Know Thyself: Science of Mind

How do you know yourself?

What does this mean?

How could you not know yourself? I know what my favorite foods are, my favorite colors, how I like my eggs cooked in the morning, and what I do for fun. So the question begs: What do you mean, ‘know thyself?’

This isn’t quite as crazy as it may seem, the command here is not to know what you prefer about life, but to know your purpose in life, or to know at your core what you are in relation to the world. It has many levels of meaning. You can go your entire life being completely indulged in things you like to do, eat, smell, touch, taste, and see, but these are only outside qualities of what you know. To truly know yourself, you have to think of the big picture. Think of the universe, and what you are in relation to everything in it. What does such a small person, a tiny life form like you, have to do with the entire universe? What is your purpose?

This is, at the heart of it, the real question. To know yourself is to know your purpose for being. It’s like a drop of water understanding it’s purpose in the ocean. And what is that purpose?

Well, with risk of making things sound way too easy, the purpose of a drop of water in an ocean is that the ocean would be one less drop without it. The drop contributes to the whole. It makes the entirety complete. Therefore, your ultimate purpose is to make the entirety of creation complete. And what better way to do that than to become YOU?

Sounds stupid at first, doesn’t it? Think about it. Let’s take a theological look at this just one second. Taking away from any dogmatic creed of any one religion, let’s say you believe in God, or even Gods. Erase whatever name you have imprinted in your head for this "Divinity," and just accept that there is something there. What does it look like in your mind? Is it a person? Is it a man? Maybe it’s a woman?

Now, whatever you just thought about, erase that image completely. Let’s start from scratch. Let’s just assume, for the time being, that God is harder for us to understand than previously thought. Think of this: God is of no image, no name, no being, no concept, no form, both there and not; transcendent, if you will. Any concept you have of God - no matter how right it may or may not be - isn’t anywhere close to the true Divine. It’s like trying to draw a picture for the blind. We are the blind.

Don’t put a form around it, as this makes limitations. Don’t put a name to it, as this defines forethought. For the time being, we will simply refer to it as the Divine. This Ultimate Divine, Creator of all thought, Beginner of the beginning, is the Ultimate Reality. And within this Reality, lies THIS reality. Since this reality is within the Ultimate Reality, or the Divine, everyone and everything is apart of it. Each galaxy, every star, every planet, every atom – nothing exists outside of the Divine. It is a thought, held together by the will of the Divine. On a more personal level, that means you are a part of that Divine. Every cell, nerve, vein, and thought of yours is apart of this Divine. Without you, the Divine would be less than it is. You’re a drop of water in an ocean.

Hopefully, that’s not too much to take in all at one time. Of course, that might be oversimplifying reality as well. Plenty of questions arise out of the thought process of thinking that we are not separate from the Divine, but actually apart of it. In this thinking, one might assume, every time something or someone dies, a piece of the Divine dies. If we all are apart of the Divine, and without us the Divine would be that much less, then what happens when one of the many living things in this reality dies?

Most science classes will tell you that energy never stops, it simply transfers from one thing to another. In this scenario, picture yourself as a big ball of energy. It shouldn’t be too hard to imagine. The human brain has more electrical currents in the form of impulses going through it each minute than any device you can think of. For every sensation there is another current of electricity sent to the brain. Every thought is accompanied by a message sent all over the body. When you start to walk, you don’t think to yourself "now I’m going to walk," you simply do it. And in that split second, millions of signals get sent through the body from the brain to the muscles to the nerves and whatnot, and then . . . the miracle that is "walking" ensues. The obvious nature of the body is to serve as a tool for us to live with. The body is governed by these impulses and signals, and has no control over them. The body does not decide when to walk, we TELL it to. SO – if the body is not the source of the energy, then what is?

Man has always believed there is something that drives the body. Beyond all physical aspects, there is something "within" that is the actual source of all this life and movement. It has been called many different things, but we will refer to this in particular as the Spirit. From this Spirit comes this seemingly unending supply of energy. It is the source of all life in each person. It is this Spirit within us that transfers from one thing to another, that never remains static. Even though the body might die, or be destroyed, the source of energy remains constant. Energy does not die. And neither does the Spirit.

This Spirit, as complex as it may be, is at the very core of everything, the most ultimate "you" that you can be. When you say, "I am," that’s the part of you that you refer to. This Spirit within you is the REAL you, not your body. Even your sub-conscience realizes this. Notice in everyday speech, that you might say "my head hurts" or "my hand is strong" or even "I’ve got long legs." This sub-conscience mind of yours (which is the Spirit/Soul) is telling you that you are not the body in which you reside. You are saying that your arm, head, hand, or leg belongs to you, not that it IS you. In saying this, you have confirmed yourself that you are a being far more complex than just a body.

It is to this end that we must ask ourselves: who are we?

To know the answer to this is to have Gnosis.