Invisible and subtle is the mind,
and it flies after fancies wherever it likes;
but let the wise man guard well his mind,
for a mind well guarded is a source of great joy.
The Dhammapada
What's New at Mystic Visions Website? Website Update
New Article: "Sugar Addicts Anonymous: A 12-step Program For Beating Sugar Addiction" by James Keller
The first article this month, "Who Is The Higher Self?" is an
extract from my new book. We hear a lot of talk about this term
"higher self", but what do we really mean? Hopefully, this
article will help throw some light on the matter for you. It will
also give you some idea of what is in the rest of the book...
If you have not obtained your copy of the book itself, "The 7
Golden Secrets To Knowing Your Higher Self", you can find out
more at:
Throughout the ages, Ancient Wisdom has taught the existence of
something that transcends everything we know, and yet is an
integral part of our very being. It has been referred to with
many titles: Guardian Angel, Inner Genius, Higher Self.
If our own brain is beyond our understanding, how much more
mysterious and incredible is this strange being we call the
"Higher Self". What can it be? What "self" can possibly be higher
than the one you are already familiar with? If this "self" is
truly higher than what we are normally aware of, how can it be
truly called "self"?
Let us attempt a definition:
"The Higher Self is that part of you that connects you directly
to the spiritual realms. It is eternal, infinitely wise and
transcends your everyday consciousness. It is in touch with the
Divine because it is part of it. Attaining knowledge of the
Higher Self, and its depths of inner wisdom, is the goal of the
Spiritual Quest in all its many guises throughout the world, and
throughout history."
Thus, you are not simply the total of your conscious and
subconscious. There is a part of you that transcends both. It
exceeds anything you know with your present awareness. It is
beyond anything you can possibly know through normal rational
thought. You are connected to the Divine, and this is where it
manifests.
To most people, this concept may seem highly unlikely, or even
absurd. However, a growing body of scientific evidence also
suggests that there IS a source of superior intelligence within
all of us. There is an inner capacity that most us are unaware
of, and are largely unable to access.
In the Indian philosophy of Samkhya, the term for this higher
consciousness, which pervades the entire universe, is Purusa. It
is believed to be free of the limitations of space and time, and
is also uncaused by anything external to itself. It is free of
both pleasure and pain. It is above thought.
Throughout this article, we use the term "Higher Self". However,
you can also take this to include the "Inner Genius" too. There
is no real distinction between what might considered "spiritual"
intelligence, and more general super-normal functioning; such as
the ability to read and learn at superhuman speeds or the ability
to perform mathematical calculations at lightening speed. In
truth, such extraordinary abilities are only part of a vast
continuum that lies concealed within us. It covers a vast span -
all the way from the spiritual height to incredible levels of
performance at more earthly levels.
Through following the principles described in this book
(http://www.aksworld.com/7GS.htm) for developing contact with the
Higher Self, you will also make it possible to create a whole
range of dramatic changes in your everyday life. What many
consider impossible is easy for those who have made contact with
the Source of All.
Why Access The Higher Self At All?
Some people may be alarmed at the whole idea of accessing a
"Higher Self". After all, doesn't that imply losing control and
being invaded from something from the outside? Wouldn't you lose
the very essence of who you are?
These ideas arise from a misunderstanding about (a) who "you" are
and (b) who the Higher Self is. In truth, the Higher Self IS you
- all that you are meant to be. The only reason we even talk
about it as if it were an entity from elsewhere is because we
have been trained from birth not to fully express the magnificent
divinity within us and be all that we are fully capable of being.
That is what the Higher Self really is; the best you that you are
capable of being.
If you were manifesting your very best right now, do you think
your brain capacity would be lying 99% dormant? Of course not.
The problem we all face is that we identify ourselves with the
small "I". This is the ego consciousness that we have gradually
developed throughout our life. However, this is not really all
that you are. Your ego, your conscious mind, is only a small part
of your total being. It is shaped by childhood, by what you were
told as you were growing up, by the knocks and bruises of life,
as well as the pleasures and joys. In part, it is formed from the
life experiences that you have had up to this point. However, it
is also partly created from your subconscious, and your
connection to the Collective Unconscious.
Thus, your personality consciousness is subject to constant
change. It is not an absolute. It alters through life
experiences, psychiatric therapy, or a range of other influences.
However, despite the shifting circumstances of existence, most
people recognize, at least fleetingly, the existence of a
changeless eternal part of their nature. In these moments, they
have made contact with their essential eternal being; who they
really are.
So really, the Higher Self is not some sort of invading being.
Rather, it is more truly you than you ever have been allowed to
be. It lets more of those moments of true recognition into your
life.
Eventually
, you are enabled to live your entire life from a
point of full awareness of your changeless divinity.
Copyright Asoka Selvarajah 2002. All Rights Reserved.
Resources That Can Help:
The article above is an excerpt from the new e-book "The 7
Golden Secrets To Knowing Your Higher Self" by Asoka Selvarajah
Asoka Selvarajah is a writer on personal growth and
spirituality,
and the author of "The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing Your
Higher
Self". His work helps people achieve their full
potential, deepen their
understanding of mystical truth,
and discover their soul's purpose. Learn more about his work
How do you achieve top performance in your chosen field? What are
the key characteristics and thought processes of those who
achieve excellence?
It is often surprising to discover that the difference between
excellence and being merely quite good in any chosen endeavor is
only a razor's edge. A horse can win a race by a nose, but earn
prize money many multiples more than the horse that came second.
More than anything, mental attitude and the power to maintain
disciplined concentrated focus is key to achieving that little
edge.
