Merging with Śiva

CANTO ONE

The Conscious and
Subconscious Mind

THE FIRST APHORISM

There is but one mind. It functions in various phases, namely: instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. These phases are manifested consciously as well as subconsciously.§

The mind is open to various actions found in the sympathetic nervous system. It is smoothly transformed into all kinds of intellectual and instinctive thoughts and feelings. I liken it to the sympathetic nervous system. That is to say that the conscious mind acts in sympathy with the subconscious. ¶All act as one unit, but for better understanding and appreciation, we have found it necessary to break it down into several parts. All these function together consciously as well as subconsciously, instinctively as well as intellectually. ¶We do not prove anything in this guide. We only make it possible for you to prove it for yourself, consciously, from the results of what you comprehend subconsciously. These aphorisms are explained in simple language so they may be understood in their entirety by everyone, for there is but one mind, and in its functioning it works on itself, the same in everyone, only varying its actions between the instinctive, the intellectual and the superconscious or intuitive spheres. ¶In the study of this aphorism, call it a simple one if you will, but take into consideration the meaning of each word involved. Instinctive, for instance, is a word that some may understand and others may take offense at. It means, in this case, that when the mind functions instinctively it is controlled by the habit impressions made in the subconscious during its trip through the experiences of life. Instinctive also means that the driving force of awareness comes from the sexual nature; the nature is turned in that direction subconsciously, even though the conscious mind may not be cognizant of the fact. It also means that, in the event of an emergency, the animal nature would take over completely, being jarred loose automatically from lack of what I term mind-control, or you might call it self-control. Most of us find the intellect a saving grace when it comes from the transformation of the instinctive nature into something more substantial. ¶Constantly we strive to broaden our intellect, increase our knowledge, govern the mind with organized thinking, and control our emotions by repressing the instinctive nature. This is called, in terms easy to understand, nature’s way of increasing man’s justification of what has passed before the windows of the mind that was not pleasing to the intellect–the justification being that enough knowledge had not been acquired by the intellect to sufficiently suppress the instinctive nature. Hence, man studies himself, promoted by the forces set up in his mind from previous happenings. He sells himself on the idea that he can do nothing of himself, that a power greater than himself governs all, and he calls that power by various names: God, Christ, Jehovah, etc. This God he bows to; it is somewhere, it is all-powerful, it is supreme. ¶Some men say they are a part of this God, that the God Spirit is in them. Let them tell us what part of this God Spirit they are and where is the God Spirit. In which part of them can it be found? Ask that question, and you will get yourself into a lengthy discussion. The superconscious mind we consider to be that so-called part of God, our inspiration. If you have ever had a hunch and had it work out, that is the superconscious mind working within you. It has dominated your conscious mind and has made it possible for you to look into the future and estimate its happenings. The superconscious mind is the essence of time, yet it understands time, and timelessness is its essence. It is the essence of space, yet it comprehends space and spacelessness. It is real, yet does not exist–real only when used, nonexistent to the lower realms of the mind only when in its natural state. You will learn how to tap the superconscious power consciously later on in this study. I am now only introducing it to you. ¶You are beyond that state of mind, however. The real you, the Self, is beyond the mind. Your road leads through the conscious and subconscious control of the mind. Then the doors are found to the superconscious and opened consciously, leading you to the realization of your true Self, the you beyond a stilled mind.§

THE SECOND APHORISM

The conscious mind, within itself, is insanity in its natural state; its only balance comes from a subconscious consciousness of the superconscious. When the consciousness sinks into perverted, instinctive phases of thought and feeling, resulting in physical action, thus eventually cutting itself off from the superconscious and intellectual spheres through untimely and immoral practices, it (the conscious mind) falls into its natural state, termed insanity.§

The conscious mind is not the only state of mind that is insane, as we call it. The subconscious is as well. The only balance we have comes from a subconscious understanding of the superconscious, or God-consciousness. If this were not true, the instinctive nature would take over the entire mind and bring total insanity. The mind would magnify all it did not comprehend, and a complete loss of mental and physical coordination would result. ¶The super, all-knowing consciousness, however, steps in through the subconscious (this is reflected outside by churches, ministers and priests), keeping the consciousness deep enough to hold the balance between the conscious and subconscious mind, for the subconscious is but a reflection, a storehouse, of all conscious mind happenings. It holds its balance only through the use of the will–the instinctive desire to create. ¶When the creative forces are dissipated through sex and the lower emotional forms of enjoyment, the subconscious loses the guide-power of the will. The will loses its strength, for the vital forces in the body have been thrown away or used up faster than they can be replaced. In turn, the conscious mind reacts, thinking assumes distorted or irregular proportions and a mental unbalance occurs. ¶The creative forces must be transmuted to be of use in holding the conscious and subconscious mind concentrated to the point where the superconscious mind can be tapped consciously; otherwise, the conscious mind will tend to fall into its natural state of insanity, neurosis, nervousness, depression and despair.§

