The Three Stages of Consciousness

Stage one: Ignorance
Stage two: Knowledge
Stage three: Integration

The three stages of Consciousness are reflected in all aspects of life.

It can be seen in the union of seemingly opposite yet complementary aspects of nature (male and female) which come together and give birth to new life.

It can also be seen in the development of any skill set. At first, you are completely unaware of the skill, you do not even know that it exists as a possibility. Later, you gain awareness of this skill and seek knowledge pertaining to it so as to gain further understanding. Finally, you take this knowledge and fully integrate it so that you can practice this skill in a masterful and effective way.

It is reflected in Christian teachings as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Hinduism there is the One (one) who breathed the breath of life (two) and gave birth to all creation (three).

It is also reflected in the nature of conscious experience, as there is the universal dichotomy, which is reality, and there is the formless witness or perceiving Awareness of this dichotomy that observes this interplay of complementary aspects.

So Consciousness evolves in three stages. First, there is the stage of ignorance, which is a blissful contentment and pure awareness of the experience without there being any knowledge as to what the experience actually is. Secondly, there is the generation of knowledge, of mind, logic and intellect. This is represented in the biblical teachings, as Adam and Eve eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The third and final stage is the integration of this knowledge into a full awareness of the unity and Oneness which is the holistic experience that we call life.

The first stage would be represented by primordial man, cavemen who simply lived unconsciously and were controlled by their basic survival instincts. The second stage is the first human renaissance, if you will, where new knowledge, concepts and ideas proliferated. However, with this knowledge came the identification with thought and the attachment to polarity. Things were interpreted through a mental filter based on fragmentation and separation; experiences were perceived dualistically as good/bad, right/wrong, light/dark, positive/negative, past/future, me/other, etc... With this identification and attachment came resistance to opposing aspects, and conflict arose. I am me, you are not me, therefore I fear and resist you. Some identified with the “light” and attached to religious or spiritual ideologies and moral codes which gave them comfort in a seemingly disparate world. Others identified with the “dark” and sought power over others in an attempt to fill the void or the split they felt within. The third stage is the integration of these two seemingly opposite aspects. It is the realization that these are simply complementary aspects of the same whole. One cannot exist in an experiential reality without the other. They both have equal value and equal importance and together create the Universe. In this way, Consciousness transcends the identification with polarity and rises to a new level in which all is embraced equally and fully. Resistance is relinquished and one reaches the place which, in spiritual teachings, has commonly been referred to as enlightenment.

We as a race are currently still at the second stage for the most part yet are rapidly progressing to this third and final stage. The key to transcending stage two and moving into full conscious enlightenment is the surrender and embrace of all aspects of oneself and of this Universe, especially the unconscious aspects which you are afraid to look at. The only reason you fear these unconscious, un-integrated aspects of yourself is because you have identified with one aspect of the polarity, in this case the conscious mind and the conscious aspects of yourself, and you resent and resist the reverse side of the polarity, which is the unconscious. To fully integrate, however, you MUST shine a light on this darkness and integrate these fears into your conscious mind. In so doing, you become a whole and integrated being and then can transcend the current trappings of this apparent time-space reality. This is a gradual process so be gentle with yourself. You can go at whatever speed you like, whatever feels most self-loving. Just be sure to continuously seek the next level of expansion, to remain as conscious as possible, and to be willing to do whatever it takes to face those fears so as to transcend them and rise to ever greater heights in your Awareness.

This third stage can be most easily understood as a state of unconditional love. Unconditional love is a state of openness toward ALL things, not just those that are deemed right, good, or acceptable. This allows you to channel the divinity that emanates from beyond polarity, which is ultimately just a perception of the mind. Without thought and conceptualization, there is no polarity, there is just this. This moment, exactly the way it is. Ultimately, we are waking up to ourselves from within our own dream for the purpose of gaining a greater awareness of our true nature. A common misunderstanding is that our true nature is pure light, pure goodness, and pure positivity. This is not the case, because these ideas still exist within the dimension of polarity. The mind cannot comprehend our true nature because it originates from beyond the mind. When you fully integrate the unconscious aspects of yourself, when you shine a light into the shadow, you will feel the emanation of your true nature from within and without. This can best be described as a sacred peace, yet ultimately it is beyond words. So take the leap, shine the light of your awareness into the deepest and darkest parts of your psyche, and simply observe the transformation that follows. Peace : )