I was sitting at my computer and lightning began flashing across the windows of the room. Soon thunder began rumbling through my reality. It was not long before raindrops began pelting the windows ("pelting" may be the wrong word in light of the hailstorm we had last week). The mild thunderstorm waving across my local reality is in my awareness but my attention is on the words that I type out on the computer screen before me to be posted on this forum.
"Awareness" and "attention" are different yet they are also similar. We could say that one is active and the other is passive but that would not be totally accurate because they could be interchangeable. Awareness and attention could be seen as two sides of the same coin. We can call that coin, perception. How do we perceive? Through awareness or attention?
The thing that awareness and attention have in common is choice. We can choose what we are aware of and we can choose what we pay attention to.
So that brings us to the notion of "watcher" or "witness." Is the "watcher" or "witness" that which chooses what we pay attention to or are aware of or that which watches what we choose to pay attention to or be aware of? This, I feel, is a major differentiation in our awareness. Our ego sees differentiations and chooses between them but our "watcher" or "witness" observes the ego choosing. Does the ego get the final say or does the witness?
An ego sees a fly as a nuisance. A "watcher" watches how the ego interacts with the fly.
To step back from the ego and its interactions with life is to become the observer, the I Am, the true self. The ego is what runs the mind and the emotions. The true self is "what is," what observes the machinations of the ego/mind/emotions/body. The true self has unlimited awareness. The awareness and attention of the egoic mind is limited. So if we're talking about awareness and attention we must differentiate between the egoic mind and the true self. With the true self there is no differentiation. Awareness and attention are the same thing. It is because of our egos that a differentiation was even created.
If I were truly speaking from my true self, my I Am presence, there would be no differentiation between the raindrops splattering my window and the words I type into this post.
If only I were that evolved.......
"Awareness" and "attention" are different yet they are also similar. We could say that one is active and the other is passive but that would not be totally accurate because they could be interchangeable. Awareness and attention could be seen as two sides of the same coin. We can call that coin, perception. How do we perceive? Through awareness or attention?
The thing that awareness and attention have in common is choice. We can choose what we are aware of and we can choose what we pay attention to.
So that brings us to the notion of "watcher" or "witness." Is the "watcher" or "witness" that which chooses what we pay attention to or are aware of or that which watches what we choose to pay attention to or be aware of? This, I feel, is a major differentiation in our awareness. Our ego sees differentiations and chooses between them but our "watcher" or "witness" observes the ego choosing. Does the ego get the final say or does the witness?
An ego sees a fly as a nuisance. A "watcher" watches how the ego interacts with the fly.
To step back from the ego and its interactions with life is to become the observer, the I Am, the true self. The ego is what runs the mind and the emotions. The true self is "what is," what observes the machinations of the ego/mind/emotions/body. The true self has unlimited awareness. The awareness and attention of the egoic mind is limited. So if we're talking about awareness and attention we must differentiate between the egoic mind and the true self. With the true self there is no differentiation. Awareness and attention are the same thing. It is because of our egos that a differentiation was even created.
If I were truly speaking from my true self, my I Am presence, there would be no differentiation between the raindrops splattering my window and the words I type into this post.
If only I were that evolved.......
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