doesnt everything have self awareness?

[schubert]

what does Ra mean when they say that 2nd density doesnt have self awareness and gaining that marks the jump into 3rd density? everything got some self awareness. is a beaver not acting in its best interest when it builds a little dam? what else is it gonna do you know? how would a beaver "having self awareness" look differently?

i guess im asking what self awareness means. theyre obviously aware of their bodies cause they take care of themselves but i guess you could say theyre not aware of their thought processes?? so how would a beaver that can analyze its thought process act differently? i cant think of anything lol

[Dtris]

A second density being has some self awareness, but it is in relation to the group, pair bond, or species. For a beaver "I" would include the mate and children and other nearby beavers.

Self awareness then is the second density being becoming aware of their individuality as a distinct part of the group different from any other part.

That is my current understanding.

[David_1]

   I have also wondered what self-awareness is.  Actually, I don’t know.  I try to think of an example of “Does it matter to me?”  We often make decisions in relations with others because of what we think they will think as a result.  I suspect a being who is not self-aware will not care what others think.
   For example a kitten or squirrel is content to frolic and play in their completely natural state without any consideration of whether or not to wear clothes.  It is a matter that is totally unimportant to them.  Self-aware people would definitely consider whether or not to go out in public without wearing any clothes.  To people, what others think matters.
   Concerning beavers, perhaps one difference is that second density knowledge is typically a shared knowledge of the collective.  Beavers know how to build dams, because that is a part of what beavers know.  Dam building benefits beavers.  I think in people our knowledge is more individualized.  I know very little of what you know.  Every person individually learns to read, and needs to be taught to read.  I think beavers know how to build dams, and don’t need to be taught, because dam building is a part of their collective knowledge.

[schubert]

A second density being has some self awareness, but it is in relation to the group, pair bond, or species. For a beaver "I" would include the mate and children and other nearby beavers.

Self awareness then is the second density being becoming aware of their individuality as a distinct part of the group different from any other part.

That is my current understanding.

oh i never thought about it like that. thats kind of odd because then a big issue in 3rd density is separation, beings go right from being too connected to not connected enough?

[schubert]

   I have also wondered what self-awareness is.  Actually, I don’t know.  I try to think of an example of “Does it matter to me?”  We often make decisions in relations with others because of what we think they will think as a result.  I suspect a being who is not self-aware will not care what others think.
   

hm, i think that makes sense for some people but for other people who dont care what others think of them, i think you could argue that they consider what others think they just dont think other people will have any affect on them so they just dont care, rather than a lack of awareness.

[RitaJC]

I believe beings of 1st and 2nd density are not consciously aware that they exist, as we are.

[Dtris]

A second density being has some self awareness, but it is in relation to the group, pair bond, or species. For a beaver "I" would include the mate and children and other nearby beavers.

Self awareness then is the second density being becoming aware of their individuality as a distinct part of the group different from any other part.

That is my current understanding.

oh i never thought about it like that. thats kind of odd because then a big issue in 3rd density is separation, beings go right from being too connected to not connected enough?

Kind of. If you recall in the Ra material, Ra mentions that orange ray consciousness is still prevalent among our peoples which is manifested in how we view group identity. This would be most evident in warfare and how tribe fights tribe, nation fights nation, religion fights religion, and race fights race. Any belief which separates people into groups would be orange ray consciousness and hinder yellow ray and green ray understanding.

I think you are right in a sense that we go from too connected to not connected enough. Individualism and free choice is the cornerstone of yellow ray, which has resulted in the ideas of separation from the creation, the creator, and other selves. This is the going to far, since we don't recognize the unity of creation it makes the choice difficult to even realize needs made.

The orange ray being is not aware of the individual self, so their connection is natural. The Green Ray social memory complex is not connected in the same manner as orange ray beings. I think the crux is the individualism developed in Yellow Ray which is then transformed into the green ray social memory complex.

When Ra referred to the Mind/Body/Spirit Complex, he said it is a complex because each part is distinct and unique, but together they become a complex. So in a social memory complex the individuals must remain distinct and unique while forming the whole. This is still a rudimentary idea for me.

