Ascending The Densities of Consciousness

Each thread of consciousness (our souls, over-souls, and beyond), within the One multiversal consciousness, exists in one of eight states. Each of these states of consciousness has a unique set of characteristics, perspectives, and core beliefs that define it. These states have also been called LEVELS because we generally progress through them sequentially. This progression is the evolution of our soul's consciousness, and it is the fundamental process that every Soul is undergoing and striving for — the process also known as Spiritual Evolution. And it is the primary reason that we incarnate into physical realities like our planet Earth. Physical experiences, and the challenges that they entail offer our souls an evolutionary fast track, and hence are greatly coveted.
Actually, there really aren't discrete levels of consciousness — consciousness is a continuous spectrum, and so it can be in any of an infinite number of states. Despite this, one can distinguish some interesting and notable waypoints in the progression of consciousness, and this is what we will explore in this article. There is more than one way to slice and dice the spectrum of consciousness and understand its important stages. Here I present an eight level model. Others have modeled the spectrum of consciousness as twelve levels, and yet others as ten levels. Please don't let the differences in the way people have sliced and diced consciousness obscure the useful insights that are provided here.
Another name for the process of MOVING UP through the levels of consciousness is "Ascension." Ascension has been widely misunderstood — it is not about going "somewhere else" it's about attaining higher states of consciousness wherever you happen to be. It may feel like you've gone somewhere else because a change in your level of consciousness is a radical shift in perspective which alters how you perceive and create your reality. Also, if you raise your consciousness in this life, then in your next, you will incarnate into a higher level of physical reality — one that better matches your heightened level of consciousness.
What the future holds for you depends on your state of consciousness now. —Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Of course, ultimately, when your soul raises its consciousness enough it will reintegrate with its Over-Soul. Thereby ceasing Incarnation, becoming a seamless part of its Over-Soul, and contributing to the evolution of the Over-Soul's consciousness — which is good because your Over-Soul is essentially the higher/wider level of you!
What Are Densities of Consciousness?
You may be wondering where the term "densities" which was used in the title of this article comes from and how it applies to levels of consciousness. Density is a term that has come into common usage to refer to the levels/states of consciousness. The origin of this term is a bit obscure and confusing. Densities are related to the level of consciousness, and the frequency level, at which a reality is created (all realities are constructs, and all things are patterns of energy). It's called "density" because of a characteristic perceptual effect that's related to the level of reality and the consciousness perceiving it. To illustrate this let's take the Earth as an example.
The Earth is in the 3rd density level of reality (frequency band). At this level, everything — rocks, trees, houses, cars, etc. — APPEAR very solid and very "real." They feel solid because, when two objects encounter each other they do not interpenetrate and/or pass through each other — the density of the objects "material" seems to be very high. In the higher planes/levels/densities/frequency-bands of reality, it becomes increasingly obvious that THINGS are simply projections of the creative mind and, as such, that they are not "real" in our normal sense of the word. In each successively higher level of reality, it becomes increasingly more obvious that only consciousness is real, and that "things" are simply the projections of consciousness, thought forms within the cosmic mind and patterns of energy. As you move up through higher and higher levels of reality "things" appear less and less dense, and more and more able to interpenetrate and/or pass through each other.
The confusing part is that we have numbered the densities in an order OPPOSITE of the apparent density of "things" within those densities — E.G; things in a 6th density reality are actually of a lower apparent density than in a 3rd density reality. But note that the numbering order matches the frequency level — higher densities correspond to higher frequencies. So a bit confusing, but we are stuck with this convention. Please note that some people use the term "dimension" to mean the same thing as "density" (although this may not be appropriate and the term might be better used for other concepts).
There are entire realities that appear to exist at particular density levels. When this is the case, then most of the beings inside that reality will share the same level of consciousness. Our Universe (one of many, by the way) is composed of multiple parallel realities (sometimes referred to as "planes of reality"), and you are perceiving, and hence experiencing, one of them. There is a strong correlation between the plane or level of reality and level/state/density of consciousness of the beings that inhabit it — typically the average density of the population of the beings inhabiting a reality matches the density level of the reality.
The Densities of Consciousness
The 1st density of consciousness is the most rudimentary level of consciousness. It is present in elemental entities like rocks, minerals, water, and air as well as simple organic biological entities such as single-celled organisms. Everything is conscious to some degree, and this level of consciousness is like a program that was created when the system it governs was created and then runs like a machine on automatic — it is the very simplest switch-like logic of "if this, then that." The very simple logical processes provided by 1D consciousness are all that is required for the functioning of these types of very simple entities, and it provides the foundation from which everything more complex in our reality is built.
