The path of self-discovery is not a single moment of awakening. It is a journey exploring the ten levels of consciousness. One helpful analogy is the rainbow of consciousness. It’s a way to visualize how different states of consciousness relate and blend. We’ll explore this metaphor in depth later.
We are awareness and memory floating within a bandwidth of consciousness. This bandwidth is constantly shifting. It’s fragile and energetic. It expands and contracts in response to our health and various stimuli.
Without the thread of consciousness, we cannot become aware. If we lack awareness, we do not experience reality. The absence of experience means we cannot create memories. Finally, without memories, we have no identity, and we cease to exist.
Diving Into the Rainbow of Consciousness
We begin life with access to the default modes of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Although we transition between these states every day, most people do not notice the subtle shifts.
Beyond the three default states, there are many other partitions of awareness and consciousness. Let’s explore the path of self-discovery by exploring the ten levels of consciousness. How can we measure consciousness?
Consciousness Measured as a Frequency of Energy
One way to understand consciousness is as a wavelength of vibrational energy. Each individual has a unique vibrational signature or frequency. Awareness is the amplitude of that frequency.
Everything in the universe has a vibrational frequency. Rocks have consciousness, and plants have consciousness. Plants grow and live, so their frequency is more like ours than that of rocks.
There are four main types of brainwaves:
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- Beta (15–40 Hz): Fully engaged mind.
- Alpha (9–14 Hz): Calm, reflective state.
- Theta (5–8 Hz): Daydreaming, meditation.
- Delta (1.5–4 Hz): Deep sleep.
These frequencies correspond to different states of consciousness. The boundaries between these states are blurry, and we are rarely aware of the shift from one to the next.
The Path of Self-Discovery
We are born into a physical container and need time to acclimate. We begin by becoming aware of our feelings and surroundings. As we grow, we develop self-awareness, recognizing our thoughts and emotions. It is our innate desire to explore the unknown — a journey of spiritual exploration. We are diving into the rainbow of consciousness, whether we realize it or not.
Many people are content with the default states. They get sidetracked by commercialism, religion, or both. These people never follow the path that leads to higher states. But some do answer this call. Joseph Campbell calls this “The Hero’s Journey.”
Some of us answer the call to learn and practice tools that promote growth and development. Exploring the ten levels of consciousness becomes a way of life. Intuition sharpens, guiding us with gut feelings and insights. Awareness expands, allowing us to think in new and innovative ways. We begin to see how everything connects — how different parts of life relate to each other. It opens us to the experience of “oneness,” a feeling of being linked to the universe and understanding our role in it.
Growth is often incremental and subtle. As we reach higher levels, we seek deeper meaning and purpose, pondering the big questions about existence. Toward the peak, we achieve higher states of spiritual awareness and enlightenment. This journey is physical, spiritual, and psychological. Along the path of self-discovery, we learn valuable lessons that help us grow and connect more deeply with ourselves and the world.
How Consciousness Is Like A Rainbow
The metaphor of the rainbow illustrates how consciousness is not divided into rigid compartments. Instead, it flows and blends, much like colors in a spectrum. The three primary “colors” or states of consciousness — waking, dreaming, and sleeping — are familiar to most people. The waking state gets the most attention because it dominates our daily experience.
However, the sleeping and dreaming states are often overlooked. We are generally unaware when we access these states, yet they offer profound insights. The dream state, in particular, provides proof of a non-ordinary reality. When we dream, we enter an imaginary landscape where time and space dissolve. This altered state doesn’t require drugs or rituals — it’s built into our biology.
Gifted Individuals
Some people have direct access to altered states without needing any method. This can be both a gift and a challenge. Without discipline, one may slip in and out of ordinary states unintentionally. Learning to manage this access is essential for maintaining balance. For them, exploring the ten levels of consciousness is a daily struggle.
Our ancestors were curious about the boundaries of consciousness. They created methods for exploring other realms of awareness. We call them non-ordinary states because Western thought does not deem them acceptable. It’s not because they don’t exist. Many ancient traditions and science tell us they do.
Exploring the Experience of Falling Asleep
Imagine trying to explain sleep to someone who has never experienced it. You might say: “It’s easy and good for you. You lie down, close your eyes, and in a few minutes, you’re asleep. While you sleep, your body repairs itself, but you’re unaware of it. Hours pass, and you don’t notice time or surroundings. You wake up refreshed.”
Then you’d explain dreams — vivid, sometimes bizarre experiences that feel real. Some dreams are pleasurable, others terrifying. Nightmares are the subconscious mind’s way of expressing fear. The person listening might say, “I don’t want to sleep. It sounds like you lose control and hallucinate.”
This is the same resistance people have toward exploring altered states of consciousness. Without a frame of reference, they fear the unknown. But our intellect, awareness, and consciousness are the most powerful forces of life on this planet.
