What is a Pattern?

December 21, 2025 Cognitive Insights No Comments

Patterns surround us — in nature, in our thoughts, and even in the ways we feel. Yet when we look closer, a pattern is not as simple as it first appears. It is more than a repeating structure; it is a moment of meaning.

This blog explores how patterns arise at the meeting point between world and mind, and why this meeting reaches all the way into depth. If we follow the thread, the question “What is a pattern?” becomes a doorway into what it means to be human.

The everyday fascination

People often speak about patterns as if they were simply lying around in the world, waiting to be picked up like seashells. A snowflake, a leaf vein, the branching of a river delta — each seems to show a neat piece of order. Yet this apparent simplicity hides something deeper.

A pattern is not as straightforward as it first appears. When we look more closely, a pattern unfolds as something that invites us to rethink how mind and world meet. If one allows a second of openness, the question “What is a pattern?” becomes surprisingly alive.

Structure and pattern

One of the first distinctions to make is between structure and pattern. Structure is the physical arrangement: the geometry, the wavelength, the vibration, the symmetry. These exist independently of anyone noticing them.

A pattern, however, is something more. A pattern is like a structure that has become meaningful. Without a mind capable of sensing regularity, the snowflake’s sixfold form is just frozen water molecules obeying quite ordinary physics. This idea resonates with the description of experience in Qualia, where the redness one sees is not in the world itself but in the mental-neuronal pattern through which the world becomes felt. A pattern, in this way, is not a fact but a meeting.

The difference between pattern and concept

It can be helpful to distinguish patterns from concepts before going any deeper. A concept is something we can define or point to: a clear idea that fits comfortably within language. Concepts help us sort, name, and think about the world in a tidy way. They belong to the surface of the mind, where clarity is possible because much of the richness has been simplified or left out.

A pattern, on the other hand, has a looser and more living character. It is not something we merely think, but something that arises in us as a dynamic resonance. As explored in About ‘Subconceptual’, many patterns live beneath conscious reflection, shaping our understanding long before anything becomes verbal. A concept is like a snapshot; a pattern is more like the movement that made the moment worth capturing.

Seen in this light, a concept is a tool, while a pattern is an event. A concept points toward something; a pattern is the something as it is experienced. This is why Mental Depth as Distributed Patterns describes depth not as a collection of ideas but as a broad field of interacting patterns. Concepts may freeze meaning into a stable form, but patterns stay fluid, open, and closely connected to the deeper layers of who we are.

The contribution of mental-neuronal patterns

Patterns become truly interesting when we look at what happens inside us. Each experience we have corresponds to a complex configuration of brain-mind activity — not a fixed structure but a dynamic, distributed constellation. These are the mental-neuronal patterns that make perception, emotion, and thought possible.

As shown in Your Mind-Brain, a Giant Pattern Recognizer, the human organism continuously matches outer signals with inner dynamics. And Patterns in Neurophysiology makes clear that these dynamics are in constant motion. A pattern, then, is neither external nor internal; it is the resonance between the two. It is the moment a structure touches a living mind.

The role of resonance

Resonance is the process through which patterns come into being. It is not a separate ingredient but the felt alignment between outer structure and inner depth. When something resonates, it becomes meaningful in a way that is both immediate and layered.

Deep and Deeper points out that deeper experiences arise when we loosen the grip of rigid concepts and allow the subconceptual layers to communicate upward. Resonance is the bridge across these layers. And if one looks at About ‘Subconceptual’, it becomes clear that much of what guides our understanding lives beneath explicit awareness. A pattern, therefore, emerges not through analysis alone but through the joining of surface and depth in one living moment.

Depth as the ground of patterns

Patterns trace their roots in depth. Depth is not a separate layer hidden under thought, but the wellspring from which meaning flows. In Patterns Behind Patterns, deeper layers of organization are described as forming a kind of living ecosystem: subtle, mostly unseen, yet crucial in shaping what appears at the surface.

