Awareness

What is Awareness?  Call it awareness, consciousness, or mindfulness, here we are measuring how awake we are to a sense of being or havayah.  Sure, we are frequently aware that we are hungry or happy, cold or cranky.  But how often are we aware of simply being aware?  Prior to “I am this” or “I am that,” there is an I AM, period.  This is awareness itself, the witness at the core of consciousness, the “I am, that’s who I am” that Moses encountered at the burning bush.

Meaning

What are some aspects of AWARENESS? 

At the level of neshamah-soul there is pure awareness without content, the nes, or miracle of consciousness.  This flows into a-wariness in the nefesh-soul about the potential impacts of misguided behavior, speech or thought.  The sages called this aspect of awareness, zehirut.  Being self-conscious about the effects we have on others, for better or worse, is the beginning of moral wisdom.  And it is rooted in yirat hashem, a wonder that goes by many names.

Consciousness itself. Watchfulness. Attentiveness. Mindfulness.  Cognizance of the seen and unseen implications of our words and actions. Spark of godliness. Image of God. In Hebrew, the quality of being-and-becoming is called havayah. It is a foundation for the holy work of tikun midot hanefesh [refining our qualities of character]. It begins with awareness itself, then extends this awareness to the other midot.

Two directly related midot are worth mentioning here: a fearsome awe [yirah] and watchfulness [zehirut]. Whether we consider consciousness a miraculous Divine gift, an intricate neurobiological mystery of the natural world, or both, consciousness should amaze us. Yirah is a measure of amazement, our sense of wonder which Proverbs describes as the “beginning of wisdom.”

 When we confront the extent to which our daily choices impact the wellbeing of our friends, neighbors, and the entire planet, we should at least be wary. The acclaimed musar text by Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Mesilat Yesharim [The Ways of Righteous-Joy], begins with the quality of watchfulness, or zehirut. A fuller translation of zehirut: a wary awareness [a-wariness!] of the potential to harm others with my actions and inactions, deliberate or unintentional. Awareness is waking to the gift of consciousness and harnessing its power to be ever more mindful of the effects caused by the actions and inactions on ourselves and others.

Exercise this wondrous faculty first by tuning into the physical senses, one at a time. Notice sensations of touch upon the skin, and the ‘I am’’ that is aware of such feelings.  Notice what you see, and the seer. Listen deeply enough to hear something new, how different pitches, syllables, rhythms, and volumes impact me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Savor tastes and the taster, scents and sensor of smell. Follow each sensation to the root of simply being [havayah], where I am not this or that, I simply am. Follow awareness to an awareness of awareness.

Two tools for cultivating this (and all) the midot we choose, are 1) journaling, and 2) reciting a focus phrase or mantra.

There are many ways to use journaling as a practice. I suggest writing with pen and ink rather than typing into a computer or phone. Write about the midah you are currently working on, how you are practicing it, and how you might measure progress. Such a record helps us sustain the practice over time. It also engages the body (hand) and the eyes in the effort.

Focus phrases engage the mouth and the ears with short, simple phrases that remind us of the practice throughout the day, like sticky notes on the fridge, notifications on your phone, or a mezuzah on the doorpost.

Mentors

Who are exemplars of awareness?

In the Garden of Eden, Eve braves the consequences for the sake of awareness, breaking the first glass ceiling (as it were). She becomes conscious of her power to choose even before she eats of forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve is a matriarchal mentor. Modern mentors can be found among the growing number of talented mindfulness practitioners.

 ELIZ – oy something happened to eve? text box below the photo disappeared. please insert the paragraph above (not the intro question) in it. thx