🌀 The Spiral Universe
A Page in Similarity Theory
By Simon Raphael
🔹 A Vision of Nested Realities
To visualise the architecture of existence, one may imagine the cosmos as a spiral — a dynamic form in which countless interconnected universes are nested within one another. While not intended as a literal scientific diagram, this spiral symbolises the layered, recursive nature of consciousness and reality. It resonates with fractal geometry (Mandelbrot, 1982), holographic cosmology (’t Hooft, 1993; Susskind, 1995), and ancient Hermetic insights: as above, so below.
The spiral conveys motion and return — every turn both repeats and transcends what came before. Just as galaxies, seashells, and whirlpools reveal spirals in nature, so too may the structure of reality mirror this universal pattern.
🔦 Frames, Replicas, and Consciousness
In Similarity Theory, every infinitesimal moment endures eternally as a fixed frame — a replica of all existence, anchored in timeless stillness. These frames do not vanish; they persist like still images in an infinite reel.
Consciousness belongs to both the stillness of frames and the movement that links them. Each frame is complete in itself and infused with latent awareness, yet life as we know it arises in the passage between frames — the illumination of one after another, generating the flow of time. In this sense, consciousness is not only the traveller but also the landscape: it dwells within the fixed frames while simultaneously animating their succession. Just as the double-slit experiment shows particles existing in potential until observed, so too do frames persist eternally — but it is consciousness that actualises them, whether by moving into new frames or by re-entering and thus regenerating existing ones.
These fixed replicas are not destined to remain inert forever. Across vast spans, some may awaken — gaining self-awareness and beginning their own journeys forward. Not every frame will do so, but the potential is woven into the fabric of existence. Thus, the spiral is not static but alive with becoming.
🌌 Divergent Selves and Expanding Realities
Every action, thought, or hesitation carries the potential to branch into its own autonomous stream of reality. Each conscious act is a choice of frame, and every choice threads a new path into the spiral.
This interpretation parallels Everett’s Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics (1957) and Tegmark’s hierarchy of multiverses (2003). But in Similarity Theory, branching is not an abstract mathematical model: it is the natural consequence of consciousness itself. All past frames remain fixed, while conscious choice generates new illuminated streams. Each divergence is not merely a possibility realised, but a universe brought into being.
In this sense, you are not simply moving through universes — you are generating them.
🔮 The Spiral as a Numerical Map
The spiral may also be understood numerically. The sequence from 0 to 9 represents a cycle of development within one universe. Reaching 10 — the first double-digit threshold — signifies the birth of a higher cosmic tier. At 100, another emergent layer unfolds.
This structure mirrors the dimensional hierarchy outlined elsewhere in Similarity Theory (0–9, 10–99, 100–999, and so forth). Each step is an evolutionary threshold, akin to a phase transition in physics (Kauffman, 1993). The spiral thus encodes both recurrence and transcendence: repetition across scales, yet always toward a wider horizon.
🪞 Universes Within Universes
The spiral metaphor reveals not only a cosmic truth but also a personal one. Every being, organ, cell, and atom may be a microcosm of the greater spiral. Consciousness threads through these nested levels, echoing the panpsychist view that mind is not confined to human brains but pervades all matter (Goff, 2019).
This principle of similarity shows that the same spiral which shapes galaxies also resonates in atoms, cells, and the frames of time. In this vision, universes may coexist in the same field, like overlapping waves or branes (Randall & Sundrum, 1999). Normally imperceptible, such dimensions may become accessible in elevated states of awareness, echoing mystical traditions that describe layered realities hidden from ordinary sight.
📖 Closing Reflection
The spiral universe is not only a metaphor but also a structural principle — a lens through which to glimpse the self-similar architecture of reality. Just as hydrogen atoms fuse into stars, or droplets of water merge into larger drops, so too do frames, dimensions, and consciousness weave into one another, spiralling toward ever-greater wholeness.
In Similarity Theory, the spiral is not the end of inquiry but its beginning: a reminder that every moment is both a return and a step forward, both an echo and a creation.
📌 References
Barbour, J. (1999). The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics. Oxford University Press.
Everett, H. (1957). “Relative State” Formulation of Quantum Mechanics. Reviews of Modern Physics, 29(3), 454–462.
Goff, P. (2019). Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness. Pantheon.
Kauffman, S. (1993). The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution. Oxford University Press.
Mandelbrot, B. B. (1982). The Fractal Geometry of Nature. W.H. Freeman.
Randall, L., & Sundrum, R. (1999). An Alternative to Compactification. Physical Review Letters, 83(23), 4690–4693.
Susskind, L. (1995). The World as a Hologram. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 36(11), 6377–6396.
Tegmark, M. (2003). Parallel Universes. Scientific American, May 2003.
’t Hooft, G. (1993). Dimensional Reduction in Quantum Gravity. arXiv:gr-qc/9310026.
Raphael, S. (2025). Similarity Theory: Dimensions, Time, and Consciousness.