[unity100]

Awareness, yes.

self-awareness as defined by the awareness of existence of self as a separate entity from other entities starting from 3d: varies.

there may be times in which a late 2d entity may be functioning in 3d vibration and aware of itself and then go back to a slightly lower vibration.

there is apparently a point at which a 2d entity permanently moves to 3d vibration in time/space, gaining a separate existence from the group soul it belongs to. Details of this was not given by Ra.

Does a new 3d entity still incarnate and live with its late 2d other-selves which still belong to the group soul? Possibly. It could be likely in late 2d groups moving into 3d societies. Its also possible that the new 3d entity may just move to incarnate with an already existing 3d society on the planet, or elsewhere.

Remembering one of LL's cats, Gandalf, who stayed with them despite he already became a 3d entity, its likely that many situations are possible and depends on the necessities of the entity, the entities it is close to, its group soul, the state of the planet and any potential societies in it, harvest - many factors...

[Silk]

...2nd density doesnt have self awareness and gaining that marks the jump into 3rd density?

OK, let's break things down a bit. Most people associate 2D with the domesticated house pet. These are borderline 3D already. And then there's all the other medium/large-sized (typically furry/mammalian) more familiar animals. Like your beavers. And giraffes!

Here's what's most often overlooked (and underappreciated):

2D spans approximately 4 billion years, 7/8ths of which are spent in a purely cellular/genetic state. Pause there and think about that for a moment. Strictly speaking, 2D isn't animals & plants. But animal/plants are comprised of cells.

The appearance of animals/plants occurs at the very late stages of 2D when those cellular structures begin to organize into specialized organs (from hearts, lungs, brains & gonads, to eyes, ears & tongues, to that marvelous skin mesh—or exoskeleton, should that be your case—that wraps the whole thing together) which bundle up to form an organism proper. This is colloquially known as the "Cambrian Explosion" (~500 million years ago). All major/active phyla (body plans) today "suddenly" appeared then. (*For those who wish to ponder this further, think 2D.6)

So when people talk about 2D, they are usually only skimming over the surface: that last 1/8th of the 2D spectrum. At its core, 2D is purely cellular/genetic. The resultant animal/plant is the "apex" achievement of 2D (which naturally leads to the "erection" of one of those candidate lifeforms into 3D almost "right away").

Whew, that was a bit of an introduction.



With that in mind, you may begin to grasp the awareness of 2D: it is instinctual. It is not individuated. Does one cell say "I am distinctively John Doe, I like board games, and my favorite color is green"? When does the cell end and the giraffe begin? What is doing the thinking? What is aware of what?

You see a flock of birds or a school of fish flying/swimming in unison. Yes, their bodies are distinctively separate: you see "many" copies of the same body plan and think them individuated (because you yourself are individuated/self-aware), but their awareness has no "selfness" to it. Selfness requires a "you" for there to be a "me". The awareness of 2D may be likened to racial/species awareness. It isn't a huge deal for one of its members to die. The "law" of 2D is propagation/multiplication of the species: to make more copies/duplicates of itself (keeping that species cyclically reincarnated and evolving/disseminating its gene pool further).

This is, however, a sign that self-awareness is right around the corner. It just begins with the duplication of bodies first. Duplicate bodies allow for a sort of mirroring effect in mind, in which the appropriate 2D candidate may look upon itself (in the reflection of another member of the species) and undergo the "you, me, different, not same?" realization that sparks 3D/self-awareness.

This is super evident with house pets (and many farm animals) when paired with an already individuated/self-aware 3D mirror which speeds up the process significantly.

i guess im asking what self awareness means. theyre obviously aware of their bodies cause they take care of themselves

It's just instinctual "survival awareness". Physical maintenance requires no self-awareness. Don't forget 2D is unveiled, so it operates completely in harmony with the universe/nature. This is difficult enough to understand considering 3D entities are veiled from that vast underlying ocean of intrinsic metaphysical (deep mind) and spiritual awareness (it's worse on Earth where most of the population is "stuck" on the teeny, tiny tip of the iceberg, believing that's all there is to it and make no effort to dive deep underneath), enhancing the apparent individuation in self-identity. Recall 3D before the universal veiling experiment: there was en ever-present, undeniable awareness that all things were interconnected and part of the same.

