One of my mentors said, "The mind can be a good friend, but it makes a terrible master." I sometimes seem like I am speaking of the mind as an enemy, but I think it is important to note that you don't want to make an enemy of the mind. I tried that for awhile, and it was not pleasant. If you fight the mind, the mind will fight back. Be friendly about it. The mind is what makes sense out of a world that is really illusory. It's really just an ocean of energy. The mind categorizes all the different energies. It separates one color from the next. This makes for an interesting experience.
The mind makes a lot of associations. I could write a book just on associations, I think. I can't stop thinking about this subject. I'm going to introduce it now, but I think it deserves at least another full blog entry. The problem is that the mind makes a lot of meaningless and misguided associations. For example, as soon as we see a person, the mind starts creating all kinds of assumptions about the person based on the way they look, the way they are dressed, the way that they walk, etc. We can't see a person for more than a few seconds, without the mind creating 4 or 5 stories about what that person must be like. The stories are based on associations we have with other people we met who had similar characteristics. But we have no idea who this new person is, even though they have a recognizable appearance. The stories are all just fabrications of the mind. There might not be a shred of truth to them. But we continue to size people up, and create all kinds of stories and assumptions about how we expect them to act. If you allow the mind to go off on these tangents, unchecked, your life will just be a big story, a big drama.
Sometimes, you have to stop believing the mind, and be open to the possibility that people will act completely different than you expect them to from first glance. Don't judge a book by its cover. One time I was in a nightclub, and a very tall and very broad African-American guy walked in my path and stopped there. I stepped to the left to walk around him, and he moved to the left. I stepped to the right, and he moved to the right. At that point, I got a little nervous. I finally looked him in the eye, and he smiled, leaned down and gave me a big hug. A few years later, when I was studying Kabbalah, one of my teachers once said, "When you are walking in a dark alley and somebody is walking behind you, why do you assume that they are coming to harm you? Why don't you think they might be coming to love you?"
Don't be controlled by the fabrications of your mind. Choose what to think about a thing or situation, and that thing or situation is transformed instantly, at least in your personal world. Isn't that the only world that really exists from your persepective? Even if you turn out to be wrong, isn't it better to make a better-feeling assumption? Or can you let go of making any assumption, at all? If you can restrict yourself from always believing the drama of the mind, you can create your own story. When you create your own stories, the mind will eventually go along with you. When you challenge the negative associations, your mind will start offering you more pleasant ones. The mind can become a good friend.
As Franklin Delano Roosevelt wisely put it, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was telling us to stop believing the fearful fabrications of our minds. Would you rather lead a Life full of fear or one full of Love? Choose your story, and tell it to your mind.
Mindfully,
Alan ;)
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Alan,
ReplyDeleteFor the simplicity of things, I like to talk about human mind,in its contemporary state of development or evolution. Physically is divided in 2 parts, and there are very few pathes- wires between those two. We struggle a lot having dualistic thoughts all the time, because of this. It is changing rapidly now, we are getting our brain rewired differently, becoming as one whole. How much time it takes each person - depends on many factors. I believe - individual openness to evolution, courage to practice living facing unknown with each breath accelerates dramatically the rewiring of the brain.
At this point it is true that too many thoughts are passing through our heads which we do not choose consciously, it feels sometimes as garbage can. It will get better when we complete some level of rewiring of the brain and it starts to funcion left and right as one.
12/2/2009
ReplyDeleteHello, allow me to share the talk we had with my friends recently around Dec.2 - date for Full Moon. It is about the brain activities...
We are very sencitive right now. Full Moon is a perfect time to feel emotions more than ever. When intence feelings start to flow through a field and our Core, our brain starts to work overtime creating a chain of spaggeties in a head, trying to explain everything form a linear capabilities (3% or 10% of avalaible known potentials in memory, dualistic one - black-white, good-bad)
Tell me if this is not the way is happening?
What I do in such cases? I observe everything inside of my field and ask to feel emotion behind. I work with a Relationship field harmonizing and balancing my field in a company of everybody who is making spaggeti in my head.
I redirect the powerful flow of energy of feelings with chosen harmonic thoughts. I'll do it simple way. I OWL(Obserce-Welcome-Let it Go) fear and choose Life- the most harmonic One- for everybody in my head incuding me. And I choose a reality of miracle of deep soull connection. How it will be manifested is unknow to my brain. Accepting this state may bring more anxiety and fear and I harmonize-calibrate again:)))
I do it 1-5 times a day, depends of busyness and intencity of emotional flow. On Full Moon is good to knock yourself down and give a full auto session of any balancing energy work. Here I am speaking to friends practitioners of such.
And I celebrate miracles every day! They are happening non stop way.
I take charge and responcibility for my own thoughts, emotions and actions. I affirm Highest Harmony for All and mine as a part. Emotions are powerful energy, especialy those based on fear. I watch myself to use this energy properly. Slowly and surely I train my dualistic unbalanced brain to rewire itself to become whole and think in a balance with my heart.
It gives me headaches:)))) Resistance is huge, imagine to put a brain into position of not knowing what is next. It is equal to dying. Brain will fight back defending its life.
Hugs. Love. Tatiana
You've read 'Blink' yes? Awareness of our automatic reactions is the first step to breaking the ceiling of assumptions. Love your anecdote. Every time I have had a visceral reaction to someone in reaction to who I thought they were, either I am totally proven wrong and have misperceived them, or they end up becoming a dear friend of mine. Usually both.
ReplyDeleteThe Universe has a sense of humor. Great post. :)