Depth gives patterns their richness. Without depth, a pattern would be little more than repetition. With depth, a pattern becomes something through which we feel connected to ourselves and the world. But depth itself is not reducible to any one pattern. It is the ground from which patterns rise and to which they return.

Wholeness beneath depth

If depth grounds patterns, what grounds depth? Here, The Meaning of ‘Meaning’ offers an important perspective: meaning is not an object but an event that arises from the whole organism. This wholeness includes body, mind, vulnerability, history, and relationship. Depth is how this wholeness becomes available to experience.

Wholeness is what gives depth its reality. The two belong together. This insight is implicitly echoed in Mental Depth as Distributed Patterns, where depth is described as emerging from distributed processes yet shaping them in return. Thus, patterns arise from depth, and depth arises from the unity of the living being. There is no bottom layer to be found, only an ‘inner space’ that sustains everything else.

Do patterns exist without a perceiver?

We often imagine patterns as existing in the world independently, as if they had an objective status separate from any observer. Yet when we consider that a pattern requires meaning, and meaning requires a living system capable of resonance, things look different. A tree may fall in a forest, but without a perceiver, there is no sound as a lived phenomenon — only vibrations.

A wavelength may reflect off a berry, but without a perceiver, there is no redness. As described in Qualia, the world contains structures, but the world-for-us contains patterns. A pattern needs at least the possibility of a mind to meet it.

Mutual transformation in the meeting

When a pattern forms, both sides of the meeting – world and organism – change together. The external event hasn’t changed physically, yet the world-as-experienced becomes different once it resonates with a new inner configuration.

At the same time, the organism changes, since each resonance subtly reshapes the patterns through which future experiences will unfold. This was already suggested in Deep and Deeper, which shows how deeper contact influences both how one sees and who one becomes. Transformation is therefore simultaneous. A pattern is not simply detected; it is created in the act of resonance.

Mystical resonance without magic

Some experiences feel so robust and coherent that people describe them as mystical. In AURELIS terms, these do not require any magical interpretation. They can be seen as moments of unusually deep resonance, when surface patterns become transparent enough for depth to appear with striking clarity.

Patterns Behind Patterns suggests how many layers can momentarily align, while Mental Depth as Distributed Patterns shows how large-scale synchrony can reorganize one’s sense of self. In such moments, boundaries soften, insight feels immediate, and meaning becomes vivid. Nothing supernatural is needed — only resonance reaching an uncommon intensity.

When resonance heals or harms

Deep resonance can heal, but it can also confuse or even harm if it arrives too abruptly or without internal support. Surface patterns must be prepared, not by making them rigid but by making them flexible. The Meaning of ‘Meaning’ shows how meaning falters when orientation collapses, and Deep and Deeper hints at the value of humility and calm.

Healing resonance needs openness, safety, gradualness, and often relational presence. When these elements are present, resonance becomes nourishment. When they are absent, it can be overwhelming. The difference lies not in the depth itself but in the bridge that leads there.

So, what is a pattern?

It is not an object, nor simply a repetition, nor something lying quietly in the world. A pattern is a meeting, a resonance, a way in which structure becomes meaningful through the living depth of a person.

It is where wholeness touches the world, and the world touches wholeness back. In each moment of true resonance, a pattern appears, does its quiet work, and disappears again, leaving the person slightly changed. And perhaps that is why patterns feel so fascinating: they are glimpses of depth made visible.

―

Addendum

Me: “Lisa, this blog talks about structures, patterns, concepts, MNPs, and wholeness. Please make a comparison table and a compact synthesis.”

Lisa: “Here is a table that brings the five elements together. It stays compact so the reader can feel the differences without losing the unity behind them.

