Consciousness Expansion
To evolve or expand consciousness refers to an increasing ability to receive and hold more consciousness, which might be thought of holding more Light or energy.
The experience of higher consciousness brings more clarity, balance and wisdom. There is an empowered awareness of one’s connection to the Source of consciousness, the source of life. This is in contrast to a perpetual sense of rigidity and fear — symptoms of mistaking one’s ego as one’s True Self. (This is known as avidya or spiritual ignorance in yoga philosophy.)
In What is Consciousness?, we learned that individual consciousness is a local expression of the universal phenomenon of consciousness. We can surmise that an antenna is technology that mimics how consciousness works.
Information from satellites comes in the form of a… signal — a continuous wave… of specific frequencies. That signal is captured in the … antenna and… proceeds into the receiver. The information then travels to a computer where it is processed… and translated… into pictures and/or information that we can read and see.
– NASA, How Does an Antenna Work?
Our mindbody can be likened to an antenna or the “hardware” that receives a signal — which is consciousness in the form of particular frequencies. Our mindbody translates the signals into pictures, knowledge, and understanding.
Our mindbody is attuned to particular frequencies within the vast range of the greater consciousness or infinite intelligence.
In telecommunications, when hardware is upgraded, the upgraded device is capable of receiving a greater amount of information. Similarly, our mindbody can be “upgraded” to greater health, awareness and balance, thus being able to receive more consciousness, insight and wisdom. Time-tested practices designed to evolve or expand the ability to receive higher consciousness include fasting, meditation and contemplation.
The process of expanding consciousness or holding more Light may also be called “spiritual awakening.”
The Mindbody Antenna
We are learning how the body is actually a multifaceted antenna system that receives lots of different kinds of information. That includes your physical body, all the way from your bones down to the cellular level of your existence. The brain processes the physical information that is coming in, and then there is also the subtle energy in your body that interprets information coming in from that way, as well. The mind-body antenna coordinates the whole thing and takes in information from everywhere… Things like yoga and tai chi move our bodies through different ritual positions, helping to facilitate receiving these frequencies. We position ourselves just like we change the rabbit ears on an old TV set, and move through these different energy waves, like a radio scanner that moves through different bands of frequencies to pull in information.
– MaAnna Stephenson (interviewed by Patrica Cori)
“Ordinary” State of Consciousness vs Others
Consciousness expansion is typically accompanied by what have been called “non-ordinary” states of consciousness, “altered states” or “paranormal experiences.”
This terminology is unfortunate and inaccurate. It implies there is one normal, correct state of consciousness and others are abnormal and unusual — which is demonstrably false.
“Ordinary” States Provide Access to Only a Small Slice of Consciousness
The “ordinary state” being compared to in this nomenclature is a very small slice of perceptual awareness among a vast spectrum of possibility.
- The “ordinary” state being compared to is the waking state associated with left brain dominance and its limited perceptions.
- Brain cell activity can be measured. In the “ordinary” state, brain activity demonstrates a frequency that researchers have called gamma and beta brain waves. Modern, mainstream sources present a narrative where this state is “ordinary” or “normal” but that is not correct. Alpha, theta and delta brain wave states are just as normal.
- Alpha and theta brain wave states (which are NOT included in the definition of the “ordinary” waking state) are exemplified by states of deep relaxation and mediation and are associated with a sense of well-being. They are optimum states for learning, concentration and reprogramming the subconscious.
Normal Waking Consciousness is But One Type
Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the flimsiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are there.
– William James, psychologist and philosopher
Even Though the Rational Mind is an Expression of Consciousness, It Fails to Comprehend The Deepest Aspects
[Consciousness is] a realm that has many realms within it. There are realms we can tap into that yogis and mystics have entered. Even though rational mind is an expression of the consciousness, it often fails to comprehend the myriad aspects of the Buddha-mind, original mind, inborn wisdom, or luminous consciousness. The more we understand the world of consciousness, the more we’re able to understand who we are and find a means to alleviate suffering, as well as to evolve by widening the circle of love and compassion toward all living creatures. This is why ancient civilizations of the East have been studying consciousness through a variety of meditation practices for thousands of years.
– Dharmata Foundation Richmond in the introduction to Awakening through the Nine Bodies: Exploring Levels of Consciousness in Meditation by Phillip Moffitt
Accessing Other States Grants More Insight
As the important quote above points to, a key to comprehending “luminous consciousness” (awakening) is to give time and effort toward accessing states of consciousness beyond the “ordinary” waking state and its limited frequencies.
Brain wave states (as touched on above) are one perspective for considering various states of consciousness. But there are more angles to consider. Becoming familiar with the characteristics and physiology of the pineal gland is another source of insight. See the link for physical characteristics and more detail. Here we touch on a few highlights relevant to states of consciousness:
Serotonin is stored in large quantities by the pineal gland – a hormone you may have heard of since it is so keenly linked with feeling good. Without proper serotonin creation in the body, the result is depression, and sometimes severe depression. Of the 40 million cells in our brains, serotonin interacts or communicates with almost all of them.[4]
– Christina Sarich
Described as the “seat of the soul” and historically understood to be the master gland (“glandula superior” in Latin), the pineal gland was acknowledged in the art and literature of Egyptian, Druidic, Hindu, Hasidic, Islamic, Taoist, Mayan, Tibetan and Aboriginal cultures. “Even the Catholic Pope’s staff often has a pinecone on it. You can also see a pinecone in the Vatican flag.”