Either way, self-awareness simply means individuation of a "me" from a "you".

[flofrog]

definitely self-awareness also to me means third density as seeing one self distinct

on the other hand, Creator having created the all, then I feel, when I am calm as a clam (!) that everything everything has the awareness of Creator and then I can even feel love coming from the sidewalk to me... lol

[Dtris]

definitely  self-awareness also to me means third density as seeing one self distinct

on the other hand,  Creator having created the all,  then I feel, when I am calm as a clam (!) that everything everything has the awareness of Creator and then I can even feel love coming from the sidewalk to me...  lol

I think awareness of the creator is a late stage 1st density phenomena. My understanding is all non-living matter makes up 1st density and what we are most familiar with would be late stage. So you can definitely be loved by a sidewalk.

Second density is everything we view as "life". Third density is humans on this planet.

We then have a situation of 1st density matter is what is used to form the body of 2nd density lifeforms. The basic single celled life then become the building blocks of complex 2nd density and 3rd density life. So what we think of as our body is literally trillions of living things, which is kind of mind boggling and confusing.

[schubert]

With that in mind, you may begin to grasp the awareness of 2D: it is instinctual. It is not individuated. Does one cell say "I am distinctively John Doe, I like board games, and my favorite color is green"? When does the cell end and the giraffe begin? What is doing the thinking? What is aware of what?

so in order to be self aware and individuated a being has to be able to think for example "I am distinctively John Doe, I like board games, and my favorite color is green." but what if a beaver doesnt care about that stuff? we might think that mindset of "im a person i like this and that" is a good mark for self awareness but maybe the beaver is on another level and doesnt care to have those thoughts in the first place rather than is unable to lol.

the cell can do its own thing, i guess it is its own 2d being and the beaver begins at being the connection of the soul and the body/mind complex thing right? the thing doing the thinking/being aware is the intelligent energy of reality. how do u know its instinctual? wouldnt you say youre self aware but i could imagine higher beings seeing us as instinctual in a certain sense (instinctual to act in our best interest). i still like the question of if a beaver was self aware how would it act differently? im saying it would do the same stuff so i dont see how you can judge self awareness in that case.

[Nau7ik]

what does Ra mean when they say that 2nd density doesnt have self awareness and gaining that marks the jump into 3rd density? everything got some self awareness. is a beaver not acting in its best interest when it builds a little dam? what else is it gonna do you know? how would a beaver "having self awareness" look differently?

i guess im asking what self awareness means. theyre obviously aware of their bodies cause they take care of themselves but i guess you could say theyre not aware of their thought processes?? so how would a beaver that can analyze its thought process act differently? i cant think of anything lol

Good questions!! I’ll explain my views:

2nd density does not have full self awareness. The 2nd density corresponds to the Orange-ray chakra, the emotional and instinctual self, Netzach on the Tree of Life (Instincts and Emotions). 2D creatures do have an intelligence. This is something I realize in contemplation: it is the group over soul of the species which informs their intelligence. 2D operates in collective consciousness. The self is not seen as an individual, it is seen as a part in the whole. remember that 2D is not veiled, so they have an unconscious perception of the unity of all things/ the connectedness.

The wolf pack is one unit, for example. When one wolf is sick, this affects the entire wolf pack, which explains the seeming “amorality” of the natural world: the wolf is kicked out of the pack so as to protect the pack.

This same principle works in 3D actually. The health and cleanliness of the community affects the individual.

Animals are collectively conscious. It’s a big leap in consciousness when the animal realizes that it’s an individual being, with its own life apart from the collective. That is the jump to 3D. The activity of the 2D creature is informed by its instincts which is the collective knowledge of the species recorded in the oversoul/higher self of the species.

