Beyond Belief & Religion: An Exploration of Christ Consciousness - Ep 196

Episode Focus: Understanding Christ Consciousness Beyond Belief Systems
Theme: Collective awakening, spiritual evolution, and the universal archetype

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode of Evolving Humans, host Julia Marie invites you to explore the concept of Christ consciousness as a vital part of our collective awakening. This episode transcends traditional religious frameworks, offering a broader understanding of how Christ consciousness manifests in our lives.

Julia delves into the meaning of Christ consciousness, describing it as a higher state of awareness characterized by love, devotion, courage, and surrender. She emphasizes that this state is accessible to all, inviting listeners to recognize and embody these qualities in their daily lives.

Through engaging insights, Julia illustrates how Christ consciousness is not limited to historical figures but is a universal archetype present in all of us. She encourages listeners to embrace their divine potential and offers practical tools for recognizing this consciousness in everyday situations.

Key Themes & Highlights

✨ Understanding Christ Consciousness

• Defining Christ consciousness as a spiritually evolved state of being
• Exploring the relationship between individual awakening and collective consciousness

✨ Practical Applications

• Recognizing moments of compassion and understanding in your life
• How to respond to life's challenges from a place of higher awareness

✨ Common Misconceptions

• Debunking the myth that Christ consciousness equals constant bliss
• Understanding that this awareness is available to everyone, not just the spiritually elite

✨ Reflection Questions

• Where have you experienced unexpected compassion?
• What would change if you viewed your life through the lens of transformation and rebirth?

Join Julia in this enlightening episode as she guides you to recognize the Christ light within you and encourages you to express it through love and understanding in your daily interactions.

Many thanks to Pixabay's Relaxing Time for Relaxing Music Pt 1-141198 for the music bed for this episode.

Transcript

On this episode of Evolving Humans, we examine the concept of Christ consciousness within the larger context of our collective awakening. We will not be using a religious framework or specific belief system. Welcome to Evolving Humans. I'm your host, Julia Marie. If you're a thoughtful seeker who feels something shifting inside and you want to understand what that means, evolving humans is the place for you. We explore how consciousness is changing and provide you with practical wisdom to help you understand your own spiritual transformation within a larger context. If you're ready to see your life as part of a greater wave of remembering, evolving humans, we'll take that journey with you. 

The notion of Christ consciousness is coming more into the mainstream, and I feel it's because of its close relationship to the concept of spiritual awakening, both individually and collectively. Now, I know that for some of you, just hearing the word Christ or Jesus can trigger a reaction. Some of us grew up in religious environments that were painful or restrictive, and we may feel a tightening in our body as soon as we hear language that archens back to those times. Wherever you find yourself on this journey, you're welcome here. Today is not about converting or convincing anyone, and I'm not here to debate doctrine either. We're here to explore a part of the evolution of human consciousness that is exemplified by the life of someone known as Jesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ. He lived his life over 2,000 years ago and his teachings still impact our lives today. 

We're going to look at what that actually means outside the framework of belief systems in general, and how you might already be experiencing Christ's consciousness in your own life. Let's begin. 

You've probably heard the phrase Christ consciousness used in a lot of different ways. In many contemporary spiritual circles, it gets talked about as a kind of high frequency state, a state of love and light, which is beautiful, but a bit vague. In more traditional Christian settings, the term Christ usually refers specifically to Jesus as the Son of God, unique and separate from us as mortal humans. He was sent by God, the Father, to atone for our sins and save us from eternal damn nation. And in between these two extremes, you'll find many other perspectives. So I want to start with what Christ's consciousness means to me. I see it as basically higher consciousness or awareness, a state of living that takes us out of the realm of duality. It's an expanded way of thinking and living our lives that transcends the chaos and fear of this materialistic world, and yet does not abandon it. 