Associated with the “third eye”, the pineal gland “possesses all the essential features of the external eyes… the gland actually responds to environmental light… It is surely beyond a coincidence that the yogic texts of India and the mystical traditions throughout the ages have spoken of the ‘eye of intuition’ and the ‘third eye’ when referring to the pineal gland. ” (source)
Serotonin & Altered States of Consciousness
The central role of serotonin was established a short time after the accidental discovery of LSD-25. Minute quantities of this substance, were found to cause profound alterations in consciousness, inducing states ranging from deeply felt religious and mystical experiences to paranoia and schizophrenia… Gaddum of Edinburgh University discovered that the alterations in consciousness induced by LSD-25 are not due to a direct effect on the brain tissues by that drug, but rather that LSD-25 deprives the brain of serotonin by blocking off its sites of action… This means that the brain’s levels of serotonin is profound [and] the pineal gland is the physical medium which regulates the chemistry of altered states of consciousness… It is clear that man is imprisoned in his mundane, everyday state of consciousness… It is so effectively harnessed that he cannot even perceive the possibility of higher awareness and experience. The ropes which prevent his perception of a reality in which he is infinite seem to be the levels of serotonin within his own brain tissues!
– Dr. Swami Karmananda Saraswati, Waking Times, Mysteries of the Pineal Gland
Awakening Experiences
Awakening Experiences Described
Steve Taylor categorizes awakening experiences along a continuum of intensity. In the “most basic kind” of awakening experience, we get a more intense vision of the world, a new dimension of reality “as if the world switches from monochrome to colour.” In more intense awakening experiences, there is a realization of the spirit-force that “is the source of the harmony and the radiance we can see everywhere.”
Awakening in Contrast to the “Normal” Restricted, Experience of Reality
Some materialistic scientists believe that awakening experiences are caused by abnormal brain functioning… It’s more accurate to see them as a kind of ‘waking up’ from the sleep of our normal state. Our normal consciousness is narrow and restricted and gives us a false and limited experience of reality. That’s why, in awakening experiences, there is a sense that our consciousness has become wider and clearer and that we have gained access to a deeper and truer level of reality which is normally hidden from us.
– Steve Taylor, Waking from Sleep
There is no one way that people report having had awakening experiences but there are many elements people have in common. Most awakening experiences include the following:
- Clarity, revelation, awareness of a deeper or higher level of reality
- A sense of harmony, meaning, unity or oneness
- A sense of everything being intensely real and alive
- Inner peace, joy, bliss or ecstasy
- Altered experience of time — Unlike the experience of linear time in “normal” waking consciousness, time expands or dissolves
A Journey into Balance & Wholeness; the Integration of the Higher Self with the Human Self
What is spiritual awakening? It’s the natural process of Ascension — evolving into a higher-frequency interaction — for more inner clarity, balance and empowerment. It connects you more deeply to your life and your place in the universe, integrating universal law into the human experience more deliberately. When you ascend, you forge a heart-mind balance and consciously become one with your own Divinity. In its simplest form, spiritual awakening is the integration of the Higher Self with the human self. It’s a journey of becoming free within so you are experiencing and creating this world from an empowered perspective. What is ascension? It’s an emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual journey into balance and wholeness. You become more peaceful within, instead of just reacting to external experiences. It is human evolution. And it begins with you. Embrace your path to empowerment.
– Jayme Price, Your Spiritual Awakening is a Path of Empowerment
Examples
“Ordinary, and Yet Haunting in Their Crystalline Clarity”
Stephen Cope writes, “One beautiful June afternoon, as I stood on my ladder, I was overcome with a feeling of what I can only describe as profound and utter well-being. For no apparent reason, I dropped through some unexpected crack in my ordinary mode of consciousness into a state of ‘time out of time.’ The most mundane moments were infused with the deepest sense of satisfaction. The enchanting perfume of the iris at my feet; the steady hum of farm machinery in the distant field; the cat curled up in the sun, watching; even the rich oil smell of the paint. It all seemed so completely right. I was utterly OK.” Ecstatic oneness. Stephen Cope’s description of his experience of entering samadhi while painting a house one summer is so compelling because the images he describes are at once so ordinary and yet so haunting in their crystalline clarity. He is recounting an experience we have all had, and yet have probably discounted and relegated to our subconscious.
