Mind and Awareness

Mind is essentially known as a mental process. If we were to understand this, we can realize that thinking is purely the privilege of the mind. Thinking involves our choices, memories, emotions, and even to some extent our perceptions. At the same time, the mind in Vedanta or in the eastern philosophies is also known as the seat of our consciousness. The mind functions on its own parameters and aspects, which can be analytical, emotional, or intuitive. The fundamental laws under which the mind operates, are that of duality, polarity, and opposites. Duality is often seen as opposing forces e.g. good - bad, right – wrong, etc. It would be appropriate instead to understand duality as being two sides of one coin rather than opposing forces. The perception of opposing forces makes us feel like the mind is in conflict or creates conflict. Thus, through our thinking mind, we see things in separation or in opposite formats, e.g. happiness and sorrow, light and dark, good and evil, life and death, etc. To truly understand the law of duality we have to make an effort to understand the philosophy behind the 7 hermetic principles.

The 7 Hermetic principles that date back to the 1st century AD, can help us in understanding the functioning of our minds at a deeper level. This spiritual philosophy explains the principles that help us in understanding the functioning of our mind beyond that of polarities or opposites.

This study is vast, however, for the sake of this blog, we will simply mention them but not speak about them in greater detail.

1. The Principle of Mentalism

The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental

In simple terms, this law is based on the philosophy that if we harness the power of our minds, we can create the life we want, once we become conscious of our thinking patterns. Each of us has experienced the manifestation of our thoughts in our lives. Often when this happens a layman’s reaction would sound something like this ‘Oh! my wish came true’, or ‘I got what I desired’. Therefore, if we recognize that our thoughts can manifest, we can certainly train ourselves to develop a better thinking pattern. This can be accomplished through positive thinking training, affirmations, and meditations. These practices help us to train our minds to think positively.

2. The Principle of Correspondence

As above, so below; as below, so above

The second principle is closely related to the first principle. It states that higher vibrational frequency and lower vibrational frequency are connected. Depending on the frequency of our thoughts and the way in which we think, it creates and becomes our reality; and as per our reality, we experience our lives.

3. The Principle of Vibration

Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.

This principle states that all things physical and spiritual hold a certain vibrational frequency. We resonate in our environment based on the vibration that we hold within us. Simply explained, if we are vibrating at a lower frequency that is how we will resonate in our environment and in our life; and vice versa. Whatever frequency we are vibrating at it is the same frequency that will resonate around us as our life experiences. In our normal day-to-day life, this Principle of Vibration in simpler terms is understood as ‘Vibes’ that we feel and sense from people, places, environments, etc., and even we ourselves carry this vibe energy within us.

4. The Principle of Polarity

Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites

Right at the beginning of this blog, I had mentioned that the mind functions on the law of polarity. The fourth principle is the most fundamental principle that explains this polarity. This principle states that opposite things are actually one and the same, the only thing that varies between them is the degree of vibrations. To give a simple example, when we are in a ‘relationship’ there will be moments in our lives, that in every relationship we have, we experience the same things in different aspects. We experience love and we experience hate. Each of these experiences has a different degree of vibration which creates the opposite feelings. To give an example, we often say ‘we have a love and hate relationship with a person’.

5. The Principle of Rhythm

The pendulum swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.

The fifth principle is closely related to the fourth principle. It states that between the opposite forces there exists a momentum which we can call ‘rhythm’. If the mind gets trained to be in a rhythmic flow, it creates within us a symphony of bliss. The rhythmic flow resonates when a person is vibrating at a higher frequency or in layman’s terms, positive frequency.

When we understand the duality of the mind and work with the opposites together rather than having it work against us, we can create this ‘flow’ within us. In spirituality is called ‘being in a flow’. If we learn to do this well, it is possible for an individual to transcend duality and to train our mind to vibrate at a higher frequency and be in a constant flow of peace and bliss.

6. The Principle of Cause and Effect

Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause.

This principle states that everything is connected, and the principle of cause and effect cannot be overlooked. It stresses the importance of acknowledging the effects of our thoughts on our behavior.

