Consciousness of itself is unmoving, like the sky. Contents of consciousness precipitate into the open sky just as water arises from the ocean to form storms and mists, yet this consciousness is itself a still and open space, ever unchanging. Pure awareness of the conscious mind transcends all limitation, including physical form, intellectual conception, emotion and even time itself. Awareness does not belong to the world of time but stands outside of it. All beings participate in the one awareness, living and dying within it without changing its essential nature. In this way each of us partakes of the infinite. All mortal incarnations across the ages exist in timeless simultaneity beyond the grasp of the thinking mind. We might more aptly say that the infinite partakes of the adventure of time/space through each of us.
We know pure consciousness by many names, such as Rigpa in Tibetan Buddhism, or the “mind ground” of Zen Buddhism. Hindu yogis refer to the “timeless witness,” whereas philosophers name it the “Godhead”. We cannot study or observe this pure awareness with our ordinary minds, since to experience pure awareness is to leave the realm of the mundane mind behind. In a space of pure awareness, we experience a moment of great stillness, clarity and revelation where disharmony ceases to exist, and all beings resume their true place in oneness.
The Unconscious
In this space of consciousness, we experience perceptions, sensations, thoughts, feelings, memories, fantasies, deep beliefs and emotional patterns. The source of these is the Unconscious mind, that ocean lying beneath the sky of conscious mind which potentiates it.
The unconscious is the reservoir of our true being. Into this sea, consciousness dips ever more deeply in order to ideate, create, and illuminate the nature and distortions of self. The unconscious is the potentiator that the conscious mind draws upon to make decisions, make sense of life, and to transform itself. The unconscious is the Awakener.
Consciousness seeks out its own depths, looking for its own potentiation— not by following a guru or priest but by finding the inner divinity which possesses all the answers we need. This quest brings vitality and expansion to the conscious mind; without this quest, we would remain in bondage.
So what?
Without potentiation, the conscious mind has no inwardness, which is to say, no access to truth. We say that some one is “deep” when they express wisdom which is universal and transcends the identity. What is manifest touches and resonates the eternal reality which underlies the ephemeral circumstances of the moment. This only happens with potentiation of the unconscious.
Delving into the reservoir of the unconscious is the path of spiritual seeking which is integral to all magic. If we remain totally within the consciousness of the ego, our awareness is limited to body, personality, relationship to other, and personal identity. We are trapped within the three-dimensional world, confined by subjective and volatile impressions, with a shallow and superficial awareness of ourselves and the world around us.
When we don’t seek within, we stray away from the soul and leave the conscious mind shallow. As the Gospel of Thomas says: “If you bring forth what is within you, then what is within you will save you; if you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
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A Magical Path
The Unconscious is that which causes the constellation of the identity to manifest, and the deeper the exploration into the Unconscious, the more true, real and coherent the constellated identity is. It is through this exploration of the deep mind that we discover our true desires— that is, the desires of the soul, rather than those of the flesh. Without desire, there is no evolution, yet without the potentiation of the Unconscious, the desires that compel us are shallow and meaningless.
We like to think of the personality as something which we have control over, yet if you observe the course of your life, you see that discover more than you determine your personality. The role of the Conscious mind in magic and deliberate creation of experience is much subtler than we typically acknowledge, for what appears to be an active, assertive role is ultimately a receptive, responsive role.
This reflects an ancient magical principle: That which is latent in the outer is potent in the inner; and that which is potent in the outer is latent in the inner.
Conclusion
The conscious mind is potent in the outer form, active, striving and assertive— yet in truth it is latent in the inner, awaiting the Awakener. The Unconscious is latent in its outer form, inaccessible in any straightforward way and utterly receptive, yet it is within these depths whence comes any and all potency.
The role of the Conscious mind in magic is to direct according to the will, so that the effects created are in alignment with the highest aim of the soul. Yet the key to success is that the highest aim of the soul is received. It is drawn out of the conscious mind, awakened into being, just as the moon draws the tides of the sea along behind her.
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