Category Archives: Thought

The Nail Consciousness On The Window Sill

All creatures are born with a keen sense of self-approval.

 

Each creature is born proud of itself, and loving itself. That same self-approval is also experienced in varying ways not only by creatures as we think of them, but also by atoms and molecules, and by all orders of matter.

 

Imagine a nail on a window sill endowed with consciousness and self-awareness. Now every nail is indeed in its own way responsive to stimuli. It acts and reacts. A nail may not choose to jump down from a window sill and dance about the room, but a nail is indeed aware of the room, of the window sill, and aware of the temperature on both sides of the window. The atoms and molecules that compose the nail possess their own lively consciousnesses. Their motion is directed by electrons, so that within itself the nail actually experiences constant motion. Indeed, a dance is executed of great symmetry and rhythm. The nail, then is, indeed filled with its own sense of self-approval.

I am mentioning this only to stress the fact that self-delight and self-approval are natural characteristics — characteristics that actually make our entire physical world, and world of experience, possible.

It is very unfortunate, therefore, when adults inadvertently undermine a child’s sense of self-approval. A small boy or girl might be caught in a lie, for example, and therefore labeled by an adult in the angriest of terms as a liar. Instead, a distinction should be made: the child made an error — he lied — but he himself or herself is not the error or the lie. He or she can then determine to change his or her behavior while still saving his or her self-respect.

All creatures are basically of good intent; even when they commit the most dubious of acts, these are usually caused by a misdirected good intent. Actually, many criminals are motivated by distorted versions of righteousness. We will have more to say about this in later blogs, but for now I want to stress the importance of self-approval in connection with exuberance, health, and well-being.

Trust in the body automatically quickens all healing processes. You only have to take my words to heart.

Once again, it is perfectly natural for each cell in the body, for each organ and each portion of the body to heal itself, and in the same terms it is really “unnatural” not to trust the body, rather than looking at it with suspicion.

In any case, trust alone relaxes all other parts of the body, and lets the healing processes operate more easily and efficiently.

It is indeed unfortunate that those beliefs that show themselves so simply and effectively in nature seem so mysterious to the usual line of official consciousness.

The official line does have its role, of course — but by itself it must remain isolated from deep, creative, healing functions of body consciousness. The official line of consciousness is really the “worrier,” because it recognizes that it can only go so far, and usually it is not educated enough to realize it is itself sustained and supported.

There are styles of thinking, just as there are various styles of dress.

The official line of consciousness is a certain mental stance, a kind of convention. When we were children we thought in a freer fashion, but little by little we were educated to use words in a certain way. We discovered that our needs were met more quickly, and we received approval more often, when we thought and spoke in that particular manner. Finally it seems to be the only natural mode of operation. Our entire civilization is built around that kind of inner framework. The way of thinking becomes so automatic as to be mentally invisible. With creative people, however, there are always intrusions, hints or clues from ways of thinking that certainly appear foreign, and creative people use those hints and clues to construct an art, a musical composition or whatever. They sense a surge of power beneath.

What we are trying to do is change over completely from one mode of operation to another, and to construct say, new inner blocks of meaning that will give rise to the next era.

What we are involved in then is really. of course, a completely new educational procedure, so that we are at least able to distinguish one style of thought from another, and therefore be freer to make choices.

When an idea for a blog comes to me, I “tune into it” immediately. It never occurs to me to wonder how many vowels or syllables, words and sentences or paragraphs night be involved. I take it for granted that my intent will be executed.

That is the natural, creative way to function, and it has provided me with many excellent blogs and poetry. When I am writing I do not think in terms of impediments. What impediments there may be, I brush aside.

Now our health can be handled in the same fashion, without wondering how many nerves or muscles or stages must be activated, without worrying about how much time will be involved. In a fashion the body is a living blog, being produced in every moment.

Again, it may seem too simple — but by applying the same methods to the body, the body’s health will be written with health and vitality, using blood and corpuscles, joints and ligaments and so forth instead of syllables, consonants, words and sentences.

