Consciousness

Consciousness is perhaps one of the most mystifying aspects of our existence. When I use the term to refer to being conscious, I usually mean awareness, including self-awareness. The term for me also refers to our most intimate experience of ourselves; that is our encounter with our interiority, giving us our deepest sense of "I am-ness."

Communities contribute to our sense of "I am-ness" in so many ways. They also help us from becoming self-consumed with ourselves and becoming aware of our larger connections to the universe. Both are important: that we are in touch with own sense of being; and that we are in touch with our sense of being a part of it all. The latter is said in many religious traditions to be one of the most sacred and special spiritual realizations.

As I sit in the sunshine watching the ancient boulder rocks in Carefree, Arizona, a glimmer of a feeling of being a part of it all arises within me. Place has a way of helping us arrive at this experience It's simply extraordinary!