Initially, the idea of One Universal Consciousness can be hard to understand. We have our own individual consciousness with our own thoughts and feelings. How can those be part of a “universal” consciousness? If universal consciousness exists, why don’t we have a stronger sense of a bigger, more powerful consciousness around us? And how can an individual being be part of a Universal Being?
Think of universal consciousness as the primary Life Force of the universe. Its domain is consciousness. It is not physical. It exists outside of space and time. It is pure intelligence, and it has the power to have thoughts, including thoughts of what could be. And, more than that, it has the power to create physical reality (space, time, energy, and matter) within itself, and that is what allows thoughts to become things in the physical realm.
We, as individual beings, are individuated consciousness within the larger universal consciousness. Various teachings have used the analogies of waves within an ocean or eddies or whirlpools within a river. But those are very rough and limited analogies, for eddies come and go, and we are eternal (even though our physical bodies are temporary) because universal consciousness is eternal.
But what is clear to me is that Universal Consciousness chose to create individual consciousnesses within Itself in order to experience life. Experience is relative, and Life is dynamic. It requires subjects and objects to act and interact. Otherwise, nothing would happen to be experienced.
But individual consciousness is still part of universal consciousness. And, thus, the experiences of intelligent beings such as ourselves – in the form of thoughts, reactions, and feelings – are directly experienced by Universal Consciousness itself.
Which brings me to the question of why don’t we have a stronger sense of universal consciousness and the thoughts of other individuals who are also obviously a part of the greater whole?
I think the answer is obvious… If we did, we would be overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts and feelings originating from all individuals in the universe. And so, we are protected by a separation of consciousness into conscious, subconscious, and super-conscious states that allow us to filter, limit, and select the information which we recognize and react to – and that is important to our individual existence and to our ability to experience our own life.
But we do have access to universal knowledge and to the consciousness and experience of other individuals, and even of the collective consciousness as a whole through intuition and extrasensory means. For that, we must obviously learn to interpret the subconscious and intuitive signals and messages that attract our attention. And that, unfortunately, is not something we are taught at school.
And we do have access to knowing that we are part of the greater wholeness of One Consciousness, and that is accomplished only by going to a meditative state where the mind is quiet. Then we can know we are part of the great I AM, and we can sense the presence of the divine and open to it. It is then that we are most able to communicate our intentions to One Consciousness, and to receive inspiration and guidance.
To expand your intuition, psychic capability and inner knowing, you must choose to expand your intuition, psychic capability, and inner knowing, and of course you must pay attention to the new knowing that you receive and learn to interpret and use the knowing appropriately.
We also have individual personalities, which consist of individual preferences, looks, habits, styles, and ways of expressing ourselves. Just as our existence allows Universal Consciousness to experience Life through us individuals, personality allows the Universe to experience aspects of life such as diversity, individual taste, and well, the personality of individualism.
So share your personality with God enthusiastically! She will enjoy the experience of you experiencing life. (And if you think that God or Divine Intelligence must be referred to as “He”, you don’t yet understand the breadth and depth of universal Wholeness.)
As you continue to awaken to wholeness, your personal relationship with the Universe (God) will steadily grow, and you will realize that the Divine Self is your true self that you always wanted to know.