Post by stardustpilgrim on Jan 18, 2014 1:18:24 GMT -5
There are different levels of consciousness. Animals have a certain degree of consciousness, a certain ability to respond to the environment. Sleep is a certain state of consciousness, especially dream sleep. We are in a certain state of consciousness, now, reading (or writing). We could call it ego-consciousness, being aware of the functions, thinking, feeling or acting (doing stuff physically vs just merely sitting, thinking or feeling). Franklin Merrill-Wolfe would call it consciousness with an object. Merely operating through the functions is not real consciousness, not what is possible.
An then there is a deeper level of consciousness, a third state of consciousness. The third state is not ordinarily accessible. As we normally function we have "swiss-cheese" memory, stuff comes up mostly via associations. But in the third state of consciousness we can access, know all at once everything we know, we have self-knowledge. In the beginning this is not so comfortable as we have multiple contradictions within, in self-consciousness we are aware of the contradictions. So, something is present which is aware of functions, aware of thoughts and feelings (and actions). And this something can be present even without thoughts, feelings or actions. Franklin Merrill-Wolfe called this consciousness without an object. I'm not sure he is talking about the same thing, but you can have consciousness without the functions. Our ordinary state is to have functions without consciousness, that is, the third state is the real consciousness. I think this is where the Socratic injunction "Know thyself" comes in as well as an unexamined life is not worth living. But anyway, you know your self objectively, the good and the bad, in the third state of consciousness. You can know your functions as well as the third state of consciousness, that is simultaneously. The third state of consciousness is consciousness of the whole of oneself, all at once.
And then there is a fourth state of consciousness where you know what's outside objectively, the exterior world, the universe (let's just say, theoretically.....not that you know the universe theoretically, but, it's theoretical for me)..... So, we are all on a continuum.....somewhere. ......Now, you can say all you want that these distinctions don't matter....that ALL is ONE..... .................... where ever any one person is on the continuum, a higher level of consciousness would be 'further'...... The fourth state of consciousness can be accessed very rarely by chance, but nothing really is remembered, one only knows something immensely significant occurred. Some people call this cosmic consciousness. It's the Whole, accessible, all at once. To be accessed, and remembered, the fourth state of consciousness must be through, that is, while in, the third state of consciousness.
......further, besides knowing oneself intimately, can encompass more space than is ordinary......knowing....experiencing greater areas of space, that is, encompassing further distances, taking in more that is.....and time, also....reaching into the future........And these eventually by will, everything depends upon energy, a finer energy. There are 3 gates, attention, consciousness, will.
sdp