See Yourself, Feel Your Essence

Be aware of your awareness.
Define your ability to define.
Be conscious of your consciousness.
Think about your thoughts.
Contemplate contemplation.
Focus on your focus.
Perceive your perception.
Be cognitive of your cognition.
Be mindful of your mind.
Attend to your attention.
Sense your senses.
Concentrate on your ability to concentrate.
Take note of your ability to take notice.
Behold the beholder.
Observe the observer.
Be insightful of your insight.
See the seer.
Know the know-er.
Feel the gaze of your own vision.

The Evolution Revolution

Do you believe in evolution? People have disagreed for ages about whether or not we were "created by God" or we evolved randomly out of natural selection's "survival of the fittest." Personally, I don't see why it should have to be one or the other since they could both really be responsible for life as we know it right now. Intelligent design seems to me to go hand in hand with natural selection as it was the design of the Creator for survival of the fittest to help shape life.

Whatever you believe; it is almost irrelevant because in our very lifetime, we have been a witness to the evolution of human consciousness. You need not theorize the origins of our species to see evidence of our continuing change and growth from the time that you were born. The tremendous jump in technology and some cultural changes is proof enough. There really is no question as to if evolution is real. It is only how far back one is willing to take it.

We now stand at the threshold of the next major leap in human evolution. The next phase in our evolution is not one of natural selection, but one of individual choice. It is a choice in perspective. It is how we choose to see the world and therefore ourselves.

How is this so? The average human psyche is severely dysfunctional. The mismatch of a very primitive human ego and the very advanced human mind has lead humanity down a path of ever increasing speed, technology, and efficiency and yet we struggle with the same issues of conflict, fear, greed, and disharmony as people thousands of years ago.

A human ego can be seen as primitive when it works against a person's well being. Humanity has quite literally outgrown or evolved right past the way it functions. The ego works as an anchor for identity so that the mind knows what to protect. An animal's ego works in the same way. It's purpose is self preservation. In humans, we have a primitive part of us directing a highly advanced part of us. What else makes this ego mind combination so dysfunctional for us humans is that we identify with ideas and concepts as if they are us. People will fight and die for ideas and concepts as if they were defending their very existence.

An immature ego controlling the thought process of the mind is the source of the dysfunction. Most people can not stop thinking when ever they want. Paradoxically, moving to the next level of consciousness requires less thought. Higher states of awareness exist beyond the realm of thoughts created by your mind. It is when you can be without thought that intuition can exist.

There have been people throughout history who have tried to show us how to snap out of the old and destructive perspective the immature ego mind presents, but their message was often misinterpreted or used to the benefit of some leaving others in the dark. Never the less, consciousness is in a constant shift toward becoming aware of itself and it seems now more than ever this shift is spreading further, faster, and wider. People ego's are maturing from a perspective of individuals separated from and against a cold outside world to a realization that they are one with their world.

The revolution will not be televised! It won't even be a physical struggle. The revolution is happening all over the world, right now, on an individual basis. The revolution is here! Experience it!

Can You Feel It?

I can feel it.

Feeling is part of your perception. You can really only use your perception in the present moment. When people acknowledge that they can feel something, they are being conscious.

My definition of conscious is being aware of being aware. In other words, if you can take notice of yourself taking notice of anything; you are conscious.

Have you ever noticed that when you feel something you may experience it and not actually acknowledge that you experience it? For example, you may be wearing very comfortable clothing or shoes. You can completely overlook the fact that these garments are being felt by you right now because they are very easy on your body. But reading this or maybe someone else giving you a compliment on what you are wearing may bring your awareness back to the fact that you are feeling your clothes all the time and that you are simply overlooking it. When you have the awareness that allows you to feel the light sensation of the clothes on your skin; you are conscious of your clothes in that moment.

'I can feel it,' is a statement of consciousness even if the person saying it is not conscious that they are being conscious. When this is the case, I call it 'unconscious consciousness.'

When people acknowledge that they can feel something, they are being in the present moment (whether they are conscious of it or not). Just as illustrated above, you can be in contact with something and not really feel it. This is because your mind is preoccupied with thought. You are not truly there in the moment. Your attention must be there for you to really feel it. Since anything that you feel must be touching you at the time you feel it; anything you feel is in the present moment.

You can feel with more than physical contact. Touch is only one of our sense perceptions. Bringing more awareness to what you are aware of enhances your consciousness. When you bring more awareness to your perception as a whole, you can really feel the present moment and everything in it that you give your attention to.

You can feel it.

You Must Die!

