Does natural control over one's thoughts simply grow from dedication to the process and eventually not require conscious action? Or is there more to the story of opening up one's mastery of their own mind?

I ask because my Id is a monster and my Super-Ego is to the farthest reaches of space what the clouds are to the center of the Earth. (Hope that last part made sense.) I am fine with both of these and embrace them joyfully when I'm by myself, but around others I am more comfortable when I'm able to somewhat restrain my more primal instincts and impulses. I don't mind being a space case or a dreamer around others though, they laugh for better or for worse and I smile, works for me.

asked 14 Apr '13, 03:42

Snow's gravatar image

Snow
6.3k117108

edited 14 Apr '13, 08:08

Barry%20Allen's gravatar image

Barry Allen ♦♦
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In what way is your Id a monster?

(14 Apr '13, 06:38) SR7

Primal instincts are by nature just that, primal.

My Id can be as dark as my Super-Ego is soaring through the cosmos. It's easily slaked by releasing the energy it produces, training my physical abilities especially as they pertain to combat or thrill seeking serve this purpose beautifully.

But if neglected then it gets a bit fiesty. Not an issue for me even when I allow it to speak freely, but I was simply contemplating so I asked.

And discipline has made it easier, BTW.

^_^y

(15 Apr '13, 06:16) Snow

What's an ld and super-ego and how can I determine mine?

(27 Apr '13, 21:08) Romel

"The id is the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic, instinctual drives."

Basically, it refers to the feral part of the psyche. Your animal side; responsible for instinctual behaviors, such as fight or flight, reproduction, etc.

And as far as determining it, I'm simply reflecting on my own subjective assessment of my own psyche. There is no objective measure for intensities of aspects of the mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego

(27 Apr '13, 22:07) Snow
showing 0 of 4 show 4 more comments

Don't try to control your thoughts. Treat them like the clouds in the sky..just let them come and go.

By trying to control them you actually strengthen that which you don't want...where attention goes energy flows.

By watching and allowing them to come and go or just questioning them "can I know for sure this is absolutely true?", awareness itself grows and the thoughts you don't want eventually become disarmed and stop arising

And, with enough awareness, any accompanying dysfunctional behaviours begin to drop away all by themselves.

Edit Mon Apr 15

I'm adding this here in response to Popi's comment.

As Snow rightly pointed out...it's not about ignoring the thoughts but merely 'watching' them, they really do just come and go when we don't add any meaning to them. The thoughts that serve you you'll obviously want to engage your attention with. However those that don't serve your well being ( in other words negative thoughts if they're persistent and you can't merely 'watch' them) by all means question them.By doing this those negative thoughts become disarmed and come calling less and less, and more importantly the emotions cease to be engaged... no longer creating a negative feedback loop.

I think Releaser99 posted some links for The Work by Byron Katie which is a wonderful process for doing just that.

Curiosity is a wonderful thing and the process of self inquiry will take you much further than any self help book. The answers are all within yourself and knowing how your own mind works is the only real key to evolving. Hope that helps :)

link

answered 14 Apr '13, 18:33

Michaela's gravatar image

Michaela
35.0k22277

edited 15 Apr '13, 20:01

4

"Treat them like the clouds in the sky" love this! Your answer is right on & will be appreciated by many. thanks Michaela.

(14 Apr '13, 20:15) ele
5

This is such an important message that I think it must be highlighted on billboards all over the world. When you just welcome everything that you experience emotionally with total acceptance, it just disappears. Because it looses power. When it looses power, you gain total control over your life. You feel so powerful. So it is so worth it.

(14 Apr '13, 21:12) releaser99
1

powerful comment releaser99

(14 Apr '13, 21:23) ele
1

Great answer Michaela and well said Releaser. Welcome all thoughts and feelings because then there is zero resistance. The Universe is giving you exactly what you require in every moment.

(15 Apr '13, 05:13) Satori
1

@Michaela-good answer..nice to see your answer after a long time:)

(15 Apr '13, 05:50) Zee
1

@ michaela , how can you gain substance from what your thoughts present to you ? If you let thoughts float by ? Curious , I was rocking with you ;read your post numerous times. Even shook my head up and down with a grin . Then another thought came in and was like If everything floats by , how can I gain wisdom from it. If I don't even question it . I'm a curious mind .

(15 Apr '13, 13:50) Popi Bearcat Gibson
1

Treat them like clouds, this answer has extreme depth to it depending on how you want to take it.

Go out and cloud watch, ever noticed they start to take the shape of whatever occupies your mind? Letting your thoughts pass by like clouds doesn't have to mean ignore them. Instead being aware of them, seeing what shape they take, and just experiencing them.