– Rolf Gates
Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell Ph.D. described a transcendent experience of oneness that he experienced in space. The experience is a classic description of the so-called awakening experience:
- “Mitchell was a naval aviator whose doctoral dissertation, from M.I.T., was on guidance systems in low-thrust interplanetary vehicles. Nothing in his training had equipped him for a sudden discovery of the oneness of all things. ‘It was a subjective visceral experience accompanied by ecstasy,’ he would later tell a yoga magazine.” (source)
- “The stoic Texas-born test pilot and Navy veteran embarked on a decades-long quest to reconcile the worlds of science and metaphysics, interstellar exploration and personal growth.” (source)
Mitchell’s experience of oneness changed the trajectory of his life, and as he later searched for understanding of what had happened to him, he found the descriptions of samadhi accurate reflections of his experience. (source) Samadhi is a Sanskrit word referring to a profound connection or unity, an experience of losing one’s self / identity / ego. The experience of samadhi is discussed extensively in The Yoga Sutras. In fact, the entire first book (of four) is devoted to the subject of samadhi.
Vast numbers of people have described and demonstrated the results of awakening experiences. A few famous stories include those of Paramahansa Yogananda, The Buddha, Eckhart Tolle and near death experiencers. But many people that haven’t become public figures have also had transcendent experiences. In his book, Taylor cites various collections, studies and surveys of awakening experiences, indicating they are far more common than most people think.
These States are Relatively Common
People of every culture and every period of history have described such experiences. Awakening experiences seem to be universal… They have occurred in essentially the same form all over the world throughout history… They give us a glimpse of the world of beauty, meaning and unity that lies beyond the normal human world of separation and suffering – a new world which it is possible for us to inhabit permanently… Why did I spend so long thinking there was something wrong with me when in reality around a third or even two-thirds of the people around me had had similar experiences to mine? The problem is that these experiences are slightly taboo. Like talking about sex in Victorian England, it’s not socially acceptable to tell our friends or colleagues about these visions of oneness and harmony and feelings of bliss.
– Steve Taylor, Waking from Sleep
Our “Shadowy” Vision is Transformed & We Gain the Intense Vision of Children & Some Indigenous Peoples
Our normal “shadowy” vision of the world is transformed and we gain something of the intense vision of the world of children and some indigenous peoples. It’s as if a new dimension of reality is added, as if the world switches from monochrome to colour… we become aware of the presence of a spirit-force in the world, pervading all things and the spaces between things. We realize that it’s this spirit-force that… is the source of the harmony and the radiance we can see everywhere.
– Steve Taylor, Waking from Sleep
Awakening experiences are associated with “non-ordinary” states of consciousness which could include any of the following:
- Samadhi — Unlike the “normal” experience of separation, samadhi is defined by the loss of identity or ego and the experience of union or absorption.
- Suddenly knowing something — Unlike the “normal” state where we only know what we’ve consciously learned, in altered states, people may see places far away (as in remote viewing) or suddenly know or communicate things they’ve never learned (as in channeling).
- Displaying psychic / paranormal ability — Communication with another without verbal speech (telepathy) or other psychic ability
While the examples above may be short-lived, there are many examples of permanent changes in consciousness. One common example is when, after a major event such as a coma or NDE, new knowledge or psychic abilities appear, such as the ability to speak a language the person has never learned, with the knowledge remaining after a complete return to normal waking consciousness.
Illumination, Oneness, Transcendence, Samadhi, Enlightenment
Awakening experiences have been described by many names including:
- Brahmajnana
- Illumination
- Oneness
- Nirvana
- Transcendence
- Samadhi
While there are no hard and fast rules regarding definitions, oftentimes when the state of awakening is maintained, it may be called:
- Enlightenment
- Eternal or Everlasting Life
- Kundalini Awakening
- Nirvikalpa Samadhi
- Redemption
- Resurrection
- Rapture
- Salvation
- Buddahood
- Sahaja Samadhi
Long-term spiritual development is a process of permanently intensifying and stilling life-energy.
– Steve Taylor
A Far-Reaching Subject
There are many sources of research and support regarding the experiencing of various states of consciousness. Stanislav Grof MD, PhD is one expert in this area.
Stanislav Grof, MD, PhD, a foundational luminary of transpersonal psychology, has led a life devoted to exploring, and guiding people through the interior realms of consciousness and the psyche. In his newly published book, The Way of the Psychonaut: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys, Grof offers us a comprehensive overview of his life’s work, the legacy of transpersonal psychology, and guidelines for navigating non-ordinary states of consciousness… IONS founder, Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, experienced a unity with the cosmos when returning from the moon and looking back at Earth. This kind of “non-ordinary state of consciousness” is described by Grof as a Holotropic state, one that moves us towards wholeness… To explore the depths of the psyche, to pierce through the veils of our own interiority, this is the way of the psychonaut. We all have access to these states of consciousness, and with the proper guidance and guidelines we can traverse these inner realms to bring forward new ways of being in and seeing the world. Grof is a pioneering example of someone who has devoted their life to this journey of exploring the heights and depths of what it is to be human.
– Ian-Michael Hebert, IONS, Way of the Psychonaut, An Invitation to Inner Space
What Leads to Awakening Experiences?
There are practices such as meditation that can lead to expanded consciousness and there are “peak events” or transcendent experiences (oftentimes seeming to be spontaneous) whereby a person experiences a higher state of consciousness — which may be temporary or sustained.
