The gospels describe us as “born of water and born of the spirit.” Our earthly birth results from the breaking of our mother’s waters, giving rise to our human existence. Our second birth is “of the spirit.” Spirit is what, in more modern language, we call “consciousness.” How do we know this? Well, writing to the people of Corinth, St. Paul remarked: “For who among humans knows the thoughts of a human being except the person’s spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” “Knowing” is consciousness. Paul is saying that there is the natural human spirit—human consciousness, which is more advanced than the consciousness of animals. That is, we enjoy consciousness at a different intensity from our fellow creatures. But, he adds, there is also a higher level of consciousness, the divine consciousness—or what in those days they called the Spirit of God.