Awareness

What it is

Awareness is the ability to observe ourselves without becoming lost in what we observe. It is the light that gradually reveals what has been hidden.

Why it matters

Transformation begins with awareness. We cannot change what we do not yet see. Simply becoming aware of a pattern begins to loosen its grip.

From Bones

~1~

Using new expressions can challenge us to re-experience what a word means. And this can help elevate our awareness. There is, for example, a lot of meaning packed into the word “awareness.”

Whenever we can’t capture the alive, inner meaning of something, we always want to be aware of that. (Chapter 5)

~2~

Many are now realizing how essential it is to face everything inside ourselves, such as our feelings and convictions, attitudes and negative aspects. Much of this, we are either completely unaware of, or not sufficiently so.

If we don’t cultivate this awareness, we will never find the center of our being. And that’s really the point: to reach our core where life springs eternal. (Chapter 2)

~3~

The reason it’s so incredibly difficult to remove our illusions about ourselves is that we all vaguely believe that the truth hidden below the surface—currently out of our awareness—is unacceptable.

And that makes us unacceptable. (Chapter 2)

~4~

We don’t want to see what’s actually happening.

After a while, this constellation sinks down out of our awareness and starts to ferment. There, it creates rotten forms that are quite powerful.

They become creative powers. (Chapter 3)

~5~

Essentially everyone—even the most diligent spiritual seekers—overlooks just how strong the link is between the unfulfillment of our childhood longings and our present-day problems. This isn’t just a nice theory.

It’s very real. It’s about as real as our habit of always looking the other way. So our first move is to step into fuller awareness. (Chapter 8)

~6~

The way out is through awareness that we are living in a trance. Our blind automatism and our stereotypical responses will slow down as soon as we see how we are doing this. (Chapter 11)

~7~

This points to one of the most important aims of this spiritual path. Which is to bring whatever is in us into our conscious awareness. This includes all we think and know, and everything we want and believe in. For that’s the only way to get a good, clear look at all our conflicting and mistaken perceptions.

Then, and only then, we can start to create a better life. (Chapter 18)

Continue with: Meditation • Observer • Unconscious