Namaskar The Subliminal Mind The second layer of the Causal Mind is the Subliminal Mind. It is sometimes referred to as the layer of "special knowledge" because it includes many higher qualities of mind such as kindness, tolerance, compassion and wisdom. Wisdom includes conscience: the ability to determine right from wrong, and the permanent from the temporary. Conscience leads to non-attachment, because once we realize the impermanence of things we become less inclined to be attached to them. Non-attachment does not, however, mean renouncing the world or becoming emotionally detached from others: it means to keep everything in the right perspective and not to give undue importance to things that don't deserve it. Hence, its relationship to conscience. For example, we tend to give too much weight to material wealth and objects of desire that can divert our attention from the more important things in life. A developed sense of non-attachment means the ability to discern the eternal which underlies all the changing forms. Those who are established in non-attachment realize that everything of this universe is the manifestation of the Supreme. They cannot hate or neglect anything of this universe. The universe is changeable, while Supreme Consciousness is unchangeable, true and absolute. But non-attachment does not mean to leave all pleasures and remain in a state of indifference to the world. It does not mean to leave everything and go to the seclusion of a mountain cave. Those who are truly non-attached do not deny the world (worldly life), they embrace it, for they feel the touch of the eternal hidden within all the changing forms of their lives. They are with everything. Their minds rush towards the underlying omniscient faculty, and they develop a tremendous inner urge for spirituality. Once a student asked his guru, "What is the nature of attachment?" The guru replied that he would tell him later. Later on that day they were walking through a forest when suddenly the guru embraced a tree and started shouting "Help! This tree has caught me!" The student looked at him perplexed. "Sir, what are you talking about? The tree has not caught you; YOU have caught IT! Then the guru said, "Yes, that's the nature of attachment - we hold onto things that we do not need to hold on to." Conscience is the power of discrimination between good and bad. Good is what elevates the mind and bad is what degenerates the mind. Mind without conscience is a blind force. The power to discriminate, to judge and assess, between good and bad is the conscience. The conscience has the function of selecting the good, to direct the mental energy towards elevation of mind - expansion of mind. In the subliminal mind there is full Cosmic knowledge of past, present and future. It's all there to be tapped, but to be able to do that we first need to control the cruder layers of mind and develop our access to the higher layers of mind. The natural development of the subliminal layer of mind is through psychic clash. This development is accelerated by special techniques of concentration that you can learn as higher meditation lessons. --- The Fourth Cakra The Solar Plexus (heart cakra) is at the center of the chest. It's called “solar” because it receives light from the sun and other celestial bodies. It's controlled by the Subliminal Mind. This cakra controls the aerial factor of the body. The aerial factor is associated with the sense of touch. Air can't be seen. If there is smell associated with it, this is only because of the solid particles it carries. And the sound it makes is only due to its contact with various objects. The only way we can sense the presence of air regardless of any other factor is by touch. The solar plexus controls respiration and the blood circulation of the body. It also controls the thymus gland – which plays an important role in immunity against infection, especially in the early years of life – as well as various other glands and sub-glands within that area, some within the heart itself. Modern medicine has yet to discover all the glands and sub-glands of the body. This plexus is the base of love and all higher human characteristics. Normal secretion from its glands gives love for children, and develops the physical characteristics of the beard in males and breasts in females. High secretion expands love for children into universal love (love for all people and creatures of the universe). As well as the basic two yogic exercises of "yoga posture" and "long bowing posture", the "cobra posture" also has a direct effect on the glands and hormones of this area. There are also others such as the "bird", which has the added advantage of helping you lose weight. --- Healthy Hints: We absorb air not only through the lungs, but also through the skin and digestive system. So it's important to keep the pores of the skin open and clean, wear natural-fiber clothing, keep the stomach clean and healthy, and eat fresh foods with lots of vital energy and oxygen. The air that we breath affects the mind. Fresh air invigorates and inspires the mind, while pollution makes you tired and uninspired. If you live in the city, try and spend some time in a natural place with fresh air at least once a week. Walk regularly in parks and other natural places. Breath calmly and deeply, through the nose. Generally speaking, when air passes through the right nostril that's the best time for crude, physical