Master Your Thoughts
A core component of spiritual growth lies in removing all of the thought patterns that we picked up when we were young. These were simply programmed into us.
When we learn to remove and reinstall different thoughts and beliefs is when we start to come into our true autonomy as masters over our minds.
And this is partially why meditation was and is recommended in cultures. We can calmly observe our thought patterns without reaction or involvement. This is one of the main ways that we can see things objectively. Otherwise, we tend to identify with our gender, political ideologies, nationality, or class. And we naturally see this as ‘correct’ due to our limited life experience.
People who do not understand the power of their minds are largely lost as they cannot identify as conscious creators of their reality. They will consistently find fault with the world and ask why it is so difficult to contend with every little thing. Understanding the power of thoughts is the first step to personal mastery.
The Insanity of the Mind
From the perspective of spiritual systems, the mind is irrational, illogical, and insane. We are required to observe the mind and detach from it to see its dysfunction. But we can also observe this dysfunction on a grander scale with the wars, hate, environmental destruction, racism, sexism, homophobia, political attacks, broken relationships, government spying programs, smartphone addictions, health problems, and on. Something seems to be a little dysfunctional with the human populace, and this is a result of millions of minds that are not in the right place.
Social media and centralized media also serve to program these minds into a state of disempowerment and fear. And advertising also has quite a destructive effort as it encourages people to smoke, drink alcohol, and consume sugar and caffeine. An important point to remember is that you are not immune to advertising even if you think you are. When you perceive something it leaves a mental impression in your subconscious. So unless you switch off your tv and avoid going into a shop, you are a victim of advertising.
Scientific Discoveries and Psychological Observations
There are some scientific discoveries and psychological observations which might be of interest in understanding how the mind works. These include:
- The mind cannot distinguish between real and imaginary.
- 95% of your activity is subconscious (try being consciously aware of every key you type on your computer. Your progress will be vastly slowed down.)
- Your subconscious has stored everything that has ever happened to you, much like a gigantic computer.
- We are bombarded with 2 million bits of data every second. It is the job of the subconscious to filter through all of this.
- The conscious mind remembers between 5-9 pieces of information. This information is passed to the subconscious for processing to free up conscious space.
- Most of our energy expenditure goes towards the brain.
These discoveries have important implications.
If the majority of our lives are fulfilled by the subconscious, it follows that we should try to manipulate our subconscious mind as opposed to our conscious abilities.
According to Carl Jung – “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”. Programming of the subconscious for conscious growth is the basis of affirmations and self-hypnosis for empowerment.
“Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare
Meditation is a habit that may come easily to some. I have been meditating for over five years, but there were many days I found myself slipping. These days, not so much, not since I’ve printed out and put on my vision board over my desk these Positive Mindset graphics from Alice Seba at Publish for Prosperity. You can get these graphics at no cost here.
If you’re interested in revitalizing your life through meditation and would like to learn a virtually risk-free, and cost-effective practice, that people of all ages can do with a little patience and guidance and that will serve you for the rest of your life, I would love to connect with you. You can connect with me here.
I’m Donna SLam, who loves to blog about how meditation brings self-compassion, peace of mind, and clarity to my life and others by sharing tips and strategies to live a fulling and purposeful life. I enjoy championing others to lead a healthy and happy life through meditation, walking, self-development, and spending time with loved ones.
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