Specifically, I wanted to make the point that the body’s actions are unfortunately often misread and misunderstood. The body often clears out, or tries out, its own processes — perhaps by being feverish for several days, and then by lowering the temperature once unwanted materials are burned out, so to speak.

It may store urine to retain minerals at one time, and urinate seemingly to excess in another. When the body is basically held in distrust, however, all such behavior is considered dangerous and suspect.

The New Way

Taken together our ideas themselves are quite ancient, of course. They are expressed by many cultures and religions, esoteric groups and cults from the past, and continuing into present. Their strength, vitality, and worth has been greatly undermined, however, by distortions, negative ideas, and some sheer nonsense.

In other words, these concepts, so natural to all of creation, have not been practiced by humanity in anything like their pure form. To that extent they do indeed represent a new way. They run counter to much of our official knowledge and contemporary thought as far as the mainstream of world culture is concerned. Where such ideas are practiced, they are frequently contaminated by fanaticism, superstition, and expediency.

The main point I want to make is that this “new way” is the ideal and easiest complement to nature’s own innate integrity.

 

 

 

 

Natural Mental Behavior

The way toward health is simplicity itself.

It is the natural, easiest watson’s emotions to seek the answers to a healthier mind. But actually, the answer is so simple. Live simply.

Since the intellect is apt to enjoy playing with complications and solving problems, therefore, to the intellect it often seems ludicrous to imagine that the answer to a question lies within the question itself.

All of nature demonstrates this almost miraculous seeming simplicity. Plants and animals and all of life’s aspects take it quite for granted that the sun will shine and the rains will fall in the way best conducive to all creatures. Animals certainly do not worry about tomorrow’s weather conditions. It may be true that animals do not need to know tomorrow’s weather, since they do not plant seeds or collect the harvest. It is perfectly fine to make plans for the future, yet each individual should live day by day, without worrying about the outcome of those plans.

The physical body can only react in the present moment. Worrying about future events, or dwelling upon past unfavorable situations, only confuses the body’s mechanisms, and undermines their precise activity in the present moment.

I am not saying that anyone should pretend that unfavorable circumstances do not sometimes exist, or that they may not be encountered in the past, present, or future. It is also true, however, that advantageous events occur with a far greater frequency than do negative ones — otherwise the world that we know simply would not exist. It would have disappeared in the throes of destruction or calamity.

In a basic way, it is against nature’s purposes to contemplate a dire future, for all of nature operates on the premise that the future is assured. Nature is everywhere filled with promise — not only the promise of mere survival, but the promise of beauty and fulfillment Once again, that keen sense of promise is innate within each portion of the body. It triggers the genes and chromosomes into their proper activity, and it promotes feelings of optimism, exuberance, and strength.

Again, sometime in later blogs we will discuss those conditions that can undermine such fine creativity. In the meantime, however, live each day as fully and joyfully as possible. imagine the best possible results of any plans or projects. Above all, do not concentrate upon past unfavorable events, or imagined future ones.

Now: If we examine our feelings about parenthood in general, we will see that they bear an astonishing similarity to our feelings about our work. Only the focus is different. We are indeed parents of our work we do, and the psychic parents of innumerable people of all ages. We have have set aside, however, the conventional idea of a family, as symbolized by our dreams. We are actually exchanging one kind of a family for another, vaster concept, that also involves parenthood, however — but a psychic rather than a physical parenthood.

The Inborn Leanings and Attitudes

These inborn leanings or attitudes can roughly be translated as follows.

  1. I am an excellent creature, a valuable part of the universe in which I exist.
  2.  My existence enriches all other portions of life, even as my own being is enhanced by the rest of creation.
  3. It is good, natural, and safe for me to grow and develop and use my abilities, and by so doing I also enrich all other portions of life.

Next: I am eternally couched and supported by the universe of which I am a part, and I exist whether or not that existence is physically expressed.

Next: By nature I am a good deserving creature, and all of life’s elements and parts are also of good intent.

