I also feel that consciousness is more a state of awareness.
I too believe this. Based on many studies of how plants react when people talk lovingly to them when measured with those who don't/or talk negatively to them it appears plants have an awareness as well.
Interesting link on this:
https://phys.org/news/2016-12-new-study-shows-plants-can.html
Not being a scientist, the most obvious question I have is whether the change has to do with the plant or the intent of the person. I can't say with certainty, although for reasons not scientific but more intuited I believe plants do have consciousness. Which then leads me to speculate if consciousness is a trait that has to do more with water than a brain as we know it. Since I was a child I have heard it said that water is the basis for life, so it seems logical to conclude it is the basis for consciousness.
I almost passed up your post until I read the comments. Will be checking back in the hopes of more finding your post and adding more considerations to your question.
The idea that consciousness could be tied to water is one I have not heard before, but it could fit in quite nicely with the panpsychism view, which states that everything physical, no matter if it is animate or inanimate, has an element of consciousness. If you were to think of water as the basis of consciousness, then this could make even more sense, since all objects have some level of moisture in them.
Thanks for the idea, it gives me a new direction for my studies.
Last night I was introduced to the cognitive theories of Maturana and Varela, which added another element to the discussion of consciousness, this time as a process in the network of life. I will be doing more study on this surely.
Thanks for being a part of the conversation. I look forward to your additional considerations!