The Conscious Mind: Computer-like Function
The conscious mind can be thought of as the computer-like function of the mind. The conscious mind plays a unique role: it keeps us safe. We explore its boundaries and how it benefits us. We’ll talk about how it works in conjunction with the other two functions of the mind to make us aware of insights and information that come to us in subtle, barely noticeable messages.
When discussing the power of the conscious mind, E. Stanley Jones once said, “The conscious mind determines the actions, the unconscious mind determines the reactions; and the reactions are just as important as the actions.”
To most people, it is our conscious mind that determines who we are. However, in reality, our conscious mind is just a small portion of who we actually are. It is a very small part of how the three functions of our mind enable us to communicate with the universe.
Just because our conscious mind is easily accessible, it is not the instrument that completely determines who we are, what we do, and why we do it. It is merely the vehicle that allows us to easily communicate through speech, pictures, writing, physical actions and a shallow form of thought.
Our conscious mind is our objective mind. It has no memory, and it can only hold one thought at a time. It functions to identify incoming information using our senses; sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and feeling.
Our conscious mind is continually observing and categorizing (sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly) what is going on around us. It’s the part of our mind that can’t be fully trusted.
It is continually sorting impressions and consequently deciding which are relevant and which are not.
The subconscious is often influenced by past actions and previously wrong decisions and is like a binary computer. It accepts or rejects things in a simple “yes” or “no” manner in order to make a decision. It deals with one thought at a time: positive or negative, yes or no.
The benefit of this kind of thinking is to preserve our lives. It enables us to make a “go, no go” decision quickly. Our subconscious, on the other hand, is like a huge memory bank. Its capacity is virtually unlimited and permanently stores everything that ever happens to us.
We will cover how these two functions of our mind work together next time we meet. For now, just know that we rely on each of our mental mechanisms and that all three must be functioning for us to be complete.
The Subconscious Mind at the Helm
Let’s talk now about the sub-conscious mind, the role it plays in our lives and its connection to intuition.
In exploring the level that exists just below that of our conscious awareness, we come to the subconscious mind. It is the part of our mind that records everything we do; every activity we engage in, each thought we have about those activities, and the likes and dislikes we encounter each day. It is the part of our minds we are familiar with when we sleep, dream, and behave according to beliefs of which we are not aware.
Although nothing is forgotten by the subconscious mind, this part of our consciousness remains hidden from our everyday awareness. However, that does not exclude it from influencing how we think and act in our conscious state.
In other words, the subconscious influences much of what we do each day, but those influences are from past actions and the habits we have created from them. This means the ideas drawn from the subconscious are not going to be new and creative.
It is our subconscious mind that provides meaning to all our interactions with the world—meaning as it is filtered through your beliefs and habits.
It communicates information through our feelings, emotions, imagination, sensations, and dreams. Our current understanding of consciousness is rigid. It fails to give recognition to the conscious experiences outside the definition of normal. Such experiences are considered fake, abnormal, or unnatural.
Normal consciousness is earthbound and is only normal in the sense that is it well known; you are aware of something on the outside as well as some specific mental functions happening on the inside.
It is important to know that our subconscious mind can’t move outside its fixed programs – it reacts automatically to situations using previously stored behavior responses. It works without the knowledge or control of the conscious mind. This is why we are often unaware of our behavior.
Studies from as far back as the seventies show that our brains begin to prepare for action just over a third of a second before we consciously decide to act. In other words, even when we ‘think’ we are conscious, it’s our subconscious mind that is actually making decisions for us.
The Super-conscious Mind & the Land Beyond, Beyond
Arrives the Super-conscious Mind! This ever-exhilarating but complex super-consciousness is a level all its own. This is the third level of the mind also guides us and through which we can control our lives. Let’s tackle this exceptional mind space, aka, the super-conscious mind.
While the conscious and sub-conscious minds are familiar to us, the super-conscious mind remains unknown and mysterious.
It is the hidden spiritual system behind intuition, spirituality, and physical and spiritual healing. It is the problem-solving part of us and allows us to feel such things as joy, excitement, and empathy. The work of our super-conscious mind is often overlooked when we aspire to live a richer, more meaningful life.
While we are familiar with the fleeting moments of raised consciousness, few know the technique for purposely entering the exalted state of super-consciousness. Super-consciousness is the state reachable only through meditation, chanting, affirmation, and prayers specifically designed to lead us into a state of super-consciousness.
It is our super-consciousness that makes possible human achievements of greatness . . . And the elevation of the human spirit.
The idea of a higher consciousness is rooted in the notion of reaching a higher self that transcends reality. It is the essence of human existence that makes us capable of going beyond the confines of the physical world and the trappings of logic.
#StarTrek Wraps It Up!
We have covered at length now all three states of being. To wrap up with a simple illustration of how important each state of consciousness is, I’d like to refer you to a popular Star Trek: Generations episode, “Loud as a Whisper.”
It is an episode in which a deaf mediator is enlisted to solve a planetary dispute. He cannot speak, but has a chorus of three personalities that exist within him and speak aloud for him. One is logic and judgment, the second, passion and romance, the third—like the super-conscious—is that which binds all three together. It is harmony, wisdom, and balance.
While the analogy is not exact, the episode gives us an idea of how our three minds interact—each mind serving a purpose with the super-conscious serving to combine all three to create a higher form of existence.
A Next Step: Essential Oil to Enhance the Brain? Yes!
Brain Power Essential Oil is an excellent blend of essential oils that is specifically designed to bring mental clarity and greater focus that is sometimes associated with mental fatigue or a long day at work. It contains oils that are very high in sesquiterpenes which support healthy brain function.
Use it before a meeting or competition to give you that mental edge. Or use it help you focus during meditation. Either way, Brain Power is a welcome blend. (Information provided by YoungLiving.com)
To use Brain Power topically: Apply 2-4 drops directly to the desired area. Dilution not required, except for the most sensitive skin. Use as needed. To use Brain Power aromatically: Diffuse up to 1 hour 3 times daily.