How do you raise your consciousness and vibration?
Want to know how to achieve a higher level of consciousness?
When you raise your consciousness amazing things will happen in your life. Most of all, you’ll be happier.
In fact, raising the collective global consciousness is the only way to avoid self-destruction. It’s not sustainable trying to bend the world around us to solve the problems we have created by trying to bend the world around us.
When we raise consciousness, many of the external problems will drop away because from this heightened perspective the solutions become self-evident.
We already have everything we need to save the world and ourselves. It’s all a matter of recognizing this. And to come to this place of recognition raising consciousness is the only way.
Before we answer the question of how to raise consciousness, let us first explore what it means to raise consciousness, why you should raise your consciousness, and what the levels of consciousness are.
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What Does it Mean to Raise Consciousness?
“Looking for consciousness in the world is a bit like studying a movie, looking for the source of its light. Nowhere would we find it. The light is not in the movie. The movie is made of light. Recognizing the fundamental role of consciousness turns reality inside out. The essential nature of the cosmos is mind not matter.” – Peter Russel, Ph.D.
Raising your consciousness is all about shining the light of awareness on your life. And the more you shine the light of awareness on all the areas of your life, the more you will raise your consciousness.
When you raise your consciousness you will increasingly start to see reality more as it is, instead of it being filtered through the lens of your preferences, conditionings, and beliefs.
When talking about consciousness evolution an important distinction between state and stage has to be made.
State and Stage Are Not the Same
States are temporary ‘states of experience’, such as joy, happiness, and peace. Stages are ‘stages of development, which is when states have been fully integrated.
In his article on the evolution of consciousness, Justin Faerman points out that states are states of emotions, perception, and consciousness, while stages are a “developmental maturity.”
What this means is that high states of consciousness can be experienced at any stage through meditation, breathwork, drugs, ecstatic dance, mindfulness, and so on.
While both, state and stage, are indicators of your level of consciousness, without a shift in your stage of development higher consciousness can not be maintained.
What this means is, that meditating high up on a mountain to experience states of bliss is not enough to sustainably raise your consciousness. You also have to deal with your unresolved psychological issues and then go out into the world to embody this higher level of consciousness.
In the spirit of philosopher and author Ken Wilber, we have to “wake up,” “grow up,” “clean up,” and “show up.”
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Why Should You Raise Your Consciousness?
Something that will happen when you raise your consciousness is an increased sense of happiness, peace, and joy. And is that not what we all want in life?
Everything we think we want is really just for the reason that we think it will make us happier in the having of it. But as you know, as soon as you have one thing, the next new thing follows suit.
So raising your consciousness will bring you in touch with unconditional happiness – joy de vivre as it’s called in French.
You will also less identify with the fluctuating contents of your mind – your beliefs, thoughts, stories, emotions, feelings, and identities.
So raising consciousness is like removing the clouds so the sun can shine forth. It’s not so much that you create happiness, but rather that you rediscover your true nature.
On an even more practical level, raising your consciousness will allow you to be more present with your experience. And this will inevitable reduce the suffering you experience in life.
Let Go Of Resistence Within
You see, most (if not all) of our problems are due to a subject/object split we have created in our minds. “I am here and my experience is there. And I don’t like what is there.”
This split between you and your experience is creating resistance and resistance to what is creates suffering. In going on this journey you will start to notice that the “negative” things that have manifested in your life are never as bad as your reaction to them.
Fear in itself is not as problematic as the fear of fear. Anger is not as problematic as the frustration about the anger.
The simple answer to why you should raise your consciousness is this: Freedom.
You’ll experience freedom from your thoughts, your emotions, your beliefs, your identity, and all the other mental fabrications that are based on conditioning.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll no longer have thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or identities. It means that you’ll see their impermanence, their fluidity, their inconsistency.
You’ll no longer hold as tightly on to them and you’ll no longer resist and contract when something uncomfortable comes up as you’ll know that everything is transitory.
The result will be an increased sense of joy and effortlessness pervading your life. You may experience greater success and fulfillment in all areas of your life as you become more aware of the perfect unfoldment of life.
