Post No. 613 - Levels of Consciousness

I'm going to begin this post by noting that my dream work, that is, my work when I am active in that form of consciousness that we, here in the "conscious",  label "dreams", is going well. I wasn't quite lucid, but I was actively taking control of what was happening, and trying to make it better. This is discussed in my post on banning the dream interpretation industry, and it is worth quoting the key paragraphs from that post here:

The ubiquitous view that dreams are not that actively ROBS us of so much of our birthright -  not just the chance to sensibly use precognition (which I have written about elsewhere  see here, here), but also the chance to develop lucid dreaming (see here and here: it basically means becoming aware of the fact that you are dreaming while you are dreaming, and thus being able to direct your "dream"), and thus exercise and develop a key part of our psychic potential, the part that will be most directly used when we pass over. And how stupid it is to pass that opportunity over.
Naropa talks of what can be done here in one of his yoga's (see here [2] and here), as does Joan Grant in her books (particularly "Winged Pharaoh"), but also Katherine  Kerr's book "The Black Raven", which I am currently reading, hints at the work required to master working with your dreams.

So, last night was a useful reminder of my plans to do this post :)

Before I get into the post, I would like point out that quite a few people have talked of humans being largely asleep. I'll come back to that later.

Now, let's set the scene a little.

I found a diagram of levels of consciousness from a Wikipedia article, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Structural-Iceberg.svg, and I am copying it here as the copyright owner says specifically that it has been released into the public domain, for which I thank the copyright owner. It is also available in some other languages at the link I have given:

This diagram is apparently based on Freud's work, which makes it inherently flawed in my view, but I've come across similar views in other sources (textbooks and popular books that I've read, etc). It basically shows the individual to be a fairly contained unit, with the conscious the small part at "the top", and thus "best".

OK, so now let's turn to how I consider consciousness can best be portrayed.

It's a fairly conventional diagram, and thus quite flawed. In my view, the Higher Self should actually be shown as our innermost being, with our consciousness wrapped around that like the skin of an orange (or the crust of a planet :) ), but then I run into problems with how to depict the subconscious part of the unconscious without showing it as a filter between us and our Higher Self, which it is not, or us and reality, which it is partly. I need more dimensions on my pieces of paper.

Oh - I apologise in these diagrams for two things in particular:

1. the distortion. I use my digital camera and the best place I conveniently can find to get digital images of my hand sketches (working with software slows me, and I find it incredibly clumsy and lacking in subtlety - which some others clearly do not - or maybe they just have more time than I do?), but limitations - including my back problems - mean I can't quite get over the sketches properly. I will buy a scanner one day, but there are many, many higher priorities for my family that come first; and 
2. I should have labelled that part of the unconscious which is not the Higher Self the "subconscious".

Now, let's look at the first diagram.

In this diagram, I show the labels of "superego", "ego", and "id" as the filters (drawn as cross sections of lenses) by which we interpret some of our interactions with the subconscious (there are other filters, and other ways of viewing such filters), and religion/spirituality/metaphysics/etc as those filters by which we filter some of our interactions with the Higher Self.

Fortunately for us, both our Higher Self and our subconscious have ways of getting around such filters :)

I have also shown the Higher Self where it should: as out Highest, "best" part.

Now, that diagram's not too bad, but there is a VERY important part of this consideration which it hasn't shown: soul parts, or parallels. I've touched on this in other posts (for instance, here, when I  was describing one of the reasons change is so difficult), and it basically boils down to the fact that our Higher Self operates not just us, but other entities who are also part of our "Soul", as some people term the Higher Self. Now, these other aspects of ourself are sometimes the reason for people using the (so simplistic that it is flawed and to be avoided, in my view) concept "Soul Mate", but more importantly, these are other people who are, effectively, closer to us than any family or friends: what they go through, and try to do or not do, has the potential to impact on us.

As an example, art of my drive to learn to play music is attributable to a parallel of mine who was a professional musician in Austria. He died around twenty years ago, and my musical drive has declined since then. When he was alive, the struggles he and I had with depression and ways to overcome that would sometimes weaken, sometimes reinforce us - which is the point I was making with the post I linked to in a preceding paragraph.

If I go back to around the 1100s/1200s, I had an incarnation in England at the same time that another part of me, another parallel or Soul Part, was also incarnated, but as a warrior fighting for Chinggis Khan. That gives me a sense of connection to Chinggis Khan that fascinates me, but that I can't quite explain. I suspect that one of my parallels (I'll use that term, as I consider "Soul Part" too loaded with gushy guff :) ) had an incarnation on the Western Front of World War Part One. I didn't: I was on a British submarine which went down, bvut didn't come back up - leaving my current partner, who then my girlfriend, as a grieving young woman.

