If we strive to be conscious it’s helpful to have a picture in mind of what a conscious person looks like. A conscious person is someone who…
1) has no barriers to his core self
2) is integrated
3) has transparency
4) has humility
What makes these the attributes of a conscious person?
No barriers to your core self
Intellect is a barrier to consciousness. Emotion is a barrier to consciousness. What then remains? If you see someone whose avenue to understanding is only intellect this is a clear sign that it’s not a person of consciousness. Responding solely with emotion likewise is a barrier to consciousness when the reality lends itself to an intellectual grasp as well. If you want to be a person of consciousness you have to involve all parts of what makes up who you are. You won’t get to your core self if you don’t involve all of yourself.
Integration
Consciousness means integration between body and spirit. All parts of you are engaged and influence one another. What you learn intellectually is impressed upon your heart and immediately mobilizes your limbs to action
When there is integration wisdom causes ideas to enter the heart. Actions without intention are not actions. We can consider the obligations fulfilled even without intention. You can put a ‘check mark’ next to it but it’s certainly not ideal.
True wisdom must include intellect interwoven with emotion, good actions and personal growth.
Moses was the paradigmatic ‘person of consciousness.’ When he saw his people suffering it touched him to the core and he immediately acted on it by saving the life of the person who was being attacked, at his own personal peril.
Transparency
Such a person is transparent to him or herself, acutely aware of all of his or her strengths and weaknesses
If you want to become a person of consciousness you will find strengths, flaws and weaknesses. Many qualities will come to light in your interpersonal relationships that you didn’t know you had. When you access your core self without any barriers you will get to your he’arat panim (inner shining light)
The light within you makes clear to you everything about yourself and how to view your actions. You become transparent to yourself. You stop trying to hide from yourself and you become fully real to the rest of the world.
Humility
A person of consciousness is someone who has humility not from a place of self-denigration but the opposite – from a place of deep recognition of his or her greatness and preciousness, with gratitude for all of life’s gifts, someone who has self-respect and respect for others. Only humility from a place of awareness of your preciousness and greatness is true humility.