Our pets are a little bit different though. They are late 2D creatures. They’ve been developing self awareness. Love is an extremely powerful catalyst. Our pets do not have to hunt for food or water, or safety or shelter. Their minds are basically freed up from root ray chakra concerns of survivability. Their consciousness can deal with other matters. They begin to develop a unique personality. All of my pets have a unique personality. I think this is a clear sign of the evolution of consciousness.

When we “invest” our time and love into a pet, their potential for 2D harvest skyrockets. This is an acceleration of their spiritual evolution. The natural evolution for 2D without human investment can be very long and slow. Ra said that generally they can’t place a time limit on 2D because it varies how long it will take to achieve harvest.

[Stranger]

Animals lack abstract thought.  That means they do not have the ability to think about themselves, and in that sense lack reflective self-awareness.  Of course, they feel what they feel, and want what they want, like what they like, etc., but they lack the capacity to think about what they feel, want and like.  It just is.  

If an animal experiences distress, it will do whatever it can to improve its condition.  But an animal will never bemoan its fate, or think, "why me?"" because it lacks the capacity to imagine things having been different than they are.  An animal will not think, "am I good at this?"  or "am I attractive?" because the capacity to do so is simply not there.  Its experience is a continuous reaction to whatever is happening right now, because there is no capacity to project itself into a possible future (and either worry about or anticipate it) or reflect on its past.  It lives in the moment.  

That is what makes this funny (it could literally never happen):


If you want to understand this better, I recommend reading Mark Leary's "The Curse of the Self."

I should also say that many species which we lump together as "animals" seem to be somewhere between 2nd and 3rd density. I'm quite convinced that dolphins and whales are 3rd density, because they seem to have the capacity for complex intentionality which pure 2nd density does not allow (although hive mind insects seem to mimic it well with instinct alone - that's a bit of a puzzle to me). I'm not sure where crows and parrots are on that spectrum either, but likely not pure 2nd density either.

[Infinite]

The answer is "abstract thought":

19.11 Questioner: Can you tell me how this new bodily complex was suited to third-density lessons and what those lessons were?

Ra: I am Ra. There is one necessity for third density. That necessity is self-awareness, or self-consciousness. In order to be capable of such, this chemical complex of body must be capable of the abstract thought. Thus, the fundamental necessity is the combination of rational and intuitive thinking. This was transitory in the second-density forms operating largely upon intuition which proved through practice to yield results.

The third-density mind was capable of processing information in such a way as to think abstractly and in what could be termed “useless” ways, in the sense of survival. This is the primary requisite.

There are other important ingredients: the necessity for a weaker physical vehicle to encourage the use of the mind, the development of the already present awareness of the social complex. These also being necessary: the further development of physical dexterity in the sense of the hand, as you call this portion of your body complex.

90.9 Questioner: Then there is an extreme variation in the form of the physical vehicle in third density in the universe. I assume this is also true of fourth density. Is this correct?

Ra: I am Ra. This is so. We remind you that it is a great theoretical distance between demanding that the creatures of an infinite creation be unnoticeably similar to oneself and observing those signs which may be called human which denote the third-density characteristics of self-consciousness; the grouping into pairs, societal groups, and races; and the further characteristic means of using self-consciousness to refine and search for the meaning of the milieu.

It's the questionament about the sense of the things. Philosophical thinking. The sense of "Who I am?", "What I am?" Second density is instinctive in their actions and thinking.

[Infinite Unity]

...2nd density doesnt have self awareness and gaining that marks the jump into 3rd density?

OK, let's break things down a bit. Most people associate 2D with the domesticated house pet. These are borderline 3D already. And then there's all the other medium/large-sized (typically furry/mammalian) more familiar animals. Like your beavers. And giraffes!

Here's what's most often overlooked (and underappreciated):

2D spans approximately 4 billion years, 7/8ths of which are spent in a purely cellular/genetic state. Pause there and think about that for a moment. Strictly speaking, 2D isn't animals & plants. But animal/plants are comprised of cells.

