What is the level of my consciousness?

I am conscious of myself. I am conscious of my actions and reactions. My actions and reactions are generated by my feelings and thoughts except my reflex actions. My thoughts and feelings are driven by my identities. My identities are also thoughts held in my memory based on my definitions of me – who am I? My identities are generated by my ego, which is my first thought that I am a separate existence. All of these phenomenons happen in my consciousness.

My level of consciousness can be determined from my depth of awareness of my mental phenomenon. If I am only aware of my actions and reactions then I am on the surface of my consciousness and I will not have any control on my actions and reactions. Then I am slave of my mind. If I am aware of my thoughts and feelings underlying my actions and reactions then I am just under the surface of my consciousness. Then I can exercise control on my actions and reactions. I can be aware of my thoughts and feelings all the time under all circumstances or I may not be aware all the times. So I can control my actions and reactions only when I am aware of my thoughts and feelings leading to those actions.

I may be able to find my identities that run my thoughts and feelings. My identities define who I am such as I am a doctor, engineer, father, mother, Australian, spiritual, Christian, stupid, intelligent, football player, athlete and so on. If I am aware how my identities are running my thoughts and feelings then I am even deeper into my consciousness. Then I may vary my identities to find how change of my identities can change my thoughts and feelings. These identities can be positive or negative. I try to hold on to my identities. If these identities are disturbed then I try to restore them. Disturbance of these identities can lead to pleasure or pain. I am always in the process of creating new identities, changing old identities, trying to eliminate negative identities and strengthen positive identities.

I can become aware of my first thought that gives rise to my ego that I am a separate existence. Being aware of this thought opens door to pure consciousness. Opening this door could be momentary. This is called a glimpse into the reality. I can move to deeper level of consciousness through repetition of these glimpses. Duration of these glimpses can become longer and longer. Then I start moving in and out of reality very often. This will start my process of harmonization with consciousness. Blocked resistance patterns in my body will be removed as I harmonize more and more with the consciousness. This will lead to my full harmonization with consciousness. Then I am fully surrendered to consciousness and consciousness operates through me.

Movement from one level of consciousness to another level can happen progressively or I can jump from lower level to a higher level by skipping several levels. Some of the sages have jumped from the lowest level of depression and acute fear to highest level of consciousness accidentally. In reality no one moves through various levels of consciousness, it is the consciousness itself that moves through various levels and then becomes conscious of itself at the end. No one awakens. Consciousness awakens itself from the dream of form.

Brilliant. Thank you for this.

"If I am aware of my thoughts and feelings underlying my actions and reactions then I am just under the surface of my consciousness. Then I can exercise control on my actions and reactions."

True or not, I have heard that thoughts (and following response/action) from the subcuncious mind are much faster/more hidden and more difficult to detect, any opinions or experience about this?

Brilliant. Thank you for this.

"If I am aware of my thoughts and feelings underlying my actions and reactions then I am just under the surface of my consciousness. Then I can exercise control on my actions and reactions."

True or not, I have heard that thoughts (and following response/action) from the subcuncious mind are much faster/more hidden and more difficult to detect, any opinions or experience about this?

Hi Stillness_Speaks

When we are aware of our thoughts then we do not know from where they are coming from. All we can say, that we are aware of our thoughts. Our thoughts and feelings turn into actions but most of the time we are not aware of underlying thought and feelings leading to an action or reaction. If we are not aware of thought leading to an action or reaction then we do not have control over our actions and reactions. But if we are aware of our underlying thoughts and feelings then we can cotrol action arising out of these thoughts and feelings.

[Xan]

True or not, I have heard that thoughts (and following response/action) from the subcuncious mind are much faster/more hidden and more difficult to detect, any opinions or experience about this?


Well, that's why it's called the 'sub' conscious... below the ordinary level of our consciousness. These reactions run automatically in repeating patterns.

We can bring this material up into consciousness by paying closer attention to what we feel, and looking into further feelings and memories underneath.


Xan

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, what Xan said.
Self awareness, the ability to see deeper into oneself, or bring the deeper stuff to the surface..whichever way rez's with a person.
The insight, the ability to see into a thing.
To see the deeper thoughts that control one's behaviors and feelings.

"Why do I keep making mistakes|"
"Why do i get picked on a lot?"
"Why don't i have any friends?"
"Why do I keep having bad bf/gfs(relationships)?"
"Why am i still suffering from things that happened way in the past?"
Etc etc.
All the answers to questions like this are found deeper inside oneself.
To be in that calm peacefull non judgemental state of inner silence, to thus be able to see much further in,
to see the deep inner mechanisms of one's soul, thus understand why one does what one does,
thus enabling one to change.

I was living in a rented house. They wished to renovate and gave me 3 months to move out.
The landlord and I were very happy with each other. They appreciated me being a good tenant and I appreciated the fixed low rent they gave me for many years.

As the day to move out approached, I became more and more upset, became irrational in my thinking, found it impossible to go find another place to live.
I became very self condemning and destructive.
I chose to live in my car. I chose to suffer more.
Weeks of inner exploration later I discovered I had rejection issues that were established from my childhood.

Turns out that living in the car though on the surface was not the best way to go, was needed in order for me to force myself to explore why I chose to live in the car.
Not only did I resolve the rejection issue, but I also faced issues regarding materialism, thinking outside the box, learning of my hermit nature, minimalism, letting go of beliefs, exploring the unknown, facing fears, and a whole bunch of other things.

But if I did not explore deep within, I would not have grown one bit.
Living in the car would have been a wasted opportunity.

[Xan]

AC said it well... if I did not explore deep within, I would not have grown one bit.

Once we have gone further in self awareness and we can see the memories, beliefs and feelings that run our unwanted patterns, then we can change them. There are a variety of methods for that.



Xan

My identities - thoughts of "who am I" are at a deeper level in my mind. If I realise that my identites are just my thoughts then I am at deeper level than my feelings. My interpreting thoughts are on the surface of my mind. Thoughts create corresponding feelings and these feelings awaken stored feelings. These feelings creates thoughts. So feelings and thoughts form a kind of loop, strengthening each other. Under these loops of thoughts and feelings are our identities - thoughts "who am I". If we become conscious of our identities then we can erode our identities. Eroding identities is destruction of the foundations of ego.

[Seawolf]

Originally Posted by Stillness_Speaks

Brilliant. Thank you for this.

"If I am aware of my thoughts and feelings underlying my actions and reactions then I am just under the surface of my consciousness. Then I can exercise control on my actions and reactions."

True or not, I have heard that thoughts (and following response/action) from the subcuncious mind are much faster/more hidden and more difficult to detect, any opinions or experience about this?

Supposedly for each thought you think consciously, there are millions being played in the subconscious. So the goal for me is not to try to figure it all out, but to be aware that my thoughts arise from a vast database of memory, and that I am not the memory. The subconscious is like a child, it doesn't have it's own thought, it just experiences memory, which is often suffering. Loving the child heals it. Filling your life with positive things like spirituality and beauty is a way to love the child. Or you can speak to the child directly in a loving way to heal it.

Originally Posted by Xan

AC said it well... if I did not explore deep within, I would not have grown one bit.

Once we have gone further in self awareness and we can see the memories, beliefs and feelings that run our unwanted patterns, then we can change them. There are a variety of methods for that.

Yeah, change ego, heal it , transform it, expand it, make it grow...not remove it, transend it, deny it's existence.
And of course, each to his/her own perception\beliefs\understanding\etc.