Notable Quotable

Peace is not achieved by controlling nations, but mastering our thoughts.

John Harricharan

Watch this… Advertising — What psychological tricks do they use?

Homework assignment for May

What emotion or feeling do you notice yourself experiencing more often than not? 

Is it a positive or negative emotion? 

Do you have moments when you feel nothing inside?  If so, how do you handle it? 

Are you in charge of your emotions, or are your emotions in charge of you?

After doing self-examination, feel free to post your comments below.

Notable Quotable

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mind: your personal wave(s) of comminucation

Wikipedia loosely defines mind as “…the collective aspects and consciousness manifested as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination; mind is the stream of consciousness. It includes all of the brain’s conscious processes. This denotation sometimes includes, in certain contexts, the working of the human unconscious or the conscious thoughts of animals. ‘Mind’ is often used to refer especially to the thought processes of reason.”

Some people think that the mind is the brain or some other part or function of the body, but this is incorrect. The brain is a physical object that can be seen with the eyes and that can be photographed or operated on in surgery. The mind, on the other hand, is not a physical object. It cannot be seen with the eyes, nor can it be photographed or repaired by surgery. The brain, therefore, is not the mind but simply a part of being human.

If the mind is not the brain, nor any other part of the body, what is it? It is a formless continuum that functions to perceive and understand objects. Because the mind is formless, or non-physical, it is not obstructed by physical objects.

Brain research confirms that both sides of the brain are involved in nearly every human activity. Each hemisphere, however, has its own areas of mental specialization, a phenomenon we call “brain lateralization”. We do know that the left side of the brain is the seat of language and processes in a logical and sequential order. It communicates by using words, has highly developed verbal abilities, is logical and systematic, and is concerned with matters as they are. The right side is more visual and processes intuitively, holistically, and randomly. Communicates using images (pictures), artistic, has highly developed spatial abilities, is concerned with emotions and feelings.

Each hemisphere of the brain is specialized to control movement and feeling in the opposite half of the body. The two hemispheres are interconnected and communicate with the help of the corpus callosum, one of the main connectors that allows communication. Yet, with all the superior mechanics of the brain, it is the human mind that brings together abilities and skills into a comprehensive whole whose operation depends on the way in which its parts contribute and co-operate with each other.

Earlier on, our definition of mind said it “…included all of the brain’s conscious processes.” Let’s take a quick look at these natural variances in consciousness.

The brain has an electrical pulse which is measured like sound — in cycles per second or Hertz. During beta, brainwaves range from 14 to 40 cycles per second. In high beta we become anxious and overthink the simplest of things. Beta is our normal state of mind when we are awake and moving through a day. During beta our minds are the most alert.

Alpha is a slower state more indicative of relaxing and reflecting. During alpha, brainwaves range from 9 to 14 cycles per second. In the alpha state, an individual is fully aware of his/her surroundings but in a much more relaxed state of mind than beta. Too much constant alpha activity leads to excessive daydreaming. Meditation is often practiced in the alpha state.

During theta, brainwaves range from 5 to 8 cycles per second. It is the state between wakefulness and sleep. In this state of mind, memories, thoughts and facts that eluded a person in a wakeful state can be recalled and answers to problems seem to appear. A person who begins to daydream, who is driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can’t recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state. Deep meditation and prayer are practiced in the theta state.

Delta is the slowest of the four states where sleep occurs. During delta, brainwaves range from 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. At the slowest delta level, sleep is deep and dreamless. Delta also provide personal radar and feelings at unconscious levels. If you read other people’s minds very well, you probably have more delta activity than most.

As we can see, the brain waves act as vehicles for the mind to reveal its rich tapestry of consciousness. When our brains are in certain frequencies, the mind can manifest certain thoughts, feelings and emotions better (or worse). No longer is the mind an uncontrollable, mysterious object that is in our lives; we can utilize our switchboard of a brain to program and manifest the mind for a better self and, ultimately, a better world. 

In our next essay, we’ll explore these concepts further to see how we can expand our lives and consciousness for our greater good.

Notable Quotables

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

Brian Tracy

The damaged generation: Over a million children have mental health problems because they grew up too quickly, claims report

By SARAH HARRIS and OLINKA KOSTER

The Daily Mail

LONDON — Rising numbers of children are suffering from mental health problems because they are forced to grow up too quickly, a report will warn this week.

Binge-drinking, increased availability of drugs, family breakdown and pressure to look fashionable and attractive are contributing to the trend.