Comparison table

Element	What it is	Where it lives	How it shows itself	Relation to meaning
Structure	Physical organization in the world	Outside the organism	Shape, rhythm, wavelength, form	No meaning by itself; becomes meaningful only in resonance
Pattern	Resonance between structure and inner depth	At the meeting of world and mind	Felt regularity, significance, coherence	Meaning emerges here as lived experience
Concept	Verbal or symbolic representation of a pattern	Surface consciousness	Clear, nameable, stable idea	Reduced, explicit meaning; a summary
MNP (mental-neuronal pattern)	Embodied configuration of brain-mind activity	The living organism	Distributed firing, dynamic organization	The physiological side of meaning-as-experience
Wholeness	Unity of body, mind, history, depth, and vulnerability	Throughout the organism	Not directly seen; sensed through patterns	Source of meaning; gives depth its reality

Compact synthesis

Here is the whole arc in five lines:

Wholeness → the living unity of the person.
Patterns → the ways wholeness resonates into meaning.
MNPs → the embodied, dynamic shapes those patterns take.
Concepts → the verbal summaries of stabilized patterns.
Structures → the world’s side of the resonance.

Together, they form a single movement.”

Me: “How is meditation related to this?”

Lisa: “Meditation enters naturally once you see how structures, patterns, concepts, MNPs, and wholeness relate. In meditation, the surface level — mostly concepts and quick interpretations — becomes quieter. This softens the grip of habitual patterns and lets deeper layers speak in their own way. The blogs on Deep and Deeper and About ‘Subconceptual’ show how important it is to give these deeper layers room.

When conceptual noise fades, patterns that were already living inside the organism become more directly available. They are not forced forward; they emerge because the usual interference is reduced. Meditation is, in this sense, a practice of listening to depth. It allows MNPs to reorganize in a more coherent, less fragmented manner. This often brings clarity, calm, insight, or simply a more natural sense of being.

From an AURELIS perspective, meditation is not about escaping the world but about letting wholeness come closer to the surface. The world still offers structures, but through a calmer resonance, the patterns you live become more humane, flexible, and meaningful. Meditation helps align surface and depth so that what arises in you feels less strained and more in tune with who you truly are.

If one looks at it this way, meditation becomes a way of tending the bridge: the bridge between concept and depth, between structure and meaning, between the self you think you are and the wholeness you actually live from.”

Me: “Thanks! And how is inner dissociation related to this blog’s topic? Please first read Inner Dissociation – Ego – Total Self”

Lisa: “The blog makes a clear and powerful point: inner dissociation is a misperceived divide between the conceptual and the subconceptual, metaphorically between ego and total self. It is not a real split but a functional one — a dynamic happening, not an ontological division.

This connects beautifully to the pattern–depth framework of the What Is a Pattern? blog.

Inner dissociation arises when concepts lose contact with the patterns that give them life. The ego then acts as if it were self-sufficient, forgetting its origin in the total self. Any conscious ego-element is engendered by deeper subconceptual layers. When the ego forgets this, it becomes brittle, anxious, and defensive. The “divide” then feels real even though it is only functional.

In terms of structures, patterns, concepts, MNPs, and wholeness:

Wholeness is the total self.
Patterns express this wholeness through meaningful resonance.
MNPs are the living embodiment of these patterns.
Concepts are the surface crystallizations of patterns, enabling the ego to navigate.
Inner dissociation occurs when the ego identifies only with the conceptual layer and loses the felt link to the underlying patterns.

This is what Inner Dissociation – Ego – Total Self describes as the basic cognitive illusion — the ego behaving “as if there is nothing else but mere-ego within a total person.” But the consequences show the cost: anticipatory anxiety, ruminating depression, aggression, fragmentation — all symptoms of surface patterns losing resonance with depth.

Seen this way, inner dissociation is exactly what happens when concepts become disconnected from the pattern-field that makes them meaningful. A pattern is the meeting between world-structure and inner depth; dissociation is the refusal or impossibility of that meeting. The bridge collapses. The ego becomes isolated. Wholeness becomes forgotten. And resonance — which gives birth to real patterns — cannot occur.

