Higher Awareness as Effect or Goal


In the past weeks I wrote a couple of articles making a distinction between Truth and Its effects and highlighting the importance of seeking Truth rather than Its effects.  This came up for me upon reading Jan Frazier’s When Fear Falls Away, which emphasized an awareness of inner Divinity as a goal for humanity without any discussion of the Source of that Divinity. I felt the lack of that discussion was curious and somehow incongruent with my experience. I was reminded of Joel Goldsmith’s Infinite Way, which was a help to me early on my path, but also never discussed Truth and illusion. Frazier seems to say her ego-less perception is humanity’s potential; Goldsmith seemed to say the egoic view was erroneous and the ego-less view is “God’s creation”.
            It’s taken me a while to sort out what I read and felt was incongruent with my experience. It comes down to this: My experiences of direct Revelation (Truth Itself, rather than an awareness of It) have shown me that Truth is completely unlike any awareness (perception) this mind has. Even the highest Awareness—what JF and JG wrote about and I have called Christ Consciousness, Holy Spirit, Awareness of Truth—does not resemble Truth. That Awareness is an effect that the awareness of Truth has on the relative level of mind. The difference between the Absolute (Truth) and the relative (anything other than Truth Itself, including the highest Awareness) is impossible to convey. But think of it this way: Earth evolved the way it has because of the sun, but how much does it resemble the sun? Not at all. So it is with Truth and the relative, perceiving mind. The Awareness of Truth affects the relative mind, but It does not turn the relative mind into Truth just as the sun affects earth but does not turn it into the sun.
            What I understand from Jan Frazier (and reading a little about her path, siddha yoga), is she sought and realized Divine (True) Awareness by asking for fear (ego/personal thought system) to be removed. She became fully aware of her inner Divinity and this changed her perception of the world. Her path seems to be one where the goal is for humanity as a whole to realize this Higher Awareness. What I see now from reading her story is that Higher Awareness can arise without an awareness of Truth as Reality apart from what we are used to experiencing (pseudo-reality). It is not always an expression of what I have called Christ Consciousness, Holy Spirit, or Awareness of Truth, all terms I’ve used for Higher Awareness, which I mistakenly thought only resulted from being aware of Truth as the truth. It seems Higher Awareness can result from being aware of the Truth within without being aware of Truth Itself.
            In March of 2016 I wrote an article explaining that the perception of Love, Peace, and Joy is an effect of the awareness of Truth. It is not Truth Itself. The sustained awareness of These would be what A Course in Miracles calls the “happy dream” or the perception of the “real world”, which is, in ACIM, the result of forgiveness (the recognition that only the Truth is true and It is wholly untouched by illusion). I pointed out in the article that that perception, however, could come from other means: A stroke, drugs, and, now I will add, transcending the ego without experiencing that only the Truth is true and everything else is an illusion.
For me, the path has been one where my awareness of Truth pulled me toward and into Higher Awareness, not as a goal, but as an effect. For me, the story of Jesus has always pointed past Christ Consciousness (Higher Awareness) to God (Truth). I saw Christ Consciousness as a sign pointing to God (Truth), beyond the human experience. That’s why, in my understanding (maybe no one else’s), in Christianity there is a Father (God) and a Son (Christ; the Awareness of God).
I have in recent months written of a distinction in my own experience between the Awareness of Truth (Holy Spirit) and what I call Higher Awareness. The former looks inward, toward Truth. The latter is an effect of that inward viewing. It is the outward view from the Awareness of Truth. It is the wider, longer view of the unfolding story of the universe of form, but it is also the extension of the Love, Peace, and Joy in one’s awareness as one looks out at the world from the Awareness of Truth. It is, in other words, the view from one’s inner Divinity about which Jan Frazier and others write. So it seems that Higher Awareness can be, but is not necessarily, a sign that one is aware that Truth is beyond. In other words, one can experience Higher Awareness without forgiveness.
            Now I contemplate if there is a difference between the Awareness of Truth (Christ Consciousness; Holy Spirit) and Higher Awareness. For me, there seems to be. Whenever I pursued Higher Awareness for its own sake, I got lost. But that is the way of this mind; it is obviously not the way for all.  For me, the pull has always been to be aware of Truth because It’s the Truth. I wanted to be aware of Truth even if It turned out to be horrible, frightening, full of loss, because it’s the Truth. What could be more valuable, meaningful, worth knowing than the Truth? After all, It’s the Truth!
I note that siddha yoga and like paths have the goal of humanity experiencing Higher Awareness and not an awareness of Truth as Truth. I am confused by their emphasis on transforming human consciousness. But I have not examined it or any other like path closely. It may very well be that realizing Higher Awareness leads to the Awareness of Truth as Truth. It may be that they emphasize means (awareness of inner Divinity) over end (awareness of Truth as Truth), which may organically follow.
It is certainly a way to inner peace. And there are, as A Course in Miracles points out, thousands of ways to inner peace. (Different does not mean some ways are superior and some are inferior. Each must follow the path to which they are called). Certainly no one has to become aware of Truth as Truth. If one does, it’s because they have been moved to do so, as I have. That’s all I’ve understood could bring me peace. And it has!
In my experience, few are pulled to Truth because It’s the Truth and welcome Higher Awareness as an effect of this awareness. Most seem interested in Higher Awareness for its own sake, which is understandable. But, I can only teach what makes sense to me, knowing what I know about Truth (It’s all that’s true!).

