Consciousness:*

So often someone tells me that, despite their best efforts to ‘let go,’

follow their heart or trust their soul-expressed truth,

their mind protests, producing convincing ‘status quo’ type thoughts

that in effect veto their well-intentioned efforts.

What is this ‘mind’ that they are talking about?

For reference, let’s recall these wise words from our good friend,

Albert Einstein:

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift

and the rational mind is a faithful servant.

We have created a society that honors the servant

and has forgotten the gift.”

On the heels of Einstein’s insightful ‘two minds’ model of consciousness,

I’m inviting you today to consider, perhaps a bit audaciously,

a much broader model of our human consciousness—

TEN minds!

That’s right, ten of them—each amazing one living and breathing

in the wondrous habitat of your very own human presence!

Imagine! You, housing ten unique varieties of consciousness!

(I’m not claiming technical accuracy here—only a truly meaningful model.

So, as the saying goes, “Work with me here!”).

I offer you the following list of these ten mental styles.

All of them serve as valuable resources to you and me

as we attempt to understand ourselves

and grasp the bigger meaning of the world(s) around us.

Remarkably, when we are able to look at ourselves and creation

through the cumulative lens of all of them together,

wow! It’s amazing how clear our knowing and vision become!

1. Our “Conscious” mind.

Our mantra: “I think. Therefore, I am human.”

This is what Einstein called our ‘rational mind.’

Filled with a three-dimensional, duality-based,

morality-oriented style of thinking,

it helps us find solutions, solve problems, create technologies

and navigate the speed bumps of daily human living.

It’s the cognitive, logical, practical, functional version of our consciousness.

As such, it’s filled with pragmatic creativity and ingenuity.

2. Our “Sub-conscious” mind.

Our mantra: “I am possibility. Therefore, I imagine.”

This innovative realm of thought is our center of personal magical living.

Here, we think not in rational or logical terms, but in infinite possibilities.

We see life as an imagination-rich field of appealing opportunities,

as an enticing game to be played, a range of experiences to be enjoyed.

In our daydreams and nightly dreams, we explore endless alternatives.

Here, we’re unattached to outcomes; we’re about neither success nor failure.

Also, in this mental resource, we have access to amazing personal power.

3. Our “Un-conscious” mind.

Our mantra: “I am everything. Therefore, I embrace.”

Here, we think of ourselves not only as an individual self,

but as a “collective” self—we belong to the human family, for example.

Here, we are also an earthly self, a universal self, a resident of space,

a presence that is intertwined with everything imaginable.

Being citizens of all creation, each of creation’s gifts is available to us.

4. Our “Super-conscious” or Spiritual mind.

Our mantra: “I am light. Therefore, I unify with and bless everything.”

Our spiritual consciousness is where we know ourselves as beings of light.

Here, our ‘higher self’ lives beyond any concept of duality or morality.

We see and celebrate the spirit of everything rather than its letter,

and view our human world as a sacred expression of pure light.

Our light nature resides deep within us, often in the form of our personal soul,

where it holds and inspires us with our deepest, light-filled truth—

especially when we’re listening.

5. Our “Heart” mind.

Our mantra: “I am love. Therefore, I bond.”

Here, we’re in love. Deeply in love. Fully in love. Radically in love.

Here, our ‘heart mind’ thinks in the language of deep feeling—for everything.

We perceive ourselves as one with people, nature and, well, everything.

Rather than seeing separation and differences, we see connection and unity.

Here, we innately embrace any pain, forgive seeming enemies

and love whatever might seem morally horrid. Why?

Because a central reason we incarnate as human beings

is to embody love, be love, express love—to love, period.

6. Our “Energy” mind.

Our mantra: “I am energy. Therefore, I feel. I intuit. I sense.”

The intuitive Caroline Meiss asserted: “We have reached a point

in our evolution that requires us to speak ‘energy’ fluently.”

In our energy mind, we view our spiritual light as present in the form of energy.

We take delight in feeling energies, experiencing emotions, touching each other,

breathing air, enjoying sunrises, tasting delicious foods, speaking sounds, etc.

Through our energetic aliveness, we know our interconnectedness,

interwovenness and inter-dependence on each other and on all of creation.

Here, we see clearly that we all weave our fates together

and energetically support each other in the magic of life.

7. Our “Primal” mind.

Our mantra: “I am earth, life force, body. Therefore, I create.”

In recent years, we’ve heard the term “primal intelligence.”

