The conscious mind- “sentience or awareness of the internal or external existence”

We all have one, we all use the rational and logical process that brings us from one thought to the next. Some of us more than others. It is our awareness of these thoughts and the understanding that we are thinking that makes up the conscious mind. It seems there is no particular place in the brain that the conscious mind takes up residence, but more likely involves multiple brain structures including but not limited to, the brain stem (the deepest parts of the brain) and the cortex (the most outer parts of the brain).

Reading this article, having thoughts and being aware of these thoughts are all the conscious mind at work but there is a lot more going on underneath.

The intuitive mind

While thoughts come into your mind, the subconscious is continuously working outside the view of your conscious. The subconscious forms from anything you are not readily aware of, including body controls like temperature and digestion, reflexes, autonomic movements and even when you are unconscious. The ‘sub’ part of subconscious means in Latin, below or beneath but it can also mean secondary or subordinate to. But the part of the subconscious that I want to talk about is no sub-ordinary part of the mind. This is the intuitive mind.

The brain is lazy, we are evolutionarily made to find the easiest route, conserving energy and improving efficiency. This is where the intuitive mind comes into play, over time and with conscious thoughts the mind creates habits for handling situations. As an example, the first time you are driving every action is made consciously. This can be difficult but with practice the complex task of driving becomes natural. The intuitive mind knows because the conscious mind has taught it.

Some people believe that using the intuitive mind to solve problems can be detrimental. That it lacks the rationale needed at any given time, becoming a more ‘connect the dots’ kind of situation rather than a thought out plan.

I disagree. Using the driving example, up ahead you see a hazard while driving. Consciously you apply the brakes to be safer. But what if there is no time to think about the hazard. A person steps out in front of you. Reactively and without thought you put your foot on the brake and swerve to avoid the incident. In both occasions nobody was hurt but different parts of the mind are used.

“ Good intuition comes from years of experience and knowledge that allows you to understand how people and the worlds works”

The conscious mind feeds the intuitive mind, allowing it to grow a greater understanding of the world. The conscious mind is taking in what you have your attention on but the intuitive mind is taking in everything around you constantly. It is capable of rationalising and is intelligent, as an example while your asleep we are not conscious of any sounds. Although a strange sound would wake us. Not only is the intuitive mind able to hear the sound but also distinguish between a normal and an unusual sound, to then wake us accordingly.

Many times in my life I have heard of people using intuition to help them make a decision or walk a different path than usual. The ‘ knowing without knowing’ or gut feeling can be attributed to intuition or the intuitive mind being able to make a decision, while the conscious mind is held back by a long process of rationale thinking and weighed down by worries and emotions. It is a matter of finding the right balance, where the conscious mind helps the intuitive mind grow but the intuitive mind helps the conscious mind not to worry or get stuck in complex processes. If you find out how to get this perfect balance please let me know!

Let us take a step back and look at a theory. This theory proposes that behind the conscious mind and the intuitive mind there is another state of consciousness. This I would call the superconsciousness. A hypothetical idea to help with the rationale behind the Journey. Some might call it the spirit or soul but I will just say that it could be a possible consciousness that transcends time and space, a consciousness that cannot be perceived or quantified.

As shown in the diagram there are certain areas of the conscious awareness that overlaps the intuitive mind, that in some way they are interconnected. A thought can emerge from the intuitive mind, bringing it into the awareness of the conscious mind. Just as the conscious mind can take its awareness away from a thought, the intuitive mind can stay aware or at least remember that thought for later. This continuously happens throughout the day.

An example would be while reading this article you remember you have to take out the rubbish, but while taking out the rubbish you start to think about this article again. From conscious to subconscious and back to conscious. While the idea of putting the rubbish out came from the intuitive mind reminding you that it is something you need to do.

On this point, I theorise that the same could be true between the intuitive mind and the superconscious, that in some way their awareness overlaps as well.

                             Please check out the Journey page to see where this is leading.