As humans, it is difficult, if not impossible to separate our subjective sense of our own consciousness from our sense of identity.

What may happen with practices such as meditation is the subject/observer is able to acheive a conscious state where they reach, or at least approach, an awareness of the separateness of consciousness and identity. This may lead to a perception of a larger, or cosmic consciousness or awareness. Whether that is a misperception, or whether that is an intimation of some trancendant something or other that humans can only anthropomorphically describe as consciousness, is interesting, but probably not very important to know as we go about our daily business of being humans.   I do know that state is a psychologically healing environment for the wounded psyche.