And next: All of my imperfections, and all of the imperfections of other creatures, are redeemed in the greater scheme of the universe in which I have my being.

Those attitudes are inbred in the smallest microscopic portions of the body — a part of each atom and cell and organ, and they serve to trigger all of the body’s responses that promote growth and fulfillment. Infants are not born with an inbred fear of their environment, or of the other creatures. They are instead immersed in feelings of well-being, vitality, and exuberance. They take it for granted that their needs will be met, and that the universe is well-disposed toward them. They feel a part of their environment.

They do not come into life with feelings of rage, or anger, and basically they do not experience doubts or fears. Birth is experienced in terms of self-discovery, and includes the sensation of selfhood gently rising and unfolding from the secret heart of the universe.

Many people believe that birth, to the contrary, is a time of trauma, or even of rage, as the infant leaves its mother’s womb. Birth is life’s most precious natural process. Even in births that are thought of as not “normal,” there is on the infant’s part a sense of discovery and joy.

We will have more to say about the process of birth in later blogs. For now, I simply want to make the point that in the most basic of terms the human birth is as orderly and spontaneous as the birth of any of nature’s creatures — and a child opens its selfhood even as a flower opens its petals.

The inborn leanings and attitudes that we have been discussing should ideally remain with us for the rest of our lives, leading us to express our abilities, and finding fulfillment as our knowledge expands through experience. The same feelings and beliefs should also ideally help us die with a sense of safety, support and assurance. While these inbred psychological supports never leave us entirely, they are often diminished by beliefs encountered later in life, that serve to undermine the individual’s sense of safety and well-being.

All of this talk about exuberance, health and vitality may seem quite beside the point to many. It may seem instead that the world is filled with unhappiness and disease.

 

I admit that this certainly seems to be the case. It may also strike you, my blog readers, as quite shocking when I tell you that there is no such thing, basically, as disease. There are instead only processes. What we think of as disease is instead the result of an exaggeration or overextension of perfectly normal body processes. We are not attacked by viruses, for instance, for all kinds of viruses exist normally in the body. There are no killer viruses, then, but viruses that go beyond their usual bounds. We will have more to say about such issues in later blogs — for I hope to show how certain feelings and beliefs do indeed promote health, while others promote an unfortunate extension or exaggeration of perfectly normal bodily processes, or viral activity.

This means, of course, that we do not fall victim to a disease, or catch a virus, but that for one reason or another our own feelings, thoughts, and beliefs lead us to seek bouts of illness.

Certainly, such ideas will sound like medical heresy to many of my blog readers, but the sooner we begin to look at health and “disease” in these new terms, the healthier and happier we will become. We are not one thing and illness another, for our thoughts and emotions are the triggers that lead to bouts of poor health. Once we know this, we can begin to take steps that will serve to promote exuberance and vitality instead of fear, doubts, and “disease.”

We will discover that so-called diseases perform certain services. They fulfill purposes for us that we may believe we can achieve in  no other way. The reasons for such illnesses are not deeply buried in the subconscious, as we may think. They are much closer to the conscious mind, and usually consist of a series of seemingly innocuous decisions that we have made through the years. Other illnesses, of course, may be caused by sudden decisions that are a  response to a particular event in our life.

People have been taught that their bodies are a kind of battleground, and that they must be in a constant state of readiness lest they be attacked or invaded by alien germs or viruses or diseases that can strike without warning.

Soon, in future blogs, we will begin to discuss other negative beliefs that cause poor health. For now, however, we will concentrate upon those inbred, positive attitudes, feelings, and beliefs that constantly improve our sense of well-being, strength, and fulfillment.

 

 

 

Biologically Valid Thoughts, Attitudes, and Beliefs

When we are born we possess a group of attitudes toward oneself and toward life. These allow us to grow with the greatest possible impetus into childhood. They are also important in every period of our life. We can see the results in life all about us, though in animals or plants these are experienced as a matter of feelings rather than, say, as thoughts or attitudes.