Rather, the enlightened person chooses to exist in this world without allowing their vibration to be negatively affected by the circumstances around them. Does it mean that you no longer have to deal with the human challenges we all face every day? No. Enlightenment simply means you view what is happening in your life from a different perspective, and you learn to respond to something instead of reacting to it. In the broadest sense, Christ consciousness refers to a spiritually evolved state of being. With the qualities of love and the broadest sense, Christ's consciousness refers to a spiritually evolved state of being with the qualities of love, devotion, courage, and surrender at the center of it. When we're able to successfully embody these qualities in our lives, we are the Christ energy expressing itself into this world. In other words, it's a way of being that's rooted in love. 

When you're working from a place of Christ consciousness, it is about direct experience and a deep inner knowing, not about living according to beliefs borrowed from another. You feel a sense of connection and sometimes union with something larger than your little separate self. I will add here that it's not all about just the good vibes only approach to spirituality. This level of awareness can be felt and experienced in both the light and the dark times of our lives. And it's not at all about instant perfection. We can, however, choose to evolve into our higher consciousness to embody our Christ self every day. We can choose to meet life with a heart filled with love, devotion, courage and surrender, just as Christ did. 

Jesus was both human and divine, and so are you. You therefore have within you the capacity to integrate those aspects of self into a cohesive hole. It is why I believe we've all come into this experience to learn to use not just our minds, but our hearts, to embrace our flaws as humans, but also deepen our connection to our divinity, and then express more of that into our lives. But spend a few moments talking about Jesus and the term Christ, because that could be confusing. Jesus was an historical person, a Jewish teacher and healer who lived at a specific time and place in human history. The name Jesus identifies that person. Christ, on the other hand, is a Greek word that means anointed one. And in those times, many enlightened people were considered Christs. 

Additionally, mystics, contemplatives, and some theologians have expanded the definition to assert that what we call the Christ is a universal principle or an archetypal pattern, if you will. It's the pattern of divine life showing up in creation. It is the word or logos, the light that shines in the darkness. It is divinity made flesh. In that sense, Christ's consciousness is not limited to a single historical figure. It is what happens whenever human consciousness wakes up to its true nature as an aspect of the source from which we all came, and then that consciousness surrenders and allows the higher nature to express through a human life. So if you're someone who loves Jesus, this understanding doesn't take anything away from that relationship. In fact, now you can contemplate the possibility that the same spirit that was in him also lives in you. And if you don't resonate with Christianity, you can still recognize the Christ archetype. 

This pattern is about dying to an old self, an awakening to a deeper, more loving way of being in the world. I would point out this way of thinking and living was not only unique to Jesus, it's been exemplified by other enlightened beings throughout the ages. Buddha, Moses, Krishna, Gandhi, even Mr. Rogers, and there are also female examples of the Christ's consciousness. Mother Mary, St. Theresa of Avila, Mary Magdalene, and more recently, Mother Teresa, to name a few. 

What distinguishes these beings and all avatars and liberated beings is that they come from a place of unified consciousness. Now that I've talked a little bit about what Christ's consciousness is, I want to offer you some thoughts about what it is not. It's not about being nice all the time or about pretending you're always peaceful and positive, and it most definitely is not a spiritual badge of superiority. It is a way of perceiving a way of awareness and then living from that place of understanding. It is choosing every day to strive to achieve and maintain that level of consciousness, even in the face of difficulty. 

It is what I call the awareness path, where we move beyond the realm of duality, good and evil, light and dark yes and no, to a place of being of acceptance. You've heard me talk about it before, but hopefully this episode today will deepen your understanding of what I'm talking about when I say those words, the awareness path. The truth, we all have access to the divinity within, and all of us are capable of achieving Christ's consciousness. It's because all life is interconnected, and so it doesn't matter what, if any, religion or belief system one subscribes to. 

The only requirement is that we carry a desire in our hearts to express more than our human aspect into this world. You may be asking yourself, well then, how can I know if I'm on the awareness path? How can I know if I'm in the process of awakening and expressing my Christedself and my life? Here's some things you can look for. First, if you're listening to this podcast, you're probably awake to the truth that you are far more than your physical body and there is more to it than this limited material world existence. If you know there is a spark of the divine that lives within you, you are expanding into your Christ consciousness. After we awaken, then we begin the journey towards awareness and this part of that path lasts for the balance of our lives, working to expand our awareness each and every day. 