Die! Die right now!
lol

Seriously, death has it's benefits (and I ain't talking insurance). Anyone and everyone who has ever become something great has died several times along the way.

My definition of death is actually the end of a given identity. Anytime you go through a major change in life, your identity changes. Your old identity comes to an end. You die. You still exist, only you are not the same as before. You exist as the new and improved you. You have grown.

As you have probably figured out, I don't believe in death. No one ever dies. They only change or transform. If you believe in death, then you might as well call a cocoon a coffin. You can say that caterpillars all die when it's cocoon time. They cease to exist in that form. You can also say that the child you once were is long dead and gone, never to return again.

Death from our physical forms is not really that different from these analogies because we simply change form. It's a law of the universe that "energy can never be destroyed". It is only ever transformed. This, of course, includes you!

All death is simply a part of our evolutionary process. This process can be seen over tremendously long periods of time, or within a fraction of a life time. From all extinct species to the way you felt about yourself as a three year old; death is literally a part of the process of evolution.As we move through life, we have several deaths. The evolution of consciousness can not be stopped! We may try and resist this process, but it doesn't stop it from happening. It only makes the ride more unpleasant. When we can embrace the whole concept, we really can enjoy the ride and the new perspectives we come to see life from.

We can see all of the new possibilities as opposed to the loss of our older circumstances. We can enjoy the fact that we die.


Related posts:
The Benefits of Death
When I Die
The Evolution of Consciousness
Growing Pains

Who Are You?

What Is Really Real?

First video blog entry. More to come very soon.

Only One at a Time

Most of us have at one time or another in life, had one of those 'aha!' moments. These are times when your paradigm shifts, your perspective broadens, and you can see a concept, situation, yourself, or the whole world in a brand new light.

Then there are a growing many of us who have had one of these 'aha!' moments about our very essence. The awareness of consciousness becoming aware of itself. We have had glimpses into our own infinite endlessness and realized we are much more than what we appear to be. But it was only a short lived glimpse.

Satori is a Buddhist term for enlightenment. The word literally means "understanding". Satori translates into a flash of sudden awareness, or individual Enlightenment. Satori is as well an intuitive experience.

The short lived glimpse of your true nature is only the beginning of the awakening process and the practice of observing one's self. As this practice continues and strengthens in consistency and duration, we start to become more and more established in this satori.

We may realize that no matter what, there is only one moment at a time. We may also realize that we can only be in a state of higher consciousness during that one moment (at a time). So no matter what, we can only be enlightened one moment at a time.

This may help some to see that becoming established in such a higher state is not as far off as it might sound initially. It only takes some in-the-moment practice. Even if we can only glimpse our true nature for a split second, if we can string together several moments of this higher awareness, we are already bringing about a further shift into consciousness.

No matter who you may look to as a great example or guide of what it means to know enlightenment, they can only be enlightened one moment at a time (just like you).

Illustration of Consciousness

A quick clip of the awakening process. Enjoy.

It Makes Sense

It makes sense. It makes perfect sense. Not in the traditional meaning of the phrase though. Not in the way a piece of information is computed and understood logically. Not in the way the mind defines and grasps objects and/or concepts.

'It makes sense' in the way it engages your perception. It makes visual sense. You can see it. But not necessarily with your eyes. It makes the tactile sense. You can feel it. It makes auditory sense. You can hear it. It makes smelling and tasting sense.

What is 'it'? 'It' is a higher sense behind the physical five. Without any self serving analysis of what it is (in other words, thought), it can be sensed.

It makes sense, literally. It is actually the source of our awareness, sense, or sensory perception. Without this higher sense, all the information from the outside world would simply remain as electrical signals in the brain. 'It' can be defined as the sense that interprets these electrical signals, turning them into 'real life.' And this 'real life' experience can be created by this higher sense without the aid of the physical five. Dreams are a good example of that.

Realizing that everything we think is 'out there', is actually created for us to experience 'in here', and that when exposed to the exact same conditions, people have different experiences; we can see how significant this source of sense (or sense of the source) really is. And this is our true essence.

It makes sense.


Related posts:

• Field of Awareness
• Good Sense
• Are Your Lights On?
• Aliveness
  

Think Nothing of It

We've all heard the phrase, "Think nothing of it." But if we really look, we may see the great amount of wisdom in this saying. Some people believe thinking nothing will leave a person at a disadvantage. And they would be right to an extent. But to eliminate all the unnecessary thought comes very close to thinking nothing.

