Hello everyone,
Welcome to Educating the Spirit, my companion newsletter to Rx for the Planet.
I spent many hours and a few sleepless nights naming this newsletter. At the last moment I added a line: ‘Imagine Universal; Think Practical.’
That’s my approach. I won’t hide the fact I believe in spirit and soul, wisdom teachings from sages and indigenous peoples handed down for centuries, and our connection to a universal field of consciousness that is the source of human intelligence.
But science is rapidly shifting our thinking as well. It’s clear humans are transitioning into a quantum future defined by energetic processes that connect us to each other, bind us to the natural world, heal the body, and steer us back to the stars.
Together, knowledge of the past and cutting edge science will reveal a new frontier for learning. This is the new world children must know. The old world is fading.
At any age, entering into this new world is a challenge, for one simple reason: There is no one to teach you. Learning is now an inner journey, not a classroom exercise.
This also requires ‘unlearning.’ Long embedded belief barriers must be removed. If you become a subscriber, that’s why you’ll notice a theme: Freedom to view the world through beginner’s eyes.
If you’re a young person, I’m speaking to you as well. Be your own expert. Set yourself free.
When a colleague commented on this theme for my first post, he asked, “Aren’t young people already free?”
No, they’re not. I’m going to show you why.
The Story of Cory
When I taught, I used my first name with students. It drove the other staff crazy, but it promoted bonding.
One day a tall, muscular 10th grade boy in my class, with a history of attitude and a daily wad of cash in his pocket, hesitantly revealed a secret to me, “Thom, I can’t read.”
That led to an anecdote I’ve told many times. Cory (not his real name) attracted the constant surveilllance of the Assistant Principal, who was focused on getting this “drug dealing” juvenile out of the school.
But I learned the truth. Not only about his reading, but the source of his cash. Cory told me it came from fixing every car or motorcycle engine in his neighborhood. He was a whiz.
Even his parents didn’t know about his reading problem, which explained his poor grades. I tried to help by tutoring him for a GED, but eventually Cory dropped out at 17, enrolled in a race car mechanics course at a nearby national speedway, and graduated first in his class.
The average age of his fellow students was 30; he was 18. He could disassemble and reassemble an engine faster than any of them. His talent got him an interview on CNN and a job offer with a major racing team.
When he dropped by my classroom after his graduation to tell me of his successes, I was happy, but also curious. “How did you read the manuals?” I asked him.
Cory always had confidence. It showed in his smile. “I still can’t read,” he laughed, “I don’t use the manuals. I just see the engine in 3D and work from the picture in my mind.”
Are a Billion Corys in Our Future?
I met Cory 30 years ago, and I’ve never forgotten his mysterious ability. In fact, he was a kind of teacher himself: He showed me neurodiverse talents I had never encountered.
Neither he or I realized it then, but he also led a movement. Back in the day, his talents were nearly invisible to science. Now 15–20% of the population considers themeselves neurodiverse. It’s not a passing fad. Just five years ago, the range was closer to 5–10%.
Psychologists and neuroscientists offer conventional explanations for the trends. Neurodiversity now includes a wider range of conditions—autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s, and more—leading to higher reported prevalence.
And advances in screening tools and earlier detection, especially in children, are identifying more individuals than in previous decades.
A cultural shift is also taking place. Societies are increasingly recognizing neurodivergence as a natural variation rather than a disorder, reducing stigma and encouraging more people to seek diagnosis.
But it’s time to probe deeper. Social neuroscience tells us the brain is far more permeable than we knew and shaped by its environment. It’s likely humanity’s cognitive spectrum increasingly reflects a collective shift toward embracing complexity, adaptability, and non-linear thinking.
In other words, neurodiversity is not an anomaly—it’s a symbol of evolving societal consciousness. (For deeper background, take a look at my Rx for the Planet archives.)
Contemplating that grand shift should be a driver for every educator and parent who wants to understand the future of learning. Children will be very different. In fact, they already are. And 1.3 billion children live on this planet now.
Already they disrupt schooling. But their primary impact will be on the brain itself. The old model of cognition, rooted in five centuries of reductionist thought, cannot survive.
