In my experience, it’s the only way to solve our problems.

Let me make a bold statement — all of the world’s problems from poverty to terrorism have only one cure —** a rise in global consciousness.**

All the problems we read in today’s headlines are a result of a contractive consciousness of humans.

The fake promises by politicians, the rise of terrorist groups, unfair business practices, scams, and many more things come from lower states of consciousness and understanding.

Let’s use an analogy to understand this. Take water for example. When you freeze it, it turns into a block of ice. You can then cut those locks of ice into separate pieces.

We think of ourselves as those separate pieces of ice. We clash with each other on what is ‘ours’ to keep.

“My country,” “My home,” “My rules,” “My business,” and so on.

All this time, we forget the true essence of what we are — water. And water doesn’t discriminate — it melts and mixes with other atoms of water. In fact, there are no ‘other’ atoms. It’s just water.

But since we live off the worldview of being different blocks of ice we always try to ‘keep what is ours for ourselves’. More than anything leads to fear. Fear of losing things, greed to get something which is not ours, and so on.

From there, it’s just a downward spiral. And there’s no limit to how far you can fall —and how far the planet can fall, really.

We’re seeing this type of contractive consciousness all over the world right now — and you can’t change that by wishing for a different politician or a new legal system.

The change has to absolutely come from within each of us. Ultimately the ice will melt. But it’s our responsibility to aid that process — to melt that hardcore ice with our love.

You cannot be passive. There’s a dire need for people who are warriors of virtue to stand up for it. Not by meeting violence by violence but with love and compassion.

What can we do then, to raise our own level of consciousness?

Stronger Than Your Willpower

Yesterday morning, I meditated for two hours. I was feeling inward. And even though I had a lot of work to do, didn’t matter because I was feeling content inside.

Then, suddenly my friends called up to meet. I tried my best to avoid the request. But we hadn’t met for a long time and the chances looked slim going forward.

So I reluctantly decided to go.

It’s not that I don’t like hanging out with them. But I was worried I’d slowly lose the level of consciousness I’d gained after my practices.

And as I expected, while returning home, I felt drained — not in energy but of my consciousness.

This taught me an important lesson that is valuable for all those who’re trying to raise their consciousness — the environment is stronger than willpower.

This is especially true when we’re starting out on our journey. It takes time to get strong enough in our resolve and in our practices to be even-minded and calm no matter what’s going on around.

Till that time, we’re susceptible to outside influences. A person who accepts this is wiser than the person who deludes himself to think he’s “above it all” and will not be affected by the consciousness of those around him.

Your environment and the company you keep are of paramount importance. Why? Because your outer and inner environment determines your tastes and habits.

Paramahansa Yogananda says:

“It is most important to know that sinners or saints are largely made through the company they keep. If a sinner is willing to mend his ways and decides to live in the company of saints, he is bound to change, while a careless spiritual man will deteriorate in the company of wicked people.”

With that in mind, let’s look at some specific ways you can raise your level of consciousness.

Meditate

Meditation puffs the fire of your consciousness.

Even if you practice it for 10 minutes a day, be regular and steadfast in your practice lest you find your consciousness lowering again.

By calming our mind in meditation, we’re able to interiorize our attention. This helps us withdraw energy from our senses and start exploring the inner reality.

That inner reality makes us realize the truth of the statement — “We all are one.”

It takes time to have a strong experience of that truth in your meditations. But even still, if you remain regular, you’ll get a taste of that every now and then.

Meditation is the best way to raise your consciousness, period. It’s not enough to just read about these higher realities, you need to experience it.

Only then you can drive that change in others and in the world.

Choose a Mantra

A mantra literally means a tool for the mind.

Whether you find time to meditate or not, it’s beneficial to choose a mantra and repeat it throughout the day whenever you can.

The mantra can be repeated mentally or loudly as the circumstances permit.

This simple technique can help you keep your mind on your virtue of choice.

You can pick a few Sanskrit mantras like “Aum”, “Aum Namah Shivaya,” or it can be as simple as “I am peaceful,” “I am Spirit,” etc.

There are many mantras to choose from. Which one you pick will be dependent on what your heart resonates with.

Regardless, the repetition is more important than the specific mantra you choose.

Change Your Attitude Towards Work

Often we think of work as being laborious or tiring. Even when we like the work we’re doing, we can easily become tired after some time.

Instead, try to replace the word “work” in your vocabulary with “service.”

Think of whatever work you’re doing as an act of service. Whether you’re the CEO of a big company or waiting tables — it doesn’t matter.

