HERMETIC  - ESOTERIC - MYSTICAL PHILOSOPHIES

A Reflection on Reality and Consciousness

What is consciousness, and what is the unconscious? Can we really judge and tell who is conscious and who isn't? Is it possible that an unknown and higher level of consciousness still unfamiliar to our own envelops itself around our unconscious selves? And could we venture and say, that unconsciousness is maybe a necessary dormant and inactive state of consciousness waiting to be activated?

Or, could it be that what we are calling unconsciousness is in fact the other side of consciousness and its antithesis? In other words, if consciousness is an active agent, does it not indicate that it needs a receptive and passive medium to operate upon? And if this is so, could we not conclude from these few observations that this inactive and passive element could indeed be called an unconscious state of being?

Whichever   theory you choose, what is important to understand here, is the function of consciousness itself. If we accept that consciousness is an attribute of Being, then, we will notice that it is also that part of the psyche that makes us discover and unfold our own truth and creativity to ourselves and others. It helps us to unravel our own ever changing vision of reality. It does that by expanding and exhibiting every minute detail that our thoughts and feelings focus and concentrate upon. Moreover consciousness as well as helping us discover the meaning of our personal lives, also assists us in unraveling the profound mystery of our own essence and our relationship with the infinite and eternal aspects of God, in other words the uncreated Light of Being. Indeed, consciousness is the guiding tool that unravels this mysterious and amazing process. Hence, we could add that consciousness projects continuously on the screen of our receptivity (or unconscious state) an ever-changing world, a world that mirrors back to us our own experiences of it. However, these experiences are always directly connected to our own individual level of perception and understanding both of which are connected to a defined plane of consciousness.

So, if what we have been saying until here makes any sense to you, then we could add to it a new idea that maybe the unconscious state is also related to Primordial Matter.

To recapitulate, we said, that the unconsciousness is inherent in Primordial Matter and appears to be the reverse process of awareness and consciousness. In other words, it is its own shadow… a complementary and formless part of Being that could be likened to a receptacle in which are subtly exposed the different spiritual archetypal ideas and models of what we know as the higher levels of Consciousness.

What do we mean by this?

We simply mean, that probably consciousness and the unconscious state are two sides of  one unique Essence... and process. This essence could be called awareness, and is obviously related to BEING. This is so, since only Being can become aware hence conscious. To speculate beyond these observations will take us beyond our human comprehension. As conscious beings we are part of creation itself and because of this, our centre of consciousness is the same as the Centre of Pure Being. Moreover, we understand that one can only go as far as his/her level of consciousness allows, so to venture beyond this level means that one must  first have reintegrated with the Centre of pure Being ... which means that his/her centre of Being and that of the Unknown God, or uncreated Light  coincide and unite absolutely, having merged and blended completely into the uncreated Centre of pure Being. How many could claim to have reached this Centre  which is everywhere and nowhere at the same time... and be living?. While in incarnation no one can possibly "know" about reintegration when we are still living here as incarnated beings in a world  governed by the law of duality? It is therefore impossible for us to speculate about it. Reintegration means the re-absorption of the self conscious essence of being into its own centre which is also the Centre of the uncreated Light and Essence of Being.

To conclude:

We have observed that consciousness and the unconscious belong to two opposite poles, and paradoxically, we could add that they need each other to project and express the Divine Qualities and Attributes of Being. Thus  we could say that consciousness and its counterpart complement each other, and belong together in the world of duality, which is the world governing all of creation. What do all these ideas show us? They show us that consciousness and the unconscious are the two ethereal and invisible elements that the Essence of the Soul uses as tools to imprint in us and reflect the infinite and incredibly rich variety of expressions and manifestations of its own uncreated Essence back to the Source of Pure Being. Hence everything that is not manifested yet, and that remains hidden or dormant in creation will be revealed and surface through the light of consciousness at the appropriate moment.

Gradually, consciousness is awakened in unconscious matter and with the unfoldment of the Light of Spirit or Nous in consciousness, consciousness awakes in Primordial Matter. And when Spirit is totally incarnated in matter, they both surrender all their powers, letting themselves melt into the ocean of the unknown Void... formless once more, but united again, they become one, one unique Essence. and so, the law of duality has no more domination over them... having taken the last leap... reintegration into the Uncreated Centre of Being is within reach eternally.