The next concept in becoming more mindful is understanding the ways in which humans are able to be mindful. Kain calls this the Trinity of Human Functioning. I do not think he made this up himself. He referenced other teachers in sharing this concept. I will also attempt to explain it to the best of my ability and through my own perceptions, as always.
Once concept relates to the idea of Universal Thought. These are the ideas, of future, past, big, small, dreams, visions etc. that we tend to have in common. Not that my ideas of past and future are the same as other people’s 100%, but that we all share a common use of our minds to draw a focus to things like past, future, small, big etc. Thought is conscious, more on that in the next entry. It is personal in that we have our own ideas of what is real and true. It is also universal, in that we all do that personal thing, and also that we can agree on some things as being universally true. A chair is a chair is a chair to most of us, for example.
Next concept is the idea of Universal Consciousness. This the level at which we are aware of ourselves and aware of others. We must move out of simple thoughts to become fully aware of ourselves and others. We often need to let go of what we believe are universal thoughts or truths to be able to connect with and be aware of ourselves and others on a conscious level.
The last concept is Universal Mind. Kain calls this the idea of conscience, God, spirit, intuition and the universe. Whatever it is that you want to call it, it is where we are all connected on a more super conscious level. We are not unaware of it, and yet, we are not aware of it all of the time either. It is those flashes of brilliant insight, the instant connection to someone you just met, the emotions shared with loved ones who have passed on, feeling the presence of something greater than yourself or even of others in this physical world.
Humans as they learn to function begin at the personal/universal thought realm. Many humans get stuck there. They cannot see beyond their own past or the goals of their future. They focus so much on the small things that they do not see the big possibilities, or they focus on the big ideas too much to do anything about the small things that will ultimately create the realization of the big ideas. The point related to thoughts is to not focus in one place. Focus in a balanced way. Don’t forget the past or ignore the future, but also don’t live in either. Stay present. Don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t get too focused on envisioning the possibilities of the huge. Take care of the day to day, and also spend time dreaming. As I have said before, use a balanced approach.
Being aware of self and others go very well together. As you become more self aware, you will naturally become other aware. Take the time to get to know you though. Many people only see themselves on the surface and are not aware of who they are at any deeper level. Take the time to do that work to get to know yourself. That is a key piece of becoming more mindful. Know thyself.
On the level of spirit or God, as you become more mindful of yourself and others, more mindful of your thoughts and perceptions, you will also naturally open yourself up more to what is happening on a spiritual level for everyone. This will come in time.
There is not a right or wrong way to become mindful. Whatever you are doing to become more aware of yourself, it is correct. The only wrong way to be mindful, is to ignore your awareness as it grows. That is the opposite of mindful, it is responding and reacting to life in mindless way. More on that in the next entry.
-Namaste