Session # 2

Lifestream

Your Flow of Creative Living

© 1996, Carolyn Odom Burleson, Ph.D.

Session II

"MIND - THE MASTER POWER"

“Were I so tall to reach the pole, or grasp the ocean with my span,
I must be measured by my soul; the mind’s the standard of the man.”
- Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

CONTENTS: (Click on any bar to return to contents.)

What is Mind?

Mind is the Creative intelligence of the universe; the First Cause of all causes; the Law from which all subsequent laws proceed, and it is not subject to them. Mind is the Omnipresent Directive Principle. Mind is responsible for everything that exists. It directs the creation and function of all things; therefore, things that exists must be expressions of Mind. It directs the creation and function of every one of the millions of cells in our bodies. It makes us what we are and gives us life.

Mind is omnipresent; it is all pervasive, existing throughout all space and all manifestation. It is omniscient; it knows itself, and there is nothing existing outside of it. It therefore knows all there is to know. Mind is omnipotent; there is nothing outside of it to act upon it. Mind is the Power. It is infinite since there is nothing to define or limit its boundaries. Mind is immutable, unchanging, because there is nothing outside of itself to work changes upon, nothing into which it could change, and nothing from which it could have changed. Mind is God, the Creator and the Ruler of the universe.
God is all there is.

What is Spirit?

Spirit is the “Stuff of the Universe” - the material out of which Divine Mind creates, i.e. the fundamental substance of the universe. We are unified with the One Living Substance which is God, for we were created from this substance. In it we live, and move and have our being. By it we are fed and prospered. Spirit is God, the essence of all manifestation.

What is Life?

Life is the Vitalizing Force that streams throughout all that Divine Mind has created. We are unified with this Vital Force which is God, for we are animated and energized by it. Life is also a Path traveled and shared by all, an experience through which we express the Divine Principle, the Creative Intelligence. It is an ever progressive outworking of good. Life is God in expression.

What is Man?

Man is made in the image and after the likeness of God. The image is the mental picture in the Mind of God, the perfect archetype that possesses the very attributes of God since it is His creation. Possession of these attributes means that, as God decided, we are created after His likeness. Man is made with God-Mind, of God-Spirit and vitalized by God-Life. He therefore partakes of the Divine.

An ancient Hindu legend gives us an interesting account of man's divinity. According to this legend all men were once gods. But man did not respect his divinity and abused it. Brahma, the chief god decided to punish man by taking his divinity and hiding it where he would never find it. He called the lesser gods to council to determine where it should be hidden. After much consideration the lesser gods decided to bury man's divinity deep down in the earth. Brahma was not satisfied with this, for he knew that man would soon learn to dig, and in his digging, he would find it. Then the lesser gods said, “Let us sink it in the deepest waters of the sea." Brahma replied, “No, for man will learn to dive, and in his diving, he will find it on the ocean floor.” “Well,” said the lesser gods, “We will hide man's divinity at the top of the highest mountain.” Still Brahma was not pleased, for he knew that man would eventually scale every high mountain on Earth, and in his climbing, he would surely find his divinity.

The lesser gods could offer no further suggestions. There was no place on land or sea that man would not eventually reach. And so they gave up. But Brahma had a solution to this dilemma “We will hide man's divinity deep down within himself where, he will never think to look for it.”

...Ever since then, the legend concludes, man has been exploring the whole Earth, digging, diving, climbing and searching, all the while looking for something that is already within himself.

In all the major religions of the world, the quest is to know and become one with their own conception of GOD, i.e. to return to the Source of our being. But the Truth is that we can never leave it, nor can it leave us --except, that is, in our own consciousness. So, the first step in the process of successful living is to understand that we cannot be separated from the divinity within us, and that we carry it with us wherever we go. Let us take a moment and realized the full import of this lesson.

All there is is God.

There is only One Universal Mind, and that Mind streams through all consciousness. There is only One Universal Spirit, and that Spirit streams through all expression. There is only One Universal Life, and that Life streams throughout the universe, energizing and animating all. This Universal Mind-Spirit-Life that is the origin of all that is, is God, and it is the same Divine Nature that lies deep within each one of us. This Lifestream at the point where we stand this very moment, is God expressing in each one of us, as each one and through each one of us. There are no two ocean waves exactly alike, yet they are each expressions of the same ocean. This, dear brothers, and sisters, is how we relate to God Mind-Spirit-Life.

Divine Mind-Spirit-Life cannot be separated from itself, and so wherever it exists (which is everywhere at once) it exists in its entirety. To use an analogy, when we eat a slice of cake, no matter where we slice it, we are eating the entire composition of the cake. So too, wherever we are, there God is in all His completeness. This is why the Psalmist proclaims, "Be still, and know that I AM GOD." We so often get caught up in dealing with everyday activities and problems that we do not take the time to follow that all important advice. Be still, and listen to the GOD within you. It speaks in a Still Small Voice and always guides you right. We have all of GOD at our disposal right where we are, but we can consciously use this wonderful power only to the degree that we understand our relationship to it.

How do we use Mind?

Mind flows through man in a stream of consciousness, and we utilize it on several different levels:

First there is the level of conscious perception. On this level our mind selectively perceives and collects information about our world. This is done through the five physical senses, sight touch, smell, hearing and taste.

Next, there is the level of subjective evaluation. On this level, our mind processes the information perceived through the physical senses, and based upon our past experiences, it evaluates and passes judgment upon these perceptions. This level of consciousness is extremely important for us, for this is the level on which we must work. This is the level on which most people operate most of the time. It is the level on which we determine our self-concept and our concept of the world we have created. It is on this level that facts are evaluated, assumptions made, opinions, attitudes and values are formed, and indeed, where our entire belief system is formulated.

