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Much confusion exists over what we mean by 'Mind'. The ancient Rishi's throughout the ages understood 'Mind' far better than most modern materialistic scientists today probably because they understood and lived the Laws which govern Creation as opposed to a science of ever increasing complexity. We do not say, of course, that science, by itself, is wrong, for every age has it's methods of inquiry that conforms to the state at which mankind can best understand the Universal Truths. Many of these Truths were so simple that again and again the majority of people then living on Earth couldn't appreciate, or even understand them! Hence the repeated appeals to mankind by the Great One's to live in accordance with the Simple Laws BEHIND nature rather than the results of those Laws as oft times happens on Earth.
One of the great Truths which the ancient Sage's postulated in the living gospels of their lives was the idea that 'Mind' Itself, was an Energy. Just as electricity, light and heat obeyed certain very definite Laws - and not other Laws - so did Mind Energy obey certain Laws so that predetermined results could be brought about without the need for the vast array of instruments that scatter the surface of Earth today. To these ancient and modern Truth Seekers it was understood that nothing was more sensitive than the human nervous system. Through their spiritual practices they learned to increase the sensitivity of their instrument so that a greater degree of receptivity could be brought about by those impulses of Mind which virtually exist outside, as well as within, himself.
These ancient and modern saints were real scientists - people who practiced their respective disciplines so that specific results could be brought about through due diligence and applied spiritual logic. Their motives? To SERVE mankind - to so sensitize themselves that they could translate Higher Inspiration into Direct Action - to make themselves worthy channels for the Greater Whole as their Cause. To some this Greater whole represented God, to others it represented the Divine Mother or Divine Father, to others it became the Great White Spirit or the Essence of Divinity.
Through self-imposed discipline these Sages surrendered their petty freewill in the fires of Selfless Service - and the result? Greater Freedom! They knew freewill to be the culmination of involved thinking and action throughout the ages and the break to this cycle was their spiritual practices and daily living in the consciousness of simple unity. It was through such PRACTICES that they discovered - or perhaps re-discovered would be a better word - their real identify as Spiritual Beings. The physical body was seen as a useful tool or vehicle for Mind Energy. And what was more, that this physical structure also had auric counterparts through which finer experiences and sensations could be felt and noted.
Within this Aura or Subtle Body, of which we have several, was held little vortices referred to as Chakras or Psychic Centres. It was through these Centres of Power that Mind Energy became directly drawn into the human organism by magnetic attraction. Using the cerebro-spinal system as a relay station for tremendous spiritual energies these Sages realized that it was possible to make a demand upon this Great Sea of Mind outside themselves in such a way as to discriminate, more exactly, the type of Mental Energy they wished to take into themselves. They realized that it was through the lower or more basic centres that the more basic aspects of Mind would be attracted into their mental structures. By sensitizing the higher psychic centres they could then begin to receive the higher aspects of Mind by magnetic attraction into themselves and translate these in terms of psycho-spiritual experiences.
Through such experiences they understood that the brain was not just the physical culmination in the head, but the whole cerebro-spinal system was indeed a brain, as well as a powerhouse. And further, that man's experience of Mind Energy took three major forms which today we call the Conscious, Sub-conscious and Super-conscious. The Conscious Mind was that aspect of the thinking process which governs his mento-physical Actions - the Sub-conscious, was that aspect of Mind which governed his mento-physical Functions, and the Super-conscious was that aspect of Mind which governed his Aspirations. There is a fourth aspect, which few speak about - the Supra-conscious, which governs ALL other aspects towards realization of it's innate Divinity through Inspiration and High Intuition, but for the average man, this very wonderful aspect is very dimly seen, even at times!
