With issues such as global warming and the massive inequality between rich and poor, humankind faces challenges on a level never seen before. Some say the only solution to such challenges is for humanity to “wake up” to a new level of consciousness. Only with this new consciousness will we be fit to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Waking up

For some people it’s the first cup of coffee that does it; for others, it’s the morning shower. Some try to avoid the whole thing by repeatedly pressing the snooze button on their alarm. Waking up. We do it every day of our lives and yet it’s something that often seems to get harder with age.

Spiritual teachers use our daily struggle to wake from sleep as a metaphor for a deeper form of waking up. They explain that our usual level of awareness is actually like a half-asleep state. We need to go through a “waking up” process so we become more fully conscious. The process of waking into full consciousness, however, is a little more difficult than waking ourselves from sleep.

The evolution of human consciousness

The development of consciousness, or “waking up”, has been taking place gradually throughout human history. Researchers into human consciousness tell us history is not just the description of great events and famous people. While there was action going on in the outside world there were also great developments happening inside human beings. Our current capacity for self-awareness is only a relatively recent development. We might take it for granted, but humans have not always had this ability. The development of human consciousness can be divided into six major stages, as shown in the chart below:

Levels of consciousness

Level One: Nature awareness

Early humans were completely immersed in and connected with nature. There was no difference between inner experience and the outside world. (The innocent state of the Garden of Eden.)

Level Two: Body awareness

Awareness of being in a separate body developed. Humans used magic to try to manipulate the outside world, since they were no longer completely at one with it. (There was the belief in and appeasement of many gods.)

Level Three: Tribal awareness

Humans still didn’t have individual awareness but a tribal awareness developed whereby people felt they belonged to a particular group. Competition and war between groups arose. People wanted to believe God was on their side. This level of awareness still exists on the planet. (Belief in a single, external god.)

Level Four: Individual awareness

This is our present-day level of awareness. Humans have a sense of themselves as being separate individuals with their own interior experiences and needs. (Belief in God diminishes.)

Level Five: Planet awareness

This is the new consciousness arising. Individuals are completely self-expressed but in a way that complements, connects with and contributes to the rest of the planet. (Awareness of participating in something greater than the self.)

Level Six: Universal awareness

Individuals connect with a deeper spiritual presence that opens their consciousness even further. (Enlightenment, Samadhi and mystical experiences arise. There is the awareness of participating in an infinite sacred reality.)

The stages in the chart describe the gradual “waking up” of human consciousness from total connection with nature at Level One (asleep) to complete separation at Level Four (half awake) and then connection with the infinite at Level Six (awake).

At present, most people on the planet are at Level Four, which means they have an individual approach to life. This is actually a very dangerous stage in the development of consciousness because people look after their individual needs while ignoring the cost to the planet as a whole. Globally, we need to shift to Level Five because it brings with it a less self-centred approach to life. Some individuals are making the shift, but if more of us don’t, the wellbeing of the entire planet may be at risk.