to dive deeper into the 8 circuits, starting with the four survival circuits, here soon. And, if you’d like to chat 1:1 or host a group workshop to explore more about the dynamics between these intelligences within yourself or your team, I’d love to dive in with you about it.
