play of consciousness

we do not have just one mind

So, we have this Higher Mind inside of us, always waiting to be discovered, built up, strengthened and awakened. And we have what some call the Lower Mind, or, everyday thinking mind. Plus, physiologically, we have the mind of the gut, and  the mind of the heart. There is an energy flow (nadi) with links anahata, our heart chakra, with Sahasrara, crown chakra. From this, we can assume that within our brain, we are connected to the mind of the heart.

There is so much confusion and so many concepts about these all of these minds. Maybe we could look at them all in a way that is easier to understand.

thinking mind

We have our thinking mind which interacts and reacts 24/7.  Most of us identify with this aspect of mind: we believe that this is 100% of who we are. What we think and believe.

mind of the heart

Others identify more with our emotional feelings, from the mind of the heart. I feel that this is harder, as our emotions can be so intense that they can over ride everything especially logic and reason. These people, though, have the plus side, a richness of emotion and caring which can be channelled into a life with great purpose and meaning. These are the people whose hearts can be directed towards a deep inner fulfillment. Of course, we all have some aspect of this, but some are more this way than others are.

the mind of our gut

The mind of the gut is also to do with feelings, and correspondingly, thoughts. This mind controls the digestive system, and on a spiritual level, it relates to Manipura chakra, the seat of prana, life-force, in the body. It is a powerful step in the start of the Dawning of the Higher Mind. Sometimes we loose communication between the gut, the thinking mind, and our heart. We can lose a lot of everyday intelligence when this happens. 

Gut intelligence is often reaction, you know: 'gut feelings', but also is a connection to the body-mind complex, and we function so much better when this connection, this knowledge of what's good/bad for us, particularly through digestion, is operating well. For those of us who are too governed by our thoughts, or those of us who are too governed by our feelings, re-establishing a strong link to the body via the gut, will help balance our psyche and give us a stronger sense of self. For the overly thinking, it will bring in an element of feeling, and for the heart based person, it will bring them back a bit more into the body. 

It's all about balance.

unconscious mind

We have an unconscious mind too, or, an area of the mind complex which is called the unconscious mind. Often confused with the subconscious. The sub and un conscious are very deep, very visual. When very deeply buried aspects of us are in this area of mind (and this applies to us all) these aspects are beyond our rational understanding. These very deep aspects cannot be psycho-analysed etc. We have to traverse our Inner Realms in meditation to access them. And, when we do, it's a big surprise. Nothing in this area of mind is what we think!

I truly believe that this aspect of us also needs everyday expression. Not everyone meditates. But you can do other things to allow the play of the unconscious mind. Go to the ocean. This area of mind, it will just flow, and you will feel wonderful. Allow some time each day to let the mind flow like a daydream. Some of it will be from the other minds, but when your mind goes far away, when you come to, you will have had a short mental holiday for the unconscious mind. And make sure you get good sleep. For many of us, this is when we are truly in the unconscious mind!