The appearance of animals/plants occurs at the very late stages of 2D when those cellular structures begin to organize into specialized organs (from hearts, lungs, brains & gonads, to eyes, ears & tongues, to that marvelous skin mesh—or exoskeleton, should that be your case—that wraps the whole thing together) which bundle up to form an organism proper. This is colloquially known as the "Cambrian Explosion" (~500 million years ago). All major/active phyla (body plans) today "suddenly" appeared then. (*For those who wish to ponder this further, think 2D.6)

So when people talk about 2D, they are usually only skimming over the surface: that last 1/8th of the 2D spectrum. At its core, 2D is purely cellular/genetic. The resultant animal/plant is the "apex" achievement of 2D (which naturally leads to the "erection" of one of those candidate lifeforms into 3D almost "right away").

Whew, that was a bit of an introduction.



With that in mind, you may begin to grasp the awareness of 2D: it is instinctual. It is not individuated. Does one cell say "I am distinctively John Doe, I like board games, and my favorite color is green"? When does the cell end and the giraffe begin? What is doing the thinking? What is aware of what?

You see a flock of birds or a school of fish flying/swimming in unison. Yes, their bodies are distinctively separate: you see "many" copies of the same body plan and think them individuated (because you yourself are individuated/self-aware), but their awareness has no "selfness" to it. Selfness requires a "you" for there to be a "me". The awareness of 2D may be likened to racial/species awareness. It isn't a huge deal for one of its members to die. The "law" of 2D is propagation/multiplication of the species: to make more copies/duplicates of itself (keeping that species cyclically reincarnated and evolving/disseminating its gene pool further).

This is, however, a sign that self-awareness is right around the corner. It just begins with the duplication of bodies first. Duplicate bodies allow for a sort of mirroring effect in mind, in which the appropriate 2D candidate may look upon itself (in the reflection of another member of the species) and undergo the "you, me, different, not same?" realization that sparks 3D/self-awareness.

This is super evident with house pets (and many farm animals) when paired with an already individuated/self-aware 3D mirror which speeds up the process significantly.

i guess im asking what self awareness means. theyre obviously aware of their bodies cause they take care of themselves

It's just instinctual "survival awareness". Physical maintenance requires no self-awareness. Don't forget 2D is unveiled, so it operates completely in harmony with the universe/nature. This is difficult enough to understand considering 3D entities are veiled from that vast underlying ocean of intrinsic metaphysical (deep mind) and spiritual awareness (it's worse on Earth where most of the population is "stuck" on the teeny, tiny tip of the iceberg, believing that's all there is to it and make no effort to dive deep underneath), enhancing the apparent individuation in self-identity. Recall 3D before the universal veiling experiment: there was en ever-present, undeniable awareness that all things were interconnected and part of the same.

Either way, self-awareness simply means individuation of a "me" from a "you".

I like and agree with a large swath of what you say in this post.

Self awareness is a derivative of the spiritual complex becoming potentiated. Which being more apparent/evident, rather than provable through evidence.

I personally believe the stage between second density cellular life, and multi-organized second density life of plants/animals, is earmarked by an potentiated mental complex. Or rather a more centralized one.

I also would say that everything is/has awareness, but I like it more to intelligence/awareness.

[Nau7ik]

I also forgot to mention the metaphysics to back up my theory on 2D intelligence of instincts:
2D is ruled by the Nefesh, the emotional and instinctual portion of the psyche, corresponding to orange ray consciousness. The Nefesh has for its correspondence the Moon. The Moon reflects the Light of the Sun, the Neshamah, the higher self. So the Oversoul of the species informs the intelligence of their instincts. This is why a newborn sea turtle knows what to do. Animals don’t have to think. Their Nefesh is in connection with the collective consciousness /Oversoul which has the store of the knowledge of that species.
The Ruach, Spirit, rational intellect is in development. The activation of the Ruach is quite near to harvestability in our 2D pets, such as cats, dogs, horses, etc. Any 2D creature that has human investment is given a tremendous gift on their path of evolution. The responsibility is an honor and the honor is a responsibility.

Just had to add that because it’s something I forgot to mention in my original reply.

