Know Thy Soul

3 June 2025

Is Consciousness a Medium of the Mind? Discover the Truth About Your Spiritual Nature

By Dr. Scott Zarcinas | Author, Doctor, Spiritual Coach

“Know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe and the gods.” ~ Temple of Apollo at Delphi

The question, “Is consciousness a medium of the mind?” is more than just philosophical—it invites us into direct inquiry about the nature of who we truly are.

To ask this question is to step beyond intellectual speculation and into spiritual discovery. It leads us inward, toward a truth that cannot be given by others, only realised from within.

The Mind vs. Consciousness Debate: What’s the Truth?

One of the most profound spiritual questions is:

Is consciousness a product of the mind, or is it the medium in which the mind arises?

In modern psychology and neuroscience, the mind is often viewed as a function of the brain. In this view:

Mind = Mental activity (thoughts, feelings, memories).
Consciousness = Awareness that emerges from the brain’s complexity.

This model sees consciousness as secondary, an effect of brain activity. The brain is the generator of both mind and consciousness, and awareness is just a useful byproduct—a kind of witness to the mental drama.

But spiritual wisdom traditions offer a very different perspective.

The Spiritual View: Consciousness Is Primary

According to non-dual philosophies like Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and mystical Christianity:

Consciousness is not within the mind—the mind is within consciousness.

Here, consciousness is not something you have—it’s what you are. The mind is like weather patterns appearing in the sky of awareness. Thoughts, feelings, and experiences are movements within this field, not the source of it.

Just as the screen is not created by the movie, your awareness is not generated by your thoughts. You are the screen—silent, steady, unchanging—on which the drama of mind plays out.

In this perspective:

Consciousness is the ground of being (i.e. Consciousness is fundamental, primary, first cause).
The mind is a modulation or expression within that field (i.e. the mind arises within consciousness).
Thoughts, emotions, and perceptions are like waves on the surface of a vast ocean of awareness.

Consciousness Reflecting on Itself

Whether we take the scientific viewpoint or the spiritual perspective, we get to the point where we ask if Consciousness can be known and observed? In other words, can it know itself? If so, how does consciousness know itself?

What scientists have realised is that we can’t use a microscope or telescope to observe Consciousness. It can’t be bottled and distilled or observed from the outside.

Rather, from both a scientific and spiritual perspective, what we know about Consciousness is that it is self-knowing.

This means the only way Consciousness can know or observe itself is when it reflects on itself like a mirror—not by outside, scientific analysis, but by direct awareness.

Consciousness is known by reflecting within itself, like a mirror seeing its own essence by reflecting whatever appears.

If we accept that consciousness is the medium through which all experience arises, then when it “reflects” upon itself, it’s using the very space of awareness to examine what is happening within itself.

Take the practical example of feeling angry:

You feel anger.
Your awareness of the anger is a thought in the mind.
But then you notice: “I am feeling angry.” That’s a meta-awareness—consciousness reflecting on a mental state.
Then you go further: “Who is it that is aware of this anger?”

This is consciousness turning inward, becoming self-aware, the beginning of self-realisation—Consciousness reflecting inward to behold its own nature as awareness itself.

Teachings That Affirm This Insight

This idea of ‘Consciousness as a mirror’ is not a new concept.

Eastern traditions, like the Vedanta, has taught this message, and even contemporary theories also identify Consciousness as a primary medium of reality.

1. Advaita Vedanta:

In Advaita Vedanta, consciousness is regarded as self-luminous—it shines by its own light and requires no other source to be known.

It is not something that can be observed from outside, because it is the very source of observation itself.

When the mind becomes still and subtle—particularly through the purified faculty of intellect (buddhi)—Consciousness reflects itself, much like the sun reflected on a calm lake.

This reflection doesn’t imply duality, but rather:

The capacity for Consciousness to know itself through the apparent form of mind.

It requires no other source to be known. Through the still intellect (buddhi), Consciousness reflects itself.

2. Phenomenology (Husserl, Heidegger, and Others):

In the Western philosophical tradition of phenomenology, Consciousness is described as inherently intentional—that is, it is always consciousness of something.

It is directed, relational, and structured by experience.

However, phenomenology also explores what happens when consciousness turns inward. This reflective movement gives rise to meta-awareness or awareness of awareness—a condition where the subject and the object of knowing become the same.

It points toward the possibility of self-revealing consciousness, echoing mystical insights found in Eastern traditions.

Consciousness is always intentional—of something—but when Consciousness reflects inward, it becomes aware of awareness itself.

3. Contemporary Theories:

In modern neuroscience and philosophy of mind, theories like Integrated Information Theory (IIT) propose that consciousness arises from integrated systems of information.

According to IIT, self-awareness emerges as a recursive loop—a system observing its own internal states.

But even this model implies an underlying spacious field or capacity within which such recursion can occur. In other words,

The loop itself presupposes a medium—a container for experience.

