What’s All The ‘Consciousness’ Talk Going Around? Get in the Know!

I am often asked, “coach speaks, what is consciousness?” or…”what does it mean to be ‘conscious’?” Well, I’m sure there exists several schools of thought, and of course I can only share mine. In a nutshell, Consciousness is what you are in your non-pysical state of Being; it is what you emanate from. Consciousness is the power behind of all creation, both form and non-form.

Dictionary.com defines conscious as: 1. aware of one’s own existence; 2. Fully aware of or sensitive to something; 3. Having the mental faculties fully active; 4. known to one’s self; 5. aware of what one is doing; 6. Aware of one’s self; 7. Deliberate; intentional; 8. Acutely aware of or concerned about; blah blah blah. But we can’t just go from there. When we further explore the etymology of the word, we find that the word `consciousness’ has its Latin root in conscio, formed by the coalescence of cum, meaning `with’, and scio, meaning `know’. In its original Latin sense, to be conscious of something was to share knowledge of it, with someone else, or with oneself.

All of these are true and accurate. The ones I have bolded are the ones I would like to Speak on. But first I want to give a broad perspective on the general meaning, and then I will attempt to drill down into how this relates to us…humanity.

Know that when I use the word “Conscious” it is intended to be used interchangeably with “Aware” or “Awareness”. One can be conscious (or Aware) in a variety of ways, and about many different things. But the kind of consciousness that many Speak of today is associated with spirituality in some way or another. But just because someone is Conscious or aware about something, doesn’t mean they are Spiritual at all. In fact, there are many people who are Conscious and have no concept of Spirituality, nor do they have any desire to. That is there choice and that’s perfectly OK. Personally, I don’t know how one can be Conscious or aware of anything of REAL substance and not find Spiritual connection or relationship in some way or another; but to each his own. Here is an example: Some people are extremely Conscious about our Planet, and the importance of caring for her for long-term sustainability of let’s say, her resources as they pertain to the survival of humankind. These people fight, form organizations, organize awareness rallies, write to and lobby to their community leaders and other government officials, all in effort of ensuring the planet is cared for the way they believe she should be. Side note: I agree with and support these sorts of freedom fighters – thank GOD for them! But this doesn’t mean in any way that all of these people are Spiritual. Some perhaps are, others may not be. See the difference? This scenario probably fits definition #2 best. They have a more heightened awareness than most in this particular area. This awareness drives them to do what they do in fighting for the cause they believe is fight-worthy.

Now. What I want to address next is definition #1, #4, and #6 – the ones I have bolded. Aware of one’s own existence, aware of or known to one’s Self…hmmmm. We are all aware of our physical existence, right? Of course, this question doesn’t apply to someone who is unconscious or in a physical condition where brain functionality prohibits the awareness of such existence. Or, perhaps as long there is Life, there is Consciousness? My question is: How many of us really KNOW that we exist? By what means do we measure our existence? Do we use our senses of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch to let us know that we are “HERE”? Does that give a true indication of our existence of our Self? Does the fact that we can move around, think and make decisions, reproduce, and have relationships with others indicate true existence or the awareness of it – or Consciousness? All of this matters, but only to a degree. Finally, mustn’t we also know who/what we are in order to understand what it means to exist? To know what it means to be Aware of one’s Self? Well, of course.

Again, in my opinion (I feel like I have to keep clarifying this because I know how some of us Love a good debate), the biggest and most important factors that define Consciousness for me are: the Awakening to the fact that You did not create your Self, and that You are a part of something much greater than your Self; the realization and Awareness that You are Energy, an eternal, multidimensional being; the Awareness that You are, in fact, not separate, but are ONE with everyone and everything in our Universe; the awareness of the fact that separation only exists in the mind. The Awareness that certain laws govern our Universe, and are applicable to all inhabitants, regardless of sex, race, color, religion, cultural origin, size, hair length, age…well, you get the point.  Whether or not you choose to believe in ‘GOD’ or a higher power is irrelevant. That is your choice, your journey, enjoy it. I personally choose to believe differently, though how I see The Source is quite different. But that’s a topic for a future post.

So, this is the way I express my definition of Consciousness.  What is your definition of it? I’d Love to hear from you.

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