Page 24-33       Lessons of Enlightenment

Section Alpha

Lesson Three: The Mental Nature Of Humankind

Enter: The Realm Of Mind

Far and away the main factor behind the illusory separation from Spirit is the evolution of human mind. The mind has been mentioned and its overall function is assumed, but what exactly is "mind"? The mind must be singled out from such concepts as spirit, body, will, brain, soul, ego, personality, self, etc., and clearly defined. The mind, when understood, can be humankind's greatest gift. If not understood, it can be our greatest burden.

The first step is that of differentiation of mind from the brain, for it is not a physical tool and/or a physical part of the body. It is often confused with the latter and the terms are likely to be used interchangeably. Nothing could be further off the mark. What follows will help to clear up some of this confusion.

Due to the conflicting and imprecise information which exists regarding human nature, attributes of the mind are often confused with features of spirit, of body, of experience, or of culture. But a precise definition of the parameters and functions of mind is an important underpinning in the emerging explanation of human nature.

To define is to place parameters on a subject. However, this is not to place limitations, for mind has no limits other than those we select for it. That said, we will now proceed with that limitation, strictly for the sake of discussion and illumination.

Although spirit exists in every time and every space simultaneously, mind is limited to the physical realm. Mind is actually a focal point of consciousness, the seat of physical, waking awareness. The mind is intended to be steward to the spirit. The mind can be thought of as a specific location, necessary for physical experience, while humans are oriented to a slower, denser vibratory rate and less attuned to their broader accelerated essence. The mind focuses experience within time-space and creates dependence upon the physical senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Mental processes are necessary to order and retain sensory information and to creatively develop and utilize ideas which can accomplish the purpose of self development and expression.

Does mind exist after physical death. It would have to, or we would not experience a state of consciousness, nor have the ability to focus that consciousness. There may be some dispute about "life after death" in some circles, but there's some pretty persuasive evidence that it exists and is universally experienced.

The mind can also be thought of as a receptacle, a tool kit of sorts, housing ideas, memories, beliefs, attitudes and certain aspects of the personality. Thus, the mind can be defined as the collection of experience, the working knowledge, skills and strategies, accumulated through the senses from the moment of the entity's birth until the end of the lifetime. Any features of personality that are a direct result of experience relate to the contents of mind, as opposed to the enduring spiritual aspects of personality.

Because the mind is a non-physical aspect of our make-up, it is literally impossible to apply measurable qualities or physical technology to it. We can observe the consequences of its activity by observing the functions of the brain with instruments, but we can not even establish the confines of the mind's state. For example, in an out-of-body experience, the mind leaves the physical body and might travel to another room or another planet. It has no limits.

The mind is also dynamic, like a computer. Its location and receptacle aspects interact to allow for spiritual, imaginative and sensory inputs; rational, analytical information processing; data storage; and logical decision making outputs. All mental processing capabilities and features exist to facilitate a fluid spiritual existence in the physical realm.

It might be akin to watching a computer operate but being unable to determine the presence of the operator of the computer or the programmer who creates the software. This might be especially troubling if the observation of the operator could not be determined through the use of our five senses or instrumentation.

The mind operates then like a location, a receptacle and a computer---which sounds a lot like a brain. The brain, of course, is the organ in every human that houses the mind. But the mind is far more than the objective brain. While the normally developed brain is fairly similar among all humans, as are computers that roll off the assembly line, the mind is highly individualized. It is extremely personal and subjective.

Because the mind reflects the creative aspect of the human being and because it is exposed to so much information which is individualized by time and space, it is nearly unlimited when it comes to unique memories and creative opportunities.

But it does not come that way. Just as a new body arrives with each birth, a new mind is born for a fresh beginning. Each human being arrives on Earth with a blank slate to be impressed upon by human experience. A blank slate upon which each individual can create their own desired reality. Humans have complete freedom of will to determine what the contents of mind are to be. With this feature, the mind is not so much like a window to the world, or even a mirror of the world, it is more like a canvas upon which the world can manifest. Like an artist paints a picture, each entity can create a mental landscape like a portrait through which he or she can experience life. The mind holds pictures of the existing world, and adds creative improvements as well. Thus, humans have the fantastic mental agility to create as many unique realities as there are unique human beings. This individualized mind is intended to support and orient the embodied human upon his or her particular destiny path.