• To be able to perceive without evaluation
• To feel with no opinion
• Total acceptance
• To allow whatever happens with no resistance
  
• To have no judgment what-so-ever

These are but a few of the ways that the absence of unnecessary thought may bring our awareness to a higher state. It can almost be described as the kind of heightened attention one has when they have no concept as to what is coming next. Paradoxically this heightened sense of awareness allows you to feel what is to come.

We may bring our awareness to an intelligence above thought. We may shift our focus from the identity driven thought process to the intuitive nature of the Self. We may be channels for our Higher Self to act through.

Think nothing of it.

Related posts:

• Perish The Thought
• Something Out of Nothing
• Ride The Wave
  

The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

We are all gourmet chef's in our own right. Every single moment of existence, we are cooking up something. We are also the person who consumes every dish we whip up.

Sometimes we are well aware of what's on the menu because we are intentionally adding specific ingredients for specific results, and sometimes we are oblivious to the process. Becoming aware of what we choose to cook up and what we choose to eat is the most rewarding of experiences.

Life is just like an all-you-can-eat buffet with an infinite amount of different foods to eat. The infinite spread of different experiences is always there. Our focus is what actually chooses what we are eating from that infinite spread. What ever we are focused on in any one moment becomes our experience. We can only have one experience at a time.

Realizing this, it is easy to see how beneficial it is for us to always choose what tastes best to our spirit. Being conscious of the "soul food" will keep us happy and healthy. What's your favorite dish? :-)

Related posts:

• Only One Total Experience at a Time
• See You at the Crossroads
• You Are The World
  

Awakening Relapse

After awakening from the control of the ego mind and feeling the freedom of tranquil vitality that is our true nature, a person can assume that there is no going back under the spell of the ego. I, myself, believed this to be true. I was not happy to find out I was mistaken.

On the other hand, I am truly grateful for the experience of a relapse back into the murky depths of the primitive ego mind. Even in the rage of a lost temper, I realized that I was being possessed by my 'lower self.' I could still look at my behavior objectively. I could still see myself from the vantage point of the Observer.

One of the reasons I am grateful for this experience is that a mood like that would have stayed with me a lot longer previous to my awakening shift. I also would have been completely enveloped in it as opposed to seeing it for what it really was; resistance to what is, simply running it's course. Shining the light of consciousness on any resistance to life situations weakens and transforms the resistance. What is left is acceptance and adaptation to the situation.

When we realize that unlearning a lifetime of behavior patterns through being aware and conscious of our higher Self happens extremely quickly, a relapse is not really a big deal. It can actually be more of a re-affirmation of what we know to be true and a chance to study the ego with more experienced eyes. It also helps to insure that a relapse of that nature will never happen again because whatever triggered it has been fully accepted and made peace with.

They say, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," and I agree. Every step is a step forward, even if it seems like a slip up. The evolution of consciousness is always in action.

Related posts:

• The Evolution of Consciousness
• Every Little Step...
  

Something Out Of Nothing

We are magicians by nature. As crazy as it may sound to some, we do magic on a regular basis and do not even bother to recognize it as such.

What do I mean by magic? I mean pulling something out of nothing. Just as the magician can pull a rabbit out of a hat, we materialize our life situations and the things in them all the time.

A quick example of this is the fact that any and everything surrounding you, for as far as the eye can see, which is not a part of nature, was a thought in someone's mind before it physically existed. The fact that the chair you are probably sitting on or the screen you are looking at right now was an idea in someone's head before it existed may not seem like anything that spectacular at the moment because we are so used to this concept. But when you can really appreciate this, you may see how very powerful a magician you can be.

A great song, an masterpiece of artwork, an inspiring book, a blockbuster movie, a cure for a disease; these are all things that come from nothing. In other words, they did not exist until someone had the vision to materialize them. When you look at the world in this light, anything seems possible. In order to achieve something that has never been done before, you must see things in this light.

From an even deeper perspective, everything comes from nothing. Everything that we know of today was at some point in time 'nothing.' It literally did not exist. Looking at the origins of the universe, there was nothing but a single point of matter that exploded (The Big Bang) creating the vast universe we are familiar with today. If you can accept and understand that the same universal consciousness that sculpted our world, resides in and animates you, then it is not hard to see how we can make something out of nothing.

Related posts:

• Focus on Nothingness
  
• Find Your Dreams
• Probability Is Impossible's Little Cousin
  
• Precision Vision
• No-Thing Lasts Forever

Is Anybody Home?

I am continuously learning about how amazing the intangible spark that is human awareness is. I came across this article while further looking into the phenomenon that is our consciousness.

