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The Nature of Consciousness |
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On
Consciousness
-Consciousness
is a field of awareness.
-Consciousness is the degree to which something is aware of its existence and its potentiality.
-Consciousness is awareness of Self and Other. It is Self-awareness; aware of the All of existence.
-Consciousness is awareness of Truth; truth of existence.
-Consciousness is that which is conscious of everything that is to be known.
-That which created the world is conscious of the entire world and the universe. To be conscious of That is consciousness.
On Consciousness
Asks a reader:
What is consciousness?
Answer:
It is awareness; awareness of the Truth. It is self awareness;
knowledge of the way of life; of the various aspects of our
and life's physical, vital, and mental planes of existence.
Our level of consciousness is indicated by the degree we have taken to spiritual attributes -- including silence, peace, knowledge, truth, harmony, oneness, power, creativity, love, delight, infinity, and timelessness.
We develop our deepest, widest, and most profound consciousness when we discover our True Self and Soul within, and when we surrender to the Supreme Itself in full, and to live and be guided at every step by Its Will, which will in turn divinize all aspects of life inside ourselves and the life around us.
Source of Consciousness and
Creation
-How did consciousness come about, and what is it? When the Omnipresent
Reality, the Absolute became conscious of Itself, consciousness came
about. And from that consciousness a universe was manifest. In our
universe that consciousness manifests as the breath that makes everything
live. (Paraphrase of the Mother).
-The Reality manifest first as pure Existence; i.e. Conscious Existence. That self-consciousness released a Force, a Conscious Force. From out of that Force came the Energy that was the source of all forces and forms in creation.
-Spirit comes to us as Consciousness and Force. Consciousness is awareness of the true nature of existence. Force is the power to make our conscious awareness real.
-Consciousness releases a force, a Conscious-Force, which has the power to energize, create, and attract the infinite potentials of life.
Consciousness and Awareness by the Source and
In Us
The awareness of Existence (Sat) is consciousness;
whether it be the Absolute in Its awareness of Itself, or our own self
becoming aware of the true nature of the Reality. It is in essence the
awareness of Spirit. And that awareness of Existence/Spirit is also a
Force, which for the Absolute became the universe, and for us becomes
the source of everything that comes about in the world. Of course, by
discovering that Reality we can collaborate in that unfolding, for
nothing new can come about in the world without consciousness.
Spiritual Expressions of Consciousness
Consciousness expresses as Silence, Oneness, Wisdom, Knowledge,
Truth, Power, Love, Delight, Beauty, Creativity, Infinity,
Timelessness, etc. These are expressions of the Spirit above and
in life (i.e. through human experience and realization).
Consciousness, Knowledge, Will
In the involutionary process, through the action of Supermind/Truth Consciousness, Consciousness and Force became Knowledge and Will.
The consciousness that created the world consists of two aspects – Knowledge and Will. Will is the force and it is force that accomplishes.
Consciousness Lost in the Involution, Regained in Evolution
In the involutionary process, the consciousness became separated from the Force, leaving only the latter. The universe begins as unconscious Force of Matter. The Consciousness is now hidden, involved in all things, from matter to life to mind. In the evolution, the consciousness reemerges, reuniting It with the Force. As we become more conscious, we further enable that evolutionary process. When we come to our True Self and open to the spiritual Force in the atmosphere, we have greatest power to reunite the Consciousness and the Force in ourselves and in creation..
Guiding Intelligence Shaping Our Lives for a Purpose
There is a guiding intelligence working invisibly, shaping the events of our lives to serve a purpose. (Deepak Chopra)
What is Consciousness?
The Absolute while in the state of Existence can be conscious of Itself in either direction. It can be conscious of being Absolute in which case it goes back to Its original state. Or, it can be conscious of ONE of its potentials. Ananda, Supermind, Cosmos, Knowledge, Matter etc. are all there in it as potentials. To be conscious of the next stage brings it out in manifestation. ... I bring out any potential of mine when I am conscious of it. ... Consciousness is the faculty that brings out of me whatever is in potential. (MSS)
What Comes from a Person of Higher Consciousness
For a person who has taken to a life of higher consciousness,
life tends to flow harmoniously, more perfectly, and
cooperates at every quarter.
The Spectrum of Human Consciousness
We have a limited view of what "consciousness" is. We believe that it is our waking mental awareness. But that is only one type. There is also an inner consciousness that is subconscious to us. It has subtle levels of awareness, is in touch with forces, powers, that our normal mentality cannot even begin to fathom. For example, it can now what our deepest intentions are, even as we are not aware of them in our waking minds!
