Levels of Consciousness

Levels of Consciousness

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.”[1]

Lao Tzu

Our life on earth can be likened to the intersection of a horizontal line with a vertical line – a cross, if you will. The horizontal line represents the passing of our days. What we consider the past is the part of the line to the left of the vertical axis, while what we consider the future – or that which has yet to unfold into our conscious awareness – lies to the right of the vertical. The horizontal line represents the activities of our days: our going to and returning from work, preparing and eating meals, mowing the grass, washing the dishes, putting the children to bed – all of the ten thousand things that must be done as part of our material life on earth. Most of us take these many activities for granted, treating them as tasks to be gotten past instead of experiences to be savored. Living our lives focused on the horizontal plane is important and can be rewarding, but living only in this way sacrifices any awareness of the potential depth of our experiences.

Experiential depth is represented by the vertical axis. When teachers postulate entering the moment or being present in the moment they are referring to shifting our conscious attention away from the activities along the  horizontal plane and exploring the depths of a specific activity or encounter as it extends above or below the horizontal – as it exists beyond its time-bound, surface appearance. It is not simply seeing a flower but noting its type, its shape, its height, its unique coloration, its fragrance, the insects attracted to or repelled by it, the types of plants around it, its specific vibratory essence, and so on. Going deep into a moment is essentially finding God’s unique expression in the object or subject before us, and that depth for everything stretches out infinitely. It requires zeroing in on one thing or one aspect of one thing and receiving whatever it reveals to us, which will always be a unique version of the universe in miniature. When we learn to fully enter the moments of our lives, no longer will we be content to skim across the surface of our lives – we will desire to know and to be known.

Levels of consciousness, then, refer to where we choose to focus along the vertical experience of any given point in time on the horizontal axis. The intersection of the horizontal and vertical has a virtual sign that says, “You are (or should be) here.” At that intersection is where Jesus died on the cross, and where Jesus leads us with his instruction, “Follow me.” Both axes extend infinitely in all directions from the point of intersection, at least in time as we experience it, including before we were born and after we die on the horizontal plane. When we succumb to rehashing memories or imagining possible futures, we imaginally traverse the horizontal plane beyond the point of intersection and cannot actually live in the moment.

The vertical axis, as I imagine it, extends infinitely down into increasing solidity, and infinitely up into increasing ethereality. To use Christian language, “heaven” is above and “earth” is below. Neither is bad or good in and of itself, only different in the frequency at which it vibrates and the manner in which we experience it. The more “earthly” something is, the more inflexible it seems and the less likely we are to be able to mold it to our will. The more “ethereal” or spiritual something is, the less tangible and solid it seems – it appears to exist as unlimited possibility. When we say, “…as on earth as in heaven…” we are confirming the inseparable interconnectedness of the two directions of the vertical axis of universal existence.

Although both axes are a part of consciousness, when we consider levels of consciousness we are primarily referring to the vertical axis. When we go deep into something or someone, we are focusing on that one subject or object and exploring its material nature, we are traversing downward along the vertical. Alternatively, as we explore unexpressed potential and possibility we find ourselves traversing upward on the vertical. Each direction of exploration will reveal previously hidden parts of the essence of an object or being, like peeling the layers of an onion.

It is, however, when we focus our attention at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical realms that we find ourselves fully present – fully conscious – to the depths of the moment as we stand at the intersection where past, present and future join with limitless possibility as an unbroken whole. It is here where we can live as our best and most awakened selves. And it is here where the wonders of the universe extend infinitely before us in all directions as a single, unified consciousness.

This is the 3^rd in a series titled The Perplexities of Consciousness.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher, born 571 BCE.