Article by Michael Beaton
Deep consciousness is achievable. But we have to make an active choice on how we live.
Talk of consciousness often reflects jumbled ideas that confuse rather than clarify. Consequently we fail to understand consciousness, and we simply leave the matter in the annals of complex psychology or esotericism.
Very simply, consciousness is active awareness.
Essentially there are three levels of consciousness:
- Of self (me, the individual body with a mind)
- Of surroundings (the material world around me)
- Of spirit (the spiritual or cosmic realm beyond my physical reach)
For sentient humans (i.e. those alive on earth), consciousness typically occurs in the mind, which is housed in the brain. For deceased humans (i.e. those alive in the spiritual plane), consciousness occurs in the soul.
It is very rare for living humans to elevate consciousness of mind into consciousness of soul. In my opinion, this is where most confusion occurs. New Age philosophy has promoted so many different views on the matter that it has diluted and weakened the power of consciousness.
Planes of Consciousness
When we think of the esoteric or mystical nature of consciousness we venture into “soul consciousness”. Here the mind becomes aware of the soul and the two unite with spirit (from the ONE source of true consciousness – “God”) to integrate with the universe.
Consider Figure 1.
The mind is housed in the body – within the brain. The body has soul – that’s what makes it live. Thus, humans are a product of mind, body, and soul. This is where notions of thoughts (ideas; “brain”), feelings (emotions; “heart”), and actions (reactions; “gut”) come from.
For many humans, consciousness stops at the material body – “I am aware that I can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel”. My consciousness at this very basic level occurs in the mind, and that’s it! Some of us even struggle to be actively aware of our senses – we move through life on “auto-pilot” seldom marvelling at the magnificence of what we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel (physically and emotionally).
Some of us may grasp the notion that our bodies are alive because of the soul in us. But many of us seldom experience our soul extending into the material world occurring around us, and further into the spiritual plane, and further yet into the universe (where the ONE exists).
When the mind is aware of the soul, and the two access spirit to achieve soul consciousness, we find opportunity for full awareness.
Consciousness in the Eternal Present
Something that further interferes with our understanding of consciousness is the concept of time – the separation of life into future, present, and past.
Simplistically we imagine that time to come is “the future”, while time experienced now is “the present”, and time already experienced and which we can do nothing about is “the past”.
This notion compartmentalises our lives into plans, actions, and memories. But it is a foolish notion because in reality life only occurs now – future plans realise in the present, while past memories are made in the present. Life occurs now, and only now. So here’s the big question: how many of us are truly conscious of now?
For most of us the present becomes about moving the future into the past – about converting plans into memories. Most of us have a “to do” list as long as our arm with deadlines no longer than a week. Our existence is measured by our achievement of making the future the past. In the process we miss the existence of the present. Then we wonder why our lives feel empty and unfulfilled.
As Figure 2 illustrates, the present is at the centre of our existence, and the choices we make in the present, typically in relation to the future (i.e. what we want and dream about), determine the quality of our present (via actions) and past (via memories). The right choices bring about positive and constructive change (i.e. future plans are actively and consciously realised in the present to produce lasting good memories and legacy in the past).
When we make poor choices – when we act without soul consciousness – and merely pass through our ego-centric life on “auto-pilot”, change happens without our active awareness, and memories become nothing more than achievement trophies collecting dust on the shelves of our past. What’s the point of having those trophies if we did not consciously enjoy achieving them in the present? Often, we can experience a reflective sense of awe at all we have achieved only to have a “numbness” or vagueness as we struggle to recall being in the present at the time of doing the things we did. We realise our present was nothing more than a rushed flurry of “stuff”, with very little or no consciousness of it. Living this way, are we living our best life?
Choose to Change Now
True soul consciousness is active awareness of what my “spiritually expanded and enlightened soul” is fulfilling in the present to realise meaningful plans and to make positive memories that leave a constructive legacy for those I love and for those I am positive about.
True soul consciousness is not about mindlessly collecting achievement trophies as a record of our ego-centric existence; it’s about being actively aware of our soul presence now and about how our conscious choices and actions now fulfil spiritual purpose on all planes that affect the universe.
by Michael Beaton – More to Life Elder
Author of Transcendence – A Search for Meaning and Hope (Available on amazon.co.uk).
Also see Michael’s blog at: https://john3-6.blogspot.com/
