Integrating awareness - ricknotesricknotes

There is an ongoing discussion regarding the most trustworthy source of our inner awareness. The candidates are: our thinking or rational mind; our emotions or feelings; and our body. These sources are often entangled in further discussions of masculine and feminine sources as related to our thinking, emotional, and physical centers.

This discussion is often reduced to the notion of the need to choose among these sources, with the implication that some can’t really be trusted, and amounts to a divide and conquer approach that is contrary to integration of the three centers.

A more resourceful approach is to utilize a process that integrates all available sources of awareness into a more complete composite.

We can call this process self-observation, and it is important to note that it is considerably more “cumbersome” to describe in writing than to actually do it. This process can be applied to any situation where one wishes to “consult” greater awareness. For the purposes of this writing we will simply refer to an issue, however it could be a situation, decision, ideas from a book, etc.

Start with whatever “sensing” is most dominant. Recognize and record the awareness generated from this sense. Then move to the next source. The order of application is not important, and since each person has different strengths, the amount and quality of information from the various sources will vary between people. Honest inquiry is required, and we all have a predisposition to “trick” ourselves or maintain our delusions. The utilization of multiple sources increases our opportunity to gain truer awareness.

Recognize and record awareness from these, and possibly additional, sources:

Recognize thoughts that arise regarding the issue – this typically would be left brain awareness.
Recognize images, pictures, shapes, etc. that arise regarding the issue – this typically would be right brain awareness — including subtle awareness from clairvoyant sensing.
Recognize sounds that are heard, both externally and internally, including songs or rhythms that suddenly come to awareness – including subtle awareness from clairaudient sensing.
Recognize tastes or other states of mouth and breathing – including subtle awareness from sense of taste.
Recognize odors – including subtle awareness from sense of smell.
Recognize emotions that arise.
Recognize feelings that arise (see article to differentiate emotions and feelings)
Recognize body sensations that arise – including changes in breathing, heartrate, physical symptoms (e.g. nausea) and muscular / skeletal tension or weakness – including subtle kinesthetic awareness.

As these awarenesses are interpreted and understood, they can be cross-referenced to create a composite of overall awareness regarding the issue. The various sensing / sources and derived awareness may be in alignment or conflicting. If in alignment then follow-up becomes relatively straight forward, if in conflict then further inquiry can reveal much about our internal state regarding the issue.

This process of self-observation and integration of awareness becomes easier with continued practice and the scanning process of “checking in” with all the sources likewise becomes smoother and quicker as our brains become more skillful in this integration.

There are many benefits of this practice, such as:

The increased integration of thinking, emotional and physical centers.
The development and refinement of self-observation / self-awareness.
The development and refinement of subtle sensing, as they are “exercised”.
The development and refinement of the “observer” aspect of our consciousness. This observer can then play a larger role in creating composite awareness.
Increased trust in our overall awareness and application of this awareness in our lives.