This opens the door to reimagining Consciousness not just as a byproduct of complexity, but as the very space in which complexity appears. A modern echo of ancient insights.

Consciousness as Both Medium and Mirror

Like air for sound or water for waves, Consciousness is the medium in which all phenomena—mental, emotional, physical—arise and are known.

This means:

All mental, emotional, and physical ‘things’—ideas, feelings, matter—are constructed with the qualities and essence of Consciousness ‘stuff’ and thus reveal through form, shape, colour, and outline the ‘invisible’ medium from which they arise or are ‘reflected’.

As St. Paul said, “The things that are unseen are clearly seen by the things that are seen.”

The invisible is made visible, in other words. The unknown is known. Consciousness is made conscious.

When you recognise the self-reflective nature of Consciousness, self-awareness is no longer just a mental exercise; it becomes a lived presence.

You are no longer the reflections in the mirror—thoughts, feelings, body—you are the mirror, the knower of the reflections. And ultimately, the knowing itself.

This process is the beginning of self-realisation—Consciousness reflecting or folding inward to behold its own nature—a practice that I have termed the “Living Path of Awakening”.

The Living Path of Awakening: The Practical Path to Self-Knowledge

The Three Pillars of Spiritual Mastery—Awareness, Alignment, and Action—offer a grounded, structured approach to living your spiritual truth.

They provide a framework to embody the deeper insights of Consciousness not just in theory, but in your lived experience.

This path is not about transcending life or escaping it. Rather, it’s more about becoming fully present within it, from the still centre of your being.

Each pillar guides a phase of inner realisation and outer transformation, which we will now discuss.

Pillar 1: Awareness → Recognise

The journey begins with awareness—the ability to step back from the noise of the mind and see clearly.

Awareness is the foundation. It begins when you recognise that you are not your thoughts, emotions, or circumstances, but the one aware of them.

The practice of awareness invites you to:

Recognise the difference between awareness and thought.
Recognise habitual patterns, roles, and stories.
Recognise the presence that is always here, witnessing all experience.

This is the essential first step: waking up to who you really are beyond identity.

Awareness Practices:

Mindfulness meditation.
Self-inquiry: “Who is aware of this?”
Journaling to track recurring thought patterns.

Awareness allows you to disidentify from the conditioned mind and recognise what is arising from unconditioned consciousness.

Pillar 2: Alignment → Rest

Once you recognise your true nature as awareness, the next step is alignment—bringing your life into harmony with that truth.

Alignment happens when you rest in presence, that space which holds all that you are. This is not a passive activity. On the contrary, it’s one of the most powerful things you can do.

Alignment Practices:

Conscious Surrendering: Letting go of resistance and control (What I call “Let go and go with the flow.”).
Being the Stillness: Resting in presence, rather than absorbed in ego thoughts and identity.
Blue Sky: Noticing the space between and around thoughts as that which you are, not the thoughts themselves (just like the sky watching the clouds arising within it).

True alignment doesn’t come from effort; it arises when you rest in what already is. In stillness, everything begins to align organically.

Pillar 3: Action → Reflection

The final pillar is action—but not action driven by fear or compulsion. This is reflective, conscious action that emerges from alignment.

From resting awareness, action arises naturally. But it is no longer driven by ego—it’s aligned with your essence.

Reflection Practices:

Inner Observation: Listening inwardly and allowing soul-led decisions to arise before responding outwardly.
Reflective Questions: “What truth wants to be lived today?”
Aligned Action: Making conscious choices to express your essence through your words, work, and presence.

When action is rooted in awareness and alignment, it becomes a mirror of your true self in motion.

Why This Matters for Your Spiritual Path

So, is Consciousness a medium of the mind?

From a spiritual perspective, Consciousness is not a byproduct of the mind. Your mind is an individualised ripple on the vast sea of Consciousness.

Understanding this isn’t just theoretical philosophy; it’s practical. It transforms how you live through the reflection of abundance, joy, peace, and freedom:

You are not the thought—you are the unlimited awareness behind your thoughts.
You are not the body—you are the eternal life that reflects and sustains it.
You are not the story—you are the infinite space in which it unfolds.

When you walk the Living Path of Awakening, you begin to live as the reflection of Life itself—your true self. It is a simple, powerful way to integrate spiritual awakening into daily life and help you move from conceptual understanding to embodied realisation, a complete path from inner awakening to outer transformation:

Recognising who you really are—not your thoughts, but awareness itself.
Resting in that awareness daily. Letting stillness and presence be your guide.
Reflecting that inner truth in every choice, word, and step.

You don’t need to add anything to yourself. You only need to remember who you already are.

This is how Consciousness begins to know itself through you—not as a concept, but as a living reality.

You are the mirror in which Truth reflects and reveals Itself.

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Tags: Alignment, Living Path of Awareness, Self-Awareness, Your Natural State of Being