Most of the planets of our solar system exist at 1st density, and they are inhabited solely by entities/beings of 1D consciousness — inorganic elemental entities as well as single-celled organisms that metabolize the chemicals available to them from these entities. It may surprise you to know that these elemental inorganic entities have higher-selves with higher level consciousness just like we do.
The 2nd density of consciousness governs a being's choices and actions by instinct or "drive." On Earth, it occurs in higher animals which have developed nervous systems. These nervous systems allow animals (including the human animal) to feel urges from their various body systems and drives them to eat, procreate, sleep, avoid or defend against danger, and all the other things that each species needs to do for its survival. These drives happen pretty much automatically but are not absolute — they can be over-ridden.
A 2D being is not self-aware in the way that we are. They do not have the same sense of individuality as we do — their sense of "self" as being separate from what is outside of "them" is largely absent. There is simply the drive to respond to cues from the environment. There is decision-making ability, sometimes fairly sophisticated, but there is not the formation of complex ideas, beliefs, or philosophies.
2nd density consciousness is the foundation upon which more advanced life-forms with higher levels of consciousness rest.
The 3rd density of consciousness is characterized by true self-awareness, and the ability to make conscious choices and formulate complex ideological concepts such as principles, philosophical frameworks, and belief systems. This level of consciousness perceives "self" versus "other", "me and mine" vs "them and theirs", and conceives of "good" versus "bad." Hence it is the first of three levels of consciousness that are within a genre of consciousness that has been called "Duality" or "Separation" consciousness.
3rd density beings are deeply in the illusion of separation. In the genre of Separation consciousness there is little or no awareness that All is One. Beings of Separation consciousness see themselves separate from others, and the world as a place of limitation and scarcity. And it's this mindset that manifests all the greed, competition, and conflict that characterizes 3rd density worlds. In addition, 3rd density beings have lots of internal conflict on what to believe and desire. And this inner-conflict is reflected into their outer reality and hence 3rd density worlds are wracked with conflict on many levels, both collective and personal.
Another one of the very convincing illusions that emerges from the separation game, the game that everyone on Earth is deeply immersed in right now, is the illusion that we are at the mercy of circumstances — that we ARE NOT the creators of our reality. And this illusion causes many to adopt a mindset that might be best called "Victim" consciousness and which manifests all the victim/perpetrator/rescuer dramas that dominate our lives, at both the personal and collective level (more about this in upcoming articles, follow the blog to stay tuned).
3rd density is the level of consciousness of many, if not most, people now alive on Earth (although many are 4th density and a few are 5th and even 6th density). The world of 3D consciousness is complex, intricate, and often confusing and offers plenty of drama. 3rd density consciousness is also the level where a phenomenon within the psyche known as the "ego" emerges — that powerful sense of "I", "Me", and "Mine." This level of consciousness can manifest powerful resolve and will-power. It is a level characterized by very strong Individualism and "go it on my own" and "do it my way" attitude. Empires are built by such a consciousness when it is fully unleashed.
It is at this level of consciousness where we first see a being who might willingly choose to put himself in harm's way over a complex ideological concept such as "fairness" or "justice". But it could go the other way too — a 3rd density being who decides he has been unfairly treated might choose to take from or hurt others and feel quite justified in doing so.
Our planetary consciousness is 3rd Density (at least it was until recently, now it's shifting into 4th density) and in the past most people would reside at this level for much, if not all, of their lives. Some people might have shifted from 3D or 4D consciousness to 4D or 5D during old-age due to the natural diminishing of the ego and shift to heart that results from the physical limitations brought on by the aging process. Others might have made a shift to higher levels of consciousness by INTENTIONALLY choosing to "listen to their heart", or "find their own truth", or to love unconditionally. Now this is all changing, at least here on Earth. Currently our Earth reality is undergoing a "stimulus package", that is being orchestrated from the other side, that is catalyzing accelerated "awakenings" and many people are spontaneously shifting to 4th, 5th, and even 6th density consciousness — and this is all part of the plan for the Earth game. But back to the general explanation of the typical progression through the densities.
3rd density realities and worlds are constantly presenting the beings that inhabit them the choice of which direction to invest their energy. They are constantly being called to choose what they will serve and what they will love. This choice is between two diametrically opposed ways of being — Service to Self (STS) or Service to Others (STO). When a being makes this choice it means that its mindset, and resulting choices and actions, are consistently biased towards either (1) Satisfying its own needs (STS) or (2) satisfying the needs of others and the community (STO).
