Henosis Foundation.

Layer 1 relates to the mind and the perception of mental activity, and is essentially one’s interface with the world. Before Fundamental Wellbeing the mind is intertwined with the Narrative Self (also referred to by some as the egoic self). What remains after transitioning to Fundamental Wellbeing are effectively the same mental structures and capabilities with the influence of the Narrative Self lessened, or in some cases even removed entirely. This typically brings about a reduction in, or in some cases a cessation of, self-referential thoughts, but not necessarily mental activity as a whole. Therefore, many of the mind’s same tendencies and qualities remain, which may include:

• Remaining active—describing, analyzing, reasoning, conceptualizing, justifying, imagining, remembering, etc. 
• Seeking control
• Being uncomfortable with not knowing or understanding things
• Resisting what it does not like and trying to hold onto what it likes
• Being occupied with and concerned about one’s life circumstances—assessing, planning, strategizing, worrying, weighing, comparing, predicting, calculating, etc.
• Being attached to thinking and emotion, and defensive and wanting to be right about these
• Being concerned with meaning and purpose
• Being dogmatic and convinced that what it thinks is right and important, even though it is only one limited perspective
• Lacking confidence and being prone to self-doubt
• Being reactive and prone to highs and lows 
• Exerting a strong pull on attention
• Dominating subjective perception—its activity can block perception to other layers and thus other perspectives
• Being highly fallible and having difficulty discerning truth from falsehood
• Being limited by the premises and paradigms it reasons from
• Being by nature dualistic and highly fixated—it cannot function without positionalities, which are fixations in relative points of view and necessarily produce a limited perspective
• Producing a sense of an individualized (personal) self

These tendencies and qualities relate to the nature of Layer 1. It is a fundamental layer of the nervous system that cannot be eliminated; however, the degree of perceptual access to it can vary significantly across types and depths of Fundamental Wellbeing. Contrary to what is sometimes believed, it is not true that all forms of Fundamental Wellbeing involve a largely or completely silent mind—although this can happen, particularly in the case of further out types of Fundamental Wellbeing where Layer 1 is so distant from subjective experience that it is no longer perceived. 

Assuming someone wants to be functional in society (i.e., is not “going to the cave” or planning on withdrawing from society), perceptual access to the Layer 1 matters. However, this is often not what feels most natural to Finders and as a result they are generally trying to escape or suppress this layer. This is reinforced by a belief in many spiritual systems and traditions that the mind is something to go beyond. Generally, that is not practical, as Layer 1 is responsible for high quality access to language, thinking, memory, planning, social skills, calculating, describing, analyzing, reasoning, conceptualizing, strategizing, and so on. 

One of the reasons being perceptually centered in Layer 1 can feel less natural or “right” to Finders is because most people spend their entire lives before Fundamental Wellbeing operating within Layer 1, and thus this layer contains the most conditioning and capacity to suppress peace. In addition, centering subjective experience in Layer 1 moves it in the opposite direction of deepening through the layers, and thus, deepening into Fundamental Wellbeing. Consequently, many Finders (and many of the traditions that seek Fundamental Wellbeing) tend to see Layer 1 as an obstacle to leave behind. However, there is a price to pay for taking this position in terms of functionality in life. Of course, the more one chooses to withdraw from society, the less this is a concern.

The catch with Layer 1 is essentially that it occludes the deeper layers, where experiences of Fundamental Wellbeing that Finders often consider more desirable, such as a greater and more foreground peace and stillness, can be found. This is especially the case in Location 1, where the Layer 1 is the default. This often results in Location 1 Finders feeling as though they must continuously work at quieting or escaping their minds to remain in the deeper quality of peace. It is true that depth in Fundamental Wellbeing equates to distance from Layer 1, but Fundamental Wellbeing is not linear and unidimensional in nature and directionality. It is possible for Layer 1 to be experienced with other layers in an integrated or fluid way, which does not compromise access to the deeper reaches of Fundamental Wellbeing. 

