Consciousness is, simply put, a way of describing the level of awareness with which we observe something.  If we are unconscious, we have absolutely no awareness of what is going on in or around us.  We observe nothing and remember nothing.  If we are highly conscious, we become acutely aware of subtleties within us and in the environment.  We notice the relationships between things, causes and effects and our interaction with the environment. 

The way we experience consciousness at different levels of awareness has been documented and described by many disciplines, using different terminology to describe similar phenomena.  Dr. Donald Epstein, the founder of Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) and Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI), uses the Five Rays of Consciousness to describe the way in which we observe with increasing levels of awareness.

The thing with consciousness is that, that which we observe, or do not observe, is present and occurring whether we are aware of it or not.  A phenomenon may take place within or around us, but if we are not aware of it, to us, it does not exist.  We are not observing with a level of consciousness that allows us to see it. 

For example, say you were playing poker.  An experienced player may beat you all the time because he knows when you bluff.  You have no idea how he can tell that you’re bluffing so you ask someone to help you.  The friend tells you that when you have a good hand, you hold your body in a more confident way and move with more certainty.  When you bluff, there is less certainty and you move your eyes in a funny way. 

Your friend has brought your awareness to the way you behave and hold your body when you, in effect, say something that is not the truth.  As you observe this in yourself and become conscious of all the mannerisms you have when you are manipulating your emotions, you become more aware of how you project your feelings.  Emotionally, you now have a level of consciousness that you did not have before.  It’s not that the behaviours were not there all the time, just now you are aware of them and observe them.  And now that you have this level of consciousness, you can change your behaviours.

The Five Rays of Consciousness work in the same way.  These rays are important aspects of human existence that cause phenomena to occur within us as we experience ourselves in different situations or circumstances in life.  These aspects of us are present all the time, but our behaviours and responses, within these aspects of ourselves, to what is happening depends on the level at which we are observing.  If we are aware of the phenomena within us and the response we are having, we can change our behaviour and create a new response.  The higher the level of consciousness, the more complexity we observe in the situation or circumstance and in our response to it.  As a result, the outcome we experience changes as we make much more conscious choices of action.

The Five Rays of Consciousness, as put forth by Dr. Donald Epstein, are:

1. Remembering
2. Trust
3. Identity
4. Passion
5. Prosperity

Subsequent articles will describe each ray in detail.  As you read on, you will be able to bring more awareness to each ray within your life and observe it from higher levels of consciousness.  Just take a few minutes to think about how observing each ray with more detail and complexity would impact your life.  Would you not like to make more conscious choices about the actions you take around how your remember things, how you trust, your identity, expressing passion and being prosperous?

Copyright Dr. Paul Newton 2012