Flowering Consciousness
The flowering of consciousness happens gradually, almost imperceptibly, over long periods of time. Life is about this beautiful process of transformation. We are growing into, or flowering into, our highest potential. It’s not a height and breadth type of growth, but then what is it?
Garden flowers grow tall, and then bloom, in predictable sequences. First the stem and leaves grow, the flower bud forms, the outer and the middle petals open, then finally the petals at the heart of the flower.
While gardeners and florists know well the flowers’ development, and biologists intricately map the growth sequences, the flowering of human consciousness remains much more mysterious. Beyond a certain age, there is no increase in the height of the human plant, no extra limbs grown. There is little change that can be tangibly seen save increasing lines around the eyes, yet vast changes in consciousness can occur during those years.
In the human flower, the petals of consciousness seem to be able to open in any order. We find people with all their seventh chakra petals wide open yet no first chakra roots to stabilize the radiant bloom. We find people with all their chakras wonderfully open up to the heart or throat, and the higher petals still waiting to bud. We see superb intellectual flowering with hardly formed emotional buds.
Becoming clear on the processes and the changes that occur in the energy fields, chakras, emotions and thoughts as spiritual transformation gradually works its magic is fascinating. A new science emerges – the anatomy of spiritual transformation. The science includes every facet of our being – physical, mental, emotional, energetic and intuitive – and spiritual transformation requires every facet of our being to become aligned with spirit.
We are highly sensitive, highly changeable. One belief can change the way the life force flows through us. A past hurt can prevent us from exploring new situations. A so-called ‘incurable’ digestive problem might have its roots in a not fully functional solar plexus chakra, which in turn has roots in held emotions. We can meditate diligently, but have a life that is out of balance. We can be eating a perfect diet, engaged in yoga and therapy, yet because there is no time in stillness, time ‘not doing’ the direct awareness of spirit is not there. It is also possible that we open to wonderful possibilities of light, love and creativity, yet what we think about ourselves prevents us from living this wonder.
Spiritual growth is based on universal processes that underlie all religious and spiritual paths, yet the paths themselves rarely address the anatomy of this transformation. Many believe that transformation is a matter of grace, something that cannot be understood. While unexpected openings to transcended states of consciousness are most easily explained by ‘grace,’ what happens in the wake of these openings is about how the body mind handles the grace, energy or openness. There is a science to this transformation. Invariably there is a lot more detail about the methods of each spiritual path – the beliefs, the practices, and the lifestyle, than the growth process itself. The transformation process needs recognizing, given validity, and often needs to be given space to complete itself. Specific understanding and practices are sometimes needed to facilitate the process.
So much has been discovered, or rediscovered, the last few decades. We have the means to locate and clear subconscious emotions, to heal troubles held in the energy field, to adopt ways of thinking that are more conducive to our life purposes, to optimize our diets and lifestyles, and to sustain deeper states of consciousness. Becoming complete encompasses all this. We have the beginnings of a science, drawing from all fields, offering the variety of support, understanding and care people need to transform more easily and quickly into their highest potential.
Kaia Nightingale is a spiritual counselor, meditation and yoga teacher in Centretown, Ottawa. She will be offering a 12 hr certificate Spiritual Assistance Training Mondays 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., May 26th – June 16.th Call 565-6336, or e-mail kaia_nightingale@hotmail.com