Talk on mindfulness

The Four Relationships in Unfolding Consciousness

My latest article 'The Four Relationships in Unfolding Consciousness' is in this latest edition of Odyssey magazine:

Dr. Jimmy Henderson article 

The power of words

   

                       

                         The power of words 

‘Mere words have an extraordinary significance for us; they have a neurological effect whose sensations are more important than what is beyond the symbol.’

Krishnamurti

Words and concepts have a magical quality in that they ‘stand in’ for our thoughts. We think using words and when they are linked together by logical reasoning, they help us to arrive at good conclusions and decisions. 

Words also have power to evoke emotions. Look at the way news is presented in different ways by the media: For example, have a look at the following two headlines which describe the same event:  

‘Vicious dog attacks defenseless man’

‘Cruel owner bitten by abused dog’

This example highlights the problem of 'perspective' or one's point of view as shown by the choice of words of two different reporters. Notice the different feelings you experience as a result of the words used. 

The effect of ‘words’ on our minds and thinking

Mental exercises such as affirmations show how powerful words can be when they enter our subconscious minds. But even consciously, in everyday life people can be easily swayed or seduced by highly emotional or great-sounding words and ideas, which can have almost a hypnotic effect on those who are open to the message. The right words can have a powerful effect on our minds. For example, if someone tells you that there’s a vicious dog just behind the next gate, you will know what this means and be extra careful to make sure the gate is closed when you pass by. And if your partner phones and tells you that you have just won a pile of money in that competition you entered, your state of mind will quickly change and you will be very excited. Obviously, it is the meaning and implications of what is being said that gives the impetus and direction to our actions. In fact, words are so important that if we don’t understand a concept, we will struggle to understand any inner experience linked to that concept.

Our understanding and openness to new knowledge deepens with each new concept that we master and this is the reason why I believe in reading more holistic books and articles, so that our thoughts and vocabulary will expand and become more universal and able to accommodate new ideas. 

Self-talk

Having the right thoughts (or words) are especially important for our self-talk. Self-talk is the inner ‘conversations’ we have with ourselves when we are put into any situation. Put simply, it is ‘what we tell ourselves’ when placed in these circumstances. Sometimes we may speak our self-talk our aloud (thinking out loud), but for the most part it takes place subconsciously without us even knowing what we are saying to ourselves and this is where the danger lies. 

As I have just shown in the example of the ‘vicious’ or ‘abused’ dog, the words in our self-talk can trigger emotions which, in turn, can affect our thinking and decision-making. Words can either be positive and uplifting or negative and dis-empowering. Holding onto negative thoughts can be a real problem if they filter through from our subconscious minds and come out as our self-talk. 

Let me give you another example:

Tom had a difficult childhood and ended up as an adult with low self-esteem. This is shown in his self-talk when he is around women, which would probably be something along the lines of : 

‘I am not very popular with women’ 

Or 'Women simply don't like me' 

This is not necessarily the case. The problem is that this type of self-talk is being reflected in his insecure body language (social awkwardness) and social avoidance, which reinforces the idea that Tom is not a fun fellow to be with. This causes women to avoid him even more. In this way his inner conversations (words) become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is important for our growth and development that we be prepared to challenge and change this type of negative self-talk. 

The effect of metaphors on our minds

To add to this theme on the power of words, try looking at the metaphors you use every day to describe yourself, your situations and the world itself. Metaphors have a special, powerful effect on our minds and thinking. There is a recorded case of a spectator calling a soccer referee a clown and who was convinced he saw the referee’s uniform change into a clown suit. In other words, the clown metaphor filtered into his subconscious mind and acted as a cue to activate the idea of a clown suit which was then superimposed by his mind and imagination onto the referee’s uniform. This is not an isolated case, and there are many cases of people using cue words to influence our thinking and even what we believe we are seeing. In fact, cue words are often used by magic entertainers as the power of suggestion.  

Metaphors also subconsciously affect the way we look at ourselves, at life and reality itself. For example, the metaphor ‘living between a rock and a hard place’ leads us to the idea that life is all suffering.  However, if we change this metaphor to a more open and universal one, such as ‘life is the field of all possibilities’ and we really believe it to be so, we confirm to our subconscious mind that we are open and receptive to new possibilities and experiences and our subconscious minds will respond accordingly. 

‘Our words change our perception and if we change our language, we change our reality ‘

Luigi Boscolo

New book release : Dealing with Trauma:

Readers please note that my latest book 'Dealing with trauma' is now available in e-book and paperback from Amazon.com as well as other platforms.

https://amzn.to/3axYKN8

My next talk will be at the Kloof Country Club in Durban, South Africa

The four stages of consciousness

‘The higher self struggles to find its way through the web of human thought.’

J . Henderson

Instinctual consciousness 

The first stage has to be Instinctual consciousness. This is the mark of early man who had not yet achieved self-awareness and acted purely on instinct. The brain structures of embryonic homo-sapiens had not developed the complexity to support language or to reflect on itself and become self-aware. At this point there was no real thinking and consciousness was probably limited to moments of crude realisation based on associations. For instance, imagine a cave-man being cornered by a sabre-tooth tiger and realising its association with death from his early learning experiences (having seen it kill others). This would give rise to an instinctual response of fear.

Schematic consciousness  

The next stage of the evolution of human consciousness would be linked to the development of those areas of the brain associated with self-realisation, language and thinking. This would allow for self-awareness, but with an ego-driven mentality, a schematic consciousness in which people think only in terms of themselves and learnt mind-programs (schemas and scripts) built up from rigid beliefs without any real independent or creative thought. Sadly, many people are even now, still stuck at this level of consciousness.

Cognitive consciousness 

The third stage of evolution would be a cognitive consciousness, when, as the result of education and mental development, a person begins to think less selfishly and more independently and is able to come up with creative and helpful ideas and discoveries.

Intuitive consciousness 

Finally, the stage of intuitive consciousness, in which pre-programmed thinking and reasoning give way to an implicit knowledge of natural universal principles which are then used to understand, or at least explore, the mysteries of life and the universe. This can be seen as the level of philosophy and metaphysics. When this happens we find a more general attitude of love and benevolence towards all of humanity, a desire to help and be more compassionate. Unfortunately, many of us are still lagging behind and have not reached this intuitive stage.

Hopefully, the rapid moral advancement taking place now is heralding a new global consciousness or awareness. People are becoming significantly more aware of human and animal rights and are calling for ecological change. Sometimes these changes are painful, but metaphorically, birthing pains are never pleasant but inevitable. And they bring with them a new life. There is also a new interest in post-modern thinking. People are beginning to feel more connected to others and the relationship between us and the cosmos is also being seen as more important.  

‘Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought.’

Eckhart Tolle

Self and spiritual development

My article in the latest edition of Odyssey magazine