Making a map of how our awareness develops

Do you sometimes look at the world around you, and wonder if people exist in different realities?

I do. And the last years I've realized that this experience, isn’t me being crazy. It’s true. Because inside themselves, people DO exist in different realities. And it all depends on where their awareness is at.  

Some months ago, I stumbled across an episode in the Enneagram 2.0 podcast by Uranio Paes and Beatrice Chestnut, where they present a Level of Awareness system (S1 Ep30). And I loved the idea of having a MAP to the different phases of awareness, to assist us in understanding ourselves, each other, and the awakening process better.  

I decided to make a summary of the levels, according to Chestnut and Paes. This is what I'm gonna share with you here. In this essay, I´ll start at Level 1: Sleepwalker, and continue to Level 5: The Mystical Union. Actually, Paes´ and Chestnut’s system consists of 9 levels. But as they say themselves, they only describe up to 5 - because very few of us touch beyond those levels.

The description of the levels here, are very short. Welcome to listen to the podcast if you get curious! And maybe I’ll continue to explore this map, and make separate essays for each level at a point. Also, bear in mind that the awareness levels aren’t static; we might for example get a taste of a higher level through meditation or a retreat. And we might dip to a lower level, under stress. But eventually, what we´re talking about here, is a slow climbing from one level to the next. Whenever we´re ready.

The majority … never move past level 1.

Level 1: Sleepwalker

Awareness level 1 is often called “the sleepwalker state”. At this level, we´re busy with the basic things: earning money, finding a partner, building social position, having friends, creating a home and building families and career. We´re caught up in doing, and the one that does the doing… is invisible to us. We do what we do, more or less automatically, without paying much attention to WHY we do it, or if we could´ve made different choices. We´re totally identified with our personality, and our inner life is more or less asleep.  

(Paes and Chestnut call this state “the animal state”. The reason for this, is that at awareness level 1, our lives - just as in the animal kingdom - revolve around survival and positioning.)

I think most people would agree that level 1 is where we are at collectively. At this point in human evolution, our societies – at least our modern western ones – place little value in people getting to know who they are. We are taught to find a work, create an income, build a family and buy a home. As long as we do that, the wheels of society: go around.

Because awareness level 1 is where the majority is at, and also the fundament our societies are built on: there´s a strong collective pull to STAY at this level. Basically, it feels safe here. And, because of this, many of us spend great parts (or the whole) of our lives: asleep to ourselves.

It's usually suffering that pulls us out of the sleep state. We get physically or mentally sick; a loved one leaves us; we aren’t able to build the life we´re trying to; we fail in something important to us. Basically, we arrive at a point where the dream state doesn’t work for us anymore. We´re desperate for answers, and for medicine. And so, we start searching. 

Level 2: Seeker

Level 2 marks the beginning of a self-realization journey. This phase is where people find their way to retreats, start a meditation practice, find a therapist or coach, explore personality systems like the Enneagram, read self-help books, sign up for self-development courses etc.

Initially, entering this level feels like a great and thrilling adventure. Fueled by curiosity and a hope for a more meaningful life, we are (finally) on the journey of getting to know ourselves! And some seekers enter this level and think their journey is all about fun and light and of finally getting to know their god-self.

But, really, level 2 is all about the down-to-earth human work: Shadow work, trauma work, relationship work etc. Cause in order to move closer to our Essence, we first need to clear the way for Essence to shine through! And that demands we do our psychological cleaning work.

Level 2 is a complex place to be. There´s the thrill of exploring a whole new part of ourselves. But, as we pull ourselves out of the mainstream perspective, there´s also a ton of challenging feelings: pain, grief, frustration, fear. People who are still asleep, often look at those in level 2, with all those challenging feelings- and wonder: why on earth would anyone want that for themselves? And sometimes, level 2 people ask themselves this, too. But, at this point, we´ve already swallowed the red pill. There´s no return.

In level 2 its natural, and essential, to find sangha – community. We need to surround ourselves with others who are also looking for their deeper self.  We need to speak together about all that chaos we feel inside. And we need to remind ourselves of the possibilities that lies ahead.

Point 3: The conflict between Essence and Personality

In the spiritual and self-help-environment, people often think they´re awake when they move from level 1 to level 2. But really, level 2 is more like walking an edge between awake and asleep. We´re still asleep, but trying to wake ourselves up.

As sleepwalkers, we identify with our personality. When we´re awake, we identify with Essence. And at level 2, we´re sort of being pulled between those two parts of ourselves.

We have discovered our deeper self – but we´re still looking at her, from the outside. We can FEEL our Essence, but not really BE her.

This paradigm happens because our identification is still in our personality.

At the peak of level 2, we feel more and more trapped within our personalities. There´s a conflict within us between Personality and Essence – and it´s almost unbearable. How to move on, from here?

According to Paes, the most constructive thing we can do as this point, is to humble ourselves, and admit that we can’t solve this conflict ourselves. We might even pray for a higher force to come down and help us: Hello Universe, this is out of my control – please help me.

And sometimes, with that humbleness: help arrives. We discover a life-changing book; get introduced to a teacher; have a spiritual aha-moment; realize something talking to a friend. At a point of grace, we are moved out of personality, and into Essence.

Level 4: Finally, I'm ME!

Finally, we know who we are! We are no longer personality, having an essence.

We are ESSENCE - having a personality.

Indeed, this is the beginning of awakening. We are finally: OURSELVES.

As we establish ourselves in Essence, we finally birth ourselves as the creative, conscious beings that we truly are. It's not like we´re free of our personalities. But now, our personalities are more like transparent vessels, that allow our Essence to shine through. Our personalities aren’t imprisoning us anymore. They´re just the unique human flavor that make us: US.

Level 4 feels wonderful. With the stabilizing of our identity in Essence, comes an enormous energy boost. We feel clear, intelligent and creative. There´s an inner peace; we feel in integrity with ourselves. There´s also a grace coming with this level. In some ways you could say, that by becoming ourselves, we also get in touch … with the divine.

Level 5: In touch with the divine?

According to Chestnut and Paes, there´s a void between level 4 and 5, an abyss which we can identify as a great spiritual challenge: the death of our ego. Chestnut compares this space to a trip to the underworld. If we face this void, and dare surrender the last defenses of our ego, we change. Our sense of self transcends the body and the individual self. Letting go of the egocentric view, we do not feel as center of the universe anymore. Rather, we are a fragment of the universe, a tiny part of a collective human soul.

Level 5 is a merging with the non-dual state: a deep spiritual experience. There´s a wonderful softening of the heart. Paes calls this happening: The Mystical Union.

Many people have experienced a taste of this level; through meditation or psychedelica or spiritual aha-moments. But not many stabilize here.

Just the beginning of a long journey

The development of awareness doesn’t stop here. As I mentioned in the beginning, Paes and Chestnuts´system consists of 9 levels. In Gurdjieffs 4 levels of awareness, these 5 levels coordinate with his level 1. Asleep and 2. Awake, and there are two levels following: 3. Self-awareness and 4. Objective consciousness. But not many people move beyond this stage.

Welcome to join me in exploring this map, and the levels, in the comments! Where do you find yourself? Do the descriptions resonnate with your experience?