Our mental models of the mind and brain have consistently mirrored the dominant cultural paradigms of their eras, evolving alongside shifts in philosophy, technology, and societal values.
Let’s do a brief historical tour of the brain. How humans conceive the mind and brain has always been shaped by prevailing cultural narratives.
In Ancient and Medieval Eras, the mind was linked to the soul, divine influence, or moral essence. Theories of cognition and emotions were grouped with religious doctrine.
During the Enlightenment, with the rise of science and rationalism, the brain began to be viewed as a machine. Descartes likened it to hydraulic systems; later thinkers compared it to clockwork or steam engines, reflecting the industrial age’s fascination with mechanical precision.
Then we come to the now. As computers emerged, the brain was reimagined as an information processor. Cognitive science adopted terms like “input,” “storage,” and “output,” mirroring digital technology and emphasizing logic, computation, and modularity.
The computer metaphor is the foundation for the current dominant paradigm in education. Everything a child experiences in school is viewed through a reductionist, modular approach to the brain, usually distilled even further into a science of learning and the unquestioned precepts of cognitive psychology.
This model reinforces the brain as a machine, limited by ‘working memory’, ‘cognitive load’, limbic-derived emotions, and a host of isolated parts subject to faulty wiring or low horsepower. That’s the machine version of children today—and it underlies the testing and standardization of schools in the modern era. It’s why ecucators ‘fill the tank’ rather than ‘light the fire.’
The first step to freedom is to question the ‘computer ‘model’ of the brain that dominates science and education.
In future posts, I’ll present alternatives to the conventional model of thinking. Not suprisingly, a subset of neuroscientists have endorsed quantum principles and are searching for better clues to the exact nature of the brain and consciousness.
How certain are their answers? Not very. But neither can cognitive psychologists claim any real insights into the process of learning. Recording machine-like neural responses to isolated facts is not the same as understanding history, writing a poem, or appreciatng the elegance of mathematics.
And, of course; the big one, the explanatory gap: No scientists in the world can explain how biochemicals spontaneously became able to ‘think’.
So, I’m not arguing for certainty but I am arguing for honesty. It’s tme to sincerely question our brain rather than accept the metaphors of present science.
The reason? Survival. In the age of artificial intelligence, global disruption, ecological challenges, and dramatic shifts in the workforce, a reductionist mindset is a dead end. Knowledge flows on demand; learning is nonlinear and partnered with AI.
But more critical than what you know is what you feel and can do. A fundamentally new skillset is emerging as the foundation for life beyond 2030. It’s the Age of ‘Soft’ Skills: Creative intelligence, problem solving, imagination, curiosity, purpose, and empathy—the kinds of behaviors that lead to innovation, global connection, unity, and a deeper understanding of collective human intelligence.
Do we know how to teach these? Yes, a bit.
Do we understand where those capacities originate, and how we foster them? No, and the brain alone does not have the answer.
The search must go deeper, into the province of the heart and invisible processes driven by frequency, vibration, and the energy of thought.
That’s the reason for the newsletter. I hope you’ll join the quest.
To my readers: Please follow or subscribe if the new world beckons you. But however you decide, the conversation is critical.
If your family isn’t looking ahead, your child will be behind.
If you’re teaching but not innovating, your job will disappear.
If you’re wedded to conventional scientific explanations for thinking, intelligence, and creativity, you will not understand human potential.
If you’re not focused on love and freedom, you won’t help the world evolve.
Your subscription applies to both newsletters, so feel free to toggle back and forth or choose one which best suits your needs. If you are able, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber.
If you choose to subscribe as an Annual Member at $95 USD, I offer a personalized one hour virtual coaching session. Let’s talk about your child or your dreams as an educator.
Act kind,
Dr. Thom
I love that you are highlighting neurodiversity! As a society, we need to realize that neurodiverse people are not deviations from the norm - they are the norm. Plus, it’s a strength! Therefore, it makes even less sense to apply the same standardized methods and environments to all learners.
The shift beyond the computer model of cognition is fasinating. Cognitive science needs to embrace more holistic frameworks that accont for creativity and intuition. Your point about neurodiversity as an evolving consciusness is compelling.