It may sound very simplistic to tell one that we must have sunny thoughts as well as rays of the physical sun in order to be healthy — but sunny thoughts are as biologically necessary to our well-being as are the rays of sun that shines in the sky. Even as infants, then, we are predisposed naturally toward certain feelings, thoughts and attitudes that are meant to insure our healthy survival and emergence into adulthood. These are actually composed of inbred psychological information as necessary and vital to our life as the data transmitted by our genes and chromosomes. Indeed, these inbred, inner psychological predispositions are all-important if the information carried by our genes and chromosomes is to be faithfully followed.

It is difficult to translate such biological and psychological material into the words of any language, even though these inbred psychological prerequisites form a kind of language of their own. It is a language that promotes growth, exuberance and fulfillment, and stimulates the entire organism of the body –signaling the proper responses that are required for health and growth.

In later blogs we will discuss contrary feelings, thoughts, and emotions. I want to substitute beliefs for emotions that greatly curtail the natural progression of health and vitality. Here, however, we will deal primarily with those inner predispositions that encourage life and vitality.

I look in a puddle

and what should I see

but the stars in

the heavens looking back at me….

Misdirected Good Intent

If any of my blog readers, are in poor health, or generally unhappy, no one is asking you to pretend that those conditions do not exist. I hope to show you that even those unfortunate situations were created out of a misdirected good intent. In these blogs we will keep reminding you, however, that exuberance and high spirits are a natural part of our heritage.

We also hope to allow you to recapture those feelings, if you have lost them, and to give other ways of keeping those emotions fresh and intact. Blog readers will benefit in various fashions, according to their own conditions and intents, but every blog reader will benefit to some degree or another — and each blog reader will become reacquainted with those inner springs of vitality and wellbeing that are so important in human experience.

Concentrate upon the joys that you possess, keep your goals in mind, and trust the infinite intelligence within you to bring about the desired results. This frees your mind and allows improvements to continue without interruptions.

It’s our version of worrying that desired effects may not be brought into the present — that is, will not come into your close vision. When you feel that way, close your eyes, of only for a moment, reassure yourself that you can trust your vision — mental and physical — and that indeed your goals will be brought into clear focus.

Playing Consciousness At different Speeds

The analogy of the many speeds of consciousness actually fits in well with the actual neurological sequences upon which consciousness plays. As we know, everything alive is conscious — and even so-called dead matter possesses  its own variety of self-awareness.

In our terms, the rhythm of some kind of consciousness would seem exceedingly slow, so that a century might pass between one perception and the next. Other variations might seem amazingly quick — the perceptions following each other so swiftly that they would indeed escape our perception entirely; yet in the wondrous marvels of inner nature, all of these rhythms are connected one to the others, and in a matter of speaking — excuse the pun — they each balance each other.

It is not so much the actual rhythms that are manifested that make the difference in perception, but the absence of certain other rhythms, upon which perception ride.

Healing Energy

Mental exercises unusually go well except for the few instances, when we allow self-pity to grab ahold. It is extremely important that we concentrate upon those pleasures of life that we enjoy. Eating good food, experiencing the joy of reading, the joy of creative thought, the pleasure of friends, and so forth, for those benefits will then be increased more than a hundredfold.

All the improvements necessary are indeed happening at various levels of action within our mental and physical experience. Following and having faith that this is so — without worrying about how it will happen.

The conscious mind can direct bodily activity, but the body consciousness alone can perform those activities that bring forth life and motion.

Extremes

Our situations can be called extreme — but true extremes are far less fortunate. We have, for example, the extremes of poverty suffered by people in many other parts of the world — a poverty that stunts all kinds of growth, mental and physical, and brings about an early death. Or the extremes of disease, in which children are born without all the faculties needed for life, and — therefore also die an early death. Or those extremes when entire families suffer patterns of tragedy so whole numbers are wiped out at one time.

There are reasons for such cases, of course. I simply wanted you to know that many very severe extremes exist, that would make our lives seem most favorable in contrast.

Species Not discovered

There are many, many species that men and women have not discovered, in all the categories of life — insects onward.