The latest report from The Children’s Society inquiry into the state of childhood is expected to reveal that more than a million children have disorders ranging from depression, anxiety and anorexia to violent delinquency.

The report will call for action to prevent mental health problems wrecking the prospects of a generation of youngsters.

It will also urge parents to do more to steer children away from anti-social behaviour and a life of crime and unemployment.

They are expected to be encouraged to praise their children more frequently instead of repeatedly criticising them, while also establishing clear boundaries.

The fifth in a series of six themed reports, the study to be published on Thursday will focus on children’s health, examining their behaviour and feelings of self-worth.

The inquiry team is headed by Stephen Scott, professor of child health and behaviour at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.

It is expected to refer to figures released by the Institute last year, which showed that the number of teenagers with emotional and behavioural problems doubled between 1974 and 1999, the latest statistical group available.

The problems of social networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace, which may increase pressure on children to be “cool” or “skinny” are also likely to be cited.

Last night Michele Elliott, of child protection charity Kidscape, said the report reflected the real pressures on children, for which she believes parents are “largely responsible”.

 

“Children are growing up more quickly and we are expecting them to grow up more quickly,” she said.

‘Everything is in children’s faces 24 hours a day these days in terms of what is happening in the world, and that can be a problem for sensitive children.

“Drugs and alcohol are more readily available and we are forcing sexual images on children from a young age when they are not ready for it.

“The pressures on children are horrendous and I think parents are guilty of buying into it. There is huge pressure from networking websites. Whereas in the past they might have had a close group of childhood friends, children are now being given the message that they are not a whole person unless they have 392 friends online.

“The pressure is to appear cool and sophisticated, while bullying can now be done at long distance and any embarrassing minor mistake a child makes at school can be spread around the world.”

The children’s charity, NCH, which offers family support services across the UK, said the report was “at the heart” of its own campaign to improve children’s wellbeing.

Its head of public policy, Ross Hendry, said: “We are understanding more and more the causes and extent of this problem and what we need to get to grips with is what the answers are.

“The impact of emotional wellbeing or mental health problems in children have a ripple effect right through a person’s life.

“If we do not do something about this now, their social mobility will be significantly impacted on later in life and they will be more likely to pass on risk factors to their children.”

The Good Childhood Inquiry is also expected to focus on childhood obesity and the sedentary lifestyles that could condemn thousands of youngsters to ill-health and an early grave.

The last report warned that many children feel pressure to have the latest toys and clothes and are left anxious and depressed if they are unable to keep up with trends.

Q&A on Meditation

What is meditation?

 

Meditation, simply put, is “focused awareness.” 

 

When you are asleep, your mind remains very active and does not “rest.” When you are awake, your mind is preoccupied with mostly past and future thoughts. Nearly all your thoughts, including your desires and fears, are based on either the past or the future, as very few of us live in the here and now. Your desires are no more than recollections of past pleasure and hope of repeating them in the future. Fears are also memories of past pain, and your desire to avoid them in the future. To give your mind the rest it rightfully deserves, help your mind focus on the present moment. Meditation does just that: it enables your mind to focus only on the present moment to the exclusion of past and future thoughts.

 

Some philosophies would say meditation is the state of “no thinking,” but this is not a desirable consideration.  The mind is created to think and the goal of the meditator should be balance in the inner and outer world.  Do you use “no thought” in your day-to-day world?  Are we not products of our inner thoughts?  When we answer these questions with sincerity, we can see that the “no thought” philosophy is unwise and undesirable. 

 

What isn’t meditation?

 

Relaxation:  This is a common byproduct of meditation. Relaxation can take the form of slowing one’s pace down and enjoying the moment through a good book, walking, lounging in front of the TV, etc., but meditation is an active process to focus the thoughts inward and remain aware of the mind.  By doing so, meditation allows the body to relax and can offset the effects of stress both mentally and physically to a potentially much greater degree than passive relaxation.  When one is meditating one is relaxed; however, when one is relaxed, one is not necessarily meditating.

 

Thinking: Like meditation, thinking is an active process.  Thinking, however is usually consumptive and energy-expending.  Spending several hours in thought, esp. ones that are unwelcome, depressive or racing, can wear one down much like physical exertion!  Meditation doesn’t require one to stop thinking, but to observe and purify the thoughts so that the body, mind and spirit are at peace.  If you begin to meditate and find yourself worn down, you’ve effectively stopped MEDITATING and started THINKING again.

