Consciousness is a mystery and puzzle which has yet to be solved but ancient peoples always worked for it for healing and to harmonise ourselves and our world.

For the Quero people (descendants on the Inka) they have a structure of consciousness which is represented by the Chakana. If you examine a Chakana it has 4 compass points like a cross with steps between each direction. The points on the compass represent the 4 main stages of consciousness and the steps in-between represent the three worlds.

So to take a full journey around the chakana is to go through all the stages of consciousness and also overcome the 3 worlds (lower middle and upper worlds)

In India these stages of Consciousness are also represented by Brahma in that he has 4 heads in the four directions and the sound OM is said to encompass all 4 directions, leading a person from material duality and physical consciousness to full spiritual awareness.

The 4 stages of consciousness can be described in how we handle life when each stage

For instance the first stage of consciousness is symbolised by the serpent Sachamama and this is where appears that life is happening to you or for you. This is also known as victim consciousness and it can seem life is a struggle there are many obstacles and you may feel victimised by your circumstances. In This is classed as the sleeping state, there’s been no great spiritual awakening and the person is fully situated in physical life. Also in terms of the duality of material consciousness its very black and white – good is definitely good and evil is definitely evil. This is a consciousness of judgements and victimising each other – Im good you are evil, or Im evil and you are good etc – a consiousness of shame and blame. The work and healing to be done in this stage of consciousness is to illuminate and release past stories and heal the victim, recognising yourself in the “other” including those who may have hurt us in the past as aspects of our own shadow.

The second stage of consciousness is symbolised by the Jaguar, Otorongo and in this stage of consciousness we are no longer simply victims of circumstances, but we actually become overcomers and life begins to be created by me. This direction is in the West, In this stage of consciousness we become something of a spiritual warrior – facing our fears and raising above our circumstances, this stage is about doing shadow work and facing our own inner darkness both inwardly and in the world at large. This stage of consciousness could be classed as the dreaming state and we begin to co create or dream our world into being, we may dream when we are awake in this stage and have visions. In terms of duality, then although life is created by me this is still very much a battle, good vs evil both within ourselves and in the world. In the western tradition Mercurius is also any ally for the shadow work required in this stage and he shapeshifts and takes different forms depending on our blindspots and what we need to face in ourselves. The healing required in this direction includes past life work.

The third stage of consciousness’s ally is the hummingbird or Sewarkenti of the North – in this stage of consiousness life is created through me. So this is where we have a lot more joy and happiness and we play with reality a lot more. We have faced and illuminated our shadows and we recognise ourself in the other. In terms of duality this is no longer good versus evil but more a dance between lovers like the ying yang or the concept of Yanantin. Both sides need each other and the duality in this world is not seen as an obstacle but as a great opportunity to grow and learn and even dance. This stage of consiousness we can said to be awake. Reality is shaped through our joyful expression and we can see through many illusions.

The fourth stage of consiousness for the East is symbolised by the Eagle also known as Haton Upachin. This is the consiousness where Oneness is experienced. I am God are One – I am also one with all the rest of existance. This is not a consiousness of seperation but of unity. This stage of consiousness is also a bliss state, it can be called Samadhi or ecstatic union with the Cosmos. In terms of duality – then in this stage the role of good and evil is fully understood and the big picture is seen from a birds eye perspective where duality is now just a pattern on the floor that can work in yours and humanities favour from either side because both are encompassed within us as indeed the whole universe.

In the centre of the Chakana beyond the 4 directions and three worlds is the birthing point of Consciousness – the meeting point between Great Spirit and the material universe. This seed of consciousness or creation is situated within us.

It can be said the journey around the 4 directions is a tree of life because it helps us overcome the miseries of material existence, suffering and the difficulties of living in a world of duality. It also leads to eternal life. There are many ways to go through the 4 directions, these can include following Christs teachings (but not the church religion), yoga such as nada yoga, shamanism such as shamanic directions by Clare Juliette and psychedelic shamanism as taught by Andrew Camargo which deals with the shamanic archetype being an universal concept describing things how they are from a spiritual perspective and are not tied to one particular culture but is something that belongs to us all the links are below.

Shamanic Directions Clare Julliette https://shamanicdirections.com/

My earlier article on Christ and the stages of consciousness https://contentedbumblebee.com/2023/02/23/the-stages-of-consciousness-and-christs-journey/
School of Modern Soul Science Andrew Camargo https://www.youtube.com/@theschoolofmodernsoulscience
Nada Yoga https://himalayanacademyofsound.com/nada-yoga-course-online