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Reflection on the Question of Consciousness
Yesterday we had a robust conversation about consciousness with those who attended our first Zoom gathering of Learning As We Go. The format was structured for a small group with a little bit of introduction to the topic and I provided some questions that we reflected on in real time. From the seed questions, some new questions emerged, which is something I love to witness (witness being an ongoing theme of the conversation).
Unity teaches that consciousness is both a spiritual and practical matter—shaping how we show up in relationships, parenting, money decisions, conflict, justice, etc.
Some of the questions that I introduced were:
How do you define or experience consciousness?
Where in your life do you most clearly see the link between what you hold in mind and what shows up?
Where do you feel the difference between being “conscious” and being on “autopilot” in everyday life? (Kevin had a brilliant take on this.)
We talked a lot about Consciousness as "witness". Everyone had some version of experiencing consciousness as their witnessing self--that awareness that is mindful of the thoughts that arise in our mind. We talked about being conscious and understanding ourselves as 100% human and 100% spirit and getting distracted and operating from ego. And we talked about our judgments that arise sometimes when we temporarily forget the fullness of who we are. Eventually we landed on the question, "What is the difference between the witness and the judge?" But, we ended on that question and left it as something to explore later.
Right now, LAWG is still in pop up mode. So, we have not scheduled our next gathering. But stay tuned.
Finally here is a plug for the First Friday on February 6, which includes a pizza party and a documentary about consciousness called Who We Are. Click image to RSVP.
Interesting topic - one I am really diving into lately by taking an Advanced Consciousness class with the Emerson Institute. I'm glad it was a good discussion. I would answer the question of difference between the witness and the judge by simply saying a witness is an observer, not judging, fixing or interpreting the situations but rather staying open hearted and open minded. It's a position of taking responsibility for our own feelings and being present for someone else, respecting them to do their own work and follow their own guidance. When we judge, we bring in all our own beliefs and thoughts, which filters how we see things. We tend to want to fix, project and deem another, or ourselves as right or wrong.