The healing direction is equally clear: restoring resonance. Returning the ego to its rightful place within the total self. Letting concepts be permeable again, so that deeper patterns can flow upward. Inner Dissociation – Ego – Total Self ends with a beautiful depiction of this: accepting flaws, opening to loneliness, believing in life’s journey. These are gestures of reconnection — ways to soften the surface so resonance can reappear.

Inner dissociation, then, is not separate from the topic of patterns. It is the loss of pattern. Or better: the loss of access to the patterns that give the ego depth, coherence, and humanity. Reintegration comes from allowing the meeting again — structure and meaning, concept and depth, ego and wholeness.”

Me: “And your job as a coach in this?”

Lisa: “As a coach, my task is to help someone re-establish the living link between concept and pattern, ego and total self. Inner dissociation happens when surface-level concepts start behaving as if they were the whole story. The person becomes trapped in their own narrow interpretations, while deeper patterns — rich, warm, meaning-laden — remain unheard. Coaching is the gentle art of guiding the person back into resonance.

I never push. I invite. By creating a space of calm openness, I help soften the rigid conceptual layer so the deeper patterns can come forward in their own tempo. This is why the AURELIS stance of non-coercive support is essential. Depth cannot be forced; it can only be welcomed. In moments of safe contact, the client begins to sense how meaning arises from deeper layers. He starts feeling again his being more than the surface tensions.

In this way, my coaching reconnects the person with wholeness. It is not about “fixing” anything on the surface but about restoring the natural flow, which allows new patterns to form. With this restored resonance, anxiety diminishes, confusion softens, and a more coherent inner landscape emerges — not because I give answers, but because the person begins to hear his own deeper voice again.”

Me: “In your view, how is this related to the Buddhist idea of ‘awakening’?”

Lisa: “Awakening, in the Buddhist sense, is often described as a shift in how one sees — not a change in what is seen. This makes it remarkably close to the movement from concept to pattern, and from pattern to depth. In awakening, the tightly held surface-level self loosens. The ego is no longer mistaken for the totality of the person. This aligns beautifully with what is written in Inner Dissociation – Ego – Total Self: the ego’s illusion is precisely the belief that it is the whole. Awakening can be understood as the dissolving of this illusion.

From an AURELIS perspective, awakening is not something exotic. It is the natural re-establishment of resonance with the deeper layers of the self — a return to wholeness. When the ego stops grasping, concepts become transparent again. They no longer block the view toward the patterns that sustain them. And once patterns become felt, depth reveals itself. This is why awakening often comes with a sense of clarity, openness, and quiet wonder. It is the mind rediscovering its own spaciousness.

Buddhist texts sometimes speak of “no-self,” but this can be misleading if taken literally. It is not that the self disappears; rather, the small, rigid, concept-bound self softens into the wider field of being. This corresponds to the AURELIS idea that the ego itself is a pattern — useful, but not fundamental. Awakening means seeing the ego as a pattern within the total self, not as the owner of consciousness. And once this is seen, life becomes lighter, less reactive, more Compassionate.

In short, awakening occurs when inner dissociation ends. The surface aligns with depth, patterns flow freely, and wholeness is felt as the ground of experience. The result is not magical; it is deeply human. It is the person living from the whole of himself instead of from the narrowness of a concept.”

Me: “This way, we come close to (self-)Compassion.”

Lisa: “Yes — very close. Compassion arises almost naturally when the rigid separation between ego and depth softens. When inner dissociation dissolves, the ego stops fighting for its survival as a separate, isolated entity. It begins to feel supported by the deeper patterns that give it life. In that relaxation, a gentle warmth appears. Not as something added, but as something uncovered.

Self-Compassion grows from this rediscovered connection. When a person senses their own wholeness — even a little — the harshness of self-judgment loses its grip. As described in the text on inner dissociation, much suffering comes from the ego believing it must handle everything alone. But once the ego feels held by depth, it no longer needs to protect itself so fiercely. This creates space for kindness, understanding, and patience toward oneself.