Altering, Expanding, and Reaching Higher States
There are three primary ways to transition between states of consciousness:
1. Altering Consciousness
Altering consciousness means changing your level of awareness or perception. Sedatives before surgery, alcohol, or even intense emotional experiences can shift your consciousness. Ancient cultures used repetitive sounds — drums, rattles, singing bowls — to induce trance-like states. Rituals, psychoactive elements, and rhythmic patterns were tools for accessing non-ordinary reality.
These practices have roots in shamanic traditions. Meditation, chanting, and shamanic journeys allow us to tap into deeper layers of consciousness. Traumatic events, medical conditions, and sensory deprivation can also induce altered states.
2. Expanding Awareness
Expanding awareness means increasing your ability to perceive and understand. The lucid dreaming technique is an example. It allows you to control and remember your dreams, offering insight into your subconscious. This is like changing the colors of the rainbow.
Other tools to expand awareness include the Enneagram. It’s a psychometric tool that helps you understand your personality’s core traits. Studying logic and common sense also expands awareness. These tools help us tell fact from fiction.
3. Accessing Higher States
Accessing higher states is like shifting gears in a car. These partitions of consciousness offer significantly greater perception and understanding. They represent quantum shifts — not just subtle transitions — and are often the goal of spiritual development.
Exploring The Ten Levels of Consciousness
Every shift in perception reminds us that consciousness is like a rainbow. Keep this in mind as you review these ten states.
1. The Waking State
We concentrate most of our efforts on the normal waking state of awareness. It becomes the benchmark for ordinary reality, even though we know we experience everything within the mind.
We assume everyone “sees” the world exactly like we do. But we know this isn’t the case, even in practical matters. Several people can witness the same thing, but each gives a different account. Sometimes, the accounts are drastically different. EEG brain waves of 8 Hz and higher are typical.
The waking state is where the path of self-discovery begins. Many sages tell us that exploring the ten levels of consciousness is the purpose of life.
2. The Sleeping State
We spend almost half of our lives in the partition, yet most of us do not remember it. When we sleep, our cognition of reality shuts off.
We cycle through multiple NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) phases. Each cycle lasts about 90 to 120 minutes, and we typically go through 4 to 5 cycles during an 8-hour sleep. NREM dominates the first half of the night, while REM takes over in the second half. EEG activity in this state ranges from 11 to 16 Hz.
3. The Dreaming State
Dreams are proof of non-ordinary reality, yet most people discount this conclusion. During REM sleep, we enter a dreamscape that feels as real as waking life.
The EEG patterns are similar to those in sleep, except during nightmares, which can elevate heart rate and respiration. Every time we slip in and out of the dream state, we experience the fluidity of consciousness.
Dreaming opens avenues for expanding consciousness, primarily through lucid dreaming. These states are often overlooked, yet they serve as portals to deeper awareness.
Sleeping and dreaming are two of the partitions of consciousness we often overlook. These two states are portals that expand awareness. One of the easiest ways to increase the bandwidth of awareness is to use a lucid dreaming exercise.
4. Transcendent State of Pure Awareness
This state marks the beginning of what many Indian masters call the higher states of consciousness. It’s a partition of awareness in which the mind is active but profoundly restful.
The key characteristic is the absence of internal dialogue. You are awake and aware, but silent inside. Brainwaves operate at 4-7 Hz in the theta range, producing lower but more coherent patterns than those of waking, sleeping, or dreaming.
Many people reach this state through meditation, especially Japa (Transcendental Meditation). Often, they’ve experienced it before but didn’t recognize it. This state is the silent foundation beneath waking, sleeping, and dreaming.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi described it as the sap in a flower — colorless and shapeless, yet nourishing every part of the plant. Patanjali called it Samadhi. It is bliss consciousness.
Many people reach this state with the Japa or the Transcendental Meditation technique. Familiarity with the transcendent increases our awareness as we transition between states. The transition points between sleeping, dreaming, and waking are significant. It proves that the fourth state supports all default states. It is not a state of awareness alongside but below, holding them up.
5. Witnessing or Split Perception
Cosmic consciousness combines the transcendent fourth state with the waking state. It’s often called “witnessing” — the ability to observe yourself from a second vantage point.
You don’t stop experiencing reality through your senses. Instead, you hold both perspectives simultaneously. This proves that consciousness is not bound by the body and that perception is far more expansive than we realize. This witnessing is similar to lucid dreaming, in which you are aware of the dream while in it.
6. The Shamanic State of Consciousness
The Shamanic State of Consciousness (SSC) is accessed through rhythm and creative visualization. Many ancient cultures centered their spiritual practices around the shamanic journey.
