Balancing our Bodies and Minds
Many of our articles and courses emphasise we are all on a spiritual journey back to our oneness with God/Source of our being and of all that exists. Spiritual evolution occurs through many incarnations as lessons are learned and consciousness expands. It is important to understand our four bodies and three minds as we need to balance these to create harmony and achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Our spiritual evolution occurs by going through many initiations over numerous lifetimes. To fully understand the need to balance our bodies and minds it is necessary to take a look at the first three initiations. Initiations have been explained in a previous article on our website. Briefly, the first initiation involves the soul / higher self gaining control of the physical body, the second initiation is achieved when the soul gains control of the astral / emotional body, and the third initiation requires the soul to gain control of the mental body. By the third initiation the soul has gained control of the three lower bodies which is our personality and this is referred to as a soul infused personality. Thus attention has to be paid to these lower bodes and also to our three minds namely the conscious mind, subconscious mind and superconscious mind for our spiritual progression.
Our conscious mind connects to our physical body and is our reasoning mind, the subconscious mind connects to our astral / emotional body and our superconscious mind is our connection to our spiritual body which is our connection with the Divine, and with all that exists. It is necessary to understand how our bodies and minds function, and also to realise all parts of our being are interconnected as they interpenetrate each other without our awareness of this. All systems need to be in harmony.
Each time we reincarnate we are given new personality, the right set of circumstances and the right opportunities to evolve spiritually.
The Physical Body
The physical body allows us to experience the world through our five senses and it reflects who we really are. When unbalanced, health problems develop. Our health is also determined by our other bodies as all bodies are interconnected. Our minds are also important as all parts of our being must be in harmony. Treating symptoms in the physically body is not a solution. There is no quick fix as we need to view the big picture.
Much money is often spent on making the physical body look good and attractive. However, if the focus is entirely on this body, life is being lived at a purely material level, and the solution is to take all bodies into account.
When our bodies and minds are out of harmony stress will show in the physical body. Dealing with stress is important as minor illnesses can lead to life threatening illnesses over time. Dealing with stress can involve ensuring a healthy diet, adequate exercise and time management. Bearing in mind our connection to our other bodies it is helpful to practise relaxation and meditation. Alternative therapies can also assist in coping with stress.
The most important point to remember is that no part of our being works in isolation so our thoughts and emotions need to be taken into account and changed when appropriate to do so.
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The Astral / Emotional Body
This body is where we store our emotions, both positive and negative. We connect with others through this body and it is the means as to how we interact with them. How we interpret situations is important as this has a bearing on our personal relationships. Taking time to understand ourselves is important and the old cliché, ‘Man know thyself’ is still very much appropriate.
It is said there are only two emotions, love and fear, and from these spring many emotions, both negative and positive. Negative emotions can lead to self doubt and even to seeing ourselves as victims. By loving ourselves we understand we are one with God and one with each other. We are all the offspring of the one Creator. If we fail to love and value ourselves we will not love and value others. It isn’t about putting ourselves on a pedestal, but remaining humble, loving ourselves and all others, even our enemies.
As we trust in a higher power we understand there is a reason for everything and look for lessons being presented. Learning the lessons, and taking a spiritual approach takes us forward and benefits others as well.
The Mental Body
This body produces positive and negative thoughts which are important as regards our spiritual development. Much has been written about thoughts in our other articles and doesn’t require repetition. However, the main point is that we are what we think and our thoughts influence our other bodies. Thoughts create our reality. They dictate our emotions and actions and eventually mould our character. Everything is energy and this includes our thoughts. Care must be taken as the energy of our thoughts passes to others and similarly their thoughts affect us without us realising this. Keeping our thoughts at a higher level helps protect us from negative influences.
The lower mental body produces concrete thoughts relating to how we live our daily lives, and the higher mental body produces abstract thoughts which come from a higher level of consciousness. Monitoring our thoughts, being prepared to change negatives to positives is one of the most important steps we can take from a spiritual perspective. Thoughts that are selfish and unloving particularly require change. This requires commitment and determination as it is not easy, but by being committed to taking a spiritual approach to life we understand that this is a vital and appropriate step to take.
The Spiritual Body
Our spiritual body, being a spark of the creator, is always in harmony with God. What we need to do is to bring our other bodies into harmony with it so that we can take in more light and ascend to higher levels. All our bodies, including the spiritual body interpenetrate each other and by living the spiritual laws in daily life these lower bodies contribute to the goal of the spiritual body which is to ascend back to the creator.
By taking time to connect with our soul / higher self energy flows to release blocks and this contributes to our spiritual growth. Time needs to be set aside for meditation, prayer and acceptance of lessons to be learned. It is necessary to acknowledge the oneness of life and have an earnest desire to evolve. Our spiritual body will eventually ascend and the other bodies will no longer be required. As guidance is sought from the soul we gain creativity and intuition which ensures a balanced and peaceful life.
Many never accept the existence of their spiritual body, and it can take hundreds of incarnations for those people to accept their true identity as spiritual and understand the need to pay attention to this aspect of their being.