THE THIRD APHORISM

The conscious mind is only one-tenth of the mind. The subconscious of the conscious mind, the subsubconscious, the superconscious and the subconscious of the superconscious mind are the other nine-tenths.§

We can all plainly see why the conscious mind is only one-tenth of the entire mind. Yet it is in the conscious mind that we live most of our waking hours. The subconscious mind, the sub of the subconscious, the superconscious and the subconscious of the superconscious are the other nine-tenths. They are what we will learn to control and use–control the former and use the latter. Call on the subconscious of the superconscious, and you will get results, if you call correctly. To make this contact, we have to understand repression. Repression is a series of hopes, doubts, fears and impulses that have never reached the surface of the mind. Yet, the conscious mind knows of them to an extent, but because they have sent their messages in cleverly disguised, the conscious mind, just as cleverly, has pushed them down in an effort not to be disturbed. ¶Get your freedom from within, we say, but how is another story, a different story and a long story. It means that work must be done, and done well. All repressions must be realized and consciously understood. Then, and only then, will the subconscious of the superconscious mind flow freely out through the conscious mind, and the book of knowledge so often talked about in all of the philosophies and religions will open its pages to you, chapter by chapter, and will unfold into a conscious realization of your true Self.§

THE FOURTH APHORISM

The intellect strengthened with opinionated knowledge is the only barrier to the superconscious.§

Opinionated knowledge can be harmful, for it is strictly of the subconscious realm of the mind. It is stored away in an effort to set up some security for the conscious and subconscious states of mind, something for them to cling to and lean upon–that is, the opinions of others, intellectual assertions made on happenings of the past based upon only what the eye and ear have received. This well-formed barrier makes it possible for the mind to convince itself of anything outside of reason or within the realm of reason. It manufactures a large percentage of the world’s so-called thinkers. When, however, you ask them their own opinions, they only reformulate opinions of others and culminate them into one of their own. This makes one think that by this rearrangement of knowledge the thinking process has been stimulated. However, it has not. It has only run its natural course and is conditioned only by the faculty of memory. Memory, too, plays a part in the intellect, as you well know, for if very little memory exists, very little intellect would be present. ¶When the superconscious mind is tapped, the essence of memory has been reached. All knowledge is awakened from within to the extent of the intellect. Your intellect at this very moment may be searching for a way out of accepting this treatise. That is why I say try to intellectually disprove all you read here, after you have read and re-read it. Give your mind a break, and let it make you think by turning itself back on itself. You’ll be pleased with the outcome.§

THE FIFTH APHORISM

There is but one mind. The consciousness, or Ego, functions within the mind’s various phases. The one-tenth of the mind, of the conscious plane, in ramification, is carried on by its own novelty. The object is to control the conscious mind and become consciously conscious.§

This, then, is the essence of what we are first working for: to become consciously conscious. It is bringing the mind to a state of constant concentration so that it can look in on itself and cognize its own nature. This is easy, for all you have to do is to watch your mind think, and to begin this interesting activity, just tell yourself one little truth. Tell yourself that you are not your mind, because you can control your mind with your will. You can if you really try. Tell yourself that, and you’ll see how fast the mind objectifies itself long enough for you to study it. ¶Oh, yes, we have to observe the conscious mind in all its activities. You will see how it ramifies and is carried on from one thing to another by the simple novelty of thinking. It has not the concept of conclusion in some things. It has not the desire of understanding in others. ¶You will thank me for suggesting this tour to you, and you will bless yourself with your results gotten from within. The great creative forces used by all who create the artistic, the different and the new will begin working within and for you when you step out and watch the mind. The Ego that I mention here has nothing to do with being egotistical. It is the life essence, the link to the real Self of you that passes through all states of mind, like you pass through the experiences of life. This Ego you will realize when watching your mind at work.§

THE SIXTH APHORISM

The subconscious of the conscious mind is but a reflection of the subconscious of the superconscious mind.§

We have studied the conscious mind and its relation to the other states of mind and have found that it is only one-tenth of the mind. It has not the power to act on its own for any length of time without being carried on by its own novelty through ramification. The subconscious of the conscious mind is the storehouse for the conscious mind. All the happenings of each day and all reactions are stored up there. It is only a reflection of the subsuperconscious, for when all the repressions are released, the subsuperconscious takes over the subconscious mind. For, through the power of understanding generated by the superconscious through the subconscious, the subconscious is dissolved, and the true, intuitive, all-knowing, superconscious self returns to its rightful position in the picture of the mind. All the confusion of the subconscious clears, and the Ego looks as naturally within as without, simultaneously. §