Oh, incidentally, parallels are not all the same gender. I've had lives as a mother in the "Old West" in the USA, and am aware that my parallels were incarnated as males elsewhere.

Parallels are also not necessarily incarnated on the same planet, or in the same dimension ...

So let's have a look at the diagram that I prepared to illustrate that.

Don't feel resentful about your parallels. There can be a tendency to think "oh gosh darn it  I could be so evolved if it wasn't for those other parts of me slowing me down or holding me back". And yet, quite frequently, it is those other parts of us that can give us resilience, sudden burst of joy for no reason that we can discern (it may be that something good has happened to one of our parallels), and a sense of connection when we would otherwise be isolated.

Also, when we're up or down, we may be contributing the same to them, so don't be too hasty to blame others for what you yourself may be doing.

How strong this interaction is depends on how psychic we are at the subconscious level. Some people's blocks can go deep into their subconscious, and leave them isolated from this interaction, which is a great shame, and a great hindrance.

Our subconscious psychism also gives us a way to tap into that portion of subconsciousness which is shared with the rest of humanity, leading to things like empathy and (intuitive) insight, and some of Jung's concepts.

Now, on being largely asleep. I touched on this in one of my early posts, when I wrote about Ouspensky, who taught that humanity was mostly asleep, and believed that exercises such as focusing on senses more intently (e.g., what sounds can you hear as you read this? What is furthest away? Now keep listening to the sounds that are closer, until you get in to your body? Can you hear your breathing? The blood rushing through your veins? Can you hear your heart beat? [I can’t, but when I do this exercise I have some sort of awareness of it.] Next, what are you feeling [as in, sense of touch, not emotions]? Where do you feel your clothes, and which layers? Where do you feel your chair [if you are on one]? What do your fingertips feel? Can you feel you hair? OK, now: do both exercises at the same time. In it’s full extent, you gradually add in all the five physical senses [including sight, but looking more intently – e.g., how many colours can you see?]) would help to increase our awareness * . I certainly found those exercises of benefit to me, but I've also found other exercises, such as meditation, of benefit as well - perhaps more so, in many cases.

Another matter that has been of benefit to me is becoming aware of issues such as those that I have covered in this post.

I'll leave this post at that, and wish you, Dear Reader, "Good Wakefulness, even when you are asleep" :)


 * I have also recently come across a William  James quotation (from here) which is relevant:

•  "Compared to what we ought to be, we are half awake."

I like some of his other quotations as well:

• "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
• "Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing." (I've also come across that mis-attributed to Clive James)
• "Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice."
• "We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause."

[1] BPLF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Light Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr, Wéofodthegn 

(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux … aka Morinehtar … Would-be drýicgan or maga ... )

My "blogiography" (list of all posts and guide as to how to best use this site) is here, and my glossary/index is here.

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ... See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "Pagans for Peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag. I also strongly recommend learning how to flame, ground and shield, do alternate nostril breathing, work with colour, and see also here and be flexible. 

I am a Walker upon the Path of Balanced Positivity, seeking Spiritual Maturity.

• Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if  the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
• Our entire life experience, with all the many wondrous and varied people, places and events in it, is too small a sample for statistical reliability about Life.
• May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
• Being accustomed to interacting via certain rules makes those rules neither right nor universal.
• Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.
• The means shape the end.
• As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
• My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi", although I've recently come across "Invictus" and might put that one in to that category. However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.
• All of the above - and this blog - could be wrong, or subject to context, perspective, or state of spiritual evolution ...

Human dignity is the inherently cumulative holistic combination of human rights, wellbeing and potential, and all actions or interaction which promote, realise or facilitate same. The converse also applies: whatever degrades, diminishes or robs humans of dignity, is inherently undignified.

Gnwmythr

The “purpose” of spiritual evolution is not the attainment of “spiritual perfection” - not in the sense of not having to evolve further, at any rate, since there is no such thing. We need to evolve in order to grow - but we can take rest breaks (hopefully well earned :) ) along the way. No, the “purpose” of evolution is, rather, to perfect our ability to learn, and thus grow.

Gnwmythr

Jesus loves you. Odin wants you to grow up.

(Facebook meme, according to John  Beckett)

We make our decisions. And then our decisions turn around and make us.

F.W. Boreham

Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious.

Jane Elliott

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing.

(based on writing by) Edmund Burke

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children

Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

John F. Kennedy

Tags: alertness, awareness, consciousness, Higher Self, Ouspensky, parallels, psychism, Soul, soul parts, subconscious, unconscious, wakefulness, William James,

First published: Manadagr, 10^th November, 2014

Last edited (excluding fixing typo's and other minor matters): Monday, 10^th November, 2014