[Patrick]

Since the spirit is a shuttle, I guess the shuttle descends to reach the mind/body complex (2d) so that it becomes a mind/body/spirit complex (3d).  The spirit part is the consciousness of the One.  There is only one consciousness in existence.  The consciousness of infinity which is mysteriously shared.

Before the shuttle descends to the individual entity, the spirit remains at the racial level.  So the race itself is conscious.

[loostudent]

Anyone heard of the mirror test? It's inventor is Gordon Gallup ...

What the mirror test shows, Gallup said, is self-awareness, which he defines as “the ability to become the object of your own attention.” And he believes this implies a certain rare intellect. Any animal that can recognize itself in a mirror, Gallup thinks, can potentially recognize that others have their own minds and even empathize with them. A sense of self means a sense of selves.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-self-aw...-20181212/

That's interesting because other humans are also our mirrors. Not just for studying the self but also for learning social awareness and love.

[Infinite Unity]

Anyone heard of the mirror test? It's inventor is Gordon Gallup ...

What the mirror test shows, Gallup said, is self-awareness, which he defines as “the ability to become the object of your own attention.” And he believes this implies a certain rare intellect. Any animal that can recognize itself in a mirror, Gallup thinks, can potentially recognize that others have their own minds and even empathize with them. A sense of self means a sense of selves.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-self-aw...-20181212/

That's interesting because other humans are also our mirrors. Not just for studying the self but also for learning social awareness and love.

Which naturally entails a certain degree of separation. Self/ other-self, which in my opinion comes full circle to the "individual waves, in One ocean" view point or configuration. Where we/others are mysteriously some how One. Yet singular. Which in my opinion is the state of Infinity. not and is, is and not. All dancing together as one. Because honestly what is anything with out other? other to share with, to experience? What is anything worth without Love/Other?

[heartofself]

The answer is "abstract thought":

19.11 Questioner: Can you tell me how this new bodily complex was suited to third-density lessons and what those lessons were?

Ra: I am Ra. There is one necessity for third density. That necessity is self-awareness, or self-consciousness. In order to be capable of such, this chemical complex of body must be capable of the abstract thought. Thus, the fundamental necessity is the combination of rational and intuitive thinking. This was transitory in the second-density forms operating largely upon intuition which proved through practice to yield results.

The third-density mind was capable of processing information in such a way as to think abstractly and in what could be termed “useless” ways, in the sense of survival. This is the primary requisite.

There are other important ingredients: the necessity for a weaker physical vehicle to encourage the use of the mind, the development of the already present awareness of the social complex. These also being necessary: the further development of physical dexterity in the sense of the hand, as you call this portion of your body complex.

90.9 Questioner: Then there is an extreme variation in the form of the physical vehicle in third density in the universe. I assume this is also true of fourth density. Is this correct?

Ra: I am Ra. This is so. We remind you that it is a great theoretical distance between demanding that the creatures of an infinite creation be unnoticeably similar to oneself and observing those signs which may be called human which denote the third-density characteristics of self-consciousness; the grouping into pairs, societal groups, and races; and the further characteristic means of using self-consciousness to refine and search for the meaning of the milieu.

It's the questionament about the sense of the things. Philosophical thinking. The sense of "Who I am?", "What I am?" Second density is instinctive in their actions and thinking.

Hello, this is my first posting. I would like to respond by building upon the quoted posting from /u/Infinite

The first thought that came to me upon reading the initial question is that what distinguishes initial 3D self-awareness from simply individuated 2D awareness is the awareness of other selves as distinct from the self, which grows into the awareness that actions made upon the part of the self can or will influence other selves.

Many repliers have offered experiences with their pets, so I will follow suit. I have a young cat that I adopted at 6 months. I have witnessed her grow from a kitten wanting attention from an ailing senior cat (who has now passed) to an adult cat (1+ yrs.) whose attention is wanted by a new kitten. I have observed her change her play strategy to accommodate different physical abilities, have seen her offer affection and gentle reprimand, have had her request my intervention on the behalf of both cat friends multiple times (ex. when my oldest was having a seizure, and when the youngest had trapped herself), etc. I have known a great many cats in my life, and this behavior stands out to me as a special example of 2D transitioning to 3D.

