(5.21) Consciousness is the real secret of power because whenever we become conscious of power it is invariably manifested in the objective world; it is brought forth into tangible expression.
Consciousness may be understood as degrees of awareness. We are only conscious/aware of the world as it relates to our experience. If you’ve never tried coffee, you are not aware of what coffee tastes like. As an infant child, you were not aware of the day to day situations your parents may have encountered in traffic and at work. It was not until became aware of riding in the car and eventually learning to drive that you could appreciate that specific laws are in place to ensure driving is not entirely chaotic.
Similarly, as we mature in our consciousness, we are responsible to adapt our behavior to remain in harmony with the new standards or laws which we have discovered. This is a crucial point that many people try to avoid because it means change.
When we were children and someone tied our shoes for us, we were not aware of the need to tie our laces. As we grew and perhaps tripped a few times on our untied laces, we learned to appreciate the value in adapting our behavior. This value is usually measured by how change can save us from harm. We tie our shoes so that we don’t trip. The other side of that coin is that we become less mindful as we walk. Being aware of this, we must make a renewed effort to remain mindful.
Consciousness is brought forth into tangible expression in the form of responsibility. Regardless of wether we tie our shoe laces, we know the value of tying them, so if we trip on them, we can only blame ourselves.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Aperture of Brahma 