Relinquishment in Favor of Higher Consciousness

By Lori Lines

Higher consciousness is a heightened awareness and an understanding of who you truly are, how everyone and everything is connected, and the genuine meaning of existence. Higher consciousness surpasses any limitations of perceived boundaries and divisions between yourself and others, as well as, any superficial shortcomings you feel are holding back your progression and growth.

​As your consciousness rises, your mind expands to the undefinable, limitless nature of your being and life itself. While it is not a simple undertaking, we can all achieve the shifts of consciousness that lead to transcendence. You might ask, "If everyone is capable, why has everyone not achieved ascension?" If you visualize the path to higher consciousness as a physical process of rising, negative emotions, due to past hurts, childhood traumas, old resentments and even cellular memories of past lives, serve as anchors that weigh us down and hold us back. However, ascension implies a physical rising, but it's a state of being.

The truth is, most people cannot fully awaken because their minds are preoccupied with the mutterings of the ego-self. Namely, concerns of avoiding emotional and physical pain, protecting the ego's perception of self, and meeting basic needs. The ego-self always finds a reason to compete with every other being, seeing resources of all types as limited. It generates a low-vibrational state where the individual views themselves as alone, vulnerable and defensive. When we can't release heartache from our past or past lives, a sense of separateness and vulnerability is compounded by a negative view of reality. Awakening is when we are aware of these negative thoughts and emotions tied to the past. Being fully awakened is when we finally are able to relinquish those parts of ourselves that are holding us back from moving forward in our lives.

All this low-vibrational energy creates energy blockages. These blockages may arise in the home of safety and security, the root chakra, the home of unity, self-love, and ascension, the heart chakra, the home of higher consciousness, the crown chakra, or any other energy center. No matter where the energy blockages arise, they separate us from the universal energy field and the united subconscious. The truth is, we are all connected and meant to live in such a way that honors that interconnectedness. When we feel separate, it is another anchor, weighing us down and holding us back from the climb towards the ascension way of being.

How do you achieve higher consciousness despite the negative emotions you may struggle to release? The mind is often filled with the frantic, apprehensive voice of the ego-self. "The monkey mind," as some people refer to it, needs to be acknowledged and mastered. Through mindfulness and meditation, you can learn to quiet the monkey-mind to make room for high-vibrational thoughts and keep yourself grounded in the present.  However, there is more you can do to change how you have been negatively conditioned to see the world. 

One of the first steps is to foster a sense of grounding and presence. Only then can you truly monitor your thoughts, perceptions, feelings, desires, and behaviors. It is turning inward in observation of your inner experience.  Furthermore, try to view your traumas, hurts, and heartaches of this life or the last, not as weapons but as lessons. Trust that your higher consciousness is present and prepared to help use these events for your greater good.

 Non-attachment is an essential practice to heal your ability to reach an ascended way of being. Do not allow yourself to remain or become attached to anything that will wear you down or break you down, in the moment or over time. A valuable way to begin practicing nonattachment is through non-reactivity. Do not react or attach yourself to anything people say about you. This applies to criticism, reprimand, praise, or justification, any of these will only serve to rouse the ego-self and increase its mindless chatter. Which leads to the next exercise towards achieving higher consciousness, to stop appeasing the ego's need to be defined; this only fosters competition and more separation from the universal unconscious. Finally, do not avoid the emotional triggers or pain you may fear, face them head-on. Only through acknowledgment and acceptance can you transcend your hurt and achieve higher consciousness and awakening.

One of the beautiful things about the rise towards higher consciousness is it is both the tool to help you overcome low-vibrational thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and the goal in overcoming the same. To achieve ascension is not becoming a new person but becoming who you are meant to be upon healing from and channeling your heartache and hurt into constructive energy.  

As you climb towards higher consciousness, you will gain the ability to view people as hurt individuals instead of malicious ones. Instead of competing, criticizing, and growing defensive, you will see others with greater compassion, which cultivates more healing—as such, achieving higher consciousness is a self-perpetuating process. As you strive towards enlightenment, you are filled with more love, forgiveness, patience, and empathy, helping you to heal, release blockages, and lift your vibration and your consciousness higher. This results in your endless spiritual opening to new heights of unconditional love, peace, and limitless awareness of the seen and unseen realms of reality.

In love and truth,
​Lori Lines

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