Consciousness

1
Consciousness

• Wayne Hartman

2
On Consciousness

• What is consciousness?
• How do we know that we are conscious?
• Experiencing life from the observer or watcher
  perspective
• We experience, but we also see what we experience
• Interpretation of experience becomes a BIG deal
• How does consciousness differ from awareness?
• Beingness makes all the difference
• One consciousness versus individual awareness
• Conscious awareness versus other than conscious
  awareness
• What is a stream of consciousness?
• How does this differ from normal waking
  consciousness?
• Other than quality attached to what is expressed
  not mine
• Comes through us, not from us
• Almost like channeled information, except no
  entity responsible
• Can have otherworldly quality to it

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My Qualifications

• 30 years of metaphysical study (since 1974)
• 12 years of stream of consciousness expression
• Massive awakening experiences beginning in 1993
• Corresponded to strong urge to write from source
  within
• Consciousness or spirit herself is this source
• Nine books have come from this expression to date
• Two more are in progress
• Literally thousands of pages of metaphysical
  expression
• Other than work, this is the only writing I have
  done
• Writing is one of my strengths, my natural
  talents
• I desire to use it to serve the world in some way
• I believe that my mission is to help build the
  foundations for a new world
• A world in which spirit is more fully enfleshed

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Stream of Consciousness -- June 1996

• I come to be gently caressed by consciousness.
  Yes, I sing her name a lot. She is on my mind
  incessantly. It is through her that I came to
  life, and through her that I will live the role
  that I am meant to live.
• What is she? I cannot say. But, she is older
  than time and wiser than any who have walked
  clothed in flesh. She speaks through us all.
  Yeah, she is the spirit within us all always
  there to guide us if only we had the sense to
  listen to her.
• She is the ONE, though she be expressed as many.
  She is called by many names, though most are not
  aware of her existence. She is greater than the
  Gods, though in ways that are beyond imagining.
  The poets have known her as the muse, and she was
  indeed responsible for their inspiration.
• She has existed since the beginning of time, and
  even before that. Her face can be found
  everywhere throughout the world, yet where there
  is beauty doth she shine most brightly.

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Consciousness -- Spirit Herself

• I dont differentiate between consciousness and
  spirit
• Though, it seems strange to use two terms for the
  same thing
• Perhaps it is a matter of not understanding the
  nuances
• I experience consciousness/spirit as feminine
• It just feels that way to me
• I have no reason to doubt my experience
• Consciousness/Spirit is not God ... nor is it All
  That Is
• It is the source, the energy, the essence that
  animates everything
• As such, it is everything that is manifest
• It has been this way since the stream of
  consciousness writings began
• They come from a feminine source that is more
  than I am
• I am the hermit ... the mit of her, the glove
  that she wears
• It is via the glove that she does her work in the
  world

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The Nature of Consciousness

• She persuades but does not force her way
• It is for us to volunteer to be in her employ
• We serve by choice, or we do not serve at all
• Yet, each of us has a destiny, a fate that calls
  us
• At other than conscious levels, we choose and
  create it all
• Masters we are, all of us ...
• Consciousness works on a need to know basis
• She reveals to us what we need to know when we
  need to know it
• Her ways are mysterious and rightly so
• It is not for us to fathom her ... though it is
  good for us to try
• Know Thyself
• We are consciousness enfleshed learning of our
  own true nature
• We are here to serve others in some way with our
  life

7
On Purpose

• Life is the precious gift that keeps on giving
• Or, so it can be if we choose to make it so
• Actually, it is easy than that, all we have to do
  is allow
• Consciousness will animate this vessel to the
  degree that we allow based on our awareness
• However, only to this degree and no more
• We have to build up our capacity to handle more
  flow
• We do this via our journey into awareness on the
  spiritual path
• Not necessarily any religious path
• Not necessarily any established spiritual path
• It is perfectly fine to create our own if we are
  so inclined
• Spiritual revelation continues to this day
• We have only to open ourselves to it and claim
  it
• However, the primary source is generally from
  within
• Too many people look outside of themselves,
  seeking what is not there