Performers perform. They do not self-destruct with negative
internal dialog, or sabotage themselves with uncertainty. They
just DO. To achieve this state requires at least two important
factors: (1) Achieving Mastery, (2) Controlling the Inner Critic.
Mastery is a term many people have the wrong idea about. It is
better to think of Mastery as a process, rather than a finished
product. In truth, nobody ever "masters" anything in the
conventional sense. There are only ever differing levels of
competence. The leaders in every field are always fully aware of
how much more they have yet to learn, and how much improvement is
still possible. Mastery is better thought of as a process; an
on-going relentless commitment to your area of chosen expertise.
With a definition like this, it is easier to be more positive
about EVERY action you take in the direction you wish to move.
People often short-circuit themselves from self-criticism of
their initial efforts. For instance, would-be writers would
actually rather "have written" than "be writers". They would
rather ALREADY have written a bestseller, be acclaimed etc., than
put in the daily grind necessary to develop excellence in the
field. By contrast, a writer is a person who writes. It's as
simple as that. If beginning writers would only bear this in
mind, they would not get hung up about whether their initial
efforts are good or bad. The same principle applies to every
other field conceivable.
The truth is that it requires MANY hours to achieve excellence,
even supremacy, in any field. It has been said that to become a
leader in any field requires about 10,000 hours of concentrated
effort. Mozart obviously put in his 10,000 hours before the age
of six or seven. Most of us get around to it somewhat later, if
we do so at all. However, we must get around to it IF we want the
results that follow. There are ways to work more efficiently and
productively, but there are really no shortcuts to this process.
For those who think that five years of concentrated effort is too
much bother, consider the following. Those five years are going
to pass ANYHOW, whether you do it or not. You can either be where
you want to be in that time, or you can be exactly where you are
now.
The choice is yours. So, why not make the extra effort?!...
The second factor in achieving high performance is controlling
the Inner Critic. This is the subconscious part of us that
continually second-guesses what we are doing, and questions
whether we are really good enough to be doing it anyway. It is
also the part from where negative self-talk arises. It is the
psychological survival mechanism that serves to keep us out of
harm, especially when we are young.
However, in almost everyone,
it exceeds its bounds. The inner critic creates a sort of
psychological thermostat, and thereby creates what are known as
"comfort zones". Whenever we do anything that takes us out of our
comfort zone, the inner critic works like a thermostat to restore
the original conditions. A dramatic example is people who
suddenly come into a huge amount of money (e.g. lottery winners),
but lack inner psychological comfort about being a rich person.
Invariably, they blow the cash, and end up right back where they
started.
Performers have all parts of their inner psychology working for
them in a streamlined and coherent fashion. You do not drive a
car at 100 m.p.h. with the handbrake still on. Likewise, you do
not try to run ahead at full speed in your chosen endeavor, with
your head pointing the wrong way. You do not plant seeds in the
ground and then continually dig them up to see how they are
growing.
Here is a visualization technique from Neuro-Linguistic
Programming (NLP)that will deal with your inner critic. Sit in a
quiet place where you can relax and close your eyes. Now, let the
inner critic talk to you and tell you all the reasons why you
cannot achieve in your chosen field, why your efforts are
inadequate, and so on. Imagine a face for the critic and see him/
her accusing you. However, now place that face on the rear end of
your favorite animal, whether it be an elephant, or your pet dog,
and see the tail swinging in the critic's face. Now, you might
want to imagine a couple of cherry pies being thrown into that
face. Change the voice now. Hear it speaking to you in slow
motion at half speed.
After a while, speed that accusing voice
up. Now it sounds like Mickey Mouse. Make it even faster, so you
can barely recognize the words. They are zipping by, too fast to
understand. See that tail swinging rapidly back and forth in
front of the face like a windscreen wiper. Then run the whole
thing in slow motion once more. Alternate between super-fast and
super-slow again and again.
Now, if you did the exercise, you will find that the inner critic
sounds and feels ridiculous. Indeed, at an inner level, you have
begun erasing that inner critic's repeating message. It's like
repeatedly scratching a nail across an old LP record. After a
while, it will no longer play properly.
To do anything well, you have to be prepared to do it really
badly at first, and perhaps for quite a long time too. Getting
rid of the inner critic allows you to begin and persist, without
unnecessary levels of criticism and negativity. Make yourself
process-oriented more than results-oriented.
Being
process-oriented means that you focus on the process of
perfecting your art, without being overly oriented with the
results you may be getting on a moment to moment basis. If you
focus on the latter, your inner critic may get you down, and you
may give up altogether. If you focus on process, and work on
being a performer rather than a judge, the results themselves
must eventually improve in time.
Being a high quality performer is also about going all-out
without any stops. It is through discipline, commitment and sheer
persistence that excellent progress is made. Imagine that someone
is holding a gun to your head (or better still, to the head of
your most precious loved one), and will pull the trigger for sure
if you do not achieve a certain task within a certain time. There
would be no time for self-doubt, or any other time-wasting
activity, would there? You would just have to perform, and keep
performing, until you did what you had to do. That is the
attitude to have in creating the performer's edge. Forget the
excuses, and just get on with it with 100% commitment.
In conclusion, each of us is capable of being a true genius at
something. It is a matter of finding out what that something is,
and then working towards sheer excellence, steadily and without
respite, each and every day. Seek not the shortcuts, but rather
the hard and endless road to self-perfection. Be prepared to put
in your 10,000 hours (or more) until you have what you want. And
don't take "No" for an answer.
In the words of Winston Churchill
,
"Never, never, never give up".
Copyright Asoka Selvarajah 2002. All Rights Reserved.
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