The word Consciousness may mean of course different things to different people. We can look at it from either a psychological perspective or a spiritual perspective. As humanity grows in understanding, the possible reality of a spiritual realm then becomes interesting. How do we explain this and put it into layman’s words? Maybe we first of all need to ask the question ‘What is meant by Consciousness’?
Consciousness can be described as our Soul, as our inner voice, as the Observer, the Silent Watcher or even a higher knowing. There are different ways to describe it, but I would like to share with you my own understanding.
Consciousness is a knowing, it is an awareness deep within ourselves, an insight. This insight develops as we journey along the path. Through the Soul’s many lifetimes’ experiences, we accumulate the consciousness of those experiences to guide us forward, gaining more knowledge, wisdom and understanding as we learn through the soul’s lessons developed. We retain the memories of those soul lessons in our consciousness – it is like a storehouse where the soul memory of all the lessons we have learned throughout lifetimes is gathered for us to consider and understand. Consciousness is that part of ourselves that knows deep down when something is true. This is our guiding light. On the outer levels, mental and emotional, we can’t always differentiate true from false, but on this inner level, and if we are attuned to the Soul, we know truth. Consciousness is an inner knowing, a sum total of all that we have learned through our many experiences.
Then perhaps going a bit deeper, what is the Soul? What is this Soul Consciousness? Throughout history we have been told by many spiritual teachers and prophets that life is eternal, so therefore one is led to assume that there must be something more than the physical body which continues after our experiences on earth. It seems also to suggest that whilst we may discard the personality/the material form something else continues. This something may be called many things by different teachers, philosophers, and prophets. I am comfortable in calling this the spirit, the very essence of life itself. Whatever we call it, if we believe that there is more to us than physical form, then something else must continue.
As I see it, spirit is the very essence of our being. It is the prime motivator. It is the breath, the energy, the force that drives us. Spirit has no form. It is what makes life be. It is the I AM. There is nothing in the universe, in this solar system that is not motivated by spirit, by energy. It is pure essence. However, because it is an essence, a breath, an energy it needs to experience and express itself and it uses the vehicle of the soul for this experiment.
It is worth repeating – the soul is a consciousness. It has the pure essence of spirit within Itself, but it needs to experience what It is. It has the facility for gaining knowledge. It has a memory. It is this consciousness, this memory that moves from one life to another, retaining the experiences learned at each level. It is through life’s many experiences that the Soul can unfold and develop its spiritual qualities. It accumulates all its knowledge and experiences so that one day we shall arrive at that final spot of the Alpha and the Omega where we can truly say I know that I am. Every experience along the path, whether good or bad, has a purpose – a lesson learned at a deeper level of understanding. Perhaps now, another question could be ‘What is the Soul made of?’ ‘What does it consist of?’
The Soul itself has a three-fold nature; it is self-conscious (personality), it is group conscious (soul) and it is at a very deep level, God or spirit conscious. The Soul has no personal nor individual ambitions or individual interests. It really is not at all interested in the ambitions, intentions or intricacies of its personality, The soul exists as a consciousness, and it is there to guide the personality through its multiple experiences. The purpose of life is about the personality, the individual person realizing that there is more to life than the physical. Slowly, following many lifetimes, the soul guides the personality to reach a stage when it becomes aware there is something greater than the physical. The personality becomes aware of itself as the soul, with soul powers, soul relationships and soul purpose. When the personality realizes this, it begins to lift its awareness to acknowledge, perhaps initially in a small measure, that it is part of a group soul.
There will come a time, a moment, whether in this lifetime or in another, when the soul will reach a stage when it needs to know more. It will no longer be satisfied with ambling along. It wants to get hold of its destiny, face it, and see where it is going, what it has achieved, and what other lessons are needed. And then the Soul, of its own volition, will become the captain of its ship. It will guide its own destiny. It will face the turbulent seas and storms and steer it through to calmer waters.
Our consciousness is our guiding Light, it is our Higher Self, our Inner Teacher. It is this Light that will see us through thick and thin. When we integrate our personality with our consciousness, we will then be raised to a higher realm of ‘knowing’, a deeper insight into what ‘life’ is really about. So, our journey, our path, through many trials and tribulations over many lifetimes, is taking us forward to reach that state of being when we can truly lift the lid on our consciousness and know that we have arrived.
May your Light continue to guide you into the realms of pure consciousness.