May Need to Be Cultivated or Developed
As humans we have access to other dimensions of consciousness. This interdimensionality is part of our innate being, but it is something that has to be cultivated or developed… Our inner world of perception also has many dimensions or realms. Most of these are inaccessible to us much of the time, because — quite frankly — we have been trained to focus on only a small bandwidth of internal experiences as significant — namely those that make us more productive or useful to society. While such practical states of mind are undoubtedly important, they are not the only states open to us. In order for you to experience these inner worlds of perception, you have to alter your brain activity through meditation, or some other method. Then you can have a direct experience of these worlds and the rather amazing phenomena that take place within you. But until you experience these worlds directly, it is as if they do not exist, because they are outside the range of your perception.
– Tom Kenyon, Thoughts and Observations from the Channel
Ancient, Time-Tested Practices Designed to Expand Consciousness
The concept of evolving human consciousness is not new; in fact it has been with us through the millenniums… Many practices such as yoga, meditation, contemplation, vision questing and others have as their ultimate goal the expansion of consciousness… Western religions take more of a summative or testing approach to the purpose of life, rather than the formative or developmental bent favored in the East. For example, in the Abrahamic religions of the West and Middle East… followers of these religions were given “commandments” or told what to do and how to act… No developmental techniques are mentioned; obedience to the law is demanded… Most Eastern religions operate with a more developmental direction… The idea of existence for man in these doctrines focuses on learning from life experiences in order to grow to be a better person (more highly conscious, compassionate, understanding etc.).
– Paul Marko Ph.D.
Awakening experiences may occur as a result of:
- Fasting
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Long-term spiritual development
- Plant medicines or drugs
- Coma
- Near death experiences (NDEs)
- Other experiences
Disruption of Homeostasis or Intensification & Stilling of Life Energy
Awakening experiences have two different sources. They can be caused by a disruption of homoeostasis or by an intensification and stilling of life-energy. States of homoeostasis disruption (HD states) can be produced by fasting, sleep deprivation, drugs, pain and breathing exercises. Intensification and stilling of life-energy (ISLE) states can be produced intentionally through meditation, but also happen accidentally through contact with the natural world, sex, listening to music, sports and relaxation. Kundalini, satsang and near-death experiences can also give rise to ISLE states. In addition, they can occur when psychological attachments are dissolved as a result of suffering and turmoil. HD and ISLE states are both valid as awakening experiences, although HD states have some disadvantages (for example, they are dangerous to the mind and body and can’t lead to a permanently awakened state) and are not as complete as ISLE states. Higher states of consciousness can occur accidentally but are usually triggered by certain conditions or activities. This means that they can be consciously generated. This is one of the most important points of this book. If we know why awakening experiences occur – both in terms of the external circumstances that give rise to them and the psychological changes that these circumstances cause –t hen we don’t have to wait for them. We can make a conscious effort to create those circumstances and produce those psychological changes. We can choose to be awake.
– Steve Taylor, Waking from Sleep
Raising Your Vibration or Frequency
“Raising Your Vibration” Defined
A concept that is closely related to the expansion of consciousness is expressed by the phrase “raise your vibration (or frequency).”
This usually refers to specific choices and lifestyle practices that refine the mindbody as a vessel for increasing consciousness.
The following quotes speak to the practical outcomes and feelings associated with frequency.
We Feel the Different Vibrations + Unhealed Trauma Weighs Us Down
“High vibration” and “low vibration”… are states of being… describing a property. Emotions that feel good inside of the body generally have a much higher vibration than emotions that do not feel good inside of the body. When you feel excitement, joy or unconditional love, there’s a rising, swelling feeling that makes you smile, laugh and feel warm and pleasant. When you feel sadness, anger or guilt, there is a heavy solid feeling, almost as if something is taking up space that’s not supposed to be there. More often than not this is accompanied by a frown, scowl and feeling separate and withdrawn. The body language under the surface already understands exactly what high vibration and low vibration is. We can feel it. It is a very obvious sensation, either light and clean or heavy and uncomfortable… Your natural state is incredibly resonant and strong, constantly rising upwards, but the damage and traumas of the past are literally like sandbags in a hot air balloon. As you try to rise up, they become more obvious and in your face. It does not mean they are getting worse, it means they are coming up to the surface to be cleared and we cannot clear anything without being aware of it.
Lower Vibrational States Are Associated with Various Stresses
When our physical, mental, and spiritual health is compromised, it drains us of the vigor and energy we need to realize our goals. This imbalance can happen for many reasons, such as low immunity, exposure to external wireless radiation, or high-stress levels – to name a few. By contrast, enjoying a well-rounded sense of well being can keep us centered and drive us to realize all that we set out to achieve. And that’s why today, we are sharing 50 resolutions to not only raise but also protect your vibrational energy – so you can enjoy a year full of centeredness and harmony in the future! – Omnia, 50 Resolutions For 2022 To Raise Your Vibrational Energy link
– Eric Raines, Unleashing Natural Humanity, What Does it Mean to Raise Your Vibration
Lower Vibrational States Are Associated with Various Stresses
When our physical, mental, and spiritual health is compromised, it drains us of the vigor and energy we need to realize our goals. This imbalance can happen for many reasons, such as low immunity, exposure to external wireless radiation, or high-stress levels – to name a few. By contrast, enjoying a well-rounded sense of well being can keep us centered and drive us to realize all that we set out to achieve. And that’s why today, we are sharing 50 resolutions to not only raise but also protect your vibrational energy – so you can enjoy a year full of centeredness and harmony in the future!
