Lucidity

We must awaken from mundane awareness into full spiritual remembrance of who we are. A difficulty exists because when physically awake, we can also be mentally asleep, unaware of ourselves and entirely absorbed in whatever mechanical impulse or external stimuli captures our attention. This state, called confluence, or mental absorption, keeps us in an unproductive dream state.

When unaware of dreaming at night, without question we give ourselves over to the most foolish and draining dreams. During the day this dim state of consciousness does not automatically go away and one can continue to be as much a slave to biological impulses, involuntary thoughts, and social dramas.

The first step to awakening requires breaking out of this confluence by gaining a degree of lucidity, a measure of self-awareness. At any moment you can turn your attention inward and observe yourself, placing your attention firmly in the present moment. You can notice your thoughts, analyze your feelings, pay attention to the sensations in your body, feel your breath.

In doing so, you soon become aware that all these perceptions originate from outside of “you”, though they are happening inside your own mind. That is because, at the very core of your mind, there is a center of perception that defines the true you, while the peripheral territory of your mind is inhabited by thoughts which may or may not be your own. This inner core is the silent observer, the consciousness watching through your eyes and thinking through your mind.

Becoming lucid depends on being cognizant of your own self-awareness. Some call this a state of self-remembering, since confluence is forgetting yourself. Lucidity is as simple as turning within and remembering yourself, in the moment. Remembering yourself stops confluence, and stopping confluence is the first step to truly remembering your spiritual identity. It is one thing to know that you are, but quite another to know who you are. The first leads eventually to the second.

Being consciously present in the moment is easy to implement but difficult to maintain. The dificulty is both physical and metaphysical. Initially, heightening one’s state of awareness requires both vital energy and an adequate supply of neurotransmitters. (I am writing a book on the spiritual need and use of individual neurotransmitters and the nutitional supplementation of them.) These deplete after a short period of exertion and one slips back into lowered consciousness. However, like a muscle, mental focus grows with training, because the physical and subtle bodies adapt to a greater demand for energy. Maintaining lucidity becomes easier. With practice, one gradually increases the length and depth of focus. Some forms of meditation assist the training of self-awareness. By practicing lucidity in a controlled setting, the same state of heightened awareness can more easily be reached and maintained under more natural circumstances.

One meditation involves repeating your thoughts. Close your eyes and pay attention to the chatter that goes through your mind. For each phrase that comes to mind, willingly repeat it to yourself once and let it go. You can also visualize a replay of random mental images. This is a way of asserting your volition over an otherwise involuntary process. By echoing, you regain power from the tyranny of mental chaos. After doing this for five or ten minutes, the momentum of self-observation will continue for a short while after. Try talking or walking and you will notice yourself being entirely aware of your words and movements. If you could maintain this state indefinitely, never again would you speak or act as if in a dream.

Any questions??