The Unfolding of
Consciousness
You are the universe unfolding. This is not poetry. This is
not Sedona woo-woo. This is fact. You are the universe unfolding. If you are not the universe
birthing itself, who are you? Surely you do not claim to be outside the
universe. An analysis of your physical makeup shows the same elements as earth.
You are the universe unfolding. Unfolding, like those slow motion photos of a plant coming out of a seed, rising into the air and spreading its leaves. Unfolding, like a tight bud of a flower slowly, but inexorably opening.
You are the universe unfolding. Unfolding, like those slow motion photos of a plant coming out of a seed, rising into the air and spreading its leaves. Unfolding, like a tight bud of a flower slowly, but inexorably opening.
We have made much of the pseudo-fact that we are individuals, charting our own destiny, masters of our fate. We have given ourselves social security numbers, drivers licenses, birth certificates to prove our uniqueness, our separateness from all others.
We are not separate. We are all interweavings of a vast network of interconnection that has no end, no edge, no circumference. A network that extends from the submolecular to the megacosmic. We live within the warp and woof of a holocosm.
You are the universe unfolding.
***
I am not proposing this as a theoretical model for
“scientific” testing with gatherings of data though that could be a worthy
endeavor. See Jean Gebser and Ken Wilber’s works if you want that kind of
information.
I am proposing that you take a look at your own consciousness, look at the places where you get stuck, that seem to be an evolutionary dead end, where consciousness can no more unfold. Look at your own unfolding. Open to new thought systems. Allow yourself to go beyond thought.
I am saying that the evolution of consciousness is an amazing phenomenon, taking place not so much in front of your eyes as behind them. Learn to stop seeing so you can see.
In other words, apply these insights to your own consciousness, your own fertile ground of this universe unfolding.
I am proposing that you take a look at your own consciousness, look at the places where you get stuck, that seem to be an evolutionary dead end, where consciousness can no more unfold. Look at your own unfolding. Open to new thought systems. Allow yourself to go beyond thought.
I am saying that the evolution of consciousness is an amazing phenomenon, taking place not so much in front of your eyes as behind them. Learn to stop seeing so you can see.
In other words, apply these insights to your own consciousness, your own fertile ground of this universe unfolding.
***
Beyond all, supporting all, calling all into being is the
Godhead, the Eternal Ground, the Wellspring. These are aspects of God the human
intellect cannot comprehend. And yet we are the Godhead unfolding. We rest upon
the Eternal Ground. We are the Wellspring springing.
How is this done? Through grace and mercy and lovingkindness.
Is it not obvious by now? The One who births us loves us. We are not separate from our Wellspring. Knowing this, truly knowing this, and living in accord with knowing is an integral part of the unfolding of our consciousness.
***
Part of our unfolding is taking risks, going outside of all established camps, meeting God on our own in the wilderness. We follow spirit rather than the letter of the law.
The wilderness is a refuge. Dwelling in the wilderness, we are cut off from manmade creeds and dogmas and learnings and rules and supposed-to’s and have-to’s and all the legalistic stuff we have heaped upon ourselves. We are alone with our Source.
We are taking refuge by sitting quietly in the wild.
I refer to the Inner Wild.
***
Another way of taking refuge is practiced by our Buddha buddies.
We sit quietly and deliberately open with great appreciation for our Teachers, those who have come before us and spent their lives teaching us by word and example. Where would we be without our Teachers? We take refuge in our Teachers.
We open with great appreciation for the Teachings, the stated and unstated understandings of who we are, where we are, what is going on. Where would we be without the Teachings? We take refuge in the Teachings.
We open with great appreciation and lovingkindness for the Spiritual Community, all others who are open to the Teachers and the Teachings, some of whom are in our immediate daily lives and some elsewhere. Where would we be without a Spiritual Community? We take refuge in our Spiritual Community.
We take refuge in this ongoing stream, this river, this current of Teachers and Teachings and Community. We love our Teachers. We live by the Teachings. We live in Community with others, past and present and future, who do the same.
***
How is this done? Through grace and mercy and lovingkindness.
Is it not obvious by now? The One who births us loves us. We are not separate from our Wellspring. Knowing this, truly knowing this, and living in accord with knowing is an integral part of the unfolding of our consciousness.
***
Part of our unfolding is taking risks, going outside of all established camps, meeting God on our own in the wilderness. We follow spirit rather than the letter of the law.
The wilderness is a refuge. Dwelling in the wilderness, we are cut off from manmade creeds and dogmas and learnings and rules and supposed-to’s and have-to’s and all the legalistic stuff we have heaped upon ourselves. We are alone with our Source.
We are taking refuge by sitting quietly in the wild.
I refer to the Inner Wild.
***
Another way of taking refuge is practiced by our Buddha buddies.
We sit quietly and deliberately open with great appreciation for our Teachers, those who have come before us and spent their lives teaching us by word and example. Where would we be without our Teachers? We take refuge in our Teachers.
We open with great appreciation for the Teachings, the stated and unstated understandings of who we are, where we are, what is going on. Where would we be without the Teachings? We take refuge in the Teachings.
We open with great appreciation and lovingkindness for the Spiritual Community, all others who are open to the Teachers and the Teachings, some of whom are in our immediate daily lives and some elsewhere. Where would we be without a Spiritual Community? We take refuge in our Spiritual Community.
We take refuge in this ongoing stream, this river, this current of Teachers and Teachings and Community. We love our Teachers. We live by the Teachings. We live in Community with others, past and present and future, who do the same.
***
Man is psychically distinguished from all other animals
by the entirely new fact that he not only knows, but knows that he knows. In
him (and her), for the first time on earth, consciousness has coiled
back upon itself to become thought. -- Teilhard de Chardin
Yes. And in addition, not only do we know that we know, we also have developed and are developing the capability to know that we know that we know, to step outside the thinking process and take a look at our thoughts.
This ability to dis-identify from our thinking, to no longer automatically exist as identical with our thinking (which has both cognitive and emotional components) puts us into a new realm (a realm which is really very old, or more accurately, timeless).
This third realm (the first one being knowing, the second, knowing that we know) of non-attachment to thought, though having been practiced by a few humans in various cultures over time, is the next evolutionary step in human consciousness.
At some point it will be the norm. Folk who existed primarily in rational dualistic divisive thesis-antithesis ratio consciousness will be seen as embodying a necessary but relatively primitive phase of human consciousness development.
Thinking will not be done away with, but will be viewed
as just one tool in the human repertoire.
This future is also now. Right now, each of us has access to pre-thinking (just knowing), thinking (ratio consciousness), and beyond thinking (which also includes access to the first two).
Methods exist for this transformation of consciousness.
Yes. And in addition, not only do we know that we know, we also have developed and are developing the capability to know that we know that we know, to step outside the thinking process and take a look at our thoughts.
This ability to dis-identify from our thinking, to no longer automatically exist as identical with our thinking (which has both cognitive and emotional components) puts us into a new realm (a realm which is really very old, or more accurately, timeless).
This third realm (the first one being knowing, the second, knowing that we know) of non-attachment to thought, though having been practiced by a few humans in various cultures over time, is the next evolutionary step in human consciousness.
At some point it will be the norm. Folk who existed primarily in rational dualistic divisive thesis-antithesis ratio consciousness will be seen as embodying a necessary but relatively primitive phase of human consciousness development.
Thinking will not be done away with, but will be viewed
as just one tool in the human repertoire.
This future is also now. Right now, each of us has access to pre-thinking (just knowing), thinking (ratio consciousness), and beyond thinking (which also includes access to the first two).
Methods exist for this transformation of consciousness.