The most important question to ask ourselves here is, are you the cause or are you an effect? Either way, we will experience this principle in our reality. It is important to understand the duality between these two points. When we are operating on cause and focusing only on the cause, then we are simply reacting to the world around us rather than responding from an understanding of the cause and effect. This makes us feel like we are trapped, instead of moving forward. But, if we take appropriate action by understanding the cause, then the effect is not a feeling of being trapped or being a victim, but rather that of feeling empowered within ourselves.

7. The Principle of Gender

Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.

This principle talks about the masculine and feminine energies which are present all around us. In our daily life, we see them as the physical bodies of the male and female gender; but these energies are also present in the mental and spiritual plane within us. These feminine and masculine energies are an essential part of creation. When these energies are balanced within us, they give us maximum benefit. The balancing of these energies was called ‘The Middle Way’ by Buddha, ‘the Middle Path' in Qabbalah, ‘Kundalini’ in India, and the ‘Path of Righteousness’ in the west. When we learn to balance these dual and opposing energies within us it helps us to live a good life.

Generally, in our day-to-day life, we are used to thinking from our mind and loving from our heart. Experiencing duality in this format or perception gives rise to many conflicts within us which eventually leads us to the feeling of separation and isolation within us.

Awareness would lie in between understanding the fourth and the fifth principle of Hermetic philosophy. The fourth principle speaks about duality and the fifth is about rhythm. If we make an attempt to understand the nature of the mind and the thinking faculty, and if we learn to join the opposite energies and transmute them at one vibrational frequency, we have the capability to reach Oneness through Awareness. In my words, I will state ‘Beware if you are not Aware’. The wares here that I am speaking about, are our thoughts.

As per the fifth Principle of Rhythm thoughts are in constant motion, and thoughts that are in motion we usually call them ‘emotions’. Our emotions depend on many variable factors such as moods, circumstances, relationships, etc. Since the mind's way of working is through the capacity of thinking, mostly relying on the materialistic world; any kinds of feelings or emotions coming from a material-centric mind are going to be conditional, full of attachments and possessiveness. This conditioned mind in its dual state will see everything in opposites or polarity, like good-bad, right-wrong, etc. Unless we become aware and conscious of the way we think, till then the powerful unconscious thoughts will deviate our minds in any direction they wish. So, in our understanding, the fifth principle of rhythm is much more associated with the power of AWARENESS. No one has said it better than Gian Kumar which resonated and personified the meaning of awareness for us – ‘Think from the heart and love from the mind'

Though our thinking mind is crucial for our day-to-day life; but, we only relate deeply with the objective world, the subjective world of our subconscious and unconscious is mostly overlooked. Hence our thinking mind or conscious mind has its measure and cannot go beyond that. But, if we gradually pay attention to the way we think, we can slowly move to understand the thoughts which are behind our thinking and the result of ‘Cause’. Once we notice or become aware of what these causation thoughts are creating within us and their effects around us; understanding the principle of cause and effect comes into play here. This brings into us a new perspective to our thinking which can help us to make better choices to help ourselves. Thus, by becoming aware of our thoughts and the way we think we take our first step into the world of awareness.

When a person takes small steps of effort to become aware, the mind slowly becomes conscious of its own nature and of its own reality, and thus eventually the spirit becomes bliss. To state an example – Usually, we tend to have issues around relationships. The simple problem in most relationships is that if our love energy is emitting from our thinking mind then it certainly will have physical and material expectations, attachments, and possessiveness in and around our environment. If the mind ‘thinks’ about love, then thinking will have physical and material expectations of attachments and possessiveness from the outside world. But, if our love is purely an expression coming from the mind minus the thinking, then it will be pure, unconditional, and not bounded with attachments, expectations, and possessiveness.

Hence, life can either be melodious or harsh depending on how AWARE you are. The effect of our thinking mind is such that it will directly affect our own well-being. Hence, as I stated above “Beware if you are not Aware”.

Eckhart Tolle’s words would best sum up our blog on this vast topic of mind and awareness.

~ As always with Love and warm light