There are multitudinous species of viruses and so forth that man and woman have not encountered and recognized, and there are connections between viruses and other species of living matter that remain unknown. There are indeed two different kinds of upward-walking mammals, much like our own species, but much larger, and with infinitely keener senses. They are indeed amazingly swift creatures, and through scent alone they are aware of the presence of man and woman when any member of our species is at all in the immediate area — standing, say, at least several miles away. Vegetable matter is a main diet, though often implemented by insects, which are considered a delicacy.

They have, for that matter, devised many ingenious insect traps, so that hundreds or more can be caught, for many are needed since insects are so small. These traps are often constructed on trees, in the bark, in such a fashion that the tree gum itself is used to trap the insects. The traps appear to be part of the tree itself, so as to protect them.

These creatures do indeed remember, but their remembering operates extremely rapidly – a kind of almost instantaneous deduction that comes as sense data is interpreted. That is, received and interpreted almost at once, or simultaneously.

Offspring do not occur until the individuals are well past the age that we would consider normal for breeding. Otherwise the procedure is the same. With some territorial variation, such creatures reside in many of the world areas on our planet, though their overall population is very small — altogether, perhaps, several thousand. They rarely congregate in large groups, but do have a family and tribal-like organization, with at the very most twelve adults in any given area. As offspring are added, the groups break up again, for they know well that in larger numbers they would be much more easy to discover.

They all use tools of one kind or another – perhaps not quite the standard of tools we’ve come to expect from those reviewed on outdoor REI, like axes and survival knives – and live indeed in close concord with the animals. There is no competition between them though they could be extremely dangerous if they were cornered, or of their young were attacked.

They grow quite sluggish in wintertime, in very cold climates, and their temperature drops, as is characteristic of hibernating animals, except that their temperature is more sensitive to daily variations, so that on some winter days they can forage for food very well, while on the other hand they may hibernate for even weeks on end.

They have a keen understanding of nature, and of natural phenomena. Language is not developed to any great degree, for their sensual ordinary equipment is so pure and swift that it almost becomes a language of its own, and does not need any elaboration. Those senses possess their own variances, so that without any word such as “now” or “then,” the creature are able to know quite accurately how many living creatures are in the vicinity, how long they have been there — and their experience with time is one that follows the seasons in such a way that they have formed a wordless, fairly accurate picture of the world, including navigational direction.

Secondary Personalities

People who have epilepsy are afraid of their own energy.

They do not trust it, nor do they trust the spontaneous portions of the self. They are afraid that left alone their energy might strike out against others, and so they short-circuit its use, having attacks that momentarily render themselves helpless.

People with so-called secondary personalities also fear their own energy. They divide it up so that it seems to belong to different personalities, and is therefore effectively, divided. In basic terms, true amnesia does not exist in such cases, though it appears to. The people involved are quite aware of their activity at all times, but they behave in a fashion that is not continuous — that is, the main personality does not seem to behave in a continual manner, but is broken up, or again, seemingly divided. This psychological ploy neatly prevents the so-called main personality from using all of its energy at any one time.

The individuals concerned pretend to themselves that they have no memory of the other personalities’ existences or activities. These personalities, however, store up their energy so that one personality often exhibits explosive behavior, or makes certain decisions that seem to go against the wishes of the main entity. In this way, different kinds of behavior may be exhibited, and while it would seem that many decisions are made by one portion of the self, without another portion of the self knowing anything about it, such usually is not the case. In fact, the main personality is able to express many different kinds of probable action, but the entire personality is prevented from acting with its full energy or power. Instead the energy is diverted into other channels.

All portions of the self are indeed conscious, and they are also basically conscious of each other, though for working purposes they may seem to be separate or isolated.

The idea of the sinful self will not be predominant in my blogs, but I certainly will delve into the many unfavorable concepts that are held by the various religions — concepts that certainly make many people feel that the self is indeed sinful rather than blessed.

The self is indeed blessed, and just the reminder of that fact can often short-circuit negative beliefs, particularly if they are not too deep-seated.