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Is Raising Vibration and Raising Consciousness the Same Thing?
When we talk about how to raise consciousness, we inevitably come upon the topic of vibration. With all the talk around “good vibes only” and “get on my vibe” there are many out there who encourage you to raise your vibration.
You might be wondering what the difference between raising consciousness and raising vibration is.
Well, while raising consciousness is usually a process, raising vibration can happen instantly by doing things that give you good feelings. This is not to say that raising vibration is not also a process.
But to get more clear on this it helps to look deeper into what consciousness and vibration might be.
What is Consciousness? What Is Vibration?
All the mystical traditions and modern quantum theory state that consciousness is non-local, nor is it restricted to a physical form. It’s not something that is generated by the brain, rather the brain interfaces consciousness. (1, 2)
Quantum theory also brought forth the idea of reality existing as a continuing energetic field or quantum field that becomes solid through the exposure of consciousness (observer effect).
This energetic field, when unobserved, exists as a wave or vibration. Now when you observe something, you alter this vibration. And this alteration is influenced by your level of consciousness.
Because everything is vibration (energy), your body is vibration as well. And when you vibrate at a higher energetic frequency, you will feel lighter in your physical, emotional, and mental bodies. In general, you’ll feel better.
So this means that your level of consciousness determines the rate of your vibration and that each level of consciousness vibrates at a different frequency. What you can say is that your life is real-time feedback of the development of your consciousness.
Consequently, raising your vibration can indeed raise your consciousness. However, there is a twist to that.
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Long-Term vs. Short-Term Shifts
If you, for instance, listen to high-vibe music when you’re feeling sad to lift your mood you might feel better for some time, but you’re really not dealing with the sadness itself.
Eventually, the sadness will return and then perhaps more pressing than ever. So you have to be aware that the act of raising your vibration doesn’t become an avoidance tactic.
Raising your consciousness, on the other hand, is really about a long-term increase in vibration (remember from state to stage). So instead of avoiding your sadness, you go into it, you sit with it, you accept it, and as a result, you understand it.
When that happens, you’ll no longer have to fear sadness. You have understood and, hence, are liberated from it. And when sadness, for whatever reason, reappears you’ll be able to welcome it like an old friend without any additional suffering involved.
So you can say that to raise consciousness means to raise your vibration for good.
What is the Lowest Level of Consciousness?
As we have already established, consciousness and vibration are intertwined. Further, high vibration is associated with lightness and low vibration is associated with denseness.
This means that when you raise your consciousness you’ll start to notice a lightness. Similarly, when you are at a low level of consciousness you’ll feel dense.
You can reflect on this in your own experience. Remember the times when you have felt really happy. You have probably felt light and full of energy.
On the other hand, when you are in a bad mood, there is a heaviness involved. The density of a low level of consciousness is not just a theoretical concept but an experiential fact you can confirm for yourself.
So, what then is the lowest level of consciousness?
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The Heaviest Emotions Are the Lowest
Although I’ll try to answer this, this is also something that you can answer for yourself. Ask yourself the following: What emotion feels the heaviest and densest to you?
And now imagine constantly living in this state.
On the scale of consciousness by Dr. David R. Hawkins, the lowest level of consciousness is shame or despair. This doesn’t necessarily mean shame as a transitory emotion (state), but as a state of being (stage). A state that is associated with fear, apathy, and depression and which is close to suicide.
Such a state is usually so dense that people have difficulties getting up in the morning or doing anything.
You feel like life is pointless and cannot be trusted. You experience life as “happening to you.” Everything seems random like you have no control over your life whatsoever.
At this level of consciousness, you’re usually reactive and defensive and try to blame everything outside yourself for your condition. It is a state of true powerlessness.
Common thought patterns are: “What’s the use?”; “I’m too tired.”; “It won’t work anyway.”; “I’m too depressed.”; “Life is not safe.”
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What is the Highest Level of Consciousness?
Now, on the other hand, what is the highest level of consciousness?