I also want to comment that I have always understood that when Ra uses the word 'useless' in the above quote, they meant in the sense of useless to survival. One may argue that it is more efficient for survival in some cases for the self to disregard other self as self. And so, abstract thought may include thoughts of others as self in their own right, as it does take a level of abstracting to hold this idea in the mind.

Thank you for reading. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this discussion!

[flofrog]

Welcome here heartofself

schubert thank you for the thread, great conversation

[Loki]

...2nd density doesnt have self awareness and gaining that marks the jump into 3rd density?

OK, let's break things down a bit. Most people associate 2D with the domesticated house pet. These are borderline 3D already. And then there's all the other medium/large-sized (typically furry/mammalian) more familiar animals. Like your beavers. And giraffes!

Here's what's most often overlooked (and underappreciated):

2D spans approximately 4 billion years, 7/8ths of which are spent in a purely cellular/genetic state. Pause there and think about that for a moment. Strictly speaking, 2D isn't animals & plants. But animal/plants are comprised of cells.

The appearance of animals/plants occurs at the very late stages of 2D when those cellular structures begin to organize into specialized organs (from hearts, lungs, brains & gonads, to eyes, ears & tongues, to that marvelous skin mesh—or exoskeleton, should that be your case—that wraps the whole thing together) which bundle up to form an organism proper. This is colloquially known as the "Cambrian Explosion" (~500 million years ago). All major/active phyla (body plans) today "suddenly" appeared then. (*For those who wish to ponder this further, think 2D.6)

So when people talk about 2D, they are usually only skimming over the surface: that last 1/8th of the 2D spectrum. At its core, 2D is purely cellular/genetic. The resultant animal/plant is the "apex" achievement of 2D (which naturally leads to the "erection" of one of those candidate lifeforms into 3D almost "right away").

Whew, that was a bit of an introduction.



With that in mind, you may begin to grasp the awareness of 2D: it is instinctual. It is not individuated. Does one cell say "I am distinctively John Doe, I like board games, and my favorite color is green"? When does the cell end and the giraffe begin? What is doing the thinking? What is aware of what?

You see a flock of birds or a school of fish flying/swimming in unison. Yes, their bodies are distinctively separate: you see "many" copies of the same body plan and think them individuated (because you yourself are individuated/self-aware), but their awareness has no "selfness" to it. Selfness requires a "you" for there to be a "me". The awareness of 2D may be likened to racial/species awareness. It isn't a huge deal for one of its members to die. The "law" of 2D is propagation/multiplication of the species: to make more copies/duplicates of itself (keeping that species cyclically reincarnated and evolving/disseminating its gene pool further).

This is, however, a sign that self-awareness is right around the corner. It just begins with the duplication of bodies first. Duplicate bodies allow for a sort of mirroring effect in mind, in which the appropriate 2D candidate may look upon itself (in the reflection of another member of the species) and undergo the "you, me, different, not same?" realization that sparks 3D/self-awareness.

This is super evident with house pets (and many farm animals) when paired with an already individuated/self-aware 3D mirror which speeds up the process significantly.

i guess im asking what self awareness means. theyre obviously aware of their bodies cause they take care of themselves

It's just instinctual "survival awareness". Physical maintenance requires no self-awareness. Don't forget 2D is unveiled, so it operates completely in harmony with the universe/nature. This is difficult enough to understand considering 3D entities are veiled from that vast underlying ocean of intrinsic metaphysical (deep mind) and spiritual awareness (it's worse on Earth where most of the population is "stuck" on the teeny, tiny tip of the iceberg, believing that's all there is to it and make no effort to dive deep underneath), enhancing the apparent individuation in self-identity. Recall 3D before the universal veiling experiment: there was en ever-present, undeniable awareness that all things were interconnected and part of the same.

Either way, self-awareness simply means individuation of a "me" from a "you".

