The Art of Managing the Unconscious Mind

The seeds of destiny lie in your unconscious mind. If you have not learned the art of managing your unconscious mind, then you are a victim of destiny.- Swami Rama


Yoga and modern psychology agree that what is compelling us to speak and act in the ways that we do is the nature of the unconscious mind. If we can find a way to gain access to that part of the mind and integrate what is there in our lives, then we are free to speak and act with more awareness. (some teachers make a distinction between the subconscious mind and the unconscious mind, but for our conversation, we will use the term unconscious because that is what Swami Rama used and it will refer to the parts of our mind that are beneath the surface.)

Meditation is the Yogic method for managing the unconscious mind. The thoughts that have been produced from past actions are released from the unconscious mind when are able to watch them in meditation. “Observe, but don’t get involved.”- Rod Stryker. When we watch on a regular basis, we have a better chance of making positive decisions about which actions we will perform. The thoughts and emotions that we carry around in the unconscious mind require some energy to keep them there- repressed. When we watch and release them in meditation, we then have some extra energy to be used in other areas of our lives and we lighten our emotional loads- we feel lighter- we raise our vibration.

That which we do not make conscious later emerges as fate. – Jung

We shall trace the

Origin of seed.

The seed of Prajapati,

Lord of Creatures, are the Gods.

The seed of the Gods is rain.

The seed of rain is herbs.

That of herbs is food,

The seed of food is seed,

The seed of seed are creatures,

The seed of creatures,

Is the Heart.

The seed of the Heart is mind.

The seed of mind is speech.

The seed of speech is action.

Action done in a former state is this Mankind.

The dwelling place of Brahman.

The Principal Upanishads

I LOVE this- Rain is divine- God is in the rain, who we are is based on past actions, and it is a statement of nonduality- we are the dwelling place of God- we are divine.