(Originally published in May, 2019 in SoulSongs, a monthly newsletter from KaleidoSoul.com)
Dear Friends,
I am so happy to write on the vital theme of Witness Consciousness! Though I did not know its name at the time, the second SoulCollage® card I made in 2005 (above) was the Transpersonal Card, Witness!
Witness, along with Source and SoulEssence are the three silent Transpersonal cards that Seena Frost writes about in SoulCollage® Evolving. “Witness” Neters can also be found in the Committee Suit where it could manifest as the Observer part of the personality. In the Companion Suit, many animals are associated with Witness energy. Witness energy is also represented in the fifth chakra (throat) of communication and in the sixth chakra of the “third eye” where Seena Frost says, “…we are able to step back into our Observer self.” I’m sure your Community Suits have members who powerfully reflect the witnessing energy. You’ll also find plenty of archetypal representatives of witness energy among your Council Suit cards.
In today’s essay, I’d like to focus on the State of Being called Witness or what some call Witness Consciousness. I call this energy ‘vital’ because my life and creative journey have been completely transformed, thanks to the disciplined spiritual practice of Witness over the past 17 years.
Cultivating Witness Consciousness through the Observer Practice provides the objectivity and insight required for wisdom to flourish. It has gradually liberated me from a soul-killing dependence upon others for answers or approval. It has healed me from the lifelong toxic self-criticism I’ve carried. I encourage you to try on the Observer Practice and discover its value for yourself!
Over time,
the Observer Practice
leads to the State of Being
called Witness Consciousness.
Experiment with the Observer Practice
Many meditation/creativity teachers encourage the mindful cultivation of the Observer practice. Like most profound acts, it’s simple:
- Starting on the new Moon and going until the next New Moon, commit to activating the Witness symbol of the cobalt-blue light.
- When you wake in the morning and before sleep, imagine activating a cobalt-blue light a few feet above your head.
- This cobalt-blue light is like a video camera with a 360 degree reach. It silently records everything, without judging, analyzing or interpreting.
- You are training the mind to observe as a neutral witness, always without judging!
- Remember, no judging, analyzing, or interpreting!
- The only response is: “Isn’t that interesting?”
Record what happens as you practice the Observer during the month.
- Notice what changes in your awareness.
- Notice how the body feels when the mind is observing as a neutral witness.
- Notice what it feels like to let go of the mind’s relentless judging, analyzing, and interpreting.
- Notice any shifts in your mood.
- Notice any shifts in your relationships.
Then keep going!
After a while, you will observe some fascinating patterns of thought, speech and behavior! You will naturally stop identifying with these patterns and let go of the erroneous notion that you are those thoughts, words, and behaviors.
You will remember and embrace your SoulEssence. Then, over time you will have the power to subtract what no longer brings you happiness.
On page 19 of SoulCollage® Evolving, Seena B. Frost describes the value of the Observer Neter. Chapter 9 offers useful guidance about working with the Shadow Side of the Neters.
Seena strongly recommends you create your own Protector card before you do any Shadow-work with your deck. When I do Shadow-work, I bring out my Committee Suit Observer Neter card (below left) to partner with the Council Suit Protector Neter (below right).
Thanks to the ongoing Observer meditation practice, I can regard my creations/situations without the previously overwhelming interference of the Neters of Critic, Judge, and my conflicted Virgonian mind. Standing firmly grounded in the neutral place of Witness/Observer has allowed genuine healing and integrating of body, mind and spirit.
Because Witness Consciousness helps remove my personality’s blinders, I can see more clearly when I am trapped into people-pleasing patterns. Witnessing and observing reveals my own truth, and encourages me to speak from it. Witness Consciousness has illuminated the profound truth that I am the greatest authority in my own life about my own life!
In my SoulCollage® Circles, we do our best to practice the State of Being called Witness. This means that, as women together, we agree to live from a different, sometimes uncomfortable, social norm.
We agree to not comment on each other’s cards. We acknowledge that praise and criticism are two sides of the coin of Evaluation. Each woman agrees to trust her own intuitive wisdom about the message and meaning of her cards.
Instead of commenting, we witness the mystery of our creations. In reverent silence, we give each other the rare, empowering gift of our rapt, wordless attention. I believe the Witness practice is a major factor in the longevity of my monthly SoulCollage® peer circle that began in 2005 and is still going strong in 2020!
“Barn’s burned down.
–Mizuta Masahide, 1688
Now I can see the moon.”
SoulCollage® Practice
Take out your journal, pen and SoulCollage® deck. From each of the four Suits, pull cards that show the Witness/Observer energy.
- What patterns do you observe in the cards?
- Turn these Observer energy cards face down and shuffle them.
- At random, choose 3 pairs of cards. Invite them to teach you more about witnessing and observing.
- Ask each card in the pair to share what it observes about the other.
- Make notes in your journal.
- Or use your phone’s Voice Recorder app and then transcribe the observations that the 6 cards shared.
- What cards are missing from your deck that would support you to practice Witness Consciousness?
- Have you made the Transpersonal Witness?
- How about the Committee Observer card?
Go here if you’d like to learn more about about the healing power of Witnessing.
The Observer Practice will keep you balanced in the face of the troubling Personal and World shadows of irrational thinking, divisiveness, injustice and violence. Allow yourself to witness the impact on your spirit when the mind attaches itself to its Righteous Positions and feeds on the toxic viruses manufactured by our culture’s hyper-critical social media circus.
May you find Joy in practicing the Witness/Observer. May the wisdom you discover, like the practices of SoulCollage® and meditation, change your world for the better, dear friends! May you find peace in your heart and may your peaceful presence be a blessing to all you encounter.
May you walk in Beauty today and all the days of your life.
With great love and respect,
