Does awareness just observe? Does it inform? Does it act?

Q: In some not so coincidental turn of events, I came across your YouTube channel and watched so many videos! And it prompted me to ask myself a series of questions... I would love your input as your discussions guided me to these questions: does Awareness just observe? Does it inform? Does it act? Is Consciousness different than Awareness?

A: Thank you for your message and for watching some of my videos. Great questions! I will start by answering the last one - some teachers differentiate between Consciousness and Awareness, but in my teachings they have the same meaning and I use the terms interchangeably.

In order to answer the other questions, I would have to say a bit more about Awareness:

There's different (so-called) 'levels' of Awareness. The absolute level is the one we experience in deep sleep. Our experience then is not an absence of Awareness, but rather an absence of objective experience, i.e. there is nothing to be aware of, and as such we experience Awareness in its pure, empty but aware, state. At times, experience of 'otherness' happens within this Awareness - since it is Infinite, the very thought of 'otherness' creates worlds and universes of experiences. As Awareness in human forms, we experience thoughts, feelings, and sense perceptions which create the illusion of duality / many of us. This illusion is so well-created that we forget our True Self (Awareness Itself) and begin identifying with the human form to face and release our beliefs in separation. 

Does Awareness just observe?

From this human and relative level of experience, it can be said that Awareness observes at first (It is the unchangeable and ever-present knower of the thoughts, feelings, and sense perceptions). Eventually, the more the beliefs in separation are seen to be illusory, it is recognised that all experience is Awareness knowing Itself alone. 

Does Awareness act?

As a concession, we could say that all experience is an 'activity of Awareness'. Rupert Spira, for example, says: "Mind is consciousness in motion; Consciousness is mind at rest". 

Does Awareness inform?

The purpose of life is to return to Self. When we are identified with the human form, many layers of separation are created (between Awareness and the body/mind, between humans and spiritual guides / angels, etc.). When this happens, Awareness 'informs' the body/mind to return to It through means such as intuition, channelling, or divination. Once we rest as Awareness, there is simply an unfolding of experiences that are known to be happening perfectly, and as such there is no resistance to what is. The body/mind is then known to be a limited form of Awareness, and it can still turn to channelling or divination as ‘higher means’ of receiving information. However, it is also known that there is no separation between the question and the answer, the human and the Guides - all of which are known to be expressions of Awareness, our True Self.