What is Consciousness?

I have been taught that everything is Consciousness; that life is consciousness. The concept of consciousness is integral to New Thought philosophies and Science of Mind teachings. So let's explore this idea of consciousness and what it is.

Ernest Holmes, the creator of The Science of Mind and the founder of Religious Science defines Consciousness this way: "Mental Awareness. Consciousness is both objective and subjective. Objective consciousness is a state of conscious awareness, equipped with will, decision, and discrimination. Its reasoning is both inductive and deductive, therefore it has self-choice. The subjective consciousness is entirely a reaction to this objective volition. It is creative but not discriminative. It is of course conscious but it is not self-conscious.... It has no reflective, deductive, or discriminating factors. It is compelled by its very nature to accept and create. When we speak of mind in its self-conscious state, we mean Spirit, whether we think of it in God or man. When we speak of consciousness in a subjective state, we refer to the mental medium, the Universal Subjectivity, which is also the subjectivity of man."

The objective consciousness Ernest Holmes speaks of is the masculine principle. It is thinking and thought. It is the self-awareness that has moved man from the animal kingdom to the human kingdom. It is our awareness of self and the world. Consciousness is our whole mental atmosphere. Do you have a general mental atmosphere of prosperity or lack? Do you have a general mental atmosphere of health or sickness? Do you have a general mental atmosphere of peace or conflict? Do you have a general mental atmosphere of ease or difficulty? Consciousness can be changed. Consciousness can be cultivated. In fact, to continue on an upward progression of your spiritual growth, you must continually raise your consciousness in whatever areas are current challenges to you.

One way to change your consciousness is with Spiritual Mind Treatment.

We can have a mental atmosphere of our own choosing. Wouldn't you rather have a general mental atmosphere of happiness instead of sorrow? A mental atmosphere of prosperity rather than of struggle and lack?

Objective consciousness changes subjective consciousness. That is how Spiritual Mind Treatment works, and that is how consciousness creates from the unseen to the seen.

Subjective consciousness is the female principle. It is feeling and belief. It is the creative medium that accepts what the objective consciousness puts into it. It also perpetuates what has already been subjectified.

Life is consciousness because it is creativeness. Life is always about creating. To create, both the masculine and the feminine is needed. Life is ruled by cause and effect. Cause is objective and subjective consciousness. The creative process is objective thought, subjectified in belief, leading to a physical effect.

Although gifted with self-choice, the power to decide, and the ability to observe and to reason, many of us still live quite unconsciously. This means we don't use our power to choose; we don't use our power of volition. Living unconsciously is just going along, letting old beliefs, old ways of thinking, race thought and others' views of life do the creating in our lives for us. Living unconsciously is letting the subconscious perpetuate what is already in it -- which is race thought and race thought's beliefs in evil, sickness, poverty, war, famine, disasters etc.

I'll let the great Emmet Fox expound: "We have the key to life; and that key is that life is a state of consciousness. The explanation of all of your problems, the explanation of your difficulties, and the explanation of your triumphs in life boil down to this: Life is a state of consciousness. That is the beginning and the end. That is the final step in metaphysics. All the other steps lead up to that.... You are and you have and you do in accordance with your consciousness.... There are other ways of looking at life which are superficially correct, but ultimately the final truth is that your life is a state of consciousness. Your so-called physical body is the embodiment of a part of your consciousness. Your home is the embodiment of another part of your consciousness. The kind of work you are doing -- whether you are in work which you love or work which you hate -- is the expression of your consciousness. The kind of people you attract into your life are the expressions of your consciousness about your fellow human beings.... People are trying to change outer conditions but leaving their consciousness unchanged, and it cannot be done."

Consciousness creates. Whether that is an aware consciousness (objective) or an unaware consciousness (subjective). Everything created has its cause in consciousness. We see the effects, but effects never create more effects. Everything ultimately leads back to a state of consciousness.

Tina Montalto is the founder and president of Conscious Kernels, Inc., an eMedia company specializing in New Thought spiritual eBooks, audio books, eCourses, programs, and music located on the web at: http://www.consciouskernels.com She is the author of "You are What You Think" available for free at the company's website. She is the creator of a one-of-a-kind pop-up electronic Affirmations Calendar, and serves as instructor for several eCourses on Spiritual Mind Treatment also available at the website. Conscious Kernels also offers a free monthly eNewsletter, a community-building blog, and podcasts.