Work done with an attitude of service will uplift your consciousness. It will make you empathetic and kind to others’ realities. It helps you transcend your ego by not always thinking in terms of “me,” “mine,” and “I.”

Finally, when you serve others, you experience the joy that is not available to those who work only for themselves.

That joy and inner peace is then the fuel that keeps you going. You don’t get exhausted easily when you serve. But when you think only of yourself, you cap your potential in vain.

Take Care of Your Health

Consciousness can be raised even in an unhealthy body, but it’s very difficult. To focus on your inner reality, you have to make sure your body is in proper condition.

If it isn’t, it will always be a constant distraction and impediment in your efforts.

Focus on the tripod of a healthy lifestyle — sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

With all those in place, you can be free to focus on loftier realities and concerns.

Concentrate on the Spiritual Eye

Source

The point between the eyebrows is called the “spiritual eye” or the “third eye.” It’s also the esoteric center of concentration.

It’s the point where the prefrontal cortex of your brain lies and deals with complex thinking and happiness. By focusing here, your thoughts automatically (but gradually) become more uplifted.

This is the place of the Agya chakra in the body. By concentrating there, you create a certain magnetism that pulls energy towards itself. And your consciousness is directly related to where your energy is centered in the spine.

The best option in my experience is to schedule alarms on your phone every hour or every other hour and take two minutes to focus on this point.

As your attention drifts away, gently bring it back. With practice, you will start to become more aware of this point even in daily life.

Chose Your Friends Consciously

Try to spend time with people who have the same interests as you. Since the environment is stronger than willpower (and you may not be a strong enough “magnet” yourself), don’t risk yourself in the company of people with lower consciousness.

Everyone in this world has a certain magnetism. And when two magnets meet, the stronger one always affects the weaker one.

Of course, sometimes you won’t have a choice. It might be a colleague, a relative, a spouse, etc. In such times, try to minimize the time you spend with them.

Also, make it a point to practice other techniques like meditation and focusing on the spiritual eye before and after you meet them. This is the best way to protect yourself.

Consume Content Wisely

Movies, music, books, news, are all examples of content we consume on a daily basis.

It’s not enough to meditate and then watch movies that reflect a lower state of consciousness. You need to eliminate or change the kind of content you consume.

Focus on content that uplifts you. Music, especially, can be dangerous or helpful, depending on how you use it.

Listening to music with lower kinds of vibrations (like rock, hip hop, etc) is dangerous because it goes straight to the heart, passing the intellect.

On the other hand, listening to chants, and other forms of spiritual music will quickly put upgrade your consciousness. It’s a fantastic tool to pull yourself out of any negative emotion within a matter of seconds!

Here’s one album I’m enjoying a lot these days:

Check Your Posture

Keeping the spine straight throughout the day is important. A bent spine is the enemy of spiritual progress.

By keeping your spine straight you allow your energy to flow freely from the base of the spine to the brain. This results in an almost instant increase in concentration and attention.

Opening up our shoulders will also awaken the energy in the heart making you more kind and compassionate.

Finally, a good posture gives you a sense of confidence to meet life with courage.

Dress Consciously

This point may really seem superficial, but your appearance does affect your state of consciousness.

This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in front of the mirror to get the ‘perfect’ look. (That in fact, is affirming ego-consciousness!)

While I’m guilty of this, dressing in bright colors uplifts your mind than colors like grey and black. Light royal blue and white are my favorite colors right now (even though I need more shirts in those shades).

Personal hygiene is important too. And don’t forget to wear the most important accessory — your smile!

Final Thoughts

To achieve enlightenment, to progress spiritually, and to help the world, the best thing to do is to elevate your own consciousness.

Working on your level of consciousness sets up a whole line of dominoes in action. From there on, everything falls perfectly into place.

Once you’ve improved yourself, you will become a shining example of virtue for others. They will then ask you “How did you do it?”

And when you guide them through what you did, they’ll achieve the same and in turn, help others.

This cycle will gradually continue until our planetary consciousness increases.

When that happens, people will slowly lose the sense of separateness and will be more attuned with their oneness with all creation.

They will realize above all that when they kill others, they’re killing a part of themselves. When they steal from others, they’re stealing from a part of themselves. And when they give to others (materially or spiritually), they’re giving to themselves.

The above tips have helped me raise my levels of consciousness over the past year. They are simple so anyone can implement them. (I’ve restrained myself from going into more spiritual detail for the sake of brevity and simplicity).

I hope they help you to be the change you want to see in the world.

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