Yes, our primal urges, sexual energies, gut level feelings,

cellular aliveness, organic fabric and root chakra energies

are very, very intelligent.

Here is where we experience firsthand our earthly and earthy nature,

you and I are, in truth, embodiments of our very earth.

Our spinning planet lives not just ‘out there,’ but in us,

and its organic intelligence expresses in and as our bodies.

In this internal ‘soup,’ our primal mind creates us anew every minute of every day—

with focused precision, dynamic elegance and creative genius.

8. Our “Being” mind.

Our mantra: “I am is-ness, essence. Therefore, I exist. I know.”

According to Lao Tzu, “To be is to do!”

You and I possess, in our internal center, a precious mind: our ‘being’ mind.

Here, we perceive not duality, not drama, not complexity—but pure being.

This precious mind of ours is neutral, devoid of any ‘right-wrong’ judgment.

Here, our only judgment of anything is: “It simply is, period.”

In this neutral mind, we reside in a state of is-ness,

we embrace the pure essence, or ‘being-ness,’ of everything and everyone

and we rejoice in the essential truth that we now see in creation’s simplicity.

9. Our “Quantum field” mind.

Our mantra: “I am mystery. Therefore, I dream. I wonder.”

How fortunate!

You and I are proud owners of a cleverly hidden style of consciousness:

the very invisible mind of the quantum field!

Alive and well in the sub-cellular, sub-terranean depths of our bodies

resides a completely other-dimensional ‘quantum mind.’

Technically filled with imperceptible sub-atomic particles,

this unusual mind thinks, knows, expresses and creates

using a totally other-dimensional approach:

one that we can only label “mystery” or “magic.”

When we’re connected to this mind, changes—

as well as interventions, new creations, miracles, etc.—

happen automatically, other-dimensionally, beyond humanly.

Not by any ‘doing,’ mind you, but solely by mystery-filled magic!

The magic wand of the quantum mind!

Albert Einstein weighed in on this remarkable mind in 1931:

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.

Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder,

no longer marvel, is as good as dead,

and his eyes are dimmed.”

10. Our “Quantum void” mind.

Our mantra: “I am nothing. Therefore, I am source. I am everything.”

Sheer emptiness. Absolute nothingness. Complete void.

These are the realities that live in the basement of our human presence.

Yes, the sense of our ‘somethingness’ stems from our deeply present ‘nothingness.’

Quantum consciousness—the state of mind that appears

when we have discovered this enigmatic state of the quantum void—

allows us to experience this zero-dimensional emptiness

and learn its unique, source-ful power of creation:

the power to create something—anything, actually—

from absolutely nothing.

When we live in this mystical emptiness-filled mind,

we notice something special:

our quantum source creates our human life, from nothing,

in every moment.

Conclusions:

There you have it, my rendition of our ten-course meal of ‘mind’!

Bear with me, though. I have three points that I invite you to consider:

First, consider the current status quo of our ‘mind’ consciousness.

When most of us use the term ‘mind,’ of course,

we’re most certainly referring to our conscious mind.

After all, that’s the version of mind that gets educated in our schools

and around which most of our social conversations center.

Yet, while this practical mind is great for helping us function humanly,

it’s unfortunately quite weak in helping us find inner peace,

live spiritually, find the larger meaning of life

or dissolve into our quantum source.

That’s when we need the other nine.

Second, I offer you this interpretation:

If we’re using only one—or even two, three or four—

of our ten minds,

chances are that we are viewing only a small part of the bigger picture

of creation, our world, ourselves or our lives.

As the saying goes, “the more, the merrier!”

Third, I offer you a couple of suggestions—informal practices, if you will:

a. If you feel so moved, try spending time each day

visiting and/or residing in each one of these minds.

Maybe for just a few minutes, or longer, if you prefer.

b. Should you need to figure something out,

call a Council meeting of your ten minds.

Visualize all of them in a circle, with you in the middle.

Pose your question or issue to all of them,

asking each one to give you its response, input or perspective.

Listen carefully to each one of them as they respond to you.

Chances are, you’ll get ten very different inputs.

Consider each one carefully,

“feeling” for which one (or ones) seem to call you.

And, if you’re feeling especially brave,

spend extra time with all of these perspectives together,

long enough to see if all of them, all on their own,

might morph into a blended, unified, singular perspective.

If so, you’ve found the cumulative gift and beauty

of having a ten-fold mental consciousness!

Quantum Source ... Quantum World ... Quantum Void ... Quantum You!