In the traditional Christian lexicon, Agape is often defined as unconditional, self-giving love. It is the love that “seeketh not its own.” However, in the light of the ongoing dialogue in modern theology, specifically the work of Ilia Delio, and our research into the physiology of the “Phenomenal Event,” we can now offer a more precise, 21st-century definition. Agape is the outward radiation of a coherent nervous system.

From Fragmentation to Radiance

As we have established in our “Six Phases of Light,” the journey toward the Divine involves a systematic disengagement of the ego-driven, cognitive-evaluative networks (the Default Mode Network). When these networks, which act as a filter of separation and fragmentation, subside, the nervous system achieves a state of maximum coherence.

In this state (Phase 6), the distinction between ‘self’ and ‘other’ becomes transparent. Just as a physical object at a high temperature begins to glow, a nervous system at a high state of coherence begins to “radiate.” This radiation is what the mystics call Agape.

Coinherence: Being in the Other

Professor Ilia Delio speaks of coinherence, the reality that we do not exist as isolated atoms, but as beings that exist within one another and within the Divine.

Neurophenomenologically, Agape is the lived experience of this coinherence. When your internal state is one of “non-conceptual unity,” you no longer have to try to love the neighbor. Instead, you recognize the “infinite depth” of the neighbor as being identical to the infinite depth within yourself. Agape is the bridge where the “Insistence” of God (as John Caputo puts it) passes through your biology and into the material world.

Agape as “Ontological Hospitality”

In our “Ethics of Coherence,” we argue that integrity and compassion are the natural fruits of this inner light. Agape provides the mechanism. It is a form of ontological hospitality: because the “self” is no longer occupied by the noise of its own defenses, it becomes a vast, open space where the other can simply be.

The Evolutionary Imperative

Ilia Delio suggests that we are moving toward a new “God-becoming” through evolution. In this context, Agape is the “glue” of that evolution. It is the force that pulls fragmented individuals toward a higher state of collective coherence.

By understanding the neuroscience of inner light, we see that the command to “love one another” is not just a moral suggestion; it is an evolutionary invitation to align our biology with the infinite horizon of the Divine Event.

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Strategic Value

1. Refining the “Why”: This blog explains why the inner light matters. It’s not just about seeing colors behind the eyes; it’s about becoming a conduit for a specific kind of presence in the world.
2. Harmonizing with Delio: Using her term “coinherence” in a biological context is an important new horizon.
3. Intellectual Depth: This moves the conversation away from “is God real?” toward “how does the Divine Event change the way we function as a species?” This seems a key question for mankind in the 21st century.