The Conscious Mind
The conscious mind connects to our physical body and is responsible for how we carry out our day to day activities and it has a bearing on how we interact in our relationships. This mind is influenced by what is going on around us. We are affected by others in our life and also by what the various forms of media present to us
This mind is connected with logic and reasoning and is influenced by memories from the past, and thus it expresses our personality so monitoring our thoughts, emotions and actions is required. We need to ensure we express qualities such as unconditional love in daily life, and devote time to spiritual activities. This mind needs to become master of the subconscious mind by discriminating as to what is of value and true, and what is in our best interests. It is our responsibility to identify thoughts which have gone into this mind in the past, have taken root, thus having an adverse effect on our current wellbeing.
The Subconscious Mind
This mind connects with our emotional / astral body. It is a storehouse of information just like a computer and cannot discriminate between what is helpful and what is not. Thoughts and feelings are stored there and they can resurface years later, controlling our lives. This can cause us to feel inadequate and become a victim giving our personal power away to other people. Other peoples’ views and thoughts about us in the past can have a negative effect on us in the future without us realising it, as we have come to believe this information to be true.
Many thoughts have been expressed by well meaning parents, teachers and others in our lives and these may have been inappropriate and disempowering. For example, we may have been told we would never be good at a particular subject or activity which later proved to be untrue. However, if these negative thoughts have never been dealt with they can resurface and have damaging effects on our lives as long as the conscious mind fails to take control and change them.
Positive affirmations and visualisations can assist in putting helpful thoughts into this mind to assist our spiritual growth.
The Serenity Prayer which can be found on the internet can assist with making positives changes.
The Superconscious Mind
This is our spiritual mind connecting us with our soul, spiritual body, God and to all that exists. It functions at a higher level of consciousness, and is often ignored with many denying its existence. It connects with our higher self and this is where we experience creativity, healing, peace, intuition and the awareness of oneness of all that is.
Allow time to connect with nature, practise meditation and express spiritual qualities such as unconditional love, forgiveness and gratitude. This is the opportunity to seek soul guidance but remember to listen for answers which may come later and at unexpected times. This mind is superior to the other two minds and is always available to us but we have to take time to connect. We only succeed when all our bodies and minds are in balance.
There must be a letting go of negative beliefs and thoughts. Trust in a higher power is essential and this brings calmness and a knowing that, as we trust in this higher power, all our needs will be met in the right way. God does not abandon us and any difficulties we experience are simply God’s way of bringing us back into harmony with all that exists. The spiritual laws are our answer for restoring balance and harmony in all aspects of our lives.
The Etheric Body
Very often the etheric body is ignored when considering the other bodies. Sometimes this body is included along with the physical body and not as a separate body. The etheric body is a blue print of the physical body and interconnects with all bodies. It is a vital pat of the body’s energy system. It receives the life force energy often referred to as prana which is transported around the body by means of channels called meridians and chakras. The etheric body and the other bodies are all connected and form the aura which surrounds the entire body.
The etheric body is affected by imbalances in the other bodies such as negative thoughts and feelings which cause blockages of energy. Our health depends on energy circulating freely and imbalances in the energy flow results in illnesses which show up in the physical body. All bodies depend on the etheric body functioning well. The etheric body distributes both negative and positive energy, so steps must be taken to bring all bodies into balance to ensure overall health. No part of our being works in isolation.
Many methods of spiritual healing focus on clearing negative energy to ensure the chakras can transport the energy freely. There are seven major chakras in our body and these energy centres require the energy to flow freely. If one becomes blocked this has a knock on effect on the others. Our health is our personal responsibility and there is so much we can do to help ourselves. I feel a quote from Plato, the Greek philosopher, is a reminder of our duty to take personal responsibility and not rely entirely on others.
‘To heal the body one turns to the practitioner of the art of healing the body, but to heal the soul there is no doctor to turn to, and each of us is left to become that doctor unto himself.’
Aids to Balancing our Bodies and Minds
1. Meditation: It is helpful to start and end the day with meditation in order to seek guidance at a higher level. Raja Yoga aids mental clarity, concentration and leads to enlightenment and an acceptance of oneness with the Divine and all life
2. Spiritual Writings: Such writings raise our consciousness allowing us to let go of negatives thoughts. All religions have their own sacred texts and contain the same basic beliefs, emphasizing unconditional love and forgiveness.
3. Nature: Spend time in nature and contemplate the wonder of it all.
4. Spiritual Journal: A daily journal is an aid to monitoring progress.
5. Affirmations and Visualisations: These add power to our positive thoughts
6. Dealing with Difficulties: Learn the lessons presented and use these to balance karma
7. Like minded Friends / Groups: All are there to help and support each other.
8. Self Love: Remember to love yourself and do not become a victim
9. Buddhism: There is much to learn from the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path
10. Seek Guidance: Request guidance from Ascended Masters, Angels and Archangels
11. Look for GOD’S Qualities in others: We all have God’s qualities of love, wisdom and power within us
12. Spiritual Laws: Study the Spiritual Laws. They are our road map for our spiritual journey.
Please visit our website (https://seekersoftruth.wixsite.com/home) for helpful articles and details of our books. It was by applying the Spiritual Laws in a very difficult situation that started us on our spiritual journey and this led to us setting up courses and workshops to assist others.
Conclusion
It is easy to drown in difficulties that arise being unaware that a spiritual approach brings positive change, peace and fulfilment. Answers are found within when a spiritual approach is adopted instead of fighting difficulties at a physical level. View difficulties as tests and not punishment.
As we look beyond our problems we gain a spiritual and positive perspective which uplifts us and takes us forward on our spiritual journey. This allows us to be of service to others thus taking them forward on their spiritual evolution.