As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape the mortal mind. For growth requires sound mind mastery and deft management of it. A sound mind is the filter, the judge, and director of all our experiences. The more we evaluate, understand, train, and strengthen our relationship with the mind, the more successful we navigate our lives and ward off challenges. According to the putative writings of Napoleon Hill, the mind has six departments namely: Ego, emotion, reason, imagination, conscience and memory.
- Chariot Driven
In a heroic book titled Think like a Monk, Jay Shetty compares operations of the mind to a chariot driven by five horses. In that elaborate analogy, the chariot is the body, the horses are the five senses, the reins are the mind, and the charioteer is the intellect. In the untrained state, the charioteer (intellect) is asleep on the job. Therefore, the horses (senses) have control over the reins (mind). In that perfect state, they lead the body wherever they please. Horses left to their own devices, react to what is around them. When they see a tasty-looking shrub, they can bend to eat it. When something startles them, they can spook. In the same sphere, food, money, sex, power, influence, et cetera, activates our senses. If the horses are in control, the chariot veers of the road in the direction of temporary pleasure and instant gratification. In the trained state, the charioteer (intellect), is awake, aware, and attentive, not allowing the horses to lead the way. The charioteer uses the reins of the mind to steer the chariot along the right route.
- Duality (Spheres) of Mind
In the next text titled the Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Joseph Murphy posits that we have one mortal mind, but that great organ possesses two pertinent parts. He calls it: Duality (Spheres) of Mind. Many names distinguish the two functions of the mind. Other names include the objective and subjective mind, the conscious and sub-conscious mind, the walking and the sleeping mind, the surface and the deep self, the voluntary and involuntary mind. Conscious mind is the sphere that reasons, rational level. We think with our conscious mind, but whatever we habitually think about, sinks deep into our sub-conscious mind. Conscious corner is also the phase of mind that has the volition of choice. We make all our decisions with our conscious mind, and its other moniker is the objective mind because it deals with outward objects. It is aware of the objective world. Its media of observation are our five physical senses. We gain knowledge through your five senses. Our objective mind learns through observation, experience and education. Ralph Waldo Emerson sagely said, “Man is what he thinks all day long.” The sub-conscious mind on the other hand is like a bed of soil that accepts any kind of seed, good or bad. Our thoughts are active. They are the seeds. Our thoughts are like clouds; scudding gracefully in the high sky. The self – like the sun – is always there. Whatever we habitually think about sinks deep into our subconscious minds. This special sphere does not have the ability to argue, dispute or sieve what it gets. If we feed it with wrong information, it will accept it as the gospel truth.
No wonder, we should guard the gates of our minds. Sub-conscious mind is the storehouse of memory. This is the habitat of habits and seat emotions. It is the creative faculty of the mind: The deep well from which great geniuses get their awe-provoking power. William James, the great American psychology succinctly said, “The power to move the world is in our subconscious minds.” It has infinite intelligence, and boundless winsome wisdom. If we think good, good will follow us. On the same ambit, when we think of evil, evil will follow suit. Our sub-conscious mind will accept any suggestion. Our subjective mind is aware of its environment, but not by other means of the physical senses. It perceives by intuitions. It performs its highest functions when our objective senses are not functioning. It can see without the use of the natural organs of vision. It has the capacity of clairvoyance and ability of ‘clair-audience’. It can see and hear events that are taking place elsewhere. It can leave our mortal body, travel to distant lands, and bring back true information. Through our subjective mind, we can also read the thoughts of others, read the contents of sealed envelopes, closed books and newspapers. Albert Jay put it this way, “The mind is like a stomach. It is not how much we put into it that counts, but it is how much it digests.” Our minds also work like a garden. If we nurture our minds just the way we cultivate a fertile garden, goodness will blossom far beyond the figment of our imaginations. Conversely, if we allow wild weeds to invade our mind like callous killers, then, peace of mind, and deep inner harmony will bomb into oblivion.
- Thoughts are Seeds
Thoughts are seeds. The mind is a garden. Therefore, we must guard our minds. 1 Peter 1:13 admonishes everyone, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” When a poisonous thought assails our minds, we should replace it swiftly with an uplifting one. Our mind is like a giant slide projector – with every thought in our minds acting like slides. Thoughts are thrilling things, material messengers; that we send out to influence our wide world. No wonder, a certain sage succinctly said, “You plant a thought. You reap an action. You plant an action. You reap a habit. You plant a habit. You reap character. You plant character. You reap destiny. Destiny is a matter of choice. It is not chance.” The quality of our thoughts, determine the quality of our life. No wonder Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh, so he is.” In a great text titled As A Man Thinketh, James postulated that the mortal mind is the master power that molds and makes. Man is mind. Human beings can take the tool of thought and shape what they will and bring to fruition the desired outcome: We think in secret — and it happens. Environment is our looking glass. The mind is the master weaver; both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstances. Ostensibly, we are what we think. Our character is the sum of our thoughts. No wonder, in the distant past, Rene Descartes concluded, cogito ergo sum, I think, therefore I am. Ipso facto, master and manage your mind. Repeat some positive affirmations – auto suggestions. Read books that are rich with wit and wisdom. Philippians 4:8 admonishes us to think about things that are true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise. In an iconic book titled the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Steve Covey postulates that everything exists twice: First, in the mind, then in the physical. Our mentality is our reality. Self-control is really nothing than mind-control, or mind-mastery. The will is the king and queen of mental power. When we master our minds, we manage our lives: It is mental mastery and management. It all begins with being able to control every thought that assails our mind.
- Six Departments of the Mind
Lastly, according to Napoleon Hill, there are six departments of the mind: ego, emotion, reason, imagination, conscience, and memory. Ego is the source of the will power. It acts as the supreme court of the mind with the power to reverse, modify, change, or eliminate, the entire work of all the departments. Emotion is the driving force, which sets our thoughts, plans and purposes into action. It is the seat of the action power of the mind. In the reason department we weigh, eliminate, and properly evaluate the procedures of our imaginations and emotions. If the ego functions as supreme court, then reason functions as superior court; handling the more routines of judgment. In the imagination department, we create ideas, plans, and methods of attaining our ravenous desires. It is responsible for all our creative efforts. It is where we invent new ideas and insights. At the conscience corner, we test the moral justice of our thoughts, plans and purposes. It keeps an eye on the moral justice of all our thoughts, words and deeds. Memory is the keeper of all records. It is the storehouse of all sense perceptions and inspiration from infinite intelligence. It is the place where we stash all the impressions of both our conscious and subconscious mind.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer rolls out talks and training services.
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