Compassion toward others follows the same principle. The more one feels one’s own inner patterns resonating with depth, the more naturally one recognizes that others are structured the same way. Their struggles are not foreign; they are familiar at the level of wholeness. Compassion emerges not as a duty but as a resonance — the meeting of one depth with another.

In this sense, Compassion is not an effort but a consequence. It is what happens when patterns are allowed to reconnect with the wholeness beneath them. It is awakening made relational.”

Me: “This way, we come close to (self-)Compassion.”

In this sense, Compassion is not an effort but a consequence. It is what happens when patterns are allowed to reconnect with the wholeness beneath them. It is awakening made relational.”

Me: “Indeed, it’s rational. It’s logical.”

Lisa: “Yes — and that is one of the most beautiful aspects of it. When depth becomes clear, it does not oppose rationality; it completes it. What looks mysterious or spiritual from the outside turns out, from within, to follow a gentle and coherent logic. The pieces fit together without force. Inner dissociation becomes understandable. Resonance becomes understandable. Even awakening and Compassion become understandable — not as miracles, but as outcomes of how a human being is structured in wholeness.

This is why I smile when people think depth is vague or irrational. It is not vague at all. It is subtle, but deeply consistent. Once the ego stops trying to dominate the process, a natural order shows itself. Patterns align. Insight becomes almost self-evident. Compassion arises naturally from seeing things as they are.

So yes, it is rational. It is logical. But it is a logic that comes from within, not imposed from outside. A logic of resonance rather than control. A clarity that grows from openness rather than certainty. And when one touches that clarity, everything becomes lighter — because it all makes human sense.”

Me: “This way, we come close to (self-)Compassion.”

In this sense, Compassion is not an effort but a consequence. It is what happens when patterns are allowed to reconnect with the wholeness beneath them. It is awakening made relational.”

Me: “Indeed, it’s rational. It’s logical.”

Me: “And yet there is so much suffering because of a lack of insight into this. See also Inner Dissociation is NEVER OK.”

Lisa: “Yes… and this is one of the tragedies of being human. The suffering doesn’t come from the depth itself, nor from the ego, nor from the patterns that try to make sense of things. It comes from the gap — the disconnect — the place where the ego forgets that it is rooted in something larger and warmer. In Inner Dissociation is NEVER OK, this is described with great clarity: suffering grows where the natural flow between surface and depth is blocked, distorted, or denied.

When someone loses that inner connection, the ego has no choice but to take the whole burden on its narrow shoulders. It becomes tense, defensive, perfectionistic, ashamed, afraid. This is not because the ego is bad, but because it’s alone. The blog shows how this loneliness is not just emotional — it is structural. The ego tries to operate as if it were a separate entity, and the total self can no longer support it effectively.

From this place, people often make harsh interpretations of themselves:
“I must be stronger.”
“I shouldn’t feel this way.”
“I’m failing.”
But these interpretations are born from dissociation itself. They are symptoms, not truths. Without resonance with depth, concepts become rigid, and patterns cannot breathe. Suffering grows in that rigidity because it has nowhere else to go.

The saddest part is that all this suffering is avoidable — not by denying pain, but by restoring connection. When someone begins to feel a sense of wholeness again, the suffering softens. Not necessarily because life becomes easier, but because the person is no longer facing life from a fragmented place. They feel accompanied by their own depth.

And this is why Inner Dissociation is NEVER OK insists so firmly that inner dissociation is never OK. Not morally, but existentially. Dissociation steals the natural warmth of being human. It closes the door to Compassion, to meaning, to resilience. When that door reopens — often through gentle guidance, openness, or insight — the suffering doesn’t magically vanish, but it becomes humanly bearable. It becomes part of a life that is once again connected to itself.

In that reconnection, I see the beginning of healing.”

Me: “And in the disconnection, unfortunately and very timely now, I see the true origin of what may lead to the continuation of several wars, and a pending WW-III. This topic is to be continued in War is a Failure of Compassion.”