March/April 2001
Articles on the theme "Controlling the Mind"
Good Servant, Bad Master
by Patrick Plaskett
Recognizing how little we control the
mind. How to gain control.
Choosing Love
by Edward Abel
Releasing ourselves from fear and other
negative energies.
The Greatest Discovery
by Betty Perry
The Silva Method approach to controlling
the mind.
Past Life Alert
by June G. Bletzer
How productively to use our mental
and physical links with past-lives.
Calming the Unruly Mind
by George J. Felos
A lawyer's account of how meditation
can help control the mind.
Moving Into Mindfulness
by Jeanne Fortunato
Of creative visualization, yoga and
meditation.
Thoughtful Use of Reason
by Dolores T. Puterbaugh
Impulse; the traps of the Ostrich,
the Foolish Optimist and the Hopeful Christian; reason and principal.
Your Mind... A Control Issue
by Ernesto J. Fernandez
What is the mind? Is it ours? How can
we control it?
Battle For The Mind
by Charles Larsen
External vs. internal mind control.
Hypnosis and psychotherapy.
Human Vs. Divine Mind
by Rev. Pat Cross
Choosing to use the mind consciously
rather than trying to control the mind. Becoming at-one with the Divine
Mind.
A Wild Horse
by Steve Shealy, PhD
Taming the mind to experience mindfulness.
Informal and formal meditation.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Maria Moraca
Of blood sugar levels and chelation
therapy.
What is... Natural Progesterone?
by Vanessa Lee Hurst
The differences between natural and
synthetic progesterone. The relationship to estrogen. How natural progesterone
can help both women and men.
PeopleTalk
Readers' Open Forum
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Features stones for March & April.
Agate and Elestial.
NEW SECTION!
COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS
David Findlay
Human Vs. Divine Mind
Rev Pat Cross
What is the story in your playhouse of life? A horror movie, a comedy of errors or a romantic and enchanting love affair?
What we create in our own minds is a personal choice and rather than referring to it as controlling the mind I choose to think of it as "how are we using the mind?"
The Divine Mind is the Master Mind of all its creations and is the ultimate of peace, joy and harmony amongst all its inhabitants. To be in tune with the Infinite is indeed a centering place in consciousness. We are given many opportunities along our spiritual journey to uncover, discover and reach this state of beingness and bliss.
So much of the human thinking pattern is of a habitual nature - both the action and reaction aspects of the human mind for eons and eons and passed on from one generation to another automatically. Using our mind consciously in the realm of the present, now moment takes a great amount of self-awareness, self-inventory and surrender for those of us who have allowed ourselves to be 'habitized' by human culture, peers, conditioning and personal habit patterns.
As we grow spiritually and awaken to the true identity and reality of our being, we become aware that we are divine in nature and that our real essence is that of pure spirit. Once we enter upon this spiritual journey, and as Emerson says, we get "our bloated nothingness" (our personal human habits and practices) out of the way, we can be in touch with this spiritual essence.
In the human mind there appears to be a human reaction for every human action and that's where many conflicts and misunderstandings seem to arise. This can come through a tone of voice, an assumption, a human need to be right or other habitual human practices.
For instance, during a weekend at Treasure Island a friend of mine stayed with me one night. The next day she kindly did some shopping for me as I was 'out of it' due to a sleepless night. It was all over a bottle of decaffeinated ginger ale, but the situation brought out a 'sting' from the personality of both of us. When she brought the ginger ale to me at first glance I didn't see "decaffeinated" on the bottle. In a raised and defensive voice she said, "It is decaffeinated!" In looking further, in small print I did see on the bottle the word "decaffeinated." A small example for sure, but indeed a demonstration of how unpleasant interactions between humans can be when using human-conditioned minds.
In contrast to the above situation, on the same weekend, a male friend of mine with his daughter and granddaughter stopped by to see me. They had had a busy and tiring day before arriving at the motel. I cordially welcomed them and instantly each of them found a place on the two beds to stretch their weary bodies. I too was reclining after my sleepless night. Well, you guessed it! After brief moments of conversation, all four of us were sleeping like Rip Van Winkle. And that was our way of communicating and enjoying one another's company. Might call it silent communication! But indeed it was quality, peacefelt and comforting togetherness.
And that is what I would call staying aligned and at-oned with each other spiritually... the true essence of Divine harmony amongst friends.
Change your thinking and change your mind! Both situations were okay as they were - both just a play of life on life. However, the second example was a much more pleasant and congenial environment to share moments with friends - even though it was a 'sleep encounter.'
In retrospect, the first situation could be an example of how important and vital the 'response system' is in our communications with others, and the need for us to change that. It brings to my mind the book by Dr. H. Benson called The Relaxation Response. And in my awareness, at that moment, that kind of response would have eliminated the sting of personality and softened the interaction.
For sure, each of us is a teacher one to the other. God gives us many opportunities to get in touch with old habit patterns of thought and responses still lurking in our consciousness.
Recently I experienced a six-week stay in the hospital due to the fact I allowed an attack on my heart to happen. I had allowed many outside factors to enter the sanctuary of my heart... a culmination of negative and habitual responses took over and ran rampant through my entire beingness. I was into self-will run riot and was coming from a self-will of personality rather than a willingness to listen to that voice within and act upon its guidance and wisdom.
Practicing the presence and being consciously aware of the divine essence that we are, provides the means really to clean out our consciousness of the burdens of negativity we've been carrying for eons and eons. We awaken to a new order of life and living... one in which we are attuned to the infinite and become love, peace, joy harmony, non-judgmental and at-one with all life. In truth it's releasing all things from the stigma of our human and personality traits and practices. Knowing and accepting at-onement as the real source, bringing about the reconciliation of man and God.
I give thanks to the God of my understanding for a continual chance to let go of the old, embrace the newness in me one day at a time and live in the spiritual light of truth. One with the whole and never separated from the source of Godliness. I am ... a unique, special and worthy expression of God's image, likeness and creation ... an eternal spirit of life, light and love, and so are all forms of life when we awaken to and accept this Spiritual Reality.
Rev. Pat Cross is a Science of Mind minister, lecturer, author of Spiritual Awakenings, counselor, teacher and workshop facilitator. Holiday, FL. (727) 934-6730. www.ij.net/rmscomp/sa/
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