>>>> 
If you want to overcome your obstacles to being aware of Truth and the peace that comes from this awareness, email me at Liz@acimmentor.com to set up an appointment for mentoring. Learn more at www.acimmentor.com.

Comments

hannah said…
awesome article, she opines! yeah.. just being honest within, keeping it real.. oh sounds so simple :D ;)

its interesting, isnt it, the variety and the angles of it all. and how different it all looks as what 'path' means changes over time and experience. and how the idea of paths merge from many into one as individuality becomes less solid and meaning begins to melt away from any story, even the idea of seeking peace or truth.

i enjoy that we all, to one degree or another, as 'seekers', share some tools in common as liz said.. including this, of course:

Your task is not to seek for love [or truth], but merely to seek and find all of the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. It is not necessary to seek for what is true, but it is necessary to seek for what is false (T-16.IV.6:1-2). (loving the timing of this coming to my attention now, with "or truth" in brackets put there by K. Wapnick.. thoroughly enjoy a nice synchronisation!)

seek love, (whatever that means at any point in time to the 'individual'), or seek truth.. same string different knot ;) (the knot representing all seeking for stillness, whatever 'level/degree'!) it all makes sense when mind is still, as equally as it all makes less sense! all one thing, just different facets. even hitlers path!

oh the joy of being present to what is showing up in the present! (aside, to Will if you read this, lol!.. this last comment rising from the contrast of being decidedly un-present (un-accepting) to jusat about everything in the last few months.. but also in quite some trust (presence) with that!)
will said…
Burning off barriers...
will said…
Welcome to A Course In Miracles...
will said…
Ms.H, When it gets down to the nut cutting of seeking and finding all barriers it may be a different experience for men and women. And Thank You for your note.
hannah said…
will. i dunno about that.. maybe at some level, like.. culturally.

maybe its like a river that has forked and branched a million times since flowing from its source, experiencing more difference and variety at each fork. but tracing the river back from each ..um.. outlet into lake or ocean etc, the differences become a shred experience at each fork. so ultimately as each barrier is passed the experience gets.. samer! i actually doubt theres much difference once youre past the initial cultural 'healings' or what have you. but i am, upon rare occasion, wrong, haha! ;)
hannah said…
oops.. a SHARED experience that should read.. freudian slip?
will said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
ACIM Mentor said…
Will, I'm not sure what you're getting at. I was just highlighting two ways of arriving at Higher Awareness.
will said…
Morning Prayer for Forgiveness

Jesus, Holy Spirit, as I have thoughts this day correct them in your light.
will said…
Mantra for Health

Jesus, Holy Spirit, Heal my body and mind.
will said…
Thought for Meditation

Jesus, Holy Spirit, Be with me.
will said…
Mantra for Health

Jesus, Holy Spirit, Heal my Mind
will said…
Liz, You write in your blog God (Truth). For your purposes you can use God and Truth interchangeably? Are you saying you are having direct communication with God?
will said…
Jesus in ACIM makes it clear over and over that we can be just like him. That’s is the reason for the course. Whatever Jesus relationship was with God we can attain that. Is that what is happening with you? You are at the Jesus mind stage?
will said…
It is almost like coming out of the closet. The taboo subject of Jesus saying we too can be like him, even though it is repeated a hundred times.
ACIM Mentor said…
Will, yes, I can use God and Truth interchangeably. I really don't like to use "God" as it is a loaded word with many connotations and very personalized for individuals. No, I'm not in direct communication with God. I have only directly experienced God in Revelation. Then it's beyond "communication".

I am headed into Christ Consciousness, if that is what you mean. (It all began for me at 15, when I heard I could be just like Jesus - and then pushed the idea away because "I'm not that ambitious". Ha!)

Yes, it is taboo. Funny, though. Because it's not a big deal. No one would think it taboo for a tree to realize it's not a blade of grass after all, but actually a tree. That's all that's happening here.

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