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Post by ragnafa on Oct 27, 2010 6:02:16 GMT -6
We experience the variation of our personal level of consciousness at least daily. We can see it, for example, when we wake up in the morning. We come out of a dream state and progressively realize we are in bed, then that it is morning, it is Saturday morning and so on. It is something we are intimately familiar with, but before meeting with this set of ideas, ascribe no particular importance to it.
We may effect a change in our awareness by trying to become more aware, to observe, for example, that as we write or talk our shoulders have a certain tension, our posture assumes a certain attitude, we are feeling uneasy or glad, nervous or comfortable. By increasingly adding subjects to our awareness we can become aware of considerably more at once than we were aware of only moments before.
By recognizing the fact of such variations in our awareness we come to what is perhaps the first tentative theory—consciousness appears to be a continuum. That is, the ranges of consciousness we perceive seem to fit nicely into a continuum, stretching from an unconscious deep sleep to ever more lucid and inclusive awareness. How far this goes, how much we can be conscious of, is hard to say (if indeed there is any limit). We may have had experiences of a quality of awareness that seems far removed from our relatively meager attempts to increase awareness, but at least it can be said that such higher states of consciousness don't rule out the possibility that they are on the same continuum, and it is possible that those higher states can in some way be reached intentionally—if we can continue to increase our successful efforts to be ever more aware. In any case, unless we actually reach a point at which we are unable to increase our awareness by further personal efforts, it seems desirable to continue to make efforts to increase consciousness as long as the efforts are fruitful.
My question to you fellow cultist, is how do you personally percieve consciousness.
Awake...
Dreaming Wizard of the Terrible Darkness.
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Post by Sarak G'hash on Oct 27, 2010 10:54:10 GMT -6
We experience the variation of our personal level of consciousness at least daily. We can see it, for example, when we wake up in the morning. We come out of a dream state and progressively realize we are in bed, then that it is morning, it is Saturday morning and so on. It is something we are intimately familiar with, but before meeting with this set of ideas, ascribe no particular importance to it.
We may effect a change in our awareness by trying to become more aware, to observe, for example, that as we write or talk our shoulders have a certain tension, our posture assumes a certain attitude, we are feeling uneasy or glad, nervous or comfortable. By increasingly adding subjects to our awareness we can become aware of considerably more at once than we were aware of only moments before.
By recognizing the fact of such variations in our awareness we come to what is perhaps the first tentative theory—consciousness appears to be a continuum. That is, the ranges of consciousness we perceive seem to fit nicely into a continuum, stretching from an unconscious deep sleep to ever more lucid and inclusive awareness. How far this goes, how much we can be conscious of, is hard to say (if indeed there is any limit). We may have had experiences of a quality of awareness that seems far removed from our relatively meager attempts to increase awareness, but at least it can be said that such higher states of consciousness don't rule out the possibility that they are on the same continuum, and it is possible that those higher states can in some way be reached intentionally—if we can continue to increase our successful efforts to be ever more aware. In any case, unless we actually reach a point at which we are unable to increase our awareness by further personal efforts, it seems desirable to continue to make efforts to increase consciousness as long as the efforts are fruitful.
My question to you fellow cultist, is how do you personally percieve consciousness.
Awake...
Dreaming Wizard of the Terrible Darkness.
First let me say that I love the way you explain consciousness! It's awesome! Second, my idea of true and pure consciousness is to be totally aware of eveything, every whisper of breeze, every note of a bird's song, every vein in the very leaves of the trees overhead, every scent on the wind, every thought in my mind. I have been able to do this since I was a child although it was much easier then and a bit overwhelming. Everday life interferred with this this for a long long time, but I have been practicing to regain this peace very successfully. Awake! |
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Post by andrewbloodworth on Oct 27, 2010 11:00:13 GMT -6
We experience the variation of our personal level of consciousness at least daily. We can see it, for example, when we wake up in the morning. We come out of a dream state and progressively realize we are in bed, then that it is morning, it is Saturday morning and so on. It is something we are intimately familiar with, but before meeting with this set of ideas, ascribe no particular importance to it.
