The four stages of
consciousness
‘The higher self
struggles to find its way through the web of human thought.’
J . Henderson
Instinctual
consciousness
The first stage
has to be Instinctual consciousness. This is the mark of early
man who had not yet achieved self-awareness and acted purely on instinct. The
brain structures of embryonic homo-sapiens had not developed the complexity to
support language or to reflect on itself and become self-aware. At this point
there was no real thinking and consciousness was probably limited to moments of
crude realisation based on associations. For instance, imagine a cave-man being
cornered by a sabre-tooth tiger and realising its association with death from
his early learning experiences (having seen it kill others). This would give
rise to an instinctual response of fear.
Schematic
consciousness
The next stage
of the evolution of human consciousness would be linked to the development of
those areas of the brain associated with self-realisation, language and
thinking. This would allow for self-awareness, but with an ego-driven
mentality, a schematic consciousness in which people think
only in terms of themselves and learnt mind-programs (schemas and scripts)
built up from rigid beliefs without any real independent or creative thought.
Sadly, many people are even now, still stuck at this level of consciousness.
Cognitive
consciousness
The third stage
of evolution would be a cognitive consciousness, when, as the
result of education and mental development, a person begins to think less
selfishly and more independently and is able to come up with creative and
helpful ideas and discoveries.
Intuitive
consciousness
Finally, the
stage of intuitive consciousness, in which pre-programmed thinking
and reasoning give way to an implicit knowledge of natural universal principles
which are then used to understand, or at least explore, the mysteries of life
and the universe. This can be seen as the level of philosophy and metaphysics.
When this happens we find a more general attitude of love and benevolence
towards all of humanity, a desire to help and be more compassionate.
Unfortunately, many of us are still lagging behind and have not reached this
intuitive stage.
Hopefully, the
rapid moral advancement taking place now is heralding a new global
consciousness or awareness. People are becoming significantly more aware of
human and animal rights and are calling for ecological change. Sometimes these
changes are painful, but metaphorically, birthing pains are never pleasant but
inevitable. And they bring with them a new life. There is also a new interest
in post-modern thinking. People are beginning to feel more connected to others
and the relationship between us and the cosmos is also being seen as more
important.
‘Thinking and consciousness are not
synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot
exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought.’
Eckhart Tolle