Part Four: Welcoming Expanded Consciousness/Spirit Into Your Life

In our context, devotion refers to a deep sense of love, reverence, and commitment to God, a divine presence, person, and cause, such as bringing healing to the people of the world and the earth itself. It can take the form of prayer, meditation, reflection, other spiritual practices and always includes loving service and action. Devotion can be a powerful avenue for expanding consciousness/spirit and deepening one's connection to God.

The first followers of Jesus were devoted to him while he was in their physical realm. Their devotion became even more supercharged with the expansion of their consciousness/spirit at Pentecost and following. They now sang to him as the Living Resurrected Jesus, talked to him, and enjoyed his exhilarating presence in their gatherings. While in trance spirit consciousness, they received messages from Jesus and other spiritual presences of guidance, comfort, encouragement, and strengthening for one another. 

Significantly, within a few years after his resurrection appearances, these first, soon-to-be-called Christians were giving Jesus the same devotion they gave the awesome God of their Jewish faith. 

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Part Two: Welcoming Expanded Consciousness/Spirit Into Into Your Life

The New Testament describes two of the first followers of Jesus entering expanded spirit-consciousness as "falling into a trance," an awakened subtle state of spirit/consciousness. 

In a trance state, Peter heard a message that was to radically shape the emergence of early Christianity from Judaism. Paul received a message concerning his personal safety from harm by those who were persecuting him. We can learn from both these experiences of expanded awareness.

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Part One: States of Consciousness in Integral Christianity

What do you think of when you read and hear the term " Spirit"? (Traditionally written with an upper case "S" to make sure (wrongly, in my opinion) that we are thinking about God's spirit and not the human spirit.) 

What do you think of when you read or hear the term "consciousness?" Consciousness is what allows you to be aware of reading this sentence. It has been defined as a complex and multifaceted concept that refers to our subjective awareness and experience of the world and ourselves. This dimension of being human is crucially important because it encompasses our ability to perceive, think, reason, have self-awareness, and connect with spiritual realities. 

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