We may effect a change in our awareness by trying to become more aware, to observe, for example, that as we write or talk our shoulders have a certain tension, our posture assumes a certain attitude, we are feeling uneasy or glad, nervous or comfortable. By increasingly adding subjects to our awareness we can become aware of considerably more at once than we were aware of only moments before.
By recognizing the fact of such variations in our awareness we come to what is perhaps the first tentative theory—consciousness appears to be a continuum. That is, the ranges of consciousness we perceive seem to fit nicely into a continuum, stretching from an unconscious deep sleep to ever more lucid and inclusive awareness. How far this goes, how much we can be conscious of, is hard to say (if indeed there is any limit). We may have had experiences of a quality of awareness that seems far removed from our relatively meager attempts to increase awareness, but at least it can be said that such higher states of consciousness don't rule out the possibility that they are on the same continuum, and it is possible that those higher states can in some way be reached intentionally—if we can continue to increase our successful efforts to be ever more aware. In any case, unless we actually reach a point at which we are unable to increase our awareness by further personal efforts, it seems desirable to continue to make efforts to increase consciousness as long as the efforts are fruitful.
My question to you fellow cultist, is how do you personally percieve consciousness.
Awake...
Dreaming Wizard of the Terrible Darkness.
First let me say that I love the way you explain consciousness! It's awesome! Second, my idea of true and pure consciousness is to be totally aware of eveything, every whisper of breeze, every note of a bird's song, every vein in the very leaves of the trees overhead, every scent on the wind, every thought in my mind. I have been able to do this since I was a child although it was much easier then and a bit overwhelming. Everday life interferred with this this for a long long time, but I have been practicing to regain this peace very successfully. Awake! Sarak I agree with you on that. Have you read the Fourth Way book? Or the Power of Now? Awake! Ia Ia Cthulhu fhtagn |
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Post by egodiabolus on Oct 27, 2010 11:41:05 GMT -6
We experience the variation of our personal level of consciousness at least daily. We can see it, for example, when we wake up in the morning. We come out of a dream state and progressively realize we are in bed, then that it is morning, it is Saturday morning and so on. It is something we are intimately familiar with, but before meeting with this set of ideas, ascribe no particular importance to it.
We may effect a change in our awareness by trying to become more aware, to observe, for example, that as we write or talk our shoulders have a certain tension, our posture assumes a certain attitude, we are feeling uneasy or glad, nervous or comfortable. By increasingly adding subjects to our awareness we can become aware of considerably more at once than we were aware of only moments before.
By recognizing the fact of such variations in our awareness we come to what is perhaps the first tentative theory—consciousness appears to be a continuum. That is, the ranges of consciousness we perceive seem to fit nicely into a continuum, stretching from an unconscious deep sleep to ever more lucid and inclusive awareness. How far this goes, how much we can be conscious of, is hard to say (if indeed there is any limit). We may have had experiences of a quality of awareness that seems far removed from our relatively meager attempts to increase awareness, but at least it can be said that such higher states of consciousness don't rule out the possibility that they are on the same continuum, and it is possible that those higher states can in some way be reached intentionally—if we can continue to increase our successful efforts to be ever more aware. In any case, unless we actually reach a point at which we are unable to increase our awareness by further personal efforts, it seems desirable to continue to make efforts to increase consciousness as long as the efforts are fruitful.
My question to you fellow cultist, is how do you personally percieve consciousness.
Awake...
Dreaming Wizard of the Terrible Darkness.