Thus, our subconscious has waking, powerful parts that are active and alive, below our own conscious level of awareness, perceiving and acting on its own accord. There we find the personal evolving soul, which is there to absorb the essence of our growth in life so it can continue on its journey of fulfillment through time. If we are in touch with it, it becomes our most profound guide, a leader of our progress, evolution, and purpose.
If there is a consciousness below our normal level of awareness, there is also one "above" and beyond our mentality. This realm is superconscious to us. It includes the universal consciousness that is in touch with all forms and forces in the universe, and beyond that a transcendent consciousness that is the Source and Stability, and Purpose behind this universe of forms. It is the consciousness of the Divine.
Interestingly, if we evolve our own consciousness -- e.g. through ridding our lower nature, overcoming wanting attitudes, meditation, higher knowledge, consecration, calling, etc. -- we can develop a constant and close relationship with our subconscious, which will give purpose and guidance far beyond our normal mentality. Likewise, we can be open in our hearts and mind to the superconscient that stands at the very source and heart of life in the cosmos, which will add greatly to our level of awareness. We then become a single center of power, wisdom, light, harmony, peace, love, and delight, as all the realms of consciousness are there at our disposal.
Individual, Universal, Transcendent Consciousness
There is individual, universal, and transcendent consciousness. The universal serves the transcendent; the individual, the universal.
Individual consciousness (large I) is a fully realized consciousness of the individual. Universal consciousness is the fully realized, integral consciousness of life, creation, and the cosmos. Transcendent consciousness is that of the Infinite Divine.
The ultimate individual has through the Individual consciousness that of the universal and transcendent as well.
Individual Consciousness
There is the individual (small i) consciousness of the
individual who lives in an essential Ignorance, and there is
the true Individual (large I) Consciousness who lives in
Truth, Knowledge, Love, Beauty, Creativity, timelessness,
Power, etc.
The individual moving to the Individual consciousness is progress, evolution, transformation.
As lifer forms have evolved they have moved to increasing consciousness; i.e. from physical to vital to mental consciousness. Higher consciousness of mind, spirit, heart, and even the body are the frontiers of human consciousness.
Man mostly lives in his physical and vital consciousness, and is increasingly mental. As he rises to true rationality and spiritualized mind of light intuition, and revelation he rises in mental consciousness. Developing the heart (e.g. self-givingness, love), refining the emotions, and overcoming the limitations of the body (disease, decay, and death) are forms of evolution of consciousness in these various parts of his being.
Wider View of the Term "Consciousness"
We have a limited view of what 'Consciousness' is. We believe that it
is our waking mental awareness. But that is only one type of
consciousness. In sleep there is a consciousness, as there is one in
our physical body. Even what we call "unconscious," or "subconscious"
is a real consciousness that exists, but that we are unaware of and
cannot fathom its workings. But the subconscious is conscious. It has
powerful parts and inner workings that are active and alive, below our
own conscious level of awareness. beyond these there is a universal
consciousness, and beyond that the consciousness of the Infinite
Divine.
Source of Life is Infinite Consciousness
From an Infinite consciousness came this universe of forms. Thus,
consciousness is the source of all.
When the Infinite extended itself, it's first poise was as Conscious Being. It was beyond consciousness, and then it limited itself to a sense of self-realization, i.e. consciousness.
Higher Consciousness and Life Response
Life response -- i.e. sudden good fortune -- is simply a matter of
consciousness. The higher the consciousness, the more frequent and
more intense the response. Then what is consciousness? It is the degree
to which I am aware of my existence and my potentiality in life.
How then can I live in high rather than low consciousness? I can do
so by first moving my orientation from the surface of life to a deeper
poise within. Second, I can also make an ongoing effort try to identify
and then improve all of the wanting parts of my being. Third, I can open
to the Spiritual Force. Ultimately, I can surrender to the Divine
Reality and live only for Its Purpose and Intent. Any and all of these
will expand my consciousness.
