The mind can be a trickster, not intentionally, however. Our minds serve a purpose for us in this life; it helps store necessary information that can really help us in some capacity. For instance, if a child were to touch a hot stove or iron, he/she would immediately learn, from that point onward, that touching something hot has unfavorable consequences. That child’s brain stored that information from that experience and so when confronted with another hot surface sometime in the future, he/she will be fully aware and remember that if we touch it, it will cause harm. In this sense, the brain’s ability to store information worked and benefited the child for many years to come! But the brain is a physical organ that functions as an internal computer for our physical vessel, or what I would like to call our “Avatar”; our body; the physical manifestation of our Soul in this third dimensional realm. We get so caught up in the physical nature of our Being, here in this life, we often are not aware of our Higher Selves; our Soul. The Higher Self is NOT the brain and it is NOT the body, it is NOT our thoughts, it is NOT our feelings. (Now before delving deeper into this topic, I have to preface; its difficult to put into words and to describe nonphysical realms and beings using our physical brains, and the words I use to describe these things may seem to portray a physical presence or characteristic; but I am, and we all are, limited to our physical and rational minds which produces rational understanding and language, so please keep that in mind; because the Spirit World is nothing like our physical world).
Consider ALL of life; from the beginning of time to our present day. Our individual lives are but a blip in space and time. Although from our individual perspectives it is a lifetime of existence; full of highs and lows, positive and negative occurrences and meaningful experiences. Our Higher Selves encompasses and surpasses ALL of this; it chooses to partake in the experience of Consciousness, which is what life is ALL about. You can liken the experience of life as a mission or journey that our Higher Selves chose to embark on. It was fully aware of the limitations that this realm provides, and these limitations serves its purpose by providing the challenges necessary to gain Consciousness.
Our brains are but a machine; a self-programming tool that our bodies depend on. Dr. Barbara De Angelis, author of “The Choice for Love”, describes, in a very practical manner, how our brains stores information. She describes how an experience (especially in our younger years) can shape our brain’s programming. She explains how various synapses in various areas of the brain can combine an emotion with an experience and create a stored memory, which our minds refer back to, just like the example with the child and the hot stove. With the example of the child, the memory was a beneficial data point that can steer us away from true physical harm for the rest of our lives, however, there are times when that is not the case; and our brains stores an experience incorrectly. For instance, a child grows up with a very critical parent. The parent can also be strict and believes in corporal punishment. Through the conditioning of the parent and the experiences the parent creates in the child’s life, the child’s brain combines the feeling of being “good” with perfectionism and the feeling of being “bad” as something that warrants punishment. That child can grow up believing that the only way they could be a “good” girl or boy is to please another and to always perform at their best; there is no room for error or imperfection. But we all know, there is no such thing as perfection. And we all deserve love and appreciation regardless of whether we’ve completed a task “successfully” or not or if we’ve completed a task at all! That child grows up placing their self-worth on their achievements and what they can do for others; they hustle for their worth, a very risky proposition indeed. (You can imagine many other examples, probably in your own life, or in the life of others you may know, where negative programming like this has taken place).
Our Higher Selves sees beyond this programming. It has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is not subject to our physical limitations as human beings. Although the brain should be applauded and appreciated for the amazing machinery that it is, it is NOT the source of our Being! Our Higher Selves will always urge us to see beyond our physical programming. It ALWAYS speaks to us; but in subtle ways; it requires quieting the mind in order to hear Its voice. Meditation is the most effective tool to commune with our Higher Selves. (Journaling, creating art or spending time in nature are other ways to hear Its voice). It is forever present and always with us.
Consider how your brain has been programmed in your life. Are you willing to take time to quiet your brain and listen to your Higher Self and the messages it is more than excited to share with you?