It was written by Robert Burton about fifteen months ago. Check it out and see for yourself that consciousness exists outside of the physical world and actually creates worlds in it of itself.

"Sept. 25, 2007 | In a recent article in the Archives of Neurology, a team of British and Belgian neuroscientists describe a clinically unconscious accident victim who can, on command, imagine herself playing tennis and walking around her house. By showing that her functional brain imaging studies (fMRI) are indistinguishable from those of healthy volunteers performing the same mental tasks, the researchers claim that the young woman's fMRI "confirmed beyond any doubt that she was consciously aware of herself and her surroundings, and was willfully following instructions given to her, despite her diagnosis of a vegetative state."

Their extraordinary conclusions are beyond provocative; they raise profound questions about the very notion of consciousness. What's more, they could throw thousands of families and doctors into utter turmoil. As with the Terri Schiavo controversy, patient advocacy groups, self-serving lawyers and politicians with personal agendas could use the study's stamp of certainty as a given.

Yet the study's conclusions are not beyond a doubt. There are plenty of questions about whether this young woman is conscious and capable of choice.

Let's briefly look at the study. In mid-2005, a 23-year-old woman sustained massive head injuries in an auto accident. Following multiple brain surgeries and five months of rehabilitation attempts, she remained unresponsive. According to her treating physicians, she could open her eyes but could not respond to any commands; she could not voluntarily look in the direction of a voice; there was no evidence of orientation or emotional response. They determined that she was in a permanent vegetative state -- a neurological categorization of patients who emerge from coma, appear to be awake, but show no signs of awareness of self or environment.



Before the recent advances in functional brain imaging, most neurologists, based upon their bedside observations and brain wave studies, would have agreed that the woman, though "awake," was extremely unlikely to have a significant private mental life -- either in terms of personal awareness or willful mental activity. (This failure to differentiate between awake and aware was a major feature of the Schiavo affair.) But new tools bring new opportunities; her doctors wondered if the fMRI could provide additional understanding of the clinically unresponsive brain. What if the fMRI could demonstrate residual consciousness and self-awareness, perhaps even the ability to respond to commands?

Their proposed study was quite simple. While inside an fMRI scanner, the unresponsive woman was asked by the researchers to perform three mental tests: relax, imagine playing tennis, and imagine walking around the various rooms in her home. The tasks were chosen because of their ability to activate different areas of the brain. Imagining playing tennis would light up the supplementary motor area, a region involved in imagining as well as performing coordinated movements. In contrast, imagining moving from room to room in a house activated those regions, such as the posterior parietal lobe, that contribute to imaginary or real spatial navigation.

At first glance, the results are startling. The patient was able to activate the same general brain regions as conscious volunteers serving as controls in the test; according to the authors, the images were statistically indistinguishable."

To read the rest of the article, see the original article, The light's on, but is anybody home?

To delve deeper into this and similar mind boggling topics, stay tuned!

Adapting = Acceptance

A very simple (and yet complicated) way to be happy and eliminate all stress and suffering from life, is to be able to adapt to any and every thing that you come across.

Accepting life in all circumstances and situations eliminates that underlying current of stress that people drag around with them on a day to day basis. When people are not regretting past decisions or past experiences; they do not carry the stress from the past. When people are not anxious about the future; the future is open to infinite possibilities. When people are able to live in the moment as opposed to thinking, "should have, would have, or could have," all the time; the present becomes a gift.

A lot of people don't like the word acceptance. Surrender is one people like even less. Don't get caught up with the words. It is the experience you must become familiar with. When you adapt to anything, you are in full acceptance of it.

To be in full acceptance not only feels great; it is what makes great, successful people great. You will not find an accomplished or successful person around who is not a master of adapting to a situation or circumstance. From your favorite athlete to your most esteemed scientist or doctor; acceptance as adaptation to perceived reality is at the base of their greatness.

'Adapt' is also accurate when you know how primitive the ego is and that the next step in consciousness is literally a step in our evolution. The human ego is as primitive as a primate. It is the human mind that is extremely advanced. Because the ego, all too often, is in control of the mind; it causes the self inflicted stress that most of us suffer from.

Learning to adapt is the key to happiness. Thus the u.r.l. for this blog is 'adapt2whatis.' Once this is mastered, the human mind is no longer dysfunctional. With the ego and it's identification with what is good and what is bad in check; the mind is free from stress and your true identity and potential may be recognized and reached.

More on this in the book What Is Really Good? and this blog.

Stay tuned!