While some psychologists will almost regard the sub-conscious mind as something quite negative in nature the trained aspirant discovered that this very wonderful Sub-conscious Mind was a very essential and important part of the human thinking process, without which we could not possibly exist in the way that we do now. This subconscious was, and is, in many ways far more superior than the conscious mind! The subconscious could perform numerous tasks simultaneously without difficulty. This is something the conscious mind cannot do in most people, although they may think they can! The autonomic nervous system, for example, is controlled by the Sub-conscious Mind, for the most part. While we may not be fully aware of it innumerable processes are taking place every second to ensure that this mento-physical vehicle is working at it's best. If we had to consciously think about every heartbeat to make this reflex action work correctly many of us wouldn't be here tomorrow! Yet, such is the faithfulness of this Subconscious Mind that it performs every heart beat on YOUR behalf! Every breath through the complexity of the respiratory system is carried out on YOUR behalf! Every pupil dilation, every salivation during eating, digestion, the feeling of cold and pain, the strong urge to sleep when tired and wake up on a well rested sleep, the automatic healing process after cutting oneself accidentally, the growth of every new cell in the body and the multiple excretions of specific sequences of hormones by glands in different parts of the body in the exact amounts, at specific times, are all a part of the almost mind boggling array of innumerable processes under it's command. No Conscious Mind could possibly carry out such a tasks in the space of a single minute - never mind every minute, every hour, every day for the rest of our lives....!
Now, tell me, do you regard this Sub-consciousness as something to be weary of? Some do, but why? It always operate in your best interests, always, always, always - unless, and this is the one caveat, unless your Conscious Mind interferes with it. If you feed the Sub-conscious mind with rubbish and misinformation it will react in the same was as anything would react to misuse. The Sub-conscious is extremely sensitive and can be impressed quite easily by Conscious impressions and experiences. Like a vast super-computer, the Sub-consciousness can be used in any way that the Conscious Will allows it to. Many cases of psychosomatic disease can be traced to a mental condition resulting from the feeding of the Sub-conscious Mind with wrong thoughts and actions repeated over and over again. It is also, in part, the reason why 'History repeats Itself!' For while the Conscious Mind can remember many things throughout it relatively few years of existence. The Sub-conscious Mind can remember every experience exactly, and in complete detail, not only throughout one's present life but through ALL lives it has EVER had since it's inception as a point of Consciousness! A complete historical dossier is held within each individual if we could but access it! But imagine remembering every experience both good and bad! To many people in their present stage of development this would probably cause more problems then they already have in their lives! Fortunately, for us, nature has so prepared a safety valve that such recollections occur gradually, steadily and at the right time for the Initiate from within, rather than without, for pieces of silver!
As good as the Sub-conscious Mind is goal of man is to become greater than the sum of it's parts. The goal of man is to become not Sub-concious beings but Super-Consciously alive in the world, but not of it, at the same time! As mankind evolves into the Super-conscious realms he begins to transmute the relatively isolated Sub-conscious Mind into the Super-conscious. He becomes more able to use this wonderful aspect of Mind more effectively. The division between the various aspects, closes so to speak, into a unified whole. We have, for example, some examples of where certain yogis are able to consciously control their autonomic reflexes and bodily functions almost at will. Whether such control occurs directly or indirectly by the Super-conscious Mind it is the birthright of all men and women to gain control over the Sub-consciousness so that it might eventually operate as part of a unified whole, with man's higher aspects. When this happens we will become true Masters in the highest sense. Not masters over others, so much as Masters over ourselves. It is far easier to control others but far more fruitful and more difficult to control ourselves. One is the path of involution the other is the path to a fuller life through Evolution.
This is one reason why such qualities such as Bravery are essential in these days for unless we learn to meet life's challenges head-on, as they assail us, we cannot hope to meet the greater challenges ahead as Super-Conscious Beings with far greater receptivity to ALL things, not just the good, but also the bad, too! Hence the vast importance of strict mental control, strict physical control, strict psychic control - before the higher states of Samadhic Bliss can be attained in a balanced God-centered Being, rather than a fearful unbalanced ego-centered mentality.
Super-consciousness is the goal of mankind - this is ADEPTSHIP. All Adepts are, from a metaphysical sense, Super-conscious Beings, or to put it another way, are governed, more or less, by the Super-conscious Aspect of Mind.
Beyond Adeptship we then have MASTERSHIP, which is Supra-consciousness. The essence of Mastership is experienced at the highest possible Centre at the top of the head. When Consciousness dwells in the Brahma Chakra and Kundalini has left Sushumna completely, then doth Consciousness break into that which is Cosmic. This is a state far beyond the Super-conscious experiences of even the Adepts but is also given to us as a goal towards which we should be moving towards. But, I think many of us have enough to work on with just these Three Aspects to consider!
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