Patterns of Consciousness
Meditation is a relaxed descent into lower and slower brainwave frequencies clustered into five categories of consciousness, ranging from high-frequency gamma to low-frequency delta. These five categories are explained below. You will also find on this page a series of brainwave patterns which correlate to the descent into meditative and non-dual states described in the Table of Subjective Landmarks.
If you do not have access to a certified Awakened Mind trainer or a Mind Mirror, you can use the Table of Subjective Landmarks to gauge your progress in meditation and Awakened Mind development. After your practice, consult the Table to find descriptions that match your felt states of awareness. Use the 0-6 Lesh scale to approximate the depth you reached.
Chronicling your experiences and Lesh numbers (in the left column of the Table) will reveal what helps or hinders your practice. The result will be meditative mastery.
The brainwave categories of consciousness
BETA (30-14 Hz)
The conscious mind of active, external, verbal thought. Logic and analysis, list-making and decision-making.
DELTA (4-0.5 Hz)
Personal unconscious, a door to universal awareness. Empathy and psychic awareness; dreamless sleep
ALPHA (14-8 Hz)
Relaxed, sensory awareness; daydreaming; imaging. Bridge from the conscious to the subconscious mind.
THETA (8-4 Hz)
The subconscious mind of long-term memory
Creativity, insight, spirituality, dreaming sleep.
GAMMA (30-100 Hz)
Often couples with high-amplitude theta/delta as a harmonic. Experienced as peace, transcendence, super-lucidity.
Associated with high attentional awareness, superlearning, compassion, transcendence, spiritual ecstasy. Increases coherence in the brain. A kind of spiritual intelligence.
The meditative descent into higher awareness
ORDINARY CONSCIOUSNESS
The beta waves of random thinking and mind chatter (top of the pattern)
No mid-range alpha or theta
Delta's radar-like empathy or psychic awareness, present in most people (bottom of the pattern)
CATEGORY 0
Beta begins to reduce (dotted lines)
Intermittent flares of alpha bridge and deeper subconscious theta
Delta still present
CATEGORY 1
Reduced beta
Intermittent but stronger flares of alpha, no theta
Delta still present
CATEGORY 2
Highly reduced beta
Continuous alpha
Intermittent theta, possible flashes of imagery related to subconscious memories
CATEGORY 3
Light but relatively stable meditation
Highly reduced beta and continuous alpha
Possibly more continuous theta, with increased mental focus and concentration
CATEGORY 4
Continuing and strengthening meditation state
Highly reduced beta
Continuous alpha, Increased theta
CATEGORY 4 or 5
Meditation pattern
Deep, strong, stable alpha-theta meditation pattern
Little to no beta, with or without the presence of delta
Alpha and theta in proper ratio to each other and the rest of the pattern
CATEGORY 5
The Awakened Mind of creative flow and peak performance
Meditation pattern with quiet, rounded-in beta for problem-solving
Characterized by strong intuitive insights into questions, issues and challenges
CATEGORY 6
The Evolved Mind of oneness, bliss and illumination
As categories unite, self-separation dissolves into universal awareness
Transcendent state of unity consciousness
CATEGORY 6 (7th State of Consciousness) **
Superconscious Mind: Awakened Mind pattern with gamma frequencies extending up to 64 or 100 hertz. Aha insights, super-lucidity, hyper-intuition, kundalini energy. Formation of new brain cells (neurogenesis); rewiring via neuroplasticity. Constant flow of creative energy used in compassionate service
CATEGORY 6 (8th State of Consciousness) **
Universal Consciousness: Evolved Mind pattern extending up to 100 hertz.
Spiritual oneness, mystical union, gamma-induced neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Joy and bliss in complete spiritual surrender.
The highest possible state of consciousness.
** Note: Max Cade predicted that more advanced technology would reveal the brainwave patterns of the 7th and 8th States of Consciousness, defined here as the
Superconscious Mind and Universal Consciousness. (See Cade's eight states of
consciousness.) The Vilistus Mind Mirror, with its additional two bands of gamma (44-64 Hz) has identified the brainwave patterns of these highest-known levels of awareness. So far,
they have been observed only in advanced meditators, psychics, healers, and Qi Gong masters: highly developed and spiritually conscious people who possess super-ordinary attentional awareness and
compassion that they use in their own conscious evolution and in dedicated service to others. Read Cade's "The Transcendent Self: The Mysticism of Action."