In most spiritual traditions, this state is called enlightenment. And although all the mystics, saints, sages, and yogis have stressed this state’s ineffability, there is a lot of writing and teachings about this state.
Other terms are non-dual awareness, pure consciousness, one taste, no mind, or nirvikalpa samadhi. Generally, the hallmarks of this state are:
- a sense of interconnectedness with everything in existence.
- a feeling of deep peace and happiness underlying all experiences.
- seeing reality without the filter of one’s beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and feelings.
This state may also be called a state of effortless living as you become one with the flow of life – the Tao, as it is called Taoism.
This is a state of complete non-resistance where you have regained complete power over your life. By power, I don’t mean power in an oppressive style, but rather the power of unconditional love.
At this level of consciousness, you’ll experience deep inner peace and the mental chatter will seize. It is a state beyond thinking.
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“Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought” – Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
And often just being in the presence of an enlightened master can raise your level of consciousness. So if you know someone in your area it might be a nice experience to go for a visit.
Yet I want to intersect a quick reminder here that a high spiritual development doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re beyond your everyday problems. Again, it’s not just about waking up.
So now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at some steps you can take to raise your level of consciousness and increase your vibration.
6 Steps to Raise Your Consciousness and Vibration
#1. Get in Touch with Your Emotions
As briefly mentioned before, the most important step for consciousness evolution is to get in touch with your emotions. Especially the “negative” ones.
This has been stressed by past and present spiritual teachers alike. Some contemporary books that point out the importance of being with your emotions are The Power of Now, Letting Go, The Untethered Soul, and Awareness.
Most of us are experts at suppressing, repressing, projecting, and escaping our emotions. We like to do a lot of things with our emotions, just not feeling them.
But accepting that you have negative emotions and that they are inside you and not “out there” is crucial for raising consciousness.
The tragicomic thing is that the emotions are usually not the most uncomfortable part, but rather our emotions about our emotions.
Again, get into touch with the emotions about emotions as well.
Bring Awareness to Your Emotions
The practice of shining your awareness onto your emotions as a vehicle for consciousness evolution is well-established in most spiritual traditions.
If you have been out of touch with your emotions for the majority of your life, it may take some practice. But it’s well worth it.
Start by acknowledging whenever you’re having an unpleasant emotional reaction. The next step is to shift your attention into your body. Feel the sensations associated with the emotion instead of creating stories around why you are feeling what you are feeling.
With time you’ll see how your emotions change and shift. Eventually, you’ll get into the “eye of the storm” and realize that it’s not the emotion that’s creating the suffering but the resistance regarding the emotion.
This is also a powerful practice in relationships with others. As you know already, people, especially the ones dear to you, trigger all kinds of emotions. Here again, instead of reacting and projecting your emotions onto others, recognize and be with your feelings.
This will not only raise your consciousness but empower you deeply. You will come to know that you can deal with any emotion with gentleness and equanimity.
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#2. Meditation
Meditation as the primary vehicle for consciousness transformation is not only recognized in mystical traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism but also in New Age spirituality and some holistic psychotherapeutic approaches.
Many people assume that meditation is about silencing your mind and stopping thought. And while that can happen, this is not the main objective.
In meditation, you start by becoming aware of your experience in the present moment. You open your awareness to whatever is present in each unfolding moment.
And every time you become lost in your thoughts, beliefs, and stories about what it was, what it is, and what it should be you become aware again.
Practicing meditation in this way doesn’t require you the demonize mental activity. The contents of the mind become the vehicle for transformation. By being with the thought, the emotion, and the feeling, you slowly narrow the gap between “yourself” and “your experience.”
In this awareness, you’ll start to recognize those fleeting moments of pure presence – the underlying ground, the emptiness that is fullness.
#3. Take Care of Your Health
You can raise your consciousness even if you’re not healthy. Yet it will be more difficult.
Think about a time when you were sick or in pain. The only thing you cared about was getting healthy or alleviating the pain. Raising consciousness was probably not your main point of focus at that time.
More so, if you don’t take care of your health, you’re leaving energy on the path that could be channeled into your consciousness evolution.
