The image in the mirror is not who we are — it is just a reflection. Still, we believe that the mirror is telling us the truth of what we really look like; we invest a lot of trust in it. In many ways we live in a world of such reflections. There are the inner mirrors in our head, which we call self-image, and there are the mirrors in the heads of others in which we are also constantly checking ourselves.
While an ordinary mirror is neutral, leaving us to interpret our own reflection and how satisfied we are with it, the internal mirrors in ourselves and in others can give us feedback — they can tell us how they perceive, judge or praise us. Even if they remain silent, we keep making assumptions, guessing what others think of us, afraid that our positive self-image will be threatened.
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So while some egos are nicer than others, what they all have in common is this excessive self-consciousness. It is excessive because it does not give us a break: It is of the essence to reiterate this point: They do not wish to transcend ego, rather its unceasing self-referral. This point is essential to understand because unless we know what we want to transcend, we will continue to waste time trying to transcend the wrong things.
To identify the problem is already the beginning of its solution. Self-consciousness is a natural function of the human mind. What makes it negative is only the fact that it has gotten out of hand and become uninterrupted, compulsive and excessive. It does not allow us to relax into existence, to be empty and pure; it locks us in the prison of mirrors that keeps reflecting back at us, even if our eyes are closed. How can we go beyond this fixation with ourselves?
To go beyond is not the same as looking for an escape. Why do people like to get drunk, dance into oblivion or smoke marijuana? Because they want to forget themselves, which means to numb their self-consciousness. They want to go back to their imaginary Eden, to how they felt when they were animals or babies — but there is no way back. To be free we must go forwards, seeking higher solutions, using our intelligence to identify what the real problem is.
Self-consciousness is a general term referring to being excessively conscious of oneself as a person. However, it all can be broken down into three stages of development: Self-reference is a natural function of the mind that occurs prior to relating to the other person; we could say that it is pre-egoic or pre-personal. There is no mirror in self-reference; it is more like touching our face than looking back at it from an external point of view.
It is more direct and more primordial than self-consciousness. The second stage, self-consciousness, is like looking at our reflection in a mirror — and knowing that it is our reflection — but not defining it. It is actually the feeling of being a person and it is mostly activated when interacting with others.
Beyond Consciousness
We become overly self-conscious in contrast to others; personality can exist only in the social context. Self-consciousness does not yet produce a clear self-image, but there are always certain basic emotions attached to it, for instance, feeling shy or nervous or having a sense of superiority.
Self-consciousness always has psychological content, because to feel oneself as a person, our me has to produce a subtle hologram of our psychological identity. The third stage of development is self-image. Self-image is the final product of the relationship of personality with itself. While it is also a natural function, self-image becomes negative when it claims our identity, becoming a substitute of our own self. Personality defines itself through self-image, and from that self-image it derives a sense of self-worth. Without it, it is nothing; it does not know who it is. Our ability to create self-image is positive when used from the right place — from knowing who we are, from our soul.
The soul does not abide upon self-image, because she lives beyond self-reference, but at times our intelligence needs to create self-image as a means of orientation both in the outer and inner world. Even the concept of being a soul is a self-image that helps us to conceptually define who we are.
Having an understanding of who we are, and a conceptual image of what it means, means we can deepen our relationship with existence. The image of being a soul is a self-image of a higher degree, for it is not merely projected by our personality but reflects the nature of reality. A false self-image is created either due to a need to compensate psychologically or certain complexes or simply due to ignorance.
While one can have a completely inaccurate image of oneself, imagining things, the correct self-image is essential to exist not only as a person but also as an individual. When we are one with our pure nature, most of the time we have no image of who we are; while we are purely existing we do not need self-image. Instead, we activate it when the situation demands and then we let go of it again. In the natural state we do not need any mental or psychological points of reference to define us — we live in no-mind, in the non-conceptual state of non-abidance.
So from self-reference comes self-consciousness, and from self-consciousness comes self-image. They usually move very quickly between each other, often too fast to notice how they shift gears from one to the other. This threefold mechanism is how the ordinary ego functions. It is too unconscious to go beyond self-consciousness and too self-conscious to be really unconscious.
Unless we master these functions, not through control but through bringing a higher perspective, they will remain our prison. One can try to relinquish self-image, but it is useless without looking into its source, which is self-consciousness. In a similar way, we cannot reach freedom from self-consciousness without going to the root of self-reference.
Our me exists on several levels, and when it is unconscious all these levels of me are not properly connected; they cannot be unified as one self. For instance, one me may decide to drop self-referencing while another continues to do it anyway. So the consciousness of me as a whole has be transformed by linking it to I am and then to the soul. Self-reference cannot be halted through self-control, but it can be surrendered. The one who surrenders to I am and the one who is self-referring is the same one.
The process of the surrender of me into I am is the beginning of this most significant transformation. The evolution of self-reference is in direct relation to the evolution of me. Self-reference is what initially defines our me and what eventually allows the evolution of me towards its own subjectivity, from the observer to conscious me.
In pure self-reference, the observer can for the first time experience itself in separation from the mind and then, by deepening how it refers to itself, awaken conscious me. Conscious me gives us a clear sense of identity beyond the mind. Although not free from self-reference, it allows that mechanism to actually make sense by replacing the imaginary mental self with the real me; it gives a level of reality to self-reference.
A collection of incidental works in 's "Very The Best".
What is beyond consciousness? | Physics Forums
And a very unique soundtrack in 's "Expeditions: Streaming and Download help. This is great, incredible atmosphere, very cool sounds and nice melodic cohesion. The right balance between filling your expectations and showing you something new. If you like Leonardo Badinella, you may also like:. Bixiga 70 Meets Victor Rice by Bixiga El Arte de lo Posible by Fer Isella.
Improvisations with sound artist Ulises Conti spurred this Argentinian composer to write these adventurous, reflective piano pieces. Beyond Consciousness by Leonardo Badinella.