In summary, the most fundamental qualities of Layer 1, or the mind, cannot be changed. It will always be as it is by nature, and this has practical use in functioning in the world. Rather than being something which disappears with deepening in Fundamental Wellbeing, it is a layer of the nervous system that is always present and merely becomes increasingly distant from subjective perception as one moves into deeper layers. 

This does not mean that it is experienced in the same way that it is prior to becoming a Finder. It is typically less reactive, less compelling, and less dominant overall when experienced in even shallow forms of Fundamental Wellbeing. It is also much easier to reprogram. Prior psychological patterns can more readily be reconditioned in more optimal directions or allowed to fall away.

Although it is often eschewed by religious and spiritual traditions that focus on Fundamental Wellbeing, returning to Layer 1 perceptually for its functional properties may be appropriate and practical for the situation at hand. In a fluid system where a Finder has access to more than one layer, access to Layer 1 does not need to compromise access to the deeper layers. Its perspective can be regarded as a tool for interfacing with the world, rather than as the dominant or only point of view. 

Differences in Layer 1 across Locations:

Location 1	In Location 1, Layer 1 is the default layer. This means that mental activity often still dominates subjective experience. The mind has a gravity to it in Location 1, which usually means that subjective experience defaults to mental activity when a Finder is not actively sinking in to deeper layers. This will often lead Location 1 Finders to doubt whether they are experiencing Fundamental Wellbeing persistently. However, usually the fluctuations they experience involve changes in depth within Location 1, and not in and out of Fundamental Wellbeing.
Location 2	Layer 1 is usually highly accessible, although it can be made less accessible if someone works at distancing themselves from Layer 1 by focusing their subjective experience into a deeper layer. It is possible to transition to Location 2 at the Layer 1 level of depth. However, usually this transition occurs at Layer 2, or in a combination of Layer 1 and 2. Layer 1 is often integrated with, or accessed from a deeper layer, making thought feel more impersonal. Location 2 Finders will sometimes comment that, at times, they fall back into their old sense of self. This often relates to aspects of Layer 1, which has a quality of self that feels more individualized and personal than other layers at this location.
Location 3	Layer 1 is not the default layer that people transition to or experience in Location 3, however it can remain quite accessible. It is usually accessed and viewed from the perspective of being centered in a deeper layer. The combination of a continued degree of access to Layer 1 and a very loving, compassionate, joyous disposition, makes Location 3 Finders wonderful to be around.
Location 4	Layer 1 is accessible, to a limited degree, in that there can be a meta-awareness of what is happening at Layer 1. Essentially this is a meta-awareness of what is happening in the mind, but there is no sense of being able to engage with it like there is in previous locations. The most distinctive property of Layer 1 in Location 4 is that it is experienced as functioning autonomously. This can have less than ideal consequences, as it will change how it is programmed to operate over time. Without more conscious direction, this will now take place largely within Layer 1 itself, based on the previous psychological conditioning and tendencies, genetic tendencies, the environment, and so on. Without conscious introspection, many key aspects of the brain are left out of the redevelopment process, including important parts such as those related to moral reasoning. This can lead to outcomes that work out well over time for the Finder’s life, or less so. Most systems that target Location 4 tend to hold the belief that the Layer 1 is something to get away from, and as someone deepens it does tend to become less accessible. This moves increasingly in the direction of transcendence and is often not conducive to effectiveness in the world unless actively managed in some way.
Location 5+	In Location 5 and later, Layer 1 increasingly recedes from subjective awareness, especially on the Path of Freedom. Like in Location 4, the mind functions autonomously but is now increasingly outside of even subjective awareness, despite continuing to impact behavior. Instead of action being experienced as the consequence of thought and intentionality, it feels intrinsic to the unfolding itself and is silent and self-revealing. Whatever thought processes precede it are at a level of the system that is out of subjective awareness.