When a 3rd density being ends its indecision and definitively chooses either a Service-to-Self or a Service-to-Other orientation — when they ask the questions; Who do I love?, What do I serve?, and To what will I give my energy? — and they answer with either "myself" or "others" they graduate to 4th density of consciousness.
The 4th density of consciousness is the level where the journey to becoming a truly individualized sovereign being begins. This density still has most of the characteristics of 3rd density except that at this level the beings have polarized to one of two modes — Service To Self (STS) and Service To Other (STO). These modes represent two polar opposites in the manner in which beings will direct their energy — essentially there is two states of 4D consciousness — 4D STO and 4D STS.
The adoption of one of these two distinct polarities — STO or STS — is what moves you to this level of consciousness. Of course, most people who have made the shift to 4th density are not consciously aware that they have done so — it's usually an implicit choice rather than an explicit one. In many ways, this polarization amplifies the duality of the realities manifested by this level of consciousness. And intensifies the many dramas that play out at this level of the game. On worlds populated with mostly 4th density being's victim/perpetrator/rescuer dramas are still being widely played out and greed, competition, conflict is still prevalent.
Here are examples of what polarized beings might look like.
A full-fledged 4D STO being might be a person who is working at a shelter or a community social support services in a depressed community and giving lots of their energy to helping the poor on the streets. Or it might be a person who invests a lot of their time and energy in environmental and animal rights issues. By their example, they offer you the choice to take a similar path. The 4D STO polarity had been called the polarity of compassion, as this is what rules their heart.
A full-fledged 4D STS being might be one of the many self-serving power hungry people that litter our institutions, corporations, and our history. These types of people channel all their energy towards attaining power, wealth, and influence. And they are willing to manipulate others and destroy anyone who gets in their way if it serves THEIR needs. They'll often claim to be working for the greater good — serving the needs of the electorate, the shareholders, the customers, the community, or whoever they are pretending to serve. They can be found vying for power and control in criminal gangs, corporate offices, political parties, and religious organizations. The 4D STS polarity had been called the polarity of "power over others", because this is what rules their minds and gets their needs served.
4th density beings, regardless of their polarity, are characterized by a strong clarity of purpose. They have firmly adopted an orientation, and their choices and actions consistently demonstrate it. Because their mindset is so well defined and un-conflicted they tend to drive very powerfully and effectively towards their goals — they are achievers!
The challenge for those at this density is to avoid burnout. 4th density beings tend to give all they have and then exhaust themselves and their resources. The reason for this is simple — no system can exist in which the energy only flows in one direction. An STO being tends to give too much and receive too little. An STS being tends to take too much and give too little. So both STS and STO beings find that, lifetime after lifetime, that they either burn themselves out or end up all alone with nothing. 4th density beings (and 4th density societies) can be fairly successful but ultimately their success it limited by the fact that they don't understand one simple truth — you have to give to get, and you have to get to give. When they finally come to understand this, then they are ready to move up the ladder to the 5th density of consciousness.
The 5th density of consciousness has been called the density of "balanced polarity". At this level, the ascending being will still have an STO or STS orientation, as had emerged as they entered 4th density. But they will know that they must attain a better balance between the two by expressing more of the opposite polarity.
5D STO beings realize that they must be open to receiving from all those that are willing to give to them so that they can give their great service in a sustainable fashion. They can become powerful change agents because, for the first time, they are channeling energies through themselves rather than simply giving from their own small store of personal energy.
5D STS beings, by contrast, realize that they must be willing to give to others, to nurture and motivate them, so that they will remain hard-working and loyal. They become much more benevolent and might even be admired, respected, or even loved by their subjects. Whereas 4D STS beings are likely perceived as "bosses", 5D STS beings are more likely to be perceived as "leaders" who inspire followers and unite them with their vision. Respected corporate CEOs and admired national presidents are great examples.
In a sense the strength of the polarity diminishes with every one drifting to a more balanced or neutral position on the scale. Because of this, the intensity and character of the dramas manifested on 5th density worlds changes. The intensity and prevalence of victim/perpetrator/rescuer dramas diminishes and there is more cooperation and harmony and less competition and conflict.
Since 5th density is the level of consciousness where beings grasp the universal law of giving and receiving, the understanding that energy (and abundance) flows in circles and that, for best results, you must give to receive (or receive to give). Being in alignment with this universal law involves a fairly high degree of wisdom in managing yourself and others, and hence this level has been dubbed the density of wisdom.
At some point, 5D beings will have a realization that prepares them for the next step up the ladder of consciousness. Eventually, after many many incarnations where they work so hard to give to the world or take from the world, to save the world or rule the world, they finally begin to see the futility of both games and all their attendant dramas. They will eventually notice that there is one simple rule that always seems true:
What you do to another you ultimately do to yourself.