THE SEVENTH APHORISM

There are two sections to the subconscious of the conscious mind and the subsuperconscious mind. One section controls the physical, and the other controls the mental.§

The first section of the subconscious controls the involuntary processes of the body. The next controls the involuntary processes of the mind. When the subconscious is in control, the control is at one rate of vibration. When the subsuperconscious is in control, after the subconscious has become understood, concentrated and cleared of all confusion, the vibratory rate is higher. The vibratory rate we speak of here is likened to class distinction: breeding, culture, the world today. The difference between the working man and a businessman is the feeling of security. Every organ of the body takes on a new tone; the mind reacts more smoothly to life; the emotions contrast evenly between cause and effect; the sexual forces assume their natural function, and the transmutation of the creative fluids begins.§

THE EIGHTH APHORISM

An uncultured nature is the result of repressed tendencies. Such a nature must be analyzed subconsciously through the conscious and subsuperconscious mind. The conscious unraveling of the repressions will then commence. This is the key to awakening the superconscious regions.§

The subconscious mind analyzes a problem two ways: first from the plane of reason; second from the plane of intuition. Intuition works through but it does not use the process of reason. Intuition is more direct than reason, and far more accurate. ¶The conscious mind builds us into a personality, desirable or undesirable. We can readily change this personality by releasing hidden repressions. Repressions are unfulfilled suppressed desires, like those that lurk in the corners of the mind and pop out at psychological moments until they are suppressed again by the conscious mind. This is the problem we face before we can unlock the superconscious realm of the mind. This problem can be totally impossible, or it can be made easy, depending upon the approach. ¶It is a well-known fact that when the mind releases tendencies that have long been suppressed, reaction occurs. This reaction is what we must anticipate and take into consideration at all times. It is the cause of new repressions if allowed to dominate the consciousness. Following through on this line of thought, I shall take you into a typical familiar case that will cause your subconscious mind to recognize the way to dig out repressions. This case is that of a person who always wanted to drink but never had the nerve to do so because of public opinion and family ties. Subconsciously this person had always wanted to get drunk and experience that expression of release. It was a repressed desire that was not realized, and it showed itself in the form of condemnation of all who do drink. It was impossible for anyone to mention liquor without being obliged to listen to a lengthy discourse on the evils of drinking. This person knew subconsciously he would like to have this experience, but consciously fought it desperately until one day a friend offered him a drink at a social business affair. It would have been rather rude and almost impossible to refuse. Instead of letting the drink idle away on the table during the ensuing conversation, old man subconscious took over and the drink disappeared, and another took its place. This went on until three drinks, unnoticed by the conscious mind of the person, disappeared. When his conscious mind realized what had happened, a strong reaction followed, the effects of which lasted many weeks. The entire system was upset, physically, mentally and emotionally. But the secret was out. “Like attracts like,” and desire will have its fulfillment. The conscious mind began to realize its deep-seated subconscious repression, painfully at first. Then the problem came up of how to remove this repression without suffering the reaction, and the answer followed: overcome all reactions to persons who drink, learn to accept it as one of the experiences in life, make the most of it, bend a little, be strengthened by understanding and tempered with compassionate love. Try to understand the cause and not react to the effect. ¶This was done, and the repression was loosened. Then one day some friends threw a party and all got drunk, including our friend, and Mr. Repression was out in the open to be viewed consciously, and as repressions cannot stand the light of understanding, it vanished. The reaction was also supported with the understanding that every cause has its reaction, and the realization that the reaction to a reaction must be understood, not repressed. This keeps the body, mind and emotions from losing their subconscious control. ¶The matter was ended. No more does this person enjoy ranting against drink, but rather talks intelligently of its harmful effects on the body, mind and emotions based on experience. When offered a drink, a polite “No, thank you. I drank once and had enough” is the reply. No longer is the repression lurking in the subconscious. No longer is the desire suppressed as it creeps into the conscious mind. The operation has been successful, and nature has healed the wound; the nature of perfect love, through a conscious understanding of a subconscious desire, dissolved the repression. ¶This, then, is the problem we face in unlocking the door to the superconscious mind: to school the subconscious mind in the arts of concentration and meditation. Some say they meditate while working or riding on the bus. This is a wrong concept of the word, a sign of emotional desire for attention, for meditation only comes when the subconscious mind has been released of all repressions. A repression is a desire that is only found when an emotional reaction takes place in the conscious and subconscious mind, such as dislikes, hates or fears. For we only react to that in others of what is locked in a corner of our own subconscious mind in the form of an experience we have yet to go through, either physically or mentally.§