Conscious Will

The conscious energy enables us, enables our will, to be unified. One example is presence: being here, fully and completely here. Presence builds on the sensitive energy in our body, mind, and heart, takes it to a comprehensive, unifying level within the pure awareness that is the hallmark of consciousness, and, through consciousness, empowers us, our core will, our I, to be here and truly live this moment. Presence combines our body, heart, mind, and senses into one holistic instrument, with our will coalescing from a fragmented state into our singular our I, inhabiting our whole. In presence, we are ourselves. When we are present, our I is the one who is present. That is the defining feature of presence and it depends on the conscious energy.

Another example of the relationship between conscious energy and will is the intentional act of paying attention. In focused attention we choose to direct our awareness toward some object, be it inner or outer. Our will makes that choice, interacting with the conscious energy to focus that energy. The conscious energy entrains the next energy down the scale, the sensitive energy, orienting it toward the object of focus. Together, these energies make the sensory experience available to our will, to our I, resulting in a perception. This all occurs in a seamless and ongoing manner for the duration of our attention's focus. What we know as attention is this combination of will and energy.

Focused attention is an example of the active will in operation. Presence is an example of will in a synergic mode, that combines aspects of both active and receptive will. An example of receptive will is the opening to consciousness itself.

Many of those who come to this opening learn it first through meditation. This is an engagement between will and consciousness, but without the active focusing that entrains the sensitive energy and without the more detailed reach of presence. The meditation instruction for this typically goes like "rest in simple awareness" or "relax into pure awareness." After some time devoted to that, our sensitive energies settle down, and with them our thoughts, emotions, and senses settle down, receding into quiescence. Yet instead of falling into sleep, unconscious, we become more fully awake, though without our attention being grabbed by the usual, diverse train of sensory objects.

In meditative consciousness, we do not identify with every random ripple in the pool of inner and outer events. We are in the underlying, boundless ocean of awareness prior to any particular perceptions. We have peace of mind and equanimity of heart. We are in the experience of just being.

The conscious energy enables us to be unified, not only in the now, but across time. That energy transcends time and space, being everywhere and always. Sustained attention and sustained presence are examples of the conscious energy allowing the will to act across some period of time. The ability to make a decision and stick with it, to see a project through, to persist in efforts toward a goal, and to implement a strategy are further ways that our will, with the conscious energy, can act across time. By practicing in all these ways, we develop our engagement with the conscious energy and thereby develop our will. Instead of being enslaved by time, we taste the timeless and become a little freer.

For this week, please explore the conscious energy and how it enables your will.