The idea that we can build/create our own experiences in this reality and thereby gain knowledge and wisdom is alien to our current societal outlook. Fear and a victim mentality drive our system. The adverse consequences of this state of mind are everywhere. There is an old Chinese proverb: "When one is foolish enough long enough, he/she eventually becomes wise." There are many reaching that point daily. As it was used in the above paragraph, art is the metaphor for our spiritual evolution. We need only to learn to appreciate it.

The mind also operates like a converter. The mind was intended to assist in converting spiritual intention into earthly experiences, events and technologies that could bring evermore creative ways of expression. Not only does the mind create this reality within the consciousness of its owner, but it also assists in the transmutation of spiritual
(will) energy into actual physical events. It is the mind's ideas, visual creations, thoughts and beliefs which define and flesh out the raw spiritual intention. Then, when powered with emotional and physical energy, these subjective images and events can become objective and actual occurrences. The mind was intended to be temporary, fluid, highly personal, subjective and dynamically evolving at the direction of the spirit.

Edgar Cayce called mind the builder and so it is. But it is the spirit which points the mind in the direction of optimum growth and that which is most spiritually beneficial. Mind can listen or ignore what spirit is suggesting, but it can not fail to eventually make the link essential for the evolving process to continue. Physical reality is the mirror which reflects our spiritual progress. Recognition of this fact is essential for growth.

But this conversion aspect has some inherent limitations. It is important to note that the communication between mind and spirit is conditional. Although spirit is aware of everything in the realm of mind, mind is only aware of spirit if specific understandings are in place---or more to the point, if certain limited beliefs are not in place. Such understandings need to be deliberately inscribed upon the blank slate, to prevent disempowerment. The conversion process goes on quite on its own, whether or not the intention is present in the result . The human ability to manifest events and transmute matter is far more powerful than humans suspect.

In much of our current environment, it is the "limited beliefs" which are the first things to be inscribed upon our personal slate. From that point, the opportunity for controlling our life experience is relegated for a far longer period than is beneficial. There are those being born into our physical reality that are much more aware of this than previous generations and as a consequence, these children will lead us out of our wilderness.

In summary, the mind is at once a location, a receptacle, a computer and a converter. Mind contrasts distinctly with spirit; while universal permanence, ubiquity, biological integrity, primacy, and divine intention mark the spirit, the mind is characterized by temporary transience; subjective, experiential and cultural flexibility; creative imagination; and unlimited growth potential. Both interact to achieve the maximum self development and expression. Both comprise what is known as personality and both comprise what is known as self.

In playing their respective roles, mind and spirit compliment each other, while creating an environment of growth and understanding. There are so many methods for enhancing this growth. The choices of which to utilize are unlimited and equal in value. We need only to begin to appreciate the dynamics of this complimentary potential to bring greater meaning to our lives.

The Goal Of Mind

Spiritual Intention is reducible to two goals: 1) self development and 2) self expression. The mind is the major facilitator of self development. Its singular goal is to provide tools to accomplish self growth. A scientist would describe such growth as adaptation to one's environment. The more adaptive tools one acquires, the more successful they can be in an ever-expanding "turf" of various environments.

The mind has a tremendous potential for flexibility. It can learn quickly and adapt to emergencies much faster than usually imagined. It has this ability because one of its primary functions is to protect the physical body, for without this "body", the mind could not occupy the physical environment in a manipulative fashion, and it could certainly not carry out any type of "self-expression".

The word environment, in this sense, includes not only the physical, geographic landscapes but also the social, cultural mindscapes and established systems within which modern man must now operate. This means that the broader and more inclusive the person's reality, the more they can successfully interact with other people and their own unique realities. Without such development, successful expression is unlikely. The overall developmental goal is to be completely free to express the spirit in any and every physical and social situation without hindrance.

One characteristic of a well-developed mind is one's ability to be at ease in any type of situation. The intent of recognizing the positive qualities in others and practicing a natural inquisitiveness about one's surroundings
(including other people) will reflect an honest appreciation for the spiritual qualities of all human beings.