This is the point where they finally realize that the apparent separation between "self" and "other" is illusory, that in truth, All is One. And with this realization they step up onto the next rung on the ladder of consciousness — the 6th density!
The 6th density of consciousness is the level where the STO/STS polarity completely disappears. Regardless of which orientation a being may have adopted at lower levels of consciousness, it now dissolves. The reason for this is that 6D beings KNOW that All is One, and hence this density is the first level in a genre of consciousness aptly called "Unity Consciousness" — a state characterized by loving acceptance of "what is" and surrender to the flow of life. The 6th density is the highest level of consciousness that can still experience itself in a physical body. Beyond this level, it is not possible to be attached to a dense body without dropping out of that level of consciousness.
The 6th density of consciousness is a wonderful state of existence. A 6D being fully understands the meaning of life and the true nature of reality and are therefore able to maximize their enjoyment of it without constantly sabotaging themselves. And as a rite of passage into the 6th density, a being fully embraces its creator nature. And so now it only puts out what it wants back, and it therefore only gets back experiences that it desires! Life becomes a lot more harmonious, peaceful, and abundant — a state of grace as compared to lower densities of reality. To explore in more detail the ways of being that enable 6th density civilizations to create wonderful experiences for all check out The Top 10 Characteristics of Highly Evolved Beings.
6D beings fully understand the rules of the illusory game of physical reality that they are within and so can take the game to a whole new level! They become master level players and can enjoy the fruits of the illusion to their fullest. They explore, play, live, love and laugh to their heart's content! They are still within the separation game, but this level of the game doesn't include fear and suffering! Now it only includes WONDERFUL!
6D beings know they are the creator of their own reality and that their experiences are manifested by their deepest beliefs. They, therefore, make a considerable effort to master their thoughts and choices and to release any beliefs that are attracting undesirable results — what amounts to Self-Mastery. Complete self-mastery cannot really occur until a being attains the 6th density of consciousness. Before being at 6th density they simply have not eliminated their inner-conflict, suffering, and pain and therefore are still unintentionally creating fear and undesirable dramas in their lives.
Below 6th density, a being's evolution is primarily driven by its fear, pain, and suffering — by its desire to get away from undesirable experiences. Their FOCUS is on how to avoid undesirable experiences. And because, as a creator, what you focus on you attract and what you resist persists they can't escape their negative experiences.
Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego. —Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
The 6D being transcends this — they focus, not on how to avoid negative experiences, but on how to attract positive experiences. And because of this "positive" focus they no longer find themselves having "negative" experiences.
And because a 6D being is no-longer spending most of its time reacting to negative experiences a space is created to observe and reflect and begin to see things, and himself and life, as they truly are. And he clearly sees who he is, what he wants to be, and how he wants to respond to life — he sees why he is here and what his true purpose is. And this is when he makes his focus that of pursuing his passion and giving his "greatest gift" to the world.
The 6D beings focus becomes neither that of serving others or serving self (to give or take) but to simply to find and express their genuine self and to pursue their greatest passion, in each and every moment. And by doing so, they are essentially giving their greatest gift to the world. They are in graceful alignment with their highest self, and they are effortlessly going with the flow of life and hence what they choose to pursue will most certainly be needed, desired, and appreciated by the world. It can be no other way at this level of consciousness. Whatever they choose will be a perfect response at the perfect time for all involved because we are all aspects of the One same being and at this level, all of its parts become completely harmonized!
And so 6D beings will find themselves giving their greatest gift and will be in their highest joy. And because "what you put out you get back" life will respond by giving its greatest gift right back to them, and they find themselves living a remarkably harmonious and abundant life.
And now instead of "negative" experiences driving their evolution, the process of mastering the skills and capacities needed to express their greatest gift become the means of their continued growth, expansion, and evolution. When one is doing what they love they can't help getting better at it, and ultimately they will be very good at it, so their reach will be far, and their impact will be large. And it will become an effortless joy.
At some point in this process, it may dawn on the 6D being that all the learning, growing, and expanding he has been doing via the experiences within his physical reality are an illusory story that he has been playing in. And he will deeply understand that there is a greater reality from which the reality he is immersed in is constructed, and the story is orchestrated. As this realization deeply sinks in, it will nudge him up onto the next step of the ladder of consciousness — the 7th density!
The 7th density of consciousness has been called the "magical" density because, at this level, one becomes formless and beyond the illusion of physical reality. 7D beings are a part of the primal energy field from which all realities are constructed. Beings at this level, are very close to becoming completely one with the Oneness.
