I have two different conceptions of consciousness, which I have labeled as 1 and 2. I wrote #1 first, I think it is a good description of what individual consciousness feels like. Recently, however, I’ve started to focus on the description I’ve written under #2, which expresses a more collective consciousness, and probes at the question, “where does consciousness come from?”

#1: Consciousness is not the person inside of your head, watching the world, but the eye that watches the person watch the world. This eye is your awareness. The eye can swivel all the way around the mind, turning inward or looking out. Stimuli flash and blink and beep, trying to attract the attention of the eye. When the eye is fully trained on the external, that is called being present. When the eye is fully trained on the internal, that is called contemplation. The untrained eye is very easily distracted, and will try to attend to internal and external stimuli almost simultaneously, all day long. The eye believes that this juggling act is essential to its proper functioning. And faced with such an overwhelming amount of stimuli, who can blame it? But the secret truth is that the eye functions best when trained to focus. A focused eye is able to tune out undesirable stimuli, tune in to sights and sensations, and follow thoughts through to their conclusion. An individual with a focused conscious eye is not commanded by internal or external stimuli, but chooses what they want to think and see.
Meditation, exercise, and study can all help focus the eye. Taking time to conceptualize your internal landscape can also help. I recommend giving names to the different voices inside of your head, thus severing them from your conception of self. When are you steering the ship, and when are fear, ego, anger etc. taking their turns?

#2: I recently heard someone say the phrase, “Looking for consciousness inside of the mind is like looking inside a radio for musicians.” I am a radio. I can choose which frequencies I want to tune into and emit. If I am a radio for consciousness, I want to be a good one, a high quality stereo set, praised for its quality of sound. This means finding clarity of consciousness, being a strong conductor for its frequencies. Like the focusing of the eye, I believe this can be achieved through meditation. I am also increasingly interested in the role of REM.
It is not my brain that is radio for consciousness but my whole body. The gut produces 90% of the body’s serotonin. I get a short temper when I’m about to start my period. I feel better after I stretch. Living is a full body experience. A balanced body conducts consciousness with clarity.