One of the defining factors of being human is our potential to reflect and embody consciousness to quite profound levels. This isn’t exclusive to humans but it might be called one of our greater potentials – to live reality right in form.
Many of the things we’ve often considered “human” can also be discovered in plants and animals, although the expression varies considerably. For example, some cats are very present, some live in their own world, and some are thick as a post. Trees have senses and emotions but experience very differently.
Our path isn’t about “getting enlightened.” It’s better to frame it as becoming more and more conscious. Not just of ourselves but of the world and all levels of being. Simply living life and having experiences is integral to our own growth.
Increasing awareness brings greater understanding, compassion, solutions, healing, and opening for still more.
We can see this process beginning even in early childhood. One of the first major movements of maturation is distinguishing ourselves from our mother, then becoming a progressively more autonomous being. Once that is well established, we have the platform for stepping into universality without getting lost in it.
Fundamental to all of it is the question of being, of who I am. This is also a key marker for stages of development. We see this in cognitive and ego development and later in stages of development in consciousness. Each major change is a shift in our sense of who we are and the nature of the world.
Who we are is not reserved to our spiritual practices but is lived in every moment of our day-to-day life.
Davidya
Thanks for “changing” enlightenment to more and more conscious. Now it seems possible to get there.
Hi Carl
Really, it’s only discovering who we’ve always been under the noise of the mind and emotions. But that shift in perspective can have profound effects on our quality of life.
But those sudden discoveries are the result of gradually becoming more and more conscious. Often that process is so quiet that we don’t realize it’s unfolding until we notice how we’ve changed. Perhaps there’s a difficult experience but we notice how much less we’ve been caught by it. Or we realize how much more deeply people around us find life hard.
But for that culturing to be taking place, there does need to be practices that move it along. Without that, we tend to become more caught in time. To paraphrase the second law of thermodynamics, you have to regularly be introducing order. Otherwise disorder takes over and things fall apart. 🙂
Thanks – this is actually very helpful, as are your videos.
Now I feel that i´m moving.
Best wishes from Denmark
You’re welcome, from western Canada.
That’s why I do it. 🙂