A scientist would call this personal growth an adaptive, evolutionary process. A teacher might call this process, learning or education. A psychologist might call this personal growth becoming, self discovery, or self actualization . A poet might call this process the unfolding of the petals of the soul. A religious leader might call this transcending human limitation and attaining the divine. A spiritualist might call this process the individual contribution to the expansion of All That Is. Each would be correct in their assertion.

The above expressed observation should make it clear that all truth is directly connected to the quality of perception and that these varied "perceptions" contribute to a better understand of the whole, providing that these perceptions are shared in a positive and loving environment by the perceivers. There is the illustration of the blind men examining the various aspects of the elephant and describing such on the basis of what part they were touching, i.e. the trunk, the tail, the leg, etc. Only in sharing their personal conclusions of their respective examinations were they able to develop a more complete picture of the elephant. So it is that truth evolves.

Thus, the mind has a very important task in the larger scheme of things. The human mind is a tool kit of creative resources, as well as a factory for their assembly. The mind is meant to be filled with ideas and beliefs---mental tools---of an ever improving nature to provide freedom and avenues of opportunity to the individual. Experiences are to be analyzed, mined for the learning, and significant skills and strategies retained for future successes. Within the fluidity of mind, old strategies are cast away as new improvements are discovered that drive a constant mental evolution. With the contents of mind, each human can envision and create whatever thoughts, images and events that they find pleasing to the spirit.

In a dynamic universe, a dynamic mind is essential. A static mind is equivalent to a state of reversal, which leads to uncertainty, which leads to fear, which leads to anger and aggression. Close the mind and the world around it soon dies, including the physical vehicle one occupies.



Mental Tools Can Be Double-Edged

The gift of mind came with some inherent risks. It was Divine Spiritual Intention that the mind be an accouterment, a grand toy with which humans could more realistically engage in the game of physical existence. It would allow a crystallized individual experience for each spirit in flesh to enjoy a unique reality designed exactly to their desired specifications.

This is another validation that we can and do use our minds to create our physical and social reality, including both our pleasurable and painful experiences. If we create positive experiences for ourselves, we experience the accompanying joy. If we create the opposite, we experience consequential physical and emotional pain. If not misdirected by falsely contrived belief systems, we can quickly learn and evolve in a trial and error system. (Or we can exercise some of the logical qualities of the mind and avoid some of the pain of error.) On the other hand, if we are taught that suffering in this world will lead to greater happiness in the next, our natural learning process becomes "short circuited".

But such boundless freedom can be seductive. The realities created can become quite convincing. The tools can linger past their point of effectiveness and create conflict---even become hurtful. Limiting ideas can take on a life of their own, setting the stage for separation from spirit. When the contents of mind muffle the voice of spirit, the rational mind, the computer, operates on incomplete information. The wisdom of spirit that transcends space-time is not factored into the logical calculations. Information that does not fit a nice physical linear picture, is not allowed into consciousness. Events appear to happen to individuals rather than to be created by them.

This is how the victim mentality gains preponderance in human activity. Institutions which foster and feed limited belief systems offer solutions, but on their terms. I was once told in an institution for higher learning that since nations do not have souls, they only way they can be punished for collective wrong doing is through war. Hence war, because of this belief system, becomes essential and inevitable.

This is the seduction of earthly existence: when mental creations that are intended to be subjective and fluid, become utterly believable, enduring and entrenched objective realities---this is known as being lost in one's own physical camouflage (a major theme in Eastern religious traditions). In Hinduism, for example, humans are under the spell of Maya, the magical drama created out of the Brahman, the unifying spiritual essence underlying the creations.

Religious philosophies and institutions that play down the ability of creating reality from the list of human qualities, also play a major role in reducing individual responsibility for one's actions. If a person is not responsible for his/her own actions, someone or something else has to be judged and blamed when things go wrong.

The seduction of physical reality can lead to the perception of isolation. An enlightened Western philosopher once identified the isolation potential through the assertion "cogito ergo sum" or rather: "I think, therefore, I am". He points out that humans define their very existence by their thought process, a statement that historically attests to human entrapment within physical camouflage. This is the condition wherein the mind believes its reality to be the one and only, negating all spiritual reality beyond the bound of its physical limitations. His next progression of thought was that of a primal fear springing from the isolated human notion that one could not be absolutely sure of anything even existing outside one's own conscious mind. An insidious, but perhaps inevitable, fear that he termed Cartesian Doubt.

