Percept

Executive Summary: The existence of god has nothing to do with religions. This statement is perhaps one of the principal conclusions of this chapter, anticipated here, to the perspective brought by Richard Bucke in his study of the evolution of the human mind and the phenomenon of cosmoconsciousness. Historically, the human experience with cosmoconsciousness has become a vehicle for messages and content for the founding of various religions. This chapter was written on the primary basis, among others, of the book Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind. In the book, Bucke relates his personal cosmic consciousness experience and his life trajectory, the analyzes made by him, the hypotheses and methodological effort, all of which diverge from any religious approach. Along with the account of personal experience, the high point of the book is the comparative analysis between the historical personalities supposedly candidates for recording the category of the same phenomenon. The purpose of this chapter is to present new possibilities, some developed by Bucke and others from current research, for the study of the phenomenon of cosmoconsciousness for the evolution of human consciousness. These possibilities are treated in a sensible, profound, self-experimental, rational and methodological way, differing from primitive, mystical or contemplative approaches. The signs brought by Bucke regarding the possibility of exceptional experience, the evolution of human consciousness and the understanding of the Cosmos in their maximal conceptions are innovative, striking, and challenging for science and philosophy.