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The Source Within

• Consciousness speaks through the intuition
• However, we must develop the ability to hear her
  clearly
• This requires desiring to hear her, listening and
  paying attention, and then acting on what we hear
• We wont always get it right.
• As with other things, we get better and better
  with practice.
• How do we tell when consciousness speaks?
• In time, we learn to differentiate between our
  voice and her voice
• The difference becomes obvious ... we just know
• The presence of ego is typically a sign that
  something is awry
• What is the source within?
• If I knew that, I would no longer be here
• What is important, is that the source is
  spirit/consciousness and that we can tap her
  wisdom and guidance in our lives

9
Resigning thy Will

• Not my will but thine be done
• It is for us to do as consciousness wills in our
  lives
• Note not as others will, but as consciousness
  wills
• How do we know the will of consciousness?
• We look to how we can serve others in a way that
  makes us happy
• Consciousness is not a slavedriver
• We are free beings. Ours would be a service by
  choice.
• Service is everything ... yes, everything
• How we serve is up to us
• However, we must apply our greatest abilities
  when we serve
• After all, we chose these very talents and
  abilities for this end
• Living a life of WE versus ME is important
• When we live by our will, we live in accord with
  ME
• We need to reverse this and live in accord with
  WE

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Making a Difference

• We are meant to make a difference with our lives
• We can only do that if we live up to our
  potential
• We can only do that if we focus on serving others
  and the world
• One person can make a great difference
• Just look at Mahatma Gandhi
• Each of us has the potential for greatness in our
  own right
• It is a matter of finding out what we are
  passionate about
• Then doing what we need to do to express that
  passion
• We are all passionate about something
• If not, we might as well be dead
• Groups of people working together can change the
  world
• And, changing the world is what it is all about
  in a new age
• However, it takes hard work to create MAGIC!

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Evolution of Consciousness in Expression

• The world is a playground for the evolution of
  consciousness
• It has to be expressed in matter, in flesh, or it
  doesnt count
• So much lies in potential
• There is so much waiting to be expressed
• It is for us to build the proper vessels to
  channel the energies and to manifest the
  creations in form in the world.
• Consciousness evolves with each new expression
• And, with each evolution, consciousness can
  express ever more
• The journey of expression continues indefinitely
• There is only ONE consciousness
• This permits incredible cooperation to occur
  behind the scenes
• Out of this ONE, everything springs into
  expression
• All thoughts, all forms, all worlds ...
  everything that is manifest
• There is nothing save consciousness in expression

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The Master Plan

• There is a master plan of consciousness unfolding
• We are the key players in that plan the
  unfolding happens thru us
• Everything is in accord with this plan
• Our individual purposes are aligned with this
  whether we know it or not
• Yes, this runs counter to the idea of free will
• However, there is nothing that says our free will
  is absolute
• Consciousness knows exactly what she is doing
  through us
• She knows exactly where things are heading
• She knows where things ultimately need to be and
  how to get us there
• What makes me believe this?
• It seems to be confirmed by everything that I
  have experienced.
• I just know that consciousness can be trusted.
• Knowingness goes beyond any of the senses.
• In many respects, it is just something that I
  must do

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The ONE Consciousness

• One voice speaks and expresses through us all
• This is the muse within
• Within is the only place to find her
• Search the world over and we return to now-here,
  where we stand
• We are her arms, her legs, her hands ... even her
  mind
• ONE consciousness manifest throughout creation
• In the beginning there was only ONE
• In the end there can be only ONE
• Indeed, in the middle the multiplicity is but an
  illusion
• The Transcendentalists spoke of this over 125
  years ago
• Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau ... all spoke with one
  voice
• The seeds that they planted are now being
  harvested
• And, my how magnificent the harvest is
• It seems that we are in the midst of a revolution
  of consciousness

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Awaken or Remain Asleep

• This seems to be our choice now do we awaken?
• Yet, consciousness leaves us no real options
• Of course, we must awaken
• There is the dawn of a new day to greet
• Awakening from sleep is as natural as breathing
• So, awakening in consciousness can be as well
• All it takes is the proper training and
  encouragement
• Some stumble into this on their own
• It seems these are meant to be the wayshowers
• The many, however, need help and guidance
• Is the world truly ready for a new day?
• One could easily argue no. There is so much pain
  and misery.
• Yet, there is also hope. The light doth shine.
  The shadows lessen.
• The evolution of consciousness must go on

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To Be All That We Can Be

• Such is the battle cry. Such is the admonition
  from within.
• But, this is not enough
• What we can do of our own is minuscule compared
  to what source can do through us
• We are channels for the expression of
  consciousness
• The highest form of expression is creative
  expression
• For some this is writing
• For some this is speaking
• For some this is art or dancing or sculpture or
  film
• For some this is reason or science or engineering
• For some this is relationships and social
  interaction
• It doesnt matter what form it takes ... all are
  equal
• To be all that we can be, we must find our
  passion, and do what it moves us to do.

