Consciousness…What is it?

Con·scious·ness…What is it?

By Wafa Faith Hallam

March 25, 2016

For the better part of my life, consciousness was a little more than awareness of the physical world around me.  I viewed the material as the only reliable “reality.” Until I crashed and burned and “reality” did not make any sense! My rational mind was of little help in finding answers and I turned to the “Now” as revealed by Eckhart Tolle.

But, what is Consciousness, and how and where does it come from?  This is the most fundamental question and greatest mystery of all. Until very recently, there were two opposing views that attempted to solve that mystery: Science, through reason and rationalization sees the brain as the creator of consciousness while Spirituality claims that the source of consciousness is non-material.  As this second hypothesis begins to gain credence in some scientific fringes, perhaps the time has come for Science and Spirituality to come together.  As we all must awaken to the wholeness of our existence and recognize the truth of our sublime nature, that we are more than bodies with brains.

The overwhelming consensus in conventional science today is that the brain -- with its 100 Billion neurons and other cells-- creates Consciousness. In other words, when all brain functions cease so does consciousness. Besides its rigid materialism and reductionism, this modern scientific belief has had very detrimental effects on our society. Because of its narrow focus on the brain as the Creator of our entire existence, our society has been breeding fragmented individuals obsessed with the material world. And most grievously, has resulted in the devastation of our natural environment and the dismissal of nature’s healing powers and teachings. It has also led to alienation and despair in a growing number of people.

Today a new perspective is slowly emerging among a handful of scientists called Post-Materialist Science. Post-Materialism stipulates that conventional science fails to prove that mind and emotions are caused by the brain and that the 3 common procedures relied upon to prove its hypothesis — Correlation, Stimulation and Ablation —  are also used to determine how a TV set works. But we know a TV set is only an antenna and cannot create content.  That in effect is what the brain is; it is a receiver, an antenna, not a creator of Consciousness.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) famously put it this way: "My brain is only a Receiver. In the Universe, there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength, and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists."

Most of us instinctively know this to be true. Therefore, until scientists agree to expand the field of their research accordingly, allow me to offer a Spiritual perspective — devoid of religious dogma — which deeply resonates with me.

‘Who We Are’— the “I AM”— consist of 3 parts: 1 part matter (The Brain) + 2 parts non-matter (The Mind and Consciousness): Together, the Receiver, Perceiver and Conceiver makeup our human Beingness.

1- The physical brain is only a Receiver:  It receives an energetic vibration or frequency which fires through its neurons. The kind of information it receives depends on the frequency it is tuned to. That information is then picked up by the Mind. 

2- The second part of ‘Who We Are’, the Mind, is the Perceiver.  It is also known as the “personality” mind or “rational” mind. Because it interprets the meaning of the impulse and information received by the brain. The Mind’s perception is of course invaluable, but it is based on past experience, conditioning, beliefs and value systems.  That is why the mind is not of much help when we are faced with the unknown and trying to make sense of the world.

Everything the mind knows is past experience.  It does not know HOW things are going to happen only what has happened.  Its field of vision is so limited, it panics when events get out of its control and resorts to thinking. It can turn into a blabber box creating enormous stress and fear.  And most unfortunately, it has made us believe that we are alone and only have IT to help us navigate the challenges of our lives.

3-  The third component, of ‘Who We Are’, is Higher Consciousness. This is the Conceiver, the most important aspect of who we are, the “core” that Tesla refers to. It is known by many names: the “Intuitive” mind, the Higher Self, the Soul, Spirit, etc.  It is Pure Consciousness, Pure Potentiality. It is the field of all possibilities. It is the infinitely creative part of us because it conceives the idea. It taps into a Universal Core Consciousness or energetic field that knows all THAT IS, the sum total of all experiences and knowledge. 

The Higher Self is the part of US that is the most mysterious and most ignored.  It has all the answers and knows exactly when to deliver them to our brain. And while the personality rational Mind is in the valley, IT is on the mountain top and sees the whole picture.

We have forgotten the existence of our Higher Consciousness and in so doing have estranged ourselves from its guidance and wisdom.  

As Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, wrote: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

HOW DO WE ACCESS the ‘gift’ of our Pure Consciousness, our HIGHER SELF?

·        *We must limit our excessive reliance on our intellect and rational Mind by quieting the chatter box. Stop the incessant thoughts and access the Now. That is our only point of attraction and connection.

·        * We must acknowledge our hearts and get in touch with our Divine Feminine, our feelings and emotions.  Particularly the negative ones, which are caused by our limiting beliefs and old value systems.  As we allow them to be felt, they dissipate and the thoughts they generate also disappear. 

·         * Stillness speaks though not in words.  Its language is INTUITION and INSPIRATION.  In stillness, we are more adept at perceiving the messages and guidance of our Higher Self.  At first, it feels like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, a slight intuition, an ever so subtle knowing that comes in the form of a sudden inspiration and pops up in our mind seemingly from nowhere. Though it can also be a very persistent knowing, an idea that won’t go away, a dream that keeps haunting us, or a deep desire that makes our heart sing for no reason. 

In the final analysis, as so many of us follow road-maps drawn by others and try to live up to our and others’ expectations, it may be comforting to learn of alternative existential paradigms.  I believe it is high time to accept our exquisite individuality and get out of the box of conformity.  If not, our innate sense of exploration, creativity and wonder may be lost forever leading to our growing alienation.

Let us remember that we are not simply a brain with a rational mind!  We are also Pure Consciousness and we must reclaim the Truth and Wholeness of our existence by acknowledging that precious third part of our Beingness that makes us fully human, our Higher Self.  

In doing so, we reclaim our power and our belonging to the whole universe, which is so very critical to the survival of our species and our planet.

Our Higher Self is PURE LOVE. It is the part of us that is God-Like. To be reminded will change our world. 

Copyright © 2016 by Wafa Faith Hallam