At 7D beings participate in the creation of realities by directly working with the energy and the consciousness templates from which they are constructed. Some part of every 7th density beings mind is busy with tasks essential to the very existence of physical (lower density) realities. If it were not for their work no realities would exist at all.
Many 7D beings are carrying out the role of pattern holders or what is sometimes called "construct" holders. Their job is to hold the patterns that construct elements of realities. Some of these "construct holders" are holding the frames of planetary consciousness or galactic consciousness, others are holding the frame of the consciousness for the bodies of creatures (for instance, the human body), others still are construct holders for electrons, photons, and other "particles". Everything that exists is simply patterns of energy and consciousness controls those patterns.
But not all 7D beings are pattern holders, there are many other roles — Watchers, Speakers, Seeders, Recyclers, Interventionists — just to name a few. And all these roles are involved; in some way, shape, or form, with making realities run smoothly. As an example, a "Watcher" is a special kind of "observing" consciousness that narrows the huge range of possibilities inherent in the complex interactions of all these patterns into a smaller range of actualizations.
It is interesting to note that it is not possible for a 7th density being to incarnate and still remain 7th density. In order for 7D beings to do what they do, they must, by definition, be everywhere. And this is incompatible with imagining into existence and wearing a physical body. One MUST lower one's consciousness to 6th density or less to do that.
The perceptual experience at the 7th density of consciousness is very different than what we experience here in 3rd/4th density. What seems to us to be a bunch of separate perceptual modalities, channels, and processes, are experienced as one unified process and perception. Thinking, feeling, seeing, knowing, creating, expressing, dreaming, fantasizing, smelling, tasting — all of these are, for the 7D being — one process. Imagine if every modality of your perception — taste, smell, visual, tactile, emotional, etc. — were all somehow extra hues or textures added to one universal perceptual experience and you'll get an idea of what it is like.
Imagine that there is no difference between your sensing of a thing and your creative imagination of it — that is, to see the thing is to imagine it into existence, and to see the thing change form is to imagine it's form changing. 7D beings KNOW that things look the way they do BECAUSE they are imagining them that way. This density of consciousness is where your will is made manifest — it is PURE MAGIC!
Beings at this level don't really evolve or change. There is nothing they are apart from and nothing they cannot know or experience so there is nothing more that they can become. They simply do as they are called to and have agreed to and they do it for as long as required. And when they are done they may choose to dive back into some deep corner of their current reality system and explore it further, or they may leave their reality system altogether for another.
When a 7D being wants to leave their system, they must lovingly release all their attachments to their creations and thereby attain perfect balance and true Oneness of spirit enabling them to step up onto the last rung on the ladder of consciousness — the 8th density!
The 8th density of consciousness is the level where you become utterly One with the Oneness. It is the ultimate level and it is a state that is nearly impossible to describe in words — perfection, wholeness, belonging, centeredness, absolute serenity — these words just scratch the surface. It is a state of BLISS beyond anything that you can imagine, a state of PEACE that transcends anything you have ever experienced — a state where you KNOW you are completely appreciated for WHO YOU ARE and unconditionally loved exactly AS YOU ARE.
At this level, there is NOTHING that is beyond the scope of your mind. Your mind IS the universal mind. You perfectly know and understand absolutely everything that ever was, is, or will be. To inquire about something is to gain the WHOLE of the understanding of it.
In this state, it is simply impossible to have "negative" feelings about anything. All perspectives are your perspective. Such a complete and perfect comprehension IS BLISS. You understand that EVERYTHING is a creative work of art and that ALL creations are your creations. From this perspective, you can't help seeing everything as BEAUTIFUL and LOVING all of it! There is nothing that is incomplete or imperfect because ALL IS just as you created it — all is PERFECT.
At least it is right up to the moment that you decide to create something NEW! And you don't see the "new" as something better, just different — something that pleases you to create and explore. The 8th density contains ALL realities and is, therefore, the gateway through which you leave one reality and enter another. In the very moment that a new idea crystalizes in your mind — poof — you find yourself inside a reality at some lower density, and ready to plunge ever deeper. And thus the game of separation and the process of climbing the ladder of consciousness begins again!
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of the densities of consciousness and the process of "ascending" through them. Much of the information in this article comes from The Ascension Papers - Book #1 and Book 2. If you found this article interesting, then I highly recommend these books and other information produced by its author, Zingdad. In future articles, I'm going to deeply explore the evolution and dynamics of consciousness within the Earth game. Understanding where you stand within this process, can be both eye-opening and potentially transformative, follow the blog to stay tuned!