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Cosmic Consciousness

• How do we stretch our concepts of consciousness
  to the infinity of the cosmos?
• We start where we are and expand one step at a
  time into the infinity from which we spring, the
  infinity that we are.
• We cooperate to create groups / organizations
  that can serve as the bodies for greater
  embodiment of consciousness.
• There is only so much we can do on our own
• It is crucial that we recognize and realize our
  interconnectedness
• This is vast and runs very deep
• A huge amount of cooperation is required to
  create the reality that we experience
• Cooperative Interdependence is the way of the
  future
• It is also the way of the present, albeit
  primarily unconscious
• The key is to make it conscious

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Cosmic Consciousness (2)

• We hold these truths to be self evident
• that all souls are created equal,
• that we must through determined action create the
  conditions that allow souls to be fully expressed
  in flesh,
• that cosmic consciousness must be expressed in a
  physical vehicle to enable souls to be fully
  expressed in flesh,
• that individuals form the cells of the physical
  vehicle required by cosmic consciousness,
• and that only by establishing a cooperatively
  interdependent society will cosmic consciousness
  have the vehicle it needs to be embodied on
  Earth.

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Selected Quotes

• As our awareness of our true nature grows, we
  rise in consciousness to become the spiritual
  beings we truly are, and that all are meant to be
  in accord with the Plan.
• Be physical, the whole purpose of this play is to
  allow consciousness to be more fully expressed
  physically.
• From a consciousness standpoint, reality
  interpretation is in many ways more important
  than reality creation.
• The main endeavor in all of life is the growth
  from ignorance to knowledge of our true nature as
  consciousness.
• Know thyself is a constant theme that drives all
  consciousness. It's an eternal endeavor, and you
  are an immortal spark of consciousness.
• Make knowing yourself the top priority in your
  life. It is that important!

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Selected Quotes (2)

• We have to create the new world in our
  imaginations, then put the infrastructure in
  place to make it so. The trick is to work out the
  details in consciousness, in the mind, before we
  make it so in the physical.
• I find it difficult to deal with a view of
  reality that separates itself from the
  consciousness that experiences this reality.
• At the highest level, needs are always met.
  Consciousness creates reality so consciousness
  can assure this.
• When we start to tire of beliefs about the
  physical world, we move onto higher beliefs about
  our true nature as consciousness, and the nature
  of reality and of reality creation itself. Only
  then does our ascent in awareness really take
  off.
• The body is an incredible biological machine, a
  wonderful manifestation of consciousness.
  However, how is consciousness embodied or
  enfleshed?

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Selected Quotes (3)

• The bottom line is that we are characters living
  out our roles in a play. The play was written
  (or is being written) by consciousness.
• Consciousness weaves a wonderful fabric of light
  and shadow in which to train parts of itself.
  The overall theme is the growth of consciousness
  itself through the combined growth of its
  creations. Consciousness has created an
  environment in which it can create beings and
  grow them to be aware of their true nature.
• Mankind has been on a glorious adventure. First
  the forms had to be developed. This occurred
  over eons. Then the forms had to be evolved to
  handle emotions and higher level mental
  functioning. This took an extensive amount of
  time as well. Then the patterns had to be
  encoded to allow the spiritual body to be
  expressed in flesh. Finally, the processes had
  to be established to allow the spark of
  consciousness that occupied the form to become
  aware of its true nature as consciousness.
• Life itself is a game being played by
  consciousness for a purpose.

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Conclusion

• Consciousness is a big and important topic
• Weve only touched on some of its nuances
• And then, only through the perspective of one
  person
• The experience of consciousness is subjective, it
  can only be experienced firsthand
• That experience will be unique for each of us
• Though, there may be some common ground
• To find it, we have to communicate and share with
  one another
• I invite you to explore the works of Beyond
  Imagination
• There is a link at the bottom the HDC Main page
• QUESTIONS?
• THANK YOU!