Another great illusion of the mind is the idea of positive and negative, that is the idea of positive, as in up and happy and negative, as in down and miserable.

Whilst doing regular meditation you may start to see the 'fluctuations of the mind stuff'. You may start to see the way the mind moves around a subject, first viewing it one way and then viewing it another. Sometimes these two ways of seeing are so opposite to each other you may start relating to the idea of a split personality. Worry not, there is a whole school of psychology called 'psychosynthesis' that expounds on this idea in great detail. It describes very well that not only may we have two aspects of mind, (dual-mind), but indeed many elements to the overall make up of the personality, (multi-dimensional). It calls these different aspects of the personality/mind, sub-personalities. It is all of these sub-personalities that make us the unique beings that we now are.

The theory behind this modality is that if our sub personalities are unintegrated it can lead to problems, (in a nutshell). However, if we can learn to unify, (yog), all of these elements then we become more integrated as people, we literally know ourselves better so to speak.

Ok so back to the meditation. If we sit and observe our own mind doing it's thing we will over a period of time start to see the different aspects of our mind stuff. So in context, the whole concept of positive and/or negative becomes redundant. We are truly being whatever element of our mind/personality is dominating us at any given moment.

My own struggle with addiction in the long distant past showed me quite clearly that the part of me that is 'never going to smoke again', is over-ruled by another element that is 'not interested in giving up smoking', at all. So it's not a question of being weak willed, it's more a question of deciding who I am and who I want to be? Or in yogic parlance, 'sorting the real from the unreal'.

If you look into 'it' you will find that there is no real template of how a person 'should' be. The bible has it's commandments as does the Koran and even the yoga Sutras of Patanjali. They all give guidelines for being a better person. But as you continue to sort through you're own script of life, and look into the nature of you're suffering, you will see the things, (mental habits), that are preventing you from becoming more naturally aligned to a healthier way of being. This is through the awakening of 'INTELLIGENCE'.

So when someone asks, how can I lose weight or become fitter or whatever it is. What answer can be given? Wake up you're own self, you're own intelligence, and see why you are the way you are now and understand something. The answer generally is. "Oh Ok thanks for that, but I'm just so busy, you wouldn't believe how busy I am! But thanks anyway."

Unfortunately it seems to me that it is through 'crisis' that people will change. Now if you read this and then read 'Prigogine's Dissipative structures', in the appendix of the book 'Holy Madness', you will learn a great deal. How many of you actually bothered to buy that book?

So positive thinking generally works like this: I seem feel miserable, but if I think positive thoughts such as,'I am a happy person', I will become happy sooner or later. Well this may or may not be the case. But surely if we just relax and accept the fact that we appear to be miserable, then we can look into the nature of this misery too see what it is really about. To my mind thinking positive thoughts is a bit like papering over the cracks. . . . . . . . .


Hari Om Tat Sat.