Three Aspects of Our Mind System
Commonly, our ‘Mind’ is referred to have three aspects or states - ‘Conscious' Mind, ‘Sub-conscious Mind’, and ‘Super-conscious Mind’. There is varied terminology in referring to the second part as the ‘unconscious mind’ as well. But the definition of the sub-conscious mind, here, includes the ‘unconscious’ part as well. Similarly, the ‘superconscious mind’ is also referred to as the ‘intuitive mind’ or ‘creative mind’ or ‘innately intelligent mind’ or in some books the intuitive ‘subconscious mind’.
CONSCIOUS MIND
“Did you know that your mind receives eleven million (11,000000) bits per second of data every day? The more you understand how your mind works, the more you can use it to achieve your goals.”
The conscious mind consists of everything inside of our awareness. This is the aspect of our mental processing that allows us to think and talk logically. It’s somewhat similar to short-term memory or computer RAM.
States of Mind
Our conscious mind functions very much like a computer. It is constantly accepting or rejecting data to make decisions. It can deal with only one thought at a time, based on “yes or no” input and “positive or negative input.”
The 4 Essential Functions of the Conscious Mind:
1. It identifies incoming information. This is information received through any of the 6 senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or feeling (emotions).
2. It compares all information we receive through our senses. For example, comparing the food dish you are eating with other dishes you have eaten and whose experience is stored in your subconscious mind.
3. It analyses all information we receive. The reference for the analysis is learnings and memorized information or experiences stored in our subconscious mind.
4. It decides what to do with the information we receive.
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND (also called unconscious mind in some books)
“Did you know that by the age of 21, we’ve already stored more than one hundred times the contents of the entire Encyclopedia Britannica? This is the power of your subconscious mind”
The subconscious mind consists of accessible memories stored in our mind. We can become aware of this information once we direct our attention to them. This is like memory recall. You walk down the street to your house without consciously needing to be alert to your surroundings. You can talk on the cell phone and still drive home safely.
We can easily bring to consciousness the subconscious information about the way to our home. We can also easily remember phone numbers that we frequently use. Our subconscious mind is like a super hard drive of a supercomputer. Its capacity is virtually unlimited. It permanently stores everything that ever happens to us and around us.
It stores and retrieves information received through our senses and as directed by our conscious mind. It’s responsible for our emotional side, and 80% of the decisions we make are based on our emotions.
Our subconscious mind is an unquestioning servant that works day and night to make our behavior fit a pattern consistent with our emotionalized thoughts, hopes, and desires.
The 2 primary functions of our subconscious mind are as follows:
1. To store information, memories, and events of our life
2. To retrieve data as needed.
The job of the subconscious mind is to ensure that we respond exactly the way we have been programmed. Our subconscious mind makes everything we say and do - fit a pattern consistent with our “self-programming or conditioning”
Our subconscious mind also stores tendencies and programming from our previous lifetimes too. Our subconscious mind is subjective. It does not think or reason independently; it merely obeys the commands it receives from our conscious mind.
Our subconscious mind also practices predictability in our mental realm, by keeping our thinking and acting in a manner consistent with what we have done and said in the past. All our habits of thinking and acting are stored in our subconscious mind. It has memorized all our comfort zones and it works to keep us within them.
Our subconscious mind causes us to feel emotionally and physically uncomfortable whenever we attempt to do anything new or different or to change any of our established patterns of behavior. We can feel our subconscious pulling us back toward our comfort zone each time we try something new. Even thinking about doing something different from what we’re accustomed to, will make us feel tense and uneasy.
The subconscious mind is also the underground library of all our memories, habits, and behaviors. It is the storehouse of all our deep-seated emotions that have been programmed since conception, birth, and our entire life.
Also, here is a small video that illustrates this more lightly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYSKW3IvZlQ
SUPERCONSCIOUS MIND (also referred to as intuitive mind)
Quantum physics tells us that nothing in this Universe is solid. If that is the case, then no matter how tiny each & every atom, molecule, or particle is, there must be space between everything. And if so, then life is more of an energy flow than a collection of solid things.
The superconscious mind encompasses a level of awareness that sees beyond material reality and taps into the energy and consciousness behind that reality. Some refer to this as the “ether” – the essence of the universe – a flow of electromagnetic waves that permeate all matter and space. This is also commonly referred to as “the space between our thoughts”.
The superconscious is where true creativity is found. Expressions of this kind of creativity are distinctive from those that come from the subconscious. The superconscious is where ideas for truly great works of art, music, prose, poetry, great scientific discoveries, and deep spiritual experiences are found. Profound healing of ailments can also take place in this state.
MEDITATION ALLOWS YOU TO ACCESS THE SUPERCONSCIOUS
If we have a really good meditation and feel “fully calm”, then we are beginning to experience a level of superconsciousness. As we go deeper into meditation and experience a deepening peace, calmness, divine love, and even bliss, then we are experiencing deeper levels of the superconscious. Einstein described this as the “mystic emotion” – the finest emotion of which we are capable. I call it bliss!
CREDITS: This content is collated from multiple online sources. Special thanks to the authors.