How can we awaken consciousness?

Answer from the V.M. Samael Aun Weor.

Attention must be divided into three aspects:

SUBJECT – OBJECT – PLACE

We must divide our attention into three aspects; we need to grasp the profound significance of the moment in which we are acting. For example: observe a moviegoer closely; he is asleep in his seat, oblivious to everything, even himself. He is hollow, like a sleepwalker; he dreams along with the film, having forgotten himself. He has fallen into the deep sleep of fantasy, unaware of his own existence or identity.

Conscious attention precludes what is known as identification. When we identify with people, things, or ideas, fascination sets in, and this fascination induces a sleep of the consciousness.

We must ask ourselves inwardly: "Who am I?" (Subject). One must ask this consciously, knowing one exists, touching oneself, feeling oneself. Next, the object: one must be aware of what one is doing to avoid the error of lulling the consciousness to sleep; one should ask the reason for the action, for instance, "What am I doing?" This should be done mentally.

Now comes the third aspect: the place. It is vitally important to ask oneself where one is; one must observe the surrounding environment and the colors of objects.

A fascinated human being does not remember himself. We must practice self-remembering from moment to moment. We need to remember ourselves in the presence of any image or situation that might fascinate us.

Let us pause before any such impression and ask: "Who am I? What am I doing? Where am I?" Then, ask yourself: "Am I on the physical plane, or am I out of my body?" It stands to reason that if people live asleep day and night, they cannot know the astral state or distinguish the third dimension from the fourth, that is, the world of dreams. They will never know this unless they practice awakening their consciousness. By dividing our attention among these three aspects, we can consciously enter the world of dreams; there, we will find the answer we have always needed to fill our inner void.

Know that in the astral realm—or the world of dreams—things appear just as they do here on the physical plane. While dreaming and after death, people perceive everything there in a form so similar to the physical world that they do not even suspect they are outside their physical bodies.

Samael Aun Weor, The Awakening of Man.

Answer from the magazine "The The wisdom of the Being.".

It is necessary to awaken, but above all, it is urgent—first and foremost—to convince ourselves and accept that we are psychologically asleep. When one accepts this, it is a sign or symptom of a desire to awaken. This is similar to the case of a madman: madmen never admit to their condition, and when one of them acknowledges being mad, it is an unmistakable sign of improvement. The same applies to people with sleeping consciousness; they do not accept the reality that they are asleep, but once they do accept it, it indicates a desire to awaken.

The Magazine "The Wisdom of the Being" 109: "The Awakening of Consciousness."