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THE NOTION OF GROWTH
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During this stage we process the content of our perception, select single elements of what we perceive and group them in a first attempt to form a coherent whole.
The result is an unconfirmed, yet definite idea that an object must be this or that.
A perception can only reach this point if we have the desire to ascertain what the object really is, i.e. if we send some more or less conscious attention into this direction.
EXAMPLE: Is this white object a swan or a flag?
Many experiences of a widening of consciousness either never reach this stage or need a long time to be processed. We can shorten this time considerable if we familiarize us with concepts of consciousness and its expansion.
Many other events also never reach this stage, because we usually accept as perception only those events and objects that proceed to the conscious processing which happens only in stage 3 (evaluation) and 4 (consolidation and retention).
Unfortunately this also discards ideas, inspirations and impulsive thoughts which we might well perceive, but regard as too weak to knight them with our attention. Yet we should not snub these subtle impulses. It often pays to muster the energy to raise these vague ideas to a more conscious stage of perception. Though the impulses might be weak, they nevertheless could give us access to more interesting and more colorful experiences far beyond our present reality. - All great inventions and ideas started out as this kind of subtle impulse
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