The level of subjective evaluation is the level on which we experience an internal dialogue. This internal dialogue is constantly carried on in ours heads. Even now you are responding to what is going on in this room, or maybe even thinking about something totally unrelated. This internal dialogue which I call "Subjective Mind Talk" (SMT) constantly reminds us of our own self-image. For most of us it serves as our own personal critic. It reminds us of all of the limitations we have placed upon ourselves, of all of the reasons why we cannot achieve far beyond the level with which we have allowed ourselves to become comfortable. We will discuss later how we can turn this subjective mind talk around and make it work for us rather than against us.

The level of subjective evaluation is also the level on which we reason and use our intellect, make choices, direct our will, use our imagination and visualize. It is the level on which the "mind's eye" functions. It is also the level of consciousness from which we send messages, directions and orders to our subconscious mind which leads us to the next level on the stream of consciousness.

Here is the level of subconscious reception and reaction. On this level the subconscious mind functions. The subconscious mind works just like a computer; its reasoning and response are based solely upon the information that has been programmed into it. We program our subconscious mind with our subjective thoughts. The ideas and beliefs on which we focus our attention consciously and repeatedly will eventually feed into our subconscious mind. They are planted there (just as seeds are planted in the earth) where they grow until we find ourselves acting upon these ideas unconsciously. This is how habits are formed. There is a universal law of Mind activity which operates on this plane through our subconscious mind to bring into our experience the thoughts upon which we concentrate our attention. This universal law works for us according to our own mental direction. We thus attract to ourselves not only our greatest desires, but also our greatest fears, for these are the things on which we focus our attention. The subconscious mind is fertile soil for whatever we plant in it, and we have the power through our subjective will to plant whatever seeds we choose. It is necessary therefore, to use our power of choice wisely, for the seeds we choose to plant will surely bring forth after their kind. Our subconscious mind, I would say, is the realm over which we were given dominion by Divine Dispensation.

The subconscious mind reacts to information received from two different sources, or should I say two different levels of consciousness. On the one hand it receives and nurtures the seeds implanted by our subjective thoughts; and on the other hand, it receives and transmits messages in the form of urges, hunches, desires, and intu¬ itive flashes from the superconscious mind level to our subjective mind level to be evaluated and acted upon accordingly.

From the Level of Superconscious guidance streams the Mind of God. It is this level from whence speaks the "Still Small Voice It is on this level that we dwell in the "Secret Place of the Most High" - where lies our "Holy of Holies" - where resides the hidden "Divinity" within us. It is also from this level that we receive guidance and direction for our lives - where we attune with our Higher Self, the God of our being, the God of the universe. It is on this level that we perform our spiritual duties.

Again I must emphasize that there is only One Mind which streams through all levels of consciousness or levels of awareness. We can utilize as much of this Mind as our own individual awareness is expanded to apprehend. On the level of conscious perception we realize awareness of our physical self and our physical world. On the level of subjective evaluation we realize awareness of our mental self and world. On the level of subconscious reaction our emotional self is realized. And on the level of Superconscious Guidance we come into the realization of our Spiritual Beings. Beyond that we go on to realize Cosmic Consciousness at-one-ment with the Source of all.

Though for analysis sake I have discussed each level separately, in actuality they cannot be separated or compartmentalized. They exist on one stream of consciousness, and there is no line of demarcation between one level and the next. There are "Many Mansions in My Father's House, and we can reach any one of them through practicing the focus of our thoughts in that direction. The deeper we go within ourselves, the closer we reach to the Source of our being.

Let us now try an exercise for attunement with the Lifestream on which we can rise in our consciousness to receive guidance from our Superconscious level of mind. I find that attunement exercises are easily facilitated by the use of soft music.

First find a quiet place, and pick a time when you will not be disturbed. Then you need to relax and free your mind of distractions. You can do this by focusing your attention upon one thing. It can be the soft music, a single object, or your own breathing. Breathe deeply and slowly, inhaling for four counts, holding the breath for four counts, and exhaling for eight counts. Do this several times until you feel yourself becoming totally relaxed and tuning out your external surroundings.

Once this is done, say quietly, "I dwell on the eternal Lifestream of God as it flows through me." Experience the Stream of Life as it flows through every part of your body, slowly working upward from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. When the Stream of Life has reached the top of your head, say, "I flow with the Lifestream to the realm of higher consciousness where in the silence I hear the Still Small Voice." Repeat this three times then wait in the silence for a while. Simply be still, there is nothing you can bring to the higher consciousness except your own receptivity.

Practice this exercise for a few minutes each morning upon awakening and each night when you are preparing to go to sleep. Before long you will find it very easy to establish an attunement with your higher levels of consciousness and receive the guidance you need to work out any problem in your life.

Summary

1. MIND is GOD creating.

2. SPIRIT is GOD manifesting.

3. LIFE is GOD expressing.

4. MAN is GOD disclosing.

5. GOD exists in entirety everywhere at once.

6. We make use of the Stream of Consciousness on four basic levels of awareness:

7. There is only One Mind that streams through all levels of consciousness.

8. Practice daily attunement with the Lifestream in order to receive guidance from the Superconscious level of Mind.

workshop

Workshop Session 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - Lifestream Meditation

© 1996 - Carolyn Odom Burleson, Ph.D.

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