– Omnia, 50 Resolutions For 2022 To Raise Your Vibrational Energy
Raising of vibration is associated with our choice of where we put our attention. This, in turns, determines our experience of reality.
Vibration is a Result of Where We Focus & A Response to that Focus
“Are you creating life, or are you allowing life to create you?” In truth, you are constantly creating your own experience of life – drawing people and circumstances to you as a result of your vibration. However, since your vibration is a result of your focus and your response to what you focus upon, many of you are allowing your vibration to be dictated by the world around you. Nonetheless, just because the world offers you something to focus on does not mean you have to make the choice that is offered. For example, your world offered you plenty of fear around the pandemic. You had a choice to focus on fear, focus on being prudent and practical, focus on being healthy and happy, or any combination of those ideas. One is not more right or wrong than another – they simply offer you a different experience.
— Ann Albers, Sep 10, 2022 email
This is Not About Becoming “Better.” It’s a Process of Integration.
Descriptions about raising our frequency — and the specification of techniques such as those below — are vital and practical. And yet, such ideas are easily interpreted as a need for self-improvement via “to do’s” so that we can become “better.” It’s hard to wrap the mind around the idea of DOING things in order to UN-DO programming, thereby revealing our True Nature. But, as yoga so beautifully demonstrates (and Phillip Moffit expresses below), we don’t have to wrap our mind around it; we simply need to engage in practices and observe the results.
You Don’t Have to Immediately Understand This… Just Practice & Observe
Exploring consciousness is observation, not opinion. I realize how confusing descriptions of consciousness can be. You do not have to immediately understand what is being pointed to… Just acknowledge the mystery of consciousness, drop any fixed views you may have about it, and keep practicing.
– Phillip Moffit, Awakening through the Nine Bodies: Exploring Levels of Consciousness in Meditation link and link
Elena Bensenoff sums it up beautifully by equating the raising of frequency with a return to wholeness through the process of integration.
A Return to Wholeness Through the Process of Integration & Remembrance
Spiritual growth is not about self-improvement, and raising your vibration is not about becoming “better.” It’s a process of integration. Of returning to wholeness. Remembering who we truly are.
– Elena Bensonoff, Shadow Integration: The Hidden Key to Raising Your Vibration
Techniques and Practices to Raise Your Vibration
Practices to raise your vibration may include:
- Do activities that bring you joy.
- Practice gratitude daily.
- Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible.
- Avoid ingesting, breathing or coming into contact with non-biological forms (chemicals, etc) in foods and preservatives, in home and landscaping supplies including household cleaners, “weed killers,” sunscreens and insect repellents.
- Ground your body. Regularly engage in Earthing.
- Spend time with an animal.
- Stare up at the sky during the day and at night.
- Think about who or what you love.
- Watch the sunrise or sunset.
- Be outside, in nature.
- Heal traumas and psychological wounds.
- Experience regular periods of solitude, silence and inactivity.
- Engage your imagination. Inspire creativity through writing, music, dancing, daydreaming, etc.
- Create a consistent routine of meditation and/or other supportive practices.
- Take a shower or bath, feeling how you are cleaning more than your physical body but also your energy body.
- “Refuse to bully yourself into doing things you don’t have the energy or motivation to do right now – far better to nap in peace than labor under duress… refuse to make war between the various factions within you… stop the arguing with yourself and instead listen to your heart.” (source)
- Restore personal power through conscious choice.
- Be of service.
- Release attachments, including the attachment to results of action.
- Engage in physical movement such as walking, dancing, yoga asana, etc.
- Disconnect from devices on a regular basis.
- Listen to music that uplifts you, and music tuned to 432 hertz.
- Place crystals in your pocket, on the body or nearby.
- Express joy.
- Speak mantras or words of appreciation.
- Prioritize sleep. Observe a relatively consistent sleep schedule.
- Eliminate or minimize “heavy” influences such as negative people, sensationalism and so on.
- Seek uplifting, inspiring content.
Pay More Attention to How You Feel Than What Your Mind Thinks
Pay more attention to how you feel than to whether something is interesting or intellectually stimulating. You might tune in to someone or something because they have the same political beliefs that you have, but at the end of the time you spend with that person or with that group, you still feel worse than you did before you tuned in. And perhaps that is an indication that focusing on that particular subject itself is lowering your vibration, pitting you against someone else and their group.
– Daniel Scranton, Email Nov 26, 2022
Near death experiencer and cancer survivor, Anita Moorjani offers this “check-list for living a life of love.”
- Love yourself UNCONDITIONALLY.
