Press Release
Jan 23, 2026
Consciousness is one of many mystery-laden buzzwords spurred into prominence by modern technologies. So what even is it and why does it matter? Creator and host Robert Lawrence Kuhn of long-time show Closer to Truth, seeking to formalize the now hot scientific research topic, engaged in four years of research himself. His peer-reviewed, 130-page paper “A landscape of consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications” was published in 2024. In 2025 his foundation-funded team at Closer to Truth turned it into an interactive online research tool.
Vermont resident, North Carolina native Earthstar One has been working on mysteries related to science, information, and participation for over 30 years. Her work is hard to fit into existing formalizations. Over the last two years she sought to express it in terms of consciousness. “It was an interesting challenge that I didn’t seek out. It sought me.” Outer Kaleidoscope, Inner Compass (OKIC) became a way of characterizing not only the collective experience of reality but a way of understanding conscious participation and awareness beyond common framings like intentionality, attention and game theoretics.
In early Jan 2026, after committee review by the Closer to Truth team, her work formally characterizing consciousness in terms of Outer Kaleidoscope, Inner Compass was inducted into the “Landscape of Consciousness” research tool.
A link to the research tool is available at https://studyconsciousness.com.
“What I find hardest still is escaping the stereotype that I’m a yogi, or worse that my goal is to make others into yogis. It’s totally not my concern how people express their spirituality or pursue integrity. I guess I just have the integrity vibe and people project their own aspirations. It’s a sort of compliment I suppose, but also misses the more pressing, whole systems aspects of my work.”
“I doubt I would have contacted Robert at Closer to Truth, to pursue recognition in the consciousness field, were it not for the existential threats to sane participation, including among many issues the rise of ‘psychonaut’ culture. To those who think mind alteration might be the only way to understand reality, think again! Moreover, revealing the nature of reality cannot be done by individuals. It is our collective challenge right now.”
These salient topics will be made even more so when, in Feb 2026, writing and touring icon Michael Pollan releases his much anticipated treatise on consciousness A World Appears.
Other options for accessing Earthstar One’s work