When talking about spiritual growth many people don’t think of the physical body. But we are not just spiritual beings, we are also humans living in a 3D world that demands our attention.
You are a multifaceted being. So taking care of your physical body positively influences your mind as well as your soul.
Make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle – exercise, healthy nutrition, proper sleep. You’ll see how having the tripod of a healthy lifestyle in place will give you the energy and the time to focus on spiritual evolution.
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#4. Let Go of Limitations
To raise your consciousness, becoming aware of and letting go of limitations is a powerful way of self-inquiry.
Limitations can be any mental concepts (thoughts, beliefs, ideas, identities) that put a ceiling on your experience of reality. While the letting go of limitations happens, to some degree, by itself through feeling your emotions and meditation, you can also support this by combining awareness with a little detective work.
Whenever you’re confronted with negative emotions in response to a situation or decision, ask yourself what you believe about this.
What do you think is possible here and why? Usually, you’ll quickly see that your reality view is based upon conditioning (what others and society have told you what’s possible).
For instance, you might find the belief that change is difficult. You can then ask yourself if this is always true? And then find examples in your life or other people’s lives that disprove this belief.
Also, watch out for limiting phrases such as: “I can’t…”; “I don’t…”; “I never…”; “I wish…”; “If that…”
And then, instead, ask yourself questions like: “How could that happen?” or “What else is possible?” This will keep you in a space of creativity and infinite possibilities.
Letting go of limiting beliefs regarding life and yourself is a powerful way to upshift your reality and raise your level of consciousness.
#5. Go Out into Nature
The power of regularly going into nature is something many people underestimate.
Apart from the fact that many studies prove the positive effect on your mental health and overall well-being, spending time in nature can also awaken you to a higher reality.
Many stories about awakening experiences involve the person going into nature and fully immersing themselves and becoming one with it.
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You have probably had such an experience yourself, where you went to a beautiful spot in nature and just felt like there is something greater out there looking out for you. And if not, you have at least marvel at the beauty of it all. After all, there is a reason why people are attracted to expansive spots in nature like mountains, beaches, lakes, canyons, and so on.
Make it a habit to go into nature once a day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Be present with your experience and you’ll instantly feel your vibration rise – you’ll feel more energized and connected.
And you can even combine this with other spiritual practices, such as meditation to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.
#6. Be Selective About the Content You Consume
Choosing content that reflects higher states of consciousness will occur naturally when you progress on this path. Yet you can also start to choose content more wisely at the beginning of your journey.
Reflect on the information that enters your consciousness each day and ask yourself what is serving your highest good. Listening to music that glorifies violence, for instance, might not be the best choice.
The same is true for books and podcasts. A good indicator to look out for is the demonization of other people or groups of people. Always looking for someone else to blame and make responsible is not reflecting a high level of consciousness.
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Another example is the news. Often others want to convince you that to be a responsible citizen you have to watch the news. And while there is nothing wrong with watching the news, without discernment you may start to adopt a pretty pessimistic worldview (as most of the news is bad news).
Also, keep in mind that it’s a handful of people deciding what they think is important for you to know. So, always be aware of your inner experience while watching something.
When consuming content use your intuition, discernment, and emotional guidance as a compass.
Wake Up and Begin Raising Your Consciousness
In the end, raising your consciousness comes all down to increasing your awareness. Not just awareness regarding your own personal life, but life in general.
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When you become more aware, you’ll automatically want to spend time in nature, you’ll want to have solitude to meditate and reflect, and you’ll want to have some form of spiritual practice in your life.
And before you know it, your life will have transformed.
Looking for consciousness-raising techniques? Want to become consciously awake? This is how to raise your consciousness and vibration to a higher level fast. #LawOfAttravtion #LOA #Consciousness #Spirituality
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More About Guest Contributor
Luka Bönisch is a writer, artist, transpersonal coach, and has a degree in Health Science. With his blog mindfulled.com, he is on a quest to help others raise their consciousness and live their best life possible. Discover the 8 keys to create the life you really want here.
Last Updated on July 24, 2024
