I have long been fascinated by the study of the mind and consciousness. It is a lifelong journey to begin to understand not only the thoughts within our minds, but also to contemplate how our minds actually work. In comparison to that complex series of questions and mysteries, comprehension and understanding of the topic of consciousness seems even larger and more confusing. Consciousness is a continuously unfolding universe of knowledge and experience that is magical and simultaneously tangible and elusive.
As human beings we have an innate need to understand ourselves and our lives. “Who am I?” has been a central question to us almost since the beginning of time. Frequently, we try to categorize ourselves as one thing or another in an attempt to better define whom we are to ourselves.
Becoming more aware of your thoughts is a key to better self-understanding. Our minds have the capacity to create thoughts and questions from the profound to the inane. I know within my own life I am frequently entertained to discover various thoughts that run through my mind seemingly out of nowhere. Because I’m so easily self-entertained, frequently I find enormous humor in some of these random thoughts. At other times I wonder where the heck some of these thoughts come from. But they are all expressions of myself in that moment.
The mind is truly a wondrous place. Our minds can create places of refuge, worlds of fantasy and alternate realities where our dreams and fantasies play out.. Our minds can also create huge fortresses behind which we can escape from our fears and the things we don’t want to face. Between the power of our mind, our imagination, and the sheer force of our will, the possibilities of our creations and expressions in the world are endless.
Whether you choose to be entertained by your mind, fascinated by your mind, or afraid of your mind, learning to pay attention to your mind and your thoughts as you move through your life can produce great inner awareness. Inner awareness takes us directly to the topic of consciousness.
The topic of the mind and consciousness is central to our relationship with and understanding of ourselves as individuals. We are much more as individuals than the sum of the experiences and creations within our minds. We are also, I believe, much more than individual consciousness. Like with any relationship, being willing and interested in investing in your relationship with yourself requires honesty, patience, and a lot of love.
We call people “self-conscious” when we observe them acting in a manner that indicates they don’t have a good sense of self. What I’ve personally found fascinating is that the more that we investigate who we are as individuals, the more we seem to discover just how connected we are to one another, to our world, and to the universe as a whole.
Consciousness is an intimate, personal relationship we all have, and yet never has there been a relationship that has been harder to define or explain. For the love I hold for languages and expressing through words, there are a few things in this world for which words don’t adequately suffice. Consciousness is one those topics.
We are all aware that consciousness exists - we experience it on a daily basis. And in many ways, various aspects of consciousness could be described by the word “awareness.”
Adding to the complexity and mystery of consciousness, the word “consciousness” is not just used to describe our state of inner awareness. We speak of the conscious, subconscious, and even superconscious minds. We use the word “conscious” before a variety of other words to depict an active intention to participate (typically in a positive way) in whatever those topics are, such as the term “environmentally conscious.” There is also a lot of fascination with the term “collective consciousness,” a term that describes an invisible, intricate web of consciousness that binds us all together with one another and all life forms.
Clearly, there are still, after all of these years of human existence, so many unanswered questions. What happens to our consciousness when we are sleeping? Where does it go? What happens to our consciousness when we die? And on the other end of the life spectrum, almost none of us remembers what our consciousness felt like when we were first born - was it any different then? And really, what is it?
Scientists have long explored the study of consciousness, and the mind sciences - the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and quantum physics, among others. Some scientists and individuals alike seek the meaning of consciousness within spiritual and religious studies. We have made substantial gains in knowledge, particularly with the more recent studies performed in quantum physics, and there is also momentum in the spiritual circles as a result of this particular time in our global history. But there is much more to learn.
On a personal level, what I have discovered for myself is that the more actively I am engaged in self-discovery through my mind and expansion of my consciousness through conscious awareness, the more connected, peaceful, and grateful I feel within my life. It’s challenging, for sure. Most of us are not accustomed to bringing our attention directly to the present moment. I have been practicing for years and still would call myself a novice at best. Some, I’m sure, would say that qualifies me as a good candidate for the remedial school of consciousness studies. But for me, it’s all about the journey and the discoveries along the way.
Life provides us with immeasurable opportunities each day to live and grow, to become more familiar with whom we have been in our lives and more aware of those aspects of ourselves that we want to expand. By becoming more familiar with yourself through your mind, your thoughts, and the direction of your awareness, you can use those tools and knowledge to strengthen yourself and the expression of whom you are in the world. You deserve that, and so do the people whose lives you touch around you. Enjoy the mystery and pursuit of greater expression and understanding!
