What is raising consciousness and why commit to it?
The things that help us improve mentally and emotionally, are also the things that help us to raise consciousness.
What does it mean to raise consciousness?
And why commit to walking a path of raising consciousness?
Raising consciousness/ascension is the process of shifting our energy into higher vibrations and evolving to understand/experience our Truth as one with Source/Love/God.
Evolving to understand/experience our Truth as one with Source/Love/God can also be thought of as awakening...(awakening to our true nature), however, don't feel behind if you haven't experienced this and I don't actually encourage making it "a goal" or a desire you're attached to.
Why?
I've had two experiences that have felt like experiences of awakening, but as Adyashanti explains in his book The End of Your World, very frequently, experiences of awakening are simply that - experiences... and then one is typically left to continue navigating their known world while holding that experience.
I.e. you come back down to your life and you still have to navigate all your junk.
That being said, having experiences of awakening or even insights stemming from higher consciousness are extremely meaningful and can help guide you forward however, always remember...it does not bypass you from needing to navigate your junk (your wounds, your thoughts, your emotions, your behaviours, how you show up as a person, habits and work needed to reach outcomes, etc).
Instead of holding a goal/desire to "awaken", I like to hold a commitment to walking a path of raising my consciousness, which naturally is what's most beneficial for mental & emotional health as well.
The path of raising consciousness involves healing & clearing out lower density/lower vibration energy within us (in the form of thoughts, emotions, belief systems, behaviours, etc) and practicing showing up to, honouring and embodying higher vibrational energy (through our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, belief systems, etc).
Why commit to a path of raising consciousness?
As a young adult, I began to ponder existential questions and thoughts of...
"Why are we all here?"
"Is this really it?"
"There has to be more to this..."
"What's the point of all this?"
"What's the grand plan here"
It definitely contributed to my depression in my early 20's.
I had trouble with the feeling of living on autopilot, just following what we're "supposed to do" (get a job, get married, etc).
I always thought..."there has to be a point to all this that's more than this"
Diving into spirituality provided me with more answers than I've ever found elsewhere however, I've discovered that the biggest question and the hardest one to answer in SO many different fields remains to be... "why are we here?" and "what is the nature of consciousness?"
It's true - there's not any concrete information on why we have consciousness (where thinking comes from and the ability to be aware).
The best explanation of this comes from spiritual concepts - that the Universe IS consciousness and our own life is an individual experience of this consciousness, stemming from Source consciousness itself.
An analogy is thinking of the ocean being Source consciousness and each drop of water (being each soul/human) is an expression of the ocean (of source consciousness). Every drop (every soul) contributes to the Ocean as a whole and the Ocean would not be the same without every drop.
So our consciousness is a unique expression of Source consciousness that has inhabited a 3D body on the Earth plane to experience consciousness in this form.
There are many different forms and different dimensions to experience consciousness - angels, spirits, ascended masters, etc. These souls are in a different expression of consciousness - their energy is vibrating at a higher frequency, therefore they don't exist as material/tangible bodies BUT their energy and their consciousness exists. Because they are vibrating at a higher frequency, their make up is closer to the make-up of Source (being Source is the highest frequency) therefore, they embody and hold higher frequency thoughts & perspectives than we do (i.e. they aren't experiencing density, fear, lower vibrational consciousness like we are).
One of the first reasons to commit to a path of raising consciousness is that when we work on raising consciousness through things like meditation, quieting the mind and inner emotional work, we're better able to connect to these higher frequency beings/energy that exists in the Universe. This can come in the form of insights, guidance, signs, creativity, etc.
Some people call these "messages" & "downloads" but they can also come in the subtle form of an insight, an ah-ha moment or simply a new way of looking at things. We're able to receive information from higher consciousness at all times/any times however, when we quiet our minds (slow down beta brain waves/stress response) we're more easily able to receive this information.
We are made up of energy - which is created by how we think, feel & behave.
Lower vibrational thoughts, emotions, behaviours etc. are more dense than higher vibrational thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
The ways we continuously think, feel and behave create patterns of how the energy is stored.
If we're continuously thinking in lower frequency thoughts, emotions & behaviours, this is denser energy and can literally form into matter (think stress knots in your back). It can also causes non-visible density such as energetic blocks to our chakras (energy centers). This leads to the energy (prana) not flowing as well which leads to imbalance and disharmony (mental, emotional & physical).
