How do you define consciousness, but also how do we know if we are actually self aware to our external and internal surroundings? This can be measured simply by understanding what each level of consciousness stands for, and by living through each level. These levels can be interpreted however one decides to do so, but the information provided will be able to allow the individual to reach self awareness and will point you in the direction of your life purpose. Many of people like myself are lucid dreamers which basically means that you dream actively. I cannot count on two hands the amount of times were i had a dream that felt so real and once i woke up, i could recall everything that happened within that dream. This is because all people function differently during these four states and each state is interpreted by the individual. These four states can also be defined as the sleep state, the self awareness state, the consciousness state, and the subconsciousness state.
The sleep state is defined by exactly what it sounds like, and this is the first state. During this state you are asleep and totally unconscious. Although your consciousness level remains at zero until you wake up, depending on whether you are a active dreamer or not will determine if you have dreams. This is why many of us don't realize when we went to sleep or how long we were asleep for. At this level you are completely unaware of any external stimuli until something internal brings you to consciousness such as having to go to the bathroom or hearing a loud sound. This is the simplest state it requires no awareness and no thought.
The following state is called the self awareness state. This state is defined by who you see yourself as within the direct community. This is more of an internal state that relies on your morals and belief system. Personally i feel like i am a outgoing person who loves to be around people like myself, I consider myself honest and someone who can make people laugh. That would be considered my self awareness state, I am self aware of how i project myself onto the world. The perfection of this state is very important simply because it is difficult to gain an understanding of the world, if you do not have an understanding of yourself. Gaining a sense of self awareness allows you to reach self actualization and will direct you in your life purpose 
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The third state is what is known as the consciousness state. This state is what the immediate body can identify, basically what can my mind interpret in my immediate surroundings. Whatever your five senses can interpret is what falls within the third state. Your sense of smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound are ways for your body to identify what it can make sense of. For example I know i am in a room because i can see it i know my dog is barking because i hear it. These are where most of your memories and experiences have came from whether you remember what something looked like or or it smelled you were in a conscious state. For example have you ever heard the story about if a tree falls and nobody is around to hear it does it still make a sound? Many philosophers have argued this idea because sound (a sense) is up to interpretation, meaning they only exist due to what we can directly measure and make sense of. I find this state of consciousness to be somewhat misleading because it only applies to the frequencies our bodies can identify. Same concept as the things as they appear and things in themselves, the consciousness state allows us to identify aspects in our direct environment. This third state can be identified by how we see the immediate world.
Finally the fourth state is what is known as your subconscious state. This state is the most difficult to identify because most people do not live within this state they live within the conscious one. The subconscious state is what the immediate world actually is. This state is the basic truths about the world and many people fail to live within their subconsciousness. The world is so much more than we see whether we are talking about institutions, spirits, or the actuality our direct environment. This is why the subconscious or third eye is almost impossible to open. The human body is much more capable of then what we think and to be able to reach this fourth state requires an extended amount of time and effort. For example when you are listening to the radio, say your favorite station it 97.5. Now just because you are listening to 97.5 does that mean that 103.9 is not playing? No, it simply means our bodies are not able to tune into two frequencies at once, but when in reality all the stations are playing at once. Now your subconscious may pick up on subtle messages or what is known as subliminal messages but these are slight glimpse of the reality that we do not see. The fourth state is key in finding out the hidden truths and realities about the world we live in. Our bodies live within the third dimension but stating that simply means that we are not able to tune into other frequencies within other dimensions. We all know about how extensive and complicated the universe is, but keep in mind its a VERY big place filled with many unidentifiable things. This state allows you to gain a better sense of the truths behind the world.
Ultimately living within these four states allows one to reach self actualization and will result in a shift of the contemporary mindset most people are stuck in. Realization of the states and tending to them is the best way to really become self aware and the infusion of these states will allow you to have a better understanding about life.
I like this type of post. Very interesting... I think that in the dream state the subconscious rules as in actually being the subconscious world. In that world, the consciousness is drastically reduced as in consciousness the subconscious is reduced.
The subconscious through dreams communicate in a profound way with imagery as the primary method of communication to the self. The subconscious relay messages for the self to decipher accordingly. Imagery is the language of the subconscious. The subconscious often times is aware of things that the self, consciously is not aware of and thus the subconscious relay messages to the self so consciously it can adjust accordingly (Life circumstances).
"LuCiD LiViNg, DrEaMiNg AwAkE, ArRiViNg DrEaMiNg To FuLlY AwAke" (((3j)))
Great information! I sometimes wonder if the goal is to free ourselves by being in tune to our subconscious but most the world lives in conscious state. How will we function in the conscious state if we achieve subconscious state?
Congratulations @chaz.payne27!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following category:
Great article/ blog!!
Great Article, enjoy the reading!
Love the images @chaz.payne27 and great topic. Glad your article covers developing self rather than ego death which destroys self. Though it has value in some ways, a lot of schools of thought says ego death is essential but I think it is more important to self actualize and your article focuses there while considering the different states.
For most people, some of these states are out of normal perception, such as subconscious and even being conscious because many people move forward in life without really being fully conscious or - self actualized.
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Create a great day,
@kozan