Lots of talk on consciousness, but let’s continue.  Today, I would like to make a distinction.  A distinction between growing one’s consciousness horizontally and growing one’s consciousness vertically.

Horizontal (or to broaden or narrow one’s consciousness)

I am going to use examples to illustrate this.  There is a boy.  This boy was born into a tough environment (although it is not an environment that necessarily holds down one’s conscious development) where the only thought is survival.  (I’ve just come to a realization!!!).  There is not much love on his mind, in his spirit.  He is 8 years old, and all he knows is to aggressively pester his parents to feed him enough to survive, to give him enough warmth in the winter months.

He is now 15.  He has yet to heighten his consciousness.  But he has broadened it greatly.  He retains his aggressive nature.  He thinks only of his own survival, but now he is aware of much more within this (we will call it) plane.  He knows how to hunt different prey.  He knows how to steal when the timing is right.  He knows how to build his own shelter for different kinds of weather.

He is now 22.  A man.  A man who compassionately realized that he has been completely selfish and that maybe he can spare some of his time (heart) for others.  This man has grown his consciousness vertically.  He is on a higher level where he begins to ponder different things.  He begins to ask new questions.  He begins to see the world in a new way.

He is now 29.  After years of lending himself to others here and there, he has begun to see the inter-connectedness of it all.  He begins to see that his old self of hatred and greed was primal.  He realizes that that behaviour had ill-effects on his environment.  On the earth, animals, and people he destroyed for his own physical pleasure.  He knows there is something common amongst it all and he begins to examine and study deeper questions.  He is now dedicating himself to furthering his people and his land.  He has expanded his consciousness vertically again.  Into a new plane of consciousness.

Within this plane, he studies.  He studies all of the laws of nature.  Of ecosystems.  Of child development.  Of sociology.  He broadens his consciousness greatly.  He spreads this knowledge to his community.

***

I hope I have made the distinction.  I feel as if in recent centuries, we have very much focused on the broadening or widening of our consciousness, but have not grown it vertically.  We continue to research and research on this plane of consciousness, but have forgotten about moving further upwards.

While writing this I came to the realization that what grows one’s consciousness vertically is Love.  The boy could only grow when he was able to love himself, and the others around him.  He grew more once he was able to love them more deeply.  He grew even more when he was able to look past those closest to him and began to love his environment and nature.

Where is next?  Loving strangers.  Loving the world.  Loving the Universe.  Being Love.

I love you all!