The more lower vibrations our energy holds (lower consciousness), the more blockages our energy field has and the more disharmony and imbalanced we will feel (mentally, emotionally & physically). The more higher vibrations our energy holds (higher consciousness), the more harmonious and healthy we will feel (mentally, emotionally, physically & spiritually).
The more lower density we are also creates greater blockages to connecting with/receiving information from higher consciousness.
So why commit to a path of raising consciousness?
Working on raising your consciousness helps to clear out lower vibrational energy/more dense energy and it helps connect you to and helps you embody higher vibrational energy.
The less dense energy you have, the more health and harmony you will experience mentally, emotionally and physically.
It also increases your ability to connect with Source consciousness/higher vibrational energy/higher intelligence.
Also, we attract towards us, matching energetic frequencies therefore, the higher frequency you practice embodying, the higher energetic frequency experiences you will attract towards you (law-of-attraction).
Lastly, when you follow a path of raising consciousness it simply FEELS BETTER.
This is probably the number one driver for me. It feels better, you live a more empowered life, you're more aware and you're playing a more active role in your life.
When you chose to walk a path of raising consciousness, it can also contribute to the RIPPLE EFFECT. What's the ripple effect?
The ripple effect is understanding that our energy affects the energy of others (whether it's lower vibrational or higher vibrational). This is because all humans are connected energetically. We cannot escape the fact that we affect other human beings in a way we can see AND in ways that we cannot (through the information of our energy).
Therefore, we can ask ourselves... "What do I want to commit to putting out into the world?" If I'm practicing LOVE, I am then energetically sending out more information of love into the consciousness of other human beings AND we cannot know the effects that them receiving this energetic information may have (perhaps you shift one thought in them or even a behaviour).
This is why EVERY human being and every soul is important on Earth. You're contributing to the collective energy.
To understand the gravity of this, think about...
What would the world look like if everyone was practicing healing their wounds and embodying love and compassion?
Vice versa, what would the world look like if everyone was living off fear, hatred, competition, and fight or flight?
Two very different worlds would exist.
And what makes up each option?
The total of each INDIVIDUAL CHOICE.
Therefore, your choices DO matter. Your thoughts DO matter. Your behaviours also matter. And you CAN contribute to creating a better world.
If you do make a commitment to raising your own consciousness for the sake of your own health and for collective growth & healing, this can be referred to as being a Lightworker or a Wayshower.
For me, commiting to this path has created greater meaning in my life, allows me to live a healthier and more empowered life and helps to ease many of the existential questions I had.
Collectively, we don't know where we're going.
We don't know the grand plan.
But so far, it makes sense to live in a way that raises consciousness because it's healthy for ourselves and contributes to a healthier collective.
Perhaps when we pass and our souls shift into a new expression of energy, we'll understand the grand plan a little bit more... but right now, I follow a path of raising consciousness for my own mental, emotional, physical & spiritual health, for the health of others and to experience a more magical and meaningful life.
THINGS THAT HELP RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS
There are many many things we can do to help walk a path of raising consciousness. Some include:
Practicing self-love, acceptance, self-compassion
Healing past wounds
Clearing out the old and outdated patterns, habits, beliefs and energies - I.e. noticing which thoughts, emotions and beliefs come from woundedness and shifting to better serving thoughts, beliefs and behaviours
Releasing, integrating and healing past wounds, energetic blockages, beliefs, fears, and limitations (using release work such as EFT tapping, breathwork, etc)
Meditation (slowing down the mind, shifting from beta brain waves to alpha and theta brain waves - i.e. coming out of stress and fight or flight... this can help us connect to our truths and helps to connect with insights/information from higher consciousness)
Spending time connecting to and forming a relationship with Spirituality, Spirit, the Divine, Source
Prayer (non-religious or religious)
Eating a healthier diet as healthier foods hold a higher vibration
Connecting to and spending time in nature
Letting go of or creating boundaries with toxic relationships, environments & behaviours
Practicing kindness, compassion & non-judgement towards others
Practicing law-of-attraction
Tuning into your heart's desires/your inner truths and following a path that's true to your heart
Speaking your truths to others
Building confidence and taking action on things that are true to your heart
If you're looking to commit to a path of raising consciousness and would like guidance with this inner work via a structured program, check out my online coaching program, Radiant Mind Academy! Six months practice and guidance with this inner work - LEARN MORE HERE.
xx Shawna