Eventually you start to only see the shapes you want. I've had days where every cloud I saw was heart shaped, know what I Mean?

(15 Apr '13, 14:15) Snow

Thanks Everyone :))

(15 Apr '13, 19:58) Michaela

'clouds' should be accepted, acknowledged & allowed to flow on & then there are 'clouds' we should experience. Thanks @Snow love heart shaped clouds..

(15 Apr '13, 20:55) ele
showing 2 of 9 show 7 more comments

Hello Snow

Here is a spiritual dynamics newsletter "Be Your Own Authority by Owen K Waters", that clearly explains that once the human mind is free to think for itself, expansion of consciousness can be gained through concentration, reflection and meditation;

"In the 1960s, parents and teachers complained that the younger generation had less respect for authority than they did when they were that age. In the 1980s, parents and teachers complained that the younger generation had less respect for authority than they did when they were that age. In the 2000s, well, you get the picture. Every generation has progressed more in the same direction because The Shift is dissolving the old habit of submission to authority.

Traditionally, organizations were run on hierarchies of authority. In order to work within a hierarchy, you were expected to surrender your willingness to think for yourself and, instead, obey orders without question. Human creativity was suppressed while such a structure encouraged people to be closed-minded when exposed to any new information or ideas.

People with open minds, on the other hand, can think for themselves and therefore become their own authorities. Being open to new ideas, they can awaken to creative, new solutions to challenges in their work and in their lives.

Once the human mind is free to think for itself, these new ideas and solutions can be gained from the three main stages of focused conscious awareness. These are:

  1. Concentration. This is used to make a study and rational analysis of all available material.

  2. Reflection. This is the process of digesting information, sleeping on it, and thinking it over on more than one occasion. It opens up the problem to more levels of consciousness than just the daily, waking consciousness. Each time the situation is examined, a more insightful overview is obtained, leading to deeper and longer-lasting solutions.

  3. Meditation. In this state of alert awareness, the full power of your intuitive insight can be accessed. In this state, your intuition senses the whole reality of the situation and delivers information which would be unobtainable by any other means. The deeper the meditative state, the clearer it becomes as to what the best solution can be.

Like all skills, meditation requires regular practice in order to become truly effective. A sudden crisis in life can upset a beginner's attempts to find a deep level of awareness. An experienced meditator, however, will have gained the experience to be able to bypass the emotional turbulence and still reach the desired, deep levels of insight in order to find the most elegant solution.

It is very simple to become an experienced meditator. Make meditation your number one priority, each and every day. The Spiritualize technique is one of many meditation techniques you can use, and it is a very powerful one. It can be found at:

http://www.SpiritualDynamics.net

As we pass through The Shift into the New Reality, we are learning to apply self-empowerment to all facets of life. Self-education and reflection mean that you can rely upon your own perceptions about what is best for you.

Traditionally, the medical establishment has been the authority on what is best for your health. That is currently being replaced by self-education in nutrition and "alternative," or natural, health care.

Religious authorities are becoming ignored in favor of spiritual self-education. Political authorities have been in a crisis of mistrust for so many years that it will take a complete revival of standards and ethics to salvage the value of political representation.

When it comes to matters of authority, remember: It is better to be your own authority than to follow the crowd, wherever that crowd is being led.

Within you is all the insight you ever need to reach wise decisions about every challenge that you ever face. No one on the planet knows more than you about your needs, your situation and your potential to find joy in all of the aspects of your life.

Basically, it all comes down to these four words:

Be your own authority."

enjoy :)

link

answered 14 Apr '13, 05:02

ru%20bis's gravatar image

ru bis
(suspended)

1

Be your own authority." absolutely agree. enjoy :) I like your new salutation a lot; actually I prefer it FWIW! (as for handle, still getting used to true bliss)

(14 Apr '13, 19:08) ele
1

@ ru bis , DAME I like the way you broke it down!!

(15 Apr '13, 13:40) Popi Bearcat Gibson
(16 Apr '13, 00:32) ru bis
showing 2 of 3 show 1 more comments

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

link

answered 14 Apr '13, 04:16

Israel's gravatar image

Israel
17611

You are were your thoughts are , life is a state of mind. EVERYONE deals with pressure differently. Shit happens, everyone cleans up different, but you must clean up.

link

answered 14 Apr '13, 10:55

Popi%20Bearcat%20Gibson's gravatar image

Popi Bearcat Gibson
(suspended)

2

Popi, If I were where my mind was, I would be in HI now playing on the beach... ;) But understand your comment.. and agree..

(14 Apr '13, 19:35) Dragonflybreeze
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