We become aware of our potential as human beings who are also animated by the divine within, and we strive to become more self-aware and conscious of our thoughts and our actions, particularly in the moment. 

We find ourselves wanting to actively live from a place of higher consciousness on a daily basis. Another indicator that you're moving into Christ's consciousness is your willingness to surrender control over the circumstances of life. You're learning to be open to whatever it is life offers you. In addition to learning to let go, you also know how to work through your human emotions of anger, sadness, judgment, and resistance, especially when things don't work out as you wanted them to, and you know there's great power in simply accepting what is in any given moment. Another characteristic of a life lived from the place of an enlightened being is the ability to be grateful for what we have. There's great power in counting our blessings for it tells the universe we're at peace where we are, and we are open to make space for more. Remember, like attracts like. 

Gratitude is a high vibration and it will help you manifest what is perfect for you in this life. 

When we're operating from a place of expanded awareness, a place of Christ consciousness, we don't see separation or division either. We see only the spark of divinity that lives within each and every one of us, and we can see that every human being needs love, kindness, compassion, and acceptance. Just remember, you carry the Christ light within you. That spark that is a perfect reflection of the divine perfection of our creator. Now, all of this may be feeling very abstract and vague, so let's bring it down to earth here for a minute. I promised to give you practical tools to apply in your life or concepts you could contemplate as you go about your day, so let's move to that part of the discussion. But first, a few words about how Christ consciousness may show up in your daily life. It often shows up in the smallest and quietest moments. 

Here's some examples of what I'm talking about. 

Part of you once revenge for a perceived slight, and then something in you softens and you choose forgiveness instead of getting even. And you make this choice not because you're a doormat, but because you see more clearly the harm that staying stuck in hatred and revenge causes you. Or it's the quiet presence that appears when you sit beside someone who is in deep distress, perhaps maybe even dying. You may not have the words to speak, but you feel a stillness, a quiet presence, a peace that sits there with you. I'll share a brief personal example here, and I'll admit that at the time I wasn't awakened yet, but I was still able to feel that something was happening in that moment. I share the story in my book, signals from my soul, a spiritual memoir of awakening available on Amazon. But the relevant part of the story comes when I find myself sitting with my daughter in an emergency room in the midst of a serious medical event. 

The doctors didn't have anything left to try and I could tell they were worried. Well, so was I. I prayed to God pleading for mercy for my child. Somewhere in the midst of that moment, a feeling of deep peace came over me and literally filled the room. 

I immediately relaxed and surrendered the situation. I believe now that what I experienced was the very thing we're talking about here. A higher, wiser aspect of myself. My Christed consciousness came to comfort my human aspect in this time of distress. I can still feel that energy all these decades later. This elevated consciousness is there in those moments when you find yourself expressing truth you didn't plan to share, but you find yourself speaking it from a place of love and not aggression. Your goal in the moment is to heal the situation, not to win over another. That's your Christed level of awareness, wanting to come through into this world. More generally, Christ's consciousness can show up as a feeling of love for humanity or for the earth that doesn't make any logical sense to you. 

You just find yourself being moved by the beauty or the suffering that you're witnessing. The thing to notice here, it's not always visions and angels, although sometimes it can be. Most often, however, it is you having the courage to be kind when it would be easier to close your heart down. Before I share a simple practice you might want to try, let's address a few of the more common misunderstanding than some of the pitfalls you may encounter. I mention these so that you can watch for them and because they often cause a lot of unnecessary suffering. First pitfall I've mentioned briefly already, but it bears repeating. It's the idea that if you're in Christ's consciousness or any other awakened state, you'll feel blissful and serene all the time. That's not true. What this state of awareness can give you though is a different perspective from which to view your life circumstances. 

