Hindu sages, Christian monks, and Buddhist puritans—all are known to have the ability to reach states of higher consciousness through meditation, contemplation, fasting, or chanting. And when they discuss matters concerning consciousness, it can all sound extremely “woo woo.”
But these enlightened ones seem to have the golden ticket to being happy and peaceful. Could they be on to something greater than the rest of us modern human beings are aware of?
It seems the state of higher consciousness is an interesting one. There’s no big secret about how to get there, only the intention and willpower to achieve monk-like states.
As Dr. Michael Beckwith, trainer of Mindvalley’s Life Visioning Mastery Quest, says, “We are here to grow, develop, and unfold. We are progressive beings that have infinite capacity.”
What Is Higher Consciousness?
As you raise your consciousness, you awaken to the eternal, unlimited nature of your being. Higher consciousness is an ever-increasing awareness of the meaning of existence, your spiritual essence, and the spiritual and energetic nature of all things.
It’s a state of connection to spiritual wisdom, transforming knowledge, divine love, infinite peace, and higher order of being. “As you’re able to hold this space, you’re able to hold a deep sense of beingness throughout all your activities,” says Dr. Beckwith in the Quest.
The meaning of higher consciousness has been up for debate since the days of yore up to the present. What is it exactly? Where does it come from? What does it have to do with the mind-body connection?
There is one silver lining to the infinite number of questions: most scholars accept consciousness as a given. And there are a number of fascinating studies of how consciousness affects the world.
The four stages of consciousness
The path to great wisdom always seems like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But it’s a good thing there are four stages of spiritual awakening or consciousness.
Developed by Dr. Beckwith, who’s also the founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center, the structure is incredibly relevant and simple to understand. It makes the path to greater awareness seem more attainable.
The four stages are as follows:
- To Me: Victim Consciousness
The belief that something is happening to you. Everything in your life—destiny, happiness, success, and well-being—is determined by external factors.
- By Me: Manifestor Consciousness
The belief that things are happening by you. You’re able to use spiritual principles, like affirmation and visualizations, to manifest the kind of life you want.
- Through Me: Channeler Consciousness
The belief that things are operating through you. Through meditation and visualizations, you often have peak experiences and live a life of surrender to the universe.
- As Me: Being Consciousness
The belief that you’re at oneness with all of life as you. It’s the most profound state—the higher consciousness—where the line of separation is dissolved and you’re in harmony and coherence with who you are.
One thing to note, though, is that the stages of consciousness are not linear. Instead, they serve as a mirror to see where you are in different areas of your life.
For instance, in some areas of life, you may feel victimized. In other areas, you may be able to bring things into manifestation. And yet, in other areas, you’re able to be in flow.
As Dr. Beckwith explains, the stages are “a way to understand and enter into dialogue about [your] own growth.”
How to Achieve Higher Consciousness
We, as spiritual beings, are infinite and always unfolding. And while the levels of consciousness are not linear, it’s advisable to take it one step at a time.
Why? Simply, the mind is difficult to master.
Learning to transcend your ego is not something you can go from zero to sixty without practice. So here are four steps to take on the path toward a higher level of consciousness.
1. Identifying Victimhood
Victims live in a perpetual state of blame. There’s always an external reason—like their heredity, skin color, place of birth, family, surrounding people, and so on—as to why they’re not happy or successful.
Their mantra, as per Dr. Beckwith, is “something outside of me controls my destiny.”
And because of that belief, victims, for the most part, unknowingly live in self-abuse. They believe they can’t do anything about their circumstances. So they have pity parties, make excuses to justify their behavior, and refuse to take responsibility.
How to increase consciousness
If you feel like you’re in this stage of ‘to me,’ it’s the perfect time to come into a greater understanding of yourself and learn how to increase consciousness.
Take a moment to look at your main blame story—the narrative you tell yourself about why you’re circumstances are the way they are.
Ask yourself, “What would your life be without your major complaint?” By identifying this, you become aware of what’s separating you from the life essence that’s within you.
2. Create reality with your mind
It’s called the “manifestor consciousness” for a reason: it uses the mind to bring something into manifestation. Those in this stage know they aren’t limited by their circumstances, so they’re able to direct the course of their experiences using their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
If you’re familiar at all with the Laws of the Universe (like the Law of Attraction or the Law of Resonance), this is where the practices come into play. And manifestors use these laws to articulate, affirm, declare, and decree the life they want to live.
How to reach higher consciousness
Where the victim stage constantly looks at the worst-case scenario, the ‘by me’ stage teaches you how to reach higher consciousness by flipping the script.
Rather than clouding yourself with “I can’t…I won’t…I don’t…,” use positive affirmations. This is the spirit of the Law of Attraction. It’s simply about attracting what you believe.
Rather than asking, “What if things go wrong?”, pose the question, “What if everything works together for my good?” This is the essence of the Law of Resonance. It’s about what you put out, you bring in because that’s what resonates with you.
3. Welcome life to flow through you
The ‘through me’ stage is a powerful one. It’s about letting go of control and going from making things happen to making things welcomed. And this is where life visioning really begins.
“Love and beauty, intelligence, abundance, harmonizing, prosperity, affluence—all of these qualities are already present,” Dr. Beckwith explains. “We don’t make these, we don’t create these, we just become aware of them and allow them to flow through us.”
How to meditate for higher consciousness
As you let go of the idea that you need to make things happen, you start to realize that there’s a larger purpose to the life you’ve been given and understand that you can make them happen.
It’s about reaching a state of flow, or ‘flow motion’ as Dr. Beckwith calls it, by learning how to meditate for higher consciousness. And as you do, be aware of the energy that flows through you as your desire to control every little thing begins to subside.
“Your life ultimately becomes an expression and an extension of a state of being that you’re touching when you are in the science and the art and the practice of meditation,” he explains. So take a moment to meditate with this life visioning meditation guided by Dr. Beckwith himself.
4. Being consciousness
This stage takes one above the ego and selfishness to the state where the separation between oneself and the external is dissipated. There’s a realization that the self is part of the same fabric of the universal consciousness.
As Dr. Beckwith puts it, “You’ve been opening yourself up to coming into a state of being absolutely connected with a great sense of unity.”
How to raise your consciousness to a higher vibration
The beauty of spiritual awakening is that you’re not ‘becoming’ anything. Instead, you transcend your ego and awaken to your true nature.
So as you go on about your day every day, take notice of the synchronicities—significant things that happen that you didn’t plan. Be open and aware of the ‘flow motion.’ And express gratitude.
“Be grateful for anything and everything that comes into your life,” says Dr. Beckwith. He adds that it becomes a way of life when you mature in gratitude. And in turn, the universe, by law, starts to provide more and more things to be grateful for, transitioning that way of life into a state of being.
Participate In Your Own Unfolding
Here you are, ready to shatter the status quo and access higher consciousness. This is the monumental moment in your life when new opportunities are ready to greet you.
But as with any life progression or transformational growth, it requires work. Start by getting a sense of which stage of consciousness you’re in. Remember that these altered states are not linear; reflect to see where you’re stable and where you need to do some work.
Then, set your intention, believe it will become a reality, and take active steps towards ascending to a higher state of consciousness. One important thing to remember: allow yourself to do so without judgment.
Additionally, being a part of a community of like-minded people helps raise your vibration in the universe and helps you feel less alone while facing this transition. Mindvalley’s Life Visioning Mastery Quest with Dr. Michael Beckwith comes with a tribe of its own, so you can find support as you participate in your own unfolding and greet the universe with open arms.
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Images generated on Midjourney.