Eliminate the quality of "spirit" from human make-up and the existence of everything that is observable comes into doubt. The only thing left to cling to is one's own existence and that can only be kept through irrefutable logic which went something like this: "I think, therefore I am. For if I did not exist, I would not be able to doubt my existence, therefore I must be." But what, then, are we? We are more than the obvious, the observable or the consequence of logical reasoning. We are also spirit.

Isolation, of course, is not real in the greater, spiritual reality in which all things are connected. undThat feeling from "connection" provides the pleasurable faith and optimism which evidences unabated love energy. But once this isolation has occurred, the spiritual energy is frustrated and an unpleasant emotion will occur. The predictable fear then arises in which undesirable events of the past are projected into the future effecting it with equally undesirable, yet perhaps impending, scenarios. (This is the basic principle of karma in Eastern traditions, although the term has become mired in limiting beliefs).

The very process of reliving the unpleasant memories of our lives in the mindset that we were the victims of some arbitrary and capricious fate, or worse yet, a enigmatic Deity with a human-type personality, can do much to color the future we are constantly creating for ourselves. Whereas, if we apply a true cause/effect formula to our existence, we can come to understand that consequences are little more than learning experiences . A test-in-time, if you will.

Thus, there were spiritual cautions that were offered with the evolution of human mind. Cautions specifically regarding how essential it was to remember that this earthly reality was illusory and that any "knowledge" or "truth" of this realm would only be so if it reflected Universal Knowledge and Universal Truth. The rest were simply temporary, flexible, and evolving tools chosen and used to achieve the most complete earthly existence. There were specific cautions regarding the illusory isolation, the seduction of the camouflage, and the potential disconnection between universal and individual consciousness, between spirit and mind. Still humans immersed themselves in physical experience.

The history of life in this physical existence is perpetually open to interpretation by those who review it. Without factoring in the spiritual aspect of human nature and its true role in our development, the lessons to be learned are seldom completely understood. Hence the reason why history, with human error so apparent, tends to repeat itself.

The Biblical Fall From Grace

Humans enjoyed the freedom to create their own earthly reality and went about it with relish. The spirit communicated through a finely attuned will, using the tools, skills, strategies and abilities of the mind to create any desired reality. The game became so enjoyable that humans expanded their mental empire, with the mind reigning supreme, and the illusions of individual reality becoming utterly believable.

This was how is was in the beginning . It was a true paradise. Apparently it was also an environment where it was easy to develop an expanded ego which enticed us humans into believing that the "illusion" was the "real thing" and that individual mind could supercede Spirit.

As the belief in "individuality" became more and more powerful, the feeling of isolation began to creep into the human existence. The Universal Spirit began to cry out through its individual spirits for the reconnection that is its natural state. In answer to this cry, humans took steps within their mental realm to reconnect with other humans.

It was a case of becoming too self-absorbed. This led to a crevasse developing between the mental and spiritual qualities. But it also led to an attraction among all humans and the sharing that when followed brought about an expansion of the whole.

They would share the ideas that they had created. They would trade beliefs, creating a shared reality and enriching each other's existence by doing so. They escaped isolation and quieted their fear by negotiating a group reality. They began teaching their mental strategies to their offspring and offering them a head start toward building their own strategies of living. They built languages, worldview, monuments and other mental and physical vestiges of civilization to indoctrinate every new human being into this shared existence.

They became, in a word, worldly in their orientation. As individuals developed individual views and formed into colonies of these shared views, a form of competition evolved and truth became that which was held by a particular group.

As time passed there accumulated a tremendous amount of shared knowledge, enduring ideas, strategies and tools that existed in a common realm. This created an illusion of some higher objective, truthful, reality that began to replace whatever mental remnant of spiritual reality that had existed. This was the first stirring of a mass consciousness, a group reality which has become to be known as culture . Human culture is that collection of energized ideas that takes on a physical reality of its own. This lent further credence to the cause and effect rational interpretation of random events that distanced humans from their own creative freedom and fluid reality.