I agree with everything you said in your post with one small note adding the bisexual reproduction as an intermediary important step in 2D path to self awareness.
Bisexual reproduction brings into play the sex awareness male/female and later a further step as family awareness which make some copies of the species more important than others, with some birds species matting for life.

turtles have sexual awareness for mating but have no clue of family awareness
gazelle have sexual awareness and mother adds offspring awareness
wolfs have sexual and offspring awareness for both sexes

In a strange way 2D awareness of the surrounding world is able to identify a more accurate individuality in others as species become more and more complex but they are still totally unaware of self.
A wolf loves and knows his puppies and family but he doesn't know how he himself looks. He can identify any other member of the clan but himself. This knowing is not instinctual and requires a memory of characteristics related to others. A wolf can institutionally identify any other wolf in the world but it needs more than instinct to identify a brother or another wolf in its group.

The last big step in the process which is prepared by some advanced species (apes) or by the pet alternative step that by-passes evolution brings the first glimpse of self-awareness into the minds of 2D.

[Ray711]

Scientists have made experiments with animals, putting them in front of mirrors, and studying the degree at which different species are able to perceive the image in the mirror as their own individuated self. I tried doing this with one of my cats, and the reaction was indifference. However, as she kept looking at the mirror, I went behind her to pet her, and even though she was seeing my hand in the mirror, being touched slightly startled her. So, I assume my kitty is still not 3rd density harvestable...

I believe there is an infinite amount of degrees of self-awareness, based on Ra's notion that there are infinite sub-densities. At the very beginning of the 3rd density, entities are probably able to recognize their own individuated self, like in the mirror experiment, but not much more. From there, we can keep adding layers of complexity, until we reach the highest level, where the entity is capable of carefully examining thoughts, emotions, asking questions about the nature of consciousness, why it exists, what its purpose is, etc. In this sense, different humans probably have different degrees of self-awareness. In other cases, it's probably not so much that there's an innate difference in level of self-awareness, but that the ability to examine the self has or has not been trained.

Ra states numerous times that self-knowledge is paramount. Given that the requirements to become 4rd density harvestable are somewhat strict, I believe that it takes more than simply having self-awareness. The requirement (both for positive and negative polarization) is to focus, exercise and develop this capacity for self-awareness up to great heights. The entity is meant to analyze itself carefully, recognize its biases, be completely honest with its own self, and consciously choose over and over to make the required changes in order to polarize in the desired path. Most people in today's world don't bother to do this to such great lengths, which is why the number of harvestable individuals is not big.

[Loki]

I think recognizing itself in the mirror is not a deal breaker for 3D graduation it is just another skill. Your cat develops a subjective individuality though her/his preferences. In the world of wild animals most of the time is spent on surviving. Finding food then resting to gather strength for finding more food. What make pets special is the fact they do not need to worry about survival. This frees their brains for deeper more complex thinking like being kind towards their owners. Also their domestic environment has a elevated complexity compared to forests which make them required to have more complex thinking sequences to adapt. All these  from generation to generation and intentional selection make them have a higher IQ.

Think that in pets' world the smartest is more likely to have offspring unlike in the wild where the strongest usually succeed in that.

More so I believe 2D beings have a more unobstructed memory of past life than 3D.

Our cat started to sit on out windows watching in as soon we moved in our new house. We asked the old owner if they use to let her in but they said she never did that when they lived in that house. The cat owner house was just across the street. The cat started bringing gifts and let them on our door step. Her owner, nice lady, said that her cat never broth her any gift.

Eventually slowly slowly she moved from across the street to our house. Her owner was OK with the move. After that for years every time the cat was hearing the car of her old owner was just disappearing in our back yard not to be seen.

In our house she was showing so much love to my wife I cannot believe, while generally ignoring me. The cat was spending hours in her lap licking her arms. Every time I wanted to hold her she only allowed me to do so for a minute or two before jumping off my lap.

I really believe our cat recognize my wife from a previous life. All these being said I do think she is to graduate to 3D if she wants so but the way she acts she might come back once more as a cat to meet my wife.  

[schubert]

i just watched an amazing video that shined a lot of light on this question for me. its soo interesting. he telepathically connected with worms, bees, and a snake and got insight into how their consciousness is.