The world we awaken to and the relative awareness we experience quickly establishes the slumber we routinely exist in as we negotiate our day. We "realize" it is morning, but do we verify it? Do we confirm it? It is a moot point, I know, but is analogous to the larger aspects of our reality that we also assume. How would you determine it is morning? Would you look to a clock? What if all the clocks in your home had been adjusted to reflect an incorrect time (research on perception and the effect on our biological clocks and sense of time are wonderfully interesting... people can be made to "feel" a day go by in a matter of hours or a matter of days simply by adjusting their clocks and limiting their access to the sky)? Do you look to the Sun in the sky (or the stars, depending on when you wake)? At least in that manner there is less probability of outside manipulation, but then how can you know if it is Saturday or Sunday? Perhaps you slept not 8 hours, but 32 hours.
Again, the time and day are moot points, but think about all the things we do assume, that we do take for granted instead of testing, verifying, or deciding for ourselves. Much of the vividness of our experience is sucked right out of our lives because of what we have been taught to assume and obey. It is assumptive, mechanical thinking (or lack of thinking) that has us imprisoned in the dissatisfying and Sleeping manner of our experience.
Awareness is a continuum, and for those who remain asleep it ebbs and flows, rarely peeking at what we would call full or true awareness. What we struggle for is making our experience, our awareness, a process. This is a process where we are consciously choosing to be engaged in what we are experiencing... being present Now. Self Observation and Self Remembering is where it begins, followed by selecting the influences appropriate to your personal aims and struggling to reduce or eliminate habitual/mechanical behaviors. The continuum of awareness is mechanical and purposeless. The process is Awareness with purpose and meaning chosen by the individual engaged in it.
Awareness, or consciousness, is not the clinical experience for our purposes, but rather the experience of life decisively pursued. Awareness is when you are not along for the ride, but rather you are the driver. Anyone who has tried to drive a long distance knows the common experiences, the hypnotizing effect of the road, the urge to pull-over and rest, the need to sleep after many miles. Being the driver takes effort, takes a will to reach your destination, and is most effective when the driver has a clear sense of where they are going and how they are going to get there.
Awareness is an act of will. You cannot be told that you are Awake, or Awakened consistently by outside influences. The individual must recognize that they are asleep, make the choice to be Awake, and then pursue their aim.
Awake!
Ego Diabolus
Priest of R'lyeh
Cult of Cthulhu |
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Post by I AM the Way on Oct 27, 2010 13:44:13 GMT -6
Good thread. See, R'lyehian Priest Xeno, the forum isn't just threads of movies and vampire skulls. Haha.
If no other effort was made beyond simply waking up from ordinary sleep, then I would agree.
A better question, from my standpoint, is do we want it to be morning, does it suit our purpose, is this the reality we desire? Why not go one step further and create our own reality; always keeping in mind that the more our subjective worldview differs from generally accepted reality the more we have to make allowances for the discrepancy.
Yes, but doesn't the increased perception of awareness alone have value when it comes to self-remembering? I agree that being aware of our self and our immediate surroundings in and of itself does not equal an Awakened state; however, I believe it could make the process of Awakening easier to reach. Thoughts?
By His loathsome tentacles,
Venger As'Nas Satanis
High Priest
Cult of Cthulhu
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Post by Sarak G'hash on Oct 28, 2010 2:33:03 GMT -6
First let me say that I love the way you explain consciousness! It's awesome! Second, my idea of true and pure consciousness is to be totally aware of eveything, every whisper of breeze, every note of a bird's song, every vein in the very leaves of the trees overhead, every scent on the wind, every thought in my mind. I have been able to do this since I was a child although it was much easier then and a bit overwhelming. Everday life interferred with this this for a long long time, but I have been practicing to regain this peace very successfully. Awake! Sarak I agree with you on that. Have you read the Fourth Way book? Or the Power of Now? Awake! Ia Ia Cthulhu fhtagn I have read the Fourth Way book but am only a fourth of the way through the Power of Now. |
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Post by ragnafa on Oct 28, 2010 6:08:12 GMT -6
Wow, I did not think that this post would get the attention that it has been getting.
Thanks Cultist.
Awake....
Dreaming Wizard of the Terrible Darkness
Izratan'Sharaz
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