Mind as creator – experience as mirror:

The mind has both a passive and an active role in determining our experience. The mind passively interprets everything we experience so that what that experience means is dependent on the underlying assumptions about reality projected on to the raw sensory data of life. This provides the basis for perception. Everyone therefore will have a slightly different experience of the same events because everyone’s individual minds have different constellations of beliefs and values. What we in effect experience in the world is really experienced within the psyche. We are thereby enabled to come to know ourselves or at least what we believe. (And value -by the amount of attention or energy given to various ideas).

The mind also actively creates experiences that reflect the thought forms we hold and the energetic focus we give to specific thoughts. It thus externalizes itself as our particular experiential reality. What we believe, give attention to and affirm manifests in our life. The fact that we often do not realize some of our conscious goals is related to the fact that we are invariably conflicted and hold negative beliefs – perhaps subconsciously – that act to subvert and sabotage our conscious goals. As a result of self inquiry or therapy we can make these subconscious core beliefs conscious and resolve them and become less conflicted.

The result is that our experience is really a mirror that is showing us what we believe and where we are focused. Patterns or repeated incidents invariably point to issues within the person experiencing these. We have to take responsibility for our experience and our role in determining it. This is not to imply blame; rather it implies the potential to create what we want in life by consciously choosing what we believe, give reality to and focus on.

Relationships are likewise reflections of our relationship with our self. Negative patterns and issues in one’s relationships point to negative judgments, attitudes and fears within oneself. For example, patterns of abuse, devaluation or rejection show that an individual is not believing in their inherent self worth, practicing self love or listening to and acting on intrinsic needs. Inner relationship refers to the fact that we have both our separate ego, that is strongly associated with our conditioning and our body, and an inner self that embodies our intrinsic and potential being. Self realization involves the ego’s progressive embodiment of the transpersonal self.

The ego’s negative fear based beliefs block the free flow of positive life energy and channel it into separate creations that reflect the separate purposes of the ego. Negative core beliefs are those that we identify with and live out. These are often formed early in life subconsciously and often as an image around which various thoughts are constellated.  Negative or traumatic experience causes the mind to automatically internalize related negative images and assumptions about reality that are often not conscious. These images may embody a pre-rational conclusion, interpretation or assumption about one’s experience which then becomes ‘hardwired’ in to the core mental programming that we are unconsciously operating on. Your experiences will seem to justify your core beliefs until you understand the causal connection.

The following chain of inferences shows how negative core images can lead to specific ideas and attitudes.

Therefore:

I am separate, alone and vulnerable. I experience lack and have needs that are not being met. I am deficient and doubt myself.

I look outside myself for my needs -- for love, security and satisfaction that I have to work for. I am afraid because I have limited power over a threatening world. I must not be worthy of getting what I need.

I feel guilt, shame and self-hatred because of my deficiencies. I expect retribution or negative consequences for being "bad" and am not free to be myself. I have to continually be on guard and exert my power.

I have to deny the painful truth about who I am, be who I think I should be. I have to do something really special to prove myself and establish my self-worth. My failure shows me that my negative beliefs are justified.

I can't be myself / I'll never be happy / I'm addicted / I'm dependent / I'm always rejected / I have to make great sacrifices / I'm not appreciated / Life is against me / The world is a bad place, etc.

We may endeavor to identify and change the negative core beliefs that invariably lead to suffering. Or we may also realize that these are all associated with our ego mind and endeavor to dis -identify from the ego itself and gradually shift our identity to the self, with its intrinsic positive energy. The latter project utilizes the inherent power and wisdom of self awareness to facilitate the shift if we can experience the reality of this duality within and, through the consciousness of the self, gradually let go of our identity as ego.

We then realize that our entire life is a spiritual project involving the metaphysical manifestation of the self through the agency of the creative mind. We realize the freedom and power we have as co-creators to choose to be the self and in the process manifest our essential being or spiritual reality.

The importance of mind:

In our civilization the mind has supreme importance and emphasis in determining the nature and quality of one's life and one's sense of fulfillment and self esteem. Our educational system is all about using one’s mind but unfortunately there is little attention given to understanding the nature of mind, its place in the human constitution or rules for effective use - information that would be very useful, I believe.

Levels of the mind:

There are at least three human levels of the mind:

    Subconscious - involving automatic, instinctive processes

    Conscious - our normal ego mind with its ideas and assumptions

    Soular - more subtle levels of the mind that imbue consciousness

(It could also be said that all of nature and the larger universe demonstrate intelligence, law and order - or mind.)  

Active and passive function of the mind:

The mind has both a passive and an active role. The mind passively interprets everything we experience so that what it means is dependent on the underlying assumptions about reality projected on to the raw sensory data of life. This provides the basis for perception. We don't see things as they are, we see our projections. Everyone therefore will have a slightly different experience of the same events because each individual has a different constellation of beliefs and values. What we experience in the world is really experienced within the psyche. We are thereby enabled to come to know ourselves or at least what we believe and conceive.

