(Posted on August 1, 2013 by David McMillin)
[NOTE: While serving as mentor for an online version of "A Search For God" study group and working on the Destiny of the Mind lesson, a class member requested a simple definition of mind and how it relates to the brain. A follow-up comment requested further clarification, stating: “So mind is a 'force' but still has 'hopes, desires and fears'? And can these be different from those of the soul? And when I am mindful of my mind, who is doing the watching?” Here are my replies. – David McMillin]
... those are great questions. Much may be given. Here is a simple definition of “mind” to get you started:
“MIND is the builder; it is both spiritual and physical, and thus has its aspirations, its limitations, its fears, its hopes, its desires.” (1947-3)
Since mind is both spiritual and physical, the relationship between mind and brain can be conceptualized as:
“Thy brain is not thy mind, it is that which is used by thy mind!” (826-11)
With regard to ASFG, the important thing is Oneness with God (which we have considered in almost every lesson). So just as we made our Desires one with God’s Desires in the last lesson (spiritualing Desire), now we focus on making our mind One with God’s mind. Here is how the ASFG book text for this lesson stated it:
“Mind is of God. It was given as a grace to us, that we, that soul might be a companion with, one with, the mind of the Maker. Therefore, mind is a creative, Godlike force, is impelled by a spiritual impulse to build an at-one-ness with the Creator. Its various phases confuse many, yet they are made plain as we make our mind, our purpose, and our aims one with our Ideal, and realize that the Lord our God is one Lord.” (ASFG, Book II)
For each ASFG lesson there is a collection of quotes from the readings on my website. If you Desire additional information on this subject, you can find more excerpts to ponder at this link::
You are on the right track by becoming “mindful” (conscious, aware) of your habitual thinking:
“What one thinks continually, they become …” (3744-5)
The exercises for this lesson are tools for working with Mind the Builder. In the application comes the awareness. Thanks for sharing your questions and observations for this lesson. Blessings, Dave
... actually, I think the members of the original study group had many of the same questions and confusions that you are experiencing. That is why they included this phrase in the lesson text that I quoted previously:
“Its [mind’s] various phases confuse many, yet they are made plain as we make our mind, our purpose, and our aims one with our Ideal, and realize that the Lord our God is one Lord.” (ASFG Book II)
In this phrase I think they are suggesting that despite the complexity, mind can be “made plain” or simple if we focus on attuning our mind to be One with God through an Ideal. Thus our thoughts are spiritualized. This is something that anyone can DO without understanding all the details – like flipping a switch to turn on a light instead of being in the dark. We don’t need to understand the physics of electromagnetism or be an electrician to make it work.
But we all do like to “analyze” don’t we – I know I do. So for the analytical part of your mind (yes, there are different parts or levels to the mind, what the ASFG text calls “phases”), here are some additional ideas that you can ponder. Just be sure to do the APPLICATION part too.
1. If we focus on the active, energetic phase of the mind (“force”), it could be like (or actually be) an electromagnetic phenomena. The readings insist that “thoughts are real things.” This is also the explanation of neuroscience – mind (or thinking) is simply electrical impulses within the brain, which makes sense if Mind is using the brain. But electro-magnetic energy can also be used to transmit information of various sorts apart from a body. Think of energy waves that have sound and images encoded within them (radio and TV signals in the air around us) or the digital version that we use in our modern communication devices wherein electromagnetic energy/force is used to express “hopes, desires and fears.” Electromagnetic energy is just for illustration – there are even more subtle forms of mental force by which Mind operates in and yet apart from the physical body.
2. “… can these be different from those of the soul?” Since mind is active in various “phases”, then yes it can be at odds with itself. Just like in psycho-analytic theory – the conscious and unconscious levels of mind may not be in agreement – so the spiritual/soul phase of mind many not be consistent with the physical/biological phase – in other words a split mind. I think we have all experienced this, if we just stop and reflect. That’s where Ideals come into play in making all the phases of mind ONE. Then we have peace of mind, rather than feeling that the mind is fragmented or torn in different directions. That is why we do the Ideals exercise, to make the phases of the Mind ONE with a spiritual Ideal, rather than split or divided. We can be of ONE mind.
3. “Who is doing the watching?” Here you are tapping into the “consciousness” phase of mind. And there are levels or phases of consciousness, as you might expect, considering that mind is mediating between the spiritual and physical dimensions of the psyche. We usually identify with the conscious, surface level of mind, but in dreams or meditation it may be the unconscious (which the readings call the mind of the soul), or even the superconscious level of mind.
As noted in the first reply – “Much may be given” for we have barely scratched the surface of Mind. So we can keep on analyzing – or just put it into practice – IN THE APPLICATION COMES THE AWARENESS. I think this is what you experienced in your beautiful meditation image – just work with it and the UNDERSTANDING that you seek will come as you are able to assimilate it. Hope this is helpful. Thanks for sharing your deep questions and reflections on the nature of Mind. Blessings, Dave
[A little later in this lesson on Destiny of the Mind, another group member shared some powerful "imaginative" experiences - another "phase" of mind. Here is my reply - David McMillin]
... thanks for sharing your creative use of imagination. Many Cayce readings discuss the use of "imaginative forces" which relate to the intuitive application of mind that was even recommended in the development of children:
"Then, as the development of the mind of the child, develop its imaginative forces rather than the material or objective forces. Acquaint such a mind with the activities in nature, and train especially in the laws of recompense as is seen in nature day by day. Also in those activities that make for a clean body, a clean mind, and the same recompense as in nature should be required in the activities of the developing mind of the individual. A clean, healthy body makes for a better indwelling of a healthy, clean mind, so that the spirit may manifest the better." (5747-1)
This excerpt certainly has implications for the Destiny of the Mind, Body and Soul, if it were widely accepted and applied. Furthermore, "imaginative forces" were often discussed in the physical readings in the context of what we would now call "psycho-somatic" effects (both causative and therapeutic).
So "imaginative forces" are yet another of the many "phases" of mind that play a role in the Destiny of the Mind. Blessings, Dave