What is your self? Most would answer, “well, it’s me.” Then comes the question, “What is me?” and we’re back at “What are you?” We give ourselves many names. I am Ron. I am a man. I am an American…and so on. We can use many words to describe ourselves but do we really know what our self is? Where is our self located? How big is it?
Do you ever talk to yourself? If so, who is doing the talking and who is doing the listening? Do you ever get angry with your self or disappointed with your self?
Our self is not a simple concept. Our self is not a singular entity. If we think of our self as the essence of who we are, then our self is not a physical being but a metaphysical one. Metaphysical means simply “not physical.” I could (and will) use the term “spiritual” but I don’t want you to become confused with religious concepts, at least not yet.
The multiple entities of self have been long recognized. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m not myself today”? Then who is he if he’s not himself? In the early twentieth century Sigmund Freud described the self as consisting of the id, ego and superego. Many behavioral scientists have agreed that each of us consists of at least three separate “selfs.” Some refer to them as the “lower self, the middle self and the higher self.” Others use the terms “conscious, subconscious and superconscious.” I will use the terms ego, subconscious and higher self because I believe they are more descriptive of the functional identity of each. Hopefully, you will agree.
The various characteristics, functions and interactions of the “selfs” are fascinating to study and, more importantly, to control. Before you can learn to exercise control over your selfs, you need to understand how each works.
The Ego
The ego is your conscious mind. When you decided what to wear today or what to have for breakfast, it was your ego making the decision. The ego does not have a long memory. It does what must be done now – in this moment. There is a reason why we use the word – egotistical. The ego is very self-directed. It consciously tries to satisfy the needs of the individual. The ego receives and processes information. It uses logical reasoning to solve a problem or undertake an activity. When you are consciously making a decision, you are functioning in your ego state. When you decide if something is good or bad, pretty or ugly, new or old; you are using your ego consciousness. The ego can think in the abstract and understands concepts like love, anger, remorse, envy and other emotions.
The Subconscious
Unlike the ego, the subconscious does not require conscious decisions in order for it to function. It, in fact, does not even require your conscious participation at all. The subconscious controls our autonomic functions such as heartbeat, breathing, digestion and other bodily functions. The ego can exercise a certain degree of control over the subconscious but only in a limited amount for a limited duration. You can consciously hold your breath, for example, but not for long. Some people have the ability to raise or lower their pulse rate or blood pressure.
The subconscious does not make decisions but reacts to stimuli given. It is very concrete and does not understand abstract concepts. In today’s understanding, you could say that it acts like a computer in that certain actions are programmed to occur upon receipt of the proper command. It can’t take a joke (you’ll see later why this is important). It does not understand degrees of a concept. It operates in a very “black & white” world.
The subconscious does not recognize time or space. Something programmed into us in our childhood continues to function until it is replaced by new programming.
Activities that we do “without thinking” are being carried out by the subconscious. Have you ever been driving somewhere familiar while thinking about something else (employing your ego) and suddenly realize that you don’t remember making several turns or stopping at red lights?
Your subconscious was driving and assuming you wanted to go where you usually go. If you had decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home, that decision was still in the realm of the ego and your subconscious did not know to stop there. Another good example is a typist. When learning to type, you consciously look at the word and decide which letters to press by which fingers. With experience, your subconscious knows what key to type when it sees a particular letter. A good typist can type accurately while his or her conscious mind is planning the dinner menu.
Another example is in reactions. A few days ago I was taking some items out of a bag while holding a drink in my left hand. I accidently dropped an unopened container with unbreakable contents. My subconscious immediately ordered my hands to try and catch the plastic bottle causing my diet coke to spill all over the floor. A conscious decision would have said, “let it drop, it won’t break” but that is not the way the subconscious works.
In addition to the many functions relating to the physical body, the subconscious plays another possibly more important role. It is through the subconscious that we usually access our higher self.
The Higher Self
The higher self is the part of our being which is in contact with every other being and with the power of the universe. This is where science and religion converge. The existence of a “higher power” has long been recognized. It is the different understandings of this power that causes there to be different religions, denominations and belief systems. This power is variously referred to as the Infinite Mind, Collective Subconscious, Universal Mind, God, Supreme Intelligence, and many other terms.
I will deal separately with the two “connections” of the higher self. First is the connection of all living things. Have you ever seen a video of a school of fish swimming along and suddenly the entire school, every single fish, changes direction? How did they all know exactly when to turn and in exactly the same direction? The lead fish didn’t turn first and the others followed. He didn’t shout an order to turn or signal with his fin. There was a mental connection among the fish.
People have this same connection although it is much more developed in some. The connection is strongest among individuals who are closely related. We have all heard of and possibly experienced a “mother’s intuition.” You somehow “know” when your child is hurting or in danger. The connection between some twins is so close that one can be injured and the other feels the pain.
You may have heard your phone ring and suddenly “knew” who was calling. Someone may call and you say, “I was just thinking of you.” You may have been in a room and could “sense” that someone was behind you. I could go on with examples but you probably have some of your own that you could add.
The connection is neither limited by time nor space. We have recently heard stories of parents who “knew” the moment their son or daughter was killed in battle half a world away. Other “knowings” may relate to future events or events that could not have been known by any rational explanation. This can explain some of what has been termed extra sensory perception because it wasn’t learned by either of the five common senses.
This connection is not just between humans and other humans. Many people believe that they know what their pet is thinking or, more commonly, the pet knows what they are thinking. Some of the research in this area is really impressive.
You may not be ready to believe it but several research studies have shown that some plants respond positively to kind words and thoughts and negatively to threats and thoughts of harm to the plant.
While science has acknowledged a psychic connection between living things, recent evidence indicates that it may not be limited to things which are living.
Watch for a future article on this phenomenon.
