Consciousness is much more than the thorn, it is the dagger in the flesh.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
But he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose.
Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.
Nothing can so pierce the soul as the uttermost sigh of the body.
And for me anyway, consciousness is three components: a personal component which for lack of a better word we can call the soul. A collective component which is more archetypal and a deeper level, and then a universal domain of consciousness.
Everyone fears the cut of the blade. It doesn't matter after that. I know the spirit survives as there is so much evidence of the survival of the personality in the afterlife.
We can know nothing till after this grave debate. The soul must withdraw, for this is not its hour. Now the knife must divide the flesh, and lay the ravage bare, and do its work completely.
Where you are in consciousness has everything to do with what you see in experience.
The weapon of the advocate is the sword of the soldier, not the dagger of the assassin.
There is no detachment where there is no pain. And there is no pain endured without hatred or lying unless detachment is present too.
The sword the body wounds, sharp words the mind.