I’m currently reading “Galileo’s Error” by Philip Goff, basically an introduction to the intriguing theory of consciousness called panpsychism, which proposes that consciousness (in whatever form) is present in everything: gluons and bosons have a corresponding “particle” of consciousness. We humans appear to have exceeded a critical level of conscious integration, rendering us “conscious”, in the sense of having an awareness of self.
(I deliberately avoided writing “self-conscious” there, for obvious reasons!)
Anyway, I’m not far enough into the book to discuss the theory in any great depth, but I did find myself, during a break in today’s rehearsal, “seeking” my consciousness. It still could be an “illusion”, but that’s what philosophy is for: to explore!