and from how it is intended to be read)
OPEN AND CLOSED CONSCIOUSNESS
We are making the case for open consciousness, the reason being that the opening of consciousness is essential for the future of, indeed, the survival of the planet. In addition to that, open consciousness is the only way to peace, cooperation and tranquility of life on earth. Closed consciousness leads to conflict, greed, inflexible adamancy of one's beliefs, the propensity to dominate and enforce control over others, and of course is the ultimate cause of war and destruction.
Being that the degree of the openness of the mass consciousness of the planet equals the average of individual consciousnesses, and being that our purpose as individual consciousnesses is to contribute to the expansion of consciousness, and being that management of consciousness is the purview of the individual, then the responsibility for the state of the planetary consciousness falls upon individuals. So, if we are wanting to be conscientious, and wish to take up our responsibility to participate in the expansion of consciousness, it will then be helpful for us to understand the characteristics of open and closed consciousness.
Expansion of consciousness can only occur in the condition of open consciousness. Expansion means more -- specifically in terms of love, compassion for fellow man, goodness, and openness. That would mean that more, in terms of more violence, more hate, more rage, more anger, more control or more restriction would NOT qualify as expansion. However, as mentioned in Part 1, the One Mind's intention is to experience itself, and that includes the full range of expression. It does not try to squelch expression. It does not make moral assessments or distinctions as to the goodness or badness of expression. While being love, it does not condemn hate. Remember, free will is essential. Universal Subconscious Mind (USM) experiences itself in whatever form that its parts express.
Now while all of that is true as far as it goes, the fact is that closed consciousness limits new experience; it is more about repetition and duplication of what is already known, i.e., conventional wisdom, tradition, absolutes, etc. And it does not look toward light and love (love here, meaning allowing). But USM is not about duplication; it is creative; it is about new and unique experience. And it is about love. Therefore, if we can again allow the idea of preference here, USM would be said to prefer its parts to be open in consciousness because that advances expansion.
Since the state of openness is the purview of individuals, expansion depends upon the willingness of individuals to be open. Open consciousness is recognized as more, in terms of more tolerance, more freedom, more variety, more diversity - of thought, of ideas, of expression -- more creativity, more abundance, more compassion, more allowing, more light (as in enlightenment). All of this expansion activity can only occur in a state of willing openness. That is why the idea of free will is so important. This is as true for the group as it is for the individual.
In discussing the spectrum of consciousness in Part 2, we referred to consciousness in terms of "higher" and "lower"; well, openness would be associated with higher. Positions that are progressively higher are closer to realization of Unity and Oneness. In this ultimate state of realization, there is no conflict because in oneness, there is nothing to oppose. That is why higher consciousness is also associated with Ultimate Love. The journey of the soul is toward this unity consciousness.
Open consciousness entails the ability to hear and receive ideas that one may not agree with, without the need to attack the ideas or the person expressing them. One who is awakened and open would express ideas without anger and without the need to be agreed with. So, two awakened people with differing ideas or opinions could express their opinions without anger and receive each other's ideas for consideration also without anger. Neither is possessed by the need to be right, nor the need to convert or convince the other. Each, in fact might be keenly interested in hearing and considering the other ideas, for one awakened to the light of consciousness appreciates variety of ideas and expression - again more, more, more is what makes for expansion.
It should be pointed out if it hasn't already occurred to you, that in the case of our two individuals, since each is awakened and oriented toward expansion of consciousness, neither party's ideas, attitudes or postures are going to be expressions of hate, negativity, attack or control over the other. Right off, that negates the need for defensiveness. This propensity to spurn negativity is a natural effect of the awareness of the awakened individual. The lower vibrating energy of negativity does not feel good to those with higher awareness; thus the awakened will not resonate with or gravitate to expression of such attitudes. Imagine the effect of this in terms of our advocacy for the raising of planetary consciousness. So much of the ideological conflict that leads to war would diminish significantly.
Having described expansion of consciousness, closed consciousness, by default, being the opposite, we have pretty much described as well. In referring to closed consciousness or states of consciousness that are not fully open, you will find that I also use the terms "constricted" and "contracted". The resistance to expansion of consciousness is really a resistance to openness. We do not have to look too far to recognize that this is where the concepts of open mindedness / close mindedness come from.
Closed states of consciousness are characterized by repression, suppression, restraint, containment, control, silencing, parochialism, quashing, following convention, and in general, limitation and confinement in terms of ideas and relationship to others. The limitation of ideas is applied not only to the resistance to change and creativity, but also to assessments of oneself. That is expressed as feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy and unworthiness.
Succinctly, just as open consciousness allows for the expansion of consciousness, closed consciousness inhibits expansion. Generally speaking, evidence of constricted consciousness would include such things as:
* Dismissal and assessment as invalid of any ideas about the higher aspects of life outside of a religious context
* Where there is belief in God, it is a portrayal of God as a personification
* Dismissal of any ideas of an Infinite Intelligence that is other than the mainstream perception of a personified god
* Propensity to hold on to predetermined beliefs and fixed ideas despite evidence to the contrary
* In the Cultural / Political arena:- Dismissal of ideas outside of one's world view
- High value placed upon strong opinions and certainty as a basis for a perception of reality
- Preference for dogma, doctrine and conformity
- Tendency for self-delusion
- Distorted sense of reality
- Assertiveness and adamancy about "being right", and of other ideas being wrong
Recognizing then that constricted consciousness entails the tendency to embrace and prefer fixed positions and containment of ideas, it is not difficult to conceive that the more extreme such a mindset becomes, the greater will be the potential for fanaticism and asserting control over others. It is this mindset held by groups and nations that leads to totalitarian and fascist states and wars with other states.
The manifestation of constricted consciousness within totalitarian and fascist states is most instructive for us. Such states are all about control and conformity. In terms of the intent and purpose of the Universe, conformity, whether blindly followed or imposed upon, is clearly contradictory to such purpose. This is why totalitarian, authoritarian or fundamentalist states remain stuck. Individual creative expression is suppressed. In other words, no new ideas are "allowed". But new ideas are necessary for advancement, whether in technology, politics or arts and culture. The single focus upon and enforcement of fixed ideas and the effort to prevent change, keeps things pretty much stuck in sameness. So we find that societies that compel conformity are bland and gray, and that religions or cults that try to strip people of their individuality, are lost.
Of course, regardless of such perverted attempts to stop change, there is always the ceaseless motion and impermanence of the universe. That cannot be stopped. It's just that the motion in societies where new ideas are suppressed or discouraged is horizontal rather than vertical; it sort of swirls around within the same general range, never advancing upward, and more than likely the trend will be a steady decline. Since free and open creativity is the way in which consciousness evolves (progresses in an upward direction), it is easy to see that little if any advancement can occur within these static states.
In the next part of this series we will discuss what world views promote open consciousness and which restrict it.
Copyright ©, 2007, William Gunderson
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