The mind is also the creator that determines the forms that will be manifest and be experienced in daily life. Thought forms energized by the power of emotion come alive as experienced reality that have consequences in the world. As people buy in to the legitimacy of a particular idea, it gains power and consensual reality. An idea, then, can change the world. Such ideas can remain abstract ideals like ‘democracy’ or be more concrete - like ‘the wheel’ or ‘the internet’.

Core beliefs (assumptions that we live by) vs other thoughts:

Core beliefs, as opposed to other thoughts and ideas, are those that are integral to the basic programming that we live by. These are ideas, values and world views related to human life. Each person has their individual set  as well as their group set that they subconsciously identify with, assume are true and live out. We often aren’t aware that these are relative assumptions because we feel this is just the way things are. These are often unconsciously internalized as images that only later are given rationality. Group examples of core beliefs might be the importance given in a culture to ideals of individualism, competition, self reliance or courage. Individual core beliefs might relate to one's belief - or not - in one's worth, attractiveness, ability to be loved, successful, to be able to trust and act on one's feelings, etc.

Positive vs negative core beliefs:

One's core beliefs are largely established by an automatic process during childhood and become hard-wired in as the underlying operating software. Ego beliefs/assumptions that are positive or that are reflective of the positive life qualities of the self, allow that self to freely express, be and manifest naturally happy and fulfilling outcomes. Negative and fearful beliefs that reflect doubt of one’s self, life or one’s capacities result in corresponding experiences that are consequentially unhappy. Core beliefs are therefore self fulfilling, and seem justified by their consequences. One may think “See I’m no good because I always fail.” without noticing how the underlying assumption about the inevitably of failure has been operating all along to sabotage one's efforts. 

Experience as a mirror:

One’s life and relationships are then to a certain extent a mirror of ones mind that allows one to see the contents of one's mind made manifest or objective. And by the results we may better determine the value of the beliefs we hold. We are motivated to change those that lead to negative outcomes or suffering once we realize the way things work. This should not be about blame - it is really about fully recognizing the power we actually have to create our experience and to have an impact on human civilization as a whole. What we believe, give attention to and affirm manifests in our life. The fact that we often do not achieve some of our conscious goals is related to the fact that we are invariably conflicted and hold negative beliefs – perhaps subconsciously – that act to subvert and sabotage our conscious goals. As a result of self inquiry or therapy we can make these negative core beliefs conscious and resolve them and become less conflicted.

Relationships are likewise reflections of our relationship with our self. Negative patterns and issues in one’s relationships point to negative judgments, attitudes and fears within oneself. For  example, patterns of abuse, devaluation or rejection show that an individual is not believing in their inherent self worth, practicing self love or listening to and acting on intrinsic needs. Inner relationship refers to the fact that we have both our separate ego, that is strongly associated with our conditioning and our body, and an inner self that embodies our intrinsic and potential being. Self realization involves the ego’s progressive embodiment of the transpersonal self.

The necessity for detached awareness:

An insight from this perspective is the need to gain a more detached awareness of our ideas, beliefs, and values. We have thoughts and emotions but we are not the thoughts and emotions except that we feel like we are because we subconsciously identify with them. And our value is not based on the contents of one’s mind. Everyone automatically has faith in their beliefs regardless of the fact that most can not be personally substantiated and are different from those of everyone else. Once we realize that the mind is a tool or organ whose thoughts only have the reality we choose to give them, we may then use the mind more effectively without being used by it. It behooves us to become more conscious and aware of our individual and cultural assumptions, otherwise we unconsciously are trapped by them. 

The role of the self or soul and the higher mind:

The self or soul contains a higher aspect of mind that intrinsically is positive, abstract and more universal. When we foster still detached awareness we are connecting to this part of our self. Because it transcends the separative personal ego with its core beliefs, conditioning and survival programs, we are also able to rise above these and release our attachment to the ego mind, and the emotions. More people are now awakening to the fact that the ego is not their true self, but rather a reflection of it. The self must supersede the ego, with its ignorance and fear based control program, as the center of our identity.

Silent detached awareness of our thoughts or emotions also allows one to choose what level of importance or reality to give them. The realization of the freedom of the self is helpful in invoking or tapping in to the inspiration, the intuitive knowing, joy, peace, love and purpose that flows from this deeper center of our being. Just as the ego mind allows the individual to create a happy life within the ego’s survival paradigm based on getting its felt needs and desires met, so the mind can also be a tool or agent of the soul to realize ideas for the collective good. Human life could be said to offer a creative opportunity. And as we integrate from ego to self, that creativity shifts from the personal to the good of the whole, as the heart is given preeminence.

The mind's true role as the agent of the heart:

Ultimately to resolve the problems that the mind presents, it is necessary to shift one's focus to the heart which must provide the direction and purpose for one's mental efforts. What do we love? What is our deepest calling and dream of life? If love were our guide how would we live? What changes in the world would love of our fellow man and the planet want us to bring about? What do we really feel in the moment? And as we lift our eyes upward, what is good, beautiful, true and loving all merge together in a vision that the mind can create and thereby make real and manifest. As we maintain an awareness centered in and identified with the self/soul, the mind is automatically used for the purposes of the larger good.