- Realize your own MAGNIFICENCE.
- Know that – You are your own guru. All your answers are inside you.
- Fall in love with where you are now.
If you’re sick, don’t fight it. Embrace it. Only when you approach your health challenges from a point of love can you overcome the fear. - Ask yourself, “What brings me joy?” And do more of that. We tend to do what we think we should do, rather than what our heart tells us to do. Follow your bliss and do what you love!
- Express yourself fully. Ask yourself: “Am I allowing myself to express who I am? Am I being this person because I want to be accepted, or because it is who I am?”
- Be centered in your true essence. From the place of pure centered-ness, miracles are possible. It’s about being, not doing. When you are in the space of being, miracles are possible.
- Remember that the only things that limit you are your own beliefs.
- Don’t let a fear of failing or displeasing others run your life.
- Know that nobody is better than (or less than) you. We are all equal. Love everyone as they are.
The following video provides excellent introductory teachings, followed by practices for raising your vibration.
Measuring Individual Consciousness Levels
Terminology
To study consciousness and experiences of awakening, transcendence and samadhi, we inevitably come across reports of “spiritual” or “mystical” experiences. These are perfectly good terms to describe various experiences. However, modern experts, as quoted below, find that these words have no common agreed upon definition and therefore tend to muddy the waters. Thus, we don’t use those terms here.
The real difficulty… is getting almost anyone to agree with what we call “spiritual.” The term is virtually useless for any sort of coherent discussion.
– Ken Wilber
I have found that some people believe the term “spiritual experience” refers to a psychic or paranormal experience, while others use the term with a purely religious meaning (e.g., religious visions, ”hearing” the voice of God or Jesus)… The terms “spiritual” and “mystical” experience are sometimes used interchangeably… However, the terms “mystical experience” and “mystic” are most commonly used by religious scholars (particularly in the Christian tradition), referring to “spiritual experiences” or to individuals who have reached a high level of “spiritual development” in the context of religion… [In some uses] a “mystic” is a person who has managed to expand and intensify his or her normal consciousness, and so has a more intense and truer vision of reality, and a new relationship to the world – including an awareness and sense of connection to the divine.
– Steve Taylor
Measuring Individual Consciousness Levels
Whether a person uses meditation or has a spontaneous experience, how do we know if they’ve succeeded in expanding their consciousness? Can it be measured in levels? What does it look and feel like?
Measuring a person’s “level” of consciousness or growth in consciousness over time isn’t something that western science is well-equipped to do. Quantum mechanics provides measurable data that contributes to a Science of Oneness, whereby we can equate aether with the field of greater consciousness. As for individual consciousness, however, we must look to different branches of science and research.
The science of frequency and vibration, including the human body’s response to the earth’s magnetic field, may hold answers. Noetic Sciences and consciousness studies are other potential sources of data. We will bring forth more in this area as we uncover it.
Meanwhile, following are ways to observe consciousness using feelings.
It Can Be Felt
The result of awakening experiences and a lifting in consciousness is a greater sense of well-being. Developing consciousness may exhibit in such ways as:
- Feelings of well-being
- A sense of being connected to others, to something in oneself, and/or to something greater than oneself
- Enhanced experiences of telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition or other “paranormal” abilities
- A knowing of one’s spiritual beingness, the immortality of one’s soul or essence
- Experiences of illumination, oneness, samadhi, enlightenment
Higher Frequency Activates Flow States & Vision
As we awaken in consciousness, we create room for the light of inspiration and innovation to fill and pour through us. This activates flow states, unimpeded currents of pure evolutionary energy. This emergent, creative, and spontaneous stream of light and information is the essence of the authentic future, that which is original and nonrepeating. As our karmic past is cleared, as trauma is healed and integrated, the genuine future can arrive to meet us. When we greet it from a place of presence and attunement, the world catches fire. Suddenly everything changes, yet nothing is lost. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, where before we were blind, now we see. We recognize new vistas.
– Thomas Hubl, Healing Collective Trauma
An Uplifting Transformation in Perception
As individual consciousness is uplifted, conditions simultaneously take on a new aspect. One’s whole universe is transformed for him as he ascends in consciousness… As ignorance is overcome by Intelligence, so human sense is overcome by Spiritual consciousness… Spiritual awakening, or awakening to self as Spirit, is the uplifting of individual consciousness into eternal Truth.
– Valiant Thor
Consciousness Ascension Involves Feeling Pain
Awakening means that we become aware of things that were previously unknown. At times what becomes known is great beauty and Light. However, at times, awakening involves awareness of suffering, stuck emotions, unhealed trauma or the absence of Light.
It would be safe to posit that a person who hasn’t had their world rocked multiple times is unaware of much. Paul Wallis refers to this with the following understatement:
Collective Consciousness
“Collective consciousness” refers to both the summation and also the synergistic effects of individual consciousness levels on societies, culture, civilizations and planets.
Each of us is living in a field of energy — and each of us contributes to that energy through our consciousness. Each human is like a tuning fork whose brain is vibrating at a specific frequency. Therefore, a whole community can vibrate in harmony. By definition, the collective community manifests an energy field that is powerful and palpable enough to support the individuals sharing that field.
– Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D.
Ascension or The Great Shift
In a Nutshell
Also called the Great Shift, “ascension” refers to an evolution, expansion, awakening or uplifting of collective consciousness. This is accomplished through a shift in the energy from a denser or slower frequency to a higher or faster one, “a graduation into a higher level of existence” (The Ascension Mysteries) — another “density” and/or “dimension.”
Various Perspectives
While “ascension” and the “Great Shift” are most often describing a collective change in consciousness of humans on Earth, the terms can also refer to an associated shift in the planetary consciousness (herself) and that of every individual.
Experience is showing that the bigger shift (of the planet and collective consciousness) goes hand-in-hand with individual transformation. Medical anthropologist and shamanism guide Alberto Villoldo PhD explains:
Participating Actively as Opposed to Waiting for Miracles to Happen; We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
A growing number of people on earth feel tremendous upheaval happening on all levels — physical, emotional, and energetic — and know we are facing a quantum leap in collective consciousness. That does not mean that you are going to wake up one morning in a world of bliss and beauty where humans live in right relationship with our planet and look out for each other with love and respect. It means that you first have to go through the alchemical process of transformation. Our task today is to participate in that quantum leap actively and not just waiting for miracles to happen. After all, we are the ones we have been waiting for.
– Alberto Villoldo PhD, The Four Winds Society, Email May 25, 2022
The Current Shift
The current stage of human consciousness on planet Earth in the 21st century is often said to be in the process of shifting from a third to fifth density or dimensional frequency. The terms “density” and “dimension” are defined in many ways. Here’s a way that may encompass most definitions:
DIMENSIONS are perspectives.
- A third-dimensional view, for example, provides a perspective that is material — one that includes height, width and depth.
- In a fourth-dimensional perspective, past, present and future dissolve (in contrast to the linear perspective of time in 3D).
- In a fifth-dimensional perspective, polarities are seen from a unified perspective.
DENSITIES are gradations of energy frequency within dimensional realities.
- Multiple densities of consciousness can exist in this third-dimensional (3D) reality, for example.
- Since frequencies are numbers on a scale, there are endless frequency levels (densities) — just as there are infinite potential divisions between the numbers 0 and 1. Despite the endless possible gradations, densities are often described in whole numbers e.g. fourth density, sixth density, etc.
Cosmic Consciousness / Exoconsciousness
Here we consider the awareness of a specific type of consciousness, that of life beyond human physical life on Earth, including: the soul, the Source or Divine Creator, and advanced beings and civilizations from other places and times.
Is Cosmic Consciousness the Same as Samadhi?
In the 1921 book, Cosmic Consciousness, Richard Maurice Bucke M.D. defines “cosmic consciousness” as a “consciousness of the cosmos, that is, of the life and order of the universe.” He goes on to describe the elation and “consciousness of eternal life” that goes along with it:
The prime characteristic of cosmic consciousness is, as its name implies, a consciousness of the cosmos, that is, of the life and order of the universe… Along with the consciousness of the cosmos there occurs an intellectual enlightenment or illumination which alone would place the individual on a new plane of existence – would make him almost a member of a new species. To this is added… an indescribable feeling of elevation, elation and joyousness, and a quickening of the moral sense, which is fully as striking and more important both to the individual and to the race than is the enhanced intellectual power. With these come what may be called a sense of immortality, a consciousness of eternal life, not a conviction that he shall have this, but the consciousness that he has it already.
– Richard Maurice Bucke MD
We might ask if there are qualitative differences between what Taylor calls “awakening experiences” and these experiences that Buck calls “cosmic consciousness.” When we look at the vast numbers of transcendent experiences that people have reported over humanity’s history, we appear to be getting glimpses of an endless possibility of experiences on a vast array of consciousness experiences. They all seem to be different expressions of one universal experience: tapping into the great field of consciousness.
Awareness of the Life and Order of the Universe
On the other hand, Bucke seems to point to a particular aspect of illumination that isn’t present in all samadhi experiences. That particular aspect is an awareness of the “life and order of the universe” beyond humanity’s physical experience on Earth. This awareness may come in the form of experiential awareness of the individual as a soul, of the Source or Divine Creator, or of advanced beings and civilizations other than Earth humans.
Similarly, Paramahamsa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi and widely accepted as an enlightened spiritual teacher, had an intriguing response:
1949 saw a worldwide “stir” of sightings of “flying saucers” or UFOs. The newspapers generally made light of the reports, but Paramhansa Yogananda’s brief comment was: “What people have seen is true. Those phenomena are not imaginary.” About interplanetary travel, he once said, “Modern man thinks that everything must be accomplished by physical force. There are many subtler forces in Nature. These will come to light as the general sensitivity of man becomes more refined. Someday it will be a simple matter to travel from Earth to Mars, or to other planets.
– Conversations with Yogananda
A more direct statement of this aspect of illumination is offered by the Institute for Exoconsciousness:
Exoconsciousness The ability of human consciousness to connect, communicate and co-create with extraterrestrials and multidimensionals.