It naturally expands your heart, and when your heart opens, you most often will feel more. More joy, yes, but also more grief. You'll have more compassion for others, yet you'll feel more of their pain. Basically, this expanded state of awareness makes you more sensitive in all ways. Another misconception is that being at this level of awareness means you no longer have to deal with the challenges of your physical body or your own pain, be it emotional or physical, or even spiritual. Working to achieve Christ's consciousness is not about abandonment of the physical side of your life. It's about living your life from a place of full embodiment of this aspect of your being, rather than floating above the human experience. You're urged to dive totally into it in order to totally transform the experience of life itself. 

Third misconception is that being at the Christ level of consciousness is framed by this episode is only for holy people like saints and gurus. I would argue that some of the most beautiful expressions of this love and wisdom is demonstrated by people who would never call themselves spiritual, like the neighbor who always seems to know when to knock on your door or the nurse working the night shift or the teacher that spends extra time with a student that needs it. Christ consciousness is not a title or a label. It requires you to have the willingness to surrender to your highest potential as an incarnated soul. Now, I did create a brief exercise for you to try, practice, observing from the state of Christ consciousness or higher awareness, if you will. So please wait until you're in a quiet place with some free time to do that exercise. 

Don't attempt it while you're driving or just come back to this section later. It's very brief, only about five minutes. So here's the exercise. 

Find a quiet place and settle down and just bring your attention to your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Allow your breath to relax you as you focus on your breathing. Take three or four slow, deep breaths into your belly, feeling yourself relaxed. When you're ready, bring to mind a difficult person or situation in your life right now. Use your imagination to make it as real as you can for yourself. And while you feel yourself immersed in the energy of that situation or that person, ask yourself, what would awareness do? How would my Christed self respond to this? What would I say or do in this moment to bring about healing and sit with it for enter 20 seconds, maybe even a minute, and see what arises for you. 

When you're done, even if you notice resistance, make a note of it in your journal and understand that noticing the resistance is okay. There's no need to force anything here. It's all about becoming aware, consciously aware of how we move in our lives on a day-to-day basis, for it's only through the awareness that we can change our circumstances. We all know the saying you can't change what you don't acknowledge. That's true. Even more true here. So whenever you're complete with writing your notes in your journal, you're done with this simple exercise. As we come to a close, I want to leave you with a couple of questions you might want to contemplate as you go about your week. And remember again that writing in your journal about what arises for you can often bring insight. They may come quickly or might take years by keeping a record. 

That's why it's so valuable. 

Here we go. The first question for you. Where in your life have you experienced moments of unexpected compassion and understanding? Times when you surprised yourself by how loving or patient you were? Second question. What would change if you saw your life as a personal version of the death and resurrection story modeled by Jesus? Not in a literal sense per se, but in the sense of old identities and beliefs dying and something wiser and more loving, being born. Again, if you get any insights, make a note of them. Now in this episode, we talk about Christ consciousness as a universal pattern of awakening, awakening to the love and the truth, and the reality of who we are. I offered you a couple of reflection questions for you to ponder and gave you a simple practice to try, experimenting with observing your life from that higher place of awareness. 

Now, in upcoming episodes, we're going to go deeper into this. We may look at the dark night of the soul through the lens of the Christ's story, and we'll talk more about what it means to embody this consciousness, this level of awareness in ordinary ways every day. 

That's our time for today. If today's topic brought up a question in you about Christ's consciousness or awakening or the soul's journey or anything else related to this, I'd love to hear from you. You can go to our YouTube channel, Evolving Humans with Julia Marie, and leave your question in the comment section below this episode. Your questions will help shape the direction of this podcast, and I do look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for listening and for continuing to support evolving humans. If you found value in this episode, please share it with two other people so that together we can bring more light to this world. If you need guidance about a life situation or in need of some energy healing or want to reconnect with your loved ones living on the other side of life, please go to my website, juliamarie.us and click the book now button on the homepage. 

Until next time, remember what you are looking for, you already have within you.