This inward journey takes place in an imaginary landscape — the realm of the subconscious. It’s the same space we access when we dream. Social scientists say the ten levels of consciousness start with the shamanic journey. It opens a key doorway to non-ordinary reality.
7. Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is when you are aware that you are dreaming. With experience, you learn to exert control over the elements within the dream.
Many believe lucid dreaming is a separate state. Like cosmic consciousness, it combines two states. Lucid dreaming shapes the dream world in the same way the spirit world is shaped in the Shamanic journey. It does this while in the sleep state instead of the waking state.
8. God Consciousness
“God Consciousness” is a paradoxical label — as our consciousness and God are one and the same, though most don’t understand this. With the proper perspective, we realize we are as much a god as any avatar of religion. We are the creator, the sap within the flower. We begin to experience the divine essence in all aspects of creation.
It features increased inner awareness and sharper sensory perception. This allows one to notice the subtle, divine qualities in the world. This state comes after Cosmic Consciousness. Here, a person experiences pure awareness in waking, dreaming, and sleeping.
God Consciousness isn’t just believing or understanding God. It’s about directly experiencing the divine presence in everything around us. It is a state of enlightenment where the heart and senses are fully awakened to the beauty and intelligence of the universe.
9. Unity Consciousness
Unity Consciousness is a state in which the duality between the observer and the observed dissolves. We experience unbroken unity between the Self and all perceived objects.
Here, we perceive life as expressions of one unified Being or pure consciousness. The Self is seen in all beings, and all beings are seen in the Self, reflecting the Vedic principle: “I am That, thou art That, all this is That.” The inner and outer realities merge, eliminating the sense of separation and duality. The individual lives in complete harmony with Natural Law.
This state is the culmination of spiritual growth, following Cosmic and God Consciousness. The world is no longer perceived as fragmented or separate from the Self. Everything comes together as one. This brings a deep sense of peace, compassion, and fulfillment.
In this state, one lives in the realm of oneness. Glimpses of unity can be accessed through meditation or by removing bias and prejudice. These glimpses are temporary but show us what is possible. Unity is the highest state of awareness one can achieve within ordinary reality.
10. Unbound Awareness and Consciousness
Unbound Consciousness refers to the ultimate state of spiritual and intellectual enlightenment. One lives in connection with the consciousness of the universe. It provides a perspective that is free of bias and prejudice. It is a state of consciousness free from the boundaries of time, space, and individuality.
This state steps beyond ordinary reality. It isn’t easy to label, but it appears in stories of those who move beyond the boundaries of perception. Examples include the Aboriginal Dreamtime and Carlos Castaneda’s astral projection experiences. Some call this state the essence of sorcery or alchemy.
It combines lucid dreaming, the shamanic journey, and the fourth and tenth states. You don’t reach this level without serious inner work. Imagine diving into the rainbow of consciousness and swimming in the infinite awareness of the universe.
Summary
Exploring the ten levels of consciousness reveals the layered complexity of the human experience. These states are not rigid compartments but fluid transitions. It expresses how consciousness is like a rainbow. The rainbow appears, then the colors blend and evolve.
Lucid dreaming, for example, begins with recognizing the dream state. At first, you may not have control, but awareness is the first step. As you become more familiar with these altered states, your ability to navigate them improves.
Each level of consciousness offers a unique vantage point. From the waking state to unbound awareness, we have the ability to grow. These states are not just spiritual concepts. These states are a scientific reality.
Closing Reflections
Reflect on your thought life and internal experiences. Consider how your beliefs, values, and perceptions shape your reality. Learn as many spiritual technologies as you can. Become more socially and spiritually aware. Reject consumer-oriented culture and avoid extremist ideologies or conspiracy theories.
Meditation is a gateway. Many people realize they have reached the fourth state only after leaving it. It’s a state without internal dialogue — where time does not exist. As you become more familiar with this silence, you will begin to crave it. It’s the difference between emotional enchantment and genuine transformation.
The journey of self-discovery is not about escaping reality — it’s about expanding it. The more we understand the spectrum of consciousness, the more fully we can live, love, and evolve.
References
- EEG Microstates in Altered States of Consciousness. Bréchet, L. & Michel, C. M. (2022). Frontiers in Psychology / Consciousness Research.
- Awareness and Consciousness in Humans and Animals – Neural and Behavioral Correlates. Ehret, G. & Romand, R. (2022). Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience.
- Consciousness Science: Where Are We, Where Are We Going, and What If We Get There?. Cleeremans, A., Mudrik, L., & Seth, A. (2025). Frontiers in Science.
- Bridging Gaps in Understanding Consciousness: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Domingues, D. et al. (2025). Frontiers / Research Topic Collection.
- Consciousness Research Section Overview. Frontiers in Psychology Editorial Board. (2025). Frontiers in Psychology.