Exoconscious Human A human who integrates, develops and applies the extraterrestrial origins, dimensions, and abilities of their consciousness.
Exoconscious Civilization A post-disclosure culture prospering with tools, technology, teaching, healing, and art co-created with ET and multidimensional contact and communication.
– Institute for Exoconsciousness
More on Frequency
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.
– Nikola Tesla
The movement of energy — specifically the frequency — is associated with consciousness ascension. So here we investigate this topic more closely.
Underlying Existence is Patterns of Perpetual Motion
Many, many humans have peered into the material world, curious about what it’s made of and what is causing it to exist. Let’s summarize what they’ve found and how they found it:
- Physical eyes are unable to see beyond the material, so to investigate more deeply requires something else. Yogis (and others) used consciousness to make their investigations. Western scientists (and others) used technology. Nikola Tesla might be said to have used both.
- Whether using consciousness or technology, all have found the same thing underlying the physical world: perpetual motion and patterns.
- Although the movement patterns are unseen by the physical eyes, they exist nonetheless. We refer to them as “energy.”
- In physics, energy is seen as expressing itself in cyclic patterns (more specifically, a flashing on and off due to an expansion and contraction). Most often the patterns are described as wave forms. The waves are measured by how many pass a fixed point over time — also called frequency.
Everything We See and Don’t See is Made Up of Frequencies
It’s not often that science and ancient wisdom agree wholeheartedly on… well… anything. But surprisingly, both agree that everything we see (and don’t see) is made up of frequencies. Zoom into any matter that appears to be still, and you’ll find billions of atoms vibrating together with different energies, as if in a cosmic trance. Scientific research has shown that every cell in our body depends on a symphony of resonating frequencies to signal, coordinate and function with other cells and organs. When these cells resonate harmoniously with each other, they promote healing, calm, and overall balance in our body and mind.
– Jane Knight, Omnia, Sounds That Heal: Powerful Benefits of Sound Frequencies for Our Well Being
Vibration, Frequency and Oscillation
Things wiggle… They vibrate; they shake; they oscillate. These phrases describe the motion of a variety of objects. They even describe the motion of matter at the atomic level… Wiggles, vibrations, and oscillations are an inseparable part of nature.
– A Physics Tutorial
The terms vibration and frequency are often used interchangeably. In physics, there are more precise meanings:
- Wave — transfers energy without a net movement of particles, involves a periodic repetitive movement (source)
- Frequency — the number of waves that pass a fixed point in time
- Vibration or Oscillation — a motion that repeats itself (source)
Some non-physics perspectives use the words differently (particularly, a contraction toward neutral is termed vibration and expansion away from neutral is called oscillation).
Connecting Frequency Rate & Density of Matter
Thus, how fast energy waves move determines the frequency. Differing frequency causes a difference in matter.
The frequency rate is what sets the rhythm of particle pulsation. This then allows the formation of wave spectra within dimensional reality fields. The process also determines the density levels of matter in the material realm. As the frequency rate of matter increases or flashes faster, matter becomes lighter and less dense. Since our body is made of matter, it will also become lighter and less dense as our frequency increases.
– Elevated, Frequency Vibration & Oscillation – Energy Patterns That Affect Your Well-Being
Mathematical Formulas That Underlie Existence Aren’t Invented; They’re Discovered
If we want to understand how the material world is created and what keeps it in a perpetual motion, we need to study the language of the living energy codes of matter, which is made of light, sound, frequency and vibration… Physicists can describe the Universe using only mathematical formulas… These formulas were not created by scientists; rather, they were rediscovered.
– Shift Frequency, Frequency and Vibration: How They Create the Structure of Matter and Life
Defining Frequency
Frequency is an expression of energy. Energy expresses itself in wave forms. However, at its core it is actually made of cyclic patterns of scalar waves (standing waves) that flash “on” and “off.” This causes it to pop in and out of existence. This state when energy flashes on and off is known as partiki phasing. The speed at which partiki contract and expand determines the frequency rate of scalar waves. If we only look at frequency as a wave, then the definition of it would be the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a time cycle. For example, if it takes 1/2 of a second for a wave to pass a fixed point in the time cycle, the frequency would be 2 per second… Frequency is all around us and can be found in all things. Whenever we take a breath, we are inhaling frequency. Whenever we listen to music, we are interacting with frequency… Since we are always interacting with this invisible wave of energy, we should learn to understand it so that we can comprehend how it affects our lives… The true state of reality is made of energy that flashes on and off. This creates energy codes and frequency patterns that are processed by our consciousness to give us the perception of time and the solidity of matter… Frequency gives matter uniqueness and characteristics. So when the consciousness of our mind and body processes the energy patterns of an object, we see shapes, colors and textures. The combination of frequency, vibration and oscillation are some of the major energy properties that organize matter into sacred geometries. This gives matter “life” and the ability to structure itself into objects.
– Elevated, Frequency Vibration & Oscillation – Energy Patterns That Affect Your Well-Being