Larger Consciousness

“Without the development of an overall perspective, we remain lost in individual investigations.” Robert E. Ornstein- The larger consciousness that’s the subject of this essay isn’t beyond the body but of the body. Though it may not be defined by words, symbols and descriptions, our physical awareness of our whole situation takes care of the thinking self. It is felt in our physical adjustments to the surrounding world. People are so much bigger than they think. With all the devices and apps available today, attention is endlessly distracted by the surface of things. Held in thrall by the life in the postings, the neglected center grasps at attention with unexpected moods and out-of-proportion reactions. We can find names for certain feelings and recognize triumphs and disappointment, but the ebb and flow of day-to-day emotions has no chance to show us deeper yearnings and satisfactions or to pull together a bigger perspective. People are left with a shallow sense of who they are, unaware of the enormity below, which includes a whole category of personal intelligence that goes unnoticed and uncredited. The verbalizing conscious mind is just the part of the iceberg above water, but what’s below is a crucial part of understanding. The core mind looks after our well-being and navigates the world led by our desires and fears, some current, some deeply rooted in personal history. It’s an unrecognized part of intelligence that can be developed by looking at art, the best expressions of visual form. . Many have said that perception is the basis of wisdom. We see what’s out-of-balance, where proportions are off, make near instant appraisals of overall situations. Winston Churchill said he liked to paint landscapes because it trained “the highest qualities of mind.” We think of our sense of proportion as intrinsic to justice. But it isn’t necessary to go outside and paint when so much art is available with a few clicks. Right proportions are part of the beauty of form. Looking at art increases awareness of right proportions which carries over it all aspects of life. Art presents the feelings of being thus refining our susceptibility to the personal feeling that attends the larger perspective, the overview that organizes response. Images that draw attention show what matters personally, illuminating aspects of your world view. This is the larger part of consciousness because it contains the whole, is influenced by the total perspective and what aspects of it are most alive in the mind at a given time. Perception is guiding each person’s actions throughout the day. The action of balancing is ongoing in every level of mind.