All life is consciousness. Every one celled plant or animal moves toward food and away from a life threatening situation. That is making a choice, consciousness. Humans add to that the ability of being aware of being aware, of have an Identity as a unique expression of Existence, of Life, and of being human. Human consciousness is the ability to be aware and exercise the choice of where we place our attention and the appropriate emotion to accompany that Attention.
Love is the ethic to guide our choices into being appropriate, compassionate, and just.
Consciousness, therefore, is about the choice of Placing our Attention in the Present Moment. The problem is that we mistake thoughts running through our head and the sensations of perception of the outside world as consciousness. Any animal or plant is conscious of the sensations of perception, if not thought. We are conscious as human beings only when we are aware of the choices we are making in response to the current circumstances of life, both internally and externally. Consequently, when we have thoughts running over and over through our mind, habitual thought patterns, those thoughts are standing between us and our awareness of making appropriate, just, and compassionate choices of behavior relative to the world.