Don't Mind Me

"To shape the immediate circumstances of one's life to bring the natural flow of the Universe through our being and therefore shape our reality according to the Divine Design so that we may evolve, learn and express our divine gifts of beingness."

I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about the HigherMind.  If you don’t know what that is, don’t fret.  It relates to the psychic mind—the part of our brain that transcends the earthly world of the day to day life.  The Higher Mind in some philosophies is what connects us to the metaphysical and the Divine Plan.  You can read this article about that notion, although I’m not much for the implication of the Divine Plan.  It’s that whole fate vs. free will argument and frankly, I’m just not sold on either side of that debate.  I suppose that’s where my Buddhist leanings come in—just try and live in the present when worry and doubt and fear try to take control.

Anyway, some schools of thought teach that the Higher Mind is aligned with the right hemisphere of the brain and it’s what facilitates creativity.  Whether you reach Higher Mind through meditation, prayer or slapping paint on a canvas matters not in my opinion.  However, if you think the concept is utter new age rubbish, consider this:  have you ever tried to recall and name or a detail and the harder you tried, the further away that factoid was?  Then later when you were performing some mundane task like brushing your teeth (personal fav) suddenly it hits you out of the blue?  Why is that right?  Well that’s when your logical self is calm and quiet and your psychic channel opens up to other possibilities and BAM!  You get hit with that detail that so vexed you earlier.  In his wonderfully thought provoking book Courage to Create Rollo May discusses this point at length.  If you get a chance, check it out.  It really makes sense when put in that context rather than the off-putting fluffy nature of some writings on the topic.  My practical goatishness (Capricorn rising and moon) tends to get huffy about articles like the one linked in the first paragraph.  It’s rather out there in its discussion in my opinion.  People who aren’t accustomed to such conversation would probably write it off as nonsense.  May on the other hand, takes a different tack that might appeal to the less metaphysically minded.

Whatever the case, the concept is fascinating.  Human beings have a need to create.  Whether we create a comfy, decorative house or a delightful baby book for a child, or a masterpiece of bronze, humans throughout time have created beauty and at times even pushed the boundaries of society.  Bourne states in his article that creating for the fun of it is one way to attune with the higher mind so long as there is no concern for the outcome.  I can just hear my theatre professor from college telling me to, “Give up the result…stay in the present moment!”  Leonard Schlain also addresses this idea of higher consciousness through art in his fascinating yet cerebral Art and Physics.  His supposition is that in many instances through art and science history, artists have preceeded science with advances in concepts and theory relating to our world.    Hindsight and analysis are wonderful aren’t they?

I’ve experienced this access to the Higher Mind though.  Sometimes when I least expect it like washing my hair or staring into a fire.  I know I have felt that shift of awareness, that transcendent sensation of utter being and beauty.  I didn’t call it Higher Mind, but those experiences in meditation, spell work, prayer, dance, theatre or art are the easiest ways I can explain this concept.  

I hope you can see my point that there are multiple ways humans can reach this Higher Mind.  All of them have value and none of them are wrong in my opinion.  I think the greatest wrong we could do is not to seek it at all.

Postscript:

On a side note—my goatish doubt about trusting the Universe to provide and “go with the flow” despite being terrified must hang its head and nay with apology.  Oddly enough just after I had finished this post today I was grappling with how to raise $700 dollars for a trip to Las Vegas.  This trip would be for a belly dance conference and all my dancer friends are going.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to get the money together and I was starting to brainstorm ways to make it happen.  I actually thought, “Man!  I could really use a tutoring assignment…even a short one.”  I kid you not—within 20 minutes of that thought I got a request for a student who needs tutoring while he recovers from surgery.  3-6 weeks which means $300-600 for my Vegas fund!  Add that to my belly dance performance pay between now and September and I have a lot less work to do. Ok Universe!  I’m listening.