 

Hypnosis: Meditation and Hypnosis are closely related, but there is a difference: the goal of hypnosis is to get past the conscious mind to the subconscious mind, preferably to program new behaviors and/or deprogram unwanted behaviors.  The goal of meditation is not as ambitious.  With meditation, we allow the mind to speak to us without judgment or censorship, and can focus the thoughts towards reaching a peace that comes naturally without mental convincing, demanding, or programming. 

 

Concentration: Meditation begins with concentration, but after an initial period, thought activity decreases and focused awareness becomes more spontaneous.  Concentration is purely focused thinking, and usually has a result in mind, such as concentrating on something to retain the information being studied.  Meditation can call forth elements of concentration but is not bound by it, and one may or may not continue to employ the object of concentration throughout a session of meditation. 

 

Is there any religious implication or affiliation with meditation?

 

Many religions utilize meditation, but there is no religious implication while practicing meditation.  Meditation is a quieting of the mind chatter to receive meaningful, clearer, higher thoughts.  If one wishes to call what one receives “God/Goddess” or “higher guides” or “alpha/theta activity” or “peace”, then that is the option of the meditator. 

 

What is the best time of day to meditate?

 

Although there is no universally agreed upon time for meditation, many meditators seem to feel that early morning is the best time.  The unending activities of the day have not begun yet and that peace is quite discernible to the early morning riser.  Some people wait until the middle of the day to do their best meditation, and some feel the best way to end a day is in the peace of meditation.  Having a time of the day set aside for meditation helps in maintaining regularity, so choose a time that works consistently for you.

 

What should I expect with meditation?

 

Meditation is not a 401k plan.  One doesn’t keep “putting into it” to get a big payoff sometime in the near future.  Enter meditation with no expectations and allow it to take you where you are meant to be.  It is not within the meditator’s knowledge to deem whether the meditation was fruitful or not; if that were the case, you would know the date of your enlightenment.  Walk purely and with the heart of a child, and you will receive benefits beyond the finite realm of human thought. 

 

The Flower Power Series: Clematis

   Clematis

 

Welcome to the first edition of The Children of the Flower series, where we learn about flower essences and mind evolution techniques to change, grow and access the Ever Living Creator within. 

 

Today we take a look at “Jane,” a 35 year-old woman who has three children and a fourth on the way. She is a homeowner and, through certain circumstances happening in her early years, has most of her financial needs met through a fund. Jane appears to have a life most of us would love to have. But she has a problem…

 

Jane never seems to be in the here-and-now, but afloat in a dense, gray fog which resides in her mind. When talking to her, you know that she hears you, but she’s never really listening to you. Her eyes do not display natural human vibrancy but an android-like stare that makes you think she is a deaf-mute or completely unintelligent. Were she to take up poker playing with any fervency, she’d do very well; her flat affect-like stance would be invaluable in the game.

 

Her emotionlessness spills over into the emotional life of her children which displays as bedwetting, nervousness and acting out. Family and friends try to encourage, help, chide, beg and even threaten to walk away from her, but it is met with a deer-in-the-headlights stare. She has no ambition in life except to watch soap operas –- to the neglect of everything and everyone, including herself. Utilities get shut off? She gets them turned back on… then neglects them until they get turned off again. Children need their hair done? She deadpans friends and family who mention it until they get frustrated and do it themselves. She is a dreamer with a dream, completely asleep at the wheel of her life and driving dangerously into an abyss.

 

Jane is an extreme example of someone in need of the flower essence CLEMATIS (Clematis vitalba).  Her safety is found within the confines of her mind, which is typical of CLEMATIS sorts.  They need to “come back to earth,” so to speak, and live in the present reality.  CLEMATIS transforms their waking dream life to one of a warm presence and practicality. 

Other examples of CLEMATIS individuals are glassy-eyed children who daydream away their studies; the “out-of-touch” hipster friend who’s found a perverted inner peace being parked in front of the TV all day, every day; and the co-worker who’s busy nibbling at their nails and staring at the pictures on the desk for hours on end.  The real world is like a dream to them and they find refuge in the recesses of their cloudy, porous minds.

 

CLEMATIS will allow Jane to have more of a present-minded, focused awareness in the world.  She will feel more grounded and can respond to situations with alertness.  CLEMATIS will also give permission to use her highly developed imagination to bring to life ideas and feelings that have played out on the stage in her mind.  She’ll begin to have a presence of mind that will bring a complete change to her home and social life – she’ll no longer be reacting to events, but responding with the maturity and immediacy any situation requires.

 

Posted in TOC Presents -- The Flower Power series | Tagged Clematis, flat affect, flower essence, mind evolution | Leave a Comment »