Today, we call this reality science, or religion or philosophy. It represents a school of thought. These various "schools" evolved into various cultures and even nations. As these varying cultures became convinced that their beliefs were the only correct ones, differing views eventually escalated into physical violence. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the 20th century and its numerous World Wars. The 21st appears to be extending that mentality.

With the advent of human culture, came what has become known in Western religious tradition as "the fall from Grace". Human individuals, already partially separated from their creator's guidance, became convinced that this group reality was, in fact, the ultimate reality. An underlying assumption was that there had once been a caring, loving creator, who directed and enriched the lives of humans, but who had become angered and no longer provided such services. "Right living" would restore this relationship, but not until death could humans enjoy the "Kingdom Of Heaven". In the context of Eastern traditions, this same separation happened when the Brahman then became lost in the Maya such that it was unattainable without Karmic redemption.

In each case, religions sprang up. The concepts became institutionalized and control of the masses became a subsequent consequence. The larger the religions became, the greater the barrier erected to block the original connection to spirit. Fear and guilt became tools of control and a vague and a barely defined state following physical death became the justification for accepting the confined thought process while still in physical reality.

Both traditions, for the most part, leave the power as well as goodness, outside the hands of humanity. As the world now exists, man-made belief systems virtually replace the remaining strands of communication with All That Is. They promote conformity, standardization, dependency, and ever increasing separation between body, mind and spirit.

Once recognized, this status quo can be altered within. As these individual alterations begin to multiply, the strength of the worldly power centers will decline in influence. What will follow will be a return to a unification of the above named qualities. And when that happens, there truly will be a new heaven on earth.



Current Mass Reality: The Mind Of Man

What was intended to be a highly selective, subjective reality within the mind of each human being, is now something far more. It is externalized, public, and has taken on an "objective" life of its own. This objective mass reality, can also be termed the Mind Of Man.

The intended system went from individual to collective. This is not necessarily a bad thing. While it has introduced an expanded element into the relationship between body/mind and spirit, it has removed from the mix the innate capability of humans to make a direct, unfiltered connection to spirit. If and when this "direct connection" can be understood and utilized, such can result in an anticipated expansion of consciousness.

For man is greatly affected by it in many ways. Energized thoughts from every individual mind have created a dense network of group thought which constitutes a group mind. As this external reality is reinforced over time, it becomes the dominant influence in human existence. With every passing generation, humans are born into an ever narrowing realm of possibility. So much exists as "truth" within the realm of mass reality that it severely limits the blank slate situation that is necessary for full and complete freedom for development of individual mind.

Group mind and all that it entails is no match for Spirit and, rather serves as a distraction and obstruction to that which is available to the individual. To correct this situation, the individual must intend to remove the substituted and limiting belief systems and replace them with that which is available from within, i.e. Spirit Guidance. The practice of meditation might be a place to start.

Choice itself becomes illusory as a large amount of the contents of any individual mind are "chosen" inadvertently and by default. So much information is imparted onto the blank slate from the outside, that entities have little hope of even becoming aware of the many alternative potentials that can exist through the conscious attunement to the spirit. The individual mind has largely given way to the mass Mind of Man.

Imagine suggesting to a parent in today's society that the best road to true knowledge and enlightenment of his/her child is to teach the child the art of meditation and the practice of tapping into the wisdom of dreams, as an alternative to the formal and accepted form of "education". It would take some powerful and numerous examples of success before such a radical format could even be considered. But there are some among us who are living examples that this can be done. Many of them are socially ostracized or institutionalized, but their unique qualities are beginning to be recognized.

The situation that exists today within mass consciousness is indeed severely limiting. Humans are so utterly caught up in their mass reality that most no longer experience true freedom. The conflicting and limited information that exists within the social, political, economic, religious and educational institutions of human culture severely limit the opportunity humans have to design their own reality. They have little hope of developing and expressing the spirit without basic freedom and opportunity.

The qualities of basic freedom and opportunity still exist and each individual in any society can exercise the right to think and envision any and all that he/she wishes. Bringing that fact to the mind of humans may be the greatest challenge. On the other hand, this very information is being passed along from one to another via this utilized system. This internet, itself, may well hold the key.

