Pure Consciousness

The Washington Post defines Pure Consciousness as our spiritual essence, free of limits and bounds because our essential nature is of pure potentiality. Other associated attributes include infinite peace, abundance of knowledge, and alert awareness. 

I came across the term when I was first introduced to the Consciousness Map in therapy as a self-help tool. It is a well-researched framework about human consciousness and related energy fields from Dr. David R. Hawkins’s best–selling book: Power vs. Force. The highest level on the chart is Enlightenment, and the corresponding process is pure consciousness.

Dr. Hawkins used a unique muscle-testing method and conducted over 250,000 calibrations in a research span of 20 years to define a variety of attitudes, emotions, and values relating to levels of consciousness.

The higher levels (courage and above) are carriers of immense energy and can lead to meaningful outcomes.

Finding Meaning 

“So the question then is, how do we create liberating structures so that a lot of people all around the world can experiment, innovate and adapt their own approaches to finding and restoring meaning without it coming tops down?” asks Jamie Wheal in an interview with BigThink titled, ‘How to find meaning as modern humans’.

We are experiencing a collapse in meaning because of exponential change, which is breaking our brains. The said collapse is the collapse of extremes in meaning 1.0: Organized Religion and meaning 2.0: Modern Liberalism.

With a surge in misinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories, people are overwhelmed with grief and feelings of helplessness on a collective level. Heartbroken but willing to go to any extent for the alleged promise of a better tomorrow.

Jamie refers to these promises as rapture ideologies, and they all share a similar structure:

1. The world as we know it, is a horrible place
2. There’s an inflection point coming soon: me and mine are going to score the golden tickets
3. So let’s get there as soon as possible, and don’t worry about the collateral damage we’re causing to the world

Meaning 3.0

Recapture the Rapture is the name of Jamie’s book and the solution he proposes to restore peace minus the apathy. Creating meaning 3.0: a holistic blend of meaning 1.0 and 2.0. It combines the salvation promised by religion and inclusion from the modern liberal side. 

We need healing, inspiration, and connection from traditional religion. And modern liberalism because we want it to be open source: anybody anywhere can access it, scalable: very cheap or outright free, and antifragile. 

The term anti-fragile was coined by Nassim Taleb and is widely used for its definition from his book Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder. The concept of anti-fragility can be best described by the phrase: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and/or systems that thrive under pressure. 

The goal is to identify necessary factors for probable growth in chaotic circumstances. Tal Ben-Shahar, a teacher and student in the field of happiness studies, sheds light on the paradox of happiness.

Just like sunlight, the pursuit of happiness should also be indirect. Looking at the sun directly can hurt our eyes but when white light is passed through a prism, it breaks down into seven component colours: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. In nature, this display of colours is called a rainbow. 

We can indirectly raise our overall happiness levels by triggering antifragility within us through the SPIRE model co-created by Tal. The letters are a metaphorical representation of the rainbow and an acronym for Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational and Emotional well-being. 

Jamie suggests starting with evolutionary drivers that are effective and accessible to everyone: breathing, which is primary. We breathe in and out approximately 20-22,000 times in one day. Even a few minutes of conscious breathing can regulate our nervous systems.

Practicing meditation can increase mindfulness by directing focus to an object, activity, or thought. Other drivers include music, sexuality, substances and embodiment. When our bodies are regulated, they can discharge trauma and prompt peak states of consciousness, inspiration, and creativity in potent ways. 

Furthermore, adopting a design thinking approach can lead to intentional

problem-solving. The designers typically observe their environments to devise structures that are strategic, practical, and cognitive. And offer innovative solutions by referring to a pool of knowledge about how people (stakeholders) reason when engaging with design problems. 

Trio is an inventive business that ethically sources and produces handmade goods (and joy) in Pakistan. The product range comprises dog toys and leashes made from 85% waste material: 60% are used fish nets rescued from the ocean.

They’ve created a chain of kindness and sustainability by empowering fisherfolk and creating employment in impoverished communities. 50% of the proceeds go back to facilitating and saving the lives of vulnerable animals at the ACF Animal Rescue shelter, Trio’s sister foundation in Karachi. 

Hope 

That’s the hope for meaning 3.0. It doesn’t promise an escape, nor a happily ever after which is structurally different from where we are today. 

It is a chance to recapture the rapture using vital tools for connection and commitment to the outcome: enlightenment. Pursuing our passions with love, narratives with authenticity, and channelling the resulting energy for collective good. Yes to more brands like Trio and the world humming Pasoori on Google search, making it the top hum-to-search song of the year. 

In conclusion, increased awareness is knowing who we are and where we’re headed; and being open to embracing change because the antagonist to progress is not chaos but entrapment.

Thank you for reading!

The author is a Marketing graduate from the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi and a Digital Creator. Her work can be found at @tahreemamin on Instagram.