awareness

Awareness is: alertness, appreciation, attention, consciousness, consideration, insight, knowledge, mindfulness, notice, observation, sensing

 

Awareness is a state of being. You are awake to an idea, a concept, a feeling. You know it exists, yet you may not be a master of it, or even be familiar with it.

Awareness is not understanding, but is in fact a prerequisite. If you are not noticing your own emotions and behaviors, you won’t see how you impact others and the planet. If you are not paying attention to your interactions, you are lessening the power inherent in yourself and in others.

Awareness does not imply or endorse judgment; it does not contain boundaries. In spiritual terms, the more open and aware you are, the closer you are to “enlightenment” or “salvation.”

 

It is the awake to the asleep,

the dawn to the darkness,

the light shining across the deep water.

 

It is the shock of recognition,

the sadness of a lesson learned,

the joy of a child who first discovers.

 

It is the hope of a better turn,

the flicker of first adoration,

the sigh of the last contented breath.

It is the sudden beam of light,

the shock of a wash of color,

the sound of a long forgotten voice.

I am conscious of my awareness when I feel myself connected to others, when I see myself in another person who appears very different from me.

 

I came across a deeply heartfelt description of What is Awareness? attributed to the Indian mystic Osho.

A more lengthy and practical guide to how to expand our awareness comes in the form of Bill Apablasa’s website The Other 999 Rooms. He says that we have 1000 rooms in our lives but only live in one.

In presenting a more traditional spiritual approach, Anthony de Mello asks us Are You Sleepwalking? in a thoughtful article on his website full of articles about awareness.