English
And to-morrow morning let him find out which shoe the habit mind has been putting on him first, and then try to reverse the order and notice how flurried and disturbed the habit mind will become, and how fran¬ tically it will signal to the conscious mind: “ Something wrong up there! ” Or try to button on your collar, reversing the order in which the tabs are placed over THE MENTAL PLANES tton—right before left, or left before right, as ease -may be, and notice the involuntary protest. Or Try To reverse the customary habit in walking and attempt to swing your right arm with the movement of your right leg, and so on, and you will find it will require the exer¬ cise of great will-power. Or try to “ change hands ” and use your knife and fork. But we must stop giving examples and illustrations. Their number is countless. Not only does the habit mind attend to physical action, etc., but it also takes a hand in our mental operations. We soon acquire the habit of ceasing to consider consciously certain things, and the habit mind takes the matter for granted, and thereafter we will think automatically on those particular questions, unless we are shaken out of the habit by a rude jolt from the mind of someone else, or from the presentation of some con¬ flicting idea occasioned by our own experience or reason¬ ing processes. And the habit mind hates to be disturbed and compelled to revise its ideas. It fights against it, and rebels, and the result is that many of us are slaves to old outgrown ideas that we realize are false and untrue, but which we find that we “ cannot exactly get rid of.” In our future lessons we will give methods to get rid of these old outgrown ideas. There are other planes of mind which have to do with the phenomena known as “ psychic,” by which is meant the phases of psychic phenomena known as clairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy, etc., but we shall not consider them in this lesson, for they belong to another part of the general subject. We have spoken of them in a general way in our “ Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy,” etc. And now we come to the plane of mind known to us as Intellect or the Reasoning Faculties. Webster defines the word Intellect as follows: “ The part or faculty or the human soul by which it knows, as distinguished from MW/sr^ RAJA YOGA §L C-er to feel and to will; the thinking faculty; ^standing.” The same authority defines the word Reason as follows: “The faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished from the intelli¬ gence of the inferior animals.” We shall not attempt to go into a consideration of the conscious Intellect, for to do so we would be compelled to take up the space of the remaining lessons of the course, and besides, the student may find extended information on this subject in any of the text books on psychology. Instead, we will consider other faculties and planes of mind which the said text books pass by rapidly, or perhaps deny. And one of these planes is that of Unconscious Reasoning, or Intel¬ lect. To many this term will seem paradoxical, but students of the unconscious will understand just what is meant. Reasoning is not necessarily conscious in its operations; in fact, a greater part of the reasoning processes are per¬ formed below or above the conscious field. In our last lesson we have given a number of examples proving this fact, but a few more remarks may not be out of place, nor without interest to the student. In our last lesson you will see many instances stated in which the sub-conscious field of the Intellect worked out problems, and then after a time handed to the con¬ scious reason the solution of the matter. This has occurred to many of us, if not, indeed, to all of us. Who has not endeavoured to solve a problem or question of some sort, and after “ giving it up ” has had it suddenly answered and flashed into consciousness when least expected? The experience is common to the race. While the majority of us have noticed these things, we have regarded them as exceptional and out of the general rule. Not so, how¬ ever, with students of the mental planes. The latter have recognized these planes of reason, and have availed them- f THE MENTAL PLANES *^6ir knowledge by setting these uncons cutties to work for them. In our next lesson we will give directions to our students regarding this accomplish¬ ment, which may prove of the greatest importance to those who will take the trouble to practise the directions given. It is a plan that is known to the majority of men who have “ done things ” in the world, the majority of them, however, having discovered the plan for themselves as the result of a need or demand upon the inner powers of mind. The plane of mind immediately above that of Intel¬ lect is that known as Intuition. Intuition is defined by Webster as follows: “ Direct apprehension or cognition; immediate knowledge, as in perception or consciousness, involving no reasoning process; quick or ready insight or apprehension.” It is difficult to explain just what is meant by Intuition, except to those who have experienced it— and these people do not need the explanation. Intuition is just as real a mental faculty as is Intellect—or, to be more exact, is just as much a collection of mental faculties. Intuition is above the field of consciousness, and its mes¬ sages are passed downward, though its processes are hidden. The race is gradually unfolding into the mental plane of Intuition, and the race will some day pass into full consciousness on that plane. In the meantime it gets but flashes and glimpses from the hidden region. Many of the best things we have come from that region. Art, music, the love of the beautiful and good poetry, the higher form of love, spiritual insight to a certain degree, intuitive perception of truth, etc., etc., come from this region. These things are not reasoned out by the intellect, but seem to spring full born from some unknown region of the mind. In this wonderful region dwells Genius. Many, if not RAJA YOGA lies of genius have felt that their power caijej from some higher source. Many have thought that it emanated from some being kindly to them, who would inspire them with power and wisdom. Some transcendent power seemed to have been called into operation, and the worker would feel that his product or creation was not his handiwork, but that of some outside intelligence. The Greeks recognized this something in man, and called it man’s “ Daemon.” Plutarch, in his discourse on the daemon that guided Socrates, speaks of the vision of Timarchus, who, in the case of Trophonius, saw spirits which were partly attached to human bodies, and partly over and above them, shining luminously over their heads. He was informed by the oracle that the part of the spirit which was immersed in the body was called the “ soul,” but that the outer and unimmersed portion was called the “ daemon.” The oracle also informed him that every man had his daemon, whom he is bound to obey; those who implicitly follow that guidance are the prophetic souls, the favourites of the gods. Goethe also spoke of the daemon as a power higher than the will, and which inspired certain natures with miraculous energy. We may smile at these conceptions, but they are really very close to the truth. The higher regions of the mind, while belonging to the individual, and a part of himself, are so far above his ordinary consciousness that to all intents and purposes messages from them are as orders from another and higher soul. But still the voice is that of the “ I,” speaking through its sheaths as best it is able. This power belongs to every one of us, although it manifests only in the degree that we are able to respond to it. It grows by faith and confidence, and closes itself up, and withdraws into its recesses when we doubt it and would question its veracity and reality. What we call THE MENTAL PLANES gihality ” comes from this region. The Intuitny* ies pass on to the conscious mind some perception truth higher than the Intellect has been able to work out for itself, and lo! it is called the work of genius. The advanced occultist knows that in the higher regions of the mind are locked up intuitive perceptions of all truth, and that he who can gain access to these regions will know everything intuitively, and as a matter of clear sight, without reasoning or explanation. The race has not as yet reached the heights of Intuition—it is just beginning to climb the foothills. But it is moving in the right direction. It will be well for us if we will open ourselves to the higher inner guidance, and be willing to be “ led by the Spirit.” This is a far different thing from being led by outside intelligence, which may, or may not, be qualified to lead. But the Spirit within each of us lias our interests at heart and is desirous of our best good, and is not only ready but willing to take us by the hand and lead us on. The Higher Self is doing the best it can for our development and welfare, but is hampered by the confining sheaths. And alas, many of us glory in these sheaths and consider them the highest part of our¬ selves. Do not be afraid to let the light of the Spirit pierce through these confining sheaths and dissolve them. The Intuition, however, is not the Spirit, but is one of its channels of communication to us. There are other and still higher planes of mind, but the Intuition is the one next in the line of unfoldment, and we should open ours'elves to its influence and welcome its unfoldment. Above the plane of Intuition is that of the Cosmic Knowing, upon which we will find the consciousness of the Oneness of All. We have spoken of this plane in our lesson on the Unfoldment of Consciousness.