Consciousness is our true nature; it is who we are. It is the main aspect of the human psyche. The other aspects are subconscious mind, unconsciousness, mind, and personality.
Consciousness is the substance by which we are alive, located in the mind, and the latter is located in the brain. It is this substance that gives us awareness of ourselves and our life.
It is a divine spark; a small part of one’s own Being/Higher Self.
It is said that an average human has only 3% of consciousness, while the 97% is trapped inside the subconscious mind (also referred to as the egos, or conditioned consciousness), which is why most of our consciousness is conditioned by the lower factors of our psyche in which it is trapped.
Inside our subconscious mind are our defects, such as greed, anger, lust, jealousy, pride, fear, depression, gluttony etc. These are energetic layers that are part of nature’s program, and by which we are controlled to fulfill the nature’s purpose, which is essentially to propagate the species. This program keeps us bound to the Wheel of Samsara, but through the revolution of consciousness – by walking on the ascending path – we can free ourselves from it.
It is the conditioned consciousness inside the above mentioned subconscious elements that gives life to the latter. However, as these elements are gradually eliminated, the trapped consciousness is freed and it joins the main free consciousness (located in the mind), and in such a way the consciousness expands. It grows in size, becoming larger and larger, eventually expanding beyond the head. In religious paintings this is depicted as halo of a saintly figure. The halo is in reality the expanded consciousness.
The more we liberate our consciousness, the more virtues and faculties we receive with it, because these are the integral part of our consciousness. Inside it is an abundance of qualities such as love, compassion, intelligence, understanding, powers, and most of all awakeness. Nevertheless, without the Being within, the consciousness is like an empty vessel, waiting for the light of the Being to fill it up.
We can activate our consciousness through the practice of self-remembrance, which is to become aware and awake in the present moment; in the here and now.
We ascend in a deep way by freeing consciousness and awakening that free consciousness. It is by being conscious in the here and now that the inner work can be done from moment to moment, until gradually the peace of the essence (consciousness) becomes more and more prominent in our lives, helping us on the path until it merges with even larger consciousness – with parts of the Being. It is then that we get even more help and strength.