activity, eg eating or exercise. And when air passes mostly through the left nostril it's best for subtle mental activity, such as contemplation and meditation. If you ever want to change the nostril you're breathing through, such as when commencing yoga postures (as they should be done with the left nostril open) apply the following techniques: Lie on the opposite side to the nostril you want to open, eg if you want to open the left nostril lie on your right side resting your head on your right arm. or: Place the opposite-side knee in the armpit, eg to open the left nostril place your right knee in your right armpit and apply pressure. --- Simplicity When NASA began the launching of astronauts into space, they discovered that pens would not write at zero gravity. To solve this problem, they hired Andersen Consulting. They spent one decade and 12 million dollars developing a pen that writes at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on practically any surface including crystal and in temperature variations from below 0 degrees Celsius to more than 300 degrees Celsius. The Russians used a pencil. --- Quotes for the Day "Those who opt to make history and change the course of events themselves have an advantage over those who decide to wait passively for the results of the change." - Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta (Ideologist and driving force behind the Mondragon Co-operative Experience) "The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own." - Benjamin Disraeli "No one can deny that a network (a world network) of economic and psychic affiliations is being woven at ever increasing speed which envelops and constantly penetrates more deeply within each of us. With every day that passes it becomes a little more impossible for us to act or think otherwise than collectively." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) (The Formation of the Noosphere, 1947) "We are all connected to everyone and everything in the universe. Therefore, everything one does as an individual affects the whole. All thoughts, words, images, prayers, blessings, and deeds are listened to by all that is." - Serge Kahili King "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Any true scientist will ultimately have to learn to enter that realm of reality. So called objective approaches will only work at all when you are dealing with so-called objective effects - and your physicists are learning that even in that framework many "facts" are facts only within certain frequencies, or under certain conditions." - Jane Roberts "Unknown Reality" - sess. 703-235. "Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) --- Poem - Christian mystic - St. John of the Cross The song below is from Loreena McKennitt's album. It's her adaptation of the famous poem of the Christian mystic St. John of the Cross (and her singing is worth hearing!): "THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL Upon a darkened night the flame of love was burning in my breast and by a lantern bright I fled my house while all in quiet rest. Shrouded by the night and by the secret stair I quickly fled the veil concealed my eyes while all within lay quiet as the dead. Oh night thou was my guide oh night more loving than the rising sun oh night that joined the lover to the beloved one, transforming each of them into the other. Upon that misty night in secrecy, beyond such mortal sight without a guide or light than that which burned so deeply in my heart that fire 'twas led me on and shone more bright than of the midday sun to where He waited still it was a place where no one else could come. Oh night thou was my guide on night more loving than the rising sun oh night that joined the lover to the beloved one, transforming each of them into the other. Within my pounding heart which kept itself entirely for Him He fell into His sleep Beneath the cedars all my love I gave And by the fortress walls the wind would brush His hair against His brow and with its smoothest hand caressed my every sense it would allow Oh night thou was my guide oh night more loving than the rising sun oh night that joined the lover to the beloved one, transforming each of them into the other. I lost myself to Him and laid my face upon my Lover's breast and care and grief grew dim as in the morning's mist became the light There they dimmed amongst the lillies fair there they dimmed amongst the lillies fair there they dimmed amongst the lillies fair ... Cosmic Music --------------- One of the great Indian premiere flute masters is Hariprasad Chaurasia. Chaurasia is a long time acquaintance of John McLaughlin, the master jazz guitarist from the Mahavishnu Orchestra days. Both have a keen and practical interest in spirituality based on the yogic tradition. McLaughlin and Chaurasia both appeared (along with other impeccable artists) on the live album "Remember Shakti" in 1999 - an awesome and inspiring double CD set of a combination of Indian classical instruments and McLaughlin on guitar. McLaughlin's earlier repertoire includes: Lotus Feet A Love Supreme The Dance of Maya The collaborative album of "Remember Shakti" includes acoustic tracks (all quite long) of: Chandrakauns (34 mins) - written by Hariprasad Chaurasia The Wish (19 mins) - written by John McLaughlin Lotus Feet (8 mins) - written by John McLaughlin Mukti (64 mins) - written by Hariprasad Chaurasia Zakir (10 mins) - written by John McLaughlin Check it out!