By taking these approaches, I move from the individual to the
universal plane, enabling my energies to flow freely and align with
corresponding positive conditions. These miraculous-like instances of
sudden good fortune are not only indicators that my consciousness is
rising, but that I have embarked on
The Quantum Activist:
Merging Science and
Consciousness in Quantum
Physics
The Quantum Activist is a highly polished documentary film from 2010 about scientist and quantum physicist Dr. Amit Goswami, PhD, and his views about spiritual consciousness as the ground of all scientific knowledge. He is deeply influenced by Sri Aurobindo, Krishnamurti, and Ramana Maharshi, amongst others. Here is an outline of a number of the significant points in the film:
-
In quantum physics objects are not determined things. Objects are possibilities. Possibilities of what? Possibilities of consciousness to choose from.
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There is scientific evidence for the existence of God.
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Science says everything is a product of matter, of atoms and molecules. That even consciousness is a product of these.
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He instead believes that everything is a product of Consciousness, including matter.
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The feeling of the continuity with the whole is Blissful.
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It is to have non-divided consciousness; aka non-dualism.
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The Material view is that Consciousness is a brain phenomenon. It is in error.
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Consciousness is the ground of all being.
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Consciousness can choose, and thereby create reality.
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Consciousness chooses out of quantum possibilities.
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Material objects are even the choosing of possibilities. (?)
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Consciousness creates reality.
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Choosing in ego (wants, desires, needs), however, is limited in choice. Consciousness choosing in ego does not bring possibilities.
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Conscious choice is therefore beyond ego, and brings possibilities.
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The Cosmic Consciousness is who we really are.
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The Cosmic Consciousness is the non-local consciousness.
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In Cosmic Consciousness there is non-dualism.
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Don’t choose in the individuality when in Ego, but in a wider universal consciousness. Then life gives benefit to all.
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Choice creates benefit for all. Quantum physics is pointing in these directions.
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Of course, there is still individual choice, but do it without ego.
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Brains can communicate non-locally. (It is non-local consciousness.)
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You can call it God.
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It is objective.
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Consciousness is mental, vital, physical, and supramental.
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Moving to Being, instead of doing, puts one in the higher consciousness.
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Doing is best when it is grounded in Being.
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Consciousness chooses out of possibilities, and creates its own events.
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It is not the choice of ego however.
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The intention must be of universal consciousness. Then the choice creates the event.
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When we are creating new possibilities, we are in God consciousness.
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We want to function as Be-Do-Be-Do-Be-Do, etc. Like a song “DOBEDOBEDO” (lol)
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Consciousness is the ground of all being, and all possibilities are enabled there; exist simultaneously there.
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Positive emotions, love, etc. enable the greater consciousness.
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Where there is Supramental in the physical, then Heaven will manifest on earth.
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Consciousness is prior to everything. It is without an object and a subject.
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There is nothing, but God.
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Consciousness is God.
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We are interconnected with one another.
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The materialist world view has turned us away from consciousness, creating most if the problems of the world.
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We too have a materialist view, and so we have to change this first to change the world.
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We cannot solve all of our problems through rationality.
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We need to be self-giving because we are interconnected. Here is the key. Also have positive emotions.
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In this way, humanity will change.
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Separateness creates suffering.
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He is an activist in all these regard.
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Join the revolution in science.
Additional Statements from Dr. Goswami (not from film):
Non-Locality -- We are all interconnected - even without signals, and experimental evidence is proving our inherent unity.
Tangled Hierarchy -- In our brain, we become one with the neuronal images of an external object because of a tangled-hierarchy, a circularity. The observer is the observed.
Discontinuity -- The discovery of something new of value in thought is a quantum leap of Aha! insight.
Deepak Chopra On Consciousness
-Consciousness does not exist in space, time, and
dimension. It is spaceless, timeless, and beyond
dimensionality.
-Consciousness therefore never began and never ends.
-Consciousness cannot be found in space-time. It
exists outside it.
-Consciousness is a field of possibilities.
-We are here to get in touch with Consciousness.
-Only your consciousness can get in touch with
Consciousness.
-Consciousness is seeking Consciousness.
-Consciousness expresses subjectively, not
objectively.
-Science will never be able to find Consciousness
objectively, such as brain scan.
-The evidence for Consciousness objectively will
never come about. There will only be circumstantial objective
evidence.
-You exploring Consciousness subjectively is the only
evidence of Consciousness.
-Consciousness is the generator, the creator of
space, time, and matter.
-Consciousness is a field of non-local correlation.
I.e. everything in the universe is correlated, entangled with
everything else there. And the correlation occurs instantly,
faster than the speed of light.
-Like how every aspect of our physical body is
correlated with every other instantly, all things in the
universe are instantly correlated and entangled.
-We and everything the universe are instantly
correlated in Consciousness.
-Past, present, and future are correlated in
Consciousness.
-Consciousness is Omnipresence, Omniscience,
Omnipotence.
-If you are in touch with your consciousness, you
have intuitive knowledge in which you know everything you need
to know when you need to know it. At the deepest part of
yourself, you know everything. You don’t have to learn
anything.
-Consciousness proliferates in uncertainty.
-At the most basic levels of existence, of Nature,
all is unpredictable.
-Uncertainty enables Creativity. A system that is
fixed, closed does not enable creativity.
-In consciousness, there are quantum leaps, infinite
realizations and expressions of Creativity.
-The physical universe does not exist unless there is
a Conscious being looking at it. When we exercise
consciousness the universe comes alive. Otherwise the universe
is merely a vibration.
-Some degree of sentience, consciousness is required
for a vibration to manifest as a reality, a manifestation in
the physical world.
-Through your consciousness, infinite possibilities
become realities.
TO BE CATEGORIZED
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The
Nature of Spirit, Consciousness
Spirit as Consciousness and Force
Spirit comes to us as Consciousness and
Force. Consciousness is awareness of the true nature of
existence. Force is the power to make our conscious awareness
real.
On Consciousness
Asks a reader:
What is consciousness?
Answer:
It is awareness; awareness of the Truth. It is self awareness;
knowledge of the way of life; of the various aspects of our
and life's physical, vital, and mental planes of existence.
Our level of consciousness is indicated by the degree we have taken to spiritual attributes -- including silence, peace, knowledge, truth, harmony, oneness, power, creativity, love, delight, infinity, and timelessness.
Consciousness also releases a force, a Conscious-Force, which has the power to energize, create, and attract the infinite potentials of life.
We develop our deepest, widest, and most
profound consciousness when we discover our True Self and Soul
within, and when we surrender to the Supreme Itself in full,
and to live and be guided at every step by Its Will, which
will in turn divinize all aspects of life inside ourselves and
the life around us.
Guiding Intelligence Shaping Our Lives for a Purpose
There is a guiding intelligence working
invisibly, shaping the events of our lives to serve a purpose.
(Deepak Chopra)
What Comes from a Person of Higher Consciousness
For a person who has taken to a life of higher consciousness,
life tends to flow harmoniously, more perfectly, and
cooperates at every quarter.
Signs You are on the Spiritual Path
You know you are well on your way on the spiritual path-
·
when you sense that you are being Guided each step of the way
by a Higher Power.
·
when time and space are constantly your friend, not an
obstacle.
·
when you sense keenly when to move to action, and how, and
when not to move.
·
when you are deeply interested in another's concerns at the
expense of your own.
·
when the experience of the Divine moves from the head to the
heart.
·
when you are constantly surrendering to the Higher Power.
·
when you feel a connection with your True Self; your evolving
Soul within.
·
when peace spontaneously descends on you, envelops you.
·
when the mind ordinarily falls silent.
·
when all you believe to be true comes about.
·
when your knowledge about matters is complete, integral, and
true.
·
when intuitions of truth constantly provide you with
understanding and knowledge.
·
when all of your queues come from Above and from the deepest
poise Within.
·
when you remain still and don't react when there is intensity
that is problematic.
·
when you feel a constant optimism and always present a sunny
disposition.
·
when you feel a deep connection with the Transcendent Divine.
·
when you experience within a continuous rich Presence of the
Spirit, of the Divine Mother.
Infinite Emerging from the Finite
From the smallest, tiniest circumstance can emerge vast
change, showing that the Infinite can emerge from the finite.
Thus, if you shift your consciousness to the positive on the
smallest of occasions, you will attract marvelous conditions
demonstrating this dynamic.
Spontaneous Right Actions of the Spirit-oriented Individual
When you are a follower of the Spirit and continually open to
It, you tend to take spontaneous actions that turn out to be
absolutely the right ones, which indicates that you are being
guided by the Divine Power that you have consistently opened
up to. It is Super Grace in action.
On Liberation in Consciousness
All liberations is in
consciousness, not space and time. In fact, Moksha is
liberation beyond space and time. Sri Aurobindo asks us to
have the timeless and spaceless experience in time. Life
response incidents, i.e. spontaneous instances of sudden good
fortune precipitated by our higher consciousness, is one
example of that.
Consciousness Precedes Form
According to spiritual and occult knowledge, consciousness precedes
form; consciousness by self-concentration produces its form; whereas,
according to the materialist idea, it is form which precedes
consciousness and makes it possible for the consciousness to manifest.
For those who have knowledge of the invisible worlds and a direct
perception of the play of forces, there is no doubt: it is
consciousness that produces a form in order to manifest. (The Mother)
[Comment: This explains the difference between the normal
human/scientific view of the relationship between Consciousness and
Form, and the true spiritual View. It helps explain how Creation
involved from a Divine Source, and how forms in the universe,
including we humans, evolve. This knowledge would also give science
greater insight into the nature of existence; including the true
source of creation, the nature of life in the universe, and method and
means of our conscious evolution.]
Involution and Evolution of Consciousness
[says a reader:] It appears to me that consciousness evolves from a spark of
awareness like a blade of grass to a human to a saint to a god as a
perfect reflection of the divine. [my response:] Yes, the
evolution in creation, the manifest, from matter to spirit mirrors in
reverse the involution of the unmanifest from spirit to energy,
culminating in matter. All its spiritual attributes -- oneness,
knowledge, power, love, delight, creativity, beauty, timelessness --
were gradually eliminated in the involution, in the movement from
spirit to matter, however they retained themselves, involved, hidden,
as a seed in the forms, which came out in the evolution through the
rise of consciousness of matter, life, and mentality, predominantly
through us.
Consciousness and Life
Though consciousness emerges in and through life, Sri Aurobindo
indicates that Life itself emerged, is emerging from Consciousness,
the Infinite Divine.
All as Consciousness
Everything that exists has Being, has God-essence, has some degree of
consciousness. Even a stone has rudimentary consciousness; otherwise,
it would not be, and its atoms and molecules would disperse.
Everything is alive. The sun, the earth, plants, animals, humans - all
are expressions of consciousness in varying degrees, consciousness
manifesting as form. (Eckhart Tolle)
Consciousness that is Organization that Binds the Universe
Science and followers of the Spirit both know that Energy is the
source of everything in creation. Yet scientists do not yet know what
binds these forms together, including at the subatomic level. They are
now searching for an unknown particle that would provide this cosmic
glue, creating accelerators and other technologies to discover it. And
yet it is no mere particle that binds material (and vital and mental)
existence together. Rather it is Consciousness.
Just as Energy is the source of material existence, Consciousness is
what binds forms together. The Consciousness comes from the Energy,
just as the Force does. Energy's source is Spirit, where Consciousness
and Force are One.
Consciousness is thus the organizational power that relates and unites
things; binding the world, creating stability of its forms so life can
thrive.
When the Energy reaches its final descent -- into matter -- the
Consciousness is lost, and only Force remains. Matter thus begins in
nescience; as unconscious existence. There the Consciousness is fully
absorbed and hidden, i.e. "involved," and only reemerges when matter
evolves into animated life and further still to mentality through
those increasingly conscious life forms.
Inner and Cosmic Source of Our Thoughts
A reader asks:
"where do our thoughts come from; inside or out?"
Answer:
Sri Aurobindo says that thoughts come from outside the mind. They come
from the sensations of the body rising up. They also come from the
vital sensations/emotions. Higher thoughts, ideas, concepts, can come
from the Universal Mind. That explains how Newton and Leibniz
simultaneously developed certain aspects of Calculus. (Garry Jacobs)
(Further Comment: Even the physical body and the vital being
have a mentality associated with them. E.g., when the body moves or
averts a situation, or falls into illness, there is a degree of
mentality, and therefore "thought" creation in it that relates,
reacts, and "decides" relative to these issues.)
All Things Have a Consciousness that Responds to Attention
There is a consciousness in all things, even the most material, which
responds to attention we give it.
One man cleaned a machine that had been neglected because it had not
been used for production purposes to fill an order in the company.
Soon after, the cousin of the owner arrived, took notice of the
machine, and used it to create a very successful enterprise.
In another case, a business owner who was going through hard times,
was advised to and then cleaned the dead stocks that had been lying
dormant, unsold in the basement for a long time. Very soon after an
individual came along and bought six months worth of inventory,
thereby pulling the company out of the doldrums.
In a third case, an individual decided to give more attention to a
neglected machine, which suddenly started working at double its rated
capacity!
There are also known cases where individuals have made contact with
the essence and "soul," of a material object, only to see it suddenly
generate unexpected benefit to the individual.
Also See Thoughts on Developing Our Higher Consciousness