This is not simply a metaphoric situation. There is a physical manifestation of mass consciousness. There now exist myriad dense energy networks surrounding the planet that affect human experience profoundly. As each human adopts and empowers the individual belief in something, its validity in the mass realm is strengthened by the energy. This energy network interferes with the reception of spiritual insight. This energy network also plays a major role in the events which human beings draw to themselves, particularly the ones that seem to come from outside. These are usually unwelcome experiences that limit freedom and opportunity, while leaving the spirit feeling frustrated.

The question is not whether or not creating one's reality is possible. We can already observe that reality is being created and influenced. The question is: Can humans recover their basic ability to realign that reality with the highest Spiritual Principles while operating in an environment which is contrary to such an intent. I would leave the answer and the challenge to the reader to decide.



The Divine Spiritual Safety Net

It should not be so surprising that earthly existence is not what most humans would like it to be, given that individual reality has virtually given way to mass reality. The limits within mass consciousness are self-fulfilling and self-perpetuating cycles.

It can be a bit overwhelming to a singular soul entering the realm of physical reality, especially when the first essential information fed to this soul is that which establishes a life of limitations.

The wonderful truth of the matter is, however, that humans still create their own individual reality. For each spirit embodies the form with hardwired signals which can provide a reality check. This reality check ensures that spiritual intention is made manifest. It ensures that the contents of mind include only those items which facilitate self development and expression.

What is not revealed to humans is that there are tools of creation available that are innate to their very being and that when tapped, can far exceed the capability of our most sophisticated technology.

It is now up to the individual to honor the purpose of mind and to restore humanity to the fluidity state that was originally intended. It is time to sort through the contents of the mind to sift and change those ideas that frustrate the spirit. This begins with the examination of the contents of each and every individual mind. Such house-keeping of beliefs, ideas, attitudes, will facilitate the identification and rejection of any and all which limit development and expression in any way. Changes within each individual mind will create energy changes within mass consciousness so that those limiting ideas will become less and less influential.

This may be a slow process for humanity, but it can be a relatively quick process for any individual who wishes to excel beyond his/her current state of being. This material can help lead the way. It can open doors and pull us through them into an expanded way of thinking. Of course, to do so, it has to be read and integrated into one's being.

But mental changes alone will not suffice. Active changes are also necessary. Appropriate communications of dissatisfaction over specific limitations of the social, political or economic systems within human cultures, must be expressed. Existing mechanisms for social change,
(political activism, civil complaint processes, legislative mechanisms), are those useful and positive tools within mass consciousness. Even simple communication can create external change and successfully champion human freedom and dignity. This is not to say that certain personal choices are to be foist upon others; simply, that group limitations are to be removed to make way for individual freedom and equal opportunity for all humans to develop and express their spiritual essence.

How this can be done should be a matter of open discussion. No one individual has all the answers. Nor should any one person be burdened with bringing about the necessary changes. After all, the very founding of the political freedoms we enjoy in this country was not brought by a particular individual. It took the Founding Fathers acting with intent and determination to alter the course of history. The result of their efforts can still serve as an example to us all.

Many such positive actions already occur. They are motivated by the urgings of a frustrated spirit. For the insurance policy remains within the biology of every human being. It ensures that spiritual intention will not be ignored without certain symptoms becoming apparent. These are the symptoms which present themselves as painful dissonant feelings within individuals and societies.

If we feel pain and see examples of pain around us, we should note that such is a service, a motivation to act. There would seem to be no shortage of such "opportunities". It should also serve to show us that we are much more than the total sum of our thoughts . We are also our feelings.

For the spirit is embodied in flesh, and despite the interference of mind, it speaks that language of spirit---it speaks the language of feeling. The rational powers of the mental realm can be overridden by impulses of the physical realm.

The fact that spirit is embodied in flesh serves as evidence that the flesh need not be weak when it comes to effecting the material world. We already know that this can be done. Nothing man-made in our environment could have come into existence